Tuesday, October 12, 2010
I had not painted for over 10 years, when last Sunday a special friend who happens to be an art teacher grabbed her art supplies and said, "Lets go painting." So Tammie and I tagged along to find a good view of the house that she is living in. The experience was a blessing that I found very relaxing and healing as the artist within me came alive again. Thank you Lord for the gifts you have given me; I give you all the glory!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
October Musings on God's Faithfulness
I would like to finish out the year writing about God’s faithfulness, because He is faithful!
Today I searched anew for Bible verses that reveal God’s faithfulness and was blessed by God’s revelation of Himself through His Word (see selected verses).
Apparently the first direct mention of God’s faithfulness is by Moses in Deuteronomy 7:9 as he addressed the children of Israel under the inspiration of God, “Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.”
First, let’s note that this is a truth that we can know. Without a doubt, God will faithfully keep His covenants and His mercy. Secondly, that it is qualified by two conditions: 1) loving God and 2) keeping His commandments. The order is important here; the only way that anyone can keep God’s commands is to truly love Him first. We must respond to God’s revelation of Himself with loving faith and trust instead of rejection by willful ignorance (Romans 1) or willful religious pride (Romans 2). The Jewish leaders by the time of Christ had focused on the keeping of the commands in their own ways to the exclusion of knowing and loving God. Subsequently, they did not recognize Emmanuel and rejected their Messiah; therefore, they would not come under God’s mercy and instead came under God’s wrath as Jesus proclaimed in Matthew 23.
These two conditions of love and obedience, in that order, carry over into the New Testament in verses such as the following:
We must guard our hearts from trying to obey God without first loving Him. What has your motive been recently for obeying God?
With prayer, Brother Mark Worden
Today I searched anew for Bible verses that reveal God’s faithfulness and was blessed by God’s revelation of Himself through His Word (see selected verses).
Apparently the first direct mention of God’s faithfulness is by Moses in Deuteronomy 7:9 as he addressed the children of Israel under the inspiration of God, “Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.”
First, let’s note that this is a truth that we can know. Without a doubt, God will faithfully keep His covenants and His mercy. Secondly, that it is qualified by two conditions: 1) loving God and 2) keeping His commandments. The order is important here; the only way that anyone can keep God’s commands is to truly love Him first. We must respond to God’s revelation of Himself with loving faith and trust instead of rejection by willful ignorance (Romans 1) or willful religious pride (Romans 2). The Jewish leaders by the time of Christ had focused on the keeping of the commands in their own ways to the exclusion of knowing and loving God. Subsequently, they did not recognize Emmanuel and rejected their Messiah; therefore, they would not come under God’s mercy and instead came under God’s wrath as Jesus proclaimed in Matthew 23.
These two conditions of love and obedience, in that order, carry over into the New Testament in verses such as the following:
- I John 4:19, “We love him, because he first loved us.”
- Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
- John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
- John 14:23, “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”
We must guard our hearts from trying to obey God without first loving Him. What has your motive been recently for obeying God?
With prayer, Brother Mark Worden
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