Nehemiah 9

So, in my quiet times I've been reading through Nehemiah and I just wanted to share with you something that stood out to me. First of all, go read Nehemiah 9, then come back and read what I got out of this chapter. Or go read the whole book... ;)

When I read this chapter it really stood out to me how merciful and faithful our God is. I mean think about it. The Israelites would turn away from God; then God would give them into the hands of their enemies and allow them to suffer. In the midst of their suffering the Israelites would cry out to the Lord. Then God would hear them from heaven and delivered them according to Your great mercies. The phrase "according to Your great mercies" is used three times in this chapter referring to God delivering the Israelites. I'd say its something pretty significant if it's mentioned three times! One of the times it is mentioned in verse 31 which says "Nevertheless, in Your great mercies You did not make an end of them or forsake them, for You are a gracious and merciful God." Back up to verse 17b "But You are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them." He is a gracious and merciful God, ready to forgive!

How many times a day do we turn away from the Lord and fall into sin? I am so thankful that God is a gracious and merciful God, ready to forgive! Do I deserve His grace, mercy, and forgiveness? No, I deserve eternal life apart from God. But God so graciously and mercifully forgave me of my sins and redeemed me by the blood of His Son! No matter how many times I sin and come running to God for forgiveness, He will always forgive me, just like He forgave the Israelites. How encouraging is that? We truly serve a great God!

Bound for the Promised Land!

Today I listened to Jars of Clay sing a song called "On Jordan's Stormy Banks I Stand." This song is such a great reminder that we are bound; we are bound for the Promised Land! How encouraging these lyrics are to me - reminding me to live in such a way that pleases Christ, because we are indeed bound for eternity with Him if we are His true children! Here are the lyrics to this great song:

On Jordan's stormy banks I stand
And cast a wishful eye
To Canaan's fair and happy land
Where my possessions lie

All o'er those wide extended plains
Shines one eternal day
There God, the Son forever reigns
And scatters night away.

I am bound, I am bound, I am bound for the Promised Land
I am bound, I am bound, I am bound for the Promised Land

No chilling wind nor poisonous breath
Can reach that healthful shore
Where sickness, sorrow, pain and death
Are felt and feared no more

I am bound, I am bound, I am bound for the Promised Land
I am bound, I am bound, I am bound for the Promised Land

When shall I see that happy place
And be forever blessed
When shall I see my Father's face
And in His bosom rest

I am bound, I am bound, I am bound for the Promised Land
I am bound, I am bound, I am bound for the Promised Land

Here's the link to listen to it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtHfLcp1F3U

Lukewarm Christianity

Have you ever considered your life in light of eternity? What is the point of life - why are we here? Are you just living for the here and now? Are you a lukewarm Christian?

My prayer for myself and others is that we are not lukewarm Christians; that we live life to the fullest and understand why we were created. Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Revelation 3:15-16 says "I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth."

We cannot be lukewarm about Christianity...it's all or nothing. You are either a follower of God, or you're not. You can't be both. Matthew 6:24 says, "No one can serve two masters, for 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 God and money." You either love God or you don't.

I want to live for God to the fullest. I want to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. I want to study His Scriptures and grow closer to Him. I want to love Him.

Psalm 63:1-5 "O God, you are my God: earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in you name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips". - I pray that this will be true and evident in my life. God alone is worthy to be praised!

Double Predestination?

In Sunday School at Grace Community Church, Pastor Brian Harvey is going through Ephesians with the college and career group. We just started this study a few weeks ago and have already hit some pretty deep stuff, for instance: predestination. I will attempt to explain from my notes...I don't know how many people read this, but even if no one does, it helps me to process my thoughts and see what I learned by writing it out; so here goes!

Predestined means to decide upon beforehand according to His (God's) will. God predestined those whom He saves. Also, this term, predestined, is always used to say that God saves someone - not that condemns them. So, the question was brought up, "what about Romans 9:22-23?" Does it teach double-predestination - since God chooses some people to be saved, He also condemns the rest. No it doesn't teach that. Romans 9:22-23 says,

What if God, desiring to show His wrath and to make known His power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of His glory for vessels of mercy, which He has prepared beforehand for glory.

So are these verses saying that God predestines or decides on beforehand those who spend eternity apart from Him? Let's look at some passages in Scripture:

James 1:13-14 "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God,' for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and entice by his own desire."

This passage is very clear - No one can say, "God made me do it." God tempts no one; when man sins, it's his own fault.

Go back to Romans 9:21 - "Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?" A better word for "dishonorable" is "common". Believers and unbelievers are alike, but we serve different purposes. It is not saying that one person is saved and another is condemned. Unbelievers were not designed for destruction, just common usages. (I hope I haven't lost you yet...this is pretty hard to understand - especially the way I'm writing it. Sorry!)

Anyways, let's keep going to verses 22 and 23. The word "prepared" is used in both of those verses, but they mean different things. In the English, the word "prepared" is the same verb and means the same thing. In the Greek, however, "prepared" doesn't mean the same thing. Let's take a look. In vs. 22 "prepared" is a passive verb; so God is not an active agent in preparation They themselves already prepared themselves. But, in vs. 23 "prepared" is an active verb; God is actively preparing some to save. So even though it's the same word, there is a difference.

Although God does not prepare some for condemnation, He does allow sin to continue to ultimately be used for His glory - to proclaim His glory. Think of the story of Pharaoh and Moses. God allowed Pharaoh to harden his heart and continue in sin for His (God's) eternal purposes. God puts His hand of grace on some, but not others, allowing them to continue in sin.

Do any of us deserve to be saved? That would be a definite NO! We are all on the path to destruction. None of us deserve salvation, but God chooses to save some of us. Why do we ask the question, "How come they aren't saved?" Instead we should be asking, "Why am I saved?"

So, does this passage teach double-predestination? No, it:

1. Shows God's wrath
2. Make His powers known
3. Makes known the riches of His glory in mercy

The purpose of it all is to give God glory and to show His glory.

Are we ever going to grasp this fully? Probably not. Deuteronomy 29:29 "The secret things belong to the Lord out God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." - We won't understand it unless God reveals it to us.

Update

So, I don't really have anything to write about...but I wanted to post something because I hadn't in a while. =] Anyways, I'll just give you a little update on my life.

Currently I'm memorizing Hebrews. I'm not sure why I chose this book, but it's a great book and I encourage everyone to study it! I've been memorizing it since Christmas break and have finished the first three chapters! 3 down 10 to go! I would like to finish before the summer, but we'll see.

Life is very busy this semester...I'm always running around here and there and everywhere. I'm starting to go to two different schools to observe/tutor for two of my classes. I went for the first time this past Friday and was in a fourth grade class. I will be going again this coming Thursday to the same school and hopefully Friday to the other school. I have to have a total of 36 hours altogether this semester - 18 per class. I hope this is making sense...? Anyways, it is keeping me very busy.

I still don't know for sure what I want to major in...it's so hard to decide what to do when I don't really want to do anything; (Okay, I want to do something - be a homemaker!). But while I'm waiting for that to happen, Lord-willing, I'm looking for something to do in the meantime and school seems like the best option. I just need to trust in the sovereignty of God. Easy to say, hard to do. I feel like I worry about it way to much...I need to let it all go and rest in Him.

Well that's a mini-update of what's going on in my life right now. I don't want to bore you too much! ;) haha

Do They See Jesus In Me?

Well, currently I have been having a "study night" tonight, but I'm taking a little break to blog :P ...anyways I was listening to some music and one song in particular (Do They See Jesus In Me? by Joy Williams) stuck out to me. Here are the lyrics:

Is the face that I see in the mirror

the one I want others to see

Do I show in the way that I walk in my life

The love that You've given to me

My heart's desire is to be like You

In all that I do, all I am

Do they see Jesus In Me

Do they recognize Your face

Do I communicate Your love, and Your grace

Do I reflect who You are

In the way I choose to be

Do they see Jesus In Me

It's amazing that you'd ever use me

But use me the way You will

Help me to hold out a heart of

compassionate grace

A heart that You're spirit fills

May I show forgiveness and mercy

The same way You've shown it to me

Now I want to show all the world who You are

The reason I live and breathe

So You'll be the One that they see

When they see me

Just think about those words in the chorus for a minute - "Do they see Jesus in me? Do I communicate Your love and Your grace? Do I reflect who You are in the way I choose to be?" Let these words sink into our mind and your heart and ask yourself, "Is this true in my life?" If not, should it be? Absolutely! We as believers are kind of like mirrors in that we reflect the light of Christ to the world (or at least we should be) Our actions determine what's really in our hearts and if we truly love the Lord it will be evident in our lives. 1 John 3:10 says "By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother." I mentioned this in my last post about practicing righteousness - it is a mark of a true believer. Look at the fruit of the Spirit - Galatians 5:22 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control". Guess what? These fruits should also be evident in a believer's life. Look at 2 Peter 1:5-10:

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if your practice these qualities you will never fall.

Look at what it says in vs. 8 - "for if these qualities are yours and are increasing..." Key word here is 'increasing' - meaning you continue to practice and develop and perfect these qualities throughout your whole sanctification process. We must "be doers of the Word, and not hearers only..." James 1:22. Doing requires action and action shows what's in your heart. You either love God or love the world. Luke 16:13 says "No servant can serve two masters, for 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 God and money." "And He said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'" Matthew 22:37. And finally 1 John 2:15 "Do not love the world or the things in the world." - Which one are you going to choose? Can others see Jesus in you?

1 John

I want to share with y'all (whoever reads this) what I am studying in God's Word. Recently I read the book How to Study the Bible by John MacArthur - a very good book, I highly recommend it. In it, he suggested that you read through the Old Testament in one year (approx. 20 min. a day) and for the New Testament read a book for 30 days straight and take a note card and write the major theme of each chapter, and switch between a short book and a longer book. He also said that for the longer books, you can split them up into different sections, for example the book of John can be split up into 3 sets of 30 days - 7 chapters per set. By studying this way you obtain a greater understanding of the book as a whole.

So, in saying that, I started with 1 John. What's 1 John all about? Basically, it is about living as a believer. It talks a lot about the characteristics of God's children. For example, the children of God:

• keep God's Word and commandments - 2:3
• loves his brother - 2:10
• does not love the world - 2:15
• does the will of God - 2:17
• practices righteousness - 3:7
• does not make a practice of sinning - 3:9
• confesses that Jesus is the Son of God - 4:15
• overcomes the world by faith - 5:4

Just think about this for a second... practicing righteousness. First of all, what does it mean to be righteous? To be righteous is to walk uprightly or in a right relationship with the Lord. In Romans 4:3 it says "Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness." It goes on to say in verse 5 that "the one who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness." Now, justified means to be declared righteous, and verse 5 says that God justifies the ungodly and their faith is counted as righteousness - notice at the beginning that it is to the one who does not work - it's all about faith. (but we'll talk more about faith another time). So back to practicing righteousness, only those who believe in God can walk uprightly with Him. If you look at 1 John 3:10 it says "By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God..." So practicing righteousness is an obvious character trait that marks a believer.

I also noticed how many times the word or any form of the word "abide" was used. It is used 19 times and referenced twice. That's a lot for only 5 chapters! There was abide in Him, in the light, in you, in the Son, in him, in death, in God, and in us. This goes along with the characteristics of believers because often it would say something like - whoever does this abides in God - marking it as a characteristic of a believer.

Anyway, that's just a little bit of what I've been learning. As I continue studying and meditating on God's Word, I hope to grow closer to Him and have a greater understanding of Him. He is all I need and live for.