Do You Believe in God?

 

Matthew 6:33

". seek ye first the kingdom of God..."

Do you believe in God? I do! Do you believe the Bible is God’s written word? I do!

The following is part of an email I received last week, 3 August 2022. Since the author is well known and currently speaking at many conferences, I am not identifying the author.

“I’ve got a story to tell,” begins with the author’s credentials and extensive travel experiences. The author continues writing about visiting the largest Cathedral [gives the name] in the Middle East. Then the author continues “I proclaimed in that country that Christians, Jews, and Muslims are all children of Abraham.” The author continues, “What a marvelous message that God heals the deepest of wounds and brings people together, for we are all His children.” Yes, this is just part of the Bible.

As Paul Harvey used to say, “for the rest of the story…”

God has given each of us a different life plan, yet there is one God. God’s purpose for creating me and you, our main assignment, is to love God, part of Exodus 20, "I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me."  In Matthew 22:36-38, Jesus replies, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."

Let us also read: 

Galatians 3:26, "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."

2Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

Believe the WHOLE Bible: Romans 9:1-15, "... Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.  That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed..." 

Please pray and ask God, the one true God, to speak to your mind and heart. Please, if we are called Christians, if we believe the Bible, speak in love about the whole scripture. We are doing the people of the world a disservice when we pick and choose!!!

scripture is from https://www.biblegateway.com/ the KJV

 

The importance of history, ALL history!!!

 

YOUR history, MY history, ALL history is important. I can better understand you when I can understand your background. An old Native American saying, “Never judge people until you have walked a mile in their moccasins.” Let us walk together that mile and if necessary an extra mile!!!

 We read in Genesis where Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery. Joseph could have become very angry and bitter. Read more about the life of Joseph in Genesis 37:1-50:26. His life is summed up in 50:19* “But Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result — the survival of many people…’” What was Joseph’s focus? Where would the people of Israel be without Joseph’s focus on God?

Biblical history repeats many, many wars for what purpose? At age 81, I still have many, many lessons to learn. We are created in God’s image for a relationship with Him. Adam and Eve had that perfect relationship; so, there was no need for laws. Adam and Eve took their eyes off God and exchanged their perfect relationship for a lie. They exchanged God’s truth for the devil’s lie.  God gave Moses the first recorded set of moral laws followed by many more. Bishop Clarence E. McClendon explained the need for laws, spiritual, moral and physical, in one of his services during the early months of 2020. For more teaching by Bishop Clarence E. McClendon, view his website, Clarence E. McClendon Ministries. 

Are you familiar with the song “Amazing Grace”? Many people, including myself have received great comfort from hearing “Amazing Grace.” This song was written during a period in our history of much pain and suffering.  Probably without this suffering, we would have been deprived of this comforting song. View for yourself the rest of the story; watch the free movie “Freedom” with Cuba Gooding, Jr. 

 The history of survival, one day the family was fighting on one side, the next week necessity meant fighting on the other side. A Civil War soldier, Solomon Whitaker, from North Carolina enlisted in the Confederate and Union Army. The records to substantiate this claim are found in his Union Civil War Pension application. The originating agency may have changed the document order. Reading the two pension applications, it appears that some of the papers from Mr. Whitaker’s first application appear mixed with the widow application.

The two pension applications have been combined into one packet. Solomon J. Whitaker, Company I, Reg’t N.C. Mounted Infantry, filed 9 July 1890 with application number 799.435 and certificate number 567.502. Elmina F. Whitaker, widow, filed 2 March 1896 with application number 630249. Solomon J. Whitaker pension application number 799.435 includes:

• Medical affidavit with physical information as to reason requesting invalid status
• Neighbor’s affidavit with information as to personal knowledge of character and habits
• Claimant’s affidavit with reason for applying for pension
• Declaration for invalid pension with full name, age, location, service, and reason for soliciting for assistance

The board of pension examiners may request additional information such as further medical notes or in Mr. Whitaker’s case, information on his service in the C.S.A. and the U.S. Army.

U.S. Army:

• Enlisted in Knoxville, TN on 1 March 1865 in Company I 3rd Regiment of N.C. Mounted Infantry and Volunteer as a private
• Honorably discharged in Knoxville, TN on 3 August 1865
• Unable to earn support by reason of nervous prostration and disease of the liver

C.S.A. Militia General Affidavit:

• “…always heard him talk favorably about the union and against the confederacy…he did not go into service until he had to under the conscript law…” M.L. Underwood
• “…Yes he was in the Confederate Army. He was first in the militia which was afterwards organized into Henry’s Battalion…”John Moore
• “…he served in what was known as Henry’s Battalion of home guards…” Mark Moore
• The board requested information on the Confederate Capt. Harris’ Co. 14 Battalion N.C. Inf. James Henry Colonel or Co. A. Henry’s Battalion C.S.A. Commissioner of pension findings that “there are no rolls of said organization on file.”
• Several other long letters were written about Mr. Whitaker joining the home guard to avoid being sent to the front lines. One letter states that in February or March of 1865 many men from the home guard unit went to Knoxville, Tennessee, to join the Union Army.

What would you do to preserve your family?

Not long after William Lange, 1846-1928, arrived in Frankfort, Will County, Illinois, he signed up to fight. Family research reveals his name as Long, Lang, or Lange. What is correct? I have DNA family members spelling their surname name Long; we are one and the same family. When and where did the spelling change? Was it a language misunderstanding?  While searching for the family roots, I found in his Civil War Pension Files the spelling in his country of origin is Lange. With this information, I was able to trace the family further back. Read the blog article. 

*CSB Tony Evans Study Bible, Holman Bible Publishers, 2019.

Finding Favor With God and Man

Proverbs 3:1-4 

The Rewards of Wisdom

My son, do not forget my teaching,

But let your heart keep my commandments;

 

For length of days and years of life

And peace they will add to you.

 

Do not let kindness and truth leave you;

Bind them around your neck,

Write them on the tablet of your heart.

So you will find favor and good repute

In the sight of God and man.

www.biblegateway.com New American Standard Bible (NASB)

   One of our basic human needs is acceptance. Without it, we feel alienated or maybe even rejected. In the Bible, acceptance is often referred to as "favor." For example, when Joseph was sold into slavery, Genesis 39:4 says he "found favor" in the sight of his master Potiphar and was put in charge of the official's entire household. Joseph found acceptance and approval because of his exemplary behavior.

   Whose favor are you longing to receive? Do you desire God's approval? Today's text shows us how we can find favor with both God and man.

   FIRST, WE SHOULD VALUE THE LORD'S TEACHING. God blessed us by giving us HIs Word, but not everyone makes it a priority. We should recognize Scripture as our most valuable earthly possession because it is God's revelation of Himself and His instructions for us.

   SECOND, WE SHOULD MAKE OBEDIENCE TO GOD A MATTER OF THE HEART. Following His commands is about far more than just external rule keeping; it involves not only our actions but our attitudes and thoughts as well.

   THIRD, WE ARE TO LET KINDNESS AND TRUTH CHARACTERIZE OUR LIFE. When we are wholeheartedly living in obedience to God's commands, the effect will spill over into our relationships, as kindness and truth become the guardians of our words and actions.

   Although the Christian faith may evoke a negative response from some, believers shouldn't be discouraged. A life that reflects Christ pleases God. And in bringing light to a dark world, an obedient life will also bring the favor of many in its circle of influence.

Stanley, Charles F. "Finding Favor With God and Man." In Touch: Daily Readings for Devoted Living. February 2018. Atlanta, In Touch Ministries. page 35.

The Savior's Missions

John 14:6

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  NIV Bible Gateway.com

   Many believers know Jesus Christ is the Son of God, but we should also understand His mission, how He fulfilled it, and what that means to each of us. Christ had a twofold goal in coming to earth: to provide us with a tangible image of who God is, and to die in our place to pay our penalty for sin.   What an incredible plan! The omnipotent, omniscient Lord had existed since eternity past (John 1:1; 8:58). Yet for a time, He set aside power and strength that were rightfully His, so that He could become like us. Because God-in-human-flesh lived His life before men, we can better understand our heavenly Father (Col. 1:15).
   Through Christ's sacrifice, we are invited into an eternal relationship with God. You see, Scripture teaches that every descendant of  Adam is guilty of sin (Isa. 53:6; Rom. 3:23), and the punishment is death ( Rom.6:23). The penalt must be paid by the shedding of blood (Lev.17:11). Yet the Father can accept nothing less than a perfect sacrifice (Deut. 17:1). The Savior - who was fully God, fully man, and 100 percent innocent - died a humiliating, excruciating death to pay the debt we couldn't afford. He is the only one who could lay down His life to save us and bridge the gap between each person and the Father.
   There is no possible way for us to earn our salvation. It is an awesome gift that the Father freely offers to each one of us. The only requirement is that we receive Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and follow Him. Have you chosen to accept this amazing blessing fro the Fathers hand? 
Stanley, Charles F. "The Savior's Mission." In Touch: Daily Readings For Devoted Living August 2016. Atlanta: In Touch Ministries. page 29. 

"The Knowledge of the Holy" by A. W. Tozer review

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Proverbs 9:10

The following gleanings are from The Knowledge of the Holy, The Attributes of God: Their Meaning in the Christian Life by A.W. Tozer.

“It is impossible to keep our moral practices sound and our inward attitudes right while our idea of God is erroneous or inadequate.”

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.

The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man’s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God.

For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like. We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God. This is true not only of the individual Christian, but of the company of Christians that composes the Church. Always the most revealing thing about the Church is her idea of God, just as her most significant message is what she says about Him or leaves unsaid, for her silence is often more eloquent than her speech. She can never escape the self-disclosure of her witness concerning God.”

“Thought and speech are God’s gifts to creatures made in His image; these are intimately associated with Him and impossible apart from Him. It is highly significant that the first word was the Word: ‘And the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’ We may speak because God spoke. In Him word and idea are indivisible.

That our idea of God correspond as nearly as possible to the true being of God is of immense importance to us… Only after an ordeal of painful self-probing are we likely to discover what we actually believe about God.

A right concept of God is basic not only to systematic theology but to practical Christian living as well. It is to worship what the foundation is to the temple; where it is inadequate or out of plumb the whole structure must sooner or later collapse.”

“The heaviest obligation lying upon the Christian Church today is to purify and elevate her concept of God until it is once more worthy of Him-and of her. In all her prayers and labors this should have first place. We do the greatest service to the next generation of Christians by passing on to them undimmed and undiminished that noble concept of God which we received from our Hebrew and Christian fathers of generations past. This will prove of greater value to them than anything that art or science can devise.

O God of Bethel, by whose hand

Thy people still are fed;

Who through this weary pilgrimage

Has all our fathers led!

Our vows, our prayers we now present

Before Thy throne of grace:

God of our fathers! Be the God

Of their succeeding race.

Philip Doddridge

“The child, the philosopher, and the religionist have all one question: ‘What is God like?’

This book is an attempt to answer that question. Yet at the outset I must acknowledge that it cannot be answered except to say that God is not like anything; that is, He is not exactly like anything or anybody.

We learn by using what we already know as a bridge over which we pass to the unknown. It is not possible for the mind to crash suddenly past the familiar into the totally unfamiliar. Even the most vigorous and daring mind is unable to create something out of nothing by a spontaneous act of imagination…”

“When the Spirit would acquaint us with something that lies beyond the field of our knowledge, He tells us that this thing is like something we already know, but He is always careful to phrase His description so as to save us from slavish literalism…”

“When the Scripture states that man was made in the image of God, we dare not add to that statement an idea from our own head and make it mean ‘in the exact image.’ To do so is to make man a replica of God, and that is to lose the unicity of God and end with no God at all… To think of creature and Creator as alike in essential being is to rob God of most of His attributes and reduce Him to the status of a creature. It is, for instance, to rob Him of His infinitude: there cannot be two unlimited substances in the universe. It is to take away His sovereignty: there cannot be two absolutely free beings in the universe, for sooner or later two completely free wills must collide. These attributes, to mention no more, require that there be but one to whom they belong.

When we try to imagine what God is like we must of necessity use that-which-is-not-God as the raw material for our minds to work on; hence whatever we visualize God to be, He is not, for we have constructed our image out of that which He has made and what He has made is not God.”

“If what we conceive God to be He is not, how then shall we think of Him? …how can we Christians satisfy our longing after Him?”

“The yearning to know What cannot be known, to comprehend the Incomprehensible, to touch and taste the Unapproachable, arises from the image of God in the nature of man…”

“The answer of the Bible is simply ‘through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ In Christ and by Christ, God effects complete self-disclosure, although He shows himself not to reason but to faith and love. Faith is an organ of knowledge, and love an organ of experience. God came to us in the incarnation; in atonement He reconciled us to Himself, and by faith, and love we enter and lay hold on Him.”

“’What is God like?’ If by that question we mean ‘What is God like in Himself?’ there is no answer. If we mean ‘What has God disclosed about Himself that the reverent reason can comprehend?’ there is, I believe, an answer both full and satisfying. For while the name of God is secret and His essential nature incomprehensible, He in condescending love has by revelation declared certain things to be true of Himself. These we call His attributes.”

“That God can be known by the soul in tender personal experience while remaining infinitely aloof from the curious eyes of reason constitutes a paradox best described as

Darkness to the intellect

But sunshine to the heart.

Frederick W. Faber.”

 

A Divine Attribute: Something True About God

“For the purpose of this book an attribute of God is whatever God has in any way revealed as being true of Himself… If we would think accurately about the attributes of God, we must learn to reject certain words that are sure to come crowding into our minds-such words as trait, characteristic, quality, words which are proper and necessary when we are considering created beings but altogether inappropriate when we are thinking about God. We must break ourselves of the habit of thinking of the Creator as we think of His creatures… An attribute, then, is not a part of God. It is how God is, and as far as the reasoning mind can go, we may say that it is what God is, though, as I have tried to explain, exactly what He is He cannot tell us.”

“Every man lives by faith, the nonbeliever as well as the saint; the one by faith in natural laws and the other by faith in God…”

 

The Holy Trinity

“A popular belief among Christians divides the work of God between the three Persons, giving a specific part to each, as, for instance, creation to the Father, redemption to the Son, and regeneration to the Holy Spirit. This is partly true but not wholly so, for God cannot so divide Himself that one Person works while another is inactive. In the Scriptures the three Persons are shown to act in harmonious unity in all the mighty works that are wrought throughout the universe.

In the Holy Scriptures the work of creation is attributed to the Father (Gen. 1:1), to the Son (Col. 1:16), and the Holy Spirit (Job 26:13 and Ps 104:30). The incarnation is shown to have been accomplished by the three Persons in full accord (Luke 1:35), though only the Son became flesh to dwell among us. At Christ’s baptism the Son came up out o the water, the Spirit descended upon Him and the Father’s voice spoke from heaven (Matt. 3:16, 17). Probably the most beautiful description of the work of atonement is found in Hebrews 9:14, where it is stated that Christ, through the Eternal Spirit, offered Himself without spot to God; and there we behold the three Persons operating together.

The resurrection of Christ is likewise attributed variously to the Father (Acts 2:32), to the Son (John 10:17, 18), and to the Holy Spirit (Rom. 1:4). The salvation of the individual man is shown by the apostle Peter to be the work of all three Persons of the Godhead (I Peter 1:2), and the indwelling of the Christian man’s soul is said to be by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (John 14:15-23).

The doctrine of the Trinity, as I have said before, is truth for the heart. The fact that it cannot be satisfactorily explained, instead of being against it, is in its favor. Such a truth had to be revealed; no one could have imagined it.”

O Blessed Trinity!

O simplest Majesty! O Three in One!

Thou art for ever God alone.

Holy Trinity!

Blessed equal Three.

One God, we praise thee.

Frederick W. Faber

Praying the Promises of God

Isaiah 40:8

The grass withers and the flowers fall,
    but the word of our God endures forever.

  Jesus made it clear that we would endure many hardships in this life. But God provided amazing tools to keep trials from overwhelming us. For instance, He placed His Spirit inside each believer to guide and empower. In addition, He gave us prayer so we could not only communicate and stay connected with our Father but also bring Him our requests.

   Today I want to focus on yet another one of His marvelous gifts: the Bible. Scripture is the actual Word of God Almighty. It is truth. It never changes. It enables us in all circumstances, so we have a sure foundation on which to base our lives and decisions.

   There are thousands of promises in the Bible - countless assurances that we can rely on with perfect confidence. God wants us to learn them so we won't miss out on blessings He wants to give. And wise believers will turn His promises into prayers, which they express as the cry of their heart.

   Let me give you a example that relates to difficult decisions. Psalm 32:8 states, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you." We can pray God's words back to Him, saying we believe that He will teach us and reveal His path - and that He'll remain by our side as our caregiver through the entire situation.

   When hardships arise, we need a solid foundation on which to stand. Otherwise, our emotions could easily lead us astray through faulty thinking. God is faithful and unchanging, so we can trust in His promises, which enable us to rest confidently and act boldly.

 Stanley, Charles F. "Praying the Promises of God." In Touch: Daily Readings For Devoted Living. April 2016. page 30.

Eternal Security: You Can Be Sure

Hebrews 7:24-25

²⁴ but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. ²⁵ Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. 

NIV from www.biblegateway.com

    We spend a lot of time worrying about physical needs - such as our house, car, food, finances, and health. All these are important in our life, but one form of assurance supersedes all the others.  God desires for us to be confident in Him and in His saving grace. He gives us several reasons to be sure of our eternal security.

• Jesus makes a personal promise to all believers: "No one will snatch [you] out of my hand" (John 10:28) - and He does not make promises unless He intends to keep them. To assume that we can take an action that would separate us from the Lord once we have been saved would essentially be calling Him a liar.

• The hand of God is used throughout Scripture as a symbol of His strength. Once we have received Christ, we are safely in His palm, and no force or action can remove us. If Satan could snatch us away, either by tempting us into sin or through his own power, it would mean he is stronger than God. We know that isn't true because God is omnipotent (2 Chron. 20:6).

• Jesus is our advocate with a holy God who cannot look upon sin. In fact, Hebrews 7:25 tell us that Christ "save [s] forever" because He is available to intercede with God on our behalf. In human terms, Jesus is at the right hand of God as a tangible reminder that our sin debt is paid in full.

  Through His Son Jesus, God has offered us not only salvation, but salvation eternally, with no loopholes, caveats, or maybes. You can be sure!

Stanley, Charles F. "Eternal Security: You Can Be Sure." In Touch: Daily Readings For Devoted Living. April 2016. page 26.