Seek First The Kingdom of God and His Righteousness

  Do we have big enough expectations?   How do you define hope?  Do you define it as most of the world has come to define it which is basically wishing?  Actually, hope is to have an expectation for something or that something will happen and this is especially true in a Biblical context.  Take a look at the following verses and every time you read hope say expectation.     Romans 15:4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.    Romans 15:12-13 And again, Isaiah says: “There shall be a root of Jesse; And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, In Him the Gentiles shall hope.”  13  Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.   Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evi...

  Where is the Lord God of Elijah?   2 Kings 2:14 Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over.   In this verse Elisha gives us an example of what we need to do when we are in doubt.  That is that we are to take action.   Elisha had asked for a double portion of the Spirit that was on Elijah and Elijah had told him that if Elisha saw him be taken it would be his.  Elisha saw but obviously he still had some doubt hence the question “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?”.  Even with doubt, though, Elisha took action. He struck the water with the mantle just as he had seen Elijah do. The water parted, not because of what Elisha said, because those were words of doubt, but by the act of faith that he did.   The power that doubts c...

  1 Peter 5:6-7 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,  7  casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.   As we read these verses, we see that one of the ways that we humble ourselves is by casting ALL, our care upon Him.    For a clearer understanding the definition of all is- Every one, or the whole number of particulars. The whole quantity, extent, duration, amount, quality, or degree; as, all the wheat; all the land; all the year; all the strength. This word signifies then, the whole or entire thing, or all the parts or particulars which compose it. It is so important to remember that there is NOTHING too big for God but also there is NOTHING to small form God either.  We need to be giving it all to Him.  Every and anything that we could possibly care about in any degree we need to cast on Him.  It is a lack of h...

  Psalm 16:11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence  is  fullness of joy; At Your right hand  are  pleasures forevermore.   James 4:1 Where do wars and fights  come  from among you? Do  they  not  come  from your  desires for  pleasure that war in your members?   This morning Psalm 16:11 came up during a prayer meeting I attend through Zoom.  As we were praying for those countries that are at war the Holy Spirit brought James 4:1 to my mind.  What He showed me was that we war and fight with one another from our desire for earthly pleasures that will not last while God has pleasures that are forevermore that we can have in His presence.  His presence that everyone who is born again can have right now.  Pleasures that are not based upon our circumstances or abilities. Pleasures that we don’t have to earn or take from someone else. Why, because the...

  I can do nothing   One of the biggest traps and lies that I can fall into is thinking that I am enough and that I can do it or handle it.  This statement may seem to be wrong by many because of the self-empowerment slogans we hear from all around us is that tell us how we are enough, we can do it and we have the power. What we fail to see is that if we are enough and we have to power to do it then we have the ultimate responsibility for accomplishing everything in our lives. It doesn’t take living very long to realize that this is a lie.  There are things that come up in life that we don’t have the intelligence, talent, ability, power, or finances to handle.  Seriously if we are enough to handle it we would never fail.  Yet the truth, and comfort, is found in the last part of John 15:5 John 15:5 b. “for without Me you can do nothing.” Jesus statement here isn’t a narcissistic, ego driven put down. He is stating a fact and one that brings me grea...

  Grace and Faith, Death and Life.  These really must be taken as pairs for if we only focus on one half of the pair we miss out on some very important things and we wind up in a ditch.     For us each half of the pair is dependent upon the other half.  Grace does US no good without faith, and what good is faith to us without grace?  Since the fall there is no life without death and to obtain life there has to be a death.  Sounds crazy right? Grace is manifested in Jesus dying on the cross for sin past, present and future? Correct?  This means all sin was forgiven at the cross from the beginning of time till the end of time. Correct?  So then why are there people in hell now and why are there people who are and will still go to hell and who will be cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death, to exist for eternity? Did God’s grace not apply for them?   The problem wasn’t God’s grace the problem was...

  Romans 10:9-15   If you are a Born-Again believer in Christ Romans 10:9-13 isn’t for YOU anymore.  “ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”’ It is for those who have not yet believed. Born-Again believer in Christ Romans 10:14-15,17 IS FOR YOU! 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?...