Love God with Your Heart, Soul, and Mind

1 Samuel 16

Samuel is looking for the next king of Israel:

Samuel calls the sons to the sacrifice. He looks at Eliab and says, “Surely the Lords anointed is before me.” And God says, “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” Wow, the application here is very obvious: God doesn’t care how good we look on the outside, how “christian” we appear to everyone else. He cares about your heart. So often we get so caught up in not sinning and putting on godly airs but, God looks at you and says, “I have refused you.” It reminds me of the verse that goes, “Lord, I did all this great stuff for you. I have even healed the sick and prophesied of your goodness. I can quote more scripture and give godly advice. I mean, I was a leader in our church. Even the older people respected me.” And God says, “depart from me ye cursed, I never knew you.” The Pharisee’s had this attitude. They were the spiritual leaders in Israel. But, Jesus knew the reasons for their spirituality was personal gain; this shallowness was demonstrated when they crucified Jesus. They thought they were doing the right thing by killing the blasphemer because, it was what God had said to do. If they would have had a relationship with God they would have realized who Jesus was. John the Baptist had a relationship with God so, when he saw Jesus he recognized who he was and cried out: “Behold the Lamb of God!” Because God’s ways are not our ways, we cannot always know what is of God and what is not, without asking Him. Sometimes what we are doing might be what God wants, just not the way God wants it. For example: The Israelites fought the city of Ai without inquiring of God. They lost. Then they ask of God and God tells them to go fight again but, to use his strategy. All this to say: God wants your heart and your fellowship! If you want to know the will of God, God reveals it. He wants to show you. I believe that if you are submitting to God daily in the little things, He won’t allow you to go down a path where you will not receive his fullest blessing.

John

Desire

Isaiah 26:9

With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgements are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness

The word desire here is the same word used in 1 Peter 2:2: As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.

I can relate to this verse because: I have to feed calves at work... they desire the milk so much that they almost knock you over to get it... and when you are finished they don't want you to leave... they will keep following you just to get a little more milk.

This is the kind of desire Isaiah is saying he has... "God I cannot get enough of you" what is the result of this desire? growth.

Psalm 58

1Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?
2Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.
3The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.
4Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;
5Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.
6Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD.
7Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.
8As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun.
9Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath.
10The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.

I know I say this alot... but... I LOVE David's bluntness!!! Break their teeth!!! Them melt like a snail (or slug)... The righteous shall wash they're feet in their blood!!!

I'm not sure what the end of verse 8 means... but I'm sure we could get much application from it... ;o]

He is Almighty and Unchangeable God!

Psalm 56:13 For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

Wow what an encouragment! I love it when David tells us of the major things God has done; to make us realize how capable he is of caring for and delivering us!

For example:

your heavenly father knows and cares for the sparrow that falls... will he not much more care for you... (pharaphrased)... it makes our problems seem small (which they are!)

Are you mental?!?!

Psalm 53

1The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
2God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.
3Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
4Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God.
5There were they in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them.
6Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

I love verses 2-4...
God looks down to see if anyone is righteous... If there is anyone that loves Him with their whole heart... and seek Him diligently... and He comes to the conclusion...

there is none that doeth good... they return to their sins...

(I love this next part) Have they no knowledge? (what are they stupid?) How ignorant is it to return to your sins?!?!

Now, notice the next statment: "they have not called on God..." When we fall into sin it is from a lack of communion with God... When we are in constant communion with the Father... we don't sin... but the times that we fall are the times we "hang-up" on God, or give Him an "I'll BRB..."

They were in great fear, where no fear was...
The verse that comes to my mind is: the righteous are bold as a lion...

As Christians we are never supposed to feel shame or fear... the only reason to feel these emotions is because we are sinning... or we are ashamed of Christ (sinning!) We should never feel the need to hide something... Daniel prayed at his window even though he knew the penalty was the lions den.

Verse 6 is a triumphant verse... and I think it is talking about the rapture... or just referring to the deliverence of the Israelites... I don't know if this was written during a time of captivity...

Anyways keep living for Christ... and if you are reading this blog, I probably know you. so...

"Praying for you!!!"

John


PS. You all know this but this is just for the sake of updating it to my blog... Chris has recovered!! Our merciful Father has restored him back!!

Armed with the Sword

I am trying to memorize Psalm 51:17 and 52:9
I thought I would share the verses before and after these verses to give a little background to these verses...

Psa. 51

15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.


Psa 52

8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
9 I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.


Aren't these verses awesome?!?! I love them! esp 51:17... "God, when I recognize my insufficiency, and I realize how much I have to depend on you, you are able to accept my worship"


John

Erased Memories

Yesterday my friend Chris went in to get his wisdom teeth pulled. The doctors overdosed his medications and he had a reaction to the drugs resulting in some memory loss. This letter is to Chris to remind him of the work that God has done in our lives.

Chris,
Remember the day's of our youth? We were rival enemies! Then we got older and realized how trivial our disagreements were and we agreed that we could still be friends and disagree...

Remember how we stayed in the same cabin both years at the Wilds? We had a great time together and learned so much from the services! Remember the van ride home? We spent 10 hours filling our minds and encouraging one-another with the One who loves us more than we could ever love Him!

We served together in the church...
We sang together... played guitar together...
We cried together... we laughed together...
We fought eachother... we forgave eachother...
We played football and gamecube together...
We planned our futures together...

Chris, if the memories we shared together are forever lost, we must not feel sorrow for what we have lost... we serve a God who want what is best for us and does not let anything happen to us with out first making sure it is best for us...

I say...

LET'S MAKE SOME NEW MEMORIES!

I love you and I'm praying for you man!

In Christ,
John