God is often talked about as loving and merciful. He is also strong and mighty. God’s power is beyond our imagination. He created the entire universe and everything in it with a word. He defeated armies, He stopped the mouths of lions, He calmed storms, and he gave the breath of life. There is nothing God cannot do. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us, that our sins would be paid and that we would be declared righteous. And He rose Him from the dead and He is sitting at His right hand, and one day will return and take His people home, and reign on this earth. That is the God we serve.
Continue reading “God the Mighty One”Tag: judgment
Job and His “Friends”
Many know the story of Job, how Satan inflicted great pain and suffering on Him to try to show God that He only praised Him for His blessings. It was a test. This is a hard read, and I am sure I will not do it justice, but I will try.
As with all of us, He didn’t pass all of the test, but He kept his integrity and faith, even through his doubt and questioning. Job lost his children, his house, his wealth, his friends and family more or less abandoned him, even his wife told him to curse God and die. He was inflicted with disease, pain, and great suffering, but in the end, He stayed strong in his faith in God and eventually repented of his pride. But he had some so-called friends that came to him to explain why he was suffering based on their own experience and short-sighted knowledge. From the end of chapter 1 through chapter 31, the author writes of the debate between Job and his friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, as well as Job’s complaints against God. You should read through this on your own, but I will give some of the highlights. In another post I will write about God’s reply and the encounter between God and Job, and God and Job’s 3 friends. Between these events, another person comes into the scene, Elihu, and reveals some flaws in the arguments of both Job and his friends. So this younger man, after listening and respecting his elders, gave his opinion which contradicted the other men, explaining the character of God and the shortcomings of their argument. God does not rebuke Elihu as He does his 3 , but reminds everyone who He is and His power and righteousness, and sets them straight.
Continue reading “Job and His “Friends””Beware of the Tares
What is a tare anyways? Today the word is used as the measure of an empty container before weighing the substance of interest. In some ways this could be fitting. But, in biblical times, it is a type of young weed among grain that resembles the grain. It is an imposter. It is a weed that becomes more like a vine and wraps around the other plants and is hard to remove without hurting the grain plants. There are many people like that.
Continue reading “Beware of the Tares”Hosea: God’s Charge Against the Nation
Hosea has a message for Israel that I think can also apply to this country (and perhaps to the world): Turn away from your idols and turn back to God. The country was in relative prosperity, but that was soon to change. As I read through Hosea, it keeps reminding me of the world we live in. People are accepting immorality as the “new normal.” God is being forgotten and some are even being hostile toward Him and anyone who believes in Him. Persecution is prevalent in many countries and it may not be long before it is here too. Laws are being passed that go against God and His righteousness. People are all about what is comfortable for them and don’t want to accept consequences. We live in a “me” society. Much like Israel was in Hosea’s time. And God had a message for them.
God’s Plan Through Jesus and the Cross
We have been discussing Jesus’ words on the cross. God had a plan all along. Jesus proclaimed that He accomplished it. God spoke through Isaiah nearly 800 years earlier about this time. Daniel mentions the coming of the Messiah over 400 years earlier and gives a specific date. God’s message gave hope, and that hope was through Jesus Christ. Continue reading “God’s Plan Through Jesus and the Cross”
My Daily Scriptures 