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Archive for the ‘Walking with God’ Category

Knowing God

Posted in Bible, God, Knowing God, Old Testament, Relationship with God, Walking with God, worship, tagged , , , , , on October 30, 2010|

In the words of Julie Andrews, “let’s start at the very beginning . . . it’s a very good place to start.”

In Genesis 1:1, we read, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” That is where God begins His story.  It is not the beginning of God, since He is mentioned as already being present in the verse.  It is, however, the beginning for the heavens and the earth.

The attribute of God most evident in this verse for me is His power.  God simply created everything that we can see, feel, sense or hear.  Even more amazing is that He created it out of nothing (ex nihilo).  He is the all-powerful creator God.  “Elohim” is His name.  Elohim is the traditional Hebrew name for thecreator God and it mean, “The Strong One.”

Part of knowing God is knowing His power.  The most obvious evidence of His great power is the creation.  Many other scriptures refer to His role as creator and they lend some additional insights:

  • Completed in six days – Exodus 20:11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
  • Creation reveals God’s genuineness – Psalm 96:5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens.
  • God created the heavens and earth to be inhabited – Isaiah 45:18 For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD, and there is no other.
  • God knows all the details of creation – Job 38-41.

May you continue to meditate on the creator God.  May you worship Him, for He alone is worthy of praise.  There is none like Him, like our God.  He is the King of Glory!

Note: According to John MacArthur,  Bible teacher and commentator, the original Hebrew language here supports a recent creation (thousands, not millions of years ago).

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One Thing – Knowing God

Posted in God, Knowing God, Relationship with God, Walking with God, worship, tagged , , , on October 23, 2010|

Thanks for all the comments you posted regarding the “One Thing”.   In thinking over the one thing I would want to convey to others to help them in their growth as a believer or simply to hang on in tough times, I have concluded that I would want them to understand who God is and how He works.  The knowledge that I have gained about God, both informational and experiential (through my experience with Him), has changed my life.  Knowing that God will never leave, has made me more able to stay when relationships get difficult.  Knowing He promises to deal with my enemies has allowed me to let go of worrying about them.  Knowing that God created everything and is sovereign over everything has helped me to trust Him with the really big issues in my life.

Within the idea of understanding God is knowing His nature and character, His past conduct, His promises for the believer and for others, His fulfilled promises,  His likes and dislike, what He has done, and what He thinks and feels about each of us, individually.

The upcoming posts will address the issue of knowing God.  I welcome your comments and input as we look at God, who He is and what He is all about.

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One Thing

Posted in God, Relationship with God, Walking with God, tagged , , , on October 19, 2010| 5 Comments »

What if you were asked to share one thing that you have learned in your relationship with God that you feel is most important for a person trying to improve their relationship with God, what would you answer?

The one thing should be something that is first – something a person must understand about God  before all other things in order that the other things would have importance and significance.

The one thing should be easy to establish and show through Bible passages.

One would think that such an important concept would be mentioned throughout the Bible, multiple times by different authors in both the New and Old Testament.

Leave me a comment let me know what that one thing is for you.

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INDEPENDENT NO MORE (Part 2)

Posted in Bible, Dependence on God, Devotional, God, Gospels, John, New Testament, Walking with God, tagged , , , , on August 31, 2010|

THE LIE OF INDEPENDENCE AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY

Independence from God is never equivalent to freedom.  It is in total dependence on God that we have freedom – freedom from sin, freedom from fear, freedom from worry and anxiety and most-importantly, freedom from judgment – the judgment of a holy God due sinful man.  All men are sinful.  The Bible teaches that none are righteous and that the wages of sin is death.  The only true freedom is that which comes from God.  Only He can promise a genuine and lasting freedom.

When I was sixteen, I obtained the first key to my “independence” from my parents.  I started working at the Jacksonville Pharmacy in Jacksonville, Maryland.  You might have a hard time understanding what a coup that really was.  Practically everyone in our loosely-defined town went into that Pharmacy at least once a week.  Some came in every day or evening on their way home from work.  It was a hub of activity and community news.

It was that $3.35 per hour that gave me my first real “independence” (so called).  From that point forward, I purchased my car, my gas, my insurance, my incidentals, etc.  I thought of myself as independent even though I was only 16 and still living at home.  I thought I was independent, but looking back now, I can see I really wasn’t totally free of dependence on my parents for the roof over my head, health insurance, food and other expenses of everyday life.

I can draw a parallel to my spiritual life.  During my college years, I turned from my relationship with God to assert my independence from His restrictions.  (I now see them as cords of love.)  I took on sin and tried to be its master.  I think you can guess how that ended.  It mastered me.  I sinned well and with frequency and depravity and thought little of God.  I had become “independent”, a place I would never recommend.  It was a place filled with emptiness and despair and darkness so heavy it can push all the air out of your lungs.  Independence from God was a place of slow death of my soul – a death that would have gone on for eternity, a death that would have separated me from God forever.  It is a law of nature that independence brings death.  What happens to the flower cut from the stem?  The branch cut from the tree?    Death.  Life is found and sustained only with connection to the vine.

John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (Jesus speaking)

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Isaiah 41:10 – A Closer Look

Posted in Bible, Devotional, Exhortation, Fear, Isaiah, Old Testament, tagged , , , , , on July 12, 2010| 3 Comments »

Isaiah 41:10 reads as follows:  “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

  • Fear Not – He only says this because He knows I will be filled with fear.
  • For I am with you – He understands my  frame – that I don’t want to be alone, that when He is with me, I feel less afraid, and I can go a little further.
  • Be not dismayed – The definition of dismayed is “to be filled with dread or apprehension, to be anxious or afraid, to lose confidence or courage in the face of trouble or danger.”  That pretty well describes me.  I am am confident and courageous until the trouble comes.
  • For I am your God – When I fully grasp the meaning and implication of this concept – the God of creation, the Almighty God, the One who parted the Red Sea and held back the flooded Jordon, the One who raised Jesus from the dead – He says of me, “I am your God.”  What more could I need?
  • I will strengthen you – He knows I am left weak from the fear.
  • Yes, I will help you – He is reassuring me.  He alone is my help and my deliverer.
  • I will uphold you with my righteous right hand – In the end, I will stand because He is holding me up.  It is His justice, His righteousness that will allow me to stay the course.

Beloved, do not be afraid.  Our God will supply all your needs through Christ Jesus.  He is with you.  He will never leave or forsake you.

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Walking in the Path of Righteousness

Posted in Devotional, Proverbs, Righteousness, Walking with God, tagged , , , , on July 2, 2010|

Do you ever wonder how you could walk more closely with God?  Proverbs 4:20-27 gives us some valuable insights on the subject:

  • Listen to the Word of God – “give attention to my words; incline your ear to my savings.”  v. 20
  • Read/Study the Word of God – “Do not let them depart from your eyes.”  v. 21a
  • Meditate/memorize the Word of God – “Keep them in the midst of your heart.”  v. 21b
  • Don’t let your emotions/feelings rule you – “keep your heart with all diligence.”  v. 23a
  • Watch your mouth – “Put away from you a deceitful mouth, put perverse lips far form you.”  v. 24
  • Don’t let your eyes wander – “Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you.”  v. 25
  • Evaluate the way your are going and keep a steady course – “Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.”  v. 26
  • Be steadfast and stay on the narrow way that leads to life – “Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil.”  v. 27

Do not be discouraged beloved, the power to do all of these things and more lies in the Holy Spirit which has been freely given to those who call Jesus “Lord”.  We have all things that pertain to life and godliness.  Just step out!  Ask God to show you how to take the first step towards greater intimacy with Him.

May the LORD bless you and keep you.  May He hedge you in and protect you from harm.

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