The Kind of Love That Hates

"There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him..." Proverbs 6:16 (NIV)

How do we decide what is good and what is evil? Is it really all a mater of personal opinion? Our postmodern world says, "It's up to you to decide." But Christians have a very simple definition of good and evil: What God says is "good" is good, and what God says is "evil" is evil.

When the writer of Proverbs says, "six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable..." this means that although the list is very specific, it is not exhaustive. It would be easy to add an eighth or a ninth:

The Lord hates...

...haughty eyes (the look of a person who thinks they are something great)

...a lying tongue (God hates lies)

...hands that shed innocent blood (use their power to destroy others)

...a heart that devises wicked schemes

...feet that are quick to rush into evil (they explore sin's boundaries)

...a false witness who pours out lies

...a man who stirs up dissension among brothers

Proverbs 6:17-19 (NIV)

The reason God hates these things is that they are all destructive to those He loves. God models the kind of love that hates what is evil. The Lord hates evil, and that means that we have to take sides.

The enemy's simple strategy

The enemy's strategy is very simple: He wants to convince your mind that what God says is "evil" is actually good, and what God says is "good" is actually evil.

He persuaded Eve that her horizons would be broadened by this knowledge of evil. "You shall be like God" (Genesis 3:5), he says, and once he has Eve thinking about the possibilities of evil, she is one step from disaster.

She yielded her mind to another definition of evil, and a divided mind left her vulnerable to temptation. God says to us, "Hate what is evil." If you are going to hate what is evil, the first step is that you must be able to identify it.

Transformation begins with the renewing of the mind: "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." (Romans 12:2). The Spirit of God has this question for your mind: According to the Bible, does God love this or does He hate it?

LifeKEY by Colin S. Smith
Excerpted from...
Series - "Battles From the Boardroom of the Soul"
Message "Learning How to Hate"
Date - January 27, 2002

Photo Credit: kevinbussey.com

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Stop Blaming and Rise Up

"When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, 'Do you want to be made well?' The sick man answered Him, 'Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me' (John 5:6-7).

This guy was basically saying, “It's not my fault. I'm in this condition because of what someone else won't do for me, and because of what someone else has done to me.”

Think about it, “I have no man to put me in.” Paraphrased that says, “I'm stuck because of what someone won't do for me.” Or, “While I'm coming, another steps down before me,” which paraphrased says, “I'm stuck because of what someone else has done to me.” Either way, “It is not my fault.”

We need to make up our minds that we want to be free, then stop shifting the blame to others.

A friend of mine migrated from Mexico to the U.S. many years ago. He didn't understand the culture or the language and seemed to be hopelessly locked into a dead end job. His employer took advantage of him and it seemed like he had no way out. But instead of blaming others for his situation (which would have been easy for him to do), he decided to get unstuck and do something with his life.

It took several years, but today he has several businesses and is quite wealthy.

Do not get caught in the trap of blaming others. Instead, make the decision to rise up! (something we will be talking about in our next devotional.)

Source:
Answers with Bayless Conley

P. O. Box 417
Los Alamitos
CA 90720

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Count Your Blessings

Psalm 95

 Sometimes when you don't feel like praying, or you're consumed with needing to speak to the Lord but can't gather the words, try that old standby---count your many blessings, count them one by one.

lt's amazing how you can get carried away from worries and woes and self concern when you start naming out loud what you're thankful for. Right away your focus shifts from your needs to the Father's graciousness and love. Try this:

LOOK UP . . . thank You, Lord . . .

• for Your sovereign control over our circumstances
• for Your holy character in spite of our sinfulness
• for Your Word that gives us direction
• for Your grace that removes our guilt

 LOOK AROUND . . . thank You, Lord . . .

• for our wonderful country
• for close family ties
• for an opportunity to help others
• for a place to live, clothes to wear, food to eat

 LOOK WITHIN . . . thank You, Lord . . . 

• for eyes that see the beauty of Your creation
• for minds that are curious, creative, and competent
• for memories of pleasures and recent accomplishments
• for broken dreams and lingering afflictions that humble us
• for a sense of humor that brings healing and hope

 He is worthy of our highest praise and gratitude. To Him goes all the glory.

If you can't pray, make a personalized list of blessings.

 Source: Insights for Living Devotional Email  

Excerpted from Day by Day with Charles Swindoll, Copyright © 2000 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. (Thomas Nelson Publishers). All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.

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The First Step Toward Freedom

"Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in

Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, 'Do you want to be made well?'" (John 5:2-6).

Jesus asked this man a seemingly ridiculous question, “Do you want to be made well?” It's obvious isn't it? He is at the pool, isn't he? The only reason people went there was to be healed. What kind of a question is that to be asking? Of course, he wanted to be healed.

But Jesus was not convinced. This man had been stuck in his condition for a long time. He was not only lying down on the outside, he was lying down on the inside.

Sometimes people get used to living in their problems. While they may outwardly be going through the motions to get free (generally because they know that is what is expected of them), inwardly they have given up.

The first step toward getting free from your problems and that which binds and restricts your life is wanting it—really wanting it.

 
You have to stand up on the inside before you can ever stand up on the outside.

Let me be very bold and ask you: Do you want to be made well? Do you really want things to change? Or have you grown accustomed to living undert he devil's heel?

If you are tired of defeat, mediocrity and bondage, then stand up on the inside and say, “Enough is enough!”

It is the first step toward freedom.


Source:
Answers Weekly Devotional

"Answers with Bayless Conley" answersweekly@answersbc.org

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Turn Aside And Listen To God

I must turn aside and look...               

                                          Exodus 3:3 NRS

Moses was working his regular job as a shepherd when he saw a burning bush, just like the ones he'd seen a hundred times before. Only this time the bush was on fire with God's presence. Moses said, 'I must turn aside and look.' In that moment everything depended on his willingness to interrupt his daily routine and make time for God. He could have said, 'I'm busy,' and kept on going. But he'd have missed his calling and the reason for his existence. He'd have missed knowing God and doing great things. But he didn't, he 'turned aside.' God wanted to begin a new nation, with Moses leading it. The timing seemed strange. With God, it often does. Forty years ago Moses was young, the product of the finest education system in the world. He had powerful connections and high hopes. But now he was a nobody, a lowly shepherd in a forgotten desert, rejected by his people and a fugitive on the run. "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?" (Exodus 3:11 NRS) Moses asked God. "Nobody knows me. I don't speak too well. And my track record isn't too good." God said, 'I know about your past, and it doesn't matter. Your failure and inadequacies are no longer the ultimate truth about you. You are what you are, but you're not yet what you will be; because I will be with you.'

Do you need direction for your life? Slow down, turn aside, and listen to God. What He has to say is more important than anything else you'll hear.

The Word for Today

with Bob Gass - Friday, 20th November 2009
From The Vine, http:/thevine.co.nz

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Living A Life Of Thanksgiving

Great message from Dr. Michael Youssef .  Enjoy and be blessed - Thor

Only one out of the ten lepers showed Jesus the gratitude He deserved. How often do we, too, fail to give Jesus heartfelt praise for our blessings?

Have you ever given an expensive present to someone who never thanked you for it? Most of us are guilty of the same indifference toward our gifts from God. God blesses His children in many ways - from our talents and resources to the assurance of eternal life in heaven. Yet how often do we half-heartedly acknowledge our gifts, then quickly forget the Giver?

In Luke 17, we read a story of Jesus' interaction with ten lepers. In this passage, we have the opportunity to watch as one of the lepers fully realizes what Jesus had done for him, and we witness the exuberant thanksgiving that resulted.

To be sure, lepers were the outcasts of all outcasts. They were considered so detestable and contagious, they were prohibited from even approaching people for conversation, resorting instead to covering their mouths and yelling "Unclean!" so people would be aware of their presence.

Leprosy was not only a terrible physical disease, it also prevented people from social interaction. They were excluded from Temple worship and were separated from their families and communities. Leprosy left its victims utterly alone and without remedy for their disease.

Leprosy is not unlike a condition that is afflicting us, though ours is much graver. While the lepers were separated from Temple worship and the presence of God by their fleshly disease, we are eternally separated from God by our sinfulness. The commonality does not stop there. For both the lepers and us, our separateness finds healing exclusively through the power of Jesus.

When Jesus came to the lepers' village, they kept their distance and shouted to Jesus at the top of their voices, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" (Luke 17:13). When Jesus saw them, He instantly knew of their plight, misery, and isolation. Jesus also knew that the only way they could return to their homes and families, according to the Law, was to be declared clean by the priests. "Go and show yourselves to the priests," Jesus told them, and the lepers went immediately (see Luke 17:14).

As the lepers traveled to the priests, they noticed that they were being healed! The wonder that came over them in the midst of their deliverance must have been tremendous. Perhaps they began to run even faster, anticipating their reinstatement into community, into family, into life! While the ten lepers celebrated, one was so overcome by the completeness of his healing, he turned and immediately rushed back to Jesus, before he even reached the priests. While returning to Jesus, the leper began praising God in a loud voice, without inhibition or restraint. When he finally reached Jesus, the leper fell down at His feet, continuing to offer praise and thanksgiving to Him.

When this Samaritan leper returned, Jesus was struck by the fact that none of the Jewish lepers did likewise. "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Jesus queried (Luke 17:17, 18). Only one out of the ten lepers showed Jesus the gratitude He deserved. How often do we, too, fail to give Jesus heartfelt praise for our blessings?

How can we live a life that is truly thankful? First, we must consider the depth of our greatest blessing. The leper's story of miraculous healing is remarkable - to see such a disease immediately eradicated in someone's life is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Yet when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are healed even more completely! We were eternally separated from God by our sins, but Jesus has made forgiveness possible through His obedient sacrifice on the Cross.

Second, we need to make thanksgiving a priority. The leper didn't wait to return to Jesus until it was convenient or until after he visited the priests. He went immediately to Jesus. The priests did not heal the leper, and he knew it. He returned to the only One worthy of his worship and thanksgiving.

Third, thanksgiving should be offered from the outpouring of our hearts. There was intensity in the leper's worship because he was aware of his inefficacy to provide the healing he needed. How much more wonderful is the eternal healing for those who follow Christ? Let our thanksgiving be an enthusiastic celebration of Christ, who healed our direst need when we could not.

Finally, we must be consistent in our thanksgiving. The more intentional we are about offering thanks to God, the easier it becomes to see His blessings in our lives. That is why we are repeatedly commanded in the Bible to be thankful in all things. No one can bless us like our Heavenly Father. Let us be diligent in thanking Him for His grace and goodness.

****

Excerpted from My Journal, a monthly devotional magazine from Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef

Visit Leading The Way Website: http://www.leadingtheway.org/

Source: e-mail from One Place http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Leading_the_Way/article.asp?article_id=2270

Disclaimer: I do not claim any authorship of the above article. I published as it is from my email.

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Keep Preparing Yourself

I have seen a son of Jesse... who is skillful... 1 Samuel 16:18 NKJV

David didn't suddenly become an expert marksman with a slingshot when Goliath showed up, or a master harpist when King Saul invited him to the palace. He took the long, slow, disciplined route. David had no idea what his future held, he simply found joy and fulfillment in discovering and developing his gifts. Your greatest obstacle to personal growth isn't ignorance; it's the illusion of knowledge. It's in believing you've 'arrived.' When that happens you're done growing, which means you're done! Which zone do you live in? The challenge zone: 'I attempt to do what I haven't done before.' The comfort zone: 'I only do what I already know I can do.' The coasting zone: 'I don't even do what I've done before.' Phillips Brooks said, 'Sad is the day for any man when he becomes absolutely satisfied with the life he is living, the thoughts he is thinking, and the things he is doing; when there ceases to be forever beating at the doors of his soul a desire to do something larger which he seeks and knows he was meant and intended to do.'

David's brothers knew his skills, yet none of them told King Saul about him. Be encouraged; you'll get there without them! 'Then one of [Saul's] servants… said, "Look, I have seen a son of Jesse… who is skilful in playing, a mighty man of valour… "' (1 Samuel 16:18 NKJV)David didn't compete with his brothers or complain about his status as a sheepherder. He just kept developing his relationship with God and sharpening his skills, and when the time was right God promoted him. So, keep preparing yourself.

Source:
The Word for Today

with Bob Gass - Sunday, 15th November 2009

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Real Goodness

Romans 2:4 declares, "The goodness of God leads you to repentance."

Ephesians 2:4-6 says, "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

God is not holding your sins against you. He sent His Son to pay a debt that had to be paid in order to liberate you from sin. God extends His mercy and forgiveness to you and me even when we do not deserve it.

It was His goodness that arrested my attention and that brought me to the foot of the cross, even when I was in my darkest sin, doing terrible things, abusing my body with drugs and alcohol, and doing things that should have put me in an early grave. In fact, a number of times I nearly died. But God loved me right in the middle of all of that.

I want to tell you, wherever you are right now, God loves you. You may be in the depths of the darkest sin you have ever been involved in, you just feel wretched, but God loves you right where you are.

He loves you so much He doesn't want to leave you there. His grace can reach you, change you and lift you out of any sin or situation if you will turn to Him with all of your heart.

There is no reason to fear or hesitate. Entrust yourself to the goodness of God and say yes to Him today.

From: "Answers with Bayless Conley"

Email: answersweekly@answersbc.org
Date: Wed, November 11, 2009

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Eleventh Hour Grace

I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Matthew 20:14 NKJV

Jesus told the story of a farmer who hired day labourers: some at 6 am, some at 9 am, some at 12 noon, some at 3 pm and some at 5 pm, one hour before quitting time. Amazingly, he paid them all the same wage. When the complaints started flying, the farmer said, 'I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.' You say, 'Nobody pays a day's wage to one-hour workers.' God does. Deathbed converts and lifelong saints enter heaven by the same gate. They don't enjoy the same reward, but they're saved by the same grace. A last minute confessor receives the same grace as a lifetime servant? It doesn't seem fair. The workers in Jesus' story complained too. So the farmer explained the prerogative of ownership: 'Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me… ' (Matthew 20:15 RSV). The thief on the cross proves that when you request grace with your dying breath, God answers your prayer. The Prodigal Son 'wasted his possessions… ' (Luke 15:13 NKJV). The Greek word for 'wasted' pictures a farmer throwing handfuls of seed into the ground. Imagine the Prodigal Son spurning his father's kindness, going out and 'throwing it all away.' But he returned. And when he did '.his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him' (Luke 15:20 NKJV). The Father was saving the son's place. And He's saving yours too. Eleventh hour grace means that if you're able to read these words and respond, it's not too late.

from my email alert from The Vine

The Word for Today with Bob Gass

Wednesday, 11th November 2009

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Waiting on the Lord

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength . . . ”

-Isaiah 40:31

It is an exhilarating experience to live the new life, with Christ inside me enabling me to live it. As a man was riding along in his Ford, suddenly something went wrong. He got out and looked at the engine, but he could find nothing wrong. As he stood there, another car came in sight, and he waved it down to ask for help. Out of a brand-new Lincoln stepped a tall, friendly man who asked, “Well, what’s the trouble?” “I cannot get this Ford to move,” was the reply. The stranger made a few adjustments under the hood and then said, “Now start the car.” When the motor started, its grateful owner introduced himself and then asked, “What is your name, sir?” “My name,” answered the stranger, “is Henry Ford.”

The one who made the Ford knew how to make it run. God made you and me, and He alone knows how to run your life and mine. We could make a complete wreck of our lives without Christ. When He is at the controls, all goes well. Without Him, we can do nothing.

Prayer for the day

Lord, so often I forget to give You complete control and I fail. Teach me to rely completely on You for my strength and needs.

from Daily Devotions with Billy Graham

http://www.billygraham.org/DailyDevotional.asp?id=310

Note: I have put the Waiting on the Lord - thor

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