The True Prophet, Priest And King

The bright morning star will return with the royal scepter to rule the nations.

Numbers 24:15-19 This is the message Balaam delivered: "This is the message of Balaam son of Beor, the message of the man whose eyes see clearly, 16 the message of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:

17 I see him, but not here and now. I perceive him, but far in the distant future. A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel. It will crush the heads of Moab's people, cracking the skulls of the people of Sheth.

18 Edom will be taken over, and Seir, its enemy, will be conquered, while Israel marches on in triumph. 19 A ruler will rise in Jacob who will destroy the survivors of Ir."

We have seen in the past few post about Balaam and King Balak that a false prophet, a false priest and an evil king cannot stand against the will of God. They were sure that God's people didn't deserve the promises after the way they have been behaving in the wilderness so they tried but failed to change God's mind.

There are a lot of images of Jesus seen in the Old Testament, types of Christ, but this is the only opposite type of Christ that I am aware of. Balaam and King Balak have formed an unholy alliance against God's people that looks similar to the unholy trinity that the Bible shows us in Revelation.

The Unholy Trinity

As a prophet and priest, Balaam is:

• A false prophet that is an unwilling messenger for God, he wants to prophecy that God's people are cursed in order to please the king but God is in control so he is forced to bless
• An unholy priest that used excessive sacrifices multiple times in high places the way the pagans did to manipulate their "gods" to try and get different outcomes

As a king, Balak is:

• Trying to be in control against God's will in order to protect his own interest
• Furious that his money, military threat, and religious activity are powerless (Numbers 24:10-11)

It is easy to see how Satan is using these men to imitate what is holy, these men give us a clear preview of what is going to be seen in the end times. Satan, the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet will be defeated as God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit win the ultimate battle with a permanent outcome. (Revelation 16:13)

The True Prophet, Priest And King Comes With Blessings

Luke 4:18-19 "The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, 19 and that the time of the LORD's favor has come."

Jesus came to earth on a mission to bless, he makes it obvious at the beginning of his ministry by applying the verses in Isaiah 61:1-2 to himself in Luke 4:18-19. It is interesting that Jesus stopped reading in Isaiah mid-sentence to omit the next phrase that talks about his second coming as the king that will judge the nations.

Jesus came to be Emmanuel, God with us, to be a blessing to us. Because of God's great love he came to redeem his people from slavery to the kingdom of darkness where we live still today. Scripture gave us a picture of this when God took his people out of Egypt and made them into a holy nation that would bless the world.

Jesus told us that he came to seek and save the lost to save us from the day of judgment that has been postponed until after the church age when grace and salvation will be replaced by judgment and wrath. (John 3:16-17, Luke 19:10)

Jesus is our:

• Prophet, Jesus spoke only what the Father gave Him, blessings instead of curses (John 7:16; 8:28; 12:49–50)
• Priest, Jesus blessed us by offering himself as the true sacrifice that became cursed for our sins (Galatians 3:13-14)
• King, Jesus established a new, eternal kingdom that is not of this world and he transferred our citizenship there (John 18:36, Colossians 1:13-14, Revelation 11:15)

Thankfully the prophet and priest came first, we need the true high priest to forgive us of our sins and the true prophet to help us know God so we can prepare ourselves for the arrival of the king. The same Jesus who came as the gentle shepherd to care for his sheep in this life as he prepares us will take care of us eternally as he prepares a place for us to live with him. (Revelation 19:9 21:4–5; 22:3)

The Bright Morning Star

Revelation 22:14-16 Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. 15 Outside the city are the dogs-the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie. 16 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star."

The end of the story, way back in the end of our Bible in Revelation, assures us that the star that was to come from Jacob really did come! When Jesus was with us the first time he told us that he is the light of the world (John 8:12, 9:5, 12:46) and at the end of our Bible he makes it clear that he is the bright morning star.

The Bright Morning Star will return but this time he will arrive with the Royal Scepter to rule the nations. When the king returns to reign he will allow those who have washed their robes to enter the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. We will dwell with him in his kingdom where no sun or moon is needed as Jesus himself will be our everlasting light (Revelation 21:23; 22:5).

The same King who gently calls, "Come to me, all who are weary and I will give you rest" will one day say to the unrepentant, "Depart from me" (Matthew 11:28, 25:41).

This Christmas, as we celebrate the Star that rose over Bethlehem, the question remains: Will the King invite you in? 

Come to him today willing to accept him as your High Priest so that you can live with the King for eternity.

The Blessing Of Consequences

Sometimes God gives us what we want so we can learn from the results. 

Numbers 22:7-8 Balak's messengers, who were elders of Moab and Midian, set out with money to pay Balaam to place a curse upon Israel. They went to Balaam and delivered Balak's message to him. 8 "Stay here overnight," Balaam said. "In the morning I will tell you whatever the LORD directs me to say." So the officials from Moab stayed there with Balaam.

In the previous post we saw that God's people are almost home despite themselves, they have proven that they are not worthy to be God's people that will inherit the promises made to Abraham, but they will do so anyway. We saw that the blessing is the Lord's and nothing that they can do will change the blessing. God always knew that they would be undeserving so there isn't any reason to change his mind hundreds of years later.

As the story of Balaam continues to unfold we will see that it creates a lot of questions than it doesn't explain. We will see that God and Balaam will both say and do things that are surprising and confusing, they will both go against what we expect. If you disregard the other scriptures about Balaam and just focus on the next couple of chapters of Numbers it will seem like Balaam is a pretty good guy, doing the right thing most of the time, but don't forget that is how Satan always presents himself. 

God's people are probably unaware that King Balak is so afraid of them that he is planning to attack them, they are in their camp minding their own business, unaware that God is working to protect them in supernatural ways even though they are probably complaining about him while all of this is going on.

Balaam Has Visitors

Numbers 22:9-12 That night God came to Balaam and asked him, "Who are these men visiting you?" 10 Balaam said to God, "Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent me this message: 11 'Look, a vast horde of people has arrived from Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come and curse these people for me. Then perhaps I will be able to stand up to them and drive them from the land.'" 12 But God told Balaam, "Do not go with them. You are not to curse these people, for they have been blessed!"

A delegation sent by King Balak visits Balaam to hire the false prophet to curse Israel. When Balaam receives the invite to curse God's people he seems to react the way that he should, you would think that he would not hesitate to make some quick money but Balaam responds wisely, stating he will seek God's will first and he would only do whatever God tells him to do. 

God takes the initiative and visits Balaam and opens the conversation with a question. When God begins a conversation, especially with a question, there is usually a very good reason to be afraid, but  Balaam seems very comfortable talking to God. It seems like he has probably done it before, instead of fear, the prophet seems to be acquainted with the idea of talking to God or possibly with other spiritual beings.

Balaam appears obedient and spiritually sensitive when he sends them away because God said no. We are not told that he felt disappointed about missing out on the large sum of money and fame that could be his. At this point, all we know is that Israel is a nation blessed by God, and Balaam’s role is to stay home and not interfere.

Balaam receives visitors again, this time it is another delegation from the king and also a return visit from God. The king sent more important people with bigger prizes, what a picture of how Satan works, he is the best at making his offer better and better to try and wear us down.

Numbers 22:18-19 But Balaam responded to Balak's messengers, "Even if Balak were to give me his palace filled with silver and gold, I would be powerless to do anything against the will of the LORD my God. 19 But stay here one more night, and I will see if the LORD has anything else to say to me." 

Balaam never sounded more spiritual than when he referred to God as “the LORD my God” but don't be fooled. Balaam wants a God he can manipulate and negotiate with, he knows God and he knows his will but he is pretending to love God more than money. He is constantly searching for a loophole that will let him have both God’s approval and Balak’s money. 

Balaam Gets What He Wants

Numbers 22:20-22 That night God came to Balaam and told him, "Since these men have come for you, get up and go with them. But do only what I tell you to do." 21 So the next morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started off with the Moabite officials. 22 But God was angry that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the LORD to stand in the road to block his way. As Balaam and two servants were riding along,

Imagine the delight Balaam had when God told him to go to King Balak, he was probably as delighted as we are surprised that God seems to make a complete turn around from what he said before without any explanation. And then surprise again, God is angry that he went. What's going on?

What looks like permission was actually God letting Balaam have exactly what his stubborn, money-loving heart insisted on. Balaam is going to learn that God's permission is not the same as God's approval. God is going to graciously give Balaam the opportunity to learn more about the God that he thinks he already knows.

It is difficult to understand that God’s sovereignty means nothing happens outside of his ultimate permission, but he permits things that are contrary to his perfect will that grieves Him. We have the freedom to choose to accept God's will or go our own way. (Matthew 23:37, Romans 1:24-28)

This not the first time that God allowed something outside of his will, we will see this concept play out after Israel was settled in the Promised Land, they will ask to have their heavenly king replaced by an earthly king, despite God's will. 

I always wondered why God chose Saul as their first king but now I think that God gave them exactly the type of king that he warned them about so that they would be blessed to learn from the consequences. (1 Samuel 8:1-22, Numbers 23:21)

Balaam did what we all do, we assume that the path of least resistance, with wide open doors, is the will of God but Balaam shows us that we need to be careful about that logic.We fail to see that God's permission is not the same as God's approval and he often permits things that he doesn't approve of.

Balaam Enters God's Classroom

Numbers 22:22b-23 As Balaam and two servants were riding along, 23 Balaam's donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road.

Balaam wasted no time getting on the road without any idea that he was entering God's classroom where the angel of the Lord stood ready to teach him, opposing his path with a drawn sword. It is amazing that Balaam is in this situation without any understanding of what is going on because it isn't until God allows himself to be seen that Balaam becomes aware of his presence. (Numbers 22:31-33)

Balaam's knowledge of God continues to show after he sees the angel of the Lord, he isn't afraid because he sees an angel with a sword, Balaam is afraid because he believes that the angel of the Lord is actually God. We know the angel is not an ordinary angel because he speaks in the first person as God and Balaam responds in fear with a confession and repents.

All of these encounters with God should have drawn Balaam to God but instead he is dangerously close to God's drawn sword. Ultimately Balaam chooses the path that leads to the sword, tragically he dies by the sword because he ignore God's kindness. (Numbers 31:8, Joshua 13:22) 

The “way of Balaam” proved to be the way of destruction, Balaam is proof that intellectual knowledge of God, spiritual experiences, the ability to speak true words about God, and even miraculous encounters with God does not guarantee your eternity with God. (2 Peter 2:15, Matthew 7:22–23)

Balaam Reminds Me Of The Prodigal Son

Let's compare the two, both men know the father, they know the fathers will and they both chose greed and lived to please themselves. God was merciful to both men and blessed them with a wake up call while they were in the middle of the consequences of their sin. (Luke 15:11-32)

Both men show us that getting our own way can be the severest judgment of all. However, they also offer a stark contrast in how to react to the consequences of rebellion. God's blessings were wasted on Balaam as he failed to learn his lesson, leading to an unhappy ending. The Prodigal Son, in contrast, repented and returned to the Father.

Their stories should make us think twice about our demands. Instead of demanding that God agree with us, we should ask God to help us agree with Him. We need His wisdom to discern which "open doors" are truly His will and which are paths He is merely allowing us to walk against His perfect plan.

These two men should make me think twice about what I ask for, instead of demanding that God agree with me I need to ask God to help me to agree with him. I need to remember that God might let me have my way and he may let doors be wide open that he may not want me to enter. 

I need to pray to discern God's will without asking for my own, I need to realize that he may have plans to use my will to teach me more about his will. (Romans 2:4)

God Prospers His People

God blesses whoever he chooses despite the fact that nobody deserves it.

Genesis 30:25-26 Soon after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Please release me so I can go home to my own country. 26 Let me take my wives and children, for I have earned them by serving you, and let me be on my way. You certainly know how hard I have worked for you.”

Genesis 30:43 As a result, Jacob became very wealthy, with large flocks of sheep and goats, female and male servants, and many camels and donkeys.

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It is so easy in the United States to believe that prosperity is an indication that God is pleased with his people. We fail to realize that we can be very prosperous and blessed despite the fact that we are living outside of the will of God.

Earlier in life Jacob didn't rely on God to get the blessings and privileges that were promised to him. He and his mother relied on their own cunning to make God's will happen but instead of realizing the blessings of God Jacob has to leave home emptyhanded and lonely. 

In todays scripture it seems that Jacob hasn't learned much about relying on God to come through for him. Jacob is still relying on self to get things done and he devises a scheme that was based on superstition to make his flocks grow in number.

It is amazing that even after the way that Jacob was treated by Laban he still stayed with him and continued to work for him. Perhaps he stayed because Laban only had two daughters and Jacob would be the adopted son as the heir to Laban's wealth. His decision to leave Laban and return to his homeland seems to happen after Laban's sons were born.

Success cannot be equated with spirituality and it is not a sign that God is pleased with you. We adopt the prosperity gospel because we live in the greatest country in the world with the greatest amount of personal riches among the general population but God didn't bless us because of us and our prosperity doesn't mean that he is happy with us. 

Genesis 28:14  Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants.

God wasn't always happy with the heroes of the faith but God promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that they would be blessed and that through them the rest of the world would be blessed as well. Have you considered what that means for you and I? 

We have been blessed physically, financially and spiritually so that we can pass the blessing on to others:

• I can bless others physically by doing things for them that they don't have good health, time or energy to do. (Matthew 5:41, Galatians 6:9-10)
• I can bless others financially by being a good steward of the riches that God has given. I need to use God's financial blessings wisely for his purpose instead of fulfilling my desires to have nice things and to impress others. (Luke 12:13-21)
• But most of all I can bless others spiritually by sharing the good news about God's son so that they will inherit the riches of Heaven by becoming a child of God. (Isaiah 61:1)

I would like to suggest to you that blessing others isn't just about meeting basic needs. We tend to look for the down and out when we think about blessing others, that's not a bad thing, but God wants us to be a blessing and go the extra mile with anyone that we have contact with.

It's not wrong to be rich but there are a lot of warnings in scripture about the dangers of being rich. We need to ask ourselves if we are being good stewards with the physical, financial and spiritual wealth that God has given us? 

Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can. -John Wesley

The average church member does so little with their blessings for the kingdom. If we squander the riches and blessings of God on ourselves, while the scriptures go untranslated and nations go unreached because of a lack of funds to take the gospel to them, we’re not being good stewards.

The level of blessings that I have received from God is very inappropriate for the way that I have behaved. I have been like Jacob, I have tried to get ahead without consulting God, I have used my methods to help God out and yet he has still chosen to bless me so that I can re-gift the blessings for his purpose and for his glory.

The Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Video: The Doxology | Anthem Lights ft. Selah

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow

Psalms 72:19 Praise his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and amen!

Ephesians 1:3-4 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

1 Peter 1:3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation,

Praise Him, all creatures here below

Psalms 22:27-29 The whole earth will acknowledge the LORD and return to him. All the families of the nations will bow down before him. For royal power belongs to the LORD. He rules all the nations. Let the rich of the earth feast and worship. Bow before him, all who are mortal, all whose lives will end as dust.

Psalms 66:4 Everything on earth will worship you; they will sing your praises, shouting your name in glorious songs.

Psalms 148:5 Let every created thing give praise to the LORD, for he issued his command, and they came into being.

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host

Psalms 103:20-22 Praise the LORD, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. Yes, praise the LORD, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will! Praise the LORD, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom. Let all that I am praise the LORD.

Isaiah 6:2-3 Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

Father

Ephesians 1:14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

Son

Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Holy Ghost

Ephesians 1:14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

The Abiding Life

Abiding with Jesus has a lot of benefits for now and eternity.

 

John 15:7-11  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8  By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

9  As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 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.

11  These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

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Today's scripture is a continuation of the study that I recently did in John 15:1-8, in those verses Jesus told his disciples "I Am The Vine." In that lesson Jesus taught the disciples that a real Christ follower is attached to the vine, he is getting his nourishment from the vine and he will be pruned so that he can produce more fruit. (John 15:2,5)

A vine and the branches is just one of the ways that the Bible describes the intimate relationship of a Christ follower. The Bible also illustrates this relationship as a body and its many members (1 Corinthians 12:1-31), a bride and the Bridegroom (Ephesians 5:25-33), and as sheep and the Shepherd (John 10:1-18)

These illustrations show us that abiding is a dependent relationship, the Christ follower must depend on Jesus as well as other believers in order to survive, yet it is still a friendly and intimate fellowship where we live and work together in harmony to please God and advance his kingdom.

The "abiding life" has many benefits, Jesus continues to tell us in today's scripture that abiding in him is the only way to get our prayers answered and it is the only way to live in love and obedience just like Jesus did.

The abiding life has prayers answered

Psalms 66:18 If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

Are your prayers being answered? Does it seem like nothing is happening? Whatever is asked for from a clean heart that is living for God's will and seeking to promote the kingdom is going to get answers.

When we are abiding in Jesus we will ask for the right things, he will keep us from asking for things that we shouldn't ask for, we will pray for the things that please God instead of the prayers that please ourselves. 

The abiding life will live in Jesus love 

Ephesians 3:17 Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong.

"What the world needs is love, sweet love, Its the only thing that there's just too little of" is the lyrics to a song by Dionne Warwick, she saw the problem but she did not know the solution, she didn't know that God's perfect love is what we need to end the love shortage that she saw.

If you feel unloved then check out what Jesus tells us in verse nine, he says that to the same degree that God loves Jesus is the amount of love Jesus has for me, you can't get loved any more that that. What an incredible thought, that stupid dirty sheep that are so unworthy can be loved so much!

The abiding life will obey God just as Jesus did

Luke 22:42 "Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine."

Jesus was obedient to his Father's will  and he expects us to do the same. There isn't any other way to prove your love to him than to see your old sinful ways as detestable and move toward doing the things that please God.

It is very dangerous to think that you can be a Christian and still live in your old sinful, disobedient ways. True repentance sees how detestable our ways are and the cost that was paid on our behalf and it refuses to live that way anymore. Without true repentance we cannot abide with Christ, we will not produce fruit and we will not please God.

Colossians 1:9-10  So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of His will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.  10  Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

The "abiding life" is not a supernatural resource that you tap into to fix life's problems and then return to your old carnal ways. Once you have begun to cultivate this deeper communion with Christ, you have no desire to return to the shallow life of the careless Christian, you will remain in Christ through the good and the bad times.

The "abiding life" seeks to glorify God, when people see the fruit of the Holy Spirit, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control,” in us, God will be glorified. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Help me Lord to live the "abiding life." I want to know what pleases you and apply it to every area of my life.

Light Of The World

The Bible proves that Jesus is the light that we need.

John 1:4-5  The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone.  5  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

John 8:12  Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, "I am the light of the world. If you follow Me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life."

John 12:35-36  Jesus replied, "My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going.  36  Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light." After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them.

John 12:46  I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in Me will no longer remain in the dark.

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There has been nothing but darkness in the land, the Bible and world history tell us that when Jesus came to our world it was a very dark time. The world was in turmoil as various conquering empires came and then they became the conquered.

After the Babylonian captivity the Jews had to deal with the Persians and the Greeks and finally the Romans came along. Each of these groups brought wars to Israel, changes in government and attempts to change their religious beliefs. On top of all of that the Bible shows us a four hundred year gap in between the Old Testament and the New Testament. The people of Israel had been through a lot of suffering, harassment and there was only one thing to hope for. May the Messiah would come.

The Bible tells us that at just the right time Jesus came into our world. (Romans 5:6, Galatians 4:4) I have to wonder if maybe part of it being the right time meant that the world was so dark that surely the people would take notice of the Light and come running to it. 

Man has an appetite for darkness and his passions will push him further and further into the dark as he continues to look for what he is missing. We keep looking for the good life where it cannot be found. Even if we say that we hate the dark and the lost, desperate situation we are in we still have a carnal desire to plunge deeper and deeper into the blackness to find our own answers.

Suddenly, in this dark world where immorality, injustice, and sin is glorified, where separation, death, sorrow, and hopelessness reign, the darkness is shattered and it happens just like the prophet Isaiah said that it would. (Isaiah 9:1-2)

Matthew 4:12-16 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, He left Judea and returned to Galilee. 13 He went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah:   15 "In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali, beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River, in Galilee where so many Gentiles live, 16 the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined."

The Great Light appears and it cannot be hidden, Jesus gave light to everyone, too bad that everyone didn't welcome the light. Some people are happy with Jesus as long as he keeps providing free lunch and healthcare. There are some that cannot stand to be around him and they run from the light just like the Pharisees that turned and left the adulterous woman at Jesus feet. (John 8:7-9)

Jesus is teaching in the Temple the day after the seven day long Feast of Tabernacles. During the Feast Jesus was the focus of a large commotion which grew when Jesus told the crowds that he is the source of living water. (John 7:37-38)

During the Feast of Tabernacles a priest went to the Pool of Siloam, drew water in a golden pitcher, and returned to the temple, and poured it out at the base of the altar. This part of the feast commemorated God’s provision of water from the rock that sustained Israel during their stay in the wilderness.

The people that heard Jesus offer to give them living water knew the symbolism. They knew that Jesus claim meant that he was declaring that he is the Messiah, that's why his statement caused such a stir, but wait there's more.

Another symbolic act that was a part of the Feast of Tabernacles was the lighting of huge candelabras in the Court of Women. This was to commemorate the pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night that led the Israelite's through the desert. The huge light from those candelabras was gone and they were probably smoldering as Jesus says to the crowd, "You remember the light last night in the temple here which made you remember the light that led Israel...I am the light of the world."

Malachi 4:2  "But for you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.

Light is a characteristic of God that the Messiah was predicted to have. (Isaiah 9:2, 49:6, 60:1) Everybody in the temple knew that Jesus was telling them that he is the Messiah, they know that the light of the Messiah is what their hopes have been longing for, but this guy doesn't look like a Messiah to them.

God's Light Came
John 3:19-21 And the judgment is based on this fact: God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.

God sent light into our world because we needed the light. He gave us the sun for physical life on this planet and he gave us the Son so that we could have spiritual life.There wasn't any way that we could get out of the dark on our own, out of God's love and mercy he gave us light so that we wouldn't have to live without hope in darkness, misery and death.

When salt is applied, it dissolves inward and disappears, the salt speaks of the inward part, the character of the Christian. Jesus also described His people as being like light, which is on the outside, the light speaks of the testimony of a follower of Christ, revealing and illuminating the truth.

-Adrian Rogers

I need to love the Light and allow it to expose the things that God wants to change in me. I need to allow the Light to shine through me so that the world can see the truth of the gospel and have the opportunity to see their sin, choose to repent and live in the light.

We Are One

We are one, we are all for one, all for Jesus, for the glory of the one true God.

The City Harmonic - We Are One

Ash to ash, dust to dust we live and die. 

But in the Son, in the Son we are alive. 

All for one, all for one from every tongue and tribe in Jesus crucified 

'cause Jesus is alive now, once and for all time.

We are one we are all for one,

all for Jesus Jesus, once for all. 

To the glory of the one true God 

King of kings, Lord of lords Till kingdom come. 

And in the end, in the end God all in all. 

He will be everything, everything to everyone, 

when death is finally done and victory is won, 

once and for all of us. 

We won't be moved, we're standing tall. 

Once of the dust, now of the Son. 

All life and death and what's to come belong to Christ, 

and Christ to God. 

So here we stand, hands lifted high. 

The very hands and feet of Christ. 

No holding back, no wasting time. 

We live for love

I Am The Real Bread

Jesus came to satisfy our soul not our body.

John 6:30-40  They answered, "Show us a miraculous sign if You want us to believe in You. What can You do?  31  After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, 'Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

32  Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, Moses didn't give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now He offers you the true bread from heaven.  33  The true bread of God is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

34  "Sir," they said, "give us that bread every day."

35  Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.  36  But you haven't believed in Me even though you have seen Me.  37  However, those the Father has given Me will come to Me, and I will never reject them.

38  For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent Me, not to do My own will.  39  And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those He has given Me, but that I should raise them up at the last day.  40  For it is My Father's will that all who see His Son and believe in Him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day."

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The disrespectful crowds are at it again. They follow Jesus around everyday but they aren't really following Jesus, they refuse to make Jesus the Lord of their lives, they just follow him around for their benefit and amusement.

The crowd got a free dinner from Jesus yesterday and now they have followed him to the other side of the lake to see if he will serve up some breakfast. They felt that Jesus should be able to measure up to the standard that Moses set, they wanted a food pantry but Jesus didn't come to satisfy their bodies, he came to satisfy their souls.

According to John McArthur this crowd is basically saying:

"Ah, that's a pretty big claim, telling us You're the One approved of God. You're the One coming down here with this eternal bread. And we're supposed to believe in You. Well, prove it. How do we know who you are how do we know that you're greater than Moses, look what he did as compared to what You did?"

They misquoted their scripture, Moses didn't give them bread from heaven and he never tried to take credit for it, the only thing that Moses did was organize a collection program. The crowd told Jesus if he is really the guy that Moses told them about then they want to see some more food. (Exodus 16:4, Deuteronomy 18:15)

Moses Versus Jesus
Exodus 16:4  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Look, I'm going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow My instructions."

The bread that they called manna didn't last, it didn't give life for eternity and it was only for Israel. The bread that Jesus has to offer gives satisfaction for now and for all of eternity and it is offered to everyone. Manna was only a symbol of the real bread that was Jesus Christ.

Matthew 5:6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.

God sent his Son to be the bread that I need in order to feed my hungry soul. Without this food I will not live forever, I cannot admire the bread and say that he is a great and noble teacher, I must eat the bread and depend on it to give me life for eternity.

Thank you God for sending the bread of life.

Pleasing God Even In Suffering

How I behave when I suffer is a testimony.

1 Peter 2:18-21  You who are slaves must accept the authority of your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you--not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel.   

19  For God is pleased with you when you do what you know is right and patiently endure unfair treatment.  20  Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.   

21  For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in His steps.

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The frequent mention of slaves in the New Testament shows that many of the first Christians must have been slaves. There are a lot of guidelines for how a slave should behave in the writing to the early church. (Ephesians 6:5-7)

What a strange state for a believer, to learn from Jesus and from the apostles that all men are created equal and yet many of them are living as slaves, they must have had a difficult time accepting the position that they were in. Yet they were told to respect the authority that they were under when they came to Christ, their lives should follow Jesus example and show love, patience and grace so that they would be a good witness.

What pleases God? Most of us know the answer, it is to do what is right, but it doesn't mean to do right only if the circumstances are good. We are told to do what is right even when we are not treated well, it doesn't get you off the hook, you can't stop living by God's standards just because of pain and trials.

You suffer? God blesses.

Matthew 5:10-12  God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. 10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.  11  "God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are My followers.  12  Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

Trouble is going to come your way even if you are living for God and even if you are working for peace. Jesus told us that God blesses those that work at being peaceful but he also warned us that we will have trouble in this world. (John 16:33)

Jesus didn't tell us to endure through suffering and whine and complain, he said that we should be happy about it, God's ways are so unnatural for us.

God promises blessings upon his children but we may not receive them until we arrive at out eternal home in heaven. Those blessings can be difficult to wait for but if we really take an honest look at our lives we will have to admit that living with God in control and going through hard times is a much better life than going through those difficult times without him.

I am called to do good, even if it means suffering, I need to do what God calls me to do. How I behave when the pressure is on is a testimony to the power of God in my life. (1 Peter 2:21)

Our Loyalty To God Is So Weak

God's blessings are not enough to keep us from walking away from the fountain of living water.

Jeremiah 17:7-10, 13-14  "But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.  8  They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit."

9  "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?  10  But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve."

13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who turn away from You will be disgraced. They will be buried in the dust of the earth, for they have abandoned the LORD, the fountain of living water.  14  O LORD, if You heal me, I will be truly healed; if You save me, I will be truly saved. My praises are for You alone!

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It is probably very easy for us to believe that the person that is living to please God instead of indulging in a life of sin is going to reap a bunch of blessing from God. That doesn't mean that they will live on easy street, fine cars in front of a mansion is not what we are talking about, they will struggle and have to deal with real life just like everybody else but there will be a difference in their outlook.

The people that are living to please God will have a resource, a refreshment, they will have the energy to keep on going despite the challenges that come. They will have every wound healed and they will be saved on judgement day but those that walk away and say to God "no thank you, I have a better deal," they will find out how wrong they were. (Jeremiah 17:13-14)

The thing that is hard to believe is that there are so many benefits to living God's way and yet we see everyday that mankind walks away from God despite this blessed state with all of it's benefits. We wonder off from the fountain that is the source of every blessing, we choose a different path. (Isaiah 53:6)

And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.

-Paul

God gives us the knowledge of good and evil, most of the issues that we face are very plain to discern in light of scripture I need to be aware of my need for God and turn towards him in order to receive the riches he graciously offers. The devil has some things to offer as well, money, power, lust and pride are his main tricks that we have to be aware of.

I must give my heart to God and allow him to confront me and bring up all of the stuff that he sees that doesn't please him. I need to stay in his word everyday so that I will remember his blessings and benefits when the world seems to have a better deal that could pull me away from him.

Seeking God Requires Humility

We need to come to God on his terms.

Psalm 69:32 The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.

Psalm 14:2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God.

Isaiah 65:1-2 “I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’ to a nation that did not call on my name.

2 All day long I opened my arms to a rebellious people. But they follow their own evil paths and their own crooked schemes.

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If you want to come close to God, you have to realize that you don't get to decide the terms, it is up to him to decide how he will be found. If you are trying to seek God any other way then you are going to fall short of your goal.

God likes people that are broken, he requires us to be that way before we can come into his presence, he doesn't want somebody coming around him that is going to try and tell him how it is. It is clear throughout the Bible that he wants us to approach him in humility, he loves it when we are submissive and give up on doing things our way. (Luke 18:14, Matthew 20:16)

The prideful will see how well they have done and become apathetic towards God. "Who needs him," they will think to themselves. The real God will get replaced by the false god's of money, pleasure, government or self, we think that we can do just fine while we hold onto our idols, lets get the real God out of the way.

God wants us to seek him, he is checking the whole world to see who is, he is an awesome God that desires to be known. He hasn't made it difficult to find him, God has made his presence known, he is standing ready to be found by us, if we are wise enough to seek him. Isaiah 65:1 makes it sound like God is waving his arms to try and get our attention as he says ‘Here I am, here I am!’

God wants people to seek him God promises to be found by those who seek him Your opportunity to seek him is now and for this life Seek for God with all your heart Seeking God is a priority

Hebrews 11:6 Isaiah 45:19 Luke 16:19-31 Jeremiah 29:13 Matthew 6:33

From the Dictionary of Bible Themes on Bible Gateway

We don't want to be held accountable for our actions, but sooner or later we will be, there isn't anything that we can do to change that fact. The decision that we need to make is will we humble ourselves in this life and be accountable for how we live or will we rebel against God in this life and be held accountable for all of eternity.

God is allowed to dictate the terms that I must obey so that I can approach him. By His grace and mercy He makes me holy by the blood of Christ so that I may have a relationship with him if I seek him with humility.

Not Sure Where God Is?

Guess who moved away?

Jeremiah 2:4-8 Listen to the word of the Lord, people of Jacob—all you families of Israel! 5 This is what the Lord says: “What did your ancestors find wrong with me that led them to stray so far from me? They worshiped worthless idols, only to become worthless themselves. 6 They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord who brought us safely out of Egypt and led us through the barren wilderness— a land of deserts and pits, a land of drought and death, where no one lives or even travels?’

7 “And when I brought you into a fruitful land to enjoy its bounty and goodness, you defiled my land and corrupted the possession I had promised you. 8 The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’ Those who taught my word ignored me, the rulers turned against me, and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal, wasting their time on worthless idols.

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Have you ever looked around and asked "where is the Lord?" Did you ever think "he used to be so good to us?" It is easy to point your finger at others when things go wrong and we even have the nerve to point our fingers at God.

There is more than one reason why we sometimes feel that God is nowhere around but the most common cause is that we have turned away from him. We don't realize it when it starts unless we are staying vigilant about our relationship with God. It is usually a slow turning away, just a slight angle to the left or the right and over time that little bit of deviation turns into a big difference between where God is and where we are.

God is asking us the same question that he asked Israel, he had to wonder why they left, what had he done that wasn't good? God moved them from slavery in Egypt to a new neighborhood, a land with fertile soil, and then Israel moved away from God. (Jeremiah 2:11-12)

There is a huge temptation to be ungrateful to God for his blessings, we start to feel that we are entitled, or we just fail to notice how well that God has blessed us. The people had forgotten the warning (Joshua 23-24) that Joshua gave them, it wasn't long after he was gone that the nation took off and followed the god's of the nations around them.

God calls his children to come back home

Jeremiah 3:12,19,22 Therefore, go and give this message to Israel. This is what the Lord says: “O Israel, my faithless people, come home to me again, for I am merciful. I will not be angry with you forever. 19 “I thought to myself, ‘I would love to treat you as my own children!’ I wanted nothing more than to give you this beautiful land— the finest possession in the world. I looked forward to your calling me ‘Father,’ and I wanted you never to turn from me. 22 “My wayward children,” says the Lord, “come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts.” “Yes, we’re coming,” the people reply, “for you are the Lord our God.

Like a parent that is looking for their child to come home for dinner, God is calling for his children to come back to him, he wants them to enjoy his company, he wants to treat them well, like his very own children. Very few parents are going to bless their kids with extras or treat them better than they have to when they are being disobedient and disrespectful. God is the same way.

God will call us back home, he will discipline us and he will give us mercy if we will realize how far we have gone and how ungrateful we have been for his blessings. Will you answer God's call and get back home? 

God's People Are Blessed

We should never take God's blessings in our life for granted.

Genesis 28:15 What's more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you."

Genesis 28:20-22 Then Jacob made this vow: "If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if He will provide me with food and clothing, 21 and if I return safely to my father's home, then the LORD will certainly be my God. 22 And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything He gives me."

Genesis 35:1-3 Then God said to Jacob, "Get ready and move to Bethel and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother, Esau." 2 So Jacob told everyone in his household, "Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing. 3 We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone."

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Jacob was in big trouble with his brother Esau and had to leave the security of his home, it was another battle between brothers, it reminds me of Cain and Abel. In both stories there was one brother that was accepted as better than the other, one brother tried to please God and the other brother decided to hate him for it instead of changing their ways so that God would accept him too.

Esau wasn't living a lifestyle that was deserving of God's blessing, a couple of things that the Bible mentions that he did that displeased God were the day that he sold his birthright for some lunch and his marriages to Hittite women. (Genesis 25:27-34, 26:34-35, 27:46)

Jacob wasn't perfect, in these verses from Genesis he was on the run after tricking his brother, he was scared and his mom told him that he needed to get out of town. In the midst of Jacob's fear God shows up with a message of protection and a promise of prosperity. God told Jacob that he would be a part of the covenant that he had made with Abraham and Isaac. (Genesis 28:10-19)

Even though Jacob had the promise from God he still has his doubts and worried about God's protection but no matter the situation God was still there living up to his end of the promise that he had made. Jacob went through some trials and difficulties but ultimately he was very successful and had great wealth. The Lord had blessed Jacob just like he promised and now it was time for Jacob to remember his promise and go back to Bethel to worship God.

Which will you choose?

Deuteronomy 11:L26-28 “Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse! 27 You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today. 28 But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the Lord your God and turn away from him and worship gods you have not known before.

Jacob lived a lifestyle that was "blessable," he made his share of poor choices but ultimately his heart was right for God to use. God blesses the people that he is pleased with, the people that honor and worship him, those that don't make the right choice will be cursed.

I need to be careful to always be aware of the source of every blessing that I have, thank you Lord for my faith, my family and for providing for my needs.

Where Do Your Blessings Come From

Difficult times can be the source of blessing.

Blessings - Laura Story 

We usually pray for the difficult times to go away, none of us like for anything to be tough, but what if those difficulties are the very thing that God is using to send blessings your way?

Don't feel bad if you have prayed for those difficulties to get lost, your in good company, even Jesus prayed for a better way. He didn't want the pain of the beatings and the cross and he prayed in so much agony over the hard times that he would endure, "let it pass" he said to God the Father.

Thankfully God didn't take Jesus away from the suffering, it is difficult to see a greater good coming out of the pain when we are in the midst of it, but just like it did in Jesus case to a lesser degree there is also good coming from the bad in our lives as well.  

We cry out to God to "let it pass" but so often he doesn't, isn't he interested in my well being? Yes he is, but sometimes the best for us is to go through the suffering and keep our eyes on God and what he wants us to learn in the difficult times.

God Blesses More Than We Thank

One out of ten lepers appreciate Jesus

Luke 17:11-19 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.

15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.

17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”

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Modern medicine has an effective treatment for leprosy but back in ancient civilizations it was greatly feared and those that were affected had to isolate themselves from society.

There were different methods that Jesus used when he healed somebody, in this situation he told the guys to go see the priest before they were actually healed. The Old Testament law said that they were to go to the priest after they were healed so that he could verify the healing and offer an animal sacrifice as part of a cleansing ritual. (Leviticus 14:1-32)

The ten left Jesus to go to see the priest and then on the way there they were healed. Out of ten that needed relief, there was only one that returned to Jesus and this one happened to be a Samaritan, the people that the Jews despised. The crowd must have groaned when Jesus pointed that out to them.

We can never thank God enough for his kindness

Psalm 95:6-9 Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker, for he is our God. We are the people he watches over,   the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today! The LORD says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Massah in the wilderness. For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw everything I did.

Ninety percent of the men healed that day did not acknowledge that God had blessed them and changed their lives. That statistic probably stands true for every generation that has ever lived. We do not acknowledge God's love and compassion for all of the blessings that we have been given. His chosen people took him for granted and we all do the same. Worship was the appropriate response to the touch of Jesus in his life, Luke's gospel says that the man fell at Jesus feet and said “Praise God!” How often do we remember to stop and run to Jesus feet?

Reasons why people forget God:

• Easy circumstances - Deuteronomy 6:10-12
• Idolatry - Judges 8:33-34
• Pride and stubbornness - Nehemiah 9:16

Consequences of people forgetting God:

• Spiritual adultery - Hosea 1:2
• Social decay - Hosea 4:1-3
• The destruction of the nation - Deuteronomy 8:19-20
• The death of the sinner - Psalm 9:17

God has healed me and provided for every need that I have ever had, he has blessed me a lot more than I have ever said "thank you." I need to remember that I was made to worship him and I have more than enough reasons to do so.

Thank you Lord for all of your blessing. From salvation from my sins to the awesome planet that you chose to create for my pleasure to the daily provisions that you have provided, there isn't anyway to adequately say thank you.

Obedience Brings Blessings

Doing what Jesus says has it's benefits.

Luke 11:27-28  As He was saying these things, a woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “The womb that bore You and the one who nursed You are blessed!”

28 He said, “Even more, those who hear the word of God and keep it are blessed!”

Luke 8:21 But He replied to them, “My mother and My brothers are those who hear and do the word of God.”

John 13:17  If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. 

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Wouldn't it be great if you could guarantee that your life will be full of blessings? Well you can. There is a lifestyle that you can adopt that will insure that blessings will come your way.

Jesus gave us this equation, "obedience=blessings." He told us that if we hear the Word of God and do it then our lives will be blessed by it. It makes perfect sense, if you are pleasing somebody wouldn't they be more likely to want to do good things for you, it's the same way with God.

Doing what he says will bring blessings to us but that isn't our real goal, our obedience isn't a way to gain favor with God and get bonus points, nor is it a way to get God to love us more. Don't think that it is a means to obtain an easy life, it may be the exact opposite, your life could be much harder because of obedience. Our motivation for obedience isn't for earthly gain, instead it should be that we want to get to know God better and it should help me move a step closer to becoming more like him.

I need to become more like Christ everyday, my obedience will help me to be more like him and it will bring blessings into my life that will prove that I am in his family.

Thank you Lord for all of the blessings that you have given to me.

Don't Hate Me Because I Am Blessed.

God's blessings on your life can make others jealous.

Genesis 26:12-14   When Isaac planted his crops that year, he harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted, for the LORD blessed him. 13 He became a very rich man, and his wealth continued to grow. 14 He acquired so many flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and servants that the Philistines became jealous of him.

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Issac was blessed with a great abundance of wealth, just like the Lord had promised, his herds and his harvest multiplied greatly. Sounds like a good thing right?

Sometimes God's blessings in your life are a cause for contention with those around you. If we are faithful to our Lord he will bless us. It may be with wealth and fame, it could be with unexplainable peace or joy,whatever it is somebody will wish that they could have it.

After all everybody wants to be loved and to have somebody take care of them and to always be looking out for their best interest, for the child of God it doesn't get any better than this, what an awesome feeling to know that our creator wants to be our Father and give us good things.

Everybody has the potential to get jealous, the world wants what we have but sometimes other Christ followers can be the ones that get jealous. Sometimes we look at how the Lord is using somebody else and how well they are doing and we can wish that we could get the exact same blessing as they are getting.

Lord Jesus, thank you for the work that you have called me to do. Help me to always serve you and to be thankful for every blessing that you have given to me.

God Is In Charge

God decides who to favor and God decides when to do it.

Genesis 12:1-7 Then the LORD told Abram, "Leave your country, your relatives, and your father's house, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will cause you to become the father of a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and I will make you a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you."

4 So Abram departed as the LORD had instructed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. 5 He took his wife, Sarah, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth, his livestock and all the people who had joined his household at Haran -- and finally arrived in Canaan. 6 Traveling through Canaan, they came to a place near Shechem and set up camp beside the oak at Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites.

7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "I am going to give this land to your offspring. " And Abram built an altar there to commemorate the Lord's visit.

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Abram isn't noted as being anybody really good, unlike his ancestor Noah who was said to be a righteous man and he found favor with God. Abram may have been an average Joe for all we know, nobody that had done anything to deserve any attention, but God still chose to "favor" him. If Abram had a Facebook page I am pretty sure that God would have clicked on the "Like" button.

God is in charge and he decides for himself who to show favor to, he is in complete control and he can use whoever he wants, no matter how good or bad we think they are. God has used the righteous and the wicked to accomplish his plans.

God is also in charge of the timing, we all know that Abram got impatient with God and decided to "help" God make the favor come to pass, we just like to be in control don't we?

I must wait upon the Lord and allow him to be in control.

I pray that you will smile upon me today Lord and be pleased with your servant. Help me to wait on you and to allow you to use me on your timetable.

Love Your Enemies

Pray that God will bless them

 Matthew 5:44  But I say, love your enemies! Bless those who curse you. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for those who persecute you!

1 Peter 3:9  Don't repay evil for evil. Don't retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and He will bless you for it.

Romans 12:14, 17  Bless those who persecute you. Don't curse them; pray that God will bless them. Never pay back evil with more evil.

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How crazy is that!?! Of course I want to be blessed and sure I can see praying for my friends to be blessed but praying a blessing for my enemies is a bizarre idea.

Human nature tells me that I need to get back at those people that don't do nice things for me or to me but the same God that gave me all of the grace that i could ever need is telling me to extend that same grace to everybody else.

It is impossible to love the conduct of the person that treats us so bad or lives in opposition to the laws of God but our dislike for the conduct must be separated from our dislike for the person. I need to wish him well, I need to speak kindly of him, I need to help him in his hour of need and I need to pray that God will bless him.

I need to be careful to never have a black list, people to even up the score with, I need to do good to everybody just as Jesus did (1 Peter 2:23).

Help me Lord to treat people the way that you would, thank you that you refuse to treat me the way that I deserve because I am your child.

Rejoice

There is always a reason to do it.

Matthew 5:11-12  "God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are My followers.

12  Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way."

1 Peter 4:12-14  Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.

13  Instead, be very glad--for these trials make you partners with Christ in His suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing His glory when it is revealed to all the world.  14  So be happy when you are insulted for being a Christian, for then the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.

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If there are problems and trials don't get upset about it. What a concept, God's way of thinking is so opposite of our way of thinking, it is strange to us to adjust our thinking to be like his. We know that his way is right but it is a strange concept for us to go against the grain and accept suffering with great joy when the rest of the world is struggling to avoid it.

Think about it, if Jesus existence on earth had gone very smooth and he had avoided the insults and the persecution then where would we be? His suffering was an opportunity for good, he suffered for a great cause. (Matthew 10:25)

Jesus suffering is the only reason that we can have any joy, peace or eternal security. He suffered without any revenge (1 Peter 2:23) so that we can ultimately rejoice with him for eternity.

James 1:2  Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.

I will view suffering as an opportunity for good instead of dread, God's way of thinking is so opposite of ours so this will be a challenge to do.

Thank you Lord for your suffering that brought me eternal life with you.