Psalm 1
1:1 How blessed is the one who does not follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand in the pathway with sinners,
or sit in the assembly of scoffers!
1:2 Instead he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands;
he meditates on his commands day and night.
1:3 He is like a tree planted by flowing streams;
it yields its fruit at the proper time,
and its leaves never fall off.
He succeeds in everything he attempts.
1:4 Not so with the wicked!
Instead they are like wind-driven chaff.
1:5 For this reason the wicked cannot withstand judgment,
nor can sinners join the assembly of the godly.
1:6 Certainly the Lord guards the way of the godly,
but the way of the wicked ends in destruction.
(NET)
I noticed the progression of association with the wicked in verse 1. First it is just walking with the advice of the wicked. Then as we become accustomed to sin we begin to stand in the pathway of sinners. We more closely and deeply involve ourselves in sin. Finally we sit down in our sin and engulf ourselves. We now are completely surrounded by the sin within which we have entangled ourselves, making ourselves like chaff. We are then useless and unsubstantial. When eternity arrives will then have nothing to stand on. However, if we delight ourselves in the Lord and in meditation of His Word, He gives us meaning, growth, and eternal life. We then have His righteousness and grace that allow us to stand on the day of judgment.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Make your paths straight
Hebrews 12:13
12:13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but be healed.
(NET)
Part of that verse is quoted from
Prov 4:26
4:26 Make the path for your feet level,
so that all your ways may be established.
4:27 Do not turn to the right or to the left;
turn yourself away from evil. (NET)
How often do I not necessarily turn to evil, but I just see it coming down the road and don't get out of the way? These verses point out that avoiding evil is a proactive lifestyle. I can't assume that my relationship with Christ will grow if I am not actively feeding it. It will atrophy and decay like muscles no longer used. How then do I keep from evil.
Psalm 119:9-11
119:9 How can a young person maintain a pure life?
By guarding it according to your instructions!
119:10 With all my heart I seek you.
Do not allow me to stray from your commands!
119:11 In my heart I store up your words,
so I might not sin against you.
(NET)
12:13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but be healed.
(NET)
Part of that verse is quoted from
Prov 4:26
4:26 Make the path for your feet level,
so that all your ways may be established.
4:27 Do not turn to the right or to the left;
turn yourself away from evil. (NET)
How often do I not necessarily turn to evil, but I just see it coming down the road and don't get out of the way? These verses point out that avoiding evil is a proactive lifestyle. I can't assume that my relationship with Christ will grow if I am not actively feeding it. It will atrophy and decay like muscles no longer used. How then do I keep from evil.
Psalm 119:9-11
119:9 How can a young person maintain a pure life?
By guarding it according to your instructions!
119:10 With all my heart I seek you.
Do not allow me to stray from your commands!
119:11 In my heart I store up your words,
so I might not sin against you.
(NET)
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Purifing our Conscience
Hebrews 9:8-14
9:8 The Holy Spirit is making clear that the way into the holy place had not yet appeared as long as the old tabernacle was standing. 9:9 This was a symbol for the time then present, when gifts and sacrifices were offered that could not perfect the conscience of the worshiper. 9:10 They served only for matters of food and drink and various washings; they are external regulations imposed until the new order came. Christ’s Service in the Heavenly Sanctuary
9:11 But now Christ has come as the high priest of the good things to come. He passed through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, 9:12 and he entered once for all into the most holy place not by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood, and so he himself secured eternal redemption. 9:13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow sprinkled on those who are defiled consecrated them and provided ritual purity, 9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.
(NET)
How often do we seem to think that following the law will save us? Following the law won't even change us. It was just a ceremonial cleanliness. Christ is the only righteousness. I need Christ's righteousness, because I cannot stand upon my own. I also desperately need the blood of Christ to change me and purify me from my sinful self. I am afraid of who I would be if it weren't for grace. I would be so lost in my own selfish black hole. I would be tearing down everyone around me. Sometimes I am still like. The blood of Christ cleanse me and change me!! Wash me clean! Take my life and purify my dead works, changing them to a life and works of worship of the living God.
9:8 The Holy Spirit is making clear that the way into the holy place had not yet appeared as long as the old tabernacle was standing. 9:9 This was a symbol for the time then present, when gifts and sacrifices were offered that could not perfect the conscience of the worshiper. 9:10 They served only for matters of food and drink and various washings; they are external regulations imposed until the new order came. Christ’s Service in the Heavenly Sanctuary
9:11 But now Christ has come as the high priest of the good things to come. He passed through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, 9:12 and he entered once for all into the most holy place not by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood, and so he himself secured eternal redemption. 9:13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow sprinkled on those who are defiled consecrated them and provided ritual purity, 9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.
(NET)
How often do we seem to think that following the law will save us? Following the law won't even change us. It was just a ceremonial cleanliness. Christ is the only righteousness. I need Christ's righteousness, because I cannot stand upon my own. I also desperately need the blood of Christ to change me and purify me from my sinful self. I am afraid of who I would be if it weren't for grace. I would be so lost in my own selfish black hole. I would be tearing down everyone around me. Sometimes I am still like. The blood of Christ cleanse me and change me!! Wash me clean! Take my life and purify my dead works, changing them to a life and works of worship of the living God.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
New Covenant
Hebrews 8:7-12
8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, no one would have looked for a second one. 8:8 But showing its fault, God says to them, “Look, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will complete a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
8:9 “It will not be like the covenant that I made with their fathers, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant and I had no regard for them, says the Lord. 8:10 “For this is the covenant that I will establish with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and I will inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God and they will be my people. 8:11 “And there will be no need at all for each one to teach his countryman or each one to teach his brother saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ since they will all know me, from the least to the greatest. 8:12 “For I will be merciful toward their evil deeds, and their sins I will remember no longer.”
(NET)
Praise God for the new covenant. Now we can each 'Know the Lord' and have personal relationship with God. We no longer have to have a priest intercede with God for us, but now each of us has direct access to God through Christ. The best way to maintain that relationship is through keep God's word in our minds, and inscribing in on our hearts. Then God we will be God's people. Thank God for his mercy in forgetting our sins and being merciful to us. God shows mercy to us and desires to be near to us no matter how great or small we are in this life. God intentionally both included Rahab, a prostitute, and David, a king after God's own heart, in the genealogy of Christ.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from The NETBible® Copyright© 2005 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://www.bible.org/All Rights Reserved
8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, no one would have looked for a second one. 8:8 But showing its fault, God says to them, “Look, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will complete a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
8:9 “It will not be like the covenant that I made with their fathers, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant and I had no regard for them, says the Lord. 8:10 “For this is the covenant that I will establish with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and I will inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God and they will be my people. 8:11 “And there will be no need at all for each one to teach his countryman or each one to teach his brother saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ since they will all know me, from the least to the greatest. 8:12 “For I will be merciful toward their evil deeds, and their sins I will remember no longer.”
(NET)
Praise God for the new covenant. Now we can each 'Know the Lord' and have personal relationship with God. We no longer have to have a priest intercede with God for us, but now each of us has direct access to God through Christ. The best way to maintain that relationship is through keep God's word in our minds, and inscribing in on our hearts. Then God we will be God's people. Thank God for his mercy in forgetting our sins and being merciful to us. God shows mercy to us and desires to be near to us no matter how great or small we are in this life. God intentionally both included Rahab, a prostitute, and David, a king after God's own heart, in the genealogy of Christ.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from The NETBible® Copyright© 2005 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://www.bible.org/All Rights Reserved
Saturday, May 5, 2007
A little Bible Humor
A man and his wife were having an argument about who should brew the coffee each morning. The wife said, "You should do it, because you get up first, and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee."
The husband said, " You are in charge of cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee."
Wife replies, "No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible that the man should do the coffee."
Husband replies, "I can't believe that, show me."
So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says.........."HEBREWS"
The husband said, " You are in charge of cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee."
Wife replies, "No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible that the man should do the coffee."
Husband replies, "I can't believe that, show me."
So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says.........."HEBREWS"
Great News on Abel
Abel Tyson, the 21 month old son of a classmate of mine, has stage 3, high-risk neuroblastoma and brain damage, but today they have received great news. He has finished four? rounds of chemo so it was time to do some scans and test to see how the chemo is affecting the cancer. His CT scans of chest, abdomen and pelvis showed now evidence of cancer, and his bone marrow tests and MIBG (a neuroblasto specific test) showed no morphological evidence and near complete resolution of his cancer. See the title of this post or my favorite links for more info.
Psalm 9:1-2
9:1 I will thank the Lord with all my heart!
I will tell about all your amazing deeds!
9:2 I will be happy and rejoice in you!
I will sing praises to you, O sovereign One!
(NET)
Psalm 9:1-2
9:1 I will thank the Lord with all my heart!
I will tell about all your amazing deeds!
9:2 I will be happy and rejoice in you!
I will sing praises to you, O sovereign One!
(NET)
Friday, May 4, 2007
Sin and Accountability
Hebrews 3:12-14
3:12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has an evil, unbelieving heart that forsakes the living God. 3:13 But exhort one another each day, as long as it is called “Today,” that none of you may become hardened by sin’s deception. 3:14 For we have become partners with Christ, if in fact we hold our initial confidence firm until the end.
(NET)
Sin will drag me down and drown me. It will suffocate my soul until my heart turns to stone in unbelief. They way to avoid sin is to be accountable to other believers so that we can encourage each other. Then we can combat sin's deceitful lies and avoid the hardened hearts and blackened souls. Also, is it possible that we will only share in Christ's mercy if we hold fast to our faith "firm until the end"? A question debated by many theologists. Can an individual turn their back on their faith in Christ's redemptive work, returning to sin and the old creation, and forfeit eternity? Or, does such a lifestyle reveal that the person never actually believed in Christ's death, Resurrection, and return from the beginning? I am not sure yet.
3:12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has an evil, unbelieving heart that forsakes the living God. 3:13 But exhort one another each day, as long as it is called “Today,” that none of you may become hardened by sin’s deception. 3:14 For we have become partners with Christ, if in fact we hold our initial confidence firm until the end.
(NET)
Sin will drag me down and drown me. It will suffocate my soul until my heart turns to stone in unbelief. They way to avoid sin is to be accountable to other believers so that we can encourage each other. Then we can combat sin's deceitful lies and avoid the hardened hearts and blackened souls. Also, is it possible that we will only share in Christ's mercy if we hold fast to our faith "firm until the end"? A question debated by many theologists. Can an individual turn their back on their faith in Christ's redemptive work, returning to sin and the old creation, and forfeit eternity? Or, does such a lifestyle reveal that the person never actually believed in Christ's death, Resurrection, and return from the beginning? I am not sure yet.
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