Do what is right and good in the LORD's sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers. (Deuteronomy 6:18)
Why is it so important to do what is right and good in the Lord's sight? Moses, here says that, it is intimately related to your wellbeing and the Lord's promise being fulfilled in your life.
Regarding a couple of kings of Judah, the Bible says,
Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God.(2 Chronicles 14:2)
This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God.(2 Chronicles 31:20)
All the years that these kings did good and right, the Lord blessed them abundantly, rescued them from their enemies and gave them peace. But later on when they did wrong and did not trust in God, they paid the price for it.
In his latter years as king, Asa chose to befriend a wicked king and God sent a prophet to him who said,
"For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war."
King Hezekiah did an foolish thing of showing off all his treasures and riches to the envoys of a wicked Babylonian king and God had this to say to him,
The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD.(2 Kings 20:17)
The Apostle Paul, writing to the Philippians exhorts them in this manner:
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)
To the Church at Thessalonica, he again writes,
And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.(2 Thessalonians 3:13)
Surely, doing good and right is a pleasant sacrifice in the sight of the Lord and his blessings will be upon them that do so.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Simple Thoughts On Promises- 313
Isaiah answered, "This is the LORD's sign to you that the LORD will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps? (2 Kings 20:9)
Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah went to him and said, "This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover." Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, "Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: "Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD."
Then Hezekiah asked Isaiah, "What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the LORD on the third day from now?" And to this question, Isaiah gave the reply that we read in the title verse. Isaiah told him that the Lord will give him a sign...in the form of a miracle....LORD made the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz (the sundial of Ahaz) .
Are you waiting for a sign from the Lord regarding a promise that the Lord has given you? It will come soon. You will see a miracle. Keep praying for the Lord is at work. He will fulfill his promise to you.
Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah went to him and said, "This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover." Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, "Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: "Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD."
Then Hezekiah asked Isaiah, "What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the LORD on the third day from now?" And to this question, Isaiah gave the reply that we read in the title verse. Isaiah told him that the Lord will give him a sign...in the form of a miracle....LORD made the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz (the sundial of Ahaz) .
Are you waiting for a sign from the Lord regarding a promise that the Lord has given you? It will come soon. You will see a miracle. Keep praying for the Lord is at work. He will fulfill his promise to you.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Simple Thoughts On Promises- 312
And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites--a land flowing with milk and honey. (Exodus 3:17)
The Israelites were in a miserable condition in Egypt. 430 years of slavery. Pain, injury and shame were their wages for working hard. And God decided to end it all.
Long before all these years of slavery, God had spoken to Abraham regarding this bondage and the redemption. He said,
"Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions." (Genesis 15:13, 14)
And it happened exactly as God said.
What God promises, he brings about at his appointed time and no one can stop him. The
Psalmist says,
Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.(Psalms 119:140)
Again in Psalms 145, we read,
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. (v13)
Even in your life, If God has promised you something, he will bring it to fulfillment, because the Bible says,
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 1:20)
Shall we say an "Amen" to that!
The Israelites were in a miserable condition in Egypt. 430 years of slavery. Pain, injury and shame were their wages for working hard. And God decided to end it all.
Long before all these years of slavery, God had spoken to Abraham regarding this bondage and the redemption. He said,
"Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions." (Genesis 15:13, 14)
And it happened exactly as God said.
What God promises, he brings about at his appointed time and no one can stop him. The
Psalmist says,
Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.(Psalms 119:140)
Again in Psalms 145, we read,
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. (v13)
Even in your life, If God has promised you something, he will bring it to fulfillment, because the Bible says,
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 1:20)
Shall we say an "Amen" to that!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Simple Thoughts On Promises- 311
"Abner conferred with the elders of Israel and said, "For some time you have wanted to make David your king. Now do it! For the LORD promised David, 'By my servant David I will rescue my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.' " (2 Samuel 3:17, 18)
Abner, here, is reminding the elders of Israel what God had promised David. David was to be king over all the land and he was going to rescue the Israelites from their enemies. David had been anointed king over the house of Judah, but not as king of all Israel. Things had not progressed as David would have desired but God was at work. Abner, who was on Saul's side defected to David's side because of an argument with Saul's son Ishbosheth. Thus started a process by which David would be king. Abner was murdered by Joab, because Abner had killed his brother Asahel. Ishbosheth was murdered later on by Baanah and Recab, leaders of his raiding bands.
Then the Bible says,
All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, "We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the LORD said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.' " When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a compact with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years. (2 Samuel 5:1-5)
God's promises to David that he would be king over all Israel were fulfilled, not partly, but fully, in God's time.
His promises to you regarding any matter will also be fulfilled totally in his wonderful time. Keep praying.
Abner, here, is reminding the elders of Israel what God had promised David. David was to be king over all the land and he was going to rescue the Israelites from their enemies. David had been anointed king over the house of Judah, but not as king of all Israel. Things had not progressed as David would have desired but God was at work. Abner, who was on Saul's side defected to David's side because of an argument with Saul's son Ishbosheth. Thus started a process by which David would be king. Abner was murdered by Joab, because Abner had killed his brother Asahel. Ishbosheth was murdered later on by Baanah and Recab, leaders of his raiding bands.
Then the Bible says,
All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, "We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the LORD said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.' " When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a compact with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years. (2 Samuel 5:1-5)
God's promises to David that he would be king over all Israel were fulfilled, not partly, but fully, in God's time.
His promises to you regarding any matter will also be fulfilled totally in his wonderful time. Keep praying.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Simple Thoughts On Promises- 310
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. (1 Timothy 4:8)
Paul, the Apostle, exhorts young Timothy to focus on spiritual things rather than the physical. He doesn't condemn physical training and we shouldn't either because it is our duty to take care of our physical body which is the temple of God. But an over emphasis on the physical can be distractive and divert our attentions to the non-spiritual aspects of life.
Paul lays an emphasis on godliness which in essence means having great reverence for God. He says that it has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. It's very true because the physical body that we have will not last forever but our spiritual bodies will live on forever in eternity with God if we live a life obeying the Word Of God.
Paul again exhorts him saying,
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. (1 Timothy 6:11)
Flee from worldly desires, especially the love of money is what Paul advices him here. Instead pursue things of much value in God's sight namely righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. A fine lesson for all of us who are waiting for eternal life with Jesus in heaven.
Let us not forget this day that....His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:3)
Praise the Lord.
Paul, the Apostle, exhorts young Timothy to focus on spiritual things rather than the physical. He doesn't condemn physical training and we shouldn't either because it is our duty to take care of our physical body which is the temple of God. But an over emphasis on the physical can be distractive and divert our attentions to the non-spiritual aspects of life.
Paul lays an emphasis on godliness which in essence means having great reverence for God. He says that it has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. It's very true because the physical body that we have will not last forever but our spiritual bodies will live on forever in eternity with God if we live a life obeying the Word Of God.
Paul again exhorts him saying,
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. (1 Timothy 6:11)
Flee from worldly desires, especially the love of money is what Paul advices him here. Instead pursue things of much value in God's sight namely righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. A fine lesson for all of us who are waiting for eternal life with Jesus in heaven.
Let us not forget this day that....His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:3)
Praise the Lord.
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