Tag: Prioritizing God

Why Read the Bible?

On By CarmenLeave a comment

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.

Money – Blessing or Curse?

On By CarmenLeave a comment

I’ll start by writing that that there is nothing wrong with being wealthy because God does give wealth to people. A great example of God’s benevolence is to King Solomon. He told King Solomon to ask Him for whatever he wanted. Because he asked for wisdom to govern His people, God told him he would not only give him wisdom, but He would also make him the wealthiest king ever. See 2 Chronicles 1 for the full story. God is indeed generous.

Many of us are not wealthy; some are middle class, some are poor. We are what we are because of God’s will and also because of our own choices. Wherever we are, the apostle Paul tells us in the book of Philippians that we should be content with our current circumstances. 

Not that I speak from need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 
Philippians 4:11-12

I write from experience that our current circumstances will not always be our future. By this I mean if you are barely making ends meet today, it doesn’t mean that your tomorrow will necessarily be the same. I remember a time when I was single and had only $5 in my checking account. I was waiting for an overdue check from the company that I worked for and I was in a state of panic. My bills were paid for the month, including rent, but it was too close for comfort. I did not always manage my money wisely in the past, but by this time I had become conservative in most areas of my spending. I had been tithing my money for God’s work and had the habit of saving money, so I knew that God would not let me down. I continued to do without many material things that others seemed to be able to afford for a few years, but I learned valuable lessons and was a better person for it. That was eighteen years ago and I can honestly say that God has brought me a long way. My husband and I consider ourselves blessed by God in all that He has given us, even though we are not rich and we still have a mortgage.

When we prioritize God, we see Him work on our behalf. It may not be right away, but He will help us improve our financial situation if we continue to be faithful. If you find this hard to believe, He tells us to test Him.


"From the days of your fathers you have turned away from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you," says the Lord of armies. "But you say, 'How shall we return?' "Would anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, 'How have we robbed You?' "In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the entire nation of you! Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and put Me to the test now in this," says the Lord of armies, "if I do not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruit of your ground; nor will the vine in the field prove fruitless to you," says the Lord of armies. 
Malachi 3:7-11

Although this was written by God’s prophet Malachi to Israel in ancient times, it still holds true for us today. If we prioritize God in our earnings, He will not only pour out blessings, He will keep what we do have in good shape. Most of us no longer grow our own crops, but we do have jobs and we have things that can break down. We have unexpected emergencies that require us to spend money. This is what God means by rebuking the devourer and not allowing him to destroy the fruit of our ground. In other words, He will keep your old car running as you prioritize Him. He will provide what you need to make it during those emergency situations. I for one can say this is true, because I have seen God do this very thing in my life. God provides for His children in ways that we cannot imagine.

All of those extra material things that we think we have to have or need can wait. It’s not that God doesn’t want us to have nice things, He wants our devotion to be to Him first. Then He will provide for us in His time and in His way. You may have heard the saying, “show me your checkbook and I’ll show you your priorities.” What or whom do we prioritize? If it’s not God, then we will miss out.

Let’s look at another verse concerning worldly riches.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for  yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." 
Matthew 6:19-21

For those of us who like “nice things,” this verse should help put things into perspective. Instead of spending all our money on the things that we like and want, God is saying to prioritize some of the money we bring home—for His kingdom. These treasures in heaven can’t be destroyed, but our material things here on earth wear out after a while.

How can we store up treasures in heaven?

First and foremost, we can share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others who may not know Him. This only costs us our time to learn how and to share Christ’s saving work on the cross. If you are not sure how to share the gift of Jesus Christ with others, I have included a link below for Dr. D. James Kennedy’s book, Evangelism Explosion, to get you started. Years go my church in Miami offered this course, so I took it and it taught me scripture verses to explain Jesus’s work of salvation and gave me field experience speaking to others about the Gospel. It was certainly worth the investment even when I had to make the time to attend and spend a small amount in course materials.

Second, we can give our tithe weekly or monthly to our local church and/or an organization that seeks to help those who need Jesus and who may be poor, hungry, persecuted, and affected by wars or natural disasters. Many of these organizations not only help alleviate suffering, they also share the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ. Of course, we could give directly to others that we know are hurting and have limited resources. We can even take someone to lunch who is down and out to let them know that they are loved and valuable. We can also volunteer our time and talents which can positively impact someone who needs a mentor or friendship. 

Our lives are but a vapor and how we steward what God gives to us is what matters. I hope that when I get to heaven, God will say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” I know that when I am there, I won’t be thinking about money or the material things that I possessed here on earth. How about you?

May God bless you abundantly as you seek His will for your life.

Evangelism Explosion – Dr. D. James Kennedy

https://a.co/d/bmi9wLD”

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.