Friday, November 19, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Daniel 3:15-28
This Bible story has played a huge part in my life over the past two months so I wanted to share it with everyone. It is the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Through it God has taught me a couple of different things.
First he has shown me that He will not always stop me from getting thrown in the fire. He can not. He has given His creation free will. The choices that we make and the choices that others make around us have an effect on us.
He has taught me through this story that sometimes he wants me to be tossed into the fire. This confused me a little. If I pray to be saved and not tossed into the fire would not a loving God save me? If I am doing everything right every set of the way should He not save His child from pain? The answer is most often yes but not always. He allows us to be tossed into the fire as a means of growing our faith in Him. He also allows us to be tossed into the fire to show us as an example and to glorify His name to others around us. Just because we get tossed into the fire does not mean that we have done anything wrong. The story also taught me that no matter what if I keep my faith and eyes on Him that loves me I will come out of any fire with not even a scratch.
I hope these verses touch you as much as they have touched me. I wish brave in Him. I wish for you all that even as the fire surrounds you that you will be able to rest and find peace in Him. He who loves you will always get you through without a scratch or the stench of smoke. God Bless.
PS I have also included this fitting song before the verses. I hope it blesses you.
3:15-28 (King James Version)
15Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
16Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
19Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
20And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
23And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
26Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
27And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
28Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
First he has shown me that He will not always stop me from getting thrown in the fire. He can not. He has given His creation free will. The choices that we make and the choices that others make around us have an effect on us.
He has taught me through this story that sometimes he wants me to be tossed into the fire. This confused me a little. If I pray to be saved and not tossed into the fire would not a loving God save me? If I am doing everything right every set of the way should He not save His child from pain? The answer is most often yes but not always. He allows us to be tossed into the fire as a means of growing our faith in Him. He also allows us to be tossed into the fire to show us as an example and to glorify His name to others around us. Just because we get tossed into the fire does not mean that we have done anything wrong. The story also taught me that no matter what if I keep my faith and eyes on Him that loves me I will come out of any fire with not even a scratch.
I hope these verses touch you as much as they have touched me. I wish brave in Him. I wish for you all that even as the fire surrounds you that you will be able to rest and find peace in Him. He who loves you will always get you through without a scratch or the stench of smoke. God Bless.
PS I have also included this fitting song before the verses. I hope it blesses you.
3:15-28 (King James Version)
15Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
16Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
19Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
20And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
23And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
26Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
27And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
28Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
1 John 3:15
This verse struck me...
1 John 3:15 (King James Version)15Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
1 John 3:15 (Amplified Bible)15Anyone who hates (abominates, detests) his brother [in Christ] is [at heart] a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding ([a]persevering) within him.
I think this verse is extremely powerful. At the heart I believe this verse states even thinking an evil thought or keeping an evil thought concerning another Christian in your heart is enough to cause a loss of eternal life. This fits perfectly with Matthew 22...
Matthew 22:34-40 (King James Version)
34But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
35Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38This is the first and great commandment.
39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
This verse clearly states that our love, the opposite of hate, of others is the second most important thing we are commanded to do, next only to our love of God. For this reason we are required to love those in Christ even if they hurt us deeply. It is not just for them, that they may be given grace in Christ through us, but also for our own salvation. Do we really love all Christians as we love ourselves? Are we in hatred of anyone? In our mind? In our heart? The opposite of love (agape / giving) is hate (taking from someone or not putting them first). Hate is sin. This is why it is able to separate us from God and cause a loss of eternal life.
Any thoughts?
Thank you for letting me share.
1 John 3:15 (King James Version)15Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
1 John 3:15 (Amplified Bible)15Anyone who hates (abominates, detests) his brother [in Christ] is [at heart] a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding ([a]persevering) within him.
I think this verse is extremely powerful. At the heart I believe this verse states even thinking an evil thought or keeping an evil thought concerning another Christian in your heart is enough to cause a loss of eternal life. This fits perfectly with Matthew 22...
Matthew 22:34-40 (King James Version)
34But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.
35Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38This is the first and great commandment.
39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
This verse clearly states that our love, the opposite of hate, of others is the second most important thing we are commanded to do, next only to our love of God. For this reason we are required to love those in Christ even if they hurt us deeply. It is not just for them, that they may be given grace in Christ through us, but also for our own salvation. Do we really love all Christians as we love ourselves? Are we in hatred of anyone? In our mind? In our heart? The opposite of love (agape / giving) is hate (taking from someone or not putting them first). Hate is sin. This is why it is able to separate us from God and cause a loss of eternal life.
Any thoughts?
Thank you for letting me share.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Breakfast Prayer
Boy, I thought my dog was obedient. Turns out she needs to spend some time with this hound!
Be still and know I'm here ...
I thought this song would be appropriate considering our conversation last week. :)
As I am sure you can tell by now I enjoy music very much. I think it is an extremely pure form of communication and I enjoy the emotion it invokes. No matter the storms that may surround you throughout the week gentlemen my prayer for you is that you will always find peace in Him who has the ability to calm any sea. I truly believe it is in the center of these storms of life we need to be still and hear His voice the most.
Mark 4:37-39 (King James Version)
37And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
38And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
39And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
Psalm 46:10-11 (King James Version)
10Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
11The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
As I am sure you can tell by now I enjoy music very much. I think it is an extremely pure form of communication and I enjoy the emotion it invokes. No matter the storms that may surround you throughout the week gentlemen my prayer for you is that you will always find peace in Him who has the ability to calm any sea. I truly believe it is in the center of these storms of life we need to be still and hear His voice the most.
Mark 4:37-39 (King James Version)
37And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
38And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
39And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
Psalm 46:10-11 (King James Version)
10Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
11The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
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