Because He loves us, He commands…..!

I was thinking about God’s commands today.

Did you know God commands us to follow His commands?

(If you love me keep my commandments. John 14:15)

 

He doesn’t suggest we forgive someone who wrongs us,

He commands us to forgive.

(Bear with each other and forgive one another if any

of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the

Lord forgave you. 

Colossians 3:13)

 

He doesn’t suggest we live pure lives, He commands us

to be pure.

(As obedient children do not conform to the evil desires

you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who

called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written:

‘Be holy, because I am holy.  1 Peter 1:14-16)

 

He doesn’t suggest us to praise Him, no, He commands us to

praise Him.

(The people whom I formed for Myself will declare My

praise.  Isaiah 43:21)

 

I could go on and on but you get the picture. There is so much

God has commanded us to do.

But that word, “command” isn’t a word we like too much.

It’s so abrupt, so definite so final!

When we hear the word command walls come up. A lot of people

have commanded us before and it wasn’t a pleasant experience.

So when we hear, God commands, the defenses are raised

instantaneously.

 

But I want to show you what God showed me about His commands.

When God commands, it’s not because He is drunk on power and

wants us to feel His awesomeness!

He doesn’t command for the sake of making life hard for us like

others have done.

He is God and not man.

When God commands, He has our well being in mind.

 

Let me show what I mean.

This is a command. When you see the sign you know exactly

what it means.

This is not a suggestion. They are commanding you to keep

out because they know the danger it will cause to you.

That sign was made with you in mind. It’s a way of protecting you.

And when you see it you don’t complain because you know it’s to

keep you safe.

 

When a parent commands their child not to talk to strangers

it’s not because they love making things hard for their child,

but it’s to protect them.

It’s out of love they command their child!

 

And that is how we need to look at God’s commands.

He has you and me in mind when He commands. It’s because

He loves us, that He commands us.

 

We need to stop fighting His commands.

 

I was fighting one this week. I had an argument with someone

and instead of forgiving them

I brought up reasons why I shouldn’t. I tried to justify myself but

that’s not what God commands.

He commands us to forgive as He has forgiven us. It’s not because

He enjoys seeing me in pain but

because He wants to see me grow and move to another level in my

walk with Him.

 

Are you obeying His commands?

Do you try to run away from the things He has commanded you?

We have an opportunity to do the right thing.

His commands are for our benefit.

He commands because He loves us deeply.

 

Bless you friends

 

Rolain

 

 

A place of mystery!

“Not long after that, Jesus went to the village Nain. His disciples were with him, along with quite a large crowd. As they approached the village gate, they met a funeral procession—a woman’s only son was being carried out for burial. And the mother was a widow. When Jesus saw her, his heart broke. He said to her, “Don’t cry.” Then he went over and touched the coffin. The pallbearers stopped. He said, “Young man, I tell you: Get up.” The dead son sat up and began talking. Jesus presented him to his mother.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭7:11-15‬ ‭MSG‬‬

 

Hey everybody. I am so glad I got a chance to stop and write

something here in Australia. It’s been a great week so far. I can’t

believe a week has passed already. It’s been so much fun and

God has been showing me lots. I can’t wait to share what He has been

showing me which will come later in the days and weeks to come.

 

Anyway, I hope you all know the story I started with in Luke. It’s a

really interesting story and pretty straight forward. Jesus is on

His way to a village called Nain and as He approaches it He meets

people who are morning the death of a man, a widow’s son. He

was been carried out for burial. So as you can imagine, there is

mourning, and sadness. Anyway to cut a long story short Jesus

raises the man from the dead. What an amazing miracle! Look at

what the next verse says:

 

“They all realized they were in a place of holy mystery, that God was at work among them. They were quietly worshipful—and then noisily grateful, calling out among themselves, “God is back, looking to the needs of his people!” The news of Jesus spread all through the country.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭7:16-17‬ ‭MSG‬‬

When Jesus raised the man from the dead the people realized they

were in a place of holy mystery!! They realized that God was at work

among them.

This is the thing I want you to see. We are always in a place of holy

mystery because God is always at work among us. We may not

recognize it at times but it’s the truth. Coming to Ausstralia made

me realize how true that was. As I reflected on all that is happening

in my life right now, It is clear to see that God is at work in my

life, I am in a place of holy mystery and I thank Him for that.

You are in a place of holy mystery friend. God is doing stuff in your

life even if it’s difficult to understand, even if it seems like you are

facing a wall. If it’s hard for you to see it then ask Him to show you.

Let’s not be familiar with the things God is doing in our lives.

We make the mistake of thinking that the place of holy mystery is only

found in the big things God is doing but it’s just not true. He is in the

small, simple things as well. You have a job, you have the gift of life,

you are healed, you have a loving family, your sins are forgiven!

The list goes on and on!

As I end please understand you are in a place of a holy mystery!

 

Rolain

 

They threw down their crowns……!

And the four living creatures, individually having six wings, were full of eyes all over and within [underneath their wings]; and day and night they never stop saying, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty (Omnipotent), Who was and Who is and Who is to come.                                                                                                               

And whenever the living creatures offer glory and honor and thanksgiving to Him Who sits on the throne, Who lives forever and ever (through the eternities of the eternities),                                                     

The twenty-four elders (the members of the heavenly Sanhedrin) fall prostrate before Him Who is sitting on the throne, and they worship Him Who lives forever and ever; and they throw down their crowns before the throne, crying out,          

Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and dominion, for You created all things; by Your will they were [brought into being] and were created.        Revelation 4:8-11

 

This passage of scripture intrigues me. It intrigues me and fascinates me so much. I envy the four living creatures. They get to be in God’s presence all the time. They get to see Him face to face……I know God has a purpose for me on this earth but I can’t wait for the day when I will see Him face to face. To be in His presence for eternity!!!!                                                                                                 What an honor it must be for the four living creatures! What has the presence of God done to them? How do they see? How do they speak? What do they think of God?

As I was meditating on the passage of scripture a thought came to me. The word says,

“Day and night they never stop saying, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty (Omnipotent), Who was and Who is and Who is to come.”

If I had to say Holy, holy, holy for a whole month non-stop I think I would get bored. I am just trying to be honest. So how did they do it? Before the earth was created and for eternity they will be crying, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord so how is that possible? Maybe I am being crazy for trying to reason it out with my mind but it’s a thought I had. Don’t shoot me down just yet.   J

Then the answer came to me:

“He then went and took the scroll from the right hand of Him Who sat on the throne. And when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders [of the heavenly Sanhedrin] prostrated themselves before the Lamb.” Revelation 5:7, 8

Is it possible they have been able to cry Holy, holy, holy from the beginning of time because God revealed a new aspect of Himself to them???

Is it possible their praise has been a reaction to what God has shown them that they have never seen before??

In other words every time the four living creatures cry Holy, holy, holy it is because God showed them something new about Himself that they didn’t know and they will continue for eternity because God is so big that no one can ever say they know God fully!!! We can never get to a place where we can say we have seen ALL of God!

I want to be like the four living creatures where I see God working all the time. I don’t praise God enough not because He is not working but because I am distracted! I want to be able to see more of God at work in my life and in people’s lives and respond in praise to Him! Why wait till I get to heaven to start crying Holy, holy, holy! I can start now by being more sensitive to what God is doing, because He is working all the time!

The last thing I want to touch on is the twenty four elders. The word says,

The twenty-four elders (the members of the heavenly Sanhedrin) fall prostrate before Him Who is sitting on the throne, and they worship Him Who lives forever and ever, and they throw down their crowns before the throne, crying out, Revelation 4:10

They threw down their crowns. I think those crowns were significant. They meant something. They had meaning and they were precious. They were a gift from the Master but the twenty four elders were so overcome by God that nothing was more precious and important than God!! Yes, the crowns are important but for eternity they will throw them to the ground as a sign and declaration that God is the only One who is important!!  In worship, it’s not what we have that is important but the God we serve and the twenty four elders understood this. Nothing and I mean nothing came close to God no matter how precious it was. Can we be like them? The word says they “threw” down their crowns! They didn’t carefully place them down but threw the crowns!! May we get an understanding of how awesome our God is!

 

This post is different because I am rambling. I have been thinking about this passage for most of the day and this is what I have been coming with. I am going to leave it like this and hope you get the message behind the post. I am still trying to understand what it means for me. All I know right now is, I want to be more aware of what God is doing in my life and respond, like the four living creatures I want to cry out Holy, holy, holy day and night because I saw something about God I had never seen before; I want to be like the twenty four elders who threw their most precious gifts at God’s feet! Everything paled in comparison to God! Such passion, such devotion!!!!God is worthy of all our praise and may we see more of Him at work in our lives and respond!!!

Rolain

How to Overcome “Jericho”!

We all have insurmountable challenges in our lives. We face situations that threaten to drown us or take us out for good but what do we do in those threatening or seemingly hopeless situations?! The answer is found in the book of Joshua. A friend of mine shared this revelation with me years ago but as I read the story of Joshua this past week I was reminded of what it meant.
The Israelite s had just crossed the Jordon and were in the promise land about to carry out what God had called them to do but understand they had never seen walled cities before. They had never seen giants before and the first place they had to defeat had all of that!!!
Were they afraid, I think so. Did they have doubts, I think so. But look at what the word says in Joshua 5:13-15;

And then this, while Joshua was there near Jericho: He looked up and saw right in front of him a man standing, holding his drawn sword.
Joshua stepped up to him and said, “Whose side are you on – ours or our enemies?”
He said, Neither. I’m commander of God’s army. I’ve just arrived.” Joshua fell to the ground, and worshiped. He asked,
“What orders does my Master have for his servant?”
God’s army commander ordered Joshua, “Take your sandals off your feet. The place you are standing is holy.” Joshua did it.

Joshua approached Jericho but instead of looking at Jericho and its walls he looked up!!! He knew there was Someone bigger than “Jericho”! When he looked up, he saw God, he saw his deliverance! That’s what happens when you look up instead of your problem, your “Jericho”.
When you focus on your problem you become like the 10 spies who saw defeat. They saw no answer to their problem. All they saw were giants and walls and grasshoppers!!!!
By looking at Jericho they lost sight of how big God really was…
When we focus on the “Jericho” in our lives we lose sight of God and how big God really is. Instead you begin to focus on the details. I never finished school so I am not smart enough, I didn’t get brought up in a rich family, I never went to university, I am not tall enough, I am the wrong color, I am not rich enough, I am fat and so on and so on!
When you come to your “Jericho” learn to look up. Your deliverance comes from looking up at God who is bigger than anything we will ever face!!!
Watch and see how small your problems are against a big God!!!

So as I conclude this post I would really like you to think about where you are focused when you approach the “Jericho’s” in your life. It’s ok to see the facts and even admit there is a problem but don’t stop there. Yes, Jericho is a walled city and it has giants but God is our Deliverer, He is our Rock and Strong Tower!
He is our only Hope in the face of insurmountable challenges!

Rolain

 

Can we look to God when we sin?

I was reading a very well known passage of Scripture this morning during devotional. I read it and spoke to God and left for work. But during the day I had a revelation about that chapter. At Bible School I was taught to read Scripture in context and this chapter is crazy. The chapter I read was Psalm 78. It talks about the mercy of God, the patience of God, and the love of God.

Can we look to God when we sin? I believe this scripture answers the question very well. Let us go through a list of things Israel did while they were in the desert:

 

–          The children of Ephraim were armed and carrying bows, yet they turned back in the day of battle. They kept not the covenant of God and refused to walk according to His law and forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them. (Ps. 78:9-11)

–          And they tempted God in their hearts by asking for food according to their [selfish] desire and appetite. They spoke against God; they said, Can God furnish [the food for] a table in the wilderness? (Ps. 78;18,19)      

 

I will stop there for a bit and highlight something. In Psalm 78:22, 23 it says: “Because in God they believed not [they relied not on Him, they adhered not to Him], and they trusted not in His salvation (His power to save). Yet He commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of heaven;                                                                                                         

 

God still had mercy on them. He never withdrew His hand from them despite all the crazy things they were doing. God will forgive you and has forgiven you if you will let Him in. We don’t fully understand God’s mercy. Don’t let the devil lie to you into thinking that God can’t get past your sin no matter how “bad” you may think it is. God can get past your sin and He has….

Let us continue and take a look at more of Israel’s “sins”.

 

–          The wrath of God came down upon them and slew the strongest and sturdiest of them and smote down Israel’s chosen youth. In spite of all this, they sinned still more, for they believed not in (relied not on and adhered not to Him for) His wondrous works. (Ps. 78:31,32)

–          Nevertheless they flattered Him with their tongues. For their hearts were not right or sincere with Him, neither were they faithful and steadfast to His covenant. (Ps. 78:36,37)

–          And time and again they turned back and tempted God, provoking and incensing the Holy One of Israel. They remembered not [seriously the miracles of the working of] His hand, nor the day when He delivered them from the enemy. (Ps. 78:41).

–          Yet they tempted and provoked and rebelled against the Most High God and kept not His testimonies. But they turned back and dealt unfaithfully and treacherously like their fathers; they were twisted like a warped and deceitful bow [that will not respond to the archer’s aim]. For they provoked Him to [righteous] anger with their high places [for idol worship] and moved Him to jealousy with their graven images. When God heard this, He was full of [holy] wrath; and utterly rejected Israel, greatly abhorring and loathing [her ways], so that He forsook the tabernacle at Shiloh, the tent in which He dwelt among men [and never returned to it again], (Ps. 78:56-60)

 

This is where a lot of people usually stop. Israel did crazy things, they went overboard. But if we are to fully understand the chapter we must read it in context. Up to this point we see them worshiping idols, tempting God, provoking Him and rebelling against Him. Can you imagine, incensing God??? But let us read the last part of Psalm 78 because this is what counts! It says,

 

Then the Lord awakened as from sleep, as a strong man whose consciousness of power is heightened by wine. And He smote His adversaries in the back [as they fled]; He put them to lasting shame and reproach. (Ps. 78:65, 66)

 

I believe this scripture was speaking of the enemies of Israel.  He still fought on Israel’s behalf even after all they did. After rejecting God, turning their backs on Him and so on God still had their backs!

I don’t know what sin you in but please know that God is a gracious God. He wants you to turn back to Him. Don’t think your sin is too much for God because it isn’t.

But at the same, don’t take advantage of God’s grace. The first few generations of Israel died. They took God’s forgiveness for granted. Some were killed and punished because of their rebellion. God is a holy God and He will not entertain a blatant disregard of His ways. In Numbers 16 we see how holy God is.

Please don’t take God’s grace and mercy for granted. If you want to change and are sincere forgiveness and grace are available no matter what you have done! Your sin can be forgiven. He knows that we were born into sin. He doesn’t expect us to be perfect. You just have to do your part, turn to Him!!!

 

Can we look to God even when we sin? The answer is Yes!

 

Rolain