Posts Tagged ‘disobedient’

How would your day go if you “felt” the presence of Christ?

Saturday, April 27th, 2013

Hope, April 27

… we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.
But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,
not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Titus 3:3-7, www.solascriptura.com

We thank you Father for sending the Holy Spirit, a constant source of Your Holy presence in us. O’God, Your thoughts toward us exceed number. That is a reality we have a hard time grasping. Can we do any less but to look to You, all day, in every circumstance. We truly never need to walk alone.

You came that we might have abundant life. Thank You Father for helping us understand that it is Your desire that we experience goodness and mercy, at Your hand, even if others try to discourage us. Help us to be an encourager to such people, we pray.

May we draw near to you, constantly, even in the midst of earthly disappointments? We know that we can if we but shift our focus from that which is transitory to that which is eternal! Help us today to notice the flowers, the clouds, the animals and all of your wonderful creation, provided for our pleasure and use. May we dwell “in Your presence”, even today. In Jesus’ Holy name, we pray, amen

Bruce Caldwell

The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O.Box 302 Franklin, TN 37064

Email This Post Email This Post

I proclaim to know God. Does He truly know me, “intimately”?

Wednesday, September 5th, 2012

The Narrow Gate, September 5

To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.
They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.
 
Titus 1:15-16, www.solascriptura.com

Father, we, in our original flesh, prior to Your filling our hearts with the Holy Spirit, were very impure. Our minds and consciences were dulled, but never unaware, of our sins. Father, we have accepted, by faith, the forgiveness and healing of Jesus. Our perspective has changed and we are able to know You Jesus and to know what You expect of us. Your expectations are pure and undefiled.

Again we are taught that to “profess” to know You but to have impure thoughts and impure behaviors is not o.k. Help us, today, not to simply profess our faith, but to live our faith in complete obedience to Your word. Help us not to disqualify ourselves by misbehaving or worse yet, professing but not believing. We hear of dysfunctional families but You Father unite us  by removing our stony hearts,  replacing them with a new heart that is able to keep pace with Your perfect will, if we but seek You.

Teach us that finishing well is better than starting out well. Help us grasp the fact that, without a doubt, finishing badly produces a terrible result. Give us perfect fidelity, to You, and to each other, every day We pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064

Email This Post Email This Post

Which sins anger God the most?

Friday, July 6th, 2012

The Narrow Gate, July 6

…(they) worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

Romans 1:26-32, www.solascriptura.com

Father, Paul is not mincing words when he tells us what upsets You, what causes You to give up on those who choose to live their life pursuing things that You say are not fitting, not right.

What we notice Father, is that You place pride and disobedience in the same list as sexual immorality and murder and say the same penalty awaits all sinners. Father, we know that sin is sin and that all sin separates us from You. You have told us that You will not permit sin to come into Your presence.

How are we able to come into Your presence? It certainly is not as one who has never sinned. Regardless of the sins that we have committed, you tell us that our faith and belief in the redeeming act of Jesus, can, at our election, wipe away every sin, as far as the east is from the west, never to be remembered against us again.

That is truly a miracle and none of us is worthy of such grace and mercy. Help us stop sinning and to claim a victory over sin by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit in us, we pray. Amen.

Bruce Caldwell

The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064

Email This Post Email This Post