Tag: judgment.
Declare His salvation day to day!
Scripture reading for May 15th: 1st Chronicles 14-16, Acts 24
Key Scriptures: Acts 24:24-27 “After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.” At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him. When two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.”
Paul was always sharing the Gospel. God put Paul in prison but the Gospel went forth, even to the Roman official in charge of him. As Paul shared, reasoning with Felix and his wife, about the coming judgment, they fell under conviction and became uncomfortable. Their real motive for talking with Paul was to obtain a bribe, not to listen to him preach! But God left Paul there for two years, for more opportunities to share with those He wanted to hear. Paul must be faithful and trust God for His plans to be worked out.
Faith confession and prayer: Lord Jesus, sometimes it is hard to understand Your timing and my need for faith and patience and faithfulness in a hard field You put us in. Fill me daily with Your Holy Spirit and joy and give me grace and patience to share with those whose motives may be contrary.
1st Chronicles 16:23-24 “Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Tell of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples!”
Appointment canceled!
Scripture reading for February 27th: Leviticus 24-25, Psalm 81, Hebrews 9
Key Scriptures: Hebrews 9:27-28 “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.”
God’s decrees are sure and predictable. Because of sin, man has an appointment with death. Following along after death is judgment for the sins committed. But God, being rich in mercy, sent His Son Jesus Christ to keep our appointment with death in our place by bearing our sins. He rose again from the dead and rules at God’s right hand until all enemies are under His feet. He will come again, not to deal with sin, but to save all who believe on Him and take them into their full inheritance forever.
Faith Confession and prayer: I thank Jesus Christ for keeping my appointment with death and judgment by bearing my sins in His body on the cross. Help me to wait with patience for His return and entering into my full inheritance with Him forever. Open my mouth to preach the Gospel that none would have to keep their appointment with death.
Leviticus 25:38 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.”
Psalm 81:10 “I am the Lord your God, Who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.”
Boasting in our merciful God!
Scripture reading for January 31st: Exodus 4-6, Galatians 6
Key Scriptures: Exodus 6:5-7 “Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered My covenant. Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be My people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, Who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”
God told Moses that He had heard the groaning of Israel and had seen their bondage and suffering. He is our God who sees and hears, and has the will and power to deliver. “I will” marks the confident assurance by which God states His plans to bring His people out of bondage by His own arm and with great acts of judgment. He desires to be their God and have them for His own people! Oh that we would as confidently boast in our amazing living God!
Faith confession and prayer: Father, thank You for Your great heart of mercy and for being aware and active in my salvation. I will ever boast of Jesus Christ and Your great act of deliverance of me and all others through placing our judgment on Your Son.
Galatians 6:14-15 “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.”
Humble confession of Faith!
Scripture reading for April 16th: John 8, Psalm 76, Proverbs 14
Key Scriptures: John 8:23-25 “He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am He you will die in your sins.” So they said to Him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning.”
Jesus had declared to the Pharisees that He was the “Light of the world.” They struggled to believe in Him because they were living in the darkness of sin–the sin of unbelief! Jesus plainly told them that they would die in their sins unless they believed in Him as Messiah. It is faith in Jesus that alone brings deliverance from death.
Faith Confession: Jesus, I humbly confess that You are the Son of God, the Light of the world. and the only One who can save me from eternal separation from You.
Psalm 76:8-9 “From the heavens You uttered judgment; the earth feared and was still, when God arose to establish judgment, to save all the humble of the earth.”
The Abundance of the Heart
Scripture reading for January 16th: Matthew 12, Psalm 12, Prov. 12
Key Scriptures: Matthew 12:34-37 “You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Pharisees had just condemned Jesus by attributing the healing of the deaf and mute man to the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons. Jesus called them a “brood of vipers.” He explained that this evil thought came from an evil heart. Every careless and evil word spoken would require accounting on the day when God would judge men. It was a matter of the heart. Evil people need a change of heart!
Faith’s confession: Lord, I recognize You as the source of all good and healing. Thank You for transforming my heart through faith in Jesus Christ, enabling me to speak from a good treasure of Your pure Word.
Psalm 12:6 “The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.”
God’s Faithful Word!
Scripture reading for October 25th: Jeremiah 13-15, Hebrews 10
Key Scriptures: Hebrews 10:23-27 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. For if we go on sinning deliberately, after receiving a knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.”
God honors faithfulness and application of truth revealed. Christians have a great responsibility to live in obedience and hold Christ’s return in their thinking and actions. God is faithful and also just! Willful sinning when the knowledge of God’s truth has been received will bring judgment and eternal loss. What a joy to delight in His Word!
Jeremiah 15:16 “Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your words became to me a joy and delight of my heart, for I am called by Your Name, O Lord, God of Hosts.”
Prayer: Lord, Thank You for Your faithfulness and Holy Word of encouragement and warning. May I always delight in Your Word and be called by Your great Name! Amen.
God my “Stronghold”
Scripture reading for April 11: 1st Samuel 20-23, John 5
Key Scriptures: John 6:28-29 “Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.”
Jesus told His disciples that He would be the source of resurrection and eternal life. His voice would bring people out of their graves. But not everyone would enjoy eternal life, some who had done evil would suffer judgment and eternal punishment. God knows how to protect His people and punish those who do evil!
1st Samuel 23:14 “And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.”
Prayer: Father, thank You for the promise of resurrection life and reward and Your protection in this life. Help me to live in faith and make You my “Stronghold”. Amen.
Thankful for God’s Righteous Judgment!
Scripture reading for July 25th: Ecclesiastes 9-12
Key Scriptures: Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”
Solomon concluded his dissertation with a simple statement of truth. Even though life under the sun appeared to be meaningless to the worldly man, there was a God in heaven that deserved reverence and obedience. This God had decreed that He would judge each person based on their deeds and obedience to His commands. There was nothing that would be hidden from His sight.
Thankful for God the Righteous Judge: “Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, . .” (John 5:22) “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37)
One third of the earth: killed!
Scripture reading for December 12th: Revelation 9
Key scriptures for over-comers: Revelation 9:13-16 “The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God. It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number.”
As the sixth angel sounded, John heard a voice speaking from the altar before God. This voice commanded the sixth angel to release for angels who had been bound by the Euphrates River. These angels were prepared for judgment in the area of the Middle East. There was a specific year, month, day and hour set beforehand by God for this judgment that would see one third of mankind killed! This a a sobering number! Another sobering number was an army of troops that John heard about, numbering two hundred million!
Observations for over-comers: These visions of John are written to reveal to over-comers the awful consequences of sin in mankind. He has a day appointed to judge the earth! “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month–on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.” (Genesis 7:11)