How to Find the Path of Life. Psalm 16:11

We need to know the way of life, one that leads to peace with God, others, and ourselves. How do we find the Way?

"You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."  Psalm 16:11, NIV*.

BACKGROUND:
This verse is like a prayer of praise.  It is from one of the messianic psalms that speaks of the coming savior, but like many scriptures, this has more than one application.  We can use this verse to inspire worship, and yet we find instruction.

LIFE
The path of life is described as eternal, full of joy and pleasure, forever. It is a life in the presence of God, which must mean life in acceptance with and in accord with God. This life is associated with the image of a path; it is not a life of self-indulgence.
While we rest and do nothing. A path is a road we travel upon and make progress toward a destination; the destination of the path of life is itself life.

Path of Life Illustration.

Often, we hear the metaphor of the path of life used to illustrate a final end at the grave, but the opposite is the truth; the path of life here is eternal and ends with an unending beginning.

MAKE KNOWN
We often think the way of life is a thing to be earned or merited, but it is something that God makes known. We cannot find the way of life without God. This knowing is a knowing of experiencing something, different from head knowledge. Knowing something in the head is one thing, but truly understanding the path of life must be felt in the heart.

JOY
This joy is fullness of joy, not just the transitory and shallow happiness of this world dependent on external sources. This joy is unique —it fills us, but it is caused by God, not ourselves. This joy is associated with being in the presence of God; he is the source, he makes joy known, and he is the one who fills us with joy.  It seems God is not a cosmic killjoy who commands all kinds of 'don't have fun' rules, but instead is the very essence of joy.

PLEASURES
The pleasures of life are eternal; heaven will not be a boring place where we just sit on clouds, wear white, and play dumb harps, but it seems to have a sensual aspect of tactile pleasure. These pleasures are from the very hand of God, so they must be holy and yet be awesome.

THE REVELATION OF THE WAY
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me." John 14:6. And "I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10. To come to Jesus is to come the way of life; he is the revelation of life.

To read this verse in other translations, visit this link: Online Parallel Bible.

(c)Adron Dozat 8/15/12

Empty Life and How To Cope. Psalm 81:10

What can you do when your life is so empty that emptiness is so huge that it has filled your whole world until you are forever under its shadow?

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it." Psalm 81:10 NIV.

To ancient people He was the "Lord your God," and God is saying to us today "I am the the Lord your God". Our attitude should be, "The Lord is my Lord, not just the Lord of the universe, but the Lord of me."  It is easy to see God as the Lord of the universe but hard to realize Him as our Lord. We must make Him our personal Lord, and choose God as our personal God. We must reject other gods, be they gods of wealth, success, romance, fulfillment or other ends.

WHO BELONGS TO WHO

Empty Life and How to Cope

God declares ownership, He is the one who brought them (Israel) out of Egypt, so He is their God by virtue of deliverance, He has the right to claim them. We, who are born again were delivered from the kingdom of sin through the death of his Son on the cross. He bought and earned our allegiance.

COMPARED TO GOD
When challenged by the desperate needs of today remember what God has done in times past. He did great miracles to free Israel from Egypt and he is the same today. Consider the wonderful redemption that we have in Christ; he overcame sin, judgment, death, the grave, defeated Satan, and redeemed mankind all in the same hour- after that what can be is too big for Him? If God can rescue us from hell then a broken marriage is nothing to Him, or a bankruptcy, a job loss, or the deep grief of bereavement. He is able to rescue. No problem is bigger than what he already has done for us in Christ.

A PROMISE
All that is good and all blessing starts with God, He only waits for an expression of faith. He says as a promise, "open wide your mouth and I will fill it." The picture of this promise is a demonstration of your faith to Him and those around you by an expression of being ready to receive. The promise uses a metaphor of the open mouth, we don't sit around with our mouths open but we say to God we believe Him to fill up our need. We find some practical expression that we trust Him to fill our need.

"I" NOT ME
We think that we must fulfill some duty or work for the blessing but God through this verse says, "I will fill it," He is the one who does the filling- not us. No matter how deep your hunger or how empty your resources the Lord our God can fill your need.

To find out more about becoming born again see my other blog, follow this link: click here.

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Thank you for visiting and reading my blog. I sincerely hope this post is helpful and an encouragement.
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(c) Adron Dozat 8/3/12

What Are the Worst Sins? Jeremiah 2:13

Sin is a subject no one likes and opinions vary greatly.  We all have something different to say about sin but what God says may surprise us.

"My people have committed two sins: they have forsaken me the spring of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water," Jeremiah 2:13, NIV

That God says "My people..." and then goes on to tell of their waywardness.  We are intended by our Creator for His pleasure, glory, and to be His treasured possession.  God longs to lavish His love and blessing on us and it is the crowning of blessing to be called "My people..."

TWO SINS, SIN NUMBER ONE:
We have forsaken God.  To forsake is to leave behind with deliberation.  We have left God out of our thoughts, lives, and plans.

Overflowing Well of Living Water

In the Bible, God refers to himself as the spring of living water, not just water that is necessary for life but, "The spring of living water."  This spring is in the singular tense, for there are not many springs of living water only one.  There is only one God and He is the source of life, salvation, and blessing.

Water is essential for life but this water is more than that- it is the "Living Water."  Not just sustaining life but being life itself.  This is a beautiful picture of God.

SIN NUMBER TWO:
We have dug our own cisterns.  A cistern is a well.  Instead of drinking from a natural spring, we have chosen to scrape through the dirt to find dubious water.  We have built our own philosophies and religions that reject the true God.  Some of our cisterns are romance, wealth, the American dream, a dreamy world of our own values, the good life, or the next high.

Everybody has experienced the thrill of getting a new toy, job, or relationship; only to find the excitement soon diminishes and we feel empty, looking for the next source of satisfaction.  Those are the broken cisterns.  They are the broken promises of a life that are from drinking out of the wrong well and not the spring of living water.

THE SUM OF THE TWO:
These two sins are two sides of the same coin they amount to rejecting God in favor of our own designs.

THE ONE WHO IS LIVING WATER:
Jesus said, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." (John 4:10).  Jesus is the water of life, to find him is to find life, to serve him is to serve life; everything else doesn't hold water.

To learn more about Jesus see my other blog just follow this link: click here.

(c)Adron Dozat

When Christians Are in The Rat Race Of Life, 1 Corinthians 9:24:25

God Loves You

The best of us can feel life is frustrating. Even those of us who live a life of faith still feel like we are in a rat race and wonder what is all the busyness is for.

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training, they do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 NIV.

Run for the prize. 1 Cor 9:24

LIFE FOR THE CHRISTIAN
The Christian life is like a race, but it does not need to be a frustrating rat race.  Yes, it is hard and to win a race you have to train with self-discipline.  You need to expend energy and effort to remain focused and keep the goal ahead of you. This is counter to our modern way of life where we have a do as you please attitude, and a live for the moment philosophy.

ENEMIES
The believer has at least three enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil. As we battle our enemies we should ask ourselves these questions.
     * How are we doing in our battle against the flesh with its appetites and lust?
     * Do we surrender the battle and give up the rewards that victory will bring?
     * For the sake of a few minutes of sleep forfeit morning devotional time with the Lord?
     * Or for the sake of an entertainment event skip fellowship with believers?
     * Do we choose relaxation over service?
Too many have exchanged the blessings of heaven for the wreath of fading leaves.

THE PRIZE
In a race, only one gets the prize- this reminds us that if we are not diligent we will miss out.  We still finish the race but second place does not win the crown.  The prize is not salvation since the Bible does not teach our works save us but only our faith, the prize is the reward for a life lived unto the Lord.  We who trust Jesus will finish and get a reward but it is how we run that race now that determines if our reward then will be gold and silver or wood, hay, and stubble.

TOTAL COMMITMENT
An athlete who faces competition does not let himself get fat and flabby; he gets exercise, rest and healthy food.  He brings lifestyle into the process and weighs his actions in the balance of his goals.  He dedicates his body and time to the goal- even though that goal is only a temporary reward of a few mentions in the news or a trophy that will collect dust and end up in a yard sale.  How much more should we who know and love God and have a hope in heaven bring our lives under control for the eternal rewards God has promised us?

To learn more about the plan of salvation follow this link: click here.

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Thank you for visiting and reading my blog. I sincerely hope this post is helpful and an encouragement.  For more like this see the most popular post in the sidebar, or use the search box above.  

Adron

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(c)Adron Dozat

The Wages of Sin is Death, But For Whom? Romans 6:23.

We often quote the verse to explain the need of the gospel to someone who is seeking God. But are we not ourselves missing the point?

“For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 NIV.

We act like God gave us this verse so we can quote it to the unsaved who should respond with the conviction that they are condemned sinners who need Jesus. But this is out of context. This verse is a summary statement of a thesis of the Christian faith walk experience, where Paul warns the Christian not to return to slavery to sin. (Romans 6:13-23).

Adam and Eve were commanded not to eat of a certain fruit lest they should die. Some think death was unknown in the garden but there must have been some kind of death like decaying leaves, which is what makes gardens grow. Therefore, they must have had some vague concept of death or else the command’s warning would have no significance. Maybe they thought if they disobeyed they would somehow wilt a little like the fallen leaves or fade some like flowers in the sun. Their concept proved to be far from the truth and death's reality exceeded their imagination.

We are no different, we think, “I am born again and am saved, so sin is paid for, and it's not a bad one,” and we give into a little sin. Like Adam and Eve, we have no idea of the real death. Our impression (fed by the serpent's lies), is the consequences are minor and we may only lose a little blessing here or our sanctification will be a little tarnished there. As bad as it turned out for Adam our sins are worse because we have gifts he lacked such as the Word, the Holy Spirit, fellowship, an understanding of Christ's death for us, and more. Like Adam and Eve we do not have any idea of the full consequences of our little sin, so we enslave ourselves to its creeping decay.

Both parts of this verse is a promise. The wages of sin is death; death for our Christian walk, death for our blessings in the Lord, death to our faith. The wages of sin is death even though we are in Christ and serve him.

Sin's opposite is the gift of God, a gift that is the answer to sin- eternal life. We miss the point that victory over sin is received as a gift. Let’s confess our sin quickly and in faith claim the forgiveness and victory that comes with the gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(c) Adron

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Thank you for visiting and reading my blog. I sincerely hope this post is helpful and an encouragement.  For more like this see the most popular post in the left sidebar, or use the search box above.  

Adron

Use the share buttons below to save and share this to your social networks. 

If Jesus Wants Me To Follow Him Why Does He Say Such Hard Things? John 12:25

Do you wonder what Jesus is about? What is the purpose of the Christian life? These questions are not always eased by the words of Jesus.

“The man who loves his life will lose it while the man who hates his life in the world will keep it for eternal life." John 12: 25, NIV.

These words go against human nature. There is so much to love in this modern world with its gratifications and pleasures. Who would not love all it has to offer?

LOVE LIFE
We love life by living for comfort, pleasure, our own interest, money, food, entertainment, pleasure, family, and the list goes on. Life is more than the living breathing body of flesh and serving its needs. We are spirit and have souls. The body is the vehicle of our souls, and this world is the stage where we serve and glorify God. It is easy to see our time on earth as all there is and our body as who we are and what we do here on earth as the end results of life. To ignore the spirit and focus on the temporal is to use up our resources that were meant to fulfill God’s purpose and will result in missing the blessings of God.

HATE LIFE
We must say "no" to those things treasured among mankind and seek those things treasured by God. To hate your life is to love Christ more than to love your own interest, importance and concerns.

CHOOSE LIFE
We make thousands of decisions each day. Often we choose to love ourselves instead of doing that which would fulfill love for God.

We are of two worlds; we live out one existence now but will spend eternity in another. Our lives become a constant choosing between the two, and a continuous choosing between God and self. If we live for this world we are losers in the next, if we live for the next we are winners in both.

To learn more about how to have eternal life see my other blog.

Thank you for visiting and reading my blog. I sincerely hope this post is helpful and an encouragement.  For more like this see the most popular post in the left sidebar, or use the search box above.

Use the share buttons below to save and share this to your social networks. 

(c) Adron

Where is The Perfect Place For A Tired Soul? Psalm 91:1-2

We all long for that ideal home where our very hearts find satisfaction and are at rest. This verse points the way.

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord,' He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'" Psalm 91:1-2, NIV. 

DWELL
To dwell somewhere is to stay there for good, not just a visit. Many live with God on Sundays, but live away from God when they go out the door on Monday. This verse reminds us to dwell continually with God. God made us so we may enjoy a relationship with him, so we will find true satisfaction only by remaining in our permanent home with God.

SHELTER
We think of a shelter as a nice home with indoor plumbing, central heating, TVs and microwave ovens; but the shelter of the Most High was anything but that. Both the Tabernacle and the Temple in Old Testament days were places of service, even work! It was the place where the priest ministered, sometimes giving judgments, counsel, leading worship, teaching, making sacrifices, preparing atonement, sanctifying the people of God, and more than I can mention here. To dwell in the shelter of the Most High is a place of service. God designed us to serve Him as part of a relationship with Him.

REST
The good news is that we "will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." This is a promise. The Bible teaches rest as a principle. Everyone serving God, in big or little things, could claim this promise. This rest is not like sitting on a sofa in front of the TV and eating sweets, but it is comfort within our souls and peace in our hearts. It is to stop struggling.

THE SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY
God the Absolute Almighty faced the foe for us and we are hidden behind Him. What a safe place the Shadow of the Almighty is! Many times God commands rest, the result of this rest should be to reflect on The Almighty and that should lead to worship.

When we dwell with God and serve Him we are not only fulfilling His purpose for us but we will find we know Him better.

(c)Adron Dozat