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SOME
REFERENCES and PROMISES IMPORTANT TO ME
- Matt.
6:33.............SEEK GOD and FIND HIM!
"But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and
all these things [whatever else in life] shall be added unto you." (Jesus speaking) [Don't
honor, trust, obey, depend upon, relate to, or "seek first" anything in a priority above
seeking God or you'll miss
the best He has to offer for you...and seek a relationship and not just knowledge.] Proverbs
8:17..."I love those who love me; and those who diligently seek me will find me."
Jeremiah 29:13 (Old Testament, before Jesus)
"When you search for me with all your heart, you will find me."
(God speaking through the prophet Jeremiah)
Psalms 9:10 (Old Testament, before Jesus)
"Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have
never forsaken those who seek you."
- I John
1:9..........................FORGIVEN!
"If we confess our sins [acknowledge guilt], he is faithful and
just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (The Apostle
John speaking) [Jesus has already paid for the sins of all humans; but, as part of the dynamic,
living, personal relationship with God, we day to day confess as soon as we know of a
sin.]
- James 1:5...and
James 3:17-18........WISDOM
"If any of you [Christians]
lacks wisdom, he should ask
God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. [and see
about the process in Proverbs 2:1-6] But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt." "But the
wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive,
full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a
harvest of righteousness." (The Apostle James speaking) [getting wisdom]
- Ephesians
6:18..............ANSWERED PRAYER
"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we
ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that he hears us
-whatever we ask- we know that we have what we ask of Him." [This is John "the beloved" apostle
speaking. This reveals some insight as to the practical value of both knowing how to
know God's will and also being thereby in God's will.] "And pray in the spirit on
all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always
keep on praying for all the Saints [all Christians...Jesus believers]." (The Apostle Paul
speaking) [God's entire will for each of us is never entirely revealed; but, we should hope
overall for his will to be done. When you pray, however, pray for or about each and every thing
you want or which troubles you, good or "bad", be specific.]
Mark 11:24 "Whatever you [believers] ask in prayer,
believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (Jesus speaking)
Matthew 18:19-20
"Again, I tell you that if two of you [believers/Christians] on
earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.
For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." (Jesus speaking)
I John 5:14-15
"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we
ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that he hears us
-whatever we ask- we know that we have what we ask of Him." [This is John "the beloved" apostle
speaking. This reveals some insight as to the practical value of both knowing how to know God's
will and also being thereby in God's will.]
- Philippians 4:6,7...........ANXIETY
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in
everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And, [if
you do so] the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and
minds in Jesus Christ." (The Apostle Paul speaking, writing from prison) [While God
hears all prayer, our lack of obedience and personal spiritual cleansing can "hinder"
the quality of this spiritual communication. God may even not listen to the prayers,
Psalms 66:18. Again, the above is a promise with conditions...it resembles this mathematical
equation: A + P + G = Peace...Absence of worry + Prayer + Gratitude = the peace of God. Worry
suggests insufficient trust in God's ability to provide for you.]
- Philippians
4:13..........................SOURCE of STRENGTH!
"I can do all things through Christ who gives me
strength." (Apostle Paul speaking, writing from prison)
- John
15:5...................ABIDE and ACCOMPLISH!
"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I
in him, he bears (is blessed, being allowed to bear forth the fruit; not the
producer...the vine...responsible/burdened to produce the fruit) much fruit; for apart from Me,
you can do nothing." (Jesus speaking) [He who belongs to God hears what God says to him
and sees/knows what God is revealing to him.]
John 15:7
"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask
whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you." (Jesus
speaking)
- John
8:31-32.........................SOURCE of TRUTH!
"If ye continue in My word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and
ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (Jesus speaking)
IF...while eternal salvation is probably non-optional, growth in The Way,
while on earth, is an optional choice. See Luke 9:23. If you choose, you can
stagnate.
- Mark
8:36..........................THE HIGHEST PROFIT FOR YOU!
"For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole World,
and lose his soul [fail to be "saved"]?" (Jesus speaking)
- Matthew
11:28................REST for the WEARY!
"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest." (Jesus speaking)
- John
15:1-3...........BEING SHAPED: deep spiritual cleansing needed!
"I am the vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every
branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it
will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the Word I have spoken to you."
(Jesus speaking) [basis for "deep spiritual cleansing" and confession of all that is not right
within us - through prayer, counseling, etc.: rooting out sources of anger, hatred, fear,
anxiety and all other dysfunctional or negative feelings. Upon being cleaned, the "potter" is
ready ...Jeremiah 18...to shape you in addition to the above
pruning.]
- Mark 7:15,23.................Man is innately BAD!?
"Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him.
Rather it is what comes out of a man (from his basic sin nature within) that makes him
'unclean'. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean'." (Jesus speaking) Also:
(Psalms 51:5) "...sinful from the time my mother conceived me..." [This is just the opposite of
secular humanism and the new-age ideas and advice, none of which has stood any test of time.]
[but not
"innately"]
[As Colson has so excellently pointed out, truth is not
determined by majority vote. The Scripture is truth. The truth is that man is fallen and is
innately bad, makes bad choices, and his choices bring about laws and social systems, which
systems there-after appear to be responsible for corruption and the victimization of
people. Not so: people are fallen and bad and in need of a Savior. Were those who hide or
recoil from the truth of God's reality to understand the truth of the innate badness of man,
there would be a rampant panic of terror as these "humanists" considered the prospect of a
lifetime on their own.]
- Psalms 32:1 (Old
Testament, before Jesus)...........BEING BLESSED!
"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are
covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him..." [the Christian's,
for sure, sins are covered)
- I Corinthians 2:14..........They (unbelievers) are DEAF to the
FOOLISHNESS (The Truth)!
"The man without the Spirit [Holy Spirit dwelling within] does
not accept [doesn't hear, respond to or regard as pertinent or important] the things [including
the Word of God...the Bible] that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him,
and he cannot understand
them, because they are spiritually discerned." (The Apostle Paul speaking)
[God pursues a relationship with a person, and the person
responds. The person then seeks after that relationship and knowledge of God. The person is
somehow led to and accepts
Jesus as Savior. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell in that person, giving the mechanism for
spiritual discernment.]
- Luke 7:47
(7:36-50)............love is proportional to forgiveness!
"But he who has been forgiven little loves little." [As one
experiences Christianity, as one evolves a real understanding of the eternal security and
assurance of salvation, as one begins to learn how to experience God, as one learns to perceive
the guiding of the Holy Spirit: as one begins "to get a real life"...God-centered and
dependent, Christ-led, and spirit-filled...one will begin to appreciate the depth of God's
forgiveness, mercy, and grace toward us. And the ability to love can thereafter
bloom.
- II Corinthians 12:9
(12:1-10)......................HIS GRACE!
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness." [Paul quoting God]
- Philippians
1:6..............What God starts, He WILL complete!
"...being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you
will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." [Once you have become a child of
God, God will continue to work you toward the completion of his will for you; you can
back-slide, but the pressure from God will mount to keep you on course. And, if we will
regularly pray, "Thy will be done...", we get the added knowledge that Jesus himself has
already prayed to the Father in our behalf, "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in
me, and I in thee, that they also be one in us." John 17:21.]
- Philippians
4:19.................THE POWER SOURCE!
"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious
riches in Jesus Christ." [the Apostle Paul: a promise to the
believers]
- Philippians
1:18..............making THE NAME (Jesus) heard!
"But what does it mean? Only this, that in one way or another,
whether their motive is false or real, [what is important is that] they preach Christ - and I'm
glad of that." (Whether the name of Jesus is brought before the non-believer by a pagan
news-media commentator or through organizations currently viewed by main-stream Christian
organizations as "cults", it counts to the good that the name and knowledge of Jesus is
promoted. Whether the churches you see around you are "sit and soak", "feel good", evangelical,
"holy roller", or whatever, they are valuable as they hold forth the name of
Jesus.)
- Philippians
2:3-4..............Consider that others ARE better than you!
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but
in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your
own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Paul: advice to believers for a fulfilled
life.)
[How very different this foundational advice is from the
modern-day advice of psychology, secularism, new-age, and the "me-first" generation! Look how
we modern folk dash around raising our children to be self-centered: what do you want to
do, to eat, to watch on TV? "Daddy I'm bored." "I'm getting plastic surgery so I can feel good
about myself." Jesus said that They Way to the good life was, instead, to be a servant and
consider/give to others!]
- John
3:16............The First and Highest TRUTH of SALVATION!
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (Jesus
speaking)
- Romans
8:28...............Who God works for!
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those
who love him, WHO have been called according to his purpose." His assurance to His
children of God.
- Matthew 18:14.........Children who die are saved?!
"In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that
any of these little ones should be lost." (Jesus speaking) [This is blessed assurance to
us all that God may have provision, somehow, that all children who die have eternal
salvation. But, at what age are humans no longer "little ones" or children? I feel certain
that, when a teenager declares independence..."I'm 18 and can do what I want to!"...we must
know that the age of childhood, of being "little", is over. As parents, if our children have
declared independence without accepting Jesus and his eternal salvation, we must be concerned.]
warning!
- Jeremiah 1:5..........ABORTION:
"Before I made you in your mother's womb, I chose you. Before you
were born, I set you apart for a special work."(1991 New Century Version Bible...God speaking
through the prophet Jeremiah). And see Psalms 139:13-16...God speaking through David. [We
quibble and fret about abortion issues when God clearly indicates his knowledge of each
individual BEFORE they were in their mother's womb! Between 50 and 65% of conceptions
fail to grow beyond the first 3 months (12 weeks) in the womb..."naturally". A pathologist can clearly
distinguish a male from a female...without any special studies...when the embryo has developed
for only as little as 5 weeks. The issue of abortion is filled with controversy and
problems...whatever the multitude of facets and circumstances, it is unbelievable to me that
God could view abortion with favor. I believe that He sees it as the shedding of innocent
blood...an act that God hates.]
- Philippians
4:19.......................SUPPLIER of ALL of your NEEDS!
"God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory
by Christ Jesus." (Paul) [The promise to Christians that what you need will be
supplied...maybe not what you want...maybe not in the way or the time that you desire..., and
you can absolutely count on it!]
- Judges 17:6.........doing your own thing is costly!
"In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit."
(This verse sets the stage by clearly pointing out the basic, fundamental wrong attitude of the
people that leads to disaster for a nation. In modern times we hear "do your own thing,"
tolerance of all things [it's so interesting how intolerant these tolerance-promoting
pluralists are of Christians], it's OK as long as it doesn't hurt anyone [and then we remain
blind or ignorant as to how it does hurt people], etc. In short, to turn away from the Standard
of all Standards [reliable for hundreds of generations], the Word of God, is a decision
guaranteed to lead to a life of woe. What if we really arrived at a society of "no rules"?)
Isaiah 1:20 further declares the woe to befall those who make up rules and definitions
in a way that, in essence, defines good as evil and evil as
good.
- Mark
4......The seeds and soil, the bountiful life!
Seeds (The Word of God) are sown and drop (dropping represents
the presentation of the Gospel, The Word) onto 4 types of soil (soil representing mental
acceptance by the hearer of The Word). The "soil" resulting in growth, strong roots and
bountiful fruitfulness of life correlates to those people who become committed, active
believers giving away their lives (at least to some degree) regularly in an active, local body
of believers (also being part of The Church)...This points the way, the "how-to" basis, for the
wonderful life! see The
Elect]
- II Chronicles
7:11-14...................YOUR COUNTRY HEALED!
"...If my people, who are called by my name, will humble
themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from there wicked ways, then I will hear
from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their country." [On "God and country"
Sunday, around July 4th, we are reminded that our nation was founded by Christians fleeing
persecution and low times....a nation...."gentiles"....founded by God as a nation "under God".
Since the highest legal court in our land, reflecting the thinking of much of the citizenry,
declared school prayer illegal and unconstitutional in 1962..."thanks, God, for your initial
help; we're smart enough to handle it on from here by ourselves........your values are
outmoded, anyhow....", there has been a stunning deterioration in many statistical measures of
our nation. Someone said, "When we cease to be a nation under God, we will be a nation gone
under!"]
- Proverbs
16:16...................................Wealth not valuable?
[This verse is about how much better to get wisdom than gold, to
choose understanding rather than silver.]
- Ephesians
4:29.......................Only speak good of others!
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but
only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those
who listen." [if you can't say anything good about a person, don't say anything at all...don't
disparage or badmouth anyone.]
- Luke
7:33-35.........................ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES
"For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He
is a demon.' The Son of Man [Jesus] came eating and drinking, and you say, 'He is a glutton and
a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' But wisdom is proved right by all of her
children." Ephesians 5:18 counsels, "Do not GET DRUNK on wine, which leads to
debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." [And the Bible warns of the abuse of the body
by alcohol. Is the fact of drinking an alcoholic beverage the problem...or watching certain
movies, or smoking cigarettes, or doing illegal or hurtful things? I consider that the
real problem is the heightened risk that such things will dampen the signals to the
believer from the indwelling Holy Spirit which help us to resist the lure of Satan toward
immoral things. When inebriated, is it easier to engage in mean-spirited gossip, racist or
hurtful jokes, to embellish or distort the truth into "the grapevine", to take that first smoke
of dope, to move deeper into sex on that date, and to slip into marital infidelity? Is
cigarette smoking (teenaged defiance of parents...rebellion) a gateway to other negative
rebellions/activities (the lung cancer killing you years later hurts far fewer than the other
consequences of your successful rebellion? Does the Playboy magazine and its nude pictures and
titillating stories, or movies celebrating infidelity and unmarried sex, or the magazine/soap
opera TV/TV talk show stories of wrong behavior send out a message of "try it! we had fun and
nobody was hurt!" which gradually erodes the reader's/listener's/viewer's chances of sensing
the quiet warnings of the Holy Spirit and thereby successfully calling on the help of Jesus to
resist temptation? Churches have come up with rules and warnings against many types of behavior
and activities because experience has heavily demonstrated throughout centuries of church
history that the RISK of going over the edge and sliding down the slippery slope of
immorality is greatly increased by such things! While the love of money is often preached as
the root of all evil, it's curious to me that the warnings against similar risk-potential for
damage from a rapid increase in wealth is not more clearly expressed by our
churches!]
- I Corinthians
2:2.............................THE CROSS
"For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus
Christ and him crucified." [In Franklin Graham's recent autobiography, Rebel With A Cause, and
in the devotionals by Oswald Chambers, we are reminded that "the light" that we Christians are
to be in this world is only barely lit if we only shine the good works, compassion, charity,
and love we are now enabled to do in society. the REAL LIGHT that we need to
shine...that we need to never forget to testify to and emphasize...is the death of Jesus on the
cross to pay the price of salvation for each human. The faultless, sinless son of the Perfect
One, the only [eldest] son, due to inherit all, was sacrificed! Now, all anyone has to
do is accept that favor, believe in the truth of it, and there-on step over into the status of
being "born again" into those people labeled "guaranteed for
salvation"!]
- John
12:32...........................................THE NAME of JESUS
"I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men to me." [As a companion
to my note #19, above, which suggests that there is value in ANY activity that makes
known the name of Jesus, it is the lifting up of the name of Jesus (putting the
"positive spin" and telling of all the positive He has done, and telling of the positive that
He has meant in your life) that pulls the trigger so that the hearer can be drawn to Jesus. The
handing out of a tract is a positive effort, but we must not pass up the opportunity to get
involved at some point in the life of an unsaved person so that we can lift up the name of
Jesus.
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TRUTH
[begun
1996; posted 1998; 5th modification 31 March 1999; latest addition 23 December
2005]
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