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THE GOD WHO PROTECTS

Christian Life, ,

Have you ever thought about how safe we are in God?

The Bible says that we are surrounded and encased in Him.

Sometimes we need to know that He is ahead of us. Our future is always an unknown. We have important decisions to make that will affect us and our families for a long time. How can we know that the choices we make are the correct ones?

We have His assurance that He goes before us.

‭John 10:27 NLT‬
[27] “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

Jesus will guide us unerringly if we listen to His voice. He promised to make our paths straight when we put Him in the centre of everything we do.

‭Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT‬
[5] “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. [6] Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

‭Psalms 32:8 NLT‬
[8] “The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”

His guidance also takes care of those times when we take a wrong turn in life. He doesn’t leave us to flounder in our mistakes. He comes to our aid with His gentle voice that redirects us to the right way when we have deviated from His way.

‭Isaiah 30:21 NLT‬
[21]”Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.”

“To the right or to the left” is an expression that, in some cases, implies, getting sidetracked or distracted from God’s path.

‭Proverbs 4:25-27 NIV‬
[25] “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. [26] Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. [27] Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”

‭Proverbs 4:25-27 NLT‬
[25]”Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. [26] Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. [27] Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.”

God’s got our backs. He is determined to keep us on track to the end of the road to glory.

However, God is not only all around us; He is also above us and beneath us, moving us upward towards Himself and preventing us from falling away from Him. He is on the throne, urging us to seek Him where He is, above, reigning and in charge of all our circumstances. We are where He is, in Him, safe and secure until the day we see Him face-to-face.

‭Colossians 3:1-3 NLT‬
[1] “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. [2] Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. [3] For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”

We also have the assurance that He is underneath us, ensuring that we never fall to our doom.

‭Deuteronomy 33:26-27 NLT‬
[26] “There is no one like the God of Israel. He rides across the heavens to help you, across the skies in majestic splendor. [27] The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you. He drives out the enemy before you; he cries out, ‘Destroy them!’ “

‭Jude 1:24 NLT‬
[24] “Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.“

Paul endorsed the sentiments of a Greek poet who wrote,

‭Acts of the Apostles 17:28 NLT‬
[28] “For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’”

Most of all, God’s got us safely enclosed in His hand.

‭John 10:28-30 NLT‬
[28]”I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, [29] for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. [30] The Father and I are one.”

‭Colossians 3:3 NLT‬
[3]”For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”

So, dear readers, in a world full of dangers, uncertainties, and insecurities, we can have the utmost confidence in the God who surrounds us from side to side and above and beneath. His presence encases us and promises us safe passage through all the ‘dangers, toils, and snares’ (of John Newton’s ‘Amazing Grace’), of this life until we reach our eternal home.

‭Psalms 5:12 NLT‬
[12] “For you bless the godly, O Lord; you surround them with your shield of love.”

Only in Thee, O Savior mine,
Dwelleth my soul in peace divine,
Peace that the world, though all combine,
Never can take from me.
Pleasures of earth, so seemingly sweet,
Fail at the last my longings to meet;
Only in Thee my bliss is complete,
Only, dear Lord, in Thee!

  1. Only in Thee a radiance bright,
    Shines like a beacon in the night,
    Guiding my pilgrim bark aright,
    Over life’s trackless sea.
    Only in Thee, when troubles molest,
    When with temptation I am oppressed,
    There is a sweet pavilion of rest,
    Only, dear Lord, in Thee!
  2. Only in Thee, when days are drear,
    When neither sun nor stars appear,
    Still I can trust and feel no fear,
    Sing when I cannot see.
    Only in Thee, whatever betide,
    All of my need is freely supplied;
    There is no help nor helper beside,
    Only, dear Lord, in Thee!
  3. Only in Thee, dear Savior, slain,
    Losing Thy life my own to gain,
    Trusting, I’m cleansed from ev’ry stain;
    Thou art my only plea.
    Only in Thee my heart will delight,
    Till in that land where cometh no night
    Faith will be lost in heavenly sight,
    Only, dear Lord, in Thee!

Source: The Cyber Hymnal #5263
All representative texts • Compare texts^ top
Author: Thomas O. Chisholm
Dianne Shapiro, from “The Singers and Their Songs: sketches of living gospel hymn writers” by Charles Hutchinson Gabriel (Chicago: The Rodeheaver Company, 1916)…

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – IT’S ALL OR NOTHING

Bible Study, ,

IT’S ALL OR NOTHING

34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” Mark 8:34-38

This entire incident at Caesarea Philippi was loaded. First of all, it was a shocking visual spectacle for the disciples to underscore the impact Jesus, His kingdom and His yoke will have on the world systems that ignore the revelation of God and set up their own ungodly system. No matter how tenacious the hold that man-made religions has on people, the power of God’s love, demonstrated by Jesus and His true followers, will break it.

Jesus is the pioneer of this way. He had to go before, unmask and destroy Satan’s deception of the whole world by submitting Himself to Satan’s way – power through control – and coming back from the dead to declare that it is a lie and doesn’t work. The only way that works is ECHAD with the Father so that His way of love is channelled through every believer. The only way to overcome this world system is to allow it to do its worst, and to trust and obey the Father by applying Jesus’ yoke in every situation – His gentleness and humility.

If that way causes embarrassment, Jesus said when you are ridiculed by the world, and then you will be an embarrassment to Him in the presence of the Father. The world’s way – the yetzer harah, and God’s way – the yetzer tov, are diametrically opposed to one another. They cannot function together in one life. Only one mind-set, only one philosophy of life, only one passion, will stand in God’s presence – the way of true discipleship – complete abandonment to Jesus as Lord, willingness to embrace the suffering that accompanies fellowship with Jesus, and the lifestyle of denying self, wearing the Rabbi’s yoke and reconnecting with God’s original man created in His image to be ECHAD with Him.

Every believer needs to make a non-negotiable decision that he no longer belongs to himself, that he has chosen, like Jesus, to let himself be nailed to the cross so that resurrection life may be revealed in him, and to allow God-awareness to overtake self-awareness so that his life will bring “up there, down here.”

THE GOSPEL OF MARK- “COME, FOLLOW ME”

Bible Study, ,

“COME, FOLLOW ME”

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.
19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. Mark 1:16-20

This is so awesome. Jesus was a rabbi with authority, but unlike any other rabbi with authority in Israel, past or present, His authority was not conferred by men but affirmed by the Father and the Spirit. As a rabbi, He would recruit disciples, learners who would become imitators so that His yoke would be passed on to as many people as possible.

Jesus did not recruit His disciples from the school of theorists but from the school of life – from people who lived in the world of everyday events, experiences, emotions and environments. Into this scene He plunged, with His message, “God is here!” Did that scare people? Only until He began to show them the disposition of the God whose presence He had come to announce.

Unlike the yoke of the other rabbis who had authority, Jesus announced that the God He represented forgave sin and, to show it, He healed sickness and disease, straightened deformed bodies and even overturned premature death. In the presence of God, devils fled in terror and fear was replaced with shalom.

The other rabbis placed burdens on people. Jesus lifted burdens, removed guilt, filled people’s hearts with joy and hope. He showed them that He fulfilled all the requirements of the Law which was given to them to show them God’s best way to live.  The law taught them how impossible self-effort really was, and mirrored in sacrifices and rituals what He had already accomplished before time began.

Those who heard His invitation gladly dropped what they were doing and grabbed their second chance to be the rabbi’s disciples. To them it was the highest honour anyone could bestow on them. It was an unexpected opportunity they could not miss. They were to follow so closely that they would be covered with the dust of their rabbi, symbolising His favour showered on them, one by one, as they walked behind Him and learned to imitate Him, living, like Him, in God’s “here and now.”

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – CASUAL OR COMMITTED?

Bible Study, , ,

CASUAL OR COMMITTED?

“One day when large groups of people were walking along with Him, Jesus turned and told them, ‘Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters – yes, even his own self – can’t be my disciple. Anyone who won’t shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can’t be my disciple.'” Luke 14:25-27.

What is Jesus demanding? It sounds as though He is bent on breaking up families, almost as though He is on an ego trip. Is this really His intention? Once again, as we peer into the issues of the kingdom, like peering into a rock pool, we see things in the depths which are obscured in a casual glimpse.

What is discipleship? Unlike other religions that demand adherence to rules or rituals, to be a disciple of Jesus means to be reconnected and fused to Him who is the source of life. Jesus never demands an allegiance to Him that makes us losers. His promise is that our commitment to Him means that we will never be diminished.

So what does He mean? Discipleship is much more than answering an altar call or signing a decision card. It is not a free ticket to heaven, leaving us to carry on with our own lives with the guarantee of eternal life when we die because we carry our ‘passport’ in our back pocket. So much of what is preached as the ‘gospel’ today is a distortion of the truth. Jesus did not come and die to save us from hell and take us to heaven.

That may be true if we understand the concepts correctly. Yes, He did come and die to rescue us from hell, but the hell He talked about was not the hell of eternal fire but the hell of a wasted life that completely misses the point of our existence; God created us to glorify Him by being mirrors of Himself so that the whole of the created order can ‘see’ the glory of God in our attitudes and behaviour.

Jesus came to show us the Father and to remove the barriers that separate us from Him so that we can enjoy His fellowship and favour all the days of our lives. In that intimate connection with Him, we grow to be like Him and reflect Him in our daily journey through life.

Jesus promised to take us to the Father, but that demands submission and obedience to Him as Lord. It demands a revised attitude towards those who are closest to us and even towards ourselves because we have become espoused to a new lover. We do not lose our connection with family and friends – we redefine it. Our obligation to them and to ourselves changes. They are no longer our first consideration – Jesus is – and He determines the way we relate to them.

For example, husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. Now that’s a radically different way from the way that husbands usually treat their wives. That does not mean renouncing them; it means loving the way Jesus loves, bringing them nearer to the model Jesus shows by the way He treats us who are His bride.

When we recognise the beauty of this new way of life, drawing our life’s energy and direction from Him, we also realise that, instead of renouncing our earthly relationships, we redefine and purify them from selfishness to loving service in the pattern and power of our Master. But this can only happen as we let go of the old ways of relating to them and strengthen our allegiance to Jesus as our Lord and then learn to imitate Him in the ways He related to people.

Jesus’ intention is to change society by changing people, and that only comes as we renounce our old selfish ways and live in intimate and uncluttered connection with Jesus, our source because He insisted, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” John 15:6 (NIV).

But it’s your choice…

Jesus Did Not Say That We Must Give Our Money And Possessions Away

Apologetics, , , ,

JESUS DID NOT SAY THAT WE MUST GIVE OUR MONEY AND POSSESSIONS AWAY

As Jesus started on His way, a man ran up to Him and fell on His knees before Him. ‘Good teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ ‘Why do you call me good?’ Jesus answered. ‘No one is good – except God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honour you father and mother.’ ‘Teacher,’ he declared, ‘all these I have kept since I was a boy.’

Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack,’ He said. ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad because he had great wealth. (Mark 10: 17-22)

Well, didn’t Jesus tell this young man to give everything away? Sure he did, but Jesus was addressing a specific individual in a specific situation, not telling everyone who follows Him to get rid of their money.

We have no idea who this young man was and how he came to acquire his wealth. He could possibly have been his father’s eldest son who had inherited a double portions of his father’s wealth as the firstborn in the family. There is no evidence that he was a tax collector who had acquired his money through dishonest means. He was quick to tell Jesus that he had not defrauded anyone. He seems to have been an honest and upright young Jew who did all the right things.

In spite of his law-abiding life, he still felt that there was something missing. What did he recognise in Jesus that brought him to Him and not to his own religious teachers? Perhaps he recognised that they were no further than he in their religious lives and practices. Perhaps he even saw through their phoney “holiness” and knew that they had nothing to offer him. How long had he observed Jesus and seen in Him a quality that he longed to have in his own life – a humility and genuineness that showed up the “holy” ones for what they were.

Whatever his reasons for seeking Jesus out, he presented a golden opportunity for Jesus to explain the “gospel” to him.  Why did Jesus begin with the Ten Commandments? Is this a model for evangelism? Get people to admit that they have broken the commandments and are going to hell? Jesus did not even mention hell, or contradict the young man when he declared that he had observed the commandments from his childhood. What was His intention? Was it to find out where this man stood in his understanding and attitude towards God?

From his response it was obvious that this man was a devout Jew. He did all the right things, even fasting, praying and doing his tsidaqahs, his acts of righteousness which were his duty – his first-fruits offering, and his tithes to the temple, and giving to the poor. He did everything by the book. What did he lack? He must have had an emptiness somewhere in his heart, a sense of unfulfilment that niggled at him, and became more urgent when he was near Jesus.

He desperately wanted the assurance that he would “go to heaven when he died”. Is that the conviction that he lacked? Perhaps he thought that one good deed, one thing above everything else he could do would do it so that he would never have to worry about it again.

Do, do, do! That was what hammered in his brain. All he wanted was to do something special to have his future secured.

What was his understanding about eternal life? Was he aware that eternal life is not something you “get” when you die; that is it a quality of life that begins now when you embrace God’s instructions for living in the kingdom of God?

Why did Jesus love him? Was Luke saying that Jesus did not love everyone else? I don’t think so. I think Jesus saw the potential in him and longed to see him fully involved in God’s kingdom. He also saw something else in this man; a huge barrier to his becoming a genuine citizen of God’s kingdom – his wealth. In one quick instruction, Jesus uncovered his heart. “Give it all away,” He said, “and come, follow me.”

There is an important principle in Jesus’ words. It’s not necessarily about money. It’s about who or what we love more than Him. He said that whatever stands between us and Him must go or we cannot be His disciples. Why is it so imperative that we follow Him without any baggage? He came to show us the Father and to take us to the Father. We can only ever experience eternal life when we are reunited with and completely one with the Father.

Jesus said that a branch has no life outside the vine. There is no life in us when we are disconnected from Him because He and the Father are one, and to be one with Him is to be one with the Father. Jesus is the way, the only way and, apart from Him we have no life.

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Matt. 6: 24)

The bottom line is; who do you love? You will serve the one you love. This rich man obviously loved his money too much to let it go. He chose to forfeit life in union with Jesus and to become whole again and one with the Father because money held his heart.

What holds yours?

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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