Recently I was thinking again about the importance of drinking the refreshing water of life that comes forth from the throne.
God rebuked the people of Judah for forsaking Him who is the fountain of living water and digging for themselves cisterns. Cisterns are man-made sources of drinking water. It becomes stagnant and contaminated. It is like partaking of religious man-made ideas as opposed to partaking of the life force that comes from a vibrant relationship with God. The ever fresh flowing waters of the river that comes from God are far different than the stale stagnant water of a cistern.
We can take what was once fresh living water and put it into a cistern and it gets stale and stagnant. Or we can daily come to and drink from the fresh flowing water of life.
Jeremiah 2:13 For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.
Revelation 22:17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
Revelation 22:1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
Psalm 36:7-9 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 8 They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. 9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Welcome Home
When the prodigal son "came to himself," he realized that the hired servants in his father's house were much better taken care of than he was, at the present time. So he decided to go home and ask his father to make him a hired servant. When he got back home, his father met him and embraced him. The son stated that he had sinned against his father and heaven, but he never got to the part about asking to be made a hired servant. His father clothed him in a robe, put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet. The ring indicated authority in the father's house. The shoes on his feet indicated his place in the family. (Servants didn't wear shoes.) I assume the robe also indicated a place of sonship as well.
Although he thought he only deserved to be made a hired servant, he was reinstated into the family as a son . Sometimes as Christians when we return and the Father welcomes us back to his house and back to his table of fellowship, we still act like hired servants. Because we feel like we don't deserve to sit at the Father's table we may stay at distance, maybe even living at a distance in the servant's quarters instead of in the Father's house.
The Father's heart desire is for us to dwell with Him in His house and eat with Him at His table. His call is for us to come and fellowship with Him no matter where we have wondered or how we have previously squandered our inheritance. Father is always looking to welcome us back into His house as His son (daughter).
Isaiah 1:18-19 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.
Luke 15:17-24 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry
Although he thought he only deserved to be made a hired servant, he was reinstated into the family as a son . Sometimes as Christians when we return and the Father welcomes us back to his house and back to his table of fellowship, we still act like hired servants. Because we feel like we don't deserve to sit at the Father's table we may stay at distance, maybe even living at a distance in the servant's quarters instead of in the Father's house.
The Father's heart desire is for us to dwell with Him in His house and eat with Him at His table. His call is for us to come and fellowship with Him no matter where we have wondered or how we have previously squandered our inheritance. Father is always looking to welcome us back into His house as His son (daughter).
Isaiah 1:18-19 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.
Luke 15:17-24 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Walk With God
God takes pleasure in us in each stage of our growth. Too often I think of the great big perfect God expecting absolute perfection. But there is a process that is necessary to get closer to that perfection. God is ok with the process. Actually He is the One who set things up that way.
God goes through the process with us. Or at least He wants to. We can only truly become all that He created us to be by learning to walk with Him and let Him be our guide through the process.
Adam and Eve walked with God and tended the garden God gave to them. They were in process as was the garden they were to tend. I believe as they walked with God they grew in the knowledge of God each day up until the time of the fall. They experienced God in ways we cannot even imagine at this point. There are dimensions they experienced that were lost when they sinned. But I believe we can recapture at least some of them as we learn to walk with God and live in the Spirit realm, getting more and more free from our earthly sinful nature.
Enoch walked with God until he no longer walked in this earth realm. Adam would still have been alive when Enoch was born. Perhaps Enoch learned from Adam what it was like to walk with God in the way that he had in the garden, and stepped into that. What prevents us in this day from walking with God in that way as well???
Ephesians 2:10 ESV For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Hebrews 11:5-6 ESV By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
God goes through the process with us. Or at least He wants to. We can only truly become all that He created us to be by learning to walk with Him and let Him be our guide through the process.
Adam and Eve walked with God and tended the garden God gave to them. They were in process as was the garden they were to tend. I believe as they walked with God they grew in the knowledge of God each day up until the time of the fall. They experienced God in ways we cannot even imagine at this point. There are dimensions they experienced that were lost when they sinned. But I believe we can recapture at least some of them as we learn to walk with God and live in the Spirit realm, getting more and more free from our earthly sinful nature.
Enoch walked with God until he no longer walked in this earth realm. Adam would still have been alive when Enoch was born. Perhaps Enoch learned from Adam what it was like to walk with God in the way that he had in the garden, and stepped into that. What prevents us in this day from walking with God in that way as well???
Ephesians 2:10 ESV For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Hebrews 11:5-6 ESV By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
No Record Of Wrongs
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 NIV Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Recently God reminded me that love keeps no record of wrongs. We are to keep no record of the wrongs that people have committed against us. And God keeps no record of the wrongs we have committed against Him. Once we have repented our sins are put as far from us as the east is from the west. They are cast into the depths of the sea.
Psalm 103:11-12 KJV For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Micah 7:18-19 KJV Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. 19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
As I was remembering a past sin and taking it before the Lord once again, He reminded me that He keeps no record of wrongs. And He told me that I should not keep a record of those wrongs either. I was to let the past forgiven sins stay under the blood and let the past stay in the past. I needed to stay current with Him.
When the enemy tries to bring up the past we can point to the blood of Jesus and go on. The accuser loves to continue to remind of the past and sometimes our memory banks bring it up too. We need to use the blood of Jesus like an eraser.
Recently God reminded me that love keeps no record of wrongs. We are to keep no record of the wrongs that people have committed against us. And God keeps no record of the wrongs we have committed against Him. Once we have repented our sins are put as far from us as the east is from the west. They are cast into the depths of the sea.
Psalm 103:11-12 KJV For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Micah 7:18-19 KJV Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. 19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
As I was remembering a past sin and taking it before the Lord once again, He reminded me that He keeps no record of wrongs. And He told me that I should not keep a record of those wrongs either. I was to let the past forgiven sins stay under the blood and let the past stay in the past. I needed to stay current with Him.
When the enemy tries to bring up the past we can point to the blood of Jesus and go on. The accuser loves to continue to remind of the past and sometimes our memory banks bring it up too. We need to use the blood of Jesus like an eraser.
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