Encouragement – What “hope and promise” has God given you?

Posted on by RevTim

Pay special attention to the “for God” part in verse 23.

Got a promise God has given to you?

Hebrews 10:19-25

19 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death,t Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

 

Everything Removed

Posted on by RevTim

Awakening Day 3

As I am praying today, I am looking at things I trust that should be shaken and/or removed from my life. I am going to take some time with this. I know this can become highly personal, so I will not be specific in this public forum. It’s kind of like another “Let Go and Let God” time for me.

In Isaiah 3, it starts out with a promise. Everything Israel had learned and come to trust would be taken removed. This was a big deal. It is “Job-like” — the Job in the Bible. But there is a HUGE difference. With Job, he was being TESTED and was BLAMELESS before God.

With the Israel people? They were being SHAKEN! And if you go down the list of what they were “trusting in” it seems horrendous to us. Some versions say EVERYTHING that SUPPLIES and
SUSTAINS. In fact we would NEVER become that way, right?

  • Every bit of bread
  • Every drop of water,
  • All their heroes
  • All their soldiers
  • All their judges
  • All their prophets
  • Fortune tellers
  • Elders
  • Army officers
  • High officials
  • Advisers
  • Skilled craftsmen
  • Astrologers

Let’s think about each one of these things in our lives that COMPETE with God. Wouldn’t it be better to SURRENDER them than to have them REMOVED? An act of surrender is an act of the HEART.

Battle of Wits

Posted on by RevTim

Arguments, politics, discussions, conversations. Many times we have such pride wrapped up in these things that we MUST win no matter the cost. And, believe me, many times we are wrong!

That’s why it is important to me when I read the Bible to try to understand the context as well as the message. Is it historical information, is it a moral principle, a promise, a challenge, or is it inspirational?

I don’t want to get so caught up in ARGUMENT that I miss the MESSAGE. Hmmmm….

Oh, check out Proverbs 16:18.