Thursday, March 31, 2016

Word of God


God breathed.
Genesis 2:7
Join 20: 22
Hebrews 4:12


Matthew 4:4
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’  ”

After 40 days of fasting when Jesus was hungry, he says these words that
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that Proceeds out of the mouth of God.
In these fasting days when we don't take food, we should learn how to live by every Word that comes from God.

In Deuteronomy 3:8
God has humbled Israelites, let go hungry. In all this Gods intention is to make us understand that man shall live by every Word that comes from God.
Today we may be going through Wilderness, or may be hungry or as we heard yesterday we may go through plowing time, but in all this the Lords intention and purpose is that we will understand that we can only live by Gods Word.

Declare that I live by every Word that comes from God.

because Psalm 138:2

For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.

Today I want to put forward some insights that i learned about how to live by this Word of God.

1.  Believe in the Word.
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Believe in the Word might look very simple and we might say I believe in the Word.
But many times we end up not believing.

Israelities have seen miracles of God year after year. they saw red sea parted, they have seen great things that this world could ever see.
they also know the Word of God that Moses has given them.
but what is lacking is they did not believe.

See this below scripture where Moses says after all this you did not believe Him.
Deuteronomy 1:32
29 “Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified, or afraid of them.30 The Lord your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, 31 and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ 32 Yet, for all that, you did not believe theLord your God, 33 who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day.



Why do we fail to believe.

We try to belittle the power of Word of God.

We often tend to think that this Word worked for them, this may not work for me.
or we might say they are very spiritual but am not that much spiritual so it may not work for me.
We try to diminish ourselves, but infact we are not diminishing ourselves but we are diminishing the Word of God.

Before I believed in God truly and i took baptism, i always thought Can God forgive a sinner a like me.
then when i went to Church , the elder spoke these words from Isaiah 1:18
Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.

Another reason why we fail to believe
John 5.44
How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God  ?
We are actually in a world where people always try accept the glory that comes from one another.

Jesus always looked for the glory from the Father.
When somebody said good teacher, Jesus said why do you call me good.
But when Father said My beloved Son in whom am well pleased, He rejoiced.

but our case is different.

It starts from very small things like oh you are looking handsome.
You are very intelligent
You kids are so good.
Glory from one another.

The more we try to seek glory from men we believe less in God's Word.
Seek the glory that comes only  from God.
God has bestowed glory n honor for man. That glory is that  man is made in the image of God.
Transforming into likeness of Christ  is what is seeking glory from God.
Psalm 8:4,5
what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?  You have made them a little lower than the angels  and crowned them with glory and honor.


Today, Do you believe this Word is True and it is Gods Word.
This Word changes my life and I believe it and take it.
Job 23:12
I have not departed from the commandment of His lips;
I have treasured the words of His mouth
More than my necessary food.

Job says He has treasured the Word of God more than food.
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How to read the Word

Joy or Delight
Recently i read in a job profiles website ( linked in), that one of my friend posted that  I am one those few lucky ones whose job is also their hobby.
he is so joyful in his job because his hobby is also software development.

To read the Word you should have joy.
If there is anyone who took so much  joy in the Word it is David. and he says

Psalm 1:2 
            His delight is on the law of the Lord.

         You should know this Word leads you to God. First if you have Love for God then any means            to know the Lord you will take joy in it.
David loved God so much and as a result He loved His Word so much.
Psalm 119:92
Unless your law has been my delight. I would have perished in my affiction.

 Delighting the Word is good and what next.        

Joshua 1:8
Keep the book of the Law on your lips. Not in bag. Not in the book shelf ,not on the car,  but on your lips. Not even on Smart Phone which is ever ready. but on your lips.
Meditate on it day n night.
Once you have the Word on your lips,  start using those Words and mediate on it  day n night , that 
 It is not about just reading the Bible. Once you read the Word and start thinking what is God speaking from that Word.
we should also learn to meditate during the daily activities of life. and that way it helps us to take decisions correctly.

reading the Word is one thing and Meditation is another thing.
Meditate on Word day and night.
Why meditation is so important,
Psalmist says in Psalm 119:24,
Even though Princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statues. The W
The World might be busy in plotting against you, but as a believer you will be meditating, because in that meditation God hears you and delivers you.

Careful meditation of the Word.
Lot of times we read the Word as regular routine and end up getting nothing out of it.
Word of God is like a treasure. The more you dig it, the more precious things you will find.
Read Carefully. Word by Word.

Joshua 14:7
we heard other day Ruby talking about how Caleb was speaking what was in his heart .
I read this word many times but did nt pay attention to it.
pay careful attention to the Word and God will speak to us.

Acts 17:11
Berean believers carefully observed the scriptures.

Careful attention to scripture is required, Paul says even single letter also matters.
Galatians 3:16

 16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,”[i] who is Christ


Because Joshua mediated day n night on Word, he did all that Lord commanded.
Joshua 11:15
As the Lord commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did it; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses.
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Take the Word as a Whole.
We are living in a world of 1% milk, 2% milk or fat free, we rarely take whole milk.

But the Word of God we should it take it as a Whole.
Many times we takes the Word partially and try to apply in our lives,  but the Word in total is true.
The entirety of Your word is truth,
And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever
For example
Palm 130:4
 But there  is  forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.
It is easy to say With God there is forgiveness. that is only partial true.
But the entire Truth is that oh God forgave me because I should fear my God.
So take the entire Word is true.
Don't just take few parts of the Word and leave out the Precious things.

There are different types of Word that comes to us.
Some comforting,
Some encouraging.
Some Correction.
Some Very harsh.
2 Timothy 3:16

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
Doctrine
Reproof
Correction
Instruction in righteousness.


Whenever I used to read the Word, if there is a Word like
Jeremiah 29:11
God has  good plans for me, a bright future me. I will read it very interestingly. and meditate on.
But if a harsh Word comes like.

Isaiah 5:8
Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land.

I try to avoid reading such harsh words.
But sometimes harsh words will correct us and helps us to draw closer to God. 
If you take offense at harsh words then you are a failure, but if you are corrected by harsh word then its blessing.

when Lord Jesus called peter , get behind me satan, he did not took offense.

The entirety of Your word is truth
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 Do Not Twist the Word of God for self gain.

Matthew 4:5 


Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:
‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’
and,
‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’[b]

Here we see satan trying to twist the Word of God.
Its not just reading the Word, but correctly taking the Word.
But Jesus said Dont test the Lord, but Trust the Lord.
it looks very close, it is the same verse. but a world of difference in interpretation.

Another way people twist the scripture is by missing the main point  but beating the bush around.
Pharisees were like that, they quote scriptures, but they miss out the main essence of it.
Matthew 23:23,24

23 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens,[g] but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. 24 Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel![h]


Itching ears.
When we try to use the Word to suit our own desires.
you might look like  living a very chrisitian life but missing the essence of it.

2 Timothy 4:3 says
For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

Apply Word for myself:
Pharisees always apply the Word to others but they themselves lived a rotten life.
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Sunday, March 13, 2016

Psalm 69 (25-36)

V 26
For they persecute the ones You have struck,
And talk of the grief of those You have wounded


Sometimes when a brother or sister goes through suffering , we might look at them and say they might have done some thing wrong.
they might have sinned against God, that is why they go through this.
Its easy to pass comments.

When Job went through suffering, his friends talk about the grief of Job. and said its because of his sin.
When Lord Jesus was on cross, roman soldiers were mocking at Him.

How foolish it is to comment upon others suffering, rather than praying for them and helping them , encouraging them.

Hebrews 12:6
For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives

But the attitude of a believer should be.

V 29:
But I am poor and sorrowful;
Let Your salvation, O God, set me up on high


When everybody in the world brought down Psalmist through their words, persecution, he is asking God, Lord let Your salvation put me on higher plane.
He is not talking about his sufferings, but he is talking about Salvation that sets a person on high. 
The Salvation of God puts a person on higher ground. The victorious life He gives us is what set us apart from the world.

On what basis are we above this world?
Is it because we are Christians we richer than everybody.
No there are many atheist CEOs who has more money than anybody else.
It is the Salvation of God , the Church is on higher  ground than all the world.
It is the Victorious Life that the Church is higher. So when Paul enters a city, they didnt say here is most handsome people that has come, here is the most richest people that has come, they say here is the people who turned the world upside down.

V31: The Thanksgiving song will please God better than ox or bull.
It is not the offering that you put ,  but it is the thankful heart.
we know the parable of unforgiving servant. 
the problem for that servant is he is not thankful.
Anytime there is no song of thankfulness, you will start looking down on people.


Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Isaiah 57:15
For thus says the High and Lofty One
Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
“I dwell in the high and holy place,
With him who has a contrite and humble spirit,
To revive the spirit of the humble,
And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

God dwells in two places.
One is High and holy place.
and second is with those  who has a contrite and humble spirit.