Tag Archives: Blessed

The Voices Around Us – Who are You Listening to?

06 Thursday Aug 2015

Posted by in Bible, Christian, Christianity, Faith, God, Inspiration, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Life, Love, Spiritual

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ID-100277763We are living in what is considered to be the golden age of communication as it relates to social media. Technology has now become the staple of the human communication effort. Daily, we are bombarded with messages through the internet, television, and over the radio airwaves. Much of how many communicate in this day and time is through some form of technology which has deeply embedded itself within our world’s culture.

However, even with such a massive concentration on communication, we must take a step back and ask ourselves ‘What and who are we listening to?’ The media is now available to everyone within a 24-hour time span. If you want to discuss any topic or get the latest news about a matter you are now able to view and listen to just about any news source. It is because of such a concentration within the media that many have taken what is said as absolute truth. As a result, the lies that are reported and pushed onto the masses have caused many both Christian and non-Christian to be led astray.

In the book of Psalms chapter 1, the Psalmist David explains the difference between those who are followers of God and those who are living in their sinfulness. This chapter is quite short in length only containing 6 verses. However, the words that David gives to each reader are words that accurately classify a person who rejects God and a person who embraces God. He starts off by saying the following in verse 1:

(NLV) “Happy is the man who does not walk in the way sinful men tell him to or stand in the path of sinners, or sit with those who laugh at the truth.”

The key part of this verse is the first half which says, “Happy is the man who does not walk in the way sinful men tell him to.” Why does David use the word ‘happy’ in this verse? This particular translation which is the New Life Version uses the word ‘happy’ which can also be translated into the word ‘blessed.’ In fact, the King James Version of the Bible starts with the words, “Blessed is the man.” So, what David is saying is that anyone who decides not to walk in the way of those who are in sin is a blessed person.

This means that one can only benefit from going in the opposite direction of someone who is walking in sinfulness because those who are in Christ are no longer spiritually blind. In the world we live in today, the media blitz (e.g. Television, Radio, Magazines, Newspapers) and even the social media blitz are being used as tools not necessarily to inform but to distract and ultimately destroy. Satan has cunningly used various means to ensnare many individuals by promoting his lies which are disguised as absolute truth.

There has been, of course, the massive media campaign that incorporates the phrase, ‘Follow us on Twitter’ which many have now taken and used to garner a mass following. However, what satan has constructed is a society that has become built on following others rather than following after God Almighty. This is not to suggest that the use of Twitter or any other social media website is inherently sinful. However, the fact is that many have misplaced their priorities and have become duped into following after other humans who are living in sin.

What David is saying is that the person “who does not walk in the way sinful men tell him to” is happy or blessed. It is when we begin to follow the trends and the words of what our global society has set up that we are in error. The only way to avoid the traps and devices that satan has put into place is to follow after God through the Lord Jesus Christ. There are a whole host of sinful behaviors and lifestyles that have become acceptable because many are listening to what has been said.

David concludes in verse 1 by suggesting that not only should we not follow the words of those who are sinful but we should not partake in communion or fellowship with those who reject the truth. To do so puts you in a dangerous place. For anyone who wants to avoid destruction, there must be an abstinence from sinful company which means those who are living in darkness. The psalmist David continues in verses 2-3:

(NLV) “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

The person who is ‘happy’ or ‘blessed’ is the same person who delights him/herself in the Word of God and he/she finds the time (day and night) to concentrate and meditate on His Word. Essentially what this means is, anyone who is truly in Christ will ensure that God’s Word is their basis for truth. Much of the world relies on the truth of what others have said, but it is God’s Word that is the absolute truth. It goes beyond what laws have been passed, what your President or politician has deemed moral. It even goes above and beyond what your friends and family may accept as their own truth.

David makes it clear that we who want to be godly and have a relationship with Him must rely on God’s Word for the truth. As loud as many of the voices around us may be and as abundant as such means for communication may seem, the fact is that God’s Word will supersede the word of every human being. Listening to the poison that the media puts forth on a daily basis is a sure way to be beguiled or deceived. However, God’s Word will always stand as the truth that cannot be changed.

In verses 2-3 of this passage, David suggests to us that those who find their delight and concentration in the Word of God will be established in a place of abundance and fruitfulness. Only those who have chosen to listen to the poison and misleading words of the world will find themselves in a place of lack and confusion.

Verses 4-6:

(NLV) “Sinful men are not like this. They are like straw blown away by the wind. So the sinful will not stand. They will be told they are guilty and have to suffer for it. Sinners will not stand with those who are right with God. For the Lord knows the way of those who are right with Him. But the way of the sinful will be lost from God forever.”

This scripture says that sinful individuals do not have the same outcome as those who are seeking God and meditating upon His Word. Essentially, David says that the sinful will experience utter destruction or in His words, “the sinful will be lost from God forever.” The King James Version of the Bible uses the term, ‘perish.’ However, God wishes that no man or woman perish but that everyone would come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

The overall message to all of us is that we must not submit or adhere to this world’s system. It is designed to ensnare and destroy every person who decides to agree with and accept the conditions that are set in place by satan. Instead of listening to or accepting the counsel from those who are living in sin, it would be beneficial to give your life over to God through Christ.

Do you know Jesus as your personal Lord & Savior? Today is a great day to relinquish control and begin by accepting His gift of life. Jesus came to die on the cross so that you could be redeemed and set free. Our world is only growing worse and much of the poison around us has infected the masses. However, the remedy is Jesus Christ. He wants to be in a relationship with you, but the choice is yours. Are you willing to listen to the wisdom and the instructions of God rather than those in the world? Take an opportunity today, and heed the call of God.

Open Hands for Giving and Receiving

15 Friday May 2015

Posted by in Christian, Christianity, God, Inspiration, Jesus Christ, Life, Love, Spiritual

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ID-10037488The human hand is a body part that is designed to touch, feel, and grasp objects within reach.  There are generally two positions that a hand is capable of assuming.  The first is an open hand or open palm.  The second is a closed hand or closed palm.

Starting with the position of a hand that is open, it is a posture which assumes that a person is available to receive when they are in the position to reach or grab an item.  Open hands concerning body language usually profess one’s interest or openness to a person or situation.  As it relates to a closed hand, it symbolizes unavailability or a lack of openness.  One who has their hands full would not resemble openness because their hand is preoccupied with an object.  Body language concerning that a clenched fist or closed hand signifies that one is standoffish or unavailable based on their posture.

Our lives can also symbolize that of an open or a closed hand.  In Luke 6:38 Jesus is teaching His Disciples, and He gives the following statement:

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

As you think about giving, you can think of it as a two-way street.  This means, that when you give, you will at some point receive.  It can be summed up as the “law of reciprocity.”  The Bible mentions the principle of reaping and sowing in Galatians 6:7. To reap what one sows, means to receive based on what one has already given or put forth.  Starting with the element of giving, what does it mean to give?

To give, means that you are releasing what is in your possession.  Going back to the example of the human hand, if a hand contains an object and the hand is opened, then it is free to release said object.  In our lives, we too should release the things that we have within our possession.  Whether it be spreading the joy that we have to those around us, monetary donations, or giving of our time – God desires that we give to others.  Our society in today’s time has become built upon self-gratification.

Satan desires that we give unto ourselves, without employing the essence of giving to others. He knows that if life is consumed with selfishness and vanity, then at some point our self-indulgence will lead to both a physical and spiritual bankruptcy. This also includes giving to God what He is owed in praise and in worship with our very lives.  We as Christians are to have an open hand policy which means, that our lives are open to giving for the sake of Christ.  Giving of yourself is to provide nourishment to others, rather than hoarding what you have for yourself.

Proverbs 11: 24-25 says,

“There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.”

When you give, the Bible says in this scripture that you will increase or gain more. However, if you choose not to give, you will only find yourself wanting more.  This scripture says that the generous man will be prosperous, which means that abundance will be the result of giving freely.  The difference between those who are in Christ who give, and those who are not in Christ who withhold, is that those in Christ find themselves with more.  Those who live according to the flesh and their selfish desires, only live lives that are seeking more which leads to a barren existence.  So, you and I must give of what we have freely to God, and to those around us.

In addition to giving, we must remember that an open hand policy means that we can and will receive.  According to the scriptures given, giving will usually result in receiving. Whenever you give of what you have, you can expect to receive at some point.  Think of it as planting a seed in the ground.  If you plant a seed in profitable soil, at some point you will experience a harvest or growth of the seed that you planted.  This is a result of giving or planting the seed in the soil.

As Jesus said in Luke 6:38, “Give and it will be given unto you”.  It is important that we have open hands to give, but also to receive.  Sometimes, it may be difficult to receive from others because of pride.  It takes humility to accept assistance from those who are willing to offer it to you.  However, the key to also remember is that there are rewards that come with giving. According to Proverbs 22:9 it says, “He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor.” This scripture is using the concept of giving to those who do not have.  The key word in that scripture is “blessed”.

The point about receiving is, that there is a blessing that comes when you give.  To receive is a blessing that you and I must be open to.  A hand that is open to giving but closed when it comes to receiving does not invoke prosperity or blessing.  Rather, a person who constantly gives but does not receive cannot be the beneficiary of the law of reciprocity or “reaping what you sow”.

God desires that all of us experience both sides of giving and receiving. We live in a world that caters towards what one can receive, without truly giving to someone else. As Christians, God expects us to abide by His standards which involves releasing what we have for the benefit of others.  He also desires that we be open to receive His blessings which are apart of the process of giving. Walking in selfishness and hoarding what you have, only leads to a life of emptiness.

However, abundance comes when we utilize the principle of giving that God has instituted from the very beginning.  God gave Jesus Christ his only son, as a sacrifice for the world’s sins.  If you don’t know God, you can through Jesus Christ.  It was God’s love for you that gave you an escape from destruction. Release your sins before Jesus Christ, and accept His offering of salvation.  Then and only then will you understand the process of having open hands for giving and receiving.