Humility Cures Worldliness

James 4

Humility Cures Worldliness
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

If we all heed this advice, we could send the devil packing....as the defeated criminal he is.  He hangs around us because he perceives opportunity to derail us from the will and path of YahWeh.  This threat should be taken seriously. At times of weakness, clouded judgment, anger, despair, loneliness, and confusion, he seeks to creep into our lives and wreak havoc.  It is at these times we are most vulnerable.  It is at these times we must walk out on faith that Jesus we come to our aid! In these moments, praising God is the best remedy to thwart the evil plot of the devil. He doesn't want you to praise God when you're down! He wants the opposite to occur, which ultimately drives a wedge between us and the Holy Trinity.

Start praising God, whether times are good/, happy/sad. Lift up Jesus and He will in turn do the same for you.

Amen!

Learn to love

John 13:34-35
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Matthew 22:38-40New King James Version (NKJV)

38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’[a] 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Love is the key to our faith.  The meaning of love has been diluted over time. To capture God's undying love for us, see John 3:16. If you want to know God we must first learn to love. Love is more than an emotion people claim to feel. Like Christianity, it is a way of life. Let us strive to live out love the way God wants us to.

Warning to the Jews

Micah 6 (NKJV)

God Pleads with Israel
6 Hear now what the Lord says:

“Arise, plead your case before the mountains,
And let the hills hear your voice.
2 Hear, O you mountains, the Lord’s complaint,
And you strong foundations of the earth;
For the Lord has a complaint against His people,
And He will contend with Israel.
3 “O My people, what have I done to you?
And how have I wearied you?
Testify against Me.
4 For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
I redeemed you from the house of bondage;
And I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
5 O My people, remember now
What Balak king of Moab counseled,
And what Balaam the son of Beor answered him,
From Acacia Grove[a] to Gilgal,
That you may know the righteousness of the Lord.”
6 With what shall I come before the Lord,
And bow myself before the High God?
Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,
With calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
Ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
Punishment of Israel’s Injustice
9 The Lord’s voice cries to the city—
Wisdom shall see Your name:
“Hear the rod!
Who has appointed it?
10 Are there yet the treasures of wickedness
In the house of the wicked,
And the short measure that is an abomination?
11 Shall I count pure those with the wicked scales,
And with the bag of deceitful weights?
12 For her rich men are full of violence,
Her inhabitants have spoken lies,
And their tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
13 “Therefore I will also make you sick by striking you,
By making you desolate because of your sins.
14 You shall eat, but not be satisfied;
Hunger[b] shall be in your midst.
You may carry some away,[c] but shall not save them;
And what you do rescue I will give over to the sword.
15 “You shall sow, but not reap;
You shall tread the olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil;
And make sweet wine, but not drink wine.
16 For the statutes of Omri are kept;
All the works of Ahab’s house are done;
And you walk in their counsels,
That I may make you a desolation,
And your inhabitants a hissing.
Therefore you shall bear the reproach of My people.”[d]

This was a warning to Israel to turn from their evil, deceitful, and malicious ways. Take time to understand the context of the times when this was written. God's people had been saved from Egypt, and now were experiencing times of abundance by the hands of God.  But, the people as a general whole, fell away from God's way. They praised self, other gods, and lived in debauchery.

Doesn't this eerily sound like America now? We were rescued from bondage and made to live a plentiful life. This cycle has repeatedly occurred thanks to the LOVE, GRACE, AND MERCY of God.  But, the people, as a collective whole act as if their is no YahWeh, Christ, or Holy Spirit.  They praise self, other gods like money, and live willingly in debauchery.  It's time to teach the error of the Israelites so the past no longer repeats itself, and the cycle is broken.  Ultimately,  turn away from evil, and worship the Omniscient YahWeh!

Resolution

2 Corinthians 5

Be Reconciled to God
12 For we do not commend ourselves again to you, but give you opportunity to boast on our behalf, that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Today is the first day of the calendar year. Many resolved to do things differently, better themselves, start or stop things in their lives.  How many truly understand and appreciate what Paul is saying above? To claim Christ as our Lord and Savior means that we resolve to allow His Word and Holy Spirit to make new creatures from within us. This work serves a dual purpose: to save us and to be a lighthouse for those lost in the world, drawing all people to Him that choose the Light over darkness. 

We are to spread the Gospel like wildfire to all that will listen. We can accomplish this imperative task.  We must let our former selves and sinful nature die. We all know that to live in sin is guaranteed death, no hope for heavenly rest.  Let the curse of death die in the darkness, and relentlessly pursue the Light of God. 

Let YahWeh shine through you, me, us. Like Christ told Nicodemus, to enter into heaven,  one must be born again! This is a rebirth of the Spirit. A commitment to Word and spreading it across the world. Doing so will make way for Jehovah Nisi to shine through you, me, us, for the world to see. 

Father, teach us what you desire us to be. As many of us make resolutions based on what we want the year to bring forth, I pray You are in the forefront.  Show us how me can rid ourselves of the darkness and be a source of Light to as many as possible.  Teach us how to live right to fulfill the task at hand.  We thank You and praise You too.  Many are not her to see today. Let all who read this count that as a blessing You provided for us.  I pray no one takes it for granted, and we make the best of it to serve You.  Teach us how to let the Light shine from within.

Amen