Got Fruit ?

For this commandment, which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off.
Deuteronomy 30:11

The same Christ who lived a perfect, obedient, and sinless life stands prepared to live it again through you (Gal. 2:20). God’s will is not hard to discern. He has given us the Scriptures, which reveal His will, and He has placed His Holy Spirit within us to guide us to His perfect will in every situation (John 16:13). Our greatest challenge will be to wholly commit our lives to follow God’s will obediently as He reveals it.

Moses gathered the Israelites round Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim before they were to enter the Promised Land. There, God described what they had to do in order to obey Him. God gave detailed instructions so there was no mistaking what was expected of them. Then God asked them to make a choice. If they chose to disobey His commands, they would face His wrath. If they chose to obey, they would receive His blessing.

God’s Word comes to you in the same way. It is not too complex to understand. You don’t have to struggle to discern God’s will about adultery or forgiveness or honesty. God’s word is perfectly clear. The question is how will you respond? Nowhere in Scripture did God excuse disobedience because His instructions were too vague or complex. Condemnation came because they knew exactly what God wanted them to do, yet they chose not to do it! God, through His Holy Spirit, will always give you sufficient revelation and strength to take the next step with Him. If you are uncertain about what God is asking of you, make sure that you are obeying all that you do know, and through your obedience, God’s next instruction will become clear.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

In light of the financial “crisis” that this nation may be headed for, I thought that I would drop a few words of commentary and prayerfully,encouragement.  The following snippet comes from a September 2007 post, credit does and should however go to men much wiser and learned than myself in their explanations of the Scripture and the ancient Greek language.  Just sharing what they have put effort into actually learning…

Philippians 4:6 (KJV)
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Personal thoughts & comments on Philippians 4:6, are that the basic idea seems to be that Paul is saying that there is no need to worry or fret over circumstances; instead let God handle those things that we are concerned about, by praying to Him about them, and giving earnest thanks to Him for what we have.

The things that we have, are not necessarily limited to just temporal possessions and life situations. We should give God thanks for His love for us. We should always thank Him for giving into the believer the Holy Spirit to guide us. Above all thank God for His grace and mercy bestowed upon us, by giving His only Son, Jesus Christ, who has redeemed us of our sins. Some further explanation and insight of Philippians 4:6 by Rick Renner, author of “Sparkling Gems”.

One of the words from Philippians 4:6 that Renner explains is the word “careful”. When we see the word “careful” we usually tend to use it in the sense of being cautions or mindful. See the following definition(s) of how the word “careful” is used in modern day English, plus the “Archaic” context of the word. The fifth definition (5 a. and 5 b.) as we will find out is closer to what the Greek meant in their use of the word “careful”, concerning Philippians 4:6.

care~ful-adjective

• cautious in one’s actions: Be careful when you cross the street.
• taking pains in one’s work; exact; thorough: a careful typist.
  of things) done or performed with accuracy or caution: careful research.
• solicitously mindful (usually fol. by of, about, or in): careful of the rights of others; careful about one’s behavior; careful in speech.
• Archaic. a. troubled b. attended with anxiety

The word “careful” comes from the Greek word MERIMNAO, which means: 1. to be troubled 2. to be anxious (worry) 3. to be fretful 4. to be worried about something. The Greek used the word MERIMNAO (careful) during New Testament times primarily in conjunction with the following situations: 1. worry about finances 2. worry about hunger 3. worry about basic provisions of life. Some examples of worrying that plagued the Greek:

• worry about paying bills
• worry about tax collectors
• worrying about having enough money to buy food or to purchase clothing for one’s family

To read the rest of the post go here.

Grace and peace be with you

Whoever abides in him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him no known Him.
1 John 3:6

The Bible makes two things clear about sin. First, living a lifestyle of sin indicates that you are not walking in the power of the Holy Spirit, regardless of what you say about your spiritual condition. You cannot regularly spend time studying and meditating on God’s word, praying and walking in fellowship with the Holy Spirit, and persist in sin.

Second, if you do not hate sin the way God does, then you do not truly know Him. There are those who continue in their sin yet insist that they love God and belong to Him. John makes it clear: If you have a lifestyle of sin, you have not seen Him and do not know Him. You may have prayed a “sinner’s prayer,” or made a commitment in your church, or been baptized, but the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life is that you are defeating sin. This does not mean that the possibility of sin does not exist, but it does mean that you refuse to make sin a lifestyle and you immediately seek forgiveness if you sin (1 John 1:10). It means that you are opposed to sin, as God is, and you allow the Holy Spirit to eradicate every trace of sin in your life. It means that if you sin, you immediately confess it and repent of it and do whatever is necessary to avoid repeating your sin.

If you find yourself falling into sinful habits or not grieving over your sin as you once did, this indicates that you are not abiding in Christ. Return to Him in repentance; restore your fellowship with Him, and you will once again experience victory over your sin.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath;for it is written,”Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
Romans 12:19

One of the hardest areas in which to trust God is in the matter of justice. When we perceive an injustice, we want to see the guilty party punished. We want justice to prevail, especially if we are the victim. We become impatient is we are not avenged quickly. Yet God warns us that vengeance is not our prerogative. We are to desire justice, but we are not the seek vengeance (Micah 6:8). When someone offends us, our responsibility is to respond to the offense with forgiveness (Matthew 5:44). God takes the responsibility to see that justice is done. God loves people too much to allow sin to go unchecked.

Peter claimed that God is not slow about His promises to us, but He is patient and long-suffering before He brings about judgment (2 Peter 3:9). Yet ultimately God has prepared for absolute justice. There will be no sin committed that He will leave unpunished. Either the punishment will fall on His Son or it will be charged against the sinner, but everyone will ultimately give an account for everything they have done (2nd  Corinthians 5:10).

God is absolutely just, and only He can ensure that justice is fully carried out. If we are impatient and seek revenge, we presume that we are wiser than God, and we reveal a blatant lack of trust that God will do the right thing. Only by trusting God’s sovereign wisdom will we be free from our anger and preoccupation toward those who have committed evil. If we refuse to trust God’s justice, we become enslaved to bitterness and anger. We must guard our hearts and trust God to exercise His judgment against those who oppose Him.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you;
I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:26

From our hearts comes our response to God. Apart from the cleansing work of the Holy Spirit, our hearts are extremely deceitful (Prov. 17:9). David prayed that God would cleanse him from the ravages of his sin and purify his heart (Ps. 51:10). God’s greatest desire is that His people love Him with all their hearts (Deut. 6:5). Jesus said we are blessed if our hearts are pure (Matt. 5:8).

Sin hardens the heart (Matt. 13:4, 19). The more sin we allow to pass over our hearts and through our lives, the more resistant we become to a word from God. The sin of unforgiveness stiffens our hearts. We cannot continue to resist the prompting of the Holy Spirit without becoming hardened against Him. Exposing ourselves to evil and ungodly influences desensitizes us to God and His word. Over time, our hearts become like stone, unreceptive to a fresh word from God. We become anesthetized to sin.

Has your heart grown hard toward God? Do you feel as though nothing could soften it? God has a solution. He will separate you from the influences that are destroying you (Ezek. 36:24). He will cleanse you from all filthiness and remove everything that has taken His place in your affections (Ezek. 36:25). He will remove your heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh, tender toward Him and His word. If your love for God is not what it should be, ask Him to renew your heart and restore your devotion.

Henry and Richard Blackaby
Experiencing God Day-by-Day