Do you know God? Do you trust God implicitly? Listen to the words of Isaiah and think about the quality of the relationship with God that we must desire. “And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them. They are turned back and utterly put to shame, who trust in carved idols, who say to metal images, ‘You are our gods.’” Isaiah 42:16,17 Our relationship with God is marked by complete and total trust and dependance. Continue Reading…
Tag Archive - Self Worth
Trust in God who declared you worthy: Isaiah 42 and 43
What is catalyzing you to move beyond yourself: Ecclesiastes Summary
What is the driving purpose and meaning behind everything we do? The book of Ecclesiastes can be summarized as the factual warning from Solomon proclaiming that a life without God is meaningless foolishness. It does not matter what we do or the grandiose visions and motives that are catalyzing us to exert our entire strength because without God our existence is only our own vaporous creation. ”Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.” Ecclesiastes 1:2-4 Can humanity be virtuous as our perceptions declare? We want to believe that the noble tasks that we undertake are will cause the winds of change to transform our world. It doesn’t matter how good or debase our desires are because all mankind is equally damned from birth. Solomon’s desire within Ecclesiastes is to proclaim that no one can live a life of fulfillment without God. Continue Reading…
Our perception darkens but God’s perspective brings light: Psalm 79
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? Continue Reading…
The wisdom, wealth, and splendor of King Solomon: 1 Kings 9 and 10
“As for you, if you will walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised to your father David, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’ But if you or your sons indeed turn away from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them, and the house which I have consecrated for My name, I will cast out of My sight.” 1 Kings 9:4-7 NASB This exhortation spoken by God to Solomon mirrors the words spoken to Moses, Joshua and David emphasizing the need for the Israelites to cling to God and not stray away. Continue Reading…
Choices show the quality of relationship with God: 1 Samuel Summary
The book 1 Samuel in its most simplistic form is the fulfillment of the words spoken by Moses and Joseph to the Israelites encouraging everyone to cling to God and to love Him with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength. The continued lack of regard for God that was evident in the book of Judges is continuing in the book of 1 Samuel with people choosing to whatever they want to the point of rejecting God as king over Israel. The blessing that was bestowed upon Israel has been removed and they are under the curse that God promised would follow if they did not follow all of His statutes. The Philistine occupation of Israel is a direct result of the Israelites inability and lack of desire to drive out the nations from within the promised land. It is critical to remember that 1 Samuel directly ties into the story that is present through out scripture of God working to redeem humanity. Continue Reading…
The source of true self worth imparted in 1 Samuel 1 and 2
How do you determine your personal value? Do you determine your value based upon your needs, your wants, your haves, your have nots, or on what other people say about you? This is the dilemma that faces Hannah in 1 Samuel chapter 1. She built and defined her own worth based upon the fact that she was barren and without child while Peninnah, Elkanah’s other wife, was blessed with children. The love that Elkanah has for Hannah was not the foremost thought in her mind because she had become poisoned by the lie that her value was found in what she did not upon who God was. Continue Reading…
