Tag Archives: life

Living Under Grace

Posted on by

Christians have an obligation to live a life of holiness in honor of their God Who is holy (Leviticus 11:44; 1 Peter 1:15-16) and provided a holy sacrifice for their sins in the Person of His Son, Jesus Christ.  This is the only reasonable response believers have (Romans 12:1).  Paul wrote of this in the Epistle to the Romans.

Romans 6:11-15 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.  12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.  13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.  14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.  15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Continue reading →

Getting Direction for Your Life

Posted on by

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

These two verses are among the more familiar ones in the Bible.  As I was reading these verses recently, one word jumped out at me.  Used twice in this passage, the word “all” is of particular importance. Continue reading →

Do You Have a Heart for God?

Posted on by

When the Lord brought the children of Israel to the Promised Land, Moses reminded them of their commitments to Him before they crossed over to inhabit the land.  The Israelites had agreed to keep the Lord’s commandments and reaffirmed that promise.

Deuteronomy 5:27 Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the LORD our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it.

The Lord, Who knew their hearts, expressed His desire that they would indeed have a heart for Him to do all that they had committed.

Deuteronomy 5:29 O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!

God knew that His way was best.  His desire was that the Israelites experience the best He had to offer (“that it might be well with them”).  The blessings they could experience would pass on to their posterity as well (“and with their children for ever”).  However, He knew that their heart was not in the right place.  As history shows, they would disobey Him and receive just recompense for their sin.

The same is true with us.  God created life and He knows how life is best lived.  Why do we not trust Him in this?  God loves us as a parent loves his child.  He wants the best for us, but like wayward children, we all to often refuse to give up our own selfish desires.  We need to have a heart for God and obey Him.  Then we can expect His blessing upon our lives.

Our Spiritual Battle

Posted on by

Ephesians 6:10-12 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.   12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

It is tempting for the Christian to focus on the physical things of life.  Being physical beings, this is natural.  So, we concern ourselves with how we look, maintaining our homes and cars, performing the chores we need to do, etc.  There is nothing wrong with this.  However, human beings also have a spiritual side.  This is where we will find the most difficult areas of our life. Continue reading →

Don’t Be a Prating Fool

Posted on by

Proverbs 10:8 The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall.

The truth of this verse plays itself out over and over again in daily life.  As is common in Hebrew poetry, the first part of the verse stands in contrast to the last part.

If a person is wise then they will receive commandments.  “Receive” should be understood as “listen” or “obey”.  It doesn’t mean that a person will get more rules to follow, but rather it means that he/she is receptive to instruction. Continue reading →