Alētheia: Truth

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  • God’s Love and His Pursuit


    In the book of Hosea, we see an awesome picture of God’s love, and pursuit of  his people. This is clearly illustrated in the marriage between Hosea and his wife Gomer.

    Gomer would stray from her marriage to Hosea and become a prostitute and eventually be sold into slavery. Hosea would pursue her and “buy her back.” This is not only a beautiful picture of God’s grace towards his covenant people Israel – for Israel had strayed from God and was committing spiritual adultery by worshiping Baal –  but also for sinners as Jesus would pay the price for our sin on the cross and buy back his “bride” – the body of Christ from the bondage of sin and death.

    There is a great parallel between Israel then and the United States of America today. While Israel was in captivity in Egypt for 400 years, they worshiped the Lord and held on to the promise of deliverance. After Israel had been set free, It wasn’t long before Israel was enjoying political peace and prosperity that she was soon forgetting about God and began worshiping Baal and the ingenuity of their own hands. As a nation, they no longer humbled themselves before the one true God and worshiped him alone.

    Our Nation Today

    It seems clear to me that the USA is just like Israel in the time of Hosea’s prophecy. We have become the most prosperous nation that has ever existed and it seems that we, as a nation, have forgotten about God, and his love for us, that while we were yet sinners, he sent his son Jesus to die for us and bring us back to Him (Romans 5:8).

    My fear is that the United States as a nation may have gone to far down that wide road which leads to destruction – straying from God and worshiping other god’s of today. In the day of Hosea, it was Baal that Israel worshiped. Today its sports; computers, tv, relationships and idols that we worship. We have traded God’s glory for man-made images (Romans 1:23).

    I pray that it’s not too late. However, if it is too late for the US as a nation to return to God, I know it’s not too late for true believers to share the Gospel – God’s glorious love and grace for His people through his Son Jesus Christ – with this lost and dying world. As long as you and I are still here on this earth, there is still time to be the “fragrance of Christ” and share this great “love” that God has shown us and to glorify His name in all the earth.

  • Foundations – Bakers Dozen


    2 Corinthians 5:17  (ESV)

    “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

    It seems fitting to end this chapter of “Foundations” with 2 Corinthians 5:17 which is a beautiful reminder that as a believer in Jesus Christ we are  new creations – regenerated for the glory of God. And, it is awesome to know that our old self has passed away and a new life in Christ has begun.

    It is my hope that these 12 passages serve as a foundation – a begining – for a persons spiritual walk with the Lord. And as you journey through the many seasons of life, you will no doubt find many other promises to stand on and hide in your heart.

    I pray that you will continue to grow in your passion for God’s word and to hide it in your heart so that we can know the sweetness of His magnificent grace and mercy through life saving faith in Jesus Christ.

  • Foundations – Bakers Dozen


    Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)

    “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

    This verse is a great reminder of what we, as the body of Christ, is up against in our daily living. As you begin your day, it doesn’t take long before you are bombarded with the flaming darts from the evil forces trying to through you off course – taking you from living in the spirit to living in the flesh. And Satan is not just trying to destroy your day through circumstances, he is also using other people.

    Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that we must depend on the Holy Spirit to strengthen and led us in order to defend against the evil forces. Of course, if God is for us then who can be against us (Romans 8:31).

  • Foundations – Baker’s Dozen


    Psalm 103:1-5 (ESV)

    “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit,
    who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

    These verses from Psalm 103 are not only good for your arsenal of memorized scriptures, but also for your daily morning devotion. To start out your day praising the name of the Lord with all your strength, joy and gladness is not only appropriate, but essential in the life of a Christian. And after some time in worship, we then move on to remember all that God is for us, and has done for us in Christ Jesus.

    Each morning we should remember, yes even list all the benefits that God has blessed us with. I am reminded that David did the same thing going up against Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:37 – “And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine…”

    David had remember what God had already done for him – powerful things – and having those memory’s fresh on his mind and heart, David was victorious over what seemed liked insurmountable odds in human terms, but not so in God’s terms. And so it is with the “giants” in our life.

    Remembering what God has already done for us and pondering these things at the beginning of each day, will strengthen our faith as we move through the day serving the Lord. Our daily battles are glorifying to God when we stand on His benefits, empowered by the victory of the Cross, filled with the Holy Spirit and charge head long in life knowing that we are delivered, healed and crowned with steadfast love and mercy.

     

     

  • Foundations – Bakers Dozen


    James 4:17 (ESV)

    “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

    During a season of difficulty, my accountability partner shared this verse with me. It really hit home. This verse helps us to know when the Holy Spirit is telling us to do something in our hearts, and we don’t do it, it becomes a sin to us.

    Now that I know this verse by memory, I am more aware of the Holy Spirit’s presence in my life. This verse is just another illustration of  how alive God’s word is to us and how important it is to hide God’s word in our hearts.

    “The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts.” – A.W. Tozer


  • Foundations – Bakers Dozen


    Romans 8:28 (ESV)

    “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

    This verse is one that I have been clinging to the most in the past year. It’s amazing how things do work together for us through God’s sovereignty.

    So many times God has allowed things to happen in my life only to see (not always every time) later how that situation worked out for His glory and my good. Though honestly I can say that I didn’t always understand. As the old saying goes, “I couldn’t see the forest for the trees,” is such a true statement in this verse.

    I am so thankful to be used by God in serving His purpose here on earth. My desire is to bring Him glory and to serve others, and to share (and be) the Gospel to all those around me.

    Things don’t always work out the way I plan, but they always do work out the way God plans, and it is good.

    Here is a really good praise song:

     

  • Foundations – Bakers Dozen


    Psalm 1 (ESV)

    1Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
    nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
    2but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.

    3He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
    that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.In all that he does, he prospers.

    4The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

    5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
    6for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish.

    The world is not lacking in motivational speakers, and others who will help you find the “way” to prosperity. But, there is nothing new under the sun. We only have to go to the Bible and read Psalm chapter 1 to find the answer.

    We will be blessed if: 1) we walk not in the counsel of the wicked – the way of the world. 2) we find delight in the Law of the Lord – God’s way, which is contrary to the way of the world.

    Meditating on God’s holy word will not only bring us peace and blessings in this life (vs 3), but will give us life. Hiding God’s word in our hearts will provide nourishment to our souls and give us strength in difficult times. God’s word will stand forever (Matthew 24:35).

    But, if we do not heed to the Lord and His ways and walk in our own desires, we will die –  “for the way wicked will perish. (vs6).” It’s a choice!

  • Foundations – Bakers Dozen


    Romans 12:1 (ESV)

    “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

    This is one of the first verses that I had committed to memory when I was a teenager through the Navigators Topical Memory System in the youth group at Westminster Presbyterian church.

    It seems only fitting that we not only submit ourselves spiritually to the Lordship of Christ Jesus, but our bodies as well. Our bodies are to be a living sacrifice. We are to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. Our body is a temple for the Holy Spirit and we are to live a holy life (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We are not our own because we were bought weith a price – the price paid by the blessed work of Jesus on the cross.

    We worship God best when we live in the spirit and not fill our bodies with the sins of the world.

     

  • Foundations – Bakers Dozen


    1 John 1:9 (ESV)

    “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

    This is one of my all time favorite verses in the Bible. Our journey as born again believers in Jesus Christ is a life long experience in our growth to be more and more like Jesus. However, we are not perfect. We sin and it’s in this verse that I find great peace and comfort in God’s grace for our lives.

    Of course it begins with our confession. Not that God doesn’t already know our sin, He does. God is all-knowing. 1 John 1:9 starts with us acknowledging in our own life that we have sinned which leads to God’s faithfulness – that is – the absolute fact that God will always do what He says. Then, we see that He is just. That means God is the supreme authority when it comes to the forgiveness of sins. A debt paid by Jesus when he died on the cross for us. And in this justification, God extends His great power to cleanse us from our unrighteousness, which then (and sometimes is hard to comprehend) makes us righteous.

    God’s infinite grace to the faithful believer in Jesus Christ.

  • Foundations – Bakers Dozen


    Psalm 23 (ESV)

    The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
    He makes me lie down in green pastures.
    He leads me beside still waters.
    He restores my soul.
    He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name’s sake.

    Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
    I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

    You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
    you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
    Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
    and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
    forever.

    Psalm 23 begins with such a powerful statement – “The Lord is my shepherd.” Of course this only applies to people who have submitted themselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. But oh how wonderful to serve a Lord who would die so that I might live. There is such peace and comfort in this Psalm.