To live as the Lord directs

To live, really live, as the Lord directs, not as the world suggests and even it seems commands, means
to give up our lives, our thoughts, our desires and dreams, our positions. To renounce all we have, all we hope to have, all we plan, all we do, and lay it at the feet of Jesus, at the foot of the cross, in His hands.

To live, really live, as the Lord directs, means first we must be obedient. Obedient to His call -- "Come."

"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine."
(Isaiah 43:1 NRSV, New Revised Standard version)

It is in our obedience to the Lord that our faith grows ... But easy it is not. God tells us, "My grace is sufficient for you." (II Corinthians 12:9) My grace, My love. God's grace is God's love. His love is nothing like that between husband and wife. But more, much more.

He is with us ... Always, forever.

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." (Isaiah 43:2-3)

We are precious to Him. He created us. We are His children. Precious ... and honored ... and loved. God yearns for His spirit to live within us. He wants more than anything for us to "know" and take hold of
His love.

His instructions, His teachings, His commandments are written in His Word for the benefit of His children.


"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you." (James 4:8)


"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you." (James 4:10)

His children. He created all.


"whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." (Isaiah 43:7)

From all nations, all nationalities, every religion, known and unknown.

"Bring forth the people who are blind, yet have eyes, who are deaf, yet have ears!
Let all the nations gather together, and let the people assemble ... Before me no god was formed, 
nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the Lord."  (Isaiah 43:8-11)

To live, really live, as the Lord directs, we would be content with God's truth, God's love, God's commandments, God's promises. Truth is God and God is love. Truth without love is a falsehood, a lie. All perceptions, all knowledge, all so-called truth is meaningless, worthless, useless, if there is not love.

"If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a  clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." (I Corinthians 13:1-3)

He tells us His grace is sufficient, for His power is made perfect in weakness. All of His children are weak, the world over, we have no power, unless we are united with The One, The Only One, The True One, The Holy One, The Eternal One. If we would only look upward and grasp hold of Christ's hand extended to us ...

Related post: Stay focused on Jesus, 11.21.2009

Stand firm in God's Truth

In Galatians 1, the Apostle Paul says to the peoples of the Galatia church  ... 6 "I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, ... 7 (that) there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ ...    9 if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received (through revelation of Jesus Christ), let him be accursed (eternally condemned). 10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a servant of Christ."


What is gained when we turn away from the gospel of Jesus Christ? What have we achieved when God's message is watered down with untruths? How can you say you are a servant of the Lord Jesus when you do not follow Him, His ways?

Seek what is pleasing may be your motto. But who is it pleasing? Who do you follow?

Jesus himself has said, "if you have faith as (small as) a mustard seed, ... nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20)

But when you allow your faith to be swallowed up by others who purpose in their minds, a better way, you are not living the life Christ called you to.

Being a Christian means we are saved solely by faith in the Lord Jesus, believing and accepting His birth, death and resurrection. The Christian walk is in making the Lord the center, the pivot point in our life, and living our lives in obedience to Him, in fellowship with Him.

We are not saved by what we do (our works), or by what we experience (our emotions) or by what we know (head knowledge).

When we  remain silent over so-called truths that are wrongly being promoted as God's Truth we cause great injury to others -- to lost people who may never come to Christ, to new believers who may spiritually stumble because of confusion, and even to our fellow Christian brothers and sisters.
God's Truth, His Word, is the only truth that matters. We cannot let our fears prevent us from confronting another in the errors of their ways, however, it must be done lovingly.  Being a Christian means we need to stand firm in God's Truth.

God's Truth or your own?

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness ... who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever."                (Romans 1:18, 25)

I write from the Truth, God's Truth, not my own, but is actually, totally, because I have accepted, because I believe it was He who sent Jesus, His Son, to death for our sins, my sins. But it is still God's Truth and it can only be mine if I am obedient to Him. His Truth is not made for me to fine tune and make agreeable to me.

I cannot write legitimately with the thinking it can be arranged more to my (generic) liking.

Governments change rules to appease the mass majority. Judges are retained or not, as are governors, other political leaders, any leader.

God's Truth, God's Law does not appeal to the masses.

God has revealed Himself to everyone, yet we ignore, preferring instead to live wise unto ourselves.

Ultimate judgment will come. God's judgment, God's truth. When (not if) the end comes, we will see God's wrath poured out. If we do not see the error of our ways now, and repent, we will see in the final days how all our unrighteousness has come back to haunt us.

Yet at times His word is heard over any other word. His people have stood and are counted. WE have let it known where our allegiance lies and whose law we will follow.

Whose truth? Part II

"Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and truth go before Your face." (Psalm 89:14 NKJ)

Truth ...God's Truth. Truth is revealed only by Scripture; not by our ideas, not by our opinions. Our ideas and opinions do not count.

Truth, God's Truth is true. Falsehoods are never true, are always false, even if everyone believes otherwise. So says Dr. Everett Piper, president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University, who was a recent speaker at the Cedar Falls Bible Conference. Belief and behavior go hand in hand, as does head and heart. Mercy/love and truth.

We can not define truth. We think we can. We think our ideas and opinions define it. But it does not. Truth is defined by God and what He alone says. Love is part of Truth. You cannot have one without the other. "For God so loved the world..."

To read more about "Truth" by Dr. Piper, click here.

The Truth vs Lies

Following is a continuation of my July 22 post on Whose truth?

"Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.' " (John 8:31-32 NKJ)

"... if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

"I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.

"I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your Father." (verses 36-38)

Being a descendant of Abraham does not make you a believer.
"If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham." (verse 39)

But they seek to kill Him.

"You do the deeds of your father." (verse 41)

Their father, whom they profess is God, is not. It is the devil. For Jesus says in verse 42, "If God were your father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me."

"Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.

"You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

"But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me."(verses 43-45)

"He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear because you are not of God." (verse 47)

Whose truth?

Religion is useless, meaningless if not based on truth - God's truth, God's word, not our own. God's word is found in the Bible, not any other book. We must base our lives solely on God and His truth. Basing it on what we personally, individually perceive as true, again is useless, meaningless, of no consequence.

Our purpose in living is found only in the Lord, "loving Him with all your heart and soul and mind." (Matthew 22:37) What I purpose to be or do or have - those individual pursuits - meaningless if not based on truth - only always God's truth!