Is Complaining a Bad Sin? Numbers 11:1

We all complain at some time or other, sometimes we call it venting, or expressing ourselves, but what does God think about it?

"Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the LORD, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp." Numbers 11:1.

THE PEOPLE

Today, in the age of grace and the modern church a person might think they have a special covenant and get an exception on some things.  The people of Israel were God's chosen people, they were special but God gave them no slack on the issue of sin.

COMPLAINED

Complaining expresses selfishness, arrogance, superiority, and immaturity. Complaining is the opposite of gratitude.  It insults God who is so generous, grants favor, and gives life.

One wonders what they had to complain about.
     * God had delivered them from slavery and they escaped Egypt.
     * They carried away the treasure of Egypt with them.
     * God was living among them as with no other people.
     * He provided them with the food of angels.
     * And God was leading them to a land of promise.

Yet with the miracles and the blessings they still complained.

IN THE HEARING OF THE LORD

It is not just that God is all-knowing- He hears the unspoken words as well as the shout, but it was compounded because the ones complaining were supposed to be His people and a light to the nations.

The issue was not proximity, though they were close to the Lord, and the tabernacle which represented the presence of the Lord, the issue was status- they were his people so the attitude of complaining was intolerable.

Numbers 11:1

HIS ANGER AROSE.

No one would want to be on the receiving end of God's wrath.  To say His anger arose suggests it grew and manifested itself in the extreme.

FIRE CONSUMED

Complaining cost them and fire consumed edges of the camp.  The people did other sins at other times but the judgment against complaining was the most dramatic which should cause us to think God is really against it.

That God only burned the perimeter shows his anger was mixed with mercy as if God were not happy to carry out judgment.

We may find forgiveness through Jesus for our sins but we still cannot continue in sin without consequences.

The people of the church today do not get any extra leniency for sin than did people of ancient Israel.  We must not tempt the Lord's anger.  We must be vigilant to guard against it.

If you want to learn more about finding God and freedom from sin see my other blog about salvation.

To learn about my books of poems CLICK HERE.

Blessings, 

(c) A.E, Dozat 5/20/15

When Will We Be Free From Sin? Romans 6:18

People of faith know that we should do right but we keep on doing wrong. Is there no hope to live a righteous life?

"You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." Romans 6:18

Sin's Chains Have Been Broken

HAVE BEEN
These words are past tense. As far as God is concerned sin is a done deal- the blood of Jesus paid for it and the resurrection proves its power is broken. When we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior we are part of something that has happened. We do not sit around hoping it will come but we have already been set free.

SET FREE
This "set free" is something that is established. No longer do we have to obey sin and we are no longer bound by its chains. We are free from the greatest slave master ever.

We cannot make ourselves free but are set free by another. When we come to God through the work of Jesus on our behalf when He died to pay for our sins we are given a new life of freedom from the power and judgment of sin.

HAVE BECOME
This "have become" is another fact expressed in the past tense of certainty. Our experience may be in varying degrees but we are moving forward to greater freedom as we grow in Christ.

SLAVES TO RIGHTEOUSNESS
Gratitude and love compel us to serve because of what God did for us when Jesus died to pay for our sins. His death broke the power of sin and in his death, we are now able to do the right things we were unable to do outside of Christ.

In our former lives, we could not help but obey sin. But now we may claim the promise that we have been set free from sin and be obedient to God.

To learn more about coming to God to be free from the judgment of sin see my Gospel Blog.

(c) Adron 1/23/14

Should We Confess Other People's Sins? Ezra 9:5,6

People think the Old Testament prophets just went around condemning sin and proclaiming judgment, but these verses, Ezra 9:5-6, show they did something much more important, something which we all can do.

“Then at the evening sacrifice, I rose from my self-abasement, with my tunic and cloak torn and fell on my knees with my hands spread out to the Lord my God, and prayed, ‘O my God, I am too ashamed and disgraced to lift up my face to you, my God, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens.”  Ezra 9:5-6

OTHER'S SIN
Ezra could have addressed people's sins in many ways. He could have brought judgment on the people, cast the sinners out, or preached against their sin.

Often when we see someone doing wrong we do nothing, we nurse a critical attitude or vent with rude words at the wrongdoer.

INSTEAD EZRA
Not Ezra, he confesses their sin. Most of Ezra 9 is the prayer of confession. He uses words like "our," "we," and "us." He could have said, "this person," "them," or "they" to distance himself and the sinners, but he confesses their sins as if they were his own.

We should pray about and bring before God the sins of our family, friends, and country. The ministry of prayer is the responsibility of every believer. Parents should pray about their kids' sins. We should confess the sins of our community and country.

WHY DON'T WE?
Why don’t we confess the sins and pray for those around us? Ezra was, too ashamed and disgraced to lift up his face, but we have no sense of shame and disgrace that the saints of old had. Instead, we justify sins, argue them into a good thing, we blame our sin on others, culture, lack of education and, too much sugar. We need God to change our hearts about the very nature of sin.

CONFESSION
We need to confess our own sins and turn from them. We must ask God to show us the sin we refuse to see. Our God is holy God and justly requires it. Those who confess the sins of family and friends soon find more wickedness in themselves to confess than what they see in others.

Let's be like Ezra who was so desperate for God to forgive the sins of the people that he mourned and abased himself in sorrow before the Lord for the sins of the people. We all have issues with the injustices in our society, we may not all agree on solutions but we should all agree it needs to begin with prayer.

If you feel you need to find forgiveness for the sins in your life follow this link: click here.

(c)Adron Dozat 8/4/13

Why Does God Hide From People?

Why does it seem that God is so far away? Is he not willing to help?

“Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear 2. But your iniquities have separated you from your God. Your sins have hidden his face from you so that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:1-2, NIV.

POWER VS WILL

Of course, God is able. He is all-powerful, and as Ruler of the universe, He can command all circumstances. "His arm is not too short." He can reach down from heaven into the mess of our world and do whatever is necessary.

He can hear us calling to Him, for "his ear is not too dull to hear." The last part, "he will not hear, " is frightening." If it was a matter of God not being able, we could shout louder, send up darker smoke signals, or clang a gong, but if he "will not," then we have no hope.

US VS GOD

Why does God refuse to act? Our iniquities (sins) have hidden us from God, and our "sins have hidden his face" from us. When someone is offended, they may turn away from you on purpose. Our sin causes God to do just that. God is holy and pure; He cannot allow His holiness or purity to be tarnished or compromised by sin. Sin is the big barrier between God and us.

FORGIVENESS

Redemption, the forgiveness of sin, and salvation are through the person and work of Jesus, who laid down his life to take away the punishment of sin. God, the Judge of the universe, put our sins on Jesus for us. We come to God through Jesus and obtain forgiveness and peace.

CLEAN

We need cleansing. As we walk through this lost world, our lives are affected by sin around us, and we slip into sin. If we neglect daily confession and repentance, God and His blessings seem far away.

God asks us to do so little.

     • We must recognize what is sinful.
     • We must confess and admit to God we are wrong.
     • We must turn away from our sin.
     • We must accept his forgiveness based on the sacrifice of His Son on the cross.
     • And get on with life with Him in it.

Through faith, we can know God face to face.

To learn more about cleansing your sins, follow this link: Salvation.

(c)Adron Dozat 7/4/2013

Who is Too Dirty For Jesus? Matthew 8:3

We might feel like we have done the unforgivable and we will never be acceptable again. We may ask, "Will we ever feel the loving touch again?"

"Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. 'I am willing.' he said. 'Be clean!' Immediately he was cured of his leprosy." Matthew 8:3, NIV.

LEPROSY
In this passage, a man with leprosy kneels before Jesus and says, "Lord, if you are willing you can make me clean." Everyone knows what horrible disease leprosy is; it is highly contagious, and the afflicted were outcasts who were pelted with stones if they approached another person. Leprosy was often used to typify sin and sin's punishment, this symbolism was an additional stigma carried by the afflicted persons.

THE LEPER
He was a lonely, outcast, and estranged from society, but he comes and kneels before Jesus and expresses his faith in the Lord to have the ability to heal him. One wonders, did he intend to question Jesus' willingness to heal him? His words, "If you are willing." almost sounds sarcastic- or was he referring to the teaching that leprosy implied sin's punishment, which meant he was a sinner.

It was more, it was an act of faith; he believed in Jesus' power to heal, so he says, "If you are willing."

JESUS
Jesus is willing. "Jesus reached out his hand," and touched him on purpose; he did not accidentally brush him, but really reached out and touched the man. This man had not been touched by another person in who knows how long, and now he is touched by Jesus.

You can almost hear the crowd gasp today. A rabbi would never touch a person who was unclean, and a sensible person would never touch a leper. Yet in love, Jesus tosses that aside.

WE NEED HIS TOUCH
How much did that touch communicate to the leprous man? Love, acceptance, validation, worth, and emotional healing were all in that gentle touch. We all have pain and affliction, we have sorrow and hurt, many of us face dreadful situations that have scarred us, but Jesus is willing to heal, comfort, and love. We do not fully understand why we suffer but we know he is as grieved by our sorrows as we are. In the darkest depths of our woes, we find how high are the heights of His Love. We need to come to Jesus, kneel, and say, "Lord, I know you can perform a miracle in this situation." Jesus is willing.

(c)Adron Dozat

What is The Worst Thing You Can Do?

There are many wrongs we can commit and wrongs we can do by omission. Some transgressions are against God and others hurt loved ones. What if there is one sin that is worse than all others? Shouldn't we want to be aware of it, especially if it hurts a loved one? The ancient prophet feared one sin in particular.

"As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against you by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right." 1 Samuel 12:23, NIV.

SAMUEL'S RESOLUTION
Samuel as one of Israel's greatest prophets led the nation spiritually and politically. His leadership was not always well received by the people even though it was endorsed by God. The verse above comes from the time when the people asked for a king to rule over them, this was a rejection of God and of Samuel. Samuel could have said something like, "OK. if you wash your hands of me I wash mine of you." Instead, he reaffirms his commitment to the people. The greatest thing he can do for the people is to pray for them. The prophet had a duty to pray for the people but he takes it further saying it is a sin not to pray for them. He says, "Far be it from me..." To not pray is the last thing he would think of doing.

IS NOT PRAYING FOR YOU A SIN?
Not to pray for the people was a sin for Samuel. The Bible teaches that all who believe have the responsibility of priesthood. We are commanded to pray for one another, so is a sin to not pray for others.

WHY PRAYER?
God has given the gift of prayer to mankind.  He always wanted to share his power and make mankind the partner in his works*. He seems to hold back the good he would do waiting for our partnership expressed by prayer to enable him to do wonders.

Since God has made us his partners in doing good and if we fail to pray we are not doing our part to allow the good God would do to be done. Being God his ability to do good is infinite, so we have the power to see infinite good happen in the lives of our family and friends.

THE FAILURE
Believers who come to God through faith in the work and sacrifice of his son on the cross for sins have a relationship to God with the great blessings of son-ship and a special privilege to pray. If The All-powerful Creator of the universe has promised that if we ask anything in his name he will give it1 and if we fail to pray we rob others of the possibility of the actions of The All-powerful God in their behalf. Could we commit a greater sin against another by not praying to The All-powerful God to move on their behalf?

Let us all be people of prayer.

Footnote
*God the Creator did not need a gardener if he has the ability to create the universe and gardens so he must have another reason to put Adam in the garden. As soon as God created man he began to share with the man a partnership of some kind. The Bible teaches a progression of God sharing his partnership in glory starting the account of Adam serving in and sharing God's garden in Eden and ends with a man sharing God's glory in heaven.

1 John 14:14

© Adron 1/5/13

What Keeps Prayer Unanswered? Psalm 66:18, 19.

We pray, over and over, or we pray for a long time, even years, yet the answer is nowhere in sight. God is sovereign, the answer may be no, or later, or you are not ready. What if the problem is on our end of the prayer?

"If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened, but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer." Psalm 66:18-19; NIV. *

This verse is a challenge for us.

CHERISH
When we cherish something, we lovingly treasure it; we set it aside and keep it safe. We may pick it up and hold it, or we may put it in a special place under a light just so we can admire it. There may be some sin we cherish in just this way.

SIN
To cherish sin is to say to God, "I prefer this wicked evil thing that is destroying me, separating me from you and robbing me of your blessing." When we cherish sin, we forsake our son-ship rights to the Father; we cannot then expect Him to bless us or hear our prayer.

Sin counterfeits the truth and destroys the person who believes the counterfeit truth. Jesus gave his life to break its power over us and free us from sin's judgment. The same sin I am in love with is sending loved ones to a hopeless eternity.

SINS OF THE HEART.
We think we can get away with the sins of the heart. They are more hidden than an out-of-control temper, impatience, or dishonesty. These sins may lurk in our thoughts for years unsuspected by others; maybe covetousness, greed, lust, jealousy, or bitterness is gently nurtured in our quiet moments. We justify it by saying, "It is only a thought or just a feeling. I will never act on it. It is safely hidden in my mind."

UNANSWERED PRAYER
Unanswered prayer may be because of cherished sin. God would be a hypocrite if he blessed someone while they treasured a pet sin. Are the answers we receive only a trickle of what we might have? If we deal with our sins, what oceans of blessing might we experience!

• We should pray for God to reveal the sin in our hearts.
• We should ask God to correct our attitude of that sin, to see it as He does.
• We should confess.
• We need to repent.
• We need to forsake.
• We need to accept forgiveness.
• We need to replace sin with a holy occupation.
• Above all, we need the Savior's help.

May you be free from heart-dwelling sins, and may you know the wonders of God who answers prayer.

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

© Adron 11/14/12

What Does Heaven Cost? 1 Peter 1:15-16

If you could sum up the death of Jesus in one word what would it be? Many would have different ideas, martyr, tragic, loss.

"Redeemed by the precious blood of Christ." 1 Peter 1:19. NIV.

REDEMPTION
Redemption is a word that describes Jesus' death.  Not his redemption but ours, for Jesus came to give his life as a ransom for many.

To redeem something is to pay the debt, if you gave a valuable to a creditor as security against a loan you redeem it when you pay off the loan and therefore you get the valued idem back.  Jesus gave his life on our behalf to pay the debt to justice.

OUR NEED
We need redemption because of sin. St. James says, "He who knows what is right to do and fails to do it for him it is sin." By that standard we all have sin.  God loves us and doesn't want to condemn us but being holy he must judge sin.

JESUS THE REDEEMER
The redemption provided by Jesus is not a gesture of good-will; it is payment against the requirement demanded by justice for our sin.  It was payment unto death and it was doled out in the blood of Jesus.  The death of Jesus bought us back from judgment; it should have been us who hung on the cross for our sins but Jesus took our place and he died the death we should have died. The full wrath of God's judgment went on him instead of us.

The blood of Jesus is precious to angels and saints not just because it is the blood by which we are given salvation as a free gift, but because it is the blood of God's own dear son.  Heaven had no greater treasure; Jesus is the Prince of Peace who bought peace between God and man with his blood.  It should be precious to every one of us for whom it was shed; because it was shed it cost me nothing to go to heaven but it cost Jesus everything for me to go to heaven.

OUR PART
This redemption is very unusual in that if you give something as a security that you will pay off a debt the idem doesn't refuse to come with you when you pay off the debt, but God gives us a choice, we may reject Jesus we may say no to salvation and remain unredeemed.

To learn more about what the Bible teaches about how to go to heaven follow this link: Click here.

(c)Adron Dozat

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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

Why Did Jesus Come? 1 Timothy 1:15

Why did Jesus come? Everybody has their own answers, but the Bible makes it plain.

"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of which I am the worst." 1 Timothy 1:14, NIV.

A Trustworthy Saying
You can trust the teaching of the Bible.  Here is a statement that says, "Of all the statements of the Bible, pay special attention to this one," as if this one saying stands above all the others.

Full Acceptance
The saying is not only trustworthy but must have your full acceptance. If you believe anything in the Bible, you need to believe this one. You must completely accept the nine words; Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. If you accept or believe only some of them, it is not full acceptance.

Who?
Christ is the God One who saves by sacrificing himself on our behalf.

He is the one who came; the quote does not say born but came as if he was somewhere else before. This verse is clear that he existed before his earthly incarnation.

Why?
Jesus did not come simply to teach, establish a new religion, modify an old one, or be a revolutionary- he came to save sinners. We need salvation; we need to be rescued from the bondage of sin in our lives and be delivered from the future judgment of sin. Sin offends God, and being holy, he must judge sin, but being loving, God sent his son Jesus to die in our stead and take the punishment for our sins. God accepts Jesus' death as payment in full for our sins and gives us Jesus' righteousness.

Could The Apostle Have Been A Sinner?
Paul the Apostle was once a Pharisee who observed the strictest sect of Judaism. His teaching and writings were central to the establishment and survival of the church. He penned portions of the New Testament, and his writings give context for the teaching of Jesus. How could he say he was a sinner? In one place, he wrote about his struggles with pride, and in another, he discusses covetousness, and in another, he recounts his former way of life when in the name of God, he persecuted the church, even voting for the death penalty against Christians. Despite his sinfulness, the Apostle found Salvation in Jesus.

(c)Adron Dozat 7/11/12

Can Christians Be Tempted To Do Evil? 1 Corinthians 10:13

We often feel tempted to do evil. Sometimes the temptation feels so big that we think we have no choice. What should we do?

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out, so that you can stand up under it." I Corinthians 10:13, NIV.

SEIZE
To seize something is to grab it firmly so it can't escape. We may feel like we have been seized by temptation and can't escape but we have hope in this promise.

The temptations we face are not unique and we all share the same struggle. We can never say, "No one was ever tempted like I was."

GOD AND TEMPTATION
The Lord does not tempt us to do evil; we do evil because we have a nature in us to do wrong and we live in a society that does wrong. God is in control, it would be an offense to his holiness if he allowed us to be tempted to evil in such a way that we could not choose to get out; it would make him guilty of the sin by association, so God must provide a way for everyone who is facing sin.

We can be assured that no temptation is so big that we have no choice. It is not just that God being holy must provide a way out, he loves us and his Son died to pay for our sins. God hates sin and will not trick anyone into sin, and because of his hatred of sin will offer every help so we may "stand up under it."

This verse does not say that temptation will just go away or stop, but that we will have the endurance to finish the time of testing without falling into sin.

A PROMISE
This verse is a promise and like all promises, it can't be left idle and expect to happen. We need to accept the promise and act on it.

 As Christians, we do not live out rules we live a relationship with our Savior. A relationship is a personal thing and we each must bring our Lord into the things we experience. Any relationship must have communication and we communicate with God through prayer; therefore pray this verse and if the concept of claiming the promise helps then do so while you continue to look to God to show you the way of escape.

WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY
We must be vigilant about staying out of situations that lead to sin. We must resolve not to feed the evil we are prone to through modern media, experiences, or associations. We should pray daily to be kept from sin and for God to show us the pathways out of temptation.

A prayer:

Heavenly Father and holy God.
I am prone to evil and fall in sin,
forgive my frequent transgressions.
Give me a heart that resolves to follow you
make me disdain the sin in me
and to turn from opportunities to nurture it
Show me the way out of situations that lead to sin.
make me sensitive to the Holy Spirit's guidance
Help me to follow you singly
and not break from spiritual communion.

© Adron 3/11/12

How To Start A Personal Revival. Matthew 3:2

We often feel that our spiritual life is drying up and we are in a time of regression. We want revival but are unsure what to do or how to start.

“In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven, is near.” Matthew 3:1, 2. NIV.

CONTEXT
The beginning of Jesus' ministry to the lost world began with John the Baptist's simple but hard message: “Repent.” If we want to receive the ministry of God’s Spirit in our lives, we must lay the foundation of repentance.

SIN
No matter who we are, we have sins in our lives. We may be the smartest or most talented but there is some sin to deal with. Even in the empty uncultured place like the desert, the message of repentance was necessary. You are never too high or too low that you do not need to examine your life to see if you need to repent of something.

REPENTANCE
Repentance covers a lot of things and it is sad that today we have reduced it down to some trite truisms like repentance is going the other way. Yes, it is but that is only the beginning. Today, we say repentance is “Changing our mind,” but we think it is only like a decision between two candy bars and we change our mind between the two.

• It means we must see the wrong that we do that offends God and cease to do it.
• It is humble.
• It is a statement that God is right.

Pray For A Personal Revival

• It is to cherish sin no more.
• It is an openness to the correction of The Lord.
• It ends our previous way of thinking.
• It does not happen without God.

SEEK
If we do not repent, we are not prepared for the further work of God in our lives. The big problem
is we live in a time when good is bad and evil is good, so we no longer know what we need to repent of. We need God to tell us what we do that offends him. Ask God to show us our sins so we may take action and not do them anymore.

Pray and ask God to show you your sin, and ask him to give you the will and the power of the Holy Spirit to change.


To learn more about how to come to God, please see my other post. CLICK HERE.

(c) Adron 3/18/11

What Is So Good About The Verse That Says The Wages Of Sin Is Death? Romans 6:23

Christians love to quote the verse that says “The wages of sin is death…” but overlook the part of the verse that makes 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.

SIN
Everyone agrees that sin is bad. This verse states the ultimate punishment is death; in the Bible death is eternal separation from the Giver of Life. It is the sin is death context which makes the second part of the verse such good news.

THE MISTAKE WE CHRISTIANS MAKE
We know that a person’s eternal state is important and as messengers of the Good News Christians want people to get right with God, but it is the Holy Spirit’s job to show people their sin, their guilt, and give them a burden for their soul’s future; that is not our job, we are partners with the Lord in the Good News, not the bad.

THE GIFT
The verse’s second part is the heart of it, “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God has a free, unearned and undeserved gift for us, and He offers it to all who are willing to take it. This gift is more than freedom from judgment but eternal and abundant life, the threat of death is completely and irrevocably removed.

The giver of this gift is God himself, there is no better security for our eternal souls.  Since God is the giver no one can offer a better gift of salvation.  You could not invent a better way to be saved than God did and no other religion or philosophy could compete with it.  Since this gift is from the Holy Creator of the universe no one could ever be worthy of it; that is why it is a gift- because we are not worthy and never could be.

CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD
This gift of “Eternal Life” is anchored by a source bigger than ourselves our efforts, sacrifices, or deeds, because the life promised is “in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Eternal life is not in anything that can be shaken like my own religion or good works but in Christ.  He is the Resurrection and the Life.  He paid for our sin by dying in our stead on the cross.  Death has been defeated because Jesus overcame death and the grave when he rose on Easter.

BUT HE IS LORD
Jesus is not just a savior or some fire escape from God's punishment, he is Lord.  You cannot accept his salvation and forgiveness for your sins and then go on doing those sins that he died to pay for- it is a slap in his face or worse.  He died to give you new life it is right to use that life for him.

If you want to know more about coming to Jesus for new life see my other post.

(c) Adron Dozat 8/12/10

Modern Lessons From an Ancient Washing Ritual. Exodus 40: 30- 32.

I run to church without a thought about my spiritual attitude. I hurry through service to God without considering if I am soiled by the world or transgressions. The patriarchs did not approach God so casually.

“He placed the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the alter and put water in it for washing, 31. and Moses and Aaron and his sons used it to wash their hands and feet. 32. They washed whenever they entered the Tent of Meeting or approached the alter, as the Lord commanded Moses.” Exodus 40:30-32.

We have the same God but our generation has forgotten how holy God is. The patriarchs would wash “Whenever” they entered the tent of meeting or approached the altar. There was no exception, they washed every time. They feared God.

IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
They would wash when they entered “Tent of Meeting,” because it was a place of communion with God. They would wash before approaching “alter” because it was the place of service. Be it either worship or service they came cleansed. The washing was a reminder to lift up holy hands in service to God. It symbolized that they were cleansed spiritually by faith in the coming Messiah as we are saved by looking back in faith at the Messiah who died on the cross for us.

LAW OR GRACE/
Christians are not under Levitical law, but grace. The New Testament shows that the law was a teacher until it was fulfilled in Jesus. Aaron was anointed once as a priest, the washings did not add to the anointing but showed reverence to God. It is the same with the church- no act, ritual, or tradition will add more to God’s grace. These Old Testament verses remind us to approach and serve God with care and reverence, not with hands, or lives soiled by sin.

WHAT ABOUT US
Each day presents opportunities to do good to others, to serve God, and to commune with Him. Every little task may be done as an act of worship and service to God. We must serve and worship with clean hands and a clean standing before him. Since we step through a sinful world and our hands get dirty in the process, we should pause to reflect, confess, and put away the sins we pick up on the way before we come to the Lord's work or do any good deed in his name. Confession is not in an attempt to gain more grace but out of fear of the Lord.

They obeyed “As the Lord commanded.” They followed an external command but we should follow their heart example to show respect for God, and serve Him in holiness.

(c) Adron Dozat 3/16/10 

How Can Your Sins Be Cleansed? 2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV

We want our sins to be clean before God, so we say prayers, attend services, fast, etc. but do we have any assurance of cleanness?

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21.

God does not weigh our sins against counterbalancing “good deeds” and judge us based on the greater of the two. Sin deeply grieves God, who is so holy that the only payment is absolute death and eternal banishment from Him. But God does something about our sin we could never do; we can’t pay the price for sin but God puts our sin on one who did not have sin of his own to pay for.

RIGHTEOUSNESS
God freely gives what no man can ever earn- His righteousness. It is complete and satisfies the judgment of God against sin. God's righteousness is so far above any human righteousness that there is no comparison. Man’s righteousness only dresses up sin, but God's righteousness purifies as if sin never occurred.

SIN
Whatever God does is done perfectly. The fact that God put my sins on Jesus, and gives righteousness is a done deal; it is perfect and can’t be improved upon. We can rest, even rejoice, and celebrate that God has done what we never could do.

HIM
It is all because of Jesus. The pronoun "Him" is used twice, making the point.
     * In him we are offered righteousness.
     * In him we are given salvation. In him we have blessings.
     * In him we live. Why would anybody want to not be "in him?"
     * If you are not in him you am in your sin and will face judgment.
If you trust Jesus for salvation then you are are in him.

MIGHT
The word “might” means that the possibility now exists where it was not before but an action is required. You will have righteousness if you receive the salvation God offers through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus.

SALVATION
Salvation is free because Jesus paid a great price on the cross; salvation is not cheap because it cost Jesus everything. To learn more about salvation see my other blog.

(c)Adron Dozat

Where To Find Peace From Guilt

People try everything to free themselves of guilt. We turn to alcohol, drugs, or relationships to cope with its oppression, yet without success. Is there any hope?.

“Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.” Psalm 32:1. NIV.

BLESSED
The scripture quoted starts with “blessed,” which could be translated as happy or joyful. This kind of blessing only comes from God. A “transgression” is to violate the law. To cover a wrong is to meet the demands of justice so that what is owed is canceled and judgment is lifted.

FORGIVENESS
Repeating the same thing, “Transgressions are forgiven” and “Sins are covered,” is a beautiful poetic device but more- it is gloriously hopeful. The doubling statement suggests extraordinary, uncommon complete forgiveness. You can say sins are not just forgiven but are out of sight and completely forgotten forever.

COVERED
Payment for sins was made on the cross. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds, you have been healed.”(1 Peter 2:4.). Jesus lived a life free of sin then he took our sins. Because his good work satisfies justice, we have the assurance that his death for us is acceptable to God, and it is confirmed because Jesus rose from the tomb. The resurrection is a great affirmation; if God was not pleased with his payment, Jesus would have remained dead. Jesus rose from the dead and lives today with an eternal assurance that we can have our transgressions forgiven.

CHRIST
If you are haunted by guilt, then put your trust in Jesus. “All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” Acts 10:43. NIV. If you believe in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus on your behalf, then you will have the blessing of Forgiveness.


To find out how you can be sure your sins are covered, see my other blog.

A prayer.

Oh, God of Justice and of mercy
I have not yet received your complete forgiveness
I am guilty of sins against you and others
I know Jesus died to pay for my sins
And rose from the dead- proving he is victorious.
I trust Jesus to be my Savior from guilt and punishment
I receive your forgiveness and accept your blessing
From now on I will gladly serve you, my Savior.
I thank you, Father, for sending your Son to die for me
Thank you for the blessing of forgiveness.

(c) Adron 12/27/9

Where is The Proof Of An All Loving God? Romans 5: 7, 8.

Does God love mankind? Where is the proof of an all loving God?

“Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Romans 5:7, 8. NIV.

NOT BEAUTIFUL
When it comes to love we love the beautiful, noble and worthy. The daily news demonstrates that man is not beautiful, but evil. Man has a problem- a wicked nature, call it “sin,” but being sinners we don’t like the word “sin” so we call it something else, a disorder, or an illness; which implies we can fix or cure it.

Yet generations of medicine and science has failed to expunge the nature of sin and its power in our private lives. If we could fix this problem we will fix war, famine, health care, poverty and all other evils. We try to fix sin with programs, rules, laws and efforts; but they are no better than the flawed humans who devise them.

GOD LOVES THE UGLY
But God loves us even in our ugly, sinful, evil, and wicked ways, and so addresses this sin issue. He begins with our most basic need- forgiveness. This means our sin must be taken away, and the threat of punishment removed.

It is in full view of our wickedness that God makes a way, for it says, "While we were still sinners Christ died for us." Before we were redeemable God redeems us. He does what we can’t do. He sees our need for salvation and forgiveness and since we can’t attain it ourselves God makes the full provision for it. He Himself pays for our sin and erases the threat of judgment forever. God didn't wait for us to become righteous or good and this is great news because we never could be.

LOVED TO DEATH
Only Christ can deliver us from sin. The death of Jesus as our substitute for punishment succeeds. Only Jesus’ death is ratified by God and endorsed via the resurrection. His death is the ultimate expression of love. Whatever our sins are we can be assured of God’s love for us since He already demonstrated it on the Cross.

To learn more about coming to God's love and having eternal life see my other blog.

(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

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What Prayer Brings a Believer Closer to God?

This short post takes instruction from an ancient poet whose words were recorded in the scriptures and can help you take a step to come closer to God- no matter where you are in your personal pilgrimage.

We want to be close to God but don't know how and what steps to take.

To be close to God requires an honest relationship with Him since He is pure and holy, but how can we have an honest relationship with God.  One man had the answer, and he expressed it in his ancient Psalm, a poem of devotion.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24.

A STRANGE PRAYER
Why ask The Almighty to search your heart when He is All-knowing?  Why ask Him to test you if God already knows the outcome?  Answer: It is not for His benefit but yours.

This is the prayer of someone who wants to be close to the Lord.  It is an invitation; the psalmist welcomes the Lord of Heaven to reveal his sin to him.

He is asking God to dig down deep.  Then the author of the psalm asks God to see if there is any offensive way in him.  He says, "God, I am open; you can uncover anything you want."

OFFENSIVE
What offends The Lord is called sin.  Sin enslaves us, and yet we love it even though it hurts us and those around us- we keep on doing it.  We don’t like to think about sin because it makes us uncomfortable.  We want to think we are OK and good, but sin exposes our self-conceptions for the vanity and the wicked things they are.

Sin is a barrier between you and your Father in Heaven; it robs you of the blessing of intimacy with God.  Sin keeps you from wanting to pray and serve Him.  If we see sin for what it is and turn from it then we will be happier, healthier, and blessed.  We need to see sin the same way God sees it.  We need to make holiness a happy lifestyle.

LEAD
We need to be led and led by someone who knows the way.  The path through this world is twisted, dark, rocky, and full of pitfalls.  We need God to lead us through it and away from the path of temptation.  We need to pray about things that cause us to sin before they happen.

When we struggle with sin, we are thrust upon God; He is the only resource that overcomes sin.  It is through the blood of the lamb, Jesus, that sin is blotted out and opens a relationship with the Father.

To become close to God or to deepen your relationship with Him, follow the example of the ancient poet and, with openness, ask Him to show you where you transgress His standards.  Then turn from those things that offend him.  It all begins with the first step.

© Adron 9/26/09