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Choice is a matter of volition, faith a matter of heart: Jeremiah 3 and 4

Aaron Eberline — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:00:16 +0000

What choice have you made? The choice is one of devotion and dependance. Will you choose to depend on the idols that clutter your life or will you depend wholeheartedly on God alone as the source of sufficiency? The story of Israel in Jeremiah speaks to the wayward human heart that battles against God. The word of God to Israel, ”Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, ‘Return, faithless Israel, declares the LORD. I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful, declares the LORD; I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the LORD your God and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree, and that you have not obeyed my voice, declares the LORD. Return, O faithless children, declares the LORD; for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.’” Jeremiah 3:12-14 Would you turn away from your idols and back to God if you were Israel? Are you worshiping idols today, will you forsake them and cling to God?

We cannot choose to worship and follow God while clinging to detestable idols. There is only room in your heart for God or room for idols. It is impossible to live life as a pagan Christian. Once we are under the grace of God the idols have no hold, God takes preeminence over all parts of your life, and hope is secured even in your frailty. ”If you return, O Israel, declares the LORD, to me you should return. If you remove your detestable things from my presence, and do not waver, and if you swear, ‘As the LORD lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.’” Jeremiah 4:1,2 Will you choose the life of devotion to God? Will you trust in the sufficiency of the cross of Jesus Christ? Will you return to wholeness in Jesus Christ? We were made to fellowship with God.

The life that we lead expresses the choice we’ve made. Will the wrath of God be satiated or will you be the object of wrath, the only avenue of deliverance is found in Jesus Christ. Will you hope in Jesus? Will you hope? Will you live? ”A lion has gone up from his thicket, a destroyer of nations has set out; he has gone out from his place to make your land a waste; your cities will be ruins without inhabitant.” Jeremiah 4:7 As you look at the ways the people of Israel ebbed and flowed in devotion to God you will glimpse how your soul ever changes. It is the propitiation of Jesus Christ that brings rest to our souls. Stop striving and rest. Stop binding your soul to idols. Trust in Jesus.

Despised, rejected, oppressed, and crushed for you: Isaiah 52 and 53

Aaron Eberline — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 15:00:12 +0000

Such beauty seen from the grandstand of life is seldom beheld as is seen in Isaiah chapters 52 and 53. We read the beautiful foreshadowing of our present day Hope and Faith. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’ The voice of your watchmen-they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the LORD to Zion.” Isaiah 52:7,8 Within the pages of Isaiah we are given a picture of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Did the audience who received these worst realize how precious and beautiful these words of God truly were? ”Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.” Isaiah 52:13

I would love to do nothing short of retyping the hope drenched text from Isaiah 52 and 53 but I know that it would be of greater worth for you to read it yourself today. Remember that as you read that this is the one who died for your sins. He was despised for you. He was stricken for you. He was afflicted for you. He was crushed for you. He died for you.

“He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” Isaiah 53:3

“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” Isaiah 53:7

“Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.” Isaiah 53:10

Jesus Christ died as a ransom for many. Will you today place your hope and trust in His death on the cross of Calvary? He is waiting for you. He is lovingly waiting to welcome you home. Will you embrace this grace of God?

Only God can release us from our bondage to sin: Proverbs 25 and 26

Aaron Eberline — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:00:43 +0000

“It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory. A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” Proverbs 25:27,28 Foolishness is our belief that we do not need God. We seek our own glory believing that God doesn’t matter to our hopes, our dreams, and our lives? When we reject God we are seeking our own way in this world. We let loose an unquenchable appetite for anything that seems to meet the needs of the moment. Our lack of self-control leaves us helpless and weak in a world full of trouble. We were not designed by God to live out our lives seeking our desires unchecked. The more we seek out a life of sinfulness the more we become dissatisfied. ”If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.” Proverbs 25:16 It is only by God’s grace that we can overcome our inherent sinfulness. God enables us to live free from the bondage to our lust because of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross.

The weight of hopelessness removed at the cross of Calvary: Psalm 139

Aaron Eberline — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 16:00:15 +0000

What is the source of the inner hurt and pain that consumes your life? Do you ever think that no one cares about you or that no one has truly endured a life like your own? Deep down every person wants to know that there is someone who knows their hopes, dreams, fears, worries, pains, and desires. We search out someone who will fulfill that desire in our life and when we fail to find the perfect soul mate we turn to our idols to meet our needs. Do you feel a weight of hopelessness because no one is there to help you? Has everyone let you down and you dwell in a state of continual despair? Where can your hope be found? I can tell you today that there is someone who knows you better than you know yourself. God almighty the Lord of heaven and earth is the one that your are craving to know because He fully knows you. “O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways.” Psalm 139:1-4

Beloved of God you are not alone in this world. You may look upon this world thinking that chaos rules and that there is no hope for you to truly find help. Read the beautiful words of Psalm 139; God created you, set your life in motion and sustains you through the darkest moments of your life. “If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.” Psalm 139:11,12 As David wrote Psalm 139 he realized the powerful truth that God was intimately involved and present in every moment of his existence. No matter where David was or what circumstances he faced God was always there. Will you embrace this intimate God who knows you? “Search me, O God and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.” Psalm 139:23,24

The greatest proof the God loves you is found in the beautiful cross of Jesus Christ. In the moment that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world an eternal hope was offered to humanity. Will you trust in the cross of Jesus Christ? Do you realize that God knew our sinful state long before the world was created and He purposed to send Jesus Christ to die for us? Will you embrace this love of God? Will you trust Him?

God’s lovingkindness is truly everlasting: Psalm 136

Aaron Eberline — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 16:00:32 +0000

What comes to mind when you think about the lovingkindness of God? Is the lovingkindness of God a solitary act or a renewing act for mankind? Was it loving kindness that caused God to create this creation we live in? Was it lovingkindness that continually delivered the people of Israel from themselves? Was the lovingkindness expressed wholly upon the cross of Calvary? Was it lovingkindness that brought you through life to this exact moment? The lovingkindness of God is not a small act played out in a single moment but it is woven throughout time from the past, through the present, and into the future. The lovingkindness of God speaks to His unfailing faithfulness and covenant with mankind. “Who remembered us in our low estate, for His lovingkindness is everlasting, and has rescued us from our adversaries, for His lovingkindness is everlasting; who gives food to all flesh, for His lovingkindness is everlasting. Give thanks to the God of heaven, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” Psalm 136:23-26

Truly seeking the wellspring of peace: Psalm 122

Aaron Eberline — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:00:55 +0000

What is your progenitor of peace? Can money buy peace, can a lack of warfare bring about peace or can tolerance produce peace? We are naturally inclined to a state of distress and calamity because sin’s curse that is inherent to all of creation. Is there hope for lasting peace? “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you . May peace be within your walls, and prosperity within your palaces.’ For the sake of my brothers and my friends, I will now say ‘May peace be within you.’ For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.” Psalm 122:6-9 When we turn to God and find our hope in Him we can finally experience true peace.

The peace of God is experienced on a deeper level than the peace that you would typically expect to experience. God enables us to find peace in life, death and everything in between. We can stand in the midst of uncertainty because God grants us peace because He is the wellspring of peace. Have you experienced this peace of God? If today you cannot say that you have experienced this peace of God I implore you to seek out the truth found at the cross of Calvary. When Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of humanity a way was made for us to know this wonderful peace of God. Will you trust in Jesus Christ for your salvation and find hope in this peace?

What is worthy of your praise and adoration: Psalm 113

Aaron Eberline — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 16:00:52 +0000

“He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of His people. He makes the barren woman abide in the house as a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord!” Psalm 113:7-9 Has the weight of this world caused you to lose hope? Do you feel worthless? Are you a child of God? Everyone that has placed their hope and trust in Jesus Christ is living in a state of continual blessing. God looks upon us and lifts us out of the muck and mire of the world and places us in His wonderful family. We are fruitful because God enables us to grow and flourish. Praise Him with great praise!

Will you rejoice with the psalmist and praise the name of the Lord? All that God has done for mankind is worthy of all our praise and adoration. Can you continually seek to give praise and honor to God? “From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the lord is to be praised.” Psalm 113:3 We are renewed and restored because Jesus Christ died on the cross taking the complete wrath of God for upon Himself. Praise Him with great praise!

Press on to the next tomorrow because God is God: Psalm 103

Aaron Eberline — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:00:56 +0000

How many products do you purchase and consume to combat the effects of aging? We use lotions to soften our skin and disguise wrinkles. We workout rigorously to keep our bodies in shape to hold off the eventual problems of life. We supplement, boost and build up our bodies with herbs, minerals, vitamins and medicines to ease the effects of aging. Is there anything within our power that we can do to turn back the clock and renew our youthful vigor or stop death? We are completely helpless and there is nothing that we can do to empower ourselves. If the story of our lives were left in this state of helplessness would there be motivation to press on in life.

In Psalm 103 David brings tells us of the hope that we crave to know that there is help and deliverance from our pitiful state. Our help and hope are secured in the almighty power and nature of God alone. We are encouraged to rejoice and praise God for the fact that He is all that we truly need. We can press on to our next tomorrow because God is the one who is ultimately the one who enables us. “[God] satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.” Psalm 103:5

“[God] has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.” Psalm 103:10-14 Do you fear God? Do you understand the blessing that is ours because of the fear of the Lord? Be bold going forth into the unknown of tomorrow because of the security that was lavishly given on the Cross of Calvary. Jesus Christ removed the taint of sin in our lives. Our sin is gone from us as far as heaven is above the earth and as far as the east is from the west. Why do we continually return to ponder the sin that God has already forgiven? God remembers the sin no more, why do you we remember? The curse of sin still has an effect on our lives but by the grace of God death no longer will reign in the end. Sickness, aging, pain and hurt will be apart of our lives but when Jesus Christ returns we will be renewed to a state of youthfulness. God is our hope, Do not fear tomorrow because it is in His hands.

Expectantly await for the second advent of Jesus Christ: Psalm 85

Aaron Eberline — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 16:00:39 +0000

Over two thousand years ago mankind received the greatest gift of all in Bethlehem. “Lovingkindness and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth springs from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. Indeed, the Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its produce. Righteousness will go before Him and will make His footsteps into a way.” Psalm 85:10-13 The ultimate good for us is the graciously given gift of salvation through the cross of Calvary. Jesus Christ is our hope and our future. The world may appear to collapse around you but the sovereignty of God is eternally enduring. Will you trust that Jesus Christ came and took on humanity so that fellowship could be restored?

Our perspective as we wait for the second advent of Jesus Christ is similar to the perspective of the sons of Korah as they waited for the advent of salvation. “Show us Your lovingkindness, O Lord, and grant us Your salvation… Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, that glory may dwell in our land.” Psalm 85:7,9 Expentancy marked the expectations of the sons of Korah as they endured the tribulations of life. As we press on and endure this life remember that we are sojourners who are expectantly awaiting the second advent of Jesus Christ. Do not let the worries of life overshadow your life because this is a joyful time of great expectation as we await the second advent of Jesus Christ.

Our perception darkens but God’s perspective brings light: Psalm 79

Aaron Eberline — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 16:00:25 +0000

How would you define your life today? Would you look upon your life and see a continual blessings from God? Do you live in the the current state of blessedness that is yours because of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross of Calvary? We can easily take our salvation for granted as we are worn down by the concerns of the world. We are lavishly blessed beyond all belief through Jesus Christ. We need not fall into the self-deceptive thinking that we are not good enough, ill equipped and hopeless to make it through life. The mighty power of God that was displayed on Calvary bridged the infinite gap that had left us separated, excluded, estranged and hopelessly alone in the world. The fellowship that was restored brought us into the intimate household of God, brought us access to God and gave us full citizenship in the kingdom of heaven. Do you live in the wondrous truth of your position in Jesus Christ?

In Psalm 79 we see the anger and pain that was felt as the people of Israel endured much trouble and tribulation. Through the eyes of the people of Israel they had become a reproach to their neighbors. The initial questions they asked were directed towards God about their own value. “How long, O Lord? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn life fire? Pour out Your wrath upon the nations which do not know You, and upon the kingdoms which do not call upon Your name. For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation. Do not remember the iniquities of our forefathers against us; let Your compassion come quickly to meet us, for we are brought low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; and deliver us and forgive our sins for Your name’s sake.” Psalm 79:5-9 The psalmist remembered that hope was fixed not in their situation or their perception of self-worth but their value was based upon God alone. Deliverance was not found in complaining or grief but in remembering God and His faithfulness.

We need to cling to God and trust in His faithful provision in our lives today. We need to not look upon the situations we find ourselves and use those as a gauge of God’s approval. The full extent of God’s approval and love for us was expressed on the cross of Calvary and we will never have that state of blessedness tarnished in God’s sight. Endure and press on through the difficult moments and cling to God for your hope to make it through the dark moments of life because it is truly our perception of life that creates the darkness around us. God is Light and in Him there is no darkness.