Most of us struggle with feelings of guilt and shame. Long after we have confessed our sins to God, we are apt to feel unforgiven. We might fear that we have been rejected by God. When feelings of guilt hound us – and they will – we need to remind ourselves that our forgiveness does not depend on how we feel. Forgiven people can feel like they are hanging by a thread over the fires of hell. Forgiven people can be oppressed by the accuser (Satan), who stirs up old emotions the way we stir up the embers of a dying fire. Suddenly we are inflamed in the emotions of anxiety and despair. But those emotions are not telling us the truth about the forgiveness of God. Forgiveness is something God does. It is not rooted in our own emotions. It doesn’t depend on whether we forgive ourselves. We are forgiven when He declares us legally acquitted, regardless of how we might be feeling at the moment. God has forgiven all to confessed their sins and have asked for it. For as high as the earth are above the earth, so great is his love for Those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:11-12
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Many laugh at the idea of the possibility of miracles. They argue that miracles are a violation of scientific laws and are therefore unacceptable to modern man. The Scriptures, however, contain stories of the miraculous that people have seen, experienced and lived through. These events are set as historical accounts. The basis for believing in the miraculous goes back to the biblical conception of God. The very first verse of the Bible decides the issue. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 If this verse can be accepted at face value, that in the beginning an infinite personal God created the universe, then the rest should not be a problem. If an all powerful God can create millions of galaxies, trillions of stars, the earth with its thousands of species of animals, then he can feed 5,000 people with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. If you believe in God and what the Bible states, then you will believe in miracles. If you don’t then you won’t. it’s as simple as that. The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus came to save all people and God wants all to be saved. But the gospels also teach us that Jesus preached only to the Jews and told his disciples to do the same. These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “ Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, preach this message: the kingdom of heaven is near”. Matthew 10:5-7 Does this mean that Christians down through the centuries have been wrong in proclaiming the gospel to Gentiles? Of course not! It is important to understand what God’s plan was for reaching the world; and that plan was through the nation of Israel. Israel as a nation had to accept Jesus as their Messiah and when they failed to do this (had Jesus crucified), God set aside his people and raised up the apostle Paul. God revealed to this apostle that God’s salvation had come to all people, Jews and Gentle alike, not through the law but only through faith. For it is by grace you have been saved, though faith and this is not from yourselves it is a gift from God – not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 This is one of those rare questions with two answers. Yes, Christianity can be proven to be true, but no, not with 100% certainty. We need to look closely at the nature of proof. The key is not a perfect or absolute certainty, but a standard of proof that amounts to a moral certainty or puts the matter beyond a reasonable doubt. This is the standard used in our courts of law. A judge will tell the jury to decide based on probability, not certainty based on the evidence presented, not the certainty of having viewed the crime. If jury decisions were not made until 100% certainty existed, there would never be a verdict. Christianity claims a moral certainty to anyone who is willing to take the evidence and weigh and evaluate it. To those outside the Christian faith, Christianity has strong evidence and a high degree of probability for its truth claims. But when a person becomes a Christian, the certainty becomes a reality. In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. Acts 1:1-3 I live in a big house; I have enough money to buy whatever I want. Is this all there is in life? God gave King Solomon great wisdom and abilities. He used those God given gifts to accumulate vast riches for himself and the nation of Israel. But as he grew older, he came to understand that these things didn’t bring much meaning and joy to his heart. Read about some of his thoughts. Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind. Ecclesiastes 1:17 Think about it; Solomon was a smart guy and had great knowledge, but even this had no lasting meaning. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. 2:10-11 All the good things in life! No meaning. We examined what does not bring meaning, true meaning, that God wants for your life. Then what does? After careful thought and reflection read what Solomon stated. Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. 12:13-14 Study the Bible to know God better, pray, teach a 3rd grade Sunday School class, help your neighbor, care for and love the people you work with. A relationship with God who loves you more than you will ever know will bring meaning, nothing else. The Old Testament contains stories of God commanding the destruction of Sodom, the annihilation of the Canaanites and many other stories of God’s judgement. It would seem on the surface that the God of the Old Testament is indeed a God of hate. But wait… this is a misunderstanding of who God is. The most important part of God’s character is His holiness. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. Revelation 3:8b God is holy and in His holiness is judgement. If God did not judge, He would not be holy and thus would not be God. God is also a God of love and His desire is for all to come to Him. Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? Declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? Ezekiel 18:23 God is lovingly patient; giving people opportunity to come to Him. Noah preached 120 years before the great flood and there were many times that His own people refused to follow the God who brought them out of Egypt and into the promised land. The purpose of God’s punishment was to bring the people back to Him. Remember the story of Jonah? God wanted the city of Nineveh to be saved. It was Jonah that hated this city and wanted it to be destroyed. Spiritual gifts are abilities that God gives believers for the purpose of strengthening the church. Some examples of spiritual gifts are teaching, being an evangelist, pastors and leaders. If God has given you the gift of teaching this gift must be developed and with time and practice it will become a great spiritual gift. How do you know what gift you have? Are you saddened knowing that people are going to hell? Has God given you a desire to share the gospel with others? Then God has given you the gift of evangelism. Even though God has given certain gifts to certain believers, we should all share the gospel when we come to a situation where people need to hear it.
If you are having difficulties finding your spiritual gift then try serving in different ministries at church. Does your church need a 3rd grade Sunday School teacher? Do you like the idea of teaching God’s Word to kids? Then try teaching. Are you a doctor or businessman who makes a good deal of money? Instead of buying a bigger house than you need or getting that fancy sports car, give more to church. You will never find your gift without serving in some way at your church. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. Romans 12:6-8 People that don’t believe in God often state that science has demonstrated the Bible to be outdated. They claim that modern discoveries have made laughable the truthfulness of the Bible. This claim ignores what the Bible is and what it’s purpose was. The Bible is not a text book on science. Its purpose is not to explain in technical terms the data of the natural world, but to explain God’s purpose and relation to people, to speak of spiritual things. The descriptions which the Bible gives about nature are neither scientific or unscientific, but phrased by words that are non-technical and often general so that everyone that reads the passage can follow the thought. This does not at all mean the statements are incorrect; it means that they were written in the language of a non-technical observer for readers in general. Here are two verses as examples of a that touches on observational science.
He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. Isaiah 40:22 He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing. Job 25:7 The fact that there is a God who created and designed an ordered universe prompted men like Newton to search for certain scientific laws to explain this order. So rather than science eroding the foundations of biblical authority, it must find its roots there. Yes, of course, we are to love God, but we are also to fear him. But to fear God means that we are to honor and revere God to the point where we fear not to obey him. Let’s take the police as an example. We respect the authority that the police have over us so that when we see a police car while driving we automatically check how fast we are going. It is a healthy fear that keeps us from driving over the speed limit. Knowing that God is in authority over us and that God is God, the supreme ruler and king over His creation, we need to constantly be aware of His authority over us. Too many of us take a casual approach to God, thinking that God is loving, merciful and will forgive all our sins. And that thinking is correct, but we need to also look at God as a righteous judge who will judge the people according to the deeds they have done. God is holy and merciful. He will love and He will judge. And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 10:12 If that is a question that you would ask then you don’t understand why we pray. We pray to develop and strengthen our relationship to God. It’s an opportunity to praise and thank an almighty and glorious God. To many of us God is nothing more than a Santa Claus who gives us whatever we ask for. Then when we don’t get it, we are disappointed. Prayer is not about us but about God. We find a woman who very much wants a son. Her name is Hannah and her story is found in 1 Samuel. She prayed for a son and made an agreement with God that if He would grant her request, she would give that son back to Him. God did give her the son that she wanted and after she gave the boy to Eli the High Priest to help in the Temple she prays this prayer. My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boast over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you, there is no Rock like our God. Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows and by Him deeds are weighed. For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; upon them he has set the world. 1 Samuel 2:1-3; 8 Notice that Hannah’s prayer was centered on God. Picture her situation; she pleaded with God for a son and when she has her prayer answered, gives the child back to God. As a mother this had to break her heart. But her focus is still on God. Very often our main purpose of our prayers is on us; what I want, my situation, my disappointments or my needs. Yes, God does want us to pray for ourselves but not as the main focus. We need to change how we think about prayer. Have you ever prayed for what God wants? God wants his children to gain knowledge in what He teaches us in His Word. God wants people to believe in Him and that His Son died on the cross and rose from the dead. God wants people to encourage and love one another. God wants Satan’s attempts to fail. Have you ever prayed for those things? Remember, we are changing our focus from us to God. God wants our praise, because when we praise Him it reminds us that we serve a truly awesome God. It is good to thank God in our prayers. It is with a heart of thanksgiving that we draw closer to Him. We are building a stronger and more intimate relationship with God, and much of that building is through prayer. |
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