"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT DISCOURAGEMENT AND DEPRESSION"
1Kings 19:9 And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Some explanatory thoughts/application/questions, and a prayer:
The above verse, ( and please notice question between asked Elijah at the end of the verse ) follows a threat by Queen Jezebel, married to one of Israel's most wicked kings, Ahab. If you have been reading the chapters leading up to 19, you will remember that God had used Elijah mightily. But, now following these great victories by God, a simple threat from this woman sent him into hiding, and into discouragement, and I think its fair to say depression.
1. Discouragement which is simply not having courage to face life can happen to anyone.
1Kings 19:9 And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
The Bible actually says that we are all men of like passions. Sometimes we look at God's servants and think they are super saints, or very different from the rest of God's people. Not so. We are all just men, and Elijah was just a man. And, here was this great man of God scared and discouraged. Giving up hope as it were.
2. Sometimes discouragement can come on the heels of great blessings.
1Kings 19:9 And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
When you read through this story, and others in the Bible, it's not uncommon to find one thing following another. When you read the biographies of great men, you often read this same sequence. Blessings, and then discouragement. Very interesting. But, it happens more often to many people than we probably recognize
It sure happened to this man Elijah. He was scared to death, and had virtually given up as to the future.
3. Fear ( which is the opposite of faith ) can also contribute to discouragement.
1Kings 19:9 And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Fear, along with fatigue, can be twin contributors to becoming discouraged. Fear means, we have taken our eyes of the Lord, we are not trusting Him, and we are looking at our circumstances and we are becoming afraid. Fatigue, just being plain exhausted also has a tendency to lower our spiritual view of life, and again, it tends to distract us, we feel very bad physically, emotionally and spiritually. And, the next thing you know, we are discouraged. Such was the case with Elijah.
4. Elijah may have been hiding, but God knew where he was, and asked him a very pertinent question.
1Kings 19:9 And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Here's the bright spot in this otherwise sad incident. Elijah was hiding out. But, God knew where he was and asked him a question. "What are you doing here Elijah?" In other words, you don't belong here. This is not my will for you. And, in asking this question, it forced Elijah to stop and take stock of what was going on in his heart and mind. God asked him that question to help begin getting back in the saddle as it were, and back to where he should be, and out of his depression.
Some questions:
1. How many people do you know right now that are discouraged?
2. Are you?
3. When was the last time you were discouraged?
4. What happened before you became discouraged?
5. What happened to bring you out of discouragement?.
6. If you are discouraged at this time, I pray that you will not feel condemned, but realize that this happens to many, many people.
7. Will you please take comfort in knowing that God knows where You are, and He wants to lift you up and out of that discouragement.
Here's a few verses to help you if you are discouraged. ( by the way, we will be studying about slaying the giant of discouragement on Sun afternoon July the 20th. I hope you will consider joining us. I believe it may be very helpful to you.
But, here are those verses.
De 31:6 “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
De 31:7* Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it.
De 31:23 Then He inaugurated Joshua the son of Nun, and said, “Be strong and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land of which I swore to them, and I will be with you.”
Jos 1:6 “Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
Jos 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Jos 1:18 “Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good courage.”
Isa 42:4* He will not fail nor be discouraged, Till He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”
Heb 12:3* For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.
Heb 12:5* And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
A prayer:
Father. Thank You again this day for Your Word. You do not gloss over the realities of life. And, You do not want us to think we are somehow odd and so much different from other people. Your Word helps us to gain perspective and comfort. We are all pretty much alike. And, the greatest thing we have in common, is that You are our faithful, and loving God. Please come and help anyone who is suffering the terrible debilitating effects of discouragement today, ( people we know, perhaps we ourselves. ) And, Lord is there is a way we can be of comfort to someone who is suffering, than, please put that on our hearts, and maybe the verses above could be shared with them. Thank You Father. In Jesus name, amen.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN TO US"
"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN TO US"
Acts 11:18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”
Some explanatory thoughts/application/questions and a prayer:
Today we understand that the Gospel of Jesus Christ if for every human being. But, it was not so in the very early day's of the church. The Leaders of the church in Jerusalem, were under the mistaken impression that the Gospel was only for the Jews. And, there was a group there who believed that to be saved, one had to first become a Jew, and then receive Christ as Savior. God intervened and explained to them through what is recorded in Acts 11, that His grace was for Gentiles as well as Jews. So, what we have in Acts 11:18 is a response by these men in Jerusalem, upon hearing the report from Peter of how God had moved to save a Gentile named Cornelius. This was a monumental revelation and understanding to them.
1. God teaches us about Himself by and through His Word.
Acts 11:18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”
You will notice the verse above says, "When they heard these things" They were hearing the truth of God through the apostle Peter. He was explaining to them what God had just done.
Today, we also learn about God through His Word, as simple as that may sound. But, it's true, and it's the basic way that God communicates to us. This is why it's so important to be men and women who are men and women of the Word, that we read the Word and that we take it to heart and that we do so regularly.
There is no other way for us to grow. God's Word is our "Daily Bread"
1st Peter 2:2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
2. When God teaches us about Himself, sometimes it just quiets our hearts as it did in these men's lives.
Acts 11:18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”
How interesting that these very men who were now becoming so silent, or quiet had just a little earlier been contending or arguing with Peter. But, as he told them what happened, they became quiet.
This silence would indicate that though they were mistaken and arguing with Peter, they nonetheless were Godly men, with Godly hearts, they were simply misguided. And, God was able through Peter to get through to them. And, as they listened, they were being taught by God through Peter, and they simply became quiet.
This is so much like what happens to us today, if we have the same kind of hearts these men had. God's Word will quiet our troubled hearts He wants us to have peace, and not be troubled.
John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
3. When God teaches us something about Himself, we wind up glorifying Him.
Acts 11:18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”
These men went from arguing with man, (Peter) to glorifying God their Savior. As they understood that God had sent Christ to die for the sins of the whole world, they were overwhelmed, and they just began to give Him glory..
Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
4. What God taught these men is that He "grants repentance to life" And, He gives it to whoever wants it.
Acts 11:18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”
Repentance is a gift from God. It's not produced by man, but rather it's produced by God and given to man.
The reason God gives man the gift of repentance, is so that sinful man can turn around from the deadly direction he is headed, and turn to the Lord and be saved..
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
The Bible is also very clear, and this is so wonderful, not only does God give repentance, but it's His goodness that leads men to repentance.
Romans 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
Some questions:
1. Repentance means, to change your mind about sin, and about God, can you remember when this happened to you?
2. How long or not so long ago was this, that you were changed, that you turned to God to be saved?
3. Can you think of anyone you know that is desperate need of being saved?
4. Would you pray for them even as you read this, and ask that what God has given to you, He would give to that person?
5. In fact, let's pray together for those folks who attend our church, but have not yet come to faith, that God would lead them to repentance by His goodness. Will you please pray? Do you believe God can do it?
A prayer:
Father, we read about Your gift of repentance, and Your goodness that led us to repent, and we like the men in this verse, are made somewhat quiet. When we really stop to think about where we were headed, and where we are headed now, we also glorify You. Thank You for being so gracious, and so patient, to preserve us till we became saved. We love You Lord, in Jesus name.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia
Acts 11:18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”
Some explanatory thoughts/application/questions and a prayer:
Today we understand that the Gospel of Jesus Christ if for every human being. But, it was not so in the very early day's of the church. The Leaders of the church in Jerusalem, were under the mistaken impression that the Gospel was only for the Jews. And, there was a group there who believed that to be saved, one had to first become a Jew, and then receive Christ as Savior. God intervened and explained to them through what is recorded in Acts 11, that His grace was for Gentiles as well as Jews. So, what we have in Acts 11:18 is a response by these men in Jerusalem, upon hearing the report from Peter of how God had moved to save a Gentile named Cornelius. This was a monumental revelation and understanding to them.
1. God teaches us about Himself by and through His Word.
Acts 11:18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”
You will notice the verse above says, "When they heard these things" They were hearing the truth of God through the apostle Peter. He was explaining to them what God had just done.
Today, we also learn about God through His Word, as simple as that may sound. But, it's true, and it's the basic way that God communicates to us. This is why it's so important to be men and women who are men and women of the Word, that we read the Word and that we take it to heart and that we do so regularly.
There is no other way for us to grow. God's Word is our "Daily Bread"
1st Peter 2:2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
2. When God teaches us about Himself, sometimes it just quiets our hearts as it did in these men's lives.
Acts 11:18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”
How interesting that these very men who were now becoming so silent, or quiet had just a little earlier been contending or arguing with Peter. But, as he told them what happened, they became quiet.
This silence would indicate that though they were mistaken and arguing with Peter, they nonetheless were Godly men, with Godly hearts, they were simply misguided. And, God was able through Peter to get through to them. And, as they listened, they were being taught by God through Peter, and they simply became quiet.
This is so much like what happens to us today, if we have the same kind of hearts these men had. God's Word will quiet our troubled hearts He wants us to have peace, and not be troubled.
John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
3. When God teaches us something about Himself, we wind up glorifying Him.
Acts 11:18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”
These men went from arguing with man, (Peter) to glorifying God their Savior. As they understood that God had sent Christ to die for the sins of the whole world, they were overwhelmed, and they just began to give Him glory..
Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
4. What God taught these men is that He "grants repentance to life" And, He gives it to whoever wants it.
Acts 11:18 When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”
Repentance is a gift from God. It's not produced by man, but rather it's produced by God and given to man.
The reason God gives man the gift of repentance, is so that sinful man can turn around from the deadly direction he is headed, and turn to the Lord and be saved..
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
The Bible is also very clear, and this is so wonderful, not only does God give repentance, but it's His goodness that leads men to repentance.
Romans 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
Some questions:
1. Repentance means, to change your mind about sin, and about God, can you remember when this happened to you?
2. How long or not so long ago was this, that you were changed, that you turned to God to be saved?
3. Can you think of anyone you know that is desperate need of being saved?
4. Would you pray for them even as you read this, and ask that what God has given to you, He would give to that person?
5. In fact, let's pray together for those folks who attend our church, but have not yet come to faith, that God would lead them to repentance by His goodness. Will you please pray? Do you believe God can do it?
A prayer:
Father, we read about Your gift of repentance, and Your goodness that led us to repent, and we like the men in this verse, are made somewhat quiet. When we really stop to think about where we were headed, and where we are headed now, we also glorify You. Thank You for being so gracious, and so patient, to preserve us till we became saved. We love You Lord, in Jesus name.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia
Monday, June 16, 2014
"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS"
"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS"
Acts 10:43 “To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”
Some explanatory thoughts/application/questions, and a prayer:
The above verse, is part of a teaching/preaching ministry by the apostle Peter as he was sent to minister to a Gentile named Cornelius. There were many things in his message, but here he focuses in on the very heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
1. Jesus was the main subject of the prophets in the OT.
Acts 10:43 “To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”
Interesting to note, that Peter says, "all the prophets witness etc" Jesus was indeed the subject of their prophetic ministries, telling in advance that God was going to send a savior, the Messiah.
So, from Genesis to Malachi, the from start to finish in the OT, it's all about Jesus Christ.
2. Jesus is to be believed in, and trusted in.
Acts 10:43 “To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”
Please notice the phrase, "through His name" this is essentially teaching that through what Jesus did, and that Jesus is to be believed in. It's one thing to know about Him, but quite an entirely different matter to to put one's trust in Him. But, that's what God has called us to. To believe in Him.
3. When a person believes in Jesus, they will receive the remission or the forgiveness of their sins.
Acts 10:43 “To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”
This is the most wonderful truth in the entire world. That when a person puts their trust in Christ, they will receive the remission of, or the forgiveness of their sins.
When Christ went to the cross, He did so to pay for the sins of the world. Our debt to God has been paid for by Jesus's death on the cross. We are debt free as it were with God when it comes to sins.
We cannot remove our sins, but when we trust Christ, they are removed permanently.
4. Here's a small sampling of Bible verses about the forgiveness of our sins.
Acts 5:31 “Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
Acts 13:38 “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins;
Acts 26:18 ‘to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’
Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
Colossians 1:14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
Some questions:
1. When did you first find forgiveness of sins from Jesus?
2. What were the circumstances that led you to put your faith in Him?
3. Do you remember what it felt like to realize your sins were actually forgiven?
4. Do you ever share with non believers that they can be forgiven of their sins?
5. Would you pray right now that God might open the door for you to tell others what Jesus has done for you?
A prayer:
Father if there is one thing that is the greatest gift we have ever received, it's found in our having received Your Son Jesus Christ. It's not by works of righteousness that we have have done, that has brought us forgiveness of our sins, but rather through Your mercy and grace, and our turning to Jesus and putting our faith in Him. Thank You for your unspeakable gift Lord God. May we burst at the seams to tell others about Jesus. In his name, amen.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia
Acts 10:43 “To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”
Some explanatory thoughts/application/questions, and a prayer:
The above verse, is part of a teaching/preaching ministry by the apostle Peter as he was sent to minister to a Gentile named Cornelius. There were many things in his message, but here he focuses in on the very heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
1. Jesus was the main subject of the prophets in the OT.
Acts 10:43 “To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”
Interesting to note, that Peter says, "all the prophets witness etc" Jesus was indeed the subject of their prophetic ministries, telling in advance that God was going to send a savior, the Messiah.
So, from Genesis to Malachi, the from start to finish in the OT, it's all about Jesus Christ.
2. Jesus is to be believed in, and trusted in.
Acts 10:43 “To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”
Please notice the phrase, "through His name" this is essentially teaching that through what Jesus did, and that Jesus is to be believed in. It's one thing to know about Him, but quite an entirely different matter to to put one's trust in Him. But, that's what God has called us to. To believe in Him.
3. When a person believes in Jesus, they will receive the remission or the forgiveness of their sins.
Acts 10:43 “To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”
This is the most wonderful truth in the entire world. That when a person puts their trust in Christ, they will receive the remission of, or the forgiveness of their sins.
When Christ went to the cross, He did so to pay for the sins of the world. Our debt to God has been paid for by Jesus's death on the cross. We are debt free as it were with God when it comes to sins.
We cannot remove our sins, but when we trust Christ, they are removed permanently.
4. Here's a small sampling of Bible verses about the forgiveness of our sins.
Acts 5:31 “Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
Acts 13:38 “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins;
Acts 26:18 ‘to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’
Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
Colossians 1:14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
Some questions:
1. When did you first find forgiveness of sins from Jesus?
2. What were the circumstances that led you to put your faith in Him?
3. Do you remember what it felt like to realize your sins were actually forgiven?
4. Do you ever share with non believers that they can be forgiven of their sins?
5. Would you pray right now that God might open the door for you to tell others what Jesus has done for you?
A prayer:
Father if there is one thing that is the greatest gift we have ever received, it's found in our having received Your Son Jesus Christ. It's not by works of righteousness that we have have done, that has brought us forgiveness of our sins, but rather through Your mercy and grace, and our turning to Jesus and putting our faith in Him. Thank You for your unspeakable gift Lord God. May we burst at the seams to tell others about Jesus. In his name, amen.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia
Saturday, June 14, 2014
"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF GUARDING YOUR HEART"
"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF GUARDING YOUR HEART"
1st Kings 12:33 So he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own heart. And he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and offered sacrifices on the altar and burned incense.
Some explanatory thoughts/application/questions, and a prayer:
The above verse is speaking of Jeroboam who became the leader of the 10 northern tribes known as Israel after the kingdom fully divided. It's interesting to note what he did once he came into power. And, may I mention the portion of the verse that deals with his heart. "which he had devised in his own heart."
He was a man who was led by his own heart, rather than guarding his heart, and allowing the Lord to lead him. We don't have the time here, but if you read the earlier part of the chapter, you will see that the actions of Jereboam were not at all in keeping with what God had ordained for His people. In fact, they were directly in opposition to what God had called them to do. But, this man, was "devising" things out of his own heart, rather than letting God guide him.
1. We can and ought to trust God, rather than to "devise" out of our own hearts.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
Proverbs 3:6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths. NLT Version.
We do not need to trust in our own hearts, for we can trust God. And, this is what God wants us to do. Trust Him with all of our hearts. We do not need to depend on our own understanding, because, we can seek and receive His understanding. And, we are given the promise here, that if we will seek His will in all that we do, that He will direct our paths, or make the road easier to travel on. Such was not the case with Jereboam.
2. We will experience the blessings of God if we allow God to lead and guide us.
Jeremiah 17:7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD.
Or, oh how happy is the man who trusts in the Lord, and who is actively hoping in the LORD. We reap what we sow, and if we trust God, we are certain to reap a harvest of blessings.
3. We have good instruction about the importance of guarding our hearts.
Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.
Here's how it reads in the NLT
Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.
The heart is the center of our being, and what we do with it, or don't do with it, will indeed affect everything we do, for good, or for evil.
4. We also have promises from God about His guiding the heart that is being guarded.
Psalms 25:9 He leads the humble in what is right, teaching them his way.
Psalms 69:32 The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help live in joy.
Psalms 138:6 Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud.
Psalms 147:6 The LORD supports the humble, but he brings the wicked down into the dust.
5. Pride and fear can take us down paths that we could have never imagined.
Galatians 6:8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
If you read the story of Jereboam, in 1st Kings 12, you will see that he was motivated by fear and pride.
He was afraid if the people were to go and worship in Jerusalem as God had ordained that they would want to come back under the leadership of his rival Rehoboam.
And, thus in order to keep them from doing that, he devised a method of worship that was forbidden by God. He wanted to continue as the leader of the 10 tribes, rather than obey God. These two sins, fear and pride led him to do all kinds of ill fated actions, that led to more and more trouble. Eventually, the 10 tribes were taken into captivity by Assyria.
Some questions:
1. How would you describe yourself today?
2. Are you letting the Lord lead you, or are you leading yourself?
3. Have you in the past experienced the blessings of trusting the Lord with all your heart?
4. What happened in your life, when You let the Lord lead and guide you?
5. If you are leading yourself today, instead of the Lord, will you acknowledge that to Him right now?
6. Do you know how much God wants to give you peace and joy, and lead you as His dear child.?
A prayer:
Father, what a joy it is to read Your Word, and to be instructed, warned, corrected and built up by it. These wonderful stories are not fiction, but real life and death truths. We can identify with these men and women we read about. We want to honor You, and not go our own way, but follow Jesus with all of our hearts.
Please take control of our lives this day as we yield ourselves to You, in Jesus name, amen.
Pastor Bob Grenier.
Calvary Chapel Visalia.
1st Kings 12:33 So he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own heart. And he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and offered sacrifices on the altar and burned incense.
Some explanatory thoughts/application/questions, and a prayer:
The above verse is speaking of Jeroboam who became the leader of the 10 northern tribes known as Israel after the kingdom fully divided. It's interesting to note what he did once he came into power. And, may I mention the portion of the verse that deals with his heart. "which he had devised in his own heart."
He was a man who was led by his own heart, rather than guarding his heart, and allowing the Lord to lead him. We don't have the time here, but if you read the earlier part of the chapter, you will see that the actions of Jereboam were not at all in keeping with what God had ordained for His people. In fact, they were directly in opposition to what God had called them to do. But, this man, was "devising" things out of his own heart, rather than letting God guide him.
1. We can and ought to trust God, rather than to "devise" out of our own hearts.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
Proverbs 3:6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths. NLT Version.
We do not need to trust in our own hearts, for we can trust God. And, this is what God wants us to do. Trust Him with all of our hearts. We do not need to depend on our own understanding, because, we can seek and receive His understanding. And, we are given the promise here, that if we will seek His will in all that we do, that He will direct our paths, or make the road easier to travel on. Such was not the case with Jereboam.
2. We will experience the blessings of God if we allow God to lead and guide us.
Jeremiah 17:7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD.
Or, oh how happy is the man who trusts in the Lord, and who is actively hoping in the LORD. We reap what we sow, and if we trust God, we are certain to reap a harvest of blessings.
3. We have good instruction about the importance of guarding our hearts.
Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.
Here's how it reads in the NLT
Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.
The heart is the center of our being, and what we do with it, or don't do with it, will indeed affect everything we do, for good, or for evil.
4. We also have promises from God about His guiding the heart that is being guarded.
Psalms 25:9 He leads the humble in what is right, teaching them his way.
Psalms 69:32 The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help live in joy.
Psalms 138:6 Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud.
Psalms 147:6 The LORD supports the humble, but he brings the wicked down into the dust.
5. Pride and fear can take us down paths that we could have never imagined.
Galatians 6:8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
If you read the story of Jereboam, in 1st Kings 12, you will see that he was motivated by fear and pride.
He was afraid if the people were to go and worship in Jerusalem as God had ordained that they would want to come back under the leadership of his rival Rehoboam.
And, thus in order to keep them from doing that, he devised a method of worship that was forbidden by God. He wanted to continue as the leader of the 10 tribes, rather than obey God. These two sins, fear and pride led him to do all kinds of ill fated actions, that led to more and more trouble. Eventually, the 10 tribes were taken into captivity by Assyria.
Some questions:
1. How would you describe yourself today?
2. Are you letting the Lord lead you, or are you leading yourself?
3. Have you in the past experienced the blessings of trusting the Lord with all your heart?
4. What happened in your life, when You let the Lord lead and guide you?
5. If you are leading yourself today, instead of the Lord, will you acknowledge that to Him right now?
6. Do you know how much God wants to give you peace and joy, and lead you as His dear child.?
A prayer:
Father, what a joy it is to read Your Word, and to be instructed, warned, corrected and built up by it. These wonderful stories are not fiction, but real life and death truths. We can identify with these men and women we read about. We want to honor You, and not go our own way, but follow Jesus with all of our hearts.
Please take control of our lives this day as we yield ourselves to You, in Jesus name, amen.
Pastor Bob Grenier.
Calvary Chapel Visalia.
Friday, June 13, 2014
"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE DANGER OF DISOBEDIENCE"
"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE DANGER OF DISOBEDIENCE"
1st Kings 11:1 But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites--
1st Kings 11:2 from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love.
Some explanatory thoughts/application/questions and a prayer:
The events recorded in 1st Kings took place towards the end of Solomon's life. Earlier in his life, and even before his life, God had spoken the Children of Israel about what a ruler was to do, and not to do. Solomon knew God's Word, but unfortunately he chose to ignore it, and rather gave into his own desires, instead of being obedient to God. He became disobedient and it was the start of much, much trouble for him personally, and ultimately for the nation as a whole.
1. Direct disobedience to God's Word is never fruitful.
1st Kings 11:1 But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites--
We are told what the disobedience was. 1st Kings 11:1 But King Solomon loved many foreign women,
God had directly warned His people and His rulers not to do this.
The New Testament calls this being un-equally yoked together with unbelievers. Light and darkness do not mix.
As Christians we are light in the Lord, and to marry, or to engage in business relationships etc, is an effort that is in direct contradiction to God's will for His people. You cannot blend the two. Trouble will ensue
2. Direct disobedience will bring about consequences that are not a blessing.
1st Kings 11:2 from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love.
Here we have God's Word spoken very clearly. And, we are also given the reason for this command.
Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon
God told Solomon, that these foreign women would turn his heart away after their gods. Solomon's heart had been towards the Lord, but now it was being turned away from the Lord and towards the gods of his wives.
If you read on in 1st Kings, you hear about the various God's, Astoreth, was the goddess of sex. One of the other gods he wound up worshipping was Molech, which involved the sacrifice of children, having them burned alive as in their worship of this god Molech.
One only has to stop and think for a moment that if one god is sex, and that's what you gave yourself to, then the natural outcome would be pregnancies. We would call these today, unwanted pregnancies. So, they would have sex, get pregnant and then kill their children. This is what Solomon was involved in. It's hard to believe, but it happened. It's so sad to read about, but how true it was.
3. Direct disobedience is something that Satan seeks for God's people to do.
1st Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
There is no question that satan was involved in all this pagan worship as he is this very day. His goal is to destroy the work of God in God's people. And, he did a good job when it came to Solomon, just like he seeks to do today in our lives.
Our defense against Satan is available, and it's called the armor of God. See Eph 6:10-18. We are told there, that if we will put on the armor that God has made for us, that we will stand in victory and not go down in shameful defeat.
Putting on that armor is in it's simplest form, is putting on Christ. Putting on Christ in it's simplest form, is knowing Him, and following Him, and obeying Him.
Some questions:
1. What did this devotional today make you think of?
2. Can you see that even the mighty can fall like Solomon did?
3. Can you also see that obedience is the best path to choose?
4. God knows what's best for us. It's for our good to be obedient to Him.
5. Can you think of any area of your life right now that may need adjustment from disobedience to obedience?
6. Do you know that God loves You, and will forgive you and restore you if you have been disobedient?
7. Do you know that just because a person is in a position of leadership, they are not immune form the consequences of disobedience.
A prayer:
Father, thank You for not glossing over the harsh realities of this life. Here we have the story of a wise man, the wisest of men, who to his own hurt chose to give into his lust, and disobeyed You, and how it hurt the nation in the days following. Father, the same sequence can happen in our lives. We today, would want to quickly and sincerely confess and repent of any known sin in our lives, and cling to You, and forsake our sins. Thank You for wanting to protect us. May we heed Your Word with all of our hearts. Give us grace and mercy this day we pray. In Jesus name, amen.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.
1st Kings 11:1 But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites--
1st Kings 11:2 from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love.
Some explanatory thoughts/application/questions and a prayer:
The events recorded in 1st Kings took place towards the end of Solomon's life. Earlier in his life, and even before his life, God had spoken the Children of Israel about what a ruler was to do, and not to do. Solomon knew God's Word, but unfortunately he chose to ignore it, and rather gave into his own desires, instead of being obedient to God. He became disobedient and it was the start of much, much trouble for him personally, and ultimately for the nation as a whole.
1. Direct disobedience to God's Word is never fruitful.
1st Kings 11:1 But King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites--
We are told what the disobedience was. 1st Kings 11:1 But King Solomon loved many foreign women,
God had directly warned His people and His rulers not to do this.
The New Testament calls this being un-equally yoked together with unbelievers. Light and darkness do not mix.
As Christians we are light in the Lord, and to marry, or to engage in business relationships etc, is an effort that is in direct contradiction to God's will for His people. You cannot blend the two. Trouble will ensue
2. Direct disobedience will bring about consequences that are not a blessing.
1st Kings 11:2 from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love.
Here we have God's Word spoken very clearly. And, we are also given the reason for this command.
Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. from the nations of whom the LORD had said to the children of Israel, “You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon
God told Solomon, that these foreign women would turn his heart away after their gods. Solomon's heart had been towards the Lord, but now it was being turned away from the Lord and towards the gods of his wives.
If you read on in 1st Kings, you hear about the various God's, Astoreth, was the goddess of sex. One of the other gods he wound up worshipping was Molech, which involved the sacrifice of children, having them burned alive as in their worship of this god Molech.
One only has to stop and think for a moment that if one god is sex, and that's what you gave yourself to, then the natural outcome would be pregnancies. We would call these today, unwanted pregnancies. So, they would have sex, get pregnant and then kill their children. This is what Solomon was involved in. It's hard to believe, but it happened. It's so sad to read about, but how true it was.
3. Direct disobedience is something that Satan seeks for God's people to do.
1st Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
There is no question that satan was involved in all this pagan worship as he is this very day. His goal is to destroy the work of God in God's people. And, he did a good job when it came to Solomon, just like he seeks to do today in our lives.
Our defense against Satan is available, and it's called the armor of God. See Eph 6:10-18. We are told there, that if we will put on the armor that God has made for us, that we will stand in victory and not go down in shameful defeat.
Putting on that armor is in it's simplest form, is putting on Christ. Putting on Christ in it's simplest form, is knowing Him, and following Him, and obeying Him.
Some questions:
1. What did this devotional today make you think of?
2. Can you see that even the mighty can fall like Solomon did?
3. Can you also see that obedience is the best path to choose?
4. God knows what's best for us. It's for our good to be obedient to Him.
5. Can you think of any area of your life right now that may need adjustment from disobedience to obedience?
6. Do you know that God loves You, and will forgive you and restore you if you have been disobedient?
7. Do you know that just because a person is in a position of leadership, they are not immune form the consequences of disobedience.
A prayer:
Father, thank You for not glossing over the harsh realities of this life. Here we have the story of a wise man, the wisest of men, who to his own hurt chose to give into his lust, and disobeyed You, and how it hurt the nation in the days following. Father, the same sequence can happen in our lives. We today, would want to quickly and sincerely confess and repent of any known sin in our lives, and cling to You, and forsake our sins. Thank You for wanting to protect us. May we heed Your Word with all of our hearts. Give us grace and mercy this day we pray. In Jesus name, amen.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT GOING THROUGH TRIALS"
"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT GOING THROUGH TRIALS"
Proverbs 17:3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD tests the hearts.
Some explanatory thoughts/application/questions and a prayer:
The Book of Proverbs has been given to us by God to show us how to walk in wisdom day by day.
As you read through the 31 chapters, you run into just about every situation that you actually experience in life. Proverbs gives us both insight from God, encouragement from God, warnings from God, and explanations from God. This verse is one of explanation. God is explaining a little bit to us about "Trials"
1. Man uses methods to refine silver and gold.
Proverbs 17:3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
In days of old, and even today, the method to purify is heat. Silver and gold, which are precious metals, need to be heated, over and over again, in order to separate the dross from the actual silver and gold. The heat is what separates the two.
In fact, God uses this concept to explain to us how His word is pure.
Psalms 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words, Like silver tried in a furnace of earth, Purified seven times.
So, right there in Ps 12:6, you have even some more detail as to the number of times heat is applied to purify. God's Word of course did not need to be purified, but God was simply using a real life illustration to show the purity of His Word. And, in doing so, we see that men actually would use furnaces to purify precious metals, and apparently 7 times was the needed amount of time to make the metal pure.
2. But LORD tests the hearts.
Proverbs 17:3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD tests the hearts.
Now we see by contrast what God does in the heart of man to purify him. Man may use fire to purify precious metals, but the LORD tests the hearts of men. Or He seeks to purify the heart of man.
3. Here are four direct references to this process of testing our hearts, or the LORD putting us through trials. Please keep in mind, that God's goal is to purify our lives. What a blessing that He would have such an interest in us, as to bring that purification into our lives. These verses help us understand God's ways of using trials to purify our lives. And, to bless our lives.
(1) The first one is found in James chapter 1.
James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
James 1:3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
James 1:4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
These verses encourage us to look at the big picture when we are being tested. The test is designed to produce in us patience. And, it's needful that we allow the Lord to do His work, by trusting Him, and as we do, we will become more well rounded believers, we will grow into maturity.
(2) The second is found in Heb 12:11
Hebrews 12:11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
This verse does not sugar coat the difficulties of trials. They are not joyful to go through, but they are painful. But, if we go through them, we will come out the other side different people. We will experience the peaceable fruit of righteousness in our lives. God uses trials to purify us.
(3) The third one is found in 1st Peter
1st Peter 4:12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;
Here we are told not to think it's some strange thing when we find ourselves in a fiery trial. It's going to happen. This simply is God's helpful instruction to us, to not panic or wonder what is going on. We are going through a trial, and it's fiery. Remember, it's to purify our lives.
(4) The fourth one is found in 1st John 3.
1st John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
1st John 3:3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
This last reference is one connected with the fact that as God's children, we will one day be changed, and we will be like Him when we see Him. And, please notice what's said in 1st John 3:3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
The hope of being with the Lord has a purifying effect upon us. We know that He is coming, and that knowledge helps us to purify ourselves. This is why it's so important to keep in mind the clear Biblical teaching that Jesus is coming back again soon.
Some questions:
1. What did you learn from these verses today about trials.?
2. What were you reminded about from these verses today?
3. What application is the Lord showing you to take from these verses?
4. Isn't it wonderful that God wants to improve our lives, to purify them?
5. Which of us does not realize the need to be made purer than we are at this moment?
A prayer:
Our Father in heaven, how great and loving You are towards us Your children. You took us out of darkness, and made us light. You then begin the process of growing us up, and conforming us into the image of Jesus Christ. Though the trials are fiery and not pleasant, they nonetheless yield wonderful benefits in our lives. They make us more like Your Son Jesus. Thank You for Your work in our lives Lord. In Jesus name, amen.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.
Proverbs 17:3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD tests the hearts.
Some explanatory thoughts/application/questions and a prayer:
The Book of Proverbs has been given to us by God to show us how to walk in wisdom day by day.
As you read through the 31 chapters, you run into just about every situation that you actually experience in life. Proverbs gives us both insight from God, encouragement from God, warnings from God, and explanations from God. This verse is one of explanation. God is explaining a little bit to us about "Trials"
1. Man uses methods to refine silver and gold.
Proverbs 17:3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
In days of old, and even today, the method to purify is heat. Silver and gold, which are precious metals, need to be heated, over and over again, in order to separate the dross from the actual silver and gold. The heat is what separates the two.
In fact, God uses this concept to explain to us how His word is pure.
Psalms 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words, Like silver tried in a furnace of earth, Purified seven times.
So, right there in Ps 12:6, you have even some more detail as to the number of times heat is applied to purify. God's Word of course did not need to be purified, but God was simply using a real life illustration to show the purity of His Word. And, in doing so, we see that men actually would use furnaces to purify precious metals, and apparently 7 times was the needed amount of time to make the metal pure.
2. But LORD tests the hearts.
Proverbs 17:3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD tests the hearts.
Now we see by contrast what God does in the heart of man to purify him. Man may use fire to purify precious metals, but the LORD tests the hearts of men. Or He seeks to purify the heart of man.
3. Here are four direct references to this process of testing our hearts, or the LORD putting us through trials. Please keep in mind, that God's goal is to purify our lives. What a blessing that He would have such an interest in us, as to bring that purification into our lives. These verses help us understand God's ways of using trials to purify our lives. And, to bless our lives.
(1) The first one is found in James chapter 1.
James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
James 1:3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
James 1:4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
These verses encourage us to look at the big picture when we are being tested. The test is designed to produce in us patience. And, it's needful that we allow the Lord to do His work, by trusting Him, and as we do, we will become more well rounded believers, we will grow into maturity.
(2) The second is found in Heb 12:11
Hebrews 12:11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
This verse does not sugar coat the difficulties of trials. They are not joyful to go through, but they are painful. But, if we go through them, we will come out the other side different people. We will experience the peaceable fruit of righteousness in our lives. God uses trials to purify us.
(3) The third one is found in 1st Peter
1st Peter 4:12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;
Here we are told not to think it's some strange thing when we find ourselves in a fiery trial. It's going to happen. This simply is God's helpful instruction to us, to not panic or wonder what is going on. We are going through a trial, and it's fiery. Remember, it's to purify our lives.
(4) The fourth one is found in 1st John 3.
1st John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
1st John 3:3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
This last reference is one connected with the fact that as God's children, we will one day be changed, and we will be like Him when we see Him. And, please notice what's said in 1st John 3:3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
The hope of being with the Lord has a purifying effect upon us. We know that He is coming, and that knowledge helps us to purify ourselves. This is why it's so important to keep in mind the clear Biblical teaching that Jesus is coming back again soon.
Some questions:
1. What did you learn from these verses today about trials.?
2. What were you reminded about from these verses today?
3. What application is the Lord showing you to take from these verses?
4. Isn't it wonderful that God wants to improve our lives, to purify them?
5. Which of us does not realize the need to be made purer than we are at this moment?
A prayer:
Our Father in heaven, how great and loving You are towards us Your children. You took us out of darkness, and made us light. You then begin the process of growing us up, and conforming us into the image of Jesus Christ. Though the trials are fiery and not pleasant, they nonetheless yield wonderful benefits in our lives. They make us more like Your Son Jesus. Thank You for Your work in our lives Lord. In Jesus name, amen.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT WHAT GOD CAN AND WILL DO"
"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT WHAT GOD CAN AND WILL DO"
1st Kings 8:56 “Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses.
1st Kings 8:57 “May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor forsake us,
1st Kings 8:58 “that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers.
Some explanatory thoughts/application/questions and a prayer:
The verses above come at the end of prayer by Solomon, upon the completion of the temple, and the bringing into the temple the ark of the covenant. ( The ark by the way, it's top covered with gold, was called the Mercy Seat, and it's there that God had promised to meet the people, i.e the High Priest. God met the hight priest on the basis of mercy not self righteousness ) The entire prayer is rich with truths about God and promises of what the Lord would do. The verses we are looking at are filled with praise to God for His faithfulness, and a request that He would work in the hearts of His people Israel.
1. God is to be blessed.
1st Kings 8:56 “Blessed be the LORD,
God is to be praised. The word blessed here is sometimes used to mean, "congratulate" Solomon, was demonstrating true worship here. That is, that His people respond to what He has done. Such was the case here.
As you read through this whole 8th chapter ( which as you do, you will see what a beautiful prayer it is ) you can see that Solomon was in a very real sense congratulating God for His goodness and His many blessings to His people.
True worship then, is one where we are responding to what God has already done. The rest of these two verses actually describe things that God had done for them, and ends with something that God wants of any of His people.
2. God has given us rest.
1st Kings 8:56 “Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel,
God had been faithful to give rest to the people. The books leading up to 1st Kings describe the many, many difficulties they had faced, but at the dedication of the temple, it was clear and appropriate to thank Him for having given them rest.
This is one of examples where there is a type for us in the Old Testament. God through Christ, and our faith in Him, has also given us rest. We have rested from all of our efforts to make ourselves right before God and have accepted His gift of salvation, and are now resting in what Jesus has done for us. We rest in the Lord.
3. God keeps His promises.
1st Kings 8:56 “Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised.
Solomon was also acknowledging in this prayer that God had been faithful to keep His promises to them. Again, the books of the Bible leading up to 1st Kings are chock full of promises that God had made to His people. And, at this very moment, here as the temple was being dedicated, it was very clear, that God was faithful, dependable, and that when He promises to do something He does it.
It's the same way today. God keeps His promises. One basic reason is that He cannot lie. Another reason is that He is powerful and no one can stop Him from keeping them. For example, didn't He promise to send Jesus and He did it. And, didn't He promise that if you would believe in Christ You would be saved, and you are. Etc, etc, etc.
4. God's Word does not fail.
1st Kings 8:56 “Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses.
This part of the prayer is an extension of praising God for His faithfulness. But, You will notice the emphasis on "all that He promised" And, then, "There has not failed one word of all His good promise" etc. So, each and every promise that God had made, He made good on. And, that's the way our God is. His Word is full of promises, and He keeps, or will keep each one that He has made. Our God is faithful.
5. God is with His people.
1st Kings 8:57 “May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor forsake us,
This part of the prayer turns a little bit in the direction of a request. Please read it again. “May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor forsake us,"
Solomon was simply asking that God would be with them, the people of His day, just as He had been with the people of Moses's day some many years earlier. He also was asking God to do something that He is committed to do. And, that is, "May He not leave us nor forsake us," Isn't that beautiful. This is one of the great blessings we have in Christ. They are two things he will not do. He will not leave us nor forsake us. Now we might leave and forsake Him, but, not He towards us. No, He is faithful to be with His people. He is with you this very moment.
6. God will incline your heart toward Himself.
1st Kings 8:58 “that He may incline our hearts to Himself,
This is another request by Solomon for his people, the nation of Israel. And, it's one that we also can pray, and know that the Lord will answer for us. The word "incline" means, to stretch out, to turn, to bend, to hold out, to influence. Here's how the verse reads in the NLT. 1st Kings 8:58 May he give us the desire to do his will in everything and to obey all the commands, laws, and regulations that he gave our ancestors.
So, the idea here is that we can pray and ask God to give us the desire to do His will in all things. Isn't that encouraging?
7. God wants you to walk in His ways and keep His commandments.
1st Kings 8:58 “that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers.
The purpose of our hearts being inclined towards Him, is that we might walk, or live, or conduct ourselves in the way of keeping and obeying the commandments, the statutes, and the judgements of God. Or all that He has commanded us to do.
It's a blessing to realize that God will help us to do what He wants us to do. We find of course by walking in His ways, it's the most blessed way to walk, or to live.
Some questions:
1. What can you worship and thank God for today?
2. Are you struggling to walk with God today, or are you resting by faith in Him?
3. Can you think of some promises that God has made in His Word, and are there any in particular that He has drawn Your attention to, and You are waiting on Him to fulfill?
4. Do you know that even though You may not "feel" it, God is indeed with You at this very moment.
5. Would you take a moment to just consider again what is in this verse. 1st Kings 8:57 “May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor forsake us, What a great prayer, and what a great truth about the Lord that He will not leave you nor forsake you. Do you believe this today?
6. Do you have a desire towards God at this time in your life? Has that desire grown stronger, or has it slowly bled away?
7. Would You take a moment today, right at this time to bow your heart before God and thank Him for His faithfulness to you, and would you make your requests known towards Him? He is faithful, He will do as He has promised.
A prayer:
Father, what an encouraging prayer we have just read. How faithful and true You are towards Your people. We want to say thank You for the years, and years of being faithful towards us. Lord, there is indeed, not one single promise You have made to us, that You have not made good on. Father, whatever we might be praying for today, please help us to pray along the lines of Your known will to us. Because we know for sure, that if we pray according to Your will, that we will find You answering us, and bringing glory to Yourself.
We praise You this day heavenly Father, in the name of Your wonderful Son Jesus Christ.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.
1st Kings 8:56 “Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses.
1st Kings 8:57 “May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor forsake us,
1st Kings 8:58 “that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers.
Some explanatory thoughts/application/questions and a prayer:
The verses above come at the end of prayer by Solomon, upon the completion of the temple, and the bringing into the temple the ark of the covenant. ( The ark by the way, it's top covered with gold, was called the Mercy Seat, and it's there that God had promised to meet the people, i.e the High Priest. God met the hight priest on the basis of mercy not self righteousness ) The entire prayer is rich with truths about God and promises of what the Lord would do. The verses we are looking at are filled with praise to God for His faithfulness, and a request that He would work in the hearts of His people Israel.
1. God is to be blessed.
1st Kings 8:56 “Blessed be the LORD,
God is to be praised. The word blessed here is sometimes used to mean, "congratulate" Solomon, was demonstrating true worship here. That is, that His people respond to what He has done. Such was the case here.
As you read through this whole 8th chapter ( which as you do, you will see what a beautiful prayer it is ) you can see that Solomon was in a very real sense congratulating God for His goodness and His many blessings to His people.
True worship then, is one where we are responding to what God has already done. The rest of these two verses actually describe things that God had done for them, and ends with something that God wants of any of His people.
2. God has given us rest.
1st Kings 8:56 “Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel,
God had been faithful to give rest to the people. The books leading up to 1st Kings describe the many, many difficulties they had faced, but at the dedication of the temple, it was clear and appropriate to thank Him for having given them rest.
This is one of examples where there is a type for us in the Old Testament. God through Christ, and our faith in Him, has also given us rest. We have rested from all of our efforts to make ourselves right before God and have accepted His gift of salvation, and are now resting in what Jesus has done for us. We rest in the Lord.
3. God keeps His promises.
1st Kings 8:56 “Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised.
Solomon was also acknowledging in this prayer that God had been faithful to keep His promises to them. Again, the books of the Bible leading up to 1st Kings are chock full of promises that God had made to His people. And, at this very moment, here as the temple was being dedicated, it was very clear, that God was faithful, dependable, and that when He promises to do something He does it.
It's the same way today. God keeps His promises. One basic reason is that He cannot lie. Another reason is that He is powerful and no one can stop Him from keeping them. For example, didn't He promise to send Jesus and He did it. And, didn't He promise that if you would believe in Christ You would be saved, and you are. Etc, etc, etc.
4. God's Word does not fail.
1st Kings 8:56 “Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses.
This part of the prayer is an extension of praising God for His faithfulness. But, You will notice the emphasis on "all that He promised" And, then, "There has not failed one word of all His good promise" etc. So, each and every promise that God had made, He made good on. And, that's the way our God is. His Word is full of promises, and He keeps, or will keep each one that He has made. Our God is faithful.
5. God is with His people.
1st Kings 8:57 “May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor forsake us,
This part of the prayer turns a little bit in the direction of a request. Please read it again. “May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor forsake us,"
Solomon was simply asking that God would be with them, the people of His day, just as He had been with the people of Moses's day some many years earlier. He also was asking God to do something that He is committed to do. And, that is, "May He not leave us nor forsake us," Isn't that beautiful. This is one of the great blessings we have in Christ. They are two things he will not do. He will not leave us nor forsake us. Now we might leave and forsake Him, but, not He towards us. No, He is faithful to be with His people. He is with you this very moment.
6. God will incline your heart toward Himself.
1st Kings 8:58 “that He may incline our hearts to Himself,
This is another request by Solomon for his people, the nation of Israel. And, it's one that we also can pray, and know that the Lord will answer for us. The word "incline" means, to stretch out, to turn, to bend, to hold out, to influence. Here's how the verse reads in the NLT. 1st Kings 8:58 May he give us the desire to do his will in everything and to obey all the commands, laws, and regulations that he gave our ancestors.
So, the idea here is that we can pray and ask God to give us the desire to do His will in all things. Isn't that encouraging?
7. God wants you to walk in His ways and keep His commandments.
1st Kings 8:58 “that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers.
The purpose of our hearts being inclined towards Him, is that we might walk, or live, or conduct ourselves in the way of keeping and obeying the commandments, the statutes, and the judgements of God. Or all that He has commanded us to do.
It's a blessing to realize that God will help us to do what He wants us to do. We find of course by walking in His ways, it's the most blessed way to walk, or to live.
Some questions:
1. What can you worship and thank God for today?
2. Are you struggling to walk with God today, or are you resting by faith in Him?
3. Can you think of some promises that God has made in His Word, and are there any in particular that He has drawn Your attention to, and You are waiting on Him to fulfill?
4. Do you know that even though You may not "feel" it, God is indeed with You at this very moment.
5. Would you take a moment to just consider again what is in this verse. 1st Kings 8:57 “May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor forsake us, What a great prayer, and what a great truth about the Lord that He will not leave you nor forsake you. Do you believe this today?
6. Do you have a desire towards God at this time in your life? Has that desire grown stronger, or has it slowly bled away?
7. Would You take a moment today, right at this time to bow your heart before God and thank Him for His faithfulness to you, and would you make your requests known towards Him? He is faithful, He will do as He has promised.
A prayer:
Father, what an encouraging prayer we have just read. How faithful and true You are towards Your people. We want to say thank You for the years, and years of being faithful towards us. Lord, there is indeed, not one single promise You have made to us, that You have not made good on. Father, whatever we might be praying for today, please help us to pray along the lines of Your known will to us. Because we know for sure, that if we pray according to Your will, that we will find You answering us, and bringing glory to Yourself.
We praise You this day heavenly Father, in the name of Your wonderful Son Jesus Christ.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.
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