Under the Son – Gratitude - Purity 560
Purity 560 10/27/2021 Purity 560 Podcast
Good morning
Today’s photo of the surf and sand at Costas Mujeres, Mexico comes to us
from a friend who made a change of career decision just before they set out on
their vacation that was long overdue because of the circumstances surrounding
their lives as well as the changes caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Their departure to this sunny beach was also
timely in that they escaped the rain that covered upstate New York yesterday
and is in the forecast again today.
Well it’s Wednesday and while we can’t all just pack up and find a sunny
beach to escape the cloudy circumstances of our lives doesn’t mean we have to
stay in a dark cloud of depression either.
As Christians, we have the blessings of the Son of God and God the Son to
brighten our day no matter what may be in the forecast. Through faith in Jesus Christ we have been
translated from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God and remembering that
fact should be a source of continuous hope and joy.
So as we have reached the midway point of another work week be sure to
keep your hope alive by reminding yourself of the love of God that has been
poured out into your life through the revelation of Jesus Christ and for the
many blessings you have enjoyed along the way on this journey called life.
Every day after my morning exercises, I pray and thank God for all that
He has done in my life. I actually begin
the practice of gratitude while I exercise by thanking the Lord when I
successfully complete each set of exercises!
As someone who has worked hard to lose weight and become stronger, I
know how hard it was when I initially started exercising again back in November
last year. The struggle was real! But as
I was faithful to the discipline of rising and exercising, I was able to
perform the exercises with less difficulty and was able to do more repetitions
and began to feel stronger and see results.
I’m have not exactly arrived at my goal of optimal health yet but enjoy
the fact that I have made significant progress toward that end and feel much
healthier than I was a year ago. So I thank
God every morning for my health as a starting point in my practice of
gratitude.
After my exercises, I sit down and pray to the Lord and thank Him for my
home, my job, my car, my children, my family, my friends, my fiancé, her family,
my church, her church, and my pets and her pets. With all that I am thankful for out of the way
I will pray for others who need healing or
other blessings. Finally, I pray through Dr. Neil Anderson’s “Who I Am in
Christ” list that reminds me that I am accepted, secure, and significant in
Christ.
When I connect to the Lord in prayer my spirit is lifted and no matter
what the weather is like outside I can rejoice because this is the day that the
Lord has made.
So whether you are covered by another Northeast Autumn rainstorm or
sitting under the blazing sun on a Mexican beach today, remember that the Lord
is with you wherever you go and when you connect with Him in prayer and
thanksgiving, your spirit will be lifted, and your outlook will be bright.
So keep walking and talking with God, He is the One who has provided you
with all that you have and when you live in His presence He will give you the
strength and wisdom to walk through whatever storms you may face in life.
Today’s Bible verse is
drawn from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.
This morning’s meditation verse is:
Psalm 30:5 (NLT2)
5 For his anger lasts only a
moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but
joy comes with the morning.
Today’s verse recognizes the reality of
chastisement and suffering that we experience in life.
You know, it might sound funny but one
of the things that I have enjoyed about my journey into Christianity that has
taken place after becoming born again in 2010 is the fact that I discovered
that the word of God wasn’t all piety and super sweet sentimentalism.
As someone who had a lot of doubts and disappointments
and who made their fair share of errors in judgment in life, I was extremely
skeptical and weary as I sought out a church after being born again. I also
wanted to be assured that my salvation experience wasn’t just some entrance
into a blind faith of wishful thinking.
So when I got saved I was compelled to read the Bible and to investigate
the veracity of the Christian faith that I had joyously entered into.
My studies of the scriptures revealed
to me that the Bible didn’t pull any punches in describing the depravity of man
and the suffering that resulted from the fall of mankind. It also showed that there were severe
consequences for disregarding the commandments and wisdom that God revealed to
His people.
The Old Testament is replete with the
history of the nation of Israel’s suffering because of their failure to follow
the Lord. So when we read of God’s anger
in today’s verse, I know what the psalmist is talking about!
One saying that I have heard that I
believe adequately reflects the cause and effect relationship of disobeying God’s
instruction is “Choose to sin, choose to suffer. That one doesn’t get shared too much in Christian
circles as we greet one another with a “sign of peace” in the weekly worship service
but the fact that God will chastise those who are His is well documented in
scripture.
So if you choose to follow your own
wisdom instead of God’s, you very well may feel “his anger” and may experience
suffering that lasts through the night.
Whether or not the sufferings we experience in life are a result of our
sin and God’s chastisement is difficult to discern but one way that we can have
some assurance that we aren’t bringing it on ourselves is to be obedient to the
Lord and to live in His presence.
Even in the toughest times, we can
experience the favor that lasts a lifetime and the joy that comes in the
morning when we are living according to His ways and are connecting to God in
prayer.
Our suffering can be a trial of our own
making, a product of enemy influence, a natural circumstance of life in a world
broken by sin, or a chastisement from the Lord God Himself. But the remedy for
our suffering is the same regardless of the source of our suffering. We are to submit to God and resist the devil.
We are to draw close to the Lord, obey His directions for our lives, and say no
to worldly or demonic influences.
When we trust the Lord and live
according to His ways we can overcome suffering. When our trials come to an end,
we will know that we have enjoyed the Lord’s blessings even in the midst of it
all and that we were able to have joy even in the darkest of days.
Suffering is real and chastisement is a
possible cause of it. So live according to the ways of God and spend time in
His presence every day. The Lord will strengthen us and guide us when we walk
with Him. So no matter what we face in
life, stay close to Him and He will see you through.
As
always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from
prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with
their walk.
Today we continue sharing from June Hunt’s Dating:
Secrets to Great Relating When Dating
As always, I share this information for educational purposes
and encourage all to purchase June Hunt’s books for your own private study and
to support her work. If you need this title you can find it online at several
sites for less than $5.00:
F. What Kind of Love Lasts Forever?
Only one Love lasts forever. Only one Love exists outside of time. The
apostle John tells us "Whoever does not love does not know God, because
God is love" (1 John 4:8). To
paraphrase a popular bumper sticker: "No God? No love. Know God? Know
Love!"
The Bible pictures the church—the body of believers—as the Bride of Christ,
presented as holy and blameless, spotless, and pure for her Bridegroom...the
Lamb of God, Jesus, who takes away the sins of the world.
This beautiful picture of courtship culminates in the Wedding Supper of the
Lamb, foreshadowed by the prophet Isaiah..."I delight greatly in the
Lord; my soul rejoices in my
God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe
of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a
bride adorns herself with her jewels.... As a young man marries a young woman,
so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so
will your God rejoice over you" (Isaiah 61:10; 62:5).
Before seeking a great dating relationship, how much better to first
experience the greatest relationship you will ever know? The Bible says...
"The Lord appeared to us
in the past, saying: 'I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn
you with unfailing kindness. (Jeremiah 31:3)
Plan
of Salvation
4
Points of God's Plan
The following four spiritual truths will lead you to find a true everlasting
love.
#1 God's Purpose
for You...is Salvation.
- —What was
God's motivation in sending Jesus Christ to earth?
To express His love for you by saving you! The Bible says...
"God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send
his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through
him" (John
3:16-17).
- —What was
Jesus' purpose in coming to earth?
To forgive your sins, to empower you to have victory over sin, and to enable you to live a fulfilled life! Jesus said...
"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more
abundantly" (John
10:10 NKJV).
#2 Your
Problem...is Sin.
- —What
exactly is sin?
Sin is living independently of God's standard—knowing what is right, but choosing what is wrong. The Bible says...
"Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it,
sins" (James
4:17).
- —What is
the major consequence of sin?
Spiritual death, eternal separation from God. Scripture states...
"Your iniquities [sins] have separated you from your God... The wages
of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord" (Isaiah
59:2; Romans
6:23).
#3 God's
Provision for You...is the Savior.
- —Can
anything remove the penalty for sin?
Yes! Jesus died on the cross to personally pay the penalty for your sins. The Bible says...
"God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
- —What is
the solution to being separated from God?
Belief in (entrusting your life to) Jesus Christ as the only way to God the Father. Jesus says...
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me.... Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" (John 14:6; Acts 16:31).
#4 Your Part...
is Surrender.
- —Give
Christ control of your life, entrusting yourself to Him....
"Jesus said to his disciples, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must
deny themselves and take up their cross [die to your own self-rule] and follow
me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their
life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole
world, yet forfeit their soul?'" (Matthew 16:24-26).
- —Place
your faith in (rely on) Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and
reject your "good works" as a means of earning God's
approval....
"It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast"
(Ephesians 2:8-9).
The moment you choose to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior—entrusting
your life to Him—He comes to live inside you. Then He gives you His power to
live the fulfilled life God has planned for you. If you want to be fully
forgiven by God and become the person God created you to be, you can tell Him
in a simple, heartfelt prayer like this:
Prayer of Salvation
"God, I want a real relationship with You.
I admit that many times I've chosen
to go my own way instead of Your way.
Please forgive me for my sins.
Jesus, thank You for dying on the cross
to pay the penalty for my sins.
Come into my life to be my Lord and my Savior.
Change me from the inside out and make me the person
You created me to be.
In Your holy name I pray. Amen."
What
Can You Now Expect?
If you sincerely prayed this prayer, look what God says!
"Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into
this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of
God." (Romans
5:1-2)
Biblical Counseling Keys: Dating: Secrets to Great Relating
When Dating.
---------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
Join our “Victory
over the Darkness” or “The Bondage Breaker” series of Discipleship Classes via
the mt4christ247 podcast!
at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts,
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Email me
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Encouragement for the Path of Christian
Discipleship
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