Christianity Oasis Forum

[dema]

Two in one day - this was to a friend, and then it seems to apply to someone here:

I have found, that to receive the promises of God, we have to give - to meet a prerequisite (something that must be done first).

Confess with your mouth, believe in your heart is a prerequisite to being saved. We have action, God has rewards.

I also believe that what does not kill us makes us strong. That God will teach us easy or God will teach us hard. This economy has been God teaching me hard. Hard like diamonds. HARD.

Psalm 103
New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 103
Of David.
1 Praise the LORD, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.


I believe that the prerequisite (what we have to do first) for receiving these promises of healing, being forgiven, being redeemed, feeling love and compassion, being satisfied - all the lovely promises in this passage is.... Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord deep within you. Praise.


I struggled with the prerequisite in this one, but it is there:

Psalm 23
Amplified Bible (AMP)

Psalm 23
A Psalm of David.
1THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.
2He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.

3He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him--not for my earning it, but] for His name's sake.

4Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.

5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my [brimming] cup runs over.

6Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.





Can you find it? The requirement portion of this lovely poem? What we must do first, in order that we receive?

The Lord is my Shepherd - I am God's sheep. I follow Him around like a little sheep. I let Him lead me. I go where he leads. I am meek like a sheep. He is my boss, my shepherd, my guide. And then, then he does these lovely things for me.

[dema]

Day 1 - Perspective

How we approach life is very important.

Proverbs 15 (English Standard Version)
13 A glad heart makes a cheerful face,
but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.
15All the days of the afflicted are evil,
but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.

Our outlook makes life delightful or turns our days into heavy burdens.

Here is the verse again:

Proverbs 15 (Amplified Bible)
15All the days of the desponding and afflicted are made evil [by anxious thoughts and forebodings], but he who has a glad heart has a continual feast [regardless of circumstances].

We choose how to approach things, and reap the benefits. The choice isn't always easy. It is so tempting to get distracted by minor annoyances - let alone the real tragedies of life. Optimism about life is one aspect of Christ’s promise that 'as you believe so shall you receive'. Acting joyful increases joy - in your own life and in those around you.

Proverbs 17 (English Standard Version)
22 A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

I personally don't want dried bones. Is that like osteoporosis?

We always have at least one great reason to be happy:

Psalm 144 (New Living Translation)
15 Yes, joyful are those who live like this!
Joyful indeed are those whose God is the Lord.

God loves us and is taking care of us, when we let Him. No matter how it looks or how it feels. We need to choose to be joyful – and in the process open ourselves up to receiving the wonders of God’s blessings.


Day 2 - Happiness

The Bible tells us of many reasons why we should be happy and even joyful. These include both reasons why we should want to be glad, and reasons why we already should be.

Jesus intended for us to have joy:

John 15 (English Standard Version)
11These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

So how do we experience the joy and happiness that we are intended to have?

One of the many reasons for seeking wisdom is that God promises that the result is joy:

Proverbs 3 (New Living Translation)
13 Joyful is the person who finds wisdom,
the one who gains understanding.
18 Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her;
happy are those who hold her tightly.

It is interesting that many versions translate the Hebrew word as “blessed” instead of happy. This word means the happiness or joyfulness that results from receiving a blessing or from a change in circumstances.

Being charitable also increases our happiness:

Proverbs 14 (New Living Translation)
21 It is a sin to belittle one’s neighbor;
blessed are those who help the poor.

And I think most of us have realized this. When one is most unhappy, the greatest remedy is to help someone else. Even though, particularly when we are feeling down, we may feel tempted to criticize others, doing good will lift us up. And complaining definitely won’t.

Self-condemnation is at odds with happiness:

Romans 14 (Amplified Bible)
22Your personal convictions [on such matters]--exercise [them] as in God's presence, keeping them to yourself [striving only to know the truth and obey His will]. Blessed (happy, to be envied) is he who has no reason to judge himself for what he approves [who does not convict himself by what he chooses to do].

Have faith in God’s love for you. Believing in ourselves as being unworthy of God's love (which we are) is a huge challenge to many people. Have faith that God loves you and you are welcome in His presence. The Lord loves you, you personally, because He chooses to do so – not because of your worthiness.

Impatience can interfere with happiness. Faith can keep us calm while we wait on God.

James 5 (Amplified Bible)
11You know how we call those blessed (happy) who were steadfast [who endured]. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the Lord's [purpose and how He richly blessed him in the] end, inasmuch as the Lord is full of pity and compassion and tenderness and mercy.

The Bible says we should be happy when we are persecuted for the sake of our faith. I have to take that one on faith.

1 Peter 3 (Amplified Bible)
14But even in case you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, [you are] blessed (happy, to be envied). Do not dread or be afraid of their threats, nor be disturbed [by their opposition].

1 Peter 4 (New International Version)
14If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

But the Christian walk isn't only about suffering and enduring, it is filled with promises as well:

John 16 (New American Standard Bible)
24"Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.

God gives wonderful gifts to his children. His blessings are huge. But all candy makes a sickly child. We are God's children being raised up to great and wonderful things. We won't know the fullness of the divine plan while we walk this planet. We need to trust in God and do what The Word says. And the very act of obedience will increase our happiness and our joy.

John 13 (New International Version)
17Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

[dema]

Day 5 - Patience

Some lessons need repeating, and this is one I need to repeat for myself over and over.

Even when we have noble goals – requests to God to make us more loving or more kind, or more patient – it seems that He just takes too long.

Luke 8 (English Standard Version)
15As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

This verse is from the parable of the seeds. Some fell on bad ground, some were choked with the cares of the world and some brought forth fruit with patience. They didn't just suddenly get saved and become grown-up super Christians. They didn't just turn over a new leaf and become a saint. They brought forth fruit with patience – gradually bearing fruit over time.

I don’t want to be patient with anything, least of all with myself.

Luke 21: (Amplified Bible)
19By your steadfastness and patient endurance you shall win the true life of your souls.

Steadfast and patient endurance – that sounds like an ordeal. The same Greek word is translated as patience, perseverence or endurance in different versions of the Bible. When I think of "patience", I think of calm waiting. Inactive, but with a certain serenity of soul. Endurance to me means to keep on keeping on, as long as it takes. And perseverence means to keep working hard through adversity. All three imply a tolerance for waiting, but to me patience is the act of calmly waiting, maybe with a magazine in my lap; endurance means maintaining - going to work, mowing the grass and taking care of the kids while waiting, and perseverence means to do all these things even if people are throwing rocks at you. And, generally, it seems that learning all these traits is good for us.

Romans 5 (New International Version)
3Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

And sometimes it seems that the only way we can learn is through painful lessons.
The Bible was written in order to encourage us to persevere. To do what we need to do, inspite of opposition, as long as it takes. And God will give us the strength and encouragement we need to keep on keeping on.

Romans 15 (New American Standard Bible)
4For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
5Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus,

And we should have hope - the expectation of good things – while we are being patient. God will encourage us, if we let Him, as He accomplishes what He needs to do in us.

And while we are sweating our spiritual hearts out, we are to be joyful about it:

Colossians 1 (New American Standard Bible)
11strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously

These lessons are for our benefit. As painful as they may be.

James 1 (New American Standard Bible)
2Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
3knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

So that we may be perfect. And have everything we need.

[realtmg]

dema,
Thanks for sharing.
I was reading last night and through our faith and hope, We are righteous through His blood that was shed for us.
May Grace abound.

GBU

Real

[dema]

Day 6 - Creation

God is the creator.

Isaiah 45 (New International Version)
7 I form the light and create darkness,
I bring prosperity and create disaster;
I, the LORD, do all these things.

God created the heavens and the earth:

Genesis 1 (New American Standard Bible)
1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

And everything else as well.


John 1 (New American Standard Bible)
3All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

God made man:

Genesis 5 (English Standard Version)
1…When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God.

Not only created, but He maintains ownership of that creation – of everything.

Psalm 89 (English Standard Version)
11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours;
the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.
12 The north and the south, you have created them;

We tend to think that we own the plot of land, or the building and that the nation owns the roads – but God is the creator and He still has the title deed. Earthquakes and hurricanes should remind us of this – not that these represent anger of God, but they demonstrate how little control over creation we really have.

Jehovah expects praise and thanks from that which He created.

Psalm 148 (English Standard Version)
5 Let them praise the name of the LORD!
For he commanded and they were created.

Yes, God STILL expects praise.

Psalm 102 (English Standard Version)
18Let this be recorded for a generation to come,
so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD:

God made us completely, He didn’t just make our physical bodies:

Isaiah 42 (New American Standard Bible)
5Thus says God the LORD,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread out the earth and its offspring,
Who gives breath to the people on it
And spirit to those who walk in it,

We are created for God's glory.

Isaiah 43 (English Standard Version)
1But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
7everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made."

When you want to condemn yourself, tell yourself, "I was created for God's glory." And praise the Lord.

God loves us and wants the best for us. And someday we will be together in a glorious place with our Father:

Isaiah 65 (New International Version)
17 "Behold, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight
and its people a joy.

[nunndaniel50]

Thank you for that.Isaiah 45:7 is my favorite scripture because it show's us that it is all God. We may not understand it but God is in complete control. I really enjoyed your devotion keep up the good work.

[dema]

Thank you both for your comments. God bless you.

[dema]

Day 7 – God’s Love

God’s love transcends. God’s love enfolds the angels and reaches to the depth of the heart of one who is depressed.

Isaiah 57 (New American Standard Bible)
15For thus says the high and exalted One
Who lives forever, whose name is Holy,
"I dwell on a high and holy place,
And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit
In order to revive the spirit of the lowly
And to revive the heart of the contrite.

God’s love encircles and protects.

Deuteronomy 33 (New American Standard Bible)
27"The eternal God is a dwelling place,
And underneath are the everlasting arms;
And He drove out the enemy from before you,
And said, 'Destroy!'

I'd sure rather be in God’s arms than outside them in enemy territory.

And God’s love rewards.

Matthew 25 (New American Standard Bible)
46"These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Righteousness is a gift to those who believe.

Romans 4 (New American Standard Bible)
5But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,

Believing is sufficient to ensure eternal life – because of God’s love for us.

John 3 (New International Version)
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

God’s love and protection are eternal

John 10 (New International Version)
28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.

We need to remember that this life is temporal:

2 Corinthians 4 (New American Standard Bible)
17For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,
18while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

And we need to keep in mind that Jesus is eternal.

Revelation 21 (New American Standard Bible)
6Then He said to me, "It is done I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.

Jesus is the beginning and the end - but there is no beginning and ending of time. And no ending of God’s love for us.

[dema]

Day 8 - Blessings

Optimists and pessimists view life quite differently.

Proverbs 15 (English Standard Version)
13 A glad heart makes a cheerful face,
but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.
14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
but the mouths of fools feed on folly.
15All the days of the afflicted are evil,
but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.

We choose how to approach things, and reap the benefits. The choice isn't always easy. It is so tempting to get distracted by minor annoyances- let alone the real tragedies of life. This is related to 'as ye believe so shall ye receive'. Acting joyful increases joy - in your own life and in those around you.

(And boy, am I preaching to myself!!)

Proverbs 17 (English Standard Version)
22 A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

I personally don't want dried bones. Is that like osteoporosis?

Some translations use the word “happy” instead of the word “blessed.” We are blessed when we receive gifts from God. Receiving from God should also make us happy.

Psalm 144 (English Standard Version)
15 Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!
Blessed are the people whose God is the LORD!

The act of receiving a gift from God is in itself a present to us – that God, the magnificent and mighty maker of us all would think of us and care for us enough to provide us with gifts. The gift is a blessing and the thought or act is a blessing as well.

Proverbs 3 (English Standard Version)
13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
and the one who gets understanding,
18She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
those who hold her fast are called blessed.

Wisdom is a gift from God and he who receives it is gifted by God. Keeping the wisdom is also a huge benefit.

Being charitable helps us to receive:

Proverbs 14 (English Standard Version)
21Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner,
but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.

Selfishness is a sin, but we cannot outgive God.

And I think most of us have realized this. When one is most unhappy, the greatest remedy is to help someone else.

[dema]

Day 11 – Loving God

I entered into an e-mail exchange with an atheist. He asked me to summarize my religion. I did. The astonishing thing came out of it that God seeks our love and that is the one thing the omnipotent, omniscient being (cannot?) does not just create. Look at the whole Bible and at each turn ask, "Is God seeking love?" The number of times that the answer will be 'yes', or at least 'it's highly probable' is amazing. And when does God receive love and devotion? When people are most miserable. Count how many times happy people spend time 'loving on' God, relative to the number of times unhappy people do.

Then, I received a theology book in the mail. And it described God as being like a jealous lover, or a parent jealous of their child. It said the same thing, that the theme of the whole Bible is love.

God is seeking our wimpy, inadequate love for His mighty, wonderful self.

If God is for us, who can be against us? Will not he that sacrificed his own son, freely give us all things pertaining to life and godliness? I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Paraphrased from Romans 8).

[dema]

Day 12 - Sacrifice

Don’t be scared off by the topic. The results are really quite different from what you'd expect - quite inspirational.

A sacrifice is an offering, a gift. It can also be something precious that one gives up, reliquishes or destroys, but this isn’t necessarily so.

The Old Testament required sacrifices for atonement, and vows, and thanksgiving:

Leviticus 19 (New International Version)
5 " 'When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf.

How should the sacrifice be made so that it will be accepted?

2 Corinthians 9 (New International Version)
7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

We are to give of ourselves as we would present a gift. Happily, with anticipation of the joy that we hope will result.

The early chapters of the Bible, representing hundreds or even thousands of years, emphasized the importance of making required sacrifices exactly as instructed. But, in the Psalms, we start to get a different message:

Psalm 51 (New American Standard Bible)
15O Lord, open my lips,
That my mouth may declare Your praise.
16For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;
You are not pleased with burnt offering.

Our offerings should be gifts of praise. Our mouths are to make the offerings, not our hands.

Luke 6 (New American Standard Bible)
45"The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.

And these gifts should be from the treasures of our hearts. Thanksgiving and praise from the depths of our beings, wrapped in love and presented with anticipation of a happy response are the gifts that God most wants to receive.

[dema]

Day 13 – Sacrifice

When we think of sacrificing, we think of giving up something precious, offering something that will cause us pain.

Psalm 107 (English Standard Version)
22And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!

But the Bible talks of sacrifice being gifts of praise. And praising God should add to our well being, not take from it.

I know that I have a great desire to squeal when people expect extreme things from me. In my business, I have many layers of customer ahead of me. If any of them let something sit on their desk too long, they tend to pass the emergency along down the trail. Since I am last in the line-up, I frequently get the worst squeeze. But, God has been showing me that I need to give up, sacrifice, this desire to complain about these absurdities. One thing the Great Recession should have taught us is the value of having customers.

And this is true in many areas where we complain. There is value in having dirty dishes, in having so much house to clean or so much lawn to mow. There is value in having to drive the kids so much and in having so many places to go.

It is a sacrifice in the traditional sense of the word to give up complaining and to instead provide a sacrificial gift of praise.

(Ummmm – please don’t judge me by how well I meet the goals I express in these devotionals. Pretty please?)

Psalm 141 (English Standard Version)
2Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,
and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!

God wants us to give our time and attention to Him as a sacrificial gift.

Hosea 6 (New American Standard Bible)
6For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice,
And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings

And to do good to our neighbors.

Proverbs 21 (English Standard Version)
3 To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;
how much more when he brings it with evil intent.

Loving God and loving our fellow man as ourselves is the greatest sacrifice that we can give.

Matthew 9 (New American Standard Bible)
13"But go and learn what this means: 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

So let us continually remember God and how great He is:

Hebrews 13 (New International Version)
15Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.

The message in 'sacrifice' is the message that surfaces in the majority of the word searches I have done. Love God. Spend time with him. Praise Him. Thank Him. And love each other.