Posted in Poem, tagged Deliverance, Relationship with God, set me free on July 5, 2018|
Floating Upward
I’m a hot air balloon.
Ropes tied to stakes
restrain me
keep me near the ground.
I long for release
Cut the ropes, O God
that tether me to this place.
Set me free
–I long to float upward
to Your waiting arms.
Copyright MaryBeth Mullin 2018
Posted in Bible, Devotional, Exhortation, New Testament, Paul's Epistles, Prayer, Timothy, tagged 1 Timothy 2, being quiet, Bible, Books of the Bible, Devotional, intercession, New Testament, Prayer, Relationship with God, supplication on September 12, 2011|
Is your life crazy busy? Do you have a husband, kids, grandkids a house, a job, another job or just commitments? We live busy lives, spent rushing from one thing to the next with little time for spiritual disciplines like prayer, fasting, Bible study or simply listening to God.
In his letter to Timothy in 1Timothy 2:1-4, Paul offers some ideas on how to have “quiet” in our daily lives, and he provides the rationale for doing so. “I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
How do I have “quiet”?
Posted in Attributes, Bible, Books of the Bible, Deliverer, Faithful Companion, God, In times of difficulty, Old Testament, Relationship with God, the Father, Zephaniah, tagged Attributes of God, Bible, Comforter, God the Father, God's amazing love, God's love, Knowing God, Old Testament, Prophet, Quiet, Relationship with God, Zephaniah on September 4, 2011| 1 Comment »
The LORD promises that with His love He will quiet us. In Zephaniah 3:17, the prophet tells us, “The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”
The picture is perhaps of the child who buries her face in the bosom of a parent; the small body shaking with sobs. The parent speaks soft words, sings gentle songs of reassurance until the sobbing subsides.
This is a picture of our Heavenly Father. He will hold you to His bosom as you pour out your sorrow, your fear, your loss, your frustration, or whatever is stealing your “quiet.” In that moment, He whispers to you of His great love for you. Knowing of His love, being reminded again of how much He loves you, all His promises to you, you become quiet. He has quieted you with His love.
Posted in Attributes, Bible, God, Holiness, Holy, Legalism, Walking with God, tagged Bible, God, Holiness, New Testament, Relationship with God on May 20, 2011|
Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.” Matthew 23:27.
He meant they appeared to be clean on the outside, but inside they were nothing but a grave, full of the bones and carcases of dead men. Jesus was getting at the issue of holiness. Holiness is not outward compliance with rules and regulations . . . that is the definition of legalism.
Holiness is a heart transformed, desiring to go God’s way. For the truly holy man or woman, no outward rules are required. The desire to please God, to obey God, to maintain fellowship with God will keep him or her from evil. The Christian has very few outward restraints on his or her conduct. The restraint is borne out of relationship with God.
May your heart be transformed so that you require no outward rules to make or keep you holy, but only a desire to please the heart of the Father, a love for the Son and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Posted in 1 John, Bible, Books of the Bible, Knowing God, New Testament, Relationship with God, Surrender, Walking with God, worship, tagged 1 John 5, born of God, Dependence on God, Keeping myself, Relationship with God, surrender to God, Walking with God on May 11, 2011|
We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. 1 John 5:18
It is much preferable to read about what God had done for me, what God is doing for me and what God will do for me. My part doesn’t seem as interesting, so when I come across a verse like 1 John 5:18, it begs the question: “How do I keep myself?” The following are some ideas:
Posted in Attributes, Bible, God, Knowing God, Love, Lover of my soul, Relationship with God, tagged Attributes of God, Bible, God, God's amazing love, God's love, Relationship with God, Walking with God on March 8, 2011|
It is wonderful to study and meditate on the love of God. It is a subject that never grows old and is found on every page of the Bible and in every encounter with the living God. As we walk with God, we find evidences of His love in our own lives, like those in the Bible.
But one might ask, “What is the take away?”
Here are some of the many things that we learn and “take away” from meditating on and living in the knowledge of God’s love:
Beloved, take time to consider, to meditate, to live in the knowledge of the love of God for you. He loved, loves and will love you for eternity. That should transform your life.
Posted in Attributes, Bible, Dependence on God, Faithful Companion, God, Old Testament, Relationship with God, Walking with God, tagged Dependence on God, Exodus 13, Numbers 9, Pillar of Cloud, Pillar of Fire, Relationship with God on November 30, 2010|
Continuing in this series of posts on Knowing God and specifically knowing of His great love for us, we look today at another picture from the Old Testament that give us further insight into the great love of God.
In Exodus 13:21-22, we’re told, ” the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night and He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.”
In Numbers 9:17-22 we read the following more specific discussion of the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire: “Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, after that the children of Israel would journey; and in the place where the cloud settled, there the children of Israel would pitch their tents. At the command of the LORD the children of Israel would journey, and at the command of the LORD they would camp; as long as the cloud stayed above the tabernacle they remained encamped. Even when the cloud continued long, many days above the tabernacle, the children of Israel kept the charge of the LORD and did not journey. So it was, when the cloud was above the tabernacle a few days: according to the command of the LORD they would remain encamped, and according to the command of the LORD they would journey. So it was, when the cloud remained only from evening until morning: when the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they would journey; whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud was taken up, they would journey. 22 Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would remain encamped and not journey; but when it was taken up, they would journey. “
The following can be see about the amazing love of God from these passages of scripture:
Amazing love . . . that causes a God, who is totally sufficient in Himself, to seek to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Look to Him! Rely on Him! He is faithful.
Posted in Attributes, Bible, Bible Study, Deliverer, Genesis, God, Love, Relationship with God, Walking with God, worship, tagged Attributes of God, Bible, God, Love of God, Relationship with God, Worship on November 26, 2010|
In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series on knowing God through looking at the attribute of His great love for us, we discussed how the scriptures of the Old and New Testament describe the love of God. In this post and those following, we will consider some of the pictures that God has used to illustrate His love.
Abraham and Isaac
One of the pictures of God’s love, actually a foreshadowing of the coming of Messiah, was the story of Abraham and Isaac. You may recall the story recounted in Genesis 22 where God tests Abraham asking him to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Moriah. Abraham takes his son, goes up with him to the mountain, binds his son to the altar that he built and proceeds to prepare to sacrifice his only son as God asked. As he is lowering the knife to slay his son, God stops him. God provides a substitute sacrifice (a ram caught in the thicket) instead of Isaac. This picture of God’s love is the picture of the substitutionary sacrifice. God had every right to require the first born child of his marriage to Sarah from Abraham. Nevertheless, because of His great mercy and His promises to Abraham, God provided a sacrifice to satisfy the blood requirement. This substitutionary sacrifice is seen again on Calvary, years later when Jesus died, once for all. He who knew no sin, died for those who were under sin’s curse.
Deliverance of Isarael
Another great picture of the love of God and His heart for Israel (and us for whom the wall of separation was removed by the blood of Jesus) is the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. You may recall this story from Exodus. The people of God are in captivity in Egypt. They have been reduced to slavery. Their oppressors fear them and make their life difficult. They are even forced to kill their children. God hears their cries from their bondage, and from within the their own ranks, God raises up a deliverer, Moses. By the hand of God on Moses, the people of God are delivered from their oppressors and allowed to follow their God and worship Him. This picture of God the deliverer is emphasized again and again by God in the Old Testament.
By these pictures, we begin to see God’s love. You may want to go back and read the stories in their entirety and ask God to speak to you of His great love.
In our next post, we will look at some more pictures that God provides to illustrate His gr eat and amazing love.
Posted in Bible, God, Knowing God, Love, Old Testament, Relationship with God, worship, tagged God, God's amazing love, Knowing God, Love, Old Testament, Relationship with God, Worship on November 23, 2010| 2 Comments »
In part 1 of this series, we looked at the amazing love of God as we see it in the New Testament. In this post, we will consider how God speaks of His love for us in the Old Testament.
So much remains to be said about God’s love. It is truly amazing. It is His love for us that draws us to Him. Read of Him in the pages of your Bible, the One who loved you, loves you and will love you!
In our next post, we will consider some of the word pictures and stories that the Bible provides of God’s love.
Rooted and Grounded 