Alētheia: Truth

Tag: God

  • Not Alone


    Romans 8:38-39

    “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

    It’s dark and cold. That season of life which seems to come around when you least expect it. Your friends are scarce. Loneliness creeps in trying to capture your last bit of hope. You wait for the phone to ring – for someone to acknowledge that you have been missed, but it never does. No doubt, that everyone is busy with life. Still, you wait.

    Darkness tries to settle in and make itself home. Despair soon joins in the gathering of emotions working to rob you of hope. “How can this be,” you ask your self in an attempt to try to understand, “how can you know so many people and yet feel so all alone?”

    Quietly, a still voice – the Holy Spirit – begins to speak. Gently reminding you of God’s love, that bond of unbreakable friendship made possible by the blood of Christ and through his Lordship you know you have a friend in Jesus – a friend who is calling and waiting for you with an inseparable love that conquers all fears. Darkness has no place to work it despair for nothing can separate God’s love for us.

    “I am not alone.”

    Remembering God’s promises brings life. Jesus is the light that destroys the darkness. In Jesus hope is restored. A new day dawns. There is more pain, more darkness and despair, there are others. Time to make a phone call…

     

  • 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 – 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


    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


    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.”

    This second verse in this series is one that helps me remember not who I was, but who I am. Satan loves to come along and remind us of who we were. He loves to try and bring us down from the celebration of the victory that we have in the cross. This victory is not of our selves but the sovereign work that God provided through His Son Jesus.

    I am a new creation in Christ. My old nature has passed away and the new has come. I am a child of God. I have the power of Christ living in me through the holy spirit. The only victory that Satan has is the ones that I give him. He has no power in my life. The chains have been broken.

    I am to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:24

    Through the power of Christ, I am to pursue righteousness and the holiness of God and its on His power and for His glory that I live.

  • Foundations – Bakers Dozen


    Matthew 6:33 (ESV)

    “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

    This is the first verse on my list of life verses. Matthew 6:33 is a verse that I have covered in a previous post but it bears repeating here. It is a verse that I claim on a daily basis.

    It starts with 2 key words that are vital in everyone’s walk with the Lord. The 2 words are “seek” and “first.”

    Seek

    Dictionary.com defines seek as: “to go in search or quest of: to seek the truth.” This is true for all Christians. To seek or pursue. This takes definite intention of the believer. The second word is –

    First

    This word indicates priority that we should pursue (seek) the Kingdom of God which is the next part of this verse –

    The Kingdom of God

    God’s righteous and sovereign reign over all creation.

    His Righteousness

    His holiness, perfection.

    Added Unto You

    All these things – our needs according to God’s sovereign plan – will be met.

    When we seek God and to live a holy life, which can only be accomplished through the power and grace of Christ Jesus, God blesses us. I am not talking about prosperity gospel that is so prevalent today, I am talking about God working in us His sovereign will and giving us what we need to live for God and bring Him all the glory.

  • Foundations – Back to Basics – The 7 Essential Christian Principles of Christian Doctrine


    The Sovereignty of God

    I apologize to my readers for not have posted anything in the last few days. But, I am back on track so here we go with the third principle – “The Sovereignty of God.”

    With so much going on in the world today, many people wonder where God is or, they ask the question, “why would a loving God allow bad things to happen to good people.”

    It’s amazing how people tend to equate bad circumstances to God but when good things happen, He rarely gets the credit. The truth is God is sovereign over every thing. Psalms 24:1 tell us that “the earth and the fullness thereof belong to the Lord. He is Lord over all. Why things happen is in His sovereign will to bring Him glory. Even the bad things. “All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose” Romans 8:28. There is purpose even in the bad stuff.

    God is sovereign over all. He sets the leaders of the world and puts every thing in its order according to His purpose. Daniel 4:17 says, “This decision is by the decree of the watchers, and the sentence by the word of the holy ones, in order that the living may know  that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men.”

    The beauty of God’s sovereignty is that He loved us enough to send His son Jesus to die on the cross paying the penalty for our transgressions so that we could come back to Him in all His glory. Who can fathom God’s ways? Not I, but at least I know His love for me through the blood of Christ. Now the Holy Spirit helps me to grow in the understand of His sovereign will.

    Isaiah 40 (ESV)

    Comfort for God’s People

    1Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
    and cry to her
    that her warfare is ended,
    that her iniquity is pardoned,
    that she has received from the LORD’s hand
    double for all her sins.

    3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD;
    make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
    4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
    and every mountain and hill be made low;
    the uneven ground shall become level,
    and the rough places a plain.
    5And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
    and all flesh shall see it together,
    for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

    The Word of God Stands Forever

    6A voice says, “Cry!”
    And I said, “What shall I cry?”
    All flesh is grass,
    and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
    7The grass withers, the flower fades
    when the breath of the LORD blows on it;
    surely the people are grass.
    8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
    but the word of our God will stand forever.

    The Greatness of God

    9Get you up to a high mountain,
    O Zion, herald of good news;
    lift up your voice with strength,
    O Jerusalem, herald of good news;
    lift it up, fear not;
    say to the cities of Judah,
    “Behold your God!”
    10 Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might,
    and his arm rules for him;
    behold, his reward is with him,
    and his recompense before him.
    11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
    he will gather the lambs in his arms;
    he will carry them in his bosom,
    and gently lead those that are with young.

    12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
    and marked off the heavens with a span,
    enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure
    and weighed the mountains in scales
    and the hills in a balance?
    13 Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD,
    or what man shows him his counsel?
    14Whom did he consult,
    and who made him understand?
    Who taught him the path of justice,
    and taught him knowledge,
    and showed him the way of understanding?
    15Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
    and are accounted as the dust on the scales;
    behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust.
    16Lebanon would not suffice for fuel,
    nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering.
    17 All the nations are as nothing before him,
    they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.

    18 To whom then will you liken God,
    or what likeness compare with him?
    19An idol! A craftsman casts it,
    and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
    and casts for it silver chains.
    20 He who is too impoverished for an offering
    chooses wood that will not rot;
    he seeks out a skillful craftsman
    to set up an idol that will not move.

    21 Do you not know? Do you not hear?
    Has it not been told you from the beginning?
    Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
    22It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
    and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
    who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
    and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;
    23 who brings princes to nothing,
    and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.

    24Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
    scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
    when he blows on them, and they wither,
    and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

    25 To whom then will you compare me,
    that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
    26Lift up your eyes on high and see:
    who created these?
    He who brings out their host by number,
    calling them all by name,
    by the greatness of his might,
    and because he is strong in power
    not one is missing.

    27Why do you say, O Jacob,
    and speak, O Israel,
    “My way is hidden from the LORD,
    and my right is disregarded by my God”?
    28Have you not known? Have you not heard?The LORD is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
    He does not faint or grow weary;
    his understanding is unsearchable.
    29He gives power to the faint,
    and to him who has no might he increases strength.
    30Even youths shall faint and be weary,
    and young men shall fall exhausted;
    31but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
    they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint.

  • Foundations – Back to Basics – The 7 Essential Principles of Christian Doctrine


    The Deity of Jesus Christ

    There are 7 Essential Principles of Christian Doctrine that we will examine. These 7 are so important that when discussing religious issues both parties must come to agree on these doctrines in order to continue in your discussion. If both parties do not agree on these 7 Principles, then every thing else is irrelevant.

    The first is “The Deity of Jesus Christ.” 1 John 5:20 we read: “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” The truth is that Jesus, who is the Son of God, has come in the flesh (John 1:1-3, 14) and is God (John 10:30). This fact is absolute.

    Of course people may say that the Bible is not the word of God – that’s it’s just a book written by man. We will talk more about that principle later. But the fact is this, that even if a person doesn’t believe that the Bible is the revelation of God the Father to his children does not make it false. Any person can believe that gravity does not exist and can prove it by jumping off a very tall building only to find that they were wrong.

    Jesus is who he said he was, that is, He and God are one. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah that has come to gather His sheep together and through the blood that Jesus shed on the cross, we have victory over sin and death and we will spend eternity in Heaven. There is no other way to the Father except through Jesus. The way is very narrow but open to all peoples who will put their faith in Him and call on the Lord to be saved. It’s that simple.