Patience In Heaven???

Will we need patience in Heaven? Has anyone ever needed patience on the other side?

Let’s ask the martyrs who are already in Heaven:

“They cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who live on the earth?–Rev. 6:10.

Woah! They are crying loudly and having to exercise a level of patient enduring…in Heaven! (They are clearly not on Earth). So, does the Lord rebuke them for crying loudly about their unmet desire and longing? No, He comforts them in their distress and speaks to their NEED in verse 11 by saying, “wait a little longer”.

Do you see what is happening? God is basically saying to them, “Trust me. Wait and your hope will be fulfilled”. God has always wanted us to trust Him. We have a trust relationship with Him that He is continually building with us. Why do we think that would end? So, who else is having to be patient in Heaven? Jesus and the angels.

Just like the martyrs, it appears that Jesus is still waiting on the Father to have a promise fulfilled. Last time we checked, Jesus didn’t know when He would be sent back. He said, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” He left Heaven and fulfilled His purpose on Earth, and knew the entire plan, except for the time of the end. Most of us want to know all about the end of a plan before we get started. Jesus had to trust the Father. As far as we know, He is still having to trust the Father. He is in Heaven now and still waiting to hear the signal to come back. He said that He doesn’t know, He said it would be soon, and He is still waiting.

What does that make me wonder about the nature of Heaven?

1) The martyrs, the Angels, and Jesus are all IN HEAVEN and they still don’t know everything…and maybe we won’t either. Many of us have been taught that we will know everything, but how often are we reminded that we will never be Father God? If we knew all that the Father knows, then we would be God in knowledge. Only He is Father God. I don’t believe we will ever be omniscient. I think there is a good chance that we will always be learning, and I find that exciting.

2) Trusting God does not appear to be a temporary thing to be needed only in this life. I’m thinking that for love to be continued, trust will be needed. It will be an eternal practice. 1/3 of the Angels including Satan were cast out of Heaven because they believed a lie. They quit trusting God’s truth. Satan believed he could be like God.

3) “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven”. What does God want done here on Earth? Love God and love others, and that love is built on trust. What about Heaven?

4) “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” The bible tells us in several places that we will rule and reign with Christ. We don’t know what that will look like, but I think that we will have to continue to…Trust Him. He’s in total charge, not us.

5) Love will be active and not dormant. I think there will be challenges that will require us to Love him actively by trusting Him, being hopeful, and being patient. We won’t be held back by sin and suffering, but we will have challenges that require us to “bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things”. After all, that is what the Bible describes as Love. I don’t think that Love will suddenly be redefined in Heaven. I believe Love is in Heaven as described. In other words, we will practice Love in Heaven. The scripture tells us what remains and stays. “These three remain: Faith, Hope and Love.” I used to think that there would be no need to ever hope or hold on to faith for anything in Heaven. But it looks like the bible says faith, hope, and love aren’t going away.

If we knew everything and had everything, there would be no sense of anticipation for anything. But what if we were always learning and continuing to be amazed at what God is revealing? Since God is Eternal and Endlessly Awesome, doesn’t it make sense that He could continually reveal things to us that just takes our breath away?

“…Day and night they never stop saying: ’Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” — Revelation 4:8

When people are stunned, they say things like “Holy Smoke”, etc. Could it be that the four living creatures in Revelation 4 are constantly being amazed by the new glorious sights that are proceeding from an Endlessly, Revealing, Glorious God? Maybe their worship is not some monotonous drone, but instead they are experiencing something unimaginable, and they are yelling, “HOLY!” in response. But before they can recover and catch their breath (so to speak), something else is revealed that was better than what they just experienced. So they cry “HOLY!” again…and again…and again. It is not hard to imagine this when you think of God as being anything but stagnant. Maybe what they are experiencing is something that could only emanate from God and it is so incomprehensible that there is only one justifiable response. Holy! Perhaps they are trying to communicate what they have experienced of Him, what they are currently experiencing in Him, and what is yet to come…Who was, and is, and is to come.

I don’t know about any of this for certain. But I do believe that we won’t know everything in Heaven, and we will continue to be hopeful for what is around the corner because God is anything but stagnant or stale.

Questions or comments? defrostingwindows@gmail.com

Which Disciple Knew Jesus The Longest?

Clarification: Which New Testament leader and writer knew Jesus the longest?

I’m going with James, the brother of Jesus.

Imagine growing up in a home where your older brother got gifts from kings and you hear stories of angels singing at His birth, and other babies jumping for joy! Not only that, but He is always smarter than you…Always. When you got into trouble, He would never lie for you, not even a white lie. Siblings get jealous. Siblings compare. I have no doubt that sibling rivalry existed, and Jesus was likely viewed by his siblings as the “perfect child”. They were sinners, and He was sinless. When has that dynamic ever happened in any other home? That means there was an absolutely glaring difference in that home unlike any other. If we think that Joseph had it the worst with his brothers, then we fail to grasp the full meaning of “He was despised and rejected of men”.

Now which of you reading this would proclaim that your brother is the creator of the world and then bow to sincerely worship him? Not me! LOL! The Scripture shows that while Christ lived, James and the family didn’t believe him (Jn 7:5), they ridiculed and tempted him (Jn 7:1-4), and even said He was “out of his mind” (Mk. 3:21). If you are going to write a story to make up a religion, this is not how you would do it. It was a real and rough life.

What changed James? What changed the minds of all the family (Acts 1:14)? Well, I tend to think it was because Jesus made a special resurrection appearance to one person…His unbelieving half-brother James. The Apostle Paul reported that this happened near the end of the 40-day period between the Resurrection and the Ascension. “Then he appeared to James”. –1 Cor. 15:7. Paul met James earlier, and I feel certain that they shared their unique one-on-one experiences (Galatians 1:19). Jesus set aside this moment in time not to appear to 500, not to appear to His greatest disciples, but to meet with His brother…family. Jesus wanted his lost brother to believe so bad that He made a special appearance. Jesus knows how we feel about lost family members. Family mattered to Him. If Jesus took the time to specifically visit a single family member, then we know He cares about the ones we pray for. Let your faith rise and speak the scripture in prayer saying, “Your word says, ‘You appeared to James’, please let _____see you!

James went on to be a leader in the church at Jerusalem (Gal 2:9; Acts 21:17-26) and a historical figure. Concerning his death, I came across 3 ancient historical records of it. One from Clement of Alexandria, one from Hegesippus, and one from Josephus, the Jewish Antiquities Historian.

How and why did James die? According to Josephus, Ananus became the high priest of Jerusalem after the procurator, Porcius Festus, died. Ananus wanted James dead. Ananus is quoted saying about James, “he is of an exceeding bold and reckless disposition.”

It must have been true because Hegesippus reports that James was then prompted by the Pharisees who actually respected and admired his character as a leader to stand before a crowd and refute belief in Jesus. Instead, he stood up and declared, “Why do you ask me about Jesus, the Son of Man? He sits in heaven at the right hand of the great Power, and he will soon come on the clouds of heaven!” The Pharisees threw him down and began to stone him for blasphemy. One man picked up a club and smashed his skull. Historians say that James died in 62 A.D.

Historical documents report that a sane, respected man believes his brother is the Christ to the point of risking his own life. Would you die for something you know is a hoax? Declaring your brother is the Son of God? What about the rest of them who were killed because they say they saw a dead man walking alive and well? None of them threw up their hands saying, “We’re just kidding”.

The life and death of the one who wrote the Book of James is one of the most powerful witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus. Why else would you believe a brother who you once thought was “out of his mind”? It’s because you saw Him live a sinless life, and then you talked with Him face-to-face after He died.

“Then He appeared to James”…a powerful event and a powerful verse.

The Power To Not Forgive

If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”–John 20:23

This is a powerful gift of authority that was given by Jesus specifically to the disciples after His resurrection.

When do we see any of the disciples exercising this gift?

I believe we see Peter exercising this gift in Acts 5. This is the story of Ananias and Sapphira. Notice that Peter never once invites them to repent. He knows what he is doing. Especially in the case of Sapphira we can see that Peter’s mind is made up that she will suffer the same outcome. I believe that he withheld forgiveness (If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven).

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. ² With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.

³ Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? ⁴ Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

⁵ When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. ⁶ Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

⁷ About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. ⁸ Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”

“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”

⁹ Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”

¹⁰ At that moment she fell down at his feet and died.

Notice again that Peter is clearly NOT pleading with them to repent. He is not making an effort to get them to turn things around. He withholds any plea for repentance. He withheld forgiveness and immediate judgment was the result. “…if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

If he had chosen to do so, Peter could have done it again with Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8. Peter pronounces judgment on him, Watch what happens:

“May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! ²¹ You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. “

If Peter had stopped there, I believe the man would’ve dropped dead like Ananias and Sapphira. But in this instance, Peter choses to offer an opportunity for repentance and forgiveness. He did not do this with Ananias and Sapphira. AND Simon clearly recognizes that he is near death without Peter’s help.

²² Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. ²³ For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

²⁴ Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.”

Peter did not hold a grudge or hold an offense. It wasn’t that type of unforgiveness. He simply had the authority to withhold forgiveness…or give it. His choice had consequences for people.

How did Peter get this power? Did he receive it in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost? Did he receive it in the earthquake of Acts 4? No. He received the Holy Spirit the 1st time in John 20. That is when this gift was imparted.

²² And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

What’s the point for us today? Let’s not limit our minds to thinking that the Holy Spirit is limited to only giving us one experience of receiving Him. The disciples received the Holy Spirit in John 20 (power to forgive), Acts 2, (power of tongues), Acts 4 (power of exceptional boldness), and got another filling of joy in Acts 13. How can you be filled when you are already filled? Maybe your cup (needs, responsibilities, stage of journey) got bigger or changed.

Was Jesus Ever Anxious?

Someone asked me if Jesus was ever anxious? Could he understand their anxiety, or are they sinning because the bible says, “Be anxious for nothing”.

I answered by asking this, “Was Jesus ever put under so much pressure that He ended up sweating great drops of blood? The bible says that he was in agony, deep anguish (Lk 22:44). So, unless you’ve agonized to the point of sweating blood, you’ve probably never experienced the level of anxiety that Jesus felt.

He gets you. He understands us. “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin.”–Hebrews 4:15

It is not a sin to feel anxious. When the scripture says “Be anxious for nothing”, it is saying, “Don’t stay anxious, don’t continually remain in a state of being anxious…BUT PRAY!” That is what Jesus did. He prayed through it.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, WITH THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”-Philippians 4:6-7 

The Greatest Example Of Childlike Faith In Scripture?

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.–Romans 10:10

Can little children actually have true saving faith in God before they can even understand much?

The answer: Did John the Baptist receive the Holy Spirit before he could breathe?

Yes.

Baby John didn’t just have the Spirit come upon him or nudge him. The scripture makes it clear that John would be FILLED with the Spirit while he was in the womb.

“For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb”.–Luke 1:15

Several months later, we read the fulfillment of this prophecy:

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.–Luke 1:41

Elizabeth explains and clues us in on what caused the baby to leap and why the baby reacted this way.

But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.–Luke 1:43

John experienced real joy in Christ’s presence…before he was born. Think about that.

I wonder if he is the greatest example of childlike heart faith found in scripture? You cannot be filled with the Spirit apart from faith. How was he able to be filled with the Holy Spirit? Scripture gives us the answer: “For with the Heart man believes unto salvation…” Not your mind, not by your efforts. Fetuses can’t think, they can’t do good deeds, but they can feel and embrace things they sense with their heart. Scripture shows that Pre-born John embraced the presence of Christ with real joy and showed it by leaping. You can’t head-believe or work your way to God, you’ve got to come like a child and give your heart.

I was listening to a Catholic and a Protestant debating Works vs Belief. Both had great points using scriptures from James and Paul. As I pondered I heard that small inner voice say, “Works without Love is nothing. Faith that believes so much that it can move mountains is nothing without love. You cannot believe with your mind or work your way with your hands to find Me. You have to embrace me with your heart like John the Baptist did. When you Heart belongs to me, your hands and your mind will follow by working and believing.” That jolted me and caused me to revisit the story of Pre-born John. God amazes me.

The Substance Of Creation

Did God create the universe from nothing? Or, did He use a substance to create the Heavens and the Earth? Is He a magician that can never be understood? Or is He methodical and revealing? The Scripture gives us a clear answer to this question.

What method and what substance did God use to create the universe?

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host.–Psalm 33:6

God used His very breath as the substance. When you think about this verse, you have to make a decision: Do you believe God’s breath is empty? Or, do you believe God’s breath is rich in substance? Is God empty in any way? What do you really believe about God? I cannot imagine God’s breath being empty. Every exhaled breath is filled with substance. His speech, His word was the sonic boom, the sound waves that carried the atoms and molecules to their destination.

Exhaled breath always has substance. When you exhale, you roughly emit 78 percent nitrogen, 16 percent oxygen, 0.09 percent argon, and four percent carbon dioxide. If we are made in His image, a smaller reflection of the Great God, then how much richer in substance is the very breath of God? I believe the bible shows us that His exhaled breath contained everything needed for creation.

But isn’t God a Spirit? Does he really have breath, or is that just symbolic language? The Hebrew word for breath in Psalm 33:6 is “ruach”. It means breath, wind, spirit. God is a spirit and when He made creation, it becomes clear to us that He used and released a portion of Himself. When you exhale, you are releasing something from within you. It all came from within Him. Look at these verses. It is IN HIM that it all came about.

In Him, we live, and move, and have our being–Acts 17:28.

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible…–Colossians 1:16

Here is the clincher: Romans 11: 36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things, to whom be Glory for ever, amen (KJV)

Why does the King James Version say that everything is “of Him” rather than apart “from Him”? Strong’s concordance says the usage of the greek word ek for “of or from” suggests “from the interior outwards”. The greek word “ek” used here has a two-layered meaning (“out from and to“) which makes it out-come oriented (out of the depths of the source and extending to its impact on the object).

God is the source of all things. It all came out of Him. Let me ask you a question:

What is the first thing God spoke in the creation account of Genesis? “Let there be light”.

Did God create light out of nothing, or did light come out from Him? When He said, “Let there be light”, was light a brand-new thing? Was that the first time it had ever existed? Before God said, “Let there be light”, He was already light within Himself.

This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.–1 John 1:5

I believe that when the scripture says that “God is light” I believe that means every kind of light. He is not “a light”. He IS light. I believe that every form of light whether it be spiritual or physical was already within God. He simply let some of it out. Let there be light! Scripture lets us know that the light proceeding from God is indeed a shining light and not just a metaphor for being good and holy.

The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.–Rev. 21:23

What about the Sun? When God made the Sun, was that the first time fire had existed? Or was God already a fire within Himself?

For our God is a consuming fire.–Hebrews 12:29

Light set the pattern for everything in Genesis. If you want to know where everything came from, then follow God’s pattern…follow the light.

It all came from within Him…and He released it. He exhaled His breath…a portion of Himself. In Him, we live, and move, and have our being. I believe His breath held everything needed for creation.

What was the method? What was the vehicle that spread the molecules out?

It was sound waves. He spoke.

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host.–Psalm 33:6

When God spoke the word, it was a sonic boom and sound waves were created. Every substance, every molecule, every atom has sound. Sound is created by vibration, and vibration is created by movement, and every atom has electrons that stay in constant movement. When God speaks, it is eternal. All of Creation still resonates with His original word, His sound. Everything vibrates.

How did God make man a conscious being? Why do we have an elevated level of consciousness different from other beings?

Science says that vibrations, resonance, are the key mechanism behind human consciousness. They say that it is because we are filled with vibrating sound, called the Resonance Theory of Consciousness. Where did this elevated resonance, these particular sound waves come from that formed consciousness?

Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.–Genesis 2:7

Breath has sound. All creation came from His breath, and we were given an extra dose of His breath.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.–Psalm 139:14

Can You Quote The Spirit?

Try this with your bible study:

1. Ask the group if they can can quote something that Jesus said.

You may hear, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” It’s pretty easy to quote Jesus because in many bibles, his words are often highlighted in red. One of the most quoted verses in the bible is John 3:16, which is a quote by Jesus. This is a pretty easy task.

2. Now, ask the group to quote the Father.

You may hear, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”. Maybe you will get a quote from the ten commandments like “Thou shalt not steal”. Many will quote sayings from the Old Testament. You should get some good responses.

3. Now ask the group to quote the Holy Ghost…

More often than not, you will be met with silence. They may respond by saying that the Holy Spirit inspired every word in the Bible, and that the whole book is basically His quote. If so, you can clarify by asking them to quote the specific places in scripture where it says something like “the Holy Spirit said”. You may have a few scholars in the group who can quote those passages, but it generally doesn’t happen.

Isn’t it amazing that many of us (including myself) who say that we desperately seek to hear and know the voice of the Holy Ghost cannot quote even two or three verses of the actual spoken words that the scriptures specifically attribute to the Spirit? I couldn’t. It is  like saying that you seek to deeply know the heart and mind of Abraham Lincoln or Martin Luther King Jr., and that you have read many books about them; yet, you can’t quote a single paragraph from one of their speeches. If you know fact after fact about their lives, but can’t quote any part of their actual words, then something intimate is missing from your study of their essence. If you don’t know their own words, then how well do you really know them?

I wonder how there has been a Charismatic Renewal in parts of the Church, an emphasis on being “Spirit-filled”, numerous teachings on the Gifts and Fruits Of The Holy Spirit, and yet we remain largely ignorant of His actual spoken words in scripture? We have valued the attributed words of both Jesus and the Father by memorizing their sayings, but when it comes to valuing the words attributed to the Holy Spirit in scripture, there is little memorization and it is hard to find teachings that focus on a compiled list of His actual sayings. We truly desire for the Spirit to lead us and speak to us NOW, yet there appears to be little emphasis on studying what He said THEN.

As of 11/3/2019, I tried Googling for any famous teaching series that was focused on the quotes in scripture by the Holy Spirit. I tried terms like: All The Quotes by the Holy Ghost in the Bible, the List of quotes by the Holy Spirit, Everything the Holy Ghost Said In The Bible, etc. I found tons of teaching ABOUT the Holy Ghost, but it was hard to find many major teachings that are focused on the comprised list of quotes that the bible specifically attributes to Him alone. I tried many search terms but could not find much. Maybe you will have better success.

Needless to say, I’m doing my own study on the quotes by the Holy Ghost. Depending on how you categorize His quotes (solo, dual-attributed, repeated), there appears to be between 7-10 quotes. I’m really enjoying it and may eventually share what I’m seeing. Meanwhile, I’d like to encourage you to begin to take a strong look at the actual quoted words of the Holy Spirit found in scripture. I believe you will see themes and be able to connect-the-dots and get some great insights as you see how His words fit with the commands of Jesus. It’s fascinating to see his actual words and how they illuminate and shed light on other parts of scripture in both the old and new testaments. Enjoy!

 

Zechariah 1:12 Do Angels Pray For Us?

At the forefront of my mind is this scripture:

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus–1 Timothy 2:5. Any deviation from that would be heresy.

So, I will rephrase the question. Did an Angel speak to Jesus on the behalf of people? In the scriptures, did an Angel ever intercede or advocate to Jesus to help people?

Who has the right answer? Is it the Catholic Christian view, or the Protestant Christian view? Is there another view that truly presents the biblical view in a clear way?

Catholic Christians teach that Angels do pray and intercede for us. https://www.catholic.com/qa/why-pray-to-angels

Many Protestant Christians like Billy Graham say that angels do not pray for us. https://billygraham.org/answer/do-the-angels-in-heaven-pray-for-us/

However, there is a Protestant Christian exception: The Lutherans. Instead of talking around the subject, their doctrinal statement goes straight to the scripture alone in the Book of Zechariah Chapter 1 where it says:

12Then the angel of the LORD said, “O LORD of hosts, how long will You have no compassion for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been indignant these seventy years?” 13The LORD answered the angel who was speaking with me with gracious words, comforting words.

Most Protestant commentators believe that the inquiring angel was the Pre-Incarnate Christ (Jesus appearing as a member of the Trinity, the Son of God, before His birth into humanity). For these commentators, this satisfies the reason why this Angel is pleading and interceding to God for us.

The Lutherans offer a different and compelling explanation: We Lutherans believe that the Angel who is asking the questions is clearly ignorant of God’s purpose and cannot be a pre-incarnate Christ. We believe that the ignorant angel is pleading to Jesus (the Lord of Hosts) on our behalf.

1. The angel does not know what God is doing, or why, or for how long. The Angel does not know God’s mind on the matter and is compelled to ask because the answer is not in himself (vs.12).
2. The angel has no comfort within himself and must implore God for the words of comfort (vs.13). This Angel does not sound anything like the “Word of God” (Pre-incarnate Christ) who made all things in the beginning of Creation (John 1:1-3). This Angel is both ignorant and comfortless and is merely pleading to God on the behalf of men in the same way that your friends pray and intercede to God for you. We clearly recognize that there is one Mediator between God and man, and that Mediator is Jesus Christ.
3. Just as your friends pray to God in Jesus name for your needs, we Lutherans believe that this Angel was pleading to Jesus (the Lord of Hosts in vs.12). Jesus Christ is the Lord of Lords, the Lord of the Angels (Rev. 17:14, Matt. 25:31). We Lutherans say yes that Angels pray for us. They stand on our behalf before the face of God. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.“—Matthew 18:10.
4. The result: This angel received an answer from the Lord. The angel’s plea for the people was acceptable to the Lord, and the Lord answered the angel’s prayer (vs.13).

 

 

When We Ask God For Wisdom…

I wonder. When we ask God for wisdom, are we primarily asking it for our needs or to help others?

In Solomon’s case it was for the sake of people:

“So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”–1 Kings 3:9

Today, we need to seek a fresh wisdom to win the souls of our families, communities, and the nations.

“He that winneth souls is wise”–Proverbs 11:30

If we were able to look at statistics concerning our prayers, what would be the percentages of how often we ask for wisdom to help others in comparison to asking for wisdom for our own needs? There is nothing wrong with asking for help for ourselves, but I wonder if we are out of balance? Are we asking MORE often to have wisdom for ourselves, or wisdom for the benefit of others? What would our statistic sheet look like?

“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures”.–James 4:3

When we look outwardly to the needs of other, God will take care of our needs.

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you”–Matthew 6:33

Without this fresh outward wisdom, our families, communities, and nation will continue to suffer the devastation of foolishness.

What Does God Love The Most?

God is Love.

The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.–1 John 4:8

God loves the world.

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.–John 3:16

We know that God loves mankind, but is there anything that He loves even more? Does God have an unyielding love for something? Yes.

On the wicked He will rain fiery coals and brimstone; a scorching wind will be their portion. 7 For the LORD is righteous,He loves justice; the upright will see his face.–Psalm 11:6-7

God is unyielding in His love for Righteousness and Justice. As much as God loves mankind, if they remain wicked, they will be under judgment. God loves man, but He will let go of man…But He will never allow the standard of righteousness and justice to be compromised.

Turn away from evil and do good, so that you will abide forever. 28 For the LORD loves justice And does not forsake His godly ones; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.–Psalm 37:27-28

The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.–Psalm 33:5

The Scriptures above show us that God’s love for righteousness/justice is the line of demarcation. The standard of righteousness and truth is not here to conform to man, but man was made to conform to it. As a result of this prevailing, immense love and rejoicing for righteousness, justice, and truth, we can clearly say that God is Love. The Bible points out that all of God’s love flows from His love for righteousness, justice, and truth. The love that is described in 1 Corinthians 13 (the love chapter) does not revolve foremost around man, it revolves around truth.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.–1 Corinthians 13:6

People have asked for centuries, “How can we say “God is Love” when He drowns people in the Great Flood, scorches cities, and lets them burn?” God did not abandon love when he committed these acts. He was holding on to the very essence of Agape love, which is a supreme love for righteousness, justice, and truth.

God will never allow the standard of righteousness, justice and truth to be broken for the affections of sinful mankind. If He did, He would no longer be Agape love. We could no longer say “God is Love (Agape). Agape Love must always have Righteousness, Justice, and Truth as its Zenith. Righteousness is still the ultimate standard and nothing less. God is loyal in His love and that standard must be kept.

HOWEVER, God did not give up in his effort to reach mankind.

Even though mankind does not match up with the standard of God’s unyielding love for righteousness, God did the unthinkable to reach us.

He never abandoned Righteousness as being the ultimate standard, but He did offer an incredible exchange. He would become the very thing that He hated the most, so that we could obtain His righteousness.

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him–2 Cor. 5:21

And then, God in Christ took our sins and its penalty so that it would no longer count against us.

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them…”–2 Cor. 5:18-19

Have you ever found yourself becoming the very thing you hated? Some people end up acting like their parents, and hate it. Did you know that God became the very thing that He hated? He did it willingly. God became sin for us. He identifies with the very worst, and gives us hope to rise out of the cycle.

God loves Righteousness and God so loved the world. Put them together and what do you have? If you have received the gift of Christ and are declared to be the Righteousness of God, then God’s love for you has no equal.