My family and I are walking through this wonderful bible study called The One True God and I thought that I would share a little bit with you for today's small break in the Repentance series. What I love about this bible study is that it's simple truth. Deep simple truth. A kind of contradicting statement, huh? Well I don't know exactly how else to say it.
Anyways, this post is named God is Spirit as is the second chapter of bible study is. It seems simple enough to understand, but it's very deep.
God is not material or corporeal (i.e He does not possess a physical body). Two of the greatest implications of this truth are: (1) God is not confined to any of the physical restraints so common to humanity, and (2) God is not visible and therefore should never be degraded with images made by men.
I thought that was an interesting statement really. True and interesting at the same time. Here's why, because normally when we think of God, we don't think of him as a Spirit. He is a spirit. Be we don't think about him as a Spirit. In Heaven he is a spirit. He does not have any form, he doesn't have anything resembling humanity, he just IS. And that's just frighteningly beautiful at the same time. Because HE JUST IS. He Exists. He loves. But he's not physical. You can't touch him. NO one has EVER seen God. If someone claims that have, their foolish. You can HEAR God, you can see him working through your LIFE, but you cannot actually see God. Even the angels can't, heavenly beings can't. NO ONE CAN. He DOESN'T PHYSICALLY EXIST!! Really take a moment to examine that part. He doesn't physically exist. Have you ever pictured yourself in heaven? When your there worshiping God? Well for some reason I always thought that God would be there. Like there would be one throne room or something and at the very end this beautiful light. The light so bright that it would hurt to look at it but that we'd bow down before him and worship him knowing that he was somewhere behind that light. Well that was thrown out the door when I read this chapter. Because really, in heaven we won't be able to walk somewhere to find God, God is everywhere, he's the air we breathe. HE JUST IS. So think about it. One of the greatest names that God ever called himself was the I AM. Jesus was arrested when he claimed to be I AM. I AM the Son of God, he would preach. I AM the bread of life. I AM man's savior, etc. HE IS the I AM.
Hope your day is awesome!
{And may everything you do be for His Glory}
{exclusive!}
[Well well it's been a while since I was able to talk of my life, and that's not intended to be a bad thing. I love talking about the word of the Lord, and honestly it's been a huge part of my life recently, but I would still like to be able to update people on our recent activities.
So what's been happening? A lot has happened in this past...week or so? First of all, about a week ago, Sam, our dear Sam, fell and had to get stitches on the back of his head. It was a scary experience, as any back of the head injuries are, but it turned out to be fine, and he just had to get stitches. This past Saturday, he got them out.
I want to give God praise personally, because this week my Grandfather accepted Christ, the day we went to his Church!! It was unexpected, but wonderful! We've been praying for this a long time, and the Lord has graciously answered our prayers. And really it SHOWS the power of prayers. People don't believe anymore these days in miracle, but every prayer answered is a miracle <3
Basketball has been !Nutty!, in a good way. I love being on the team. We've recently had three games cancelled because of the weather, and I missed practice the other day because I mixed up the time. I'm anxious to play a game, which is Thursday, and another Tourney which is Saturday. I love basketball!
School is School. But i will say it's gone very well this year. Writing and Spanish are wonderful. I'm doing history at home (hallelujah!!) and that's going really well. And science is interesting.
And so that's a short summary of what's been happening. And hopefully I'll have something to share in the next {exclusive!}
And I'll close with this question and answer, from the West Minister Catechism :)
Who is God? God is a Spirit who's being is Wisdom, Power, Holiness, Justice, and Truth, are infinite, eternal, and Unchangeable.
-----Hannah
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Repentance: throughout the New Testement -part 2
Today we get to study further into chapter one! Whew! These chapters are nice and long. Beautiful and long :) Now, I decided that every chapter I'm going to take a 'break' and do another spiritual related post. While I believe in Repentance as one of the most urgent and wonderful things, I am passionate about so many other topics! I'll also be adding a small {exclusive!} to those posts about what I'm doing. My life has been quite interesting, and I love to share stories.
But let's start the important part. Repentance. I haven't mentioned it, but 'by the way' BLUE is quotes from a book and RED is scripture. Just in case you didn't notice xD
So, let's remember yesterday when I was talking about Repentance being the first message of the John the Baptist, and the first and last command of Jesus Christ. On page 32, it continues.
Jesus summoned twelve men to follow Him as disciples. After carefully training He sent them out in pairs. "And they went out and preached that men should repent." {Mark 6:12}
So we must note that it was the first command for the twelve disciples. And they did as they were commanded, they PREACHED Repentance. Another, "As you go, preach, saying 'the kingdom of heaven is at hand'." (Matthew 10:15.) So we see clearly that this was of importance to Jesus. It was the first thing he wanted the world to know through his disciples. Their message, [the disciples], "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," was certainly not novel, for it was the message of both the Baptist and Christ. If there is anything remarkable about the message, it is simply that the first word of the gospel is so little heard today.
Now moving on, guess what? It was it was the Focus of Peters Preaching. And Peter did very little preaching, if any at all, BEFORE he Repented. Peter was proud in the beginning. Remember he was the one who said to the Lord, 'I will not fail you.' And the Lord responded, 'Before the rooster crows the third time, you will deny me.' Peter did deny him. What did Peter do next? He Repented. And because of his miraculous Change of Heart, he was able to give a wonderful testimony of Repentance. 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. --Acts 2:38
That was one of Peters messages. It's just beautiful. He's urgent and passionate about all of this! The last half is wonderful. 'and you WILL receive' He was very confident there. He says 'You Will' from experience. He's knows that because God did it for him, he WILL do it for us.
But let's start the important part. Repentance. I haven't mentioned it, but 'by the way' BLUE is quotes from a book and RED is scripture. Just in case you didn't notice xD
So, let's remember yesterday when I was talking about Repentance being the first message of the John the Baptist, and the first and last command of Jesus Christ. On page 32, it continues.
Jesus summoned twelve men to follow Him as disciples. After carefully training He sent them out in pairs. "And they went out and preached that men should repent." {Mark 6:12}
So we must note that it was the first command for the twelve disciples. And they did as they were commanded, they PREACHED Repentance. Another, "As you go, preach, saying 'the kingdom of heaven is at hand'." (Matthew 10:15.) So we see clearly that this was of importance to Jesus. It was the first thing he wanted the world to know through his disciples. Their message, [the disciples], "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," was certainly not novel, for it was the message of both the Baptist and Christ. If there is anything remarkable about the message, it is simply that the first word of the gospel is so little heard today.
Now moving on, guess what? It was it was the Focus of Peters Preaching. And Peter did very little preaching, if any at all, BEFORE he Repented. Peter was proud in the beginning. Remember he was the one who said to the Lord, 'I will not fail you.' And the Lord responded, 'Before the rooster crows the third time, you will deny me.' Peter did deny him. What did Peter do next? He Repented. And because of his miraculous Change of Heart, he was able to give a wonderful testimony of Repentance. 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. --Acts 2:38
That was one of Peters messages. It's just beautiful. He's urgent and passionate about all of this! The last half is wonderful. 'and you WILL receive' He was very confident there. He says 'You Will' from experience. He's knows that because God did it for him, he WILL do it for us.
29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, [a]whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a [b]cross. 31 He is the one whom God exalted [c]to His right hand as a [d]Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses [e]of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”--Acts 5:29-32 This passage also talks about Repentance, but I wanted you to take note of this in passage. Peter had just spent the night in Prison for preaching the word of God-Repentance. Here he was, in front of the Jewish council, and THIS was his message. That HE would believe in GOD and preach REPENTANCE and the FORGIVENESS of sins.
I don't have time to go into it, but also the Church's in Revelation were called to Repentance. It was THE way to find Jesus.
Lastly, I want to mention this last part that's SO BEAUTIFUL. Imagine this incredibly beautiful truth: the conduct of people on earth impacts the joy of angels in heaven. Jesus said that the angels of heaven rejoice over every single person on earth who comes to true repentance {Luke 15:10} I will briefly mention for you to notice when he said 'TRUE repentance' That was an example of when I was talking about the dangers of Repentance. That pride can really mess up your repentant life, and that there is a TRUE repentance. Anyways, here's a quote worth thinking about: For multitudes of professed Christians, their only relationship with Christ is intellectual. There is no evidence that they have repented or believed but only that they accept as true certain facts concerning Christ. The devil accepts as true certain things about Christ, but no angel ever rejoiced over his repentance.
I'll end here with a verse from Luke 15:3-7 3 So He told them this parable, saying, 4 “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the [a]open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7 I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
Let Christ rejoice over your repentance. Notice that he'd rather have one real repentant sinner, than ninety-nine people who needed no repentance. Let your voice be heard in the heavens. Oh that many millions might provide glorious occasions for rejoicing in heaven by their thorough repentance on earth!
Hope your day is awesome!
{And may everything you do be for His glory}
---Hannah
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Repentance: throughout the New Testement -part 1
The first chapter in the book is called, Repentance: The first word of the Gospel. It's a wonderful chapter because it really shows how repentance is incorporated into what Jesus and the disciples said. It should also be noticed that, of course, Repentance is a huge part of the old testament {Because all they could do was repent} but this chapter focuses on the New Testament! So let's get started!
{From the book, copyrighted-Richard Owen Roberts}
Very nicely said, I think. It just shows the importance of Repentance. To continue, I'll talk about Mr. Roberts points on John the Baptist. He dedicates a whole section to John the Baptist, and rightly so. John the Baptist is a man who needs to be respect, and often times we don't think much about him. Nor would he have us think TO much about him, because Jesus was and is the only spotlight. But I do want to point out that Christ said this about John (from the book) "I say to you, among those born of women, there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."....Luke 7:28. I think that it's a great honor to have the son of God say 'there is no one greater than he'. I mean, John didn't take that and brag about it, no, he wept for his unworthiness to tie Christ's shoes. Also in the book it said, "He was appointed to make a straight way in the wilderness for the Lord." And so we can clearly see that John is well respected in the bible.
NOW THAT isn't the point. The point is about REPENTANCE. And this all ties together, if you keep John back round in mind. DO you know what John's first message was? Take a wild GUESS? His first message was Repentance. This respected man's first message, was REPENTANCE. And we ought to take notice of that. In Matthew 3:13, "Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.' For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet, saying, 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness, "make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight" ' ". That is the point.
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY we must realize this point. It was Jesus' first message to!!! "Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.'" {Mark 1:14-15} Is this not wonderful! It's both of their messages. The first message in the New testament, and Jesus' first message! And that is so wonderful.
Now why did they both tie their first message to repentance? Mr. Roberts said in his book that it's because there are two kingdoms in the world. The kingdom of Satan {earth} and the kingdom of God {heaven}. And we are born in to the kingdom of Satan, and the only way out is by grace, and being born again. It starts with Repentance. AND not only was Repentance Jesus' first command, IT WAS ALSO HIS LAST. In his book Mr. Roberts said, "Multitudes, including religious leaders, never hear the call to repentance because they have never realized they are sick. Sin-sick sinners are in a much more hopeful situation than those who are sure they are healthy." And this ties because of this next quote I found on page 31: "Anyone called by God as a follower of Jesus Christ who fails to stress this message of repentance does so in express violation of a final command that Christ gave you." No wonder our Church's don't look any different to the world. You know why? Because we are unrepentant and our preachers have failed that last statement. ANYONE, called by God, WHO FAILS to stress the message of Repentance DOES SO IN EXPRESS violation to the last command that Christ gave you. How many of you have heard the message of Repentance at Church? That is why we have fallen. That is why people fall, because of their failure to REPENT. The Last command of Christ: 'Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; and that Repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in HIS name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold I am sending forth the promise of the Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high' (Luke 24:45-49) We must strive to proclaim this message for the world, because rarely does it make it to our pulpits, yet it is the most vital thing in our spiritual life. There are THREE details that must be noted {taken from the book} 1. First, this preaching of repentance for the forgiveness of sins is to be done in Christ's name....All repentance and forgiveness of sins must be in his name. 2. Second, the message of repentance and the forgiveness of sins must be proclaimed to all the nations, beginning first in Jerusalem, and then Judea, and then to the very ends of the earth. All outreach, each evangelical ministry, every missionary endeavor, must have repentance at the very heart of the message. To fail in this is to violate the Savior Himself and his final command. 3. Third, all messengers of repentance ned to be clothed with power from on high. When power is lacking, it is to be sought as earnestly and faithfully as it was sought by first-century Christians.
I'll continue in the next post and finish chapter one, but we must really reflect on what has been said. Have we ever considered the importance of Repentance? Have we ever heard the message of repentance? If you haven't, that's the failings of the pulpit these days. IT IS SO URGENT, and I cannot express the importance and the sorrow that will come if we don't preach REPENTANCE.
Repentance makes the path straight between the Lord and the repenting person. Repentance is like clearing the a highway of holiness to and from God. Apart from Repentance, the Lord will not make His way to us. One follows the other: repentance must precede forgiveness; forgiveness does follow repentance. There is something grossly unwise in supposing that a person can enjoy the forgiveness of sin while resisting or merely remaining ignorant or repentance.
And so you see, Repentance is such an important thing. So I urge you to tell the message of Repentance to all you meet. It is the most vital thing you can do in your Christian faith. Believing, grace, love, repentance.
Repent and be forgiven.
~Hope your day is awesome.
{And may everything you do be for His glory}
---hannah
{From the book, copyrighted-Richard Owen Roberts}
From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." -Matthew 4:17
The first word of the gospel is not "love." It is not even "grace." The first word of the gospel is "repent." From Matthew through Revelation, repentance is an urgent and indispensable theme that is kept at the very forefront of the gospel message.
NOW THAT isn't the point. The point is about REPENTANCE. And this all ties together, if you keep John back round in mind. DO you know what John's first message was? Take a wild GUESS? His first message was Repentance. This respected man's first message, was REPENTANCE. And we ought to take notice of that. In Matthew 3:13, "Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.' For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet, saying, 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness, "make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight" ' ". That is the point.
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY we must realize this point. It was Jesus' first message to!!! "Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.'" {Mark 1:14-15} Is this not wonderful! It's both of their messages. The first message in the New testament, and Jesus' first message! And that is so wonderful.
Now why did they both tie their first message to repentance? Mr. Roberts said in his book that it's because there are two kingdoms in the world. The kingdom of Satan {earth} and the kingdom of God {heaven}. And we are born in to the kingdom of Satan, and the only way out is by grace, and being born again. It starts with Repentance. AND not only was Repentance Jesus' first command, IT WAS ALSO HIS LAST. In his book Mr. Roberts said, "Multitudes, including religious leaders, never hear the call to repentance because they have never realized they are sick. Sin-sick sinners are in a much more hopeful situation than those who are sure they are healthy." And this ties because of this next quote I found on page 31: "Anyone called by God as a follower of Jesus Christ who fails to stress this message of repentance does so in express violation of a final command that Christ gave you." No wonder our Church's don't look any different to the world. You know why? Because we are unrepentant and our preachers have failed that last statement. ANYONE, called by God, WHO FAILS to stress the message of Repentance DOES SO IN EXPRESS violation to the last command that Christ gave you. How many of you have heard the message of Repentance at Church? That is why we have fallen. That is why people fall, because of their failure to REPENT. The Last command of Christ: 'Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; and that Repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in HIS name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold I am sending forth the promise of the Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high' (Luke 24:45-49) We must strive to proclaim this message for the world, because rarely does it make it to our pulpits, yet it is the most vital thing in our spiritual life. There are THREE details that must be noted {taken from the book} 1. First, this preaching of repentance for the forgiveness of sins is to be done in Christ's name....All repentance and forgiveness of sins must be in his name. 2. Second, the message of repentance and the forgiveness of sins must be proclaimed to all the nations, beginning first in Jerusalem, and then Judea, and then to the very ends of the earth. All outreach, each evangelical ministry, every missionary endeavor, must have repentance at the very heart of the message. To fail in this is to violate the Savior Himself and his final command. 3. Third, all messengers of repentance ned to be clothed with power from on high. When power is lacking, it is to be sought as earnestly and faithfully as it was sought by first-century Christians.
I'll continue in the next post and finish chapter one, but we must really reflect on what has been said. Have we ever considered the importance of Repentance? Have we ever heard the message of repentance? If you haven't, that's the failings of the pulpit these days. IT IS SO URGENT, and I cannot express the importance and the sorrow that will come if we don't preach REPENTANCE.
Repentance makes the path straight between the Lord and the repenting person. Repentance is like clearing the a highway of holiness to and from God. Apart from Repentance, the Lord will not make His way to us. One follows the other: repentance must precede forgiveness; forgiveness does follow repentance. There is something grossly unwise in supposing that a person can enjoy the forgiveness of sin while resisting or merely remaining ignorant or repentance.
And so you see, Repentance is such an important thing. So I urge you to tell the message of Repentance to all you meet. It is the most vital thing you can do in your Christian faith. Believing, grace, love, repentance.
Repent and be forgiven.
~Hope your day is awesome.
{And may everything you do be for His glory}
---hannah
Saturday, January 21, 2012
~Repentance: can be used wrongly?~
As I keep studying this book, I find I'm still only at the introduction. Funny, how the introduction and the 'to the reader' can be so long. But it's good doctrine :D
Anyways, many parts of this book stuck to me. There would be thousands of posts on repentance if I talked about every single powerful sentence. That is why I encourage you to order the book, and read it. Then we can study together, by blogs, and can enjoy the full power of God in this book.
The first thing I learned, was that Repentance isn't any type of joke. It's not something to play with. And while we'd never actually play with it, we may misuse it. Repentance is SO deep. And to get a glimpse of it's true meaning would be amazing. I wanted to state that it can be misused before I went any further. How? Well here's one way.
"Be warned, however, against taking pride in your repentance. Some have unwisely set themselves up as the standard of repentance and have looked with disdain on others whose repentance did not match their own. Such foolishness! Christ alone is the standard. Still others have attached merit to their repentance as if in repenting they gained some favor with God. How absurd! Repentance is a grace Christ gives that can only result in His glory, not ours."
One of our greatest sins is pride. We take pride in EVERYTHING. We take pride in our knowledge of God, we take pride in our discipline, we take pride in our gifts, and we take pride in anything else you might think of. And it's a great curse. Pride is one of the most hated sins. When we think we are better than God. And SO Mr. Roberts says that we can even take pride in our REPENTANCE! It sounds funny but it is all the more true. My repentant life isn't half of what it should be, is yours? Remember God is our standard! HE IS OUR ONLY STANDARD. And with great sadness, we must realize that we can never be his standard, because we weren't made for that. So we must REPENT. We must weep in sorrow at our sins, and never compare. And we must remember that we cannot merit our way into heaven. While Repentance may be an act we do in private, it can still boost our pride into thinking we're better because we Repent and that we're God's favorites. That mindset will send us the exact opposite way we want to go.
And so with great care, we must consider our Repentant life. Repentance is a cry out to God. It's realizing that every single day, every single our, up to every single minute that you are lost, and in need of a savior. There are people in the world who have spent days and nights on their knees weeping because of their sins. Sin is a direct affront against God. To keep up our relationship with God, we need to keep repenting. Because I know for a fact that if I went to my sister every day and slapped her in the face, no matter how many times I said sorry, she wouldn't forgive me; I'd go on and on and on, slapping her, soon it would come naturally. But every night I'd go to her and say Sorry; would you forgive someone who did that to you? Probably not. But that's why we must realize that we have such a wonderful and powerful God. HE IS MORE THAN CAPABLE OF FORGIVING YOU. Every sinful act we do, down to the last tiny thought, is a slap in the face to God. But he has the power to forgive. TO FORGIVE. He promised he will forgive you.
So, we must not use our Repentance wrongly, by foolishly thinking it's merit to God or that we are better than anyone else. We're all in the same boat, but some of us CAN have a keener appetite for God, and he will reward those who do. Never give up hope in God, because as Isaiah says "The hand of the Lord has not grown so short that it cannot save; nor his ear so dull that it cannot hear."{favorite verse, can you tell?:}
Tonight, I urge you to Repent. Repent the way God wants you to repent. And if you don't know how, ask him. He'll reveal himself, but sometimes you have to seek him first.
Have a blessed night.
~Hope your day was awesome.
{And may everything you do be for His glory.}
----Hannah
Anyways, many parts of this book stuck to me. There would be thousands of posts on repentance if I talked about every single powerful sentence. That is why I encourage you to order the book, and read it. Then we can study together, by blogs, and can enjoy the full power of God in this book.
The first thing I learned, was that Repentance isn't any type of joke. It's not something to play with. And while we'd never actually play with it, we may misuse it. Repentance is SO deep. And to get a glimpse of it's true meaning would be amazing. I wanted to state that it can be misused before I went any further. How? Well here's one way.
"Be warned, however, against taking pride in your repentance. Some have unwisely set themselves up as the standard of repentance and have looked with disdain on others whose repentance did not match their own. Such foolishness! Christ alone is the standard. Still others have attached merit to their repentance as if in repenting they gained some favor with God. How absurd! Repentance is a grace Christ gives that can only result in His glory, not ours."
One of our greatest sins is pride. We take pride in EVERYTHING. We take pride in our knowledge of God, we take pride in our discipline, we take pride in our gifts, and we take pride in anything else you might think of. And it's a great curse. Pride is one of the most hated sins. When we think we are better than God. And SO Mr. Roberts says that we can even take pride in our REPENTANCE! It sounds funny but it is all the more true. My repentant life isn't half of what it should be, is yours? Remember God is our standard! HE IS OUR ONLY STANDARD. And with great sadness, we must realize that we can never be his standard, because we weren't made for that. So we must REPENT. We must weep in sorrow at our sins, and never compare. And we must remember that we cannot merit our way into heaven. While Repentance may be an act we do in private, it can still boost our pride into thinking we're better because we Repent and that we're God's favorites. That mindset will send us the exact opposite way we want to go.
And so with great care, we must consider our Repentant life. Repentance is a cry out to God. It's realizing that every single day, every single our, up to every single minute that you are lost, and in need of a savior. There are people in the world who have spent days and nights on their knees weeping because of their sins. Sin is a direct affront against God. To keep up our relationship with God, we need to keep repenting. Because I know for a fact that if I went to my sister every day and slapped her in the face, no matter how many times I said sorry, she wouldn't forgive me; I'd go on and on and on, slapping her, soon it would come naturally. But every night I'd go to her and say Sorry; would you forgive someone who did that to you? Probably not. But that's why we must realize that we have such a wonderful and powerful God. HE IS MORE THAN CAPABLE OF FORGIVING YOU. Every sinful act we do, down to the last tiny thought, is a slap in the face to God. But he has the power to forgive. TO FORGIVE. He promised he will forgive you.
So, we must not use our Repentance wrongly, by foolishly thinking it's merit to God or that we are better than anyone else. We're all in the same boat, but some of us CAN have a keener appetite for God, and he will reward those who do. Never give up hope in God, because as Isaiah says "The hand of the Lord has not grown so short that it cannot save; nor his ear so dull that it cannot hear."{favorite verse, can you tell?:}
Tonight, I urge you to Repent. Repent the way God wants you to repent. And if you don't know how, ask him. He'll reveal himself, but sometimes you have to seek him first.
Have a blessed night.
~Hope your day was awesome.
{And may everything you do be for His glory.}
----Hannah
~Repentance: Isaiah 30~
Yes, I am posting right now, and no I haven't read the chapter yet :) Well last night I had an inspirational moment, when I was doing my bible reading. Since we're going to start walking through the book Repentance I wanted to point out some verses that really spoke to me about Repentance. And what better book to find Repentance in, then in the bible? I will post again tonight, most likely, when I read my chapter. But here is what I discovered last night.
"Woe to the rebellious children," declares the Lord, "Who execute a plan, but not Mine, And make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, In order to add sin to sin." --Isaiah 30:1
I thought this was a really interesting verse because it has it's own definition of Rebellion. According to this verse Rebellion is --those who execute a plan but not mine, and make an alliance, but not of my Spirit--. But if we think about it, most of the world, and a lot of the times we ourselves choose what we want our life to be. We try to dictate what we do in the future, what we will be, etc. And this verse just proves that God has a plan, it says it directly. It also proves that we fail him, and want our plan. And then we are rebellious children.
"Who say to the seers, "You must not see visions"; And to the prophets, "You must not prophesy to us what is right, Speak to us in pleasant words, Prophesy illusions." --Isaiah 30:10
Sound familiar? It does to me, but its not overly popular. And we probably have never met a 'seer', and I hope I never do. But this sounds like the Church, and America today! We want to here what is pleasant. And note, that the fallen people here, don't want to hear what is right. The Church doesn't want to hear what is right anymore. Words hear are described as pleasant. In this instant I think that can imply that doctrine is hard to hear, and that sometimes it may not be pleasant. How many of us would choose a friend that gave us nice compliments, than a friend who corrected us? I would probably choose the compliments. Who doesn't want to hear something good about themselves? WELL ITS WRONG. We don't HEAR what is pleasant. If we heard only what was pleasant we'd GO TO HELL. We should settle for nothing less than the doctrine of God. And I'll tell you this, the the first doctrine of God is this: We are sinners, and we NEED to be corrected. We deserved hell, and don't deserve anything. WE began, and still could be, rebellious children. THAT is where we all need to start. Because we were born into Satans Kingdom, and we were born to hear what's pleasant. That is why we need to be BORN AGAIN.
For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said, "In repentance and rest you shall be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength..." ---Isaiah 30:15a
Soak that in for a moment. For it's beauty is unmatched. God's grace IS SO FULL in this verse. Why? Because he says In Repentance and Rest you shall be saved. YES....so wonderful. The first step in Salvation is Repentance and Rest. That means, we don't have to do anything! We don't have to do 30 good deeds to be saved, we don't have to mourn in sadness not being able to fulfill the ten commandments, we don't have to be something that we can't. We weren't made to fulfill the ten commandments. God knew when he made them that it would only be by grace that we could have been saved. "For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith, and this is not of yourselves-it is a gift from God, not by works so that no one can boast." --Romans. It is by Grace that we have been saved. And in REPENTANCE, we shall be saved. And when he says, In quietness and trust is your strength.. you know what he means? I think what he means is in our quiet walk with God, in our Quiet bible studies, where we completely trust in him, is when we have his strength. Is that not wonderful?
Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for him.--Isaiah 30:18
I think that is one of the most beautiful verses I've ever heard. Wonder why God hasn't come yet? I'm sure the world is corrupt enough. Why then? 2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." Here that? He is waiting for us. The God of Heaven and Earth, The Heavenly Host, The King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords, The Alpha and the Omega, The beginning and the Last, The prince of peace, HE is waiting for you. Isaiah 30:18 says he wants to be gracious to you. He waits on High to have compassion for you. He loves you. He's waiting for you.
So Repent. Be forgiven. Love him.
~Hope your day is awesome!
{And may everything you do be for His glory}
"Woe to the rebellious children," declares the Lord, "Who execute a plan, but not Mine, And make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, In order to add sin to sin." --Isaiah 30:1
I thought this was a really interesting verse because it has it's own definition of Rebellion. According to this verse Rebellion is --those who execute a plan but not mine, and make an alliance, but not of my Spirit--. But if we think about it, most of the world, and a lot of the times we ourselves choose what we want our life to be. We try to dictate what we do in the future, what we will be, etc. And this verse just proves that God has a plan, it says it directly. It also proves that we fail him, and want our plan. And then we are rebellious children.
"Who say to the seers, "You must not see visions"; And to the prophets, "You must not prophesy to us what is right, Speak to us in pleasant words, Prophesy illusions." --Isaiah 30:10
Sound familiar? It does to me, but its not overly popular. And we probably have never met a 'seer', and I hope I never do. But this sounds like the Church, and America today! We want to here what is pleasant. And note, that the fallen people here, don't want to hear what is right. The Church doesn't want to hear what is right anymore. Words hear are described as pleasant. In this instant I think that can imply that doctrine is hard to hear, and that sometimes it may not be pleasant. How many of us would choose a friend that gave us nice compliments, than a friend who corrected us? I would probably choose the compliments. Who doesn't want to hear something good about themselves? WELL ITS WRONG. We don't HEAR what is pleasant. If we heard only what was pleasant we'd GO TO HELL. We should settle for nothing less than the doctrine of God. And I'll tell you this, the the first doctrine of God is this: We are sinners, and we NEED to be corrected. We deserved hell, and don't deserve anything. WE began, and still could be, rebellious children. THAT is where we all need to start. Because we were born into Satans Kingdom, and we were born to hear what's pleasant. That is why we need to be BORN AGAIN.
For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said, "In repentance and rest you shall be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength..." ---Isaiah 30:15a
Soak that in for a moment. For it's beauty is unmatched. God's grace IS SO FULL in this verse. Why? Because he says In Repentance and Rest you shall be saved. YES....so wonderful. The first step in Salvation is Repentance and Rest. That means, we don't have to do anything! We don't have to do 30 good deeds to be saved, we don't have to mourn in sadness not being able to fulfill the ten commandments, we don't have to be something that we can't. We weren't made to fulfill the ten commandments. God knew when he made them that it would only be by grace that we could have been saved. "For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith, and this is not of yourselves-it is a gift from God, not by works so that no one can boast." --Romans. It is by Grace that we have been saved. And in REPENTANCE, we shall be saved. And when he says, In quietness and trust is your strength.. you know what he means? I think what he means is in our quiet walk with God, in our Quiet bible studies, where we completely trust in him, is when we have his strength. Is that not wonderful?
Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for him.--Isaiah 30:18
I think that is one of the most beautiful verses I've ever heard. Wonder why God hasn't come yet? I'm sure the world is corrupt enough. Why then? 2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." Here that? He is waiting for us. The God of Heaven and Earth, The Heavenly Host, The King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords, The Alpha and the Omega, The beginning and the Last, The prince of peace, HE is waiting for you. Isaiah 30:18 says he wants to be gracious to you. He waits on High to have compassion for you. He loves you. He's waiting for you.
So Repent. Be forgiven. Love him.
~Hope your day is awesome!
{And may everything you do be for His glory}
Friday, January 20, 2012
~Repentance: to the reader~
I think I might start a series on Repentance. It's a very urgent calling. Pastor Richard Owen Roberts has this book on Repentance, and I think that it would do everyone well to read it. As I read this book, I'll probably put the quotes of what convicted me, or what I thought was wonderful, or what the Lord called me to share, up. To be honest, I've tried this book before, but I was spiritually dead then. I want to try it now, and I'll read a chapter a day, praying to keep up. This book really stands out because of his doctrine. He makes it so TRUE and so UNDENIABLE.
This section is "to the reader". And while most sections like this don't have much to offer this one does. And sadly, I don't even have time to even go through have of it! It's already late, and so I'm just going to quote the last paragraph of that section. To help you understand what he's talking about, I'll just give you a tiny back round. Remember the verse, "Many are called, but few are chosen?" in this regard, that's what he's talking about.
Here is the last paragraph. This is copyrighted by Richard Owen Roberts, and I take NO credit for it.
The man who inquired about the number of those being saved was urged to concern himself with the vital issue of his own spiritual welfare. Interest in theological questions does not constitute salvation Not even the power to perform amazing miracles will guarantee eternal safety. One can enthusiastically praise the Lord and be lost. When the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, no amount of knocking and clamoring from the outside is going to force it open. Insisting that we ate and drank in His presence and heard Him teaching in our streets will only result in a repitition of those awful words, "I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers" (Luke 13:17) The time to strive to enter the kingdom of God is not after the door is shut, but now. "There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being cast out. And they will come from the east and west, and from the north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last" (vv. 28-30.) What could be more pathetic than arousing yourself to repentance, to seeking God, and trying to gain entrance into the kingdom of God after it is already to late?
Dear reader, do not let this happen to you!
--Richard Owen Roberts.
That is just the beginning. Please think about it. This is an urgent matter.
I'll continue through the book tomorrow.
~Hope your day is awesome
{And may everything you do be for His glory}
---Hannah
This section is "to the reader". And while most sections like this don't have much to offer this one does. And sadly, I don't even have time to even go through have of it! It's already late, and so I'm just going to quote the last paragraph of that section. To help you understand what he's talking about, I'll just give you a tiny back round. Remember the verse, "Many are called, but few are chosen?" in this regard, that's what he's talking about.
Here is the last paragraph. This is copyrighted by Richard Owen Roberts, and I take NO credit for it.
The man who inquired about the number of those being saved was urged to concern himself with the vital issue of his own spiritual welfare. Interest in theological questions does not constitute salvation Not even the power to perform amazing miracles will guarantee eternal safety. One can enthusiastically praise the Lord and be lost. When the master of the house gets up and shuts the door, no amount of knocking and clamoring from the outside is going to force it open. Insisting that we ate and drank in His presence and heard Him teaching in our streets will only result in a repitition of those awful words, "I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers" (Luke 13:17) The time to strive to enter the kingdom of God is not after the door is shut, but now. "There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being cast out. And they will come from the east and west, and from the north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last" (vv. 28-30.) What could be more pathetic than arousing yourself to repentance, to seeking God, and trying to gain entrance into the kingdom of God after it is already to late?
Dear reader, do not let this happen to you!
--Richard Owen Roberts.
That is just the beginning. Please think about it. This is an urgent matter.
I'll continue through the book tomorrow.
~Hope your day is awesome
{And may everything you do be for His glory}
---Hannah
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Idolatry-common sin?
Exodus 20:4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below."
Have you ever thought about Idolatry as being one of your more prominent sins? Do you ever think about this second commandment in Exodus? Define Idolatry.....
Idolatry is the universal human tendency to value something or someone in a way that hinders the love and trust we owe to God.
I got that off the internet. Can you believe that? That is from an unbelievers perspective. It's funny, really, how they say a universal human tendency. Do you know what that means? It means that EVERYBODY does it. Everyone. Now, we can say, "But wait! I don't worship anything! I don't have idols! And most of all, it's NOT my most prominent sin!" Here's a quote by Mr. Ravenhill:
"The thing that you love more than you love Jesus Christ, I would suggest the one you talk about more than you talk about Jesus Christ has become an idol."
Really take a moment to think about this.
First of all, lets ask this question: Do you ever talk about God to anyone? Do you? Honestly, if someone was to talk to your friends, family, or co-workers and ask what you talk about most of the time what would they say? Well maybe if your lucky they'll say, "OH, she talks about Jesus and stuff." What percentage of how much she talks about Jesus? What have you learned from her talking about Jesus? Most likely, they won't hear much. Definitely not as much as they should. I've really been struggling with this too, and I believe that if you asked my family and friends they wouldn't be able to say anything about that. Do I talk about Jesus? No, and I say that will full regret, and I repent of it. Only now recently, in these last four blog posts have I ever talked about God this deeply. I have been terrible about this. Have YOU? Do you talk about God? Do you think about God every single day, every single minute? No, nobody does. BUT you can start. There is always a start.
In Jude our calling is to: Building up yourself on your most holy faith. That is your calling, and how can you do that with idolatry holding you down? You must search for God. And have this hunger for God. God will recognize your keen appetite for His word. Alright? He WILL. Now I found it really interesting that when Mr. Ravenhill was talking about Building yourself up on your most Holy faith, the first thing he said was 1. LOVE GOD. That includes searching for him, loving him. 2. SECOND! Is NO IDOLS. Idols is the biggest thing that will hinder you! IT WILL.
Now you may say WHAT ON EARTH IS AN IDOL??? EVERYTHING IS AN IDOL!! Everything you believe in that's not holy. Now of course you don't bow down and worship it, but your heart values it, thinks about it, wants it. So what is an Idol? Here's to name a few. See they don't have to be things. As in the first definition, you can see it can be someone. Preachers have become idols before. Mr. Ravenhill said that he met people who would go 1000 miles to see their preacher but wouldn't go to the preacher who is only 100 yards away. Obviously, that's wrong. Another example, of course, would be things. Things like movies, or media*internet. Also, people. It doesn't have to be actors or anything like that, although they are idols, it can be someone you see. It could be your parents or you siblings. Idols can be your life, just life can be your idol. You can be your idol. Your beliefs can be your idols: Your belief in certain commands can be your idol. Even good, biblical things can become idols if we aren't careful. Do we elevate anything up on a pedestal, instead of God?
So what have we summarized? Everything is an idol. Pretty much. I like Leonard Ravenhill's definition the best, but both are good.
And so, some questions for us to ask ourselves. Is Idolatry our sin? Do we talk about Jesus more than anything else? Is Idolatry more common than you expected? Are you surprised? Well, anyone can be surprised by the truth. I'm still surprised even now, even though I learned the truth hours ago. I still ask myself those questions, and I can't think what my answer would be if the the Most Holy God, came down and asked me if He was my idol; the thing I value most? IS HE YOUR IDOL?
Many of these subjects, "Do you love God?", "Prayer Warrior", and "Idolatry", they are all convicting subjects. They're challenges. I am not even good at any of these, but I can spread the truth. Listen to the truth. And search out these subjects in your own walk with God. Because HE SPEAKS. "God came for the sick and needy not those who thought they had it all. God didn't come for bad people. God didn't come into the world to make bad men good. He came into the world to make dead men live. EVERYBODYS dead."--Ravenhill.
I'll close with this quote:
"Our fellowship is with the father, son, and one another. We turn it around and put our fellowship with one another before our fellowship with Christ. God is a jealous God, you will have no other God's before me. If you want to change it, you will have no other friends before your my friend, you will love no one more than you love me. Because he says you are to love him with HEART, SOUL, AND MIGHT. Nothing left for anybody else." --Ravenhill
~hope your day is awesome
{And may everything you do be for His Glory}
--Hannah
Have you ever thought about Idolatry as being one of your more prominent sins? Do you ever think about this second commandment in Exodus? Define Idolatry.....
Idolatry is the universal human tendency to value something or someone in a way that hinders the love and trust we owe to God.
I got that off the internet. Can you believe that? That is from an unbelievers perspective. It's funny, really, how they say a universal human tendency. Do you know what that means? It means that EVERYBODY does it. Everyone. Now, we can say, "But wait! I don't worship anything! I don't have idols! And most of all, it's NOT my most prominent sin!" Here's a quote by Mr. Ravenhill:
"The thing that you love more than you love Jesus Christ, I would suggest the one you talk about more than you talk about Jesus Christ has become an idol."
Really take a moment to think about this.
First of all, lets ask this question: Do you ever talk about God to anyone? Do you? Honestly, if someone was to talk to your friends, family, or co-workers and ask what you talk about most of the time what would they say? Well maybe if your lucky they'll say, "OH, she talks about Jesus and stuff." What percentage of how much she talks about Jesus? What have you learned from her talking about Jesus? Most likely, they won't hear much. Definitely not as much as they should. I've really been struggling with this too, and I believe that if you asked my family and friends they wouldn't be able to say anything about that. Do I talk about Jesus? No, and I say that will full regret, and I repent of it. Only now recently, in these last four blog posts have I ever talked about God this deeply. I have been terrible about this. Have YOU? Do you talk about God? Do you think about God every single day, every single minute? No, nobody does. BUT you can start. There is always a start.
In Jude our calling is to: Building up yourself on your most holy faith. That is your calling, and how can you do that with idolatry holding you down? You must search for God. And have this hunger for God. God will recognize your keen appetite for His word. Alright? He WILL. Now I found it really interesting that when Mr. Ravenhill was talking about Building yourself up on your most Holy faith, the first thing he said was 1. LOVE GOD. That includes searching for him, loving him. 2. SECOND! Is NO IDOLS. Idols is the biggest thing that will hinder you! IT WILL.
Now you may say WHAT ON EARTH IS AN IDOL??? EVERYTHING IS AN IDOL!! Everything you believe in that's not holy. Now of course you don't bow down and worship it, but your heart values it, thinks about it, wants it. So what is an Idol? Here's to name a few. See they don't have to be things. As in the first definition, you can see it can be someone. Preachers have become idols before. Mr. Ravenhill said that he met people who would go 1000 miles to see their preacher but wouldn't go to the preacher who is only 100 yards away. Obviously, that's wrong. Another example, of course, would be things. Things like movies, or media*internet. Also, people. It doesn't have to be actors or anything like that, although they are idols, it can be someone you see. It could be your parents or you siblings. Idols can be your life, just life can be your idol. You can be your idol. Your beliefs can be your idols: Your belief in certain commands can be your idol. Even good, biblical things can become idols if we aren't careful. Do we elevate anything up on a pedestal, instead of God?
So what have we summarized? Everything is an idol. Pretty much. I like Leonard Ravenhill's definition the best, but both are good.
And so, some questions for us to ask ourselves. Is Idolatry our sin? Do we talk about Jesus more than anything else? Is Idolatry more common than you expected? Are you surprised? Well, anyone can be surprised by the truth. I'm still surprised even now, even though I learned the truth hours ago. I still ask myself those questions, and I can't think what my answer would be if the the Most Holy God, came down and asked me if He was my idol; the thing I value most? IS HE YOUR IDOL?
Many of these subjects, "Do you love God?", "Prayer Warrior", and "Idolatry", they are all convicting subjects. They're challenges. I am not even good at any of these, but I can spread the truth. Listen to the truth. And search out these subjects in your own walk with God. Because HE SPEAKS. "God came for the sick and needy not those who thought they had it all. God didn't come for bad people. God didn't come into the world to make bad men good. He came into the world to make dead men live. EVERYBODYS dead."--Ravenhill.
I'll close with this quote:
"Our fellowship is with the father, son, and one another. We turn it around and put our fellowship with one another before our fellowship with Christ. God is a jealous God, you will have no other God's before me. If you want to change it, you will have no other friends before your my friend, you will love no one more than you love me. Because he says you are to love him with HEART, SOUL, AND MIGHT. Nothing left for anybody else." --Ravenhill
~hope your day is awesome
{And may everything you do be for His Glory}
--Hannah
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