Tag: God’s ways

Returning to the LORD

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While reading the books of Ezra and Nehemiah over the last month, I have given much thought to the bravery and steadfastness of these two leaders who took it upon themselves to be used by God to lead His people Israel back to the Promised Land, and to fully return to God.

It was heartening to read about their courageousness to face all the odds against them as well as the willingness of the Israelites to hear God’s word and obey it—at substantial cost.

If you would like to know more about the return of Israel to the Promised Land after their exile to Babylon, I encourage you to read both Ezra and Nehemiah.

God had chosen Israel to be His people many centuries before when He called Abraham out of Ur to follow Him to a new land that He would eventually give to Abraham’s descendants.

God also chose Jerusalem as the place on earth that He would place His name and live with His people, the Israelites.

Today’s post is about the response of obedience of the Israelites after their return from exile to foreign nations which was caused by their ancestors’ (and their own) disobedience to God.

God’s Expectations from His People

First and foremost, God expects loyalty to Him.

Why would He not? After all, He is the creator of Heaven and Earth and all living creatures of which man is made in His very own image and placed as steward over all His blessings.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

God is a jealous God. He wants us to worship Him alone.

Nothing should come before Him—not ourselves, family, desires, money, jobs, material possessions—absolutely nothing.

He loves us so much that He gave us His laws to follow and to teach to our children and to generations to come.

When we put God first and follow His decrees, we will be blessed in family, finances, and needs.  

God promised the Israelites that He would shower them with abundant blessings if they put Him first and worship only Him. (Leviticus 26:1-13)

If not, they would endure hardship and horrific circumstances. (Leviticus 26:14-39)

These promises and warnings are meant for us today as well.

I believe that we are removed from God’s cover of protection when we do not follow Him.

Satan loves this opportunity to sift us when we choose to be on our own and do things our way instead of God’s way.

But, when we repent and turn to God, He forgives us.

God’s Willingness to Forgive

It’s a good thing that God is willing to forgive our sins, because if not we would be eternally lost.

Often in the Bible, we read about God hearing the cries of His children and having mercy on them.

It is when we confess our sin to God and we are truly repentant that God forgives us and takes us back under His protection.

The Israelites’ return from captivity under the rule of Persia at that time (Persia conquered Babylon after the exile), is a prime example of God forgiving the sins committed against Him and blessing His people.

On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads. Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors. They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the Lord their God.

Nehemiah 9:1-3

Remember when I wrote earlier that the Israelites were willing to obey God at a great cost?

Well, here it is in verse 2 above. “Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners.”

Many of the Israelite men had married foreign women that worshiped other gods and led them away from God.

Their ancestors did the same including King Solomon. There is most definitely something to be said for leaders appointed by God to set the example for the people they govern.

Yes, these are harsh circumstances, but also fact during that time.  

Perhaps many were unaware of this sin as they were exiled for many years and not allowed to hear God’s word in a foreign country and did not realize they were sinning against God.

It was when they returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple and the walls surrounding the city that Ezra, the priest, stood before them to read God’s word and His commands.

When they heard the words of God’s law, they cried in shame and were repentant and willing to do whatever was just in the eyes of God.

They had endured captivity for so many years and were longing for a fresh start in their beloved Jerusalem.

They were grateful that God heard their cries and granted their desire to return to their own country.

It seems that Israel understood that God is sovereign and appreciated His goodness in making a way for them to return to the Promised Land. 

God’s Desire to Restore His People

Because of the Israelites’ woeful disobedience prior to the exile, they lost everything they had—family, homes, material possessions, income, as well as their country and freedom.

They were once again living in foreign lands and ruled by kings of other nations, devastated and hopeless.

BUT GOD was working in the background and was making a way to restore His chosen people.

God had never planned to desert Israel then nor will He do so today. (Psalm 137:6)

And God will never abandon us, because He has made a way for the whole world, every nation and every tribe, to be forgiven through His son Jesus Christ. 

Jesus is the only way to forgiveness, abundant life now, and eternal life. (John 14:6)

We need only to submit our lives to Him and abide in Him.

By abiding in Jesus, we too are expected to live righteously according to the same rules that God gave Israel.

One may argue that we need not live by the law because of Jesus’s atoning work on the cross.

However, Jesus said that we need to obey God’s commands, because He Himself came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill the law. (Matthew 5:17)

My one prayer for my beloved country is that we would ourselves repent of our sin individually and corporately and turn back to God.

I am certain that God would heal our country if we did.

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

This is the blessing that God promised King Solomon after he built and dedicated the first temple in Jerusalem.

Because we are grafted into God’s chosen through His Son Jesus Christ, we are also afforded the blessings given to Israel.

Thanks be to God for His grace, mercy, and forgiveness!

I hope this message stirs in your heart a desire to submit to and seek after God, and to abide in Him.

You will be blessed now and forever.

I hope you enjoy the song below.

If you want to have a relationship with God and are not sure how or where to start, see my previous posts Relationship with God and Relationship with God – Part 2.

Why Read the Bible?

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With our busy schedules and fast-paced world, it’s vital that we prioritize God and make time to read His message to us through the Bible.

Why?

Because the Bible is God’s inerrant word, His testimony of love for us, His book of promises that hold true, and our guide to living life victoriously.

The Bible unfolds God’s great love for us despite our sin by providing us with redemption through His Son, Jesus Christ.

The following Scripture verses tell us this.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also celebrate in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all mankind, because all sinned— Romans 5:8-12

This one man from whom we inherited sin is Adam, God’s first creation of mankind. As descendants of Adam, we all have his sin nature because we live in a fallen world.

Just like Adam, we all are deceived by Satan.

We have the same nature that steers us to do our own thing which we think benefits us opposed to following God and His ways.

Think about this:  Holy God sees and knows our sin against Him; but He because He is love, He provides us a way to be forgiven.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.” John 3:16-17

This truly is amazing grace!

I wonder how many of us freely and quickly forgive and restore those who have committed sins against us.

I will admit that this is probably the hardest thing for me to do. My sin nature wants to hold a grudge and reminisce the hurt others have caused me. But God does not want me to do this; so, I must surrender to His will and change my way of thinking and acting for my own good.  

Why?

Because God has forgiven me—over and over again.

We should all thank God for His love and grace toward us.

The Bible is factual history and inerrant prophecy.

It is His story—God’s story of His creation which includes Earth and mankind.

God is the author of history since the very beginning and He tells us not only about the past, but also the future.

‘Remember the former things, those of long ago;
    I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me.
I make known the end from the beginning,
    from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
    and I will do all that I please.’ Isaiah 46:9-10

Through His word, God gives us a foundation and principles on which to base our lives.

We read about real-life stories of those who lived before us who followed Him and those who did not. We read about their actions and consequences, both good and bad.

None are without sin, but when we repent, God guides His children to overcome any adversity, wrong attitude, and poor decision.

And there is no fooling God for He knows the hearts minds of us all!

God is so good that He shares what the future holds for mankind on Earth, as well as during Christ’s Millennial Kingdom, and into eternity.

Even though life will change on Earth as we know it (becoming gruesome for a period of time), those of us who are God’s children will make it into eternity to live forever with our Creator and Savior. We will finally live as God originally intended in Adam and Eve’s time in the Garden of Eden—in perfect peace and complete joy, without sorrow and physical pain or physical restrictions.  

We can only gain knowledge and truth if we read God’s word and we are told that we will be blessed if we read it.

God wants only the best for us and wants us to be overcomers.

As stated previously, our heavenly Father knows that we live in a world tainted by Satan’s wiles and temptations.

This is why He gives us a glance into the lives of the many whose names are in the Bible. We learn from them as we read about their trials, their failures, and their victories. And these victories were given to His followers by God Himself!

Our heavenly Father does not change, and He does not show partiality. What He did for His children in the past, He will do for His children today.

God is our provider, protector, and best friend.

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
    will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
    he is my God, and I trust him.
For he will rescue you from every trap
    and protect you from deadly disease.
He will cover you with his feathers.
    He will shelter you with his wings.
    His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Psalm 91:1-4

I believe that God’s word is His book of love written to us. It has stood the test of time over thousands of years and has been proven to be true over and over again.

It is a wealth of knowledge made just for us so that we can

  • believe and understand His love for us
  • receive the gift of eternal life and be restored to Him through His Son Jesus Christ
  • draw near to our Creator and commune with Him
  • believe in and witness His supernatural power
  • know what pleases God and follow His ways
  • hold onto His promises despite the trials we face
  • be encouraged in our daily walk with our Savior Jesus Christ
  • learn from the mistakes of others’ past
  • be thankful for the good in our lives and praise Him
  • know that our struggles never last
  • help others in their time of need

I want to share with you a few tips that have helped me read and better understand the Bible over the years.

Choose a translation (there are many) that you can understand and are comfortable reading. The New American Standard Bible (NASB) and English Standard Version (ESV) are good ones to start with. You may also want to invest in a study Bible which expounds on the text.

Pray and ask God to help you understand what He wants you to learn each day as you read His word.

Set aside a specific time each day or evening just to study God’s word. We are told to meditate on His word day and night. (Joshua 1:8) This means to think about what you read each day for retention.

Keep reading even though you may not understand everything, it’s okay. This is why it’s good to have a study Bible.

Make it a lifelong habit to read the Bible. When you finish one translation, pick up a different one and continue seeking. I’ve read many translations of the Bible over the years, and I learn something new every day.

Apply what you read daily to your thoughts and actions. We should be “doers” of His word for which we are promised to be blessed. (James 1:22-25)

Attend a Bible study with others at church or in a group setting. When we share our understanding and compare notes, we gain even more understanding.   

Use godly resources online to help you and don’t forget to ask God to help you discern which resources to use.

May you be blessed as you dive into the truth of God’s word and may it transform us all to be just like Jesus!

I would like to share one of my all-time favorite songs that praises God. I hope it will warm your heart and move you to praise God also. 

If you want to have a relationship with God and are not sure how or where to start, see my previous posts Relationship with God and Relationship with God – Part 2.

God Sees It All

On By CarmenLeave a comment

I can’t help but write about what I consistently tell my husband most mornings after watching the news.

God sees it all!

You may feel the same way I do after watching the news on politics and all the other happenings by people who lie, scam, steal, and kill.

My husband and I like to stay informed on current events in our country and around the world, but we have had to limit the amount of news we watch because it is so grievous.

If I didn’t know God and His ways, I would think there is no hope in the world today.

I know that such offenses have always occurred, but it seems so rampant today.

It’s refreshing when we see stories of decent people helping others because they want to do what is right, but I can’t help thinking that the tide has turned now in recent years with so much evil in our nation and around the world.

And, I have often pondered how we got here.

I think it’s because most either don’t believe in God or don’t believe God.

We don’t take the time to study, learn, contemplate what God has already told us in His word, the Holy Bible.

We are blessed as a nation built on Christian principles to have God’s word, but we don’t delve into it for understanding.

For example, while reading in 1 Kings recently, I came across how the nation of Israel was divided into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah, because of ungodly leadership with the majority of the people following along in sin.

King David loved the LORD and is called by God, “A man after his own heart.” (1 Samuel 13:14)

King David was certainly not without sin. However, when he was reprimanded by God, he was repentant and accepted the consequences that God gave him.

God forgave him because He knew David’s heart, but there were still consequences.

Later in life, as King David was grooming his son Solomon to succeed him as king, he instructed him as a young boy to seek wisdom.

He was teaching Solomon God’s wisdom and to seek and follow God in every choice he would make as a future ruler as well as to avoid making wrong choices and falling into sin.

When King David died, and Solomon was crowned king of Israel, God told King Solomon to ask for whatever he wanted. Solomon asked for wisdom. God was pleased with his choice and made him not only the wisest of kings, but also the richest.

Having wisdom is great but following it separates the wise from the fools.

King Solomon started out well, but over the years he turned away from God’s laws and ways which led him into idolatry and caused the kingdom of Israel to be split in two.   

For when Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his father David had been. Solomon followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD; unlike his father David, he did not follow the LORD completely. 1 Kings 11:4-6

I highly recommend you read 1 and 2 Kings to understand the full story and implications of King Solomon’s straying from God which led most of the subsequent kings and nation of Israel into sin and severe consequences.

When we sin (individually or corporately as a nation), we sin against God. We anger God.

He is a jealous God who deserves our worship and praise. We should seek after Him and abide in Him.   

Why?

Because it is God who has given us life and everything good thing that we have and experience.

We should always walk humbly and follow His statutes and His ways.

When we don’t, there are consequences that we won’t like.

Because we are all human, we are all sinners. The Bible tells us not one of us are without sin. (Romans 3:10-18)

The only human who ever lived and never sinned was Jesus Christ, God’s beloved Son. He alone is our example of how to live.

So, what do we do when we sin, and we realize the error of our ways?

We turn back to God, ask for forgiveness, ask Him to help us follow Him, and stay away from what makes us sin.

When we are sincere about repenting of our sin, He is faithful to forgive us and helps us move forward.

He puts away our sin as if it never happened. (Psalm 103:12)

In King Solomon’s case, his continued sin of idol worship led the whole nation into sin which later caused the division of Israel into two kingdoms, constant wars, invasions by foreign countries, and eventually exile to foreign lands.

The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command. So the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.” 1 Kings 11:9-13

With the division of Israel into two kingdoms (Israel and Judah), the Jewish nation fought against itself and set itself up for invasions by foreign countries.

The majority of the kings who ruled Israel and Judah after King Solomon also failed to follow God and continued in their sin of idol worship.

Idol worship is putting anything above God—pride, money, position, power, material things, various wrong behaviors, etc.

When the leader of the nation sins and refuses to follow God, most of the people will do the same, and the nation falls in to despair and destruction.  

The good news is that God is a forgiving God.

In His word, He tells us that if we who belong to Him will repent of our sin and humbly turn back to and pray to Him, He will restore our nation.

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

If you are as concerned about the state of our nation as I am, please commit to pray with me for our leaders and fellow citizens to

  • turn back to God and seek after Him—putting Him first in our lives
  • repent of their sin and turn away from their sin
  • teach our children at home and in school to walk with God and follow His precepts
  • seek forgiveness and forgive one another
  • unite as “one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all” as we used to recite daily in school from the Pledge of Allegiance
  • humbly serve God and one another as He instructs us in His word
  • treat one another as we would want to be treated

I love Jesus Christ, and I love these united states of America where I was born.

My hope is for us to turn back to God before it’s too late.

May God bless you and may He bless the United States of America.

If you want to have a relationship with God and are not sure how or where to start, see my previous posts Relationship with God and Relationship with God – Part 2.