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Silence is not an option
Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. Psalm 107:8
What a Saviour! What a Redeemer!What an awesome God! We serve...and yet God’s people are often so quiet.
The psalmist here uses the above refrain four times to encourage the exiled Israelites to return to praising the Lord and giving thanks for his wonderful works.
Why did they not remember the works of God in deliverances of the past countless enemies? Why are they silent once again? We as the church, are a saved people who have been brought out of darkness and exalted far above what we deserve, and are called to sit in heavenly places and yet we forget, we remain silent.
It is so easy to forget to say “Thank You” for God supplying our needs; but what about praise? It seems we struggle to praise our God. If we are so full of the Lord inside, surely that should be expressed in our worship in the outside. Whether it be in
1– the local church– during a time of prayer or praise, we mustn’t keep silent, if we can’t declare our praises to God here, where else can we? Let’s declare out loud the greatness of God and not hold back. Praise is not for the chosen few, it is for all. One day every knee will be to Jesus when he appears, lets not wait to that time. He is worthy of all of our praise and we are exalted to live our lives as living sacrifices. If we learn to praise him within the comfort of church the result would lead to a more effective worship elsewhere.
2- day to day– telling the people outside what the Lord has done. Paul says “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation” We mustn't be silent, we are living in times of spiritual poverty and so many religions are snatching the hungry from the kingdom of God, because we are not telling them about the wonderful God that we serve. Spiritual activity is on the increase, people are crying out for “God” they just need to know where he can be found.
“the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, the Lord is his name!
So now, come back to your God. Act with love and justice,
and always depend on him.
Hosea 12:5
The Immeasurable God
Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting
God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can
measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength
to the powerless. Isaiah 40:28-29
How do you measure God?
His ways and thoughts are beyond our comprehension. His power is unfathomable and his love just keeps on going despite the misery our imperfect lives sometimes bring to others.
He holds our breath in his hands (Dan 5) and he can count the stars and the hairs on our head.
He was outside eternity and he came into eternity. He made the world and everything in it from his own blueprint by speaking them into existence. The God we believe in, isn’t some being who is a little bit bigger than we are, he is awesome and beyond anything and everything we can imagine.
He is unchangeable in his person, he is found wherever you are, he is always in control of his thoughts, his actions and his speech. He never tires, he never sleeps, he never gives in and he never fails.
He is and always will be. He can see you as you are now, and as you were before and as you are going to be in a moments time and as you will be for all eternity, all at once. God never judges you for one moment of your life he judges you according to the decisions you make during your lifetime.
He will reward you in the same way. He doesn't cease to love you when you mess up, because he can also see you when you are doing well, and either way God is not fickle. God is not one who can be tempted or accepts bribes or can be blackmailed.
He is satisfied completely with himself, he does not need anything, not even us, but he delights in us and it is his choice that he cherishes us in the way he does.
God is almighty and spectacular and yet is interested in your most miniscule problem. He cares when we call out to him and he cares when we ignore him. He is merciful all the time.
His grace is not based on our obedience alone, it just becomes more obvious when we are in his will, because he knows all about us and what is best for us. Don’t limit God, don’t try and fathom him out, don’t say God can’t help me, don’t ignore his ways. God is ever present, ever willing, ever able to bring power to the weak and powerless, in whatever situation.
Boast in the LORD
“Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of
the Lord our God. Those nations will fall down and collapse, but we will rise up
and stand firm”. Psalm 20:4-5
Where does real power originate? Some battles in our world, down the centuries, have been won by vast numbers fighting against small armies. The sheer size and numbers of cavalry and infantry or tanks and airplanes can win a battle. But most wars are won by great commanders who have led whatever armies they have with superior strategies or insight.
Today a nations power is based on how much military muscle they have at their disposal, they may boast of their rocketry technology or their special forces units. But as quick as nations come, they fall.
So many times in the bible times the weak, who had no might of their own, stood against the mighty powers of this world and won. Why because God was with them.
Isaiah says,
Call your councils of war, but they will be worthless. Develop your strategies,
but they will not succeed. For God is with us!” Isaiah 8:10
We are reminded in Ephesians that we are not fighting against physical enemies of war, our battle is bigger than this, it is against the power of Satan and his demons.
Satan is a mighty commander, who will easily achieve his purposes if we fight back with our own armory.
Satan’s influence on many world kings and leaders has caused them to boast in their greatness and to belittle and tread on the things of God.
Men may laugh and scorn, but there is one who makes even Satan like a pussy cat.
The Lord God Almighty, he is strong in battle, who can compare with him. We are not here to boast of our own strength, because we are defeated the moment we utter such words. We boast in the name of Christ, the giver of life, the conqueror of the grave and the one in whom we have the victory.
David didn't boast of his armies, he boasted in the name of El Shaddai (the Almighty God). Why? because there is no power, or commander or strategy of man or of this universe that can make any dent in the armour and power of the living God. No whom to boast in, boast in the LORD
Labels: Battle, Boast, Strategies
Follow His Instructions
“Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life.” Proverbs 4:13
We are not always good at reading or following instruction, especially ones we don’t understand. Ikea is a great example. You spend half a day looking, finding, buying a product, working out how you can get it in the car to save yourself £10 on deliver, why? Well, if your honest because you want it in the home, today, in fact yesterday would be better. You get home, you’ve got half an hour before you have got to go out. You ignore the instructions, haven’t got time for them, you attempt to put the product together and run out of time. By the time you have chance to finish putting it together the instructions are probably out with the recycling. Its too late, the product never looks as it should, but it’ll do, its close enough.
It sounds ridiculous but that is exactly how we can treat God’s Word or God’s instructions.
He has changed us from the character that we were, as we are washed in his word, we become stronger and better and we live out the Character of Christ more effectively. But then l
ife gets busy, pressures come in and we don’t read as much as we used to. We look aright, we are better than we were, we’ll do.
We settle for a fraction of the difference that God knows we can be. We live with this “it’ll do Christian life.”
ife gets busy, pressures come in and we don’t read as much as we used to. We look aright, we are better than we were, we’ll do.We settle for a fraction of the difference that God knows we can be. We live with this “it’ll do Christian life.”
Yet Solomon encourages us to
"take hold of God’s instructions and to not let them go"
Why? because his godly attributes are only as strong as his relationship with his God. David Writes in the Psalms.
If we reject God’s discipline and ignore God’s instructions, don’t blame the Lord when things go pear-shaped.“I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
The instructions of God are so important they are described by Solomon as the
“Key to Life”.No wonder he says “guard them, never loose them.” Human instruction can never better God’s Word– make God’s instruction your first and ultimate guide, not the last resort.
Labels: guard, Instruction, pressures
The Lies of the Enemy
I was looking at a video for the film “Rat Race” yesterday and the review on the box cover says about the film
The bible says this about Hell
Hell is never a thing to joke about. It is as real as heaven. Hell is darkness weeping and gnashing of teeth (Separation and loneliness). Hell is Hell there is no better word to use.
We must appreciate something of the horror of Hell if we are ever going to make witnesses for the Lord Jesus.
Don’t let this world drag you down into believing that every little thing will eventually be alright– because unless you are saved by the grace of God and have your sins forgiven, judgment awaits you.
But for those who are in Christ
Please don’t joke about Hell.
“Frantic, Furious and FUNNY AS HELL”As funny as this 12 rating film is, I ask the question what is funny about hell?
The bible says this about Hell
“And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It’s better to enter the
Kingdom of God with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,
‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’ Mark 9 47-48
Those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 8:12
Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:10-15
Hell is never a thing to joke about. It is as real as heaven. Hell is darkness weeping and gnashing of teeth (Separation and loneliness). Hell is Hell there is no better word to use.
We must appreciate something of the horror of Hell if we are ever going to make witnesses for the Lord Jesus.
Don’t let this world drag you down into believing that every little thing will eventually be alright– because unless you are saved by the grace of God and have your sins forgiven, judgment awaits you.
But for those who are in Christ
“Nothing can ever separate you from the love of God"… nothing, zilch, nil, naught, none.
Please don’t joke about Hell.
