right

November 21, 2021

“I Declare Things That Are Right.”

19 I have not spoken in secret,
In a dark place of the earth;
I did not say to the seed of Jacob,
‘Seek Me in vain’;
I, the Lord, speak righteousness,
I declare things that are right.— Isaiah 45:19 NKJV

Isaiah 45:18-22 NKJV

Have you ever had one of those conversations or listened to a speech or a sermon and felt like something was missing?  You know, the ones where we trust the person speaking and believe that what he/she said is the truth but it still felt like we were missing something.  Sometimes the things that are not said can be as important and truthful as the things that are said.  In this verse when we put it in context we see that God is reassuring the Jews that if they seek Him, it will not be in vain.  He is using the negative to confirm that the times they found Him was when they sought Him with all of their hearts.  Before and after this, He used the positive.  Over and over, we are told of the blessings of seeking God with all of our hearts both in the Old Testament and the New Testament.  We can be assured that if we seek Him diligently, believing that we will find Him, there are blessings and rewards for doing so.

6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him,for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. — Hebrews 11:9 NKJV

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” – Anonymous

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July 8, 2019

“Suffer for Doing What Is Right”

14 But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. — 1 Peter 3:14 NLT

1 Peter 3:13-18 NLT

We are all guilty! We have felt that gentle nudge from God’s Spirit and said nothing, we have heard that soft quiet voice and still we did nothing! The King of Kings, the Creator of the Universe has issued the command to go and spread the gospel to all of us. (Ref. Matt 28:19, 20) And in individual situations, He has asked us to speak out and invite others into His Kingdom. Why don’t we speak out? Are we afraid that our friends and acquaintances will mock us, make fun of us, reject us? Always remember this, they did the same to Jesus and we are not greater than our Creator. But the most important thing to remember is that it isn’t us they are rejecting, it is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. We are going to suffer in this world, and as Peter tells us, it is better to suffer for doing good, than for doing evil.

Matthew 5:10-12 NLT

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” – Anonymous

Post 07-08-2019

March 30, 2019

“Light Dispels the Darkness”

15 They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. — Romans 2:15 NLT 

Romans 2:10-16 NLT
It is said that on a dark night with no obstructions, the human eye can see the flickering flame of a candle up to a distance of thirty miles.  How is this possible?  Even the smallest of lights will dispel darkness.  This is true of that quality that we refer to as “good”.   Good dispels evil.  As Edmund Burke put it:  “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”  Even those who have never read God’s law or those that say there is no God know this is true.  All humans innately know the difference between good and evil.  For most humans, it is natural to choose to do good whether they believe in God or not.  That innate knowledge (we call it the conscience) that God has put in the heart of a human is what prevents total chaos from occurring on the earth. Even those who have never read the Bible or heard the Gospel know the difference between right and wrong.  That knowledge becomes more real and more powerful when we receive the Holy Spirit.  An atheist can only be an atheist because his/her beliefs are based on a wrong assumption.  If the foundation is faulty, then the whole house will crumble.  So, good men and women, let us build our house on a solid foundation of truth, light our candles and be a shining light in a world of darkness and evil.  Only God knows how much darkness each of our lights will penetrate, just let your light shine.

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” – Anonymous

Post 03-30-2017

December 13, 2018

God’s Way – One Jesus – One Way

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 6 But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out his hand and steadied the Ark of God. 7 Then the Lord’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him dead because of this. So Uzzah died right there beside the Ark of God.  — 2 Samuel 6:6,7 NLT
2 Samuel 6:1-14

When we read these verses, it seems that God was mighty harsh on Uzzah for trying to do the right thing and steady the Ark so that it would not fall.  But when God instructed Moses to build the Ark, he also gave Moses specific instructions on how to build it and who could carry it.  David and the Israelis were aware of this.  

1 Chron, 15:11-15  

 First of all, David was wrong in letting anyone but the Levites carry the Ark and the Levites were supposed to carry it on their shoulders with the poles that were stuck through the rings on the side of the Ark.  The Ark should never have been on a cart.  If the Ark had not been on the cart, then Uzzah would not have been tempted to sin.  When we decide to something to honor God, we must saturate it in prayer and be sure that we are doing it God’s way and in His timing.  There is only one letter difference in “good” things and “God” things.  The letter “o’, but oh!, what a difference that can make in our efforts ending in a success or a failure.  When God says there is only one way to do something, then we must pay heed and not accept or condone anything less. When Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one can come to the Father except through me.”,  He was completely truthful and serious.  There is no other way;  not Mohammed, not Buddha, not Rev. Moon, not Mother Earth, and definitely not ourselves.  In a world of chaos and uncertainty, there is a Solid Rock that never changes or moves.  Place your faith in and your feet on that Solid Rock and refuse to be moved.  Don’t doubt, don’t dapple, don’t touch anything else.  He is the same God yesterday, today and He will be the same God tomorrow and He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. Let us make that same promise to Him.

 

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” – Anonymous
Post 12-13-2018
February 15, 2018

“The Right To Do Anything”

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12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. —1 Cor. 6:12,13 NIV

​When we accepted Jesus as our Savior, we were set free from the bondage of sin. We no longer were bound to satan and the flesh. Just as our physical freedom has limits, so does our Spiritual freedom have limits.  The physical limits are set by the laws of the land.  Our Spiritual limits are set because of our love for our Lord and Savior. Free to do anything?  Yes, but would doing just anything the flesh wanted glorify our Lord? No, of course not.  The flesh is weak and if we give into fleshly desires, they will become our master. We are free to choose who we serve. We can serve Jesus and live or we can serve the flesh and die. We are free to give into temptations, but that doesn’t mean that we should. There are dire consequences to choosing a sinful lifestyle.

14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.–James 1:15 NASB

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” -Anonymous

Post 02-15-2018

February 14, 2018

Cleansed, Holy and Made Right

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11 Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. – 1 Cor. 6:11 NLT
 
1 Cor. 6:7-11 NLT

If we are unable to forgive our brothers and sisters for these things, we are no further along than we were when we were living a sinful lifestyle. What, then, shall we say to those who have not yet accepted Christ? If we continue in our old lifestyle, we might want to question whether we actually repented of our sins or just had an emotional experience at the altar? True repentance does not leave the heart and mind empty, it fills us with the Holy Spirit so that satan cannot come back and take up residence in our lives. Oh, he will send one of his demons by to checkup on us, but it is up to us to make sure he doesn’t get a room and stay. That is what we used to be and do. But now, we are forgiven and washed in the blood. We have been cleansed “just as if” we had never sinned and we are being sanctified daily.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it​.–1 Thess. 5:23,24 NIV

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” -Anonymous

Post 02-14-2018

July 3, 2017

Remember and Be Gracious

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12 I am writing to you who are God’s children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus. — 1 John 2:12 NLT

1 John 2:12-14 NLT
 

John is reminding each group of people of who they were, who they are now, and how each of us got here. Now that we have been redeemed and cleansed by the blood of Jesus, we need to be walking in the Light and our lifestyle should reflect the example that Jesus set for us to follow. When we are tempted to think that we might be just a little better than our neighbors or when we start to wonder; “how could Jesus save a person like that?” ,we need to remember who we used to be and the kind of lifestyle we used to lead. Just as Isaiah told the children of Israel, remember that we were all cut from the same stone, we are all born sinners.

The Lord says, “Listen to me,
those of you who try to live right and follow the Lord.
Look at the rock from which you were cut;
look at the stone quarry from which you were dug.–Isaiah 51:1 (NCV)

We have done nothing to desire God’s mercy and grace, it is a free gift that is available to all. Thus, the old saying: “Except for the grace of God, there goes you and ​I,”

“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” -Anonymous

Post 07-03-2017

May 17, 2017

Keep On Loving!

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1 Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters.  — Hebrews 13:1 NLT
Hebrews 13:1-5 NLT

Jesus said that the two greatest commandments were

37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’[e] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.​–Matt 22:37,38 (NLT)​

We must keep on showing our love for Jesus by loving others. We must be kind to others with charitable acts even when we think we can’t afford it. We must pray daily for Christians that are being persecuted around the world. It appears that it won’t be long until we will need those prayers for ourselves. Don’t love money or believe that it will sustain you. We should depend on God for all of our needs, God said “I will never fail you, I will never abandon you”. We should live our lives as if we really believed that. This is what the Lord requires of us:

8 No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.– ​Micah 6:8 (NLT)


“The Gospel has come to you because it’s on its way to someone else.” -Anonymous

Post 05-17-2017

April 18, 2016

The Right Thing, the Wrong Way

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 6 But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out his hand and steadied the Ark of God. 7 Then the Lord’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him dead because of this. So Uzzah died right there beside the Ark of God.  — 2 Samuel 6:6,7 NLT
2 Samuel 6:1-14

When we read these verses, it seems that God was mighty harsh on Uzzah for trying to do the right thing and steady the Ark so that it would not fall.  But when God instructed Moses to build the Ark, he also gave Moses specific instructions on how to build it and who could carry it.  David and the Israelites were aware of this.    1 Chron, 15:11-15   First of all, David was wrong in letting anyone but the Levites carry the Ark and the Levites were supposed to carry it on their shoulders with the poles that were stuck through the rings on the side of the Ark.  The Ark should never have been on a cart.  If the Ark had not been on the cart, then Uzzah would not have been tempted to sin.  When we decide to somethng to honor God, we must saturate it in prayer and be sure that we are doing it God’s way and in His timing.  There is only one letter difference in “good” things and “God” things.  The letter “o’, but oh!, what a difference that can make in our efforts ending in a success or a failure.  When God says there is only one way to do something, then we must pay heed and not accept or condone anything less. When Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one can come to the Father except through me.”,  He was completely truthful and serious.  There is no other way;  not Mohammed, not Buddha, not Rev. Moon, not Mother Earth, and definituely not ourselves.  In a world of chaos and uncertainty, there is a Solid Rock that never changes or moves.  Place your faith in and your feet on that Solid Rock and refuse to be moved.  Don’t doubt, don’t dapple, don’t touch anything else.  He is the same God yesterday, today and He will be the same God tomorrow and He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. Let us make that same promise to Him.

 

Post 04-18-2016

May 20, 2015

Free to Choose

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12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. —1 Cor. 6:12,13 NIV

​When we​ accepted Jesus as our Savior, we were set free from the bondage of sin. We no longer were bound to satan and the flesh. Just as our physical freedom has limits, so does our Spiritual freedom have limits.  The physical limits are set by the laws of the land.  Our Spiritual limits are set because of our love for our Lord and Savior. Free to do anything?  Yes, but would doing just anything the flesh wanted glorify our Lord? No, of course not.  The flesh is weak and if we give into fleshly desires, they will become our master. We are free to choose who we serve. We can serve Jesus and live or we can serve the flesh and die. We are free to give into temptations, but that doesn’t mean that we should. There are dire consequences to choosing a sinful lifestyle.

14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.–James 1:15 NASB

Post 05-20-2015