Friday, August 31, 2012

The Knowledge of God


By what means may the knowledge of God be acquired?

By teaching

2 Chronicles 30:22  

Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites, who showed good understanding of the service of the LORD. For the seven days they ate their assigned portion and offered fellowship offerings and praised the LORD, the God of their fathers.

1 Corinthians 12:28  

And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.

John 5:39-44  

39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me,

40 yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

41 “I do not accept praise from men,

42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts.

43 I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.

44 How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?

Matthew 13:13-15  

13 This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “‘you will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.

15 For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’

John 8:43  

Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say.

John 8:47  

He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”




God’s Verse for God’s people


Romans 1:16

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

As believers in Christ, we should not be ashamed of the Gospel because it is this very Gospel that has snatched us from the pit of hell. This wonderful news is open to anyone who will believe upon Jesus as Christ and Lord.

Rejoice in this good news! Take heart in the wonderful mercies of the Lord! Be not ashamed for the sake of your life-giving faith! Proclaim the loving-kindness of the Lord unto all the nations with boldness that we who believe might fruitfully multiply the kingdom of heaven! Persevere in His strength, making disciples of all the world that others might share in the Gospel-joy that we, ourselves, have been granted to embrace!

Examples of being angry


Esau against Jacob

Genesis 27:45

 When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I'll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?”

Jacob against Rachel

Genesis 30:2 

Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?”

Simeon and Levi against Shechem

Genesis 49:6-7 

6 Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.

7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.

Moses against Pharaoh

Exodus 11:8 

All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me and saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will leave.” Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh.

Moses against Israel

Exodus 32:19 

When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain.

David against rich man

2 Samuel 12:5 

David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die!

Nebuchadnezzar against wise men

Daniel 2:12 

This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon.

Jesus against hypocrites

Mark 3:5 

He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.



God’s Verse for God’s people


Get In Step

Ephesians 5:15 

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,

Ephesians 6:18 

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Glued to the Good

Romans 12:9 

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

God Directs If...

Proverbs 3:5 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6  in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Forty Years of Probation by Humiliation and Servitude


Israel under the Philistines

Judges 13:1  

Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, so the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years.

Israel in the time of Eli

1 Samuel 4:18  

When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man and heavy. He had led Israel forty years.

Israel under Saul

Acts 13:21  

Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years.

40 Years of Probation by Waiting

Moses in Egypt

Acts 7:23  

“When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his fellow Israelites.

Moses in Median

Acts 7:30  

“After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.

Inspirational Quotes from Famous People

 I have found the greatest power in the world is the power of prayer…Cecil B. DeMille

 Prayer is not an old woman's idle amusement. Properly understood and applied, it is the most potent instrument of action…Mahatma Gandhi The Book of Positive Quotations by John Cook

Examples of good remembrance


Antipas

Revelation 2:13  

I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.

Manipulate God?!

Galatians 3:3-6  

3 Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?

4 Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing?

5 Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?

6 Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Me! Walk On Water

Matthew 14:22-33  

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.

23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,

24 but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.

26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It's a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.”

28 “Lord, if it's you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.

33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”




Thursday, August 30, 2012

Teachings of Christ


Witnessing

Acts 1:8  

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Wives

Luke 14:20  

“Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can't come.’

Luke 14:26  

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.

Worker

Matthew 10:10  

Take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.

Worldliness

Luke 21:34  

“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.

Worm

Mark 9:43-48 

43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.

44  

45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.

46  

47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,

48 where “‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’

Righteousness


Job 33:26  

He prays to God and finds favor with him, he sees God's face and shouts for joy; he is restored by God to his righteous state.

Job 35:2  

“Do you think this is just? You say, ‘I will be cleared by God.’

Job 35:8  

Your wickedness affects only a man like yourself, and your righteousness only the sons of men.

Job 36:3  

I get my knowledge from afar; I will ascribe justice to my Maker.

Job 37:23  

The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.

Psalms 4:1  

Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.

Psalms 4:5  

Offer right sacrifices and trust in the LORD.

Psalms 5:8  

Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies— make straight your way before me.

Psalms 7:8  

Let the LORD judge the peoples. Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High.

Psalm 7:9  

O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts, bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure.

Psalms 7:17  

I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

A New Heart

 “You were taught to be made new in your hearts, to become a new person.”  Ephesians 4:23
What if, for one day and one night, Jesus lives your life with his heart? Your heart gets the day off, and your life is led by the heart of the Christ. His priorities govern your actions. His passions drive your decisions. His love directs your behavior . . .

Would people notice a change? Would you still do what you had planned to do for the next twenty-four hours?... Max Lucado

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Our maturing as God’s sons


In understanding our calling

Philippians 3:12-16  

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

15 All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.

16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

God's Word

Whoever loses his life 

Matthew 10:37-39  

37 “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;

38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Peril

Romans 8:35  

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

Lust

Proverbs 6:25  

Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes,


Bible verses for comfort


Matthew 5:4  

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Matthew 6:19-34  

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.

23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.

29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

30  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.



God’s Verse for God’s people


Surrender

Psalms 13:3-6 

3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

4 my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.

6 I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.

2 Kings 6:15-19  

15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” the servant asked.

16 “Don't be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

17 And Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

18 As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, “Strike these people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.

19 Elisha told them, “This is not the road and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to Samaria.


Ways of Backsliders


Fall from grace

Galatians 5:4 

You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

Turn again to the old bondage of sin

Galatians 4:9 

But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?

Galatians 5:1 

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 6:1 

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.

Put away faith

1 Timothy 1:9 

We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers,

Turn aside after Satan

1 Timothy 5:5 

The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help.

Depart from the faith

1 Timothy 4:1-8

1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.

4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,

5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

6 If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.

7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.

8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

200 Miscellaneous Commands from the Bible


   (194 to 200 out of 200)

194

Wives, submit to husbands

Ephesians 5:22  

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.

Colossians 3:18  

Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

1 Peter 3:1-6  

1 Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husband’s so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives,

2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.

3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.

4 Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.

5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands,

6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

            195

Work with own hands

1 Thessalonians 4:11  

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you,

            196

Work or do not

2 Thessalonians 3:10-11  

10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”

11 We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies.

            197

Work out own salvation

Philippians 2:12  

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,

            198

Yield not members to sin

Romans 6:13  

Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.

            199

Yield self to God

Romans 6:13  

Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.

            200     

Yield members to righteousness

Romans 6:13  

Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.