Fellowship with God requires a total commitment to exclusivity in the Believer/Disciple/Worshipper. Fellowship with God requires, demands, absolute purity of heart and mind, absolute purity of one’s being. There is no possibility of fellowshipping with God if there is any trace of sin in my heart (my emotions), my mind (my thinking) or my attitude (my approach).
To “see” the human being “first” risks the prioritization of the state of man over the design/plan of God. It is to be preoccupied with where someone is rather than where they need to be.
Jesus not only commands that we lend, He also tells us not to expect anything back: “hoping for nothing again”. And that is as it should be, because we must look to God for our provision.
Despite all the prophets God sent, the Israelites were not saved, because they rejected God. Prophets/prophecies do not save us. Only God’s grace by faith of Jesus Christ can save us.
God, Jehovah, The God of the Bible, will NOT share the “spotlight”: If we have salvation by Him, then we have salvation by Him ONLY; if we worship Him, then we worship Him ONLY, if we serve Him, then we serve Him ONLY.
The real “prize” is not political/legislative power/influence, the real prize is the uplift of Jesus (John 12:32). And to do this effectively we must love each other. So let us always AFFIRM GOD’S PEOPLE; yes, even when our philosophies clash.
Whatever the circumstance may be, the cause for depression is often the same: “hope deferred”…
Recently, I have been going through a very difficult period of my life: things were on the verge of falling apart for my family and me. It seemed we had gone through storm after storm (financially)… and then came the whopper. We were taking on water and sinking fast. And just like the disciples, I wondered whether Jesus even cared…
God the Father has provided a structure for how husbands relate to their wives. Moreover, He models this structure through His own relationship with Christ the Son. The structured relationship between God the Father and Christ the Son did not diminish Christ; rather, through it Christ gained mankind’s salvation and was exalted. Similarly, the structured relationship between husband and wife does not diminish the wife. Rather, in it she is her most productive, and by it she glorifies God, and is herself exalted.
Rather than seeking a redeemer to bring us justice because we think we are right (and God is wrong), we need to seek The Redeemer who brings us mercy because we know God is right (even when we don’t understand).
Reflections in The WORD 