The Reason for the Season

Luke 1:68-79 NKJV

"Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people, 69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David, 70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, who have been since the world began, 71 That we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, 72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, 73 The oath which He swore to our father Abraham: 74 To grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.

76 "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, 77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins, 78 Through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us; 79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

God sent His Son so that the world could be redeemed and John the Baptist was sent before Him to prepare the way. People needed to be told of the darkness and death they dwelt in, so they could see the need for this Savior. We still need to be told two thousand years later because man so easily forgets and wants to do things as he sees them in his own eyes. Read Judges to see how this worked out for the Israelites. You will see that every time they turned to their own way instead of God’s, something came along to oppress them until they realized the sin and cried out to the Lord.

Praise God this season that He had this plan already in place knowing that we would require redemption. Praise Him for the love He is still showing the world to give everyone of us a chance to repent our sins and return to being His children along with Jesus. The Law will only show us where we went wrong, but Jesus has the power to make us clean and return us to God’s fold. Chose Jesus today for He is the truth, the way and the life. He is the reason for the season.

Holy

1 Peter 1:14-16 NLT

Obey God because you are his children. Don't slip back into your old ways of doing evil; you didn't know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God — who chose you to be his children — is holy. 16 For he himself has said, "You must be holy because I am holy."

Rom 7:11-12 NLT

Sin took advantage of the law and fooled me; it took the good law and used it to make me guilty of death. 12 But still, the law itself is holy and right and good.

Matt 5:48 NLT

But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. 

Being holy as God is holy and being perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect is what He truly desires for His children. Sin entered the world through Satan in the Garden of Eden and began, and continues, a separation between God and man. God loved the world He created and His children created in His own image so much that He sent His only Son to die for all of us and break the cycle of sin and death that enslaved us.

Along with God’s great love in sending us a Savior to provide for forgiveness of our sins and the way to reconnect with Him, He also provided His amazing grace, which can provide the empowerment we need to be perfect and holy as He is, if we allow it to.

2 Peter 2:21 NLT

It would be better if they had never known the right way to live than to know it and then reject the holy commandments that were given to them.

Anyone that makes a profession of belief, but refuses to have any regard for God’s Law, will have an even worse end. Falling away will harden their heart far more than if they had remained in ignorance of the Law.

To make a true profession of belief, a sinner must understand the Law in order to know they need a Savior. Once they have this understanding of how sin separates them from God, they can truly accept Jesus Christ when offered the pardon of the Gospel. If they don’t see sin as an issue, they will never see the need of a pardon.

God cannot look upon and accept sin due to His goodness no matter how much He loves us. He could not look upon Jesus Christ upon the cross because at the time Jesus bore all the sins of the world as our pure sacrifice. (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34)

Ps 99:9 NKJV

Exalt the LORD our God,

And worship at His holy hill;

For the LORD our God is holy

Will you let God cloth you with the new man and help you shed the old one? If you do, you will be free to truly worship Him as you were created to. He still makes it our choice, but He does promise us an abundant life here on earth and an eternity with Him in Heaven if we choose correctly. If you don’t accept this you are rejecting God and missing out on all the help and blessing His love and grace will give you.

Resources

My last two posts came from an idea I saw reprinted as part of the commentary in The Evidence Bible with commentary by Ray Comfort. The original list can be found at http://www.the-ten-commandments.org/the-ten-commandments-god.html. I am using the list to get the verses I use and I plan on writing something for all 32 topics on the list.

I look at the verses in context along with reading various study notes that I find with them. I like how Ray Comfort put the commentary and notes into The Evidence Bible since it is from many resources he used while evangelizing. The longest phrase out of any notes I took was what Matthew Henry used in talking of the Law's 'strictness, extent and spiritual nature' because those five words summed it up the best. I will do my best to properly document anything I take as full quotes from another person and not just minor parts. I do have to say Matthew Henry had a good way of explaining things and I can see why Ray Comfort used quite a few things from him in the commentary.

My intent is to share here what I am learning on these topics and hope each inspires to do your own digging further into the Word of God.

Perfection

Matt 5:48 NKJV

Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Do not assume that Jesus meant anything but perfect here. If we want to change the word perfect to mature as some do, then we are also implying we believe God is not perfect and had to mature. The Bible says in many places that God is perfect and He never changes. This includes the Law which Jesus continually stated was perfect like God throughout His sermon on the mount. He goes on further to state the Law demands perfection in thought, word and deed.

Jesus took the Law and magnified it to be beyond what sinful man could attain by his own works. We cannot do anything on our own power to be right with God. We get right with God by accepting Jesus as our Savior with nothing but faith knowing we are wretched sinners apart from God. Once we do this His righteousness covers us and He sends us the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us as lawful children of God. This is how we become perfect in God’s eyes.

Ps 19:7 NKJV

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;

The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

We realize the truth of sin when we learn the fullness of the Law in all its strictness, extent and spiritual nature. It is a tool that our conscience cannot deny. Only the Law can reveal God’s true and righteous judgments to produce the fear of God that leads to repentance. We learn that the greatest issue we have is a separation from God and only accepting this will fill the void within us. He created us in His image and made us of a free will so we would relate to Him. We are liberated from the bondages of sin through faith in Jesus Christ. We become free to follow God’s way and live an assured life as His child. With Him we can overcome.

James 1:25 NKJV

But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

The Law of God is both a light and a mirror to show us what is truly good and bad. If we are not willing to look, we cannot stand corrected by the Law. We will not learn how to become the child of God we were created to be without the Law. However, we cannot do the works of the Law on our own or to earn credits with God. We have the power to achieve the Law and the willingness to obey the Law because we accepted Jesus Christ. God’s love and grace through Jesus Christ gives us the power and also the blessing.

Indeed we can be perfect and blessed by connecting with God. The Law is there to let us know this, but it is not what makes us right with God. We must accept Jesus Christ who was sacrificed and rose again to give us the way. Will you reconnect today?

Love Stops Harm

He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. (1 John 4:8 NJKV) This is a stinger because if we truly know what love is, it definitely indicates that we know and understand God. God created and programmed us to desire connection with Him, but He loved us enough to give us free will to choose to come to know Him and relate to Him. Our ability to understand love and relate to others here on earth properly depends on our choice to follow God.

Let’s look at Romans 13:8-10. Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

It appears we need to have love in order to not harm others. Otherwise, we are going to be selfish and commit one of the things listed in these verses. It counts if you just think it. Where your heart lies is where your thoughts will go and thus determines your actions. Galatians 5:14 NKJV, For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." This is the second commandment and to know love we have to know and love God, which is the first commandment. Then the other eight are easy to do if we get a handle on the first two. If you do not properly love your neighbor you won’t properly follow the commandments and harm will come.

So let’s do what 1 John 4:16 NKJV says. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him. If we believe in God and learn to relate to him with love as He loves us, we can properly love even our enemies and not cause harm of any type to anyone.

Don’t expect to be perfect and not cause some issues, but know you can learn from every mistake and overcome what has stopped you from loving properly. What will you do today to get into God’s love and learn to show proper love to others?

The Trials of Blogging

I keep going in spurts, but I've realized this idea is based on sharing what I've learned about God and I want to write things inspired by God. I also know my writing time flows into several projects. This combination of wanting to do right by God, but having multiple writing projects besides this blog proves I'm not able to keep everything going at times.

I could use the excuse that it doesn't matter due to so many other websites and resources out there to learn about God. However, I know God gave me my own voice and experiences to be shared as a testimony about him. He gave me the desire to write. He gave me the desire to share the wonders and blessings He wants to shower on us if we follow Him. Ever since I connected with Him, I've wanted to share Him with others, so they can acquire what only He can provide.

I apologize for being so haphazard here because a non-steady blog is not a good thing for any topic and definitely not a good impression of how much I truly want to inspire you to know God through what I have learned and what I have experienced.

With that said, I received a great inspiration from God that will span at least 32 posts and I'm hoping it goes beyond. Pray that I stay true to what He wants me to learn from this endeavor and that it will help and bless everyone that comes here to read my blog.

I invite you to come knocking if I slip up on keeping this blog going as God wishes. Accountability is a good thing.

God Class Creations

Gen 1:27-28 NKJV - So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

God created man to be in His image unlike anything else He created. Everything else was simply brought into existence by the Word of God spoken, but God took dust from the earth and His own breath to make us like Him. This way we could relate to him and not just be another animal He created.

Having this spirit within us causes urgings to be connected with Him. However, with our free will and emotions, we will miss this point until we learn about who God really is. We run after all sorts of worldly things that aren’t bad, but turn that way when we use them to fill the void that only God can. We don’t feel capable of being the God class creation we were meant to be. We flounder for the answers with no success without His help.

This is why our awesome and relational God sent Jesus to die for our sins and give us the opportunity to accept this awesome gift and be reconciled to God. He chose us before He even created anything.

1 Peter 2:9-10 NKJV - But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

Jesus is calling us. Without Him we are lost in the dark and homeless. We are outside the family of God where He intended us to be. Once we truly accept Jesus, this realization will change our lives. We’ll let Him lead the way and the transformation with astound friends and family. Some will be happy for you, some will be indifferent, and some will hate you. I’ve experienced all three.

My life is not easier now. Actually, I have had far more trials, disappointments and failures since becoming a Christian than before. However, I have hope that all is working out as God planned. I am enjoying life even in the bad circumstances because I am part of the royal family. I accepted God’s gift and was adopted into his family. I would never go back to where I was. Life may have seemed easier looking back on it, but I was more frustrated with it than with any trial I faced with Jesus Christ. Life with Him is a journey of both hard and easy seasons, but the end will be marvelous if we stay on His path. 

God With Us

Matt 1:18-25 NKJV - Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."

22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."

24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.

The words in verse 23 echo what was prophesied in Isaiah 7:14 several hundred years before Jesus was born. Everything about the birth of Jesus had to fulfill the prophecies because God is never a liar and never will be.

The Jews were already looking for the Messiah. They knew he was coming and would be their king. However, they were thinking he would come and sit on a worldly throne. They did not even expect him to come as a baby despite this prophecy. The human mind would never make up a story like this. It was God who totally did it as He said, but still blew humanity’s mind when it happened.

It takes faith to conceive such an idea as this. We use faith all the time in life. Your faith is in what you believe is the truth. Most humans will not act against what they believe in and they will die for it if they truly believe it is a deep rooted truth. We can be totally wrong about our truth though if only conceived of the human mind. If it comes from God, we can stake a real claim in what He says.

We celebrate Christmas every year because the hope of the world being reconciled with God was born to us as the baby Jesus. He was also called Immanuel, God with us. This baby did not grow up being some great looking and charismatic person. He was like everyone else. He left all the glory he had as the Word of God in heaven, but still had God with Him. Thanks to His coming and, more importantly, His sacrifice on the cross for all our sins, we all can have God with us every day.

As I stated in my post of Once Upon A Time …, God thought outside the box because that is where He is. He had everything figured out and still made the world. He sent Jesus, His Son, and also God, to be with us and show us who God the Father really was. He came to show us what real relationship is and how we could be joined in relationship with God.

Jesus is the glorified and terrifying answer to everything. He may have left His glory in heaven as he walked amongst us, but gave us the Good News and showed us God’s glory by properly representing the Father in Heaven. But since all came from Him and is for Him, we owe everything to Him. As a person of the relational Godhead, He has a claim on us.

I have accepted this claim by Him on my life and found life far more exciting while also seeing far more trials at the same time. I encourage you today to really think about Him and all that He has done for you. Life has been far more joyful for me now that I have God with me.