Saturday, July 13, 2019

BIBLICAL TRUTH WILL ENHANCE YOUR LIFE



Ahh...summer is here and our San Diego beaches are full of vacationers and locals making footprints in the sand.  We don't need to get on a plane and go someplace, we can stay right here and take a vacation a day at a time. Amazing how this can revive our spirit and flood our souls with a calm that is something like having a Bible in your hands and reading God's Word - really!

God gave us His Word to make our life better.

"Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God's promises to be fulfilled." Romans 10:4

Once you start to study and believe what you are reading, you'll discover all kinds of 'good news'. For instance, maybe you are having a bad day but when you read Scripture you have hope tomorrow will be better.

"The faithful love of the Lord never ends. His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. Lamentations 3:22-23

We seem to enjoy planning our life, as if we were the one totally in charge. My calendar stays full, yours probably does too. When our plans don't work out we get upset. In your search for peace you may stumble upon some verses in James 4 - 

"How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog - it's here a little while, then it's gone. What you ought to say is, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that." James 4: 14 - 15

It's rather pretentious of us to think we have all the answers and know just what to do and when - that is not living by faith and this causes stress. We need to set a course for ourselves, but take your hands off the wheel and let God steer you in the direction He has ordained for your life. He will never lead you astray.

Trying to live the perfect Christian life can frustrate us, so don't try. Instead stand in the truth of the Bible which says in God's eyes you are already 'perfect'. And a funny thing, the more perfect you feel, the more perfect you will behave. 

"But our High Priest (Jesus) offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. (Hebrews 10:12)  For that one offering (dying on the cross) he forever made perfect those who are being made holy. " vs 14

The process of "being made holy" and perfect is called 'sanctification' and is worked out here on earth on a daily basis. However, this work is complete from God's perspective. We can relax and enjoy what the Lord has done for us and know that His Holy Spirit is in us doing the will of God.

We may worry that we tend to focus more on our problems than on experiencing faith, or that others appear to have faith when we don't. Romans 12:3 tells us that God measures our faith, He treats us as His unique child and provides what we need, not always what we want. 

"The Lord will work out his plans for my life - " Psalm 138:8

I try, but I also fail, seems we need to go through that - often, so we can understand who really has the power over our life. . .we discover it's not us!

Is there a #1 truth to be learned? Yes, there is and once you know it, all else will fall into place according to God's timing. 

Jesus is God, "I am he". John 4:26

Such a simple truth, so hard to hang onto when the world tries to grab Him away and replace peace and joy with stress and fear.

Do you know that as a Christian you never will feel ashamed? 

"Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." Romans 10:11. 

"Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame."  Psalm 34:5

 I like the word 'radiant'; we'll glow before the Lord and in many ways we'll glow in this world also because God's light is within us and He makes it shine for the world to see. 

So, armed with all these wonderful uplifting verses go have a great summer - soak up the SON as well as the sun.



Thank you Lord for summer fun, for dying a painful death on the cross so we can be perfect before our heavenly Father, radiant as we stand before His glory.