https://youtu.be/m3TbLikZa5I “He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones,…
Jeremiah 24.4-10 says, God told me, “This is the Message from the God of Israel:
The exiles from here that I’ve sent off to the land of the Babylonians are like the good figs, and I’ll make sure they get good treatment. I’ll keep My eye on them so that their lives are good, and I’ll bring them back to this land. I’ll build them up, not tear them down; I’ll plant them, not uproot them. “And I’ll give them a heart to know Me, God. They’ll be My people and I’ll be their God, for they’ll have returned to Me with all their hearts. “But like the rotten figs, so rotten they can’t be eaten, is Zedekiah king of Judah. Rotten figs—that’s how I’ll treat him and his leaders, along with the survivors here and those down in Egypt. I’ll make them something that the whole world will look on as disgusting—repugnant outcasts, their names used as curse words wherever in the world I drive them. And I’ll make sure they die like flies—from war, starvation, disease, whatever—until the land I once gave to them and their ancestors is completely rid of them. MSG
The good figs, the blessed by God, were those taken as prisoners from Israel. They were the ones who walked in chains to far off Babylon. Nothing about that event could have felt like a blessing. Yet they were the ones God said were blessed, the ones He was watching over, the ones whose hearts He would return to Himself and eventually would have their ancestors return to the Promised Land.
Psalms 91.14-16, explains, because he loves Me, says the Lord, I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges My Name. He will call on Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.
The blessing of the Lord, who does not want that in their life? I know I certainly do. How then do we receive God’s favor? (more…)
Malachi 3.18 promises, you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.
Sometimes the people of God become discouraged following the Lord because they are not feeling blessed by the Lord as a result of their following Him. We follow Him for what we want from Him, blessing. We don’t follow Him because we love Him. (more…)
Psalm 81.10 I am the Lord your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
We all want God to bless us. God wants to bless us. What is the blessing of God? The truest blessing, the greatest blessing is the blessing of God Himself. A relationship with God that is personal, near, real, intimate, that is our greatest blessing. Is this the kind of blessing we really want? (more…)
2 Corinthians 12.21 laments, I will be grieved because many of you have not given up your old sins.
You have not repented of your impurity, sexual immorality, and eagerness for lustful pleasure.
Seeing is believing and those who believe should be causing others to see a difference in their life as a result of Jesus entering into it as Lord and Savior. (more…)
Deuteronomy 11.26-28 offers, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing if you take to heart the commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you today, and the curse if you pay no attention to his commandments and turn from the way I am setting before you today to pursue
other gods you have not known.
God gets blamed for most of the bad things that happen in the world but if we thought about it very long we would recognize that most of the evil occurs because one human chooses to harm another human. (more…)
Isaiah 26.18 describes, we, too, writhe in agony, but nothing comes of our suffering. We have not given
salvation to the earth, nor brought life into the world.
This observation recorded more than 3000 years ago is a perfect description of the Church in the Western Hemisphere and possibly beyond. (more…)
1 Peter 3.12 promises, the eyes of the LORD watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to
their prayers. But the LORD turns his face against those who do evil.
This promise is what we would expect from a God Who is good. It makes sense to us that a good God would watch over those who do good and hear their prayers. It also makes sense to us that God would oppose those who do evil in the world.
There is a disconnect however from this logic and some of our experiences. Evil in the world is a problem for people. (more…)
Isaiah 7.9 warns, unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.
When God says He cant, He means He wont. God cant do something because it violates either His character or His commands.
Without faith God warns, it is impossible to please Him therefore those who come to Him must believe He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Our faith is integral to God’s work and presence in and through our lives. (more…)
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