Names

Samuel – heard of God
Benjamin – son of My right hand
Isaiah – the Lord saves
Obadiah – servant of the Lord
Nahum – comfort
Malachi – My messenger
Throughout scripture God calls us:
His treasured possessions
Ex 19:5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.
Mal 3:17 "They shall be Mine," says the Lord of hosts, "on the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him."
People of His inheritance
Deut 4:20 But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be His people, an inheritance, as you are this day.
Sons of the living God
Hosea 1:10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, "You are not My people, there it shall be said to them, You are sons of the living God."
Friend
Jn 15:15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made know to you.
No matter your name He calls you and you beong to Him
Is 43:1 But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: "fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name; you are Mine."

 

Provisions

Ps 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.
:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.
:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread,
:26 He is ever merciful , and lends; and his descendants are blessed.

 
Ps 63:8 "My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me."
There were a few times over the years money and food were scarce. Those times God sent total strangers to our home with bags or boxes of food, and envelopes with just enough cash to pay for whatever was about to be disconnected.
He cares about us and will provide for us in ways we could never imagine if we just believe and not lose faith.

Character

2 Pet 1:1 Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
:2 grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
:3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
:4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
:5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
:6 to knowledge self control, to self control, perserverance, to perseverance godliness,
:7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
:8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
:9 For he who lacks these things is short sighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
:10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble,
:11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 
Virtue – fulfilling God's design for a life with moral excellance.
Knowledge – studying God's Word to gain wisdom to combat falsehood.
Self-control – revering God so much that we choose godly behavior.
Perseverance – having a hopeful attitude even in difficulties, because we're confident in God's character.
Godliness – honoring the Lord in every relationship in life.
Brotherly kindness – displaying warmhearted affection for fellow believers.
Love – sacrificing for the good of others.
Godly exercise is the key to godly character.

What’s your function?

1 Cor 12:14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.
:15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body," is it therefore not of the body?
:16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not of an eye, I am not of the body," is it therefore not of the body?
:17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?
:18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.
:19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be?
:20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.
:21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you", nor again the head to the feet," I have no need of you."
:22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.
:23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,
:24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,
:25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.
:26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

 
There are no unimportant people in the body of Christ. All have a place and a function.

How’s your walking?

Deut 11:13 And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul,
:14 then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil.
:15 And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled.
:16 Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them.
:17 Lest the Lord's anger be aroused against you, and He shut up the heavens so that there be no rain, and the land yield no produce, and you perish quickly from the good land which the Lord is giving you.
:18 Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
:19 You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
:20 And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,
:21 that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.
:22 For if you carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do – to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to hold fast to Him –
:23 then the Lord will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess greater and mightier nations than yourselves.

 
Rom 6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

 
To walk in the way of the Lord requires time, effort and lots of practice. If we stand still and smile, we can pass as being transformed. But the way we walk (and talk) tells how far along we are in living out the transformation. Being changed means giving up our previous way of life and learning a new way to walk and talk.
A change in behavior begins with a change in the heart.

Are we distracted?

Lk 10:38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.
:39 And she had a sister called Mary who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word.
:40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, " Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me."
:41 And Jesus' answered and said to her, " Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.
:42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."

 
Are we to busy doing good that we don't spend time getting to know Him better?

 
If we are too busy (even doing good) to spend time with God, we're simply to busy.

October 12, 2014

One of my very favorite verses is the last one in this passage.
Isa 40:25 "To whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal?" says the Holy One.
:26 Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing.
:27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel; "My way is hidden from the Lord, and my just claim is passed over by my God"?
:28 Have you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.
:29 He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.
:30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary. And the young men shall utterly fall.
:31 But those who wait on 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.
Have you ever had to wait for an answer or miracle? I have. It is not easy at all. But here we are promised strength if we wait. I don't know about you but I always need strength from God. Guess that is why I wait so much lol.

Psalm 92

PS 92

Ps 92:1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High,

:2 to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night,

:3 on an instrument of ten strings, on the lute, and on the harp, with harmonious sound.

:4 For You, Lord, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands.

:5 O Lord, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep,

:6 A senseless man does not know, nor does a fool understand this.

:7 When the wicked spring up like grass, and when all the workers of iniquity flourish, it is that they may be destroyed forever.

:8 But You, Lord, are on high forevermore.

:9 For behold, Your enemies O Lord, for behold Your enemies shall perish; all the wonders of iniquity shall be scattered.

:10 But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil.

:11 My eye also has seen my desire on my enemies; my ears hear my desire on the wicked who rise up against me.

:12 The righteous flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

:13 Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.

:14 They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing,

:15 to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock and there is no unrighteousness in Him.

This psalm reminds us that no matter our age, we can have a fresh and fruitful life. Yes me may have aches and pains, we may slow down some. But inwardly we can be renewed day by day.

2 Cor 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

Resisting God

May 21, 2014

James 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

:14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.

:15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown brings forth death.

:16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.

:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

:18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.

:19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;

:20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

:21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves!

I have the word of God implanted in me. Do I use that and go to God's word when something is going on or do I go to every other book written or everyone else around me?

Has the fact that information is now so easy to come by made it to easy to resist what we know God is telling us to do? You can find someone who has interpreted something from the word of God to say what you want it to say these days if you look hard enough. That doesn't make their interpretation truth. Just makes it say what you want it to say. But if you ask God He will tell you what He wants from you – stop trying to justify your actions or attitudes. If they are lined up with what God wants there will be no need to justify them to anyone.

Receive in verse 21 means deliberate and ready reception of what is offered.

Meekness is an attitude toward God where we accept His dealings with us as good, and don't resist. A humble heart doesn't fight against God.

5/19/2014

Ecc 7:9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

Phil 4:2 I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. :3 And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life. :4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say rejoice! :5 Let your gentleness be know to all men. The Lord is at hand. :6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; :7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Phil 2:3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit.

I have for the past year been hasty in anger. I have been a fool according to Ecc 7:9.

Have I known it was wrong? Yes. Did I care? Honestly most of the time no. I was hurt badly by someone close to me. And the fact that my family witnessed it and are very protective and picked up an offense for me didn't help. Don't get me wrong. I take full responsibility for my actions. But I am trying daily, sometimes moment by moment, to lay down my anger and forgive.

It isn't easy on a good day - bad days are terrible. But I will keep trying and eventually I will be able to look back at the situation with the joy that it SHOULD bring instead of the hurt. My God can do this. I have no doubt about that.

Rom 12:18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

Those With An Ear, Let Them Hear

Those With An Ear, Let Them Hear

Aletheia means truth

Muthos means fables

Mark 4:23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

Jesus says above that you may hear and still not listen.

Heed means pay attention, listen/ be aware of what is being said (obey).

Pr 25:12 Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold
Is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear.

Eph 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise:3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”

James 1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

Lk 6:46 “But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord', and not do the things which I say?:47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like::48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.:49 But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.

Jer 6:10 To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Indeed their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot give heed. Behold, the word of the Lord is a reproach to them; they have no delight in it.

Acts 7:51 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.

:57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord;

2 Tim 4:4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

A fable is a falsehood, lie, fiction.

Col 2:8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

Prov 18:15 The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

Lk 8:18 Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.

Actions speak better than good intentions.

Ez 33:30 “As for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking about you beside the walls and in the doors of the houses; and they speak to one another, everyone saying to his brother, 'Please come and hear what the word is that comes from the Lord.' :31 So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain. :32 Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them.

Ez 12:2 Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house.

Pr 20:12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both.

Mk 4:24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.

If you are not hearing/listening to the word He will stop giving.

Lk 8:18 Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.

Mark 4:14 The sower sows the word. :15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. :16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; :17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble. :18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, :19 and the cares of the world they deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. :20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit; some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred,”

James 1:19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;

Ecc 5:1 Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. :2 Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few.

The Benefits of Obedience #5

The Benefits of Obedience #5

Ps 121:1I will lift up my eyes to the hills- from whence comes my help?

:2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

:3 He will not allow your foot to be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.

:4 Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber not sleep.

:5 The Lord is you keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.

:6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

:7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul.

:8 The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.

Jer 3:23 Truly, in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains; truly, in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.

Heb 1:2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

Ps 60:11 Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless.

Is 31:1Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong. But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord!

:2 Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster, and will not call back His words, but will arise against the house of evildoers, and against the help of those who work iniquity.

:3 Now the Egyptians are men and not God; and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out His hand, both he who helps will fall, and he who is helped will fall down; they all will perish together,

Ps 118:9 it is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.

Jer 17:5 Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord.

Is 2:22 Sever yourselves from such a man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for of what account is he?

Is 30:1”Woe to the rebellious children,” says the Lord, “Who take counsel, but not of Me, and who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin;

:2 who walk to go down to Egypt, and have not asked My advice, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!

Ps 62:1Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation.

:2 He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.

:5 My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.

:6 He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved.

:7 In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

:8 Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge fur us. Selah.

:9 Surely men of low degree are a vapor, men of high degree are a lie; if they weighed on the scales, they are altogether lighter than vapor.

:10 Do not trust in oppression, nor vainly hope in robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.

Is 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Heb 13:6 So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

Ps 121:3He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.

Slumber means to sleep, nap, doze.

1 Sam 2:9 He will guard the feet of His saints, but the wicked shall be silent in darkness “for by strength no man shall prevail.

Pr 3:21 My son, let them not depart from your eyes- keep sound wisdom and discretion;

:22 so they will be life to your soul and grace to your neck.

:23 Then you will walk safely in your way, and your foot will not stumble.

:24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.

Ps 37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.

Ps 121:5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.

:6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

:7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul.

:8 The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.

Gen 28:15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”

Phil 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

Jn 17:11 Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.

:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled in themselves.

:13 But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fullfilled in themselves.

:14 I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

:15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.

Phil 4:7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus,

2 Thess 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.

2 Tim 1:12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

Rev 3:10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

Rev 3:8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it;

Ps 121:5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.

This is the only place in the KJV that the word shade appears.

Shade means shadow, protection.

Ps 91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

:2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God in Him I will trust.”

:3 Surely He shall deliver your from the snare of the fowler ad from the perilous pestilence.

:4 He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

Matt 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

Ps 121:6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

Is 30:26 Moreover the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the days that the Lord binds up the bruise of His people and heals the stroke of their wound.

Rev 6:12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.

Ps 121:7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul.

He didn't say we wouldn't face it but that He would preserve us from it.

Duet 6:24 And the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day.

Ps 31:23 Oh love the Lord, all you His saints! For the Lord preserves the faithful, and fully repays the proud person.

Ps 37:20 But he wicked shall perish; and the enemies of the Lord, like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away.

Pr 2:8 He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints.

2 Tim 4:18 And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!

1 Thess 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ps 121:8 The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth and even forevermore.

Ps 123:1 Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens.

:2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He has mercy on us.

:3 Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us! For we are exceedingly filled with contempt.

:4 Our soul is exceedingly filed with the scorn of those who are at ease, with the contempt of the proud.

The Benefits of Obedience #4

The Benefits of Obedience #4

Jer 7:21Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat meat.
:22 For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the lad of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices.

:23 But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded yo, that it may be well with you.'

:24Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.

:25 Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have even setn to you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them.

:26 Yet they did not obey Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse then their fathers.

:27 “Therefore you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not obey you. You shall slao call to them, but they will not answer you.

:28:So you shall say to them, 'This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the Lord their God nor receive correction. Truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth.

Jer 7:26 says they heard but they just didn't want to obey.

Does that describe you? Or me? I hope not.

Jer 6:10 To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Indeed their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot give heed. Behold, the word of the Lord is a reproach to them; they have no delight in it.

\

Acts 7:51 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.

They stoned Stephen after he told them they were like their fathers.

Amos 8:11”Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God, “That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.

:12 They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, but shall not find it.

Neh 9:26”Nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against You, cast Your law behind their backs and killed Your prophets who testified against them to turn them to Yourself; and they worked great provocations.

:27 Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies, who oppressed them; and in their time of their trouble, when they cried to You, You heard them from heaven; and according to Your abundant mercies You gave them deliverers who saved them from the hand of their enemies.

:28 “But after they had rest, they again did evil before You. Therefore You left them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them; yet when they returned and cried out to You, You heard from heave; and many times You delivered them according to Your mercies,

:29 and testified against them, that You might bring them back to Your law. Yet they acted proudly, and did not heed Your commandments, but sinned against Your judgments, 'which if a man does, he shall live by them.'” And they shrugged their shoulders, stiffened their necks, and would not hear.

Zech 7:11 But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear.

:12 Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts and sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the Lord of hosts.

Deut 28 deals totally with obedience and disobedience. Read it when you have time.

Deut 28: 1-14 deals with blessings of obedience.

Deut 28:15 till end deals with curses of disobedience.

Deut 28:15-22 consumption- waste away (Possibly cancer, aids?)

Deut 28:22 other than sword and mildew they all deal with buring.

Every time God sent a plague He caused an easterly wind.

2 Chron 36:15 And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place.

:16 But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy.

Pr 6:15 Therefore his calamity shall come suddenly; suddenly he shall be broken without remedy.

Pr 29:1 He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

1 Tim 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.

We must be careful what and who we believe in.

Heb 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no please in him.”

:39But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.

It is not that we don't miss God sometimes, but that we repent and go on.

Deut 29:9 Therefore keep the words of this covenant, and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.

Job 36:11 If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.

:12 But if they do not obey, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge.

The Benefits of Obedience # 3

The Benefits of Obedience # 3

The Curses of Disobedience

Jer 7:21Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat meat.

:22 For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices.

:23 But this is what I commanded them, saying, commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.'

:24 Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.

:25 Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have even sent to you all My servants the prophets daily rising up early and sending them.
:26 Yet they did not obey Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers.

:27 Therefore you shall speak all these words to them but they will not obey you. You shall also call to them, but they will not answer you.

:28 So you shall say to them, 'This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the Lord their God nor receive correction, Truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth.

Matt 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all those things shall be added to you.

Abundantly shall we be blessed when we hearken and obey Him.

Jer 12:5 If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do in the floodplan of the Jordan?

If you can't trust Him completely now, how will you trust Him when things really get bad?

You may be dealing with a lot of things today, but trust me it can always get worse. And there is coming a day when it will.. What will you do then?

Ex 15:26 and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you.

Matt 6:24-”No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

:25 Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, and what you will put on. Is not there more than food and the body more than clothing?

He is not saying you can't have food or money. Just that your trust can't be in that but in Him.

James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

The welfare of the sinner is laid up for the just.

1 Tim 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.

Matt 11:27 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.

:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for you souls.

:30 For My Yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

The Benefits of Obedience # 2

The Benefits of Obedience # 2

Jer 7:21 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:”Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat meat.

:22 For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices.

:23 But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.'

:24 Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.

:25 Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have even sent to you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them.

:26 Yet they did not obey Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers.

:27 “Therefore you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not obey you. You shall also call to them, but they will not answer you.

Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

Matt 15:12 Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”

:13 But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.
:14 Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.

Lk 12:46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

:47 And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

:48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

1 Cor 10:12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

2 Cor 1:20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

Ps 84:11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

:12 O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You!

Lk 12:31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

The just shall live by faith. This is not a suggestion, but a command.

Pr 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understand;

:6 in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.

Pr 4:20 My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.

:21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart;

:22 for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.

:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.

:24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you.

:25 Let your eyes look straight ahead and your eyelids look right before you.

:26 Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.

:27 Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil.

1 Cor 10:11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

Heb 5:9 And having perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,

Deut 28:1 Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.

Mk 11:24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Hearken means to hear and obey.

Observe means to hedge about, to protect, to guard.

Gal 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

:29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Eph 3:6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,

Ps 91:2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

Deut 28:2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:

Eph 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

Prov 22:7 The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

Rom 13:8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.

The Benefits of Obedience # 1

The Benefits of Obedience # 1

Jer 7:21 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat meat.

:22 For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices.

:23 But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.'

:24 Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts and went backward and not forward.

:25 Since the day that your fathers came out of Egypt until this day, I have even sent to you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them.

:26 Yet they did not obey Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers.

:27 “Therefore you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not obey you. You shall also call to them, but they will not answer you.

:28 “So you shall say to them, 'This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the Lord their God nor receive correction. Truth has perished and has been cut off from their womb,

Verse 23 says: Obey My voice and walk in all the ways that I commanded you that it may be well with you.

Obedience means act of compliance, submission, willingness, complying with a willing submission.

Obey means do, observe, submit, act of compliance to an act, order, demand, command, request.

Forced obedience is not really obedience.

One of the benefits of obedience is He will be your God and you can be His people.

1 Sam 15:22 So Samuel said:”Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.

IS 1:10 Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom: give ear to the law of our God, you people of Gomorah:

:11 “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” says the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats.

:12 “When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts?

:13 Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies – I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.

:14 Your New Moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them.

:15When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.

IS 1:19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.

Is 29:13 Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men

Ecc 5:1 Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.

Gal 4:8 But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods.

:9 But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?

:10 You observe days and months and seasons and years.

Luke 6:46 “But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord', and not do the things which I say?

Jn 6:28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”

:29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

Deut 26:16This day the Lord your God commands you to observe these statutes and judgments; therefore you shall be careful to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.

:17 Today you have proclaimed the Lord to be your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and that you will obey His voice.

:18 Also today the Lord has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you that you should keep all His commandments,

:19and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name, and in honor, and that you may be a holy people to the Lord your God, just as He has spoken.”

Josh 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Matt 7:21 Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord' shall enter the kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

Acts 5:29 But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.

Ex 19:5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.

One version has peculiar treasure. It means private property which is laid up or reserved, select, precious, endeared treasure, exceedingly priced, intends to preserve.

Deut 7:24 And He will deliver their kings into your hand, and you will destroy their name from under heaven; no one shall be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them.

1 Kings 3:14 So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes, and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”

Ps 91:16 With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.

Job 36:11 If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasure.

Zech 3:7 Thus says the Lord of hosts:”If you will walk in My ways, and if you will keep My command, then you shall also judge My house and likewise have charge of My courts; I will give you places to walk among these who stand here.

James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

1 Jn 3:22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do these things that are pleasing in His sight.

All these things are ours if we obey.

Rev 22:14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

Heb 5:8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.

:9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,

Jn 14:21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.

Jn 15:10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love,

Rom 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so aso by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous.

Heb 10:9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second,

Jn 14:21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

:22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “ Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”

:23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

2 Jn :6 This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.

Deut 28:1 Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.