I Will Put My Laws Into Their Mind

Heb 8:10

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

KJV

 
 

Has God put His laws into your mind? God has promised to do this, but how? There are several ways that God does this:

1. He gives us the Holy Spirit to indwell us and teach us the right way.
   
2. As we study the Bible it becomes part of our way of life.
   
3. As we pray, we speak to God and He speaks to us.
   
4. He has given every person a conscience that will tell them what is right and wrong.
   
5. As we follow God to the best of our ability, He will reveal more of His will to us.
   

   So, do I have my mind open to God's laws? Do you? What can we do to be open to learning more of what God has for us? First, we should be open to learn new things as we read the Bible. Also, as we read, we need to be applying what we learn to our own lives. We should be willing to make changes in our lives as we learn new things from the Bible.
   

    
    

   Lord, please write Your laws on my heart. Help me to be open to what You want to teach me. Help me to have a teachable spirit. Help me to have my entire life surrendered to Your will no matter what that may be. Give me wisdom and strength to face the challenges of life by the power of the Holy Spirit.
   

God Chooses the Way of Salvation

http://www.charityministries.org/audio/4192.mp3

Yet Learned He Obedience

Heb 5:8

Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

KJV

 
 

Jesus was the Son of God. He ruled heaven and earth. Yet, He learned obedience. How much more should we learn to be obedient to the things that God teaches us in the Bible! Obedience is often not easy. It takes self-sacrifice. It takes commitment. It takes dedication, but God will reward us at the end of our lives. It will be worth it all even though it may not seem like it right now. All our hard work in life will pay off in eternity if it was done for God.

 
 

Lord, help me to be obedient to You and to Your Word. Help me to give up myself and spend my life for You. Give me the courage to stand for truth and the wisdom to know how best to follow You.

Today, If Ye Will Hear His Voice

Heb 3:7-8

 
 

7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,

 
 

8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

KJV

 
 

God is calling every one of us to Him. Those who are not Christians, He is calling to give their lives over to Him. Those who are Christians, He is calling to a closer walk with Him. We all need to be listening to that call. No matter where we are in life, we need to be listening to the call of God. Sometimes, we can be too busy. The noise of life can drown out the still, small voice of God calling to us, "Come to Me." We can choose to ignore that voice, but we do so at great cost to ourselves. We are only hurting ourselves when we turn our back on God. He wants the best for us. He wants to give us good things. The questions remains: will we hear what He has to say?

 
 

Lord, help me to listen to what You have to say. Help me to listen today. Help me to have a soft heart that is willing to obey You. Help me to have wisdom to keep my priorities right. Help me not to allow other things in life to crowd out Your voice. Help me to be a better person because I listen to what You have to say.

How Shall We Escape?

Heb 2:2-4

 
 

2 For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;

 
 

3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

 
 

4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

KJV

 
 

God has provided us with a wonderful plan of salvation. All of the Old Testament rituals point forward to it. Jesus entire life worked toward it. And, in Jesus death and resurrection, we have the provision for our salvation. Jesus suffered tremendous pain. God sacrificed His own Son so that we could have life. What amazing love! It goes beyond our imagination. Yet, so many people today neglect that provision of salvation. They reject God's plan. They live their own life on their own terms with no regard for God, and they will not escape the ultimate judgment of God.

 
 

Lord, help me to serve you faithfully. Thank You for Your wonderful plan of salvation. Thank You for dying so that I might have eternal life. Help me to take advantage of Your great provision of salvation so that I can live in heaven with You.

Fasting

Fasting is not a popular subject today. Fasting is denying ourselves of food or other pleasures in order to draw closer to God. Self-denial is a very unpopular subject today. So, what should we as Christians be doing about it? God calls us to be fasting, but why? It can help us focus more on communion with God. It helps us block out the other, less important things in life. It helps us get our priorities right. So, when should I fast? We can look to the Bible for examples. We have stories of people fasting during times of spiritual struggle, during times of sorrow, before ordinations or big decisions, and in times of repentance from sin.

 
 

Lord, help me as I fast to draw closer to You. Help me to become more like You. Help me to put my priorities back in correct order and keep You first of all in my life.

Satan Has an Expiration

http://www.charityministries.org/audio/4193.mp3

Fear God and Keep His Commandments

Eccl 12:13

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

KJV

 
 

What a contrast to how most people think today! We live in a world where it's every man for himself. Everyone looks out for themselves. There are some people who try to be helpful to others, but very few think much about the fear of God. This verse tells us that it is the whole duty of man to fear and obey God. Is that what I'm doing? Is that what you're doing?

 
 

Lord, help me to remember that I have been placed here on earth to bring glory to You and for no other reason. Help me to live that out in everyday life. Help me not to be selfish. Help me to give of myself for your glory and for the good of others so that my life would point other people to You.

Rejoice… in Thy Youth

Eccl 11:9

Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.

KJV

 
 

What is this passage saying? First of all it tells us to rejoice in our youth. Enjoy this time of life. Live for God. Enjoy the strength and health that God has given. Enjoy a time with less responsibility when you have more freedom to give time to God's service. Don't waste your youth selfishly. Use it for God.

 
 

However, that last part of the verse is a caution: remember that you will need to give account for everything you do. While you're enjoying life, be sure that what you are doing brings glory to God. I believe that this is a recipe for a happy life. This is how God wants us to live with His joy in our hearts.

Cast Your Bread Upon the Waters

Eccl 11:1

Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.

KJV

 
 

This may seem like an allusion that is difficult to understand, but it refers to sowing seed in marshy areas or in the floodwaters of the Nile River. When the water receded, it grew well. So, how does this apply to us today? It is simply telling us to give when we see little chance of return. We should spread the Gospel even when we see little response. We should give to those who are less fortunate than we are even when it doesn't seem to do any good. We should share what God has blessed us with even when it's difficult.

 
 

Lord, help me to be willing to share. Help me to spread the Gospel. Help me to realize that it will do good even if I can't see it. Help me to selflessly cast my bread upon the waters and trust You for the return.

Live Joyfully With Your Wife

Eccl 9:9

Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity

KJV

 
 

Here we have yet another directive from the Bible that marriage is for life. Yet, in the US, over half of marriages end in divorce and a good portion of the other half are not happy. So, why is this? What causes all these problems? Why is living joyfully with your spouse so difficult? First, I believe that the joyful part is important. WE need to keep the joy there. But, how can we do that? One of the main keys is unselfishness. Before marriage it is usually easy to be unselfish. We are working very hard to win the other person's favor. We look out for them. We show them kindnesses whenever we can. After marriage is when the real challenge begins. Can we remain unselfish? Are we still willing to go out of our way for our spouse? Can we keep it up? With God's help, we can, but it takes discipline and self-sacrifice. Another key to a successful marriage is remembering the "all the days" part. If we have set in our minds that marriage is for life no matter what, it will help us work through the difficult times. We may never consider divorce as an option. If we have purposed in our hearts that we will work through everything together no matter what, it is a big step in the right direction. May God help you in your marriage to live joyfully together all your days.

 

P.S. I apologize for not posting recently. I was on vacation in Ireland. I'll try to keep up better from now on.

Social Networking and Blogs - A Blessing or a Curse

http://www.charityministries.org/audio/4201.mp3

The Heart Posture of a True Seeker

http://www.charityministries.org/audio/4043.mp3

Who Can Find a Virtuous Woman?

In our world today, it is hard to find a virtuous woman. God needs women of character to help in the building of His kingdom. He wants women who are faithful, obedient and submissive. He wants women who will boldly follow Him and do what's right even though it is not popular. Many Bible principles for women are not very popular today. God does not discriminate against women. He does not consider them to be lower than men. He has designed a role for women that is for their good. He wants the best for women. May all true, Christian women be filling that place that God has called them to.

Making Haste to be Rich

Proverbs 28:20

"He that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent."

KJV

 
 

Today there are many get rich quick schemes. Everyone, it seems, would like to be rich quickly and easily without working for it. Well, Solomon had something to say about this. In most cases, getting rich quickly involves giving up honesty in exchange for money. What a poor trade! Yet, many people are doing it. We're sacrificing our character so that we can have more money. Let's be sure that we're not making that trade.

 
 

Lord, help me to have my priorities right. Help me to value my character more highly than money. Help me not to be distracted from serving You by making money.

Be Thou Diligent

Prov 27:23

Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.

KJV

 
 

The Bible talks much about fulfilling our spiritual duties, but serving God affects every area of our lives. Everything we do is service for God. Here, Solomon reminds us to be diligent in our secular duties. We should be doing everything as if it were for God. Our work, our worship, and our recreation all needs to bring glory to God. As we remember that, we will live a more fulfilling life and we will have God's approval.

 
 

Lord, help me to do everything for Your glory. Help me to remember that I am not here to please myself, but to bring glory to You. Help me to do even my secular duties well and then give You the glory.

Gelassenheit—Complete Surrender

http://www.charityministries.org/audio/4044.mp3