Wednesday, September 14th
Isaiah 9:8-16
8 The Lord has sent a message against Jacob; it will fall on Israel. 9 All the people will know it - Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria - who say with pride and arrogance of heart, 10 "The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars." 11 But the LORD has strengthened Rezin's foes against them and has spurred their enemies on. 12 Arameans from the east and Philistines from the west have devoured Israel with open mouth. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised. 13 But the people have not returned to him who struck them, nor have they sought the LORD Almighty. 14 So the LORD will cut off from Israel both head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day; 15 the elders and prominent men are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail. 16 Those who guide this people mislead them, and those who are guided are led astray.
I have noticed that the word pride is typically used with the word arrogance. I assume that they are both interchangeable. Verse twelve shows me that God’s people where persecuted because of their sin, and verse 13 then shows me that despite all that has been done to them, they have not “sought the Lord Almighty.” I believe that everything happens for a reason. If something happens to me, it is either to help me gain a better understanding of my Lord or to help someone else gain a better understanding of God. If the message in verse 13 isn’t understood, verses 14 thru 16 would then be the outcome. Elders and leaders alike are cut off. I pray for this to not happen to me, to those in my church, and those I know.
John 15:1-8
1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Cut off (from Dictionary.com):
- To separate from others; isolate.
- To stop suddenly; discontinue.
- To shut off; bar.
- To interrupt the course or passage of.
- To interrupt or break the line of communication of.
- To disinherit.
Verse 5 from John really hits me. Without God, I can do NOTHING. Much like Ecclesiastes 1:2 ("Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless") without God, everything is meaningless. It is just a waste of time. I pray that no one is cut off from God. I pray that no one ends with a life that is meaningless. I pray that we all discover our purpose that God has set out before us and not to be selfish, but me especially. Johnny Out.
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2 comments:
Good morning fellas, how is everyone this morning? I am ready to ride and fight for my relationship with God. We had a great time last night just talking and reading and sharing our quiet times with each other. We didn't have a Bible study because I thought I had b-ball practice but that got canceled. I am fired up about midweek this evening. We are going to meet at the building and I love to see everyone and share my heart with them. This morning I was reading in Psalm 106 verses 1-3. That really encouraged me this morning to know that Gods love endures forever and how blessed we are when we con stantly do right. I also read in 2 Corinthians 9 about giving to God and giving generously. I need to give cheerfuly and with out grumbling or complaint. I have been doing that lately but I know there are times when I have complained because I felt like I "had" to give and not wanted to eventhough I know it is the right thing to do. I also notice the more we give to God with a right heart that he provides so much more and gives back. I love all of you and I pray that all of you has a great day, God bless.
Psalm 106:1-3
Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord or fully declare his praise? Blessed are they who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right.
Food for thought. I get little things like this from time to time, and feel it's right on line with a disciple's calling, so I am passing it on for your viewing. What always gets me is that God gives me a choice, but what I do with that freedom is up to me. Nothing says it like His Word.
Psalm 119:133-136
Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by any evil.
Rescue me from the oppression of evil people; then I can obey your commandments. Look down on me with love; teach me all your principles. Rivers of tears gush from my eyes because people disobey your law.
Avoiding Enslavement to Sin
A physical prison is built brick by brick. A spiritual prison, too, can be erected one sin at a time without a believer noticing. Ensnarement happens slowly, beginning with a thought. Over time, unless the thought is eradicated, contemplation turns to action. With Satan falsely promising happiness as the reward for giving in to temptation, sin gains strength through repetition until our conscience is finally overpowered. One day we discover the Devil holds our will in bondage.
But we can avoid spiritual chains. Our first step is to acknowledge two basic truths: all sin enslaves, and bondage begins in the mind. We cannot maintain a healthy relationship with the Lord while indulging sin. When a wrong thought creeps into our consciousness, we have the choice to expel it or to massage it. Through the strength of the Holy Spirit, every believer possesses power to change his mind.
A strong antidote to temptation is a long-term view of disobedient behavior. A second step, then, is to ask ourselves, Is the pleasure of this sin worth the consequences of enslavement? Inevitably, the answer is no. What alcoholic would claim his next drink is worth the powerlessness he feels against the bottle?
Third, we order our life according to Scripture. That is, we make the choice to place ourselves in bondage to the Father because we find true freedom in Him. His Word trains us to recognize sin and rid wrongdoing from our hearts. Ask God to speak through the Bible today, and see what He reveals about your life.
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