Ozias
Full Member
Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you
Posts: 100
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Post by Ozias on Apr 26, 2023 11:33:32 GMT -8
Some say the greatest question in life is: Does God really exist? I think most everyone on the planet has heard about the Christian God, but do they know Him? Or do they just know some things about Him? And the really big question do they know Him as Lord and Savior.
None of us may really know Him as well as we think. After all He is as far above us as the heavens are above the earth.
The Bible says his greatness is unsearchable.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable. Ps 145:3.
His judgments are unsearchable.
O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! Romans 11:33.
His riches searchable.
8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; Eph 3:8–9.
Dictionary definition of unsearchable: unsearchable (adjective)
unable to be clearly understood; inscrutable:
"their motives in coming were complex and unsearchable"
But wait... there's more, He is knowable. According to the Bible, He has revealed aspects of Himself in both nature and in Scripture, and we can know Him who is unsearchable. What a privilege that is.
I don't think there's anything more crucial to our life right now. A. W. Tozer Said," what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us... we tend by secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God."
That's way above my pay grade but I think it means our personalities will inevitably conform to our gods. You don't have to look much further than Islam to verify that point. I also think it's clearly seen throughout history.
The truth is we are made in the image of God, and when we worship and inferior version, an idol, Whatever that idol is we become like whatever we worship, And Idol is the thing or person that comes first in our lives, and we will either be deformed by our idols or transformed by the true God who made us.
If your god is money, you'll become materialistic. If your god is sex, there's no telling what you might become. If your god is yourself, you'll be more and more self-focused. But if your God is the almighty creator of scripture, you've got a lifetime of joy ahead of you. That's right, joy.. joy... joy... overflowing whenever we put our trust in Him.
Not to mention, all of eternity to study Him, know Him, love Him, and reflect Him in our attitudes, actions in personality. Because we're being transformed into his image. And one day we will see him as he is.
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Post by Aeliana on Apr 27, 2023 14:56:41 GMT -8
Since ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.
ISA. 64:4
I love the apostle Paul’s rendition of Isaiah 64:4 in 1 Corinthians 2:9—“No eye has seen, / no ear has heard, / no mind has conceived / what God has prepared for those who love him.” Did you notice the comment Paul added to Isaiah’s description of what God has prepared for us?
God wants to do in your life what your mind has never conceived. But just as the children of Israel were held captive by the Babylonians, areas of captivity can keep us from living out the reality of Isaiah 64:4 and 1 Corinthians 2:9.
Take a moment to reread the definition of captivity I gave you previously: A Christian is held captive by anything that hinders the abundant and effective Spirit-filled life God planned for him or her. One of the most effective ways we can detect an area of captivity is to measure whether or not we are enjoying the benefits God intends for each of His children.
In Isaiah 43:10, the Hebrew word for “know” is yadha. The ancient term encompassed a personal level of familiarity and was often used to depict the close relationship between a husband and a wife. One of your chief purposes on this planet is to know God intimately and with reverent familiarity. That intimate relationship begins, but was never intended to end, with what we call the “salvation experience.” Thats only the beginning.
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Post by Obadiah on Apr 30, 2023 16:00:28 GMT -8
Choose to draw nigh to Christ. Choose to draw close to Him. Choose to crave God. Choose to desire more of Christ in every season of life. Choose to surrender to His Way of doing things in every area of your life. Choose to pattern your life after His Word. Choose to let your heart be satisfied with His Way — His Way is Perfect. His Way is right. Let your heart be satisfied with His Blueprint. His Word is His Blueprint. Let His Way lead and navigate every aspect of your life.
James 4:8 “Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery].” Let His Word cleanse every area of your heart. Let His Word wash you. Let His Word lead you. Let His Word guide you. Let Christ draw close to you as you draw close to Him. Choose to follow Christ.
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Post by Theophilus on May 9, 2023 15:27:06 GMT -8
When we draw close to God, He will lead us to deep and rewarding relationships. Draw close to God by spending time praying these truths revealed in His Word, and in doing so, may you be blessed with a greater understanding of the width and length and depth and height of His faithfulness and never-ending love for you.
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Ozias
Full Member
Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you
Posts: 100
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Post by Ozias on May 13, 2023 10:02:51 GMT -8
Before Jesus died, He had one last dinner with His friends. His followers. At this last meal, so many subtle but powerful things happened and were said. Perhaps most striking was when Jesus, Son of God, got up and began to wash their filthy-from-miles-of-daily-walking-in-sandals feet.
John 13 records:
“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”
In that culture, washing someone’s feet was the ultimate act of humility and servitude. Yet Jesus leveraged the height of His power to do good and serve those around him. This is our example as well. But let’s pay attention to the first person He chose to initiate this act with. Stubborn, impulsive, prideful Peter -
“He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’
Jesus replied, ‘You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’
‘No,’ said Peter, ‘you shall never wash my feet.’
Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.’
‘Then, Lord,’ Simon Peter replied, ‘not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!’
Before we’re hard on Peter, realize how difficult this must have been for him. This holy Messiah wanting to scrub a towel in between your dirty toes. More than that, though, we see here a reality and a principle. Peter was comfortable serving Jesus; He was uncomfortable with the thought of Jesus serving him. On the surface, this seems noble. And yet Jesus basically says until you learn to receive from me, you won’t truly have anything to give for me.
Maybe you’re one of those people that are very comfortable taking care of other people but not so good at taking care of yourself. It’s comfortable for you to help others; nearly impossible to ask for or receive help for yourself.
I definitely can relate to Peter here in a way. I can be good at working for God; not always so great at receiving from God. I can be good at talking and giving God my words; not so great at listening and receiving His words. I can stay busy trying to prove my love for God; not so great at humbly embracing God’s love for me, letting my roots go deep in His soil of kindness.
But Jesus’ words for Peter are his words for us. In this time of fasting, as counter-intuitive as it may sound, we need to allow Jesus to minister to us; not just vice versa. We need to receive from Him. To sit in His kindness, to enjoy His Presence. To not perpetually volunteer dangerously more than we’re letting Him speak to and nourish us during the week. After all, we can’t give away what we don’t have. And we’re not changed by trying to prove our love for God; we’re changed by trusting and receiving His love for us.
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Post by Obadiah on May 17, 2023 6:39:35 GMT -8
Thy Word Is A Lamp.
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalms 119:105
Let His Word illuminate your course. Let His Word light your path. Let His Word lead your footsteps. Notice, in Psalms 119:105 KJV, the Psalmist declares, “God’s Word is a lamp”. In Biblical days, a lamp was a tool that was used to illuminate an area that was dark or poorly lit. In fact, the person holding the lamp, usually held it close to their body in order to see what was in front of them. Choose to hold the Word close to your heart. Let His Word guide your footsteps and light your path.
Lamps usually light intimate spaces. Let God’s Word light every intimate space of your heart. Let God’s Word light every dim and dark area. Choose to draw close to His Word and let His Word freely guide your footsteps.
Intimacy is intentional. You can choose to keep the lamp burning in your life or you can choose to let the Light fade. Don’t let the Light fade. Keep your lamp lit. Choose to keep digesting the Word of God daily. Choose to keep confessing the Word of God daily. Choose to keep the Word of God in front of you. Let His Word become your priority. Let His Word light your path. Let His Word light your perspective. Let His Word lead every intimate part of your heart. Let your draw be intentional. Draw close to Christ and He will draw nigh to you.
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Post by makesends on May 17, 2023 20:02:06 GMT -8
Some say the greatest question in life is: Does God really exist? I think most everyone on the planet has heard about the Christian God, but do they know Him? Or do they just know some things about Him? And the really big question do they know Him as Lord and Savior. None of us may really know Him as well as we think. After all He is as far above us as the heavens are above the earth. The Bible says his greatness is unsearchable. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. Ps 145:3. His judgments are unsearchable. O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! Romans 11:33. His riches searchable.8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; Eph 3:8–9. Dictionary definition of unsearchable: unsearchable (adjective)
unable to be clearly understood; inscrutable:
"their motives in coming were complex and unsearchable"But wait... there's more, He is knowable. According to the Bible, He has revealed aspects of Himself in both nature and in Scripture, and we can know Him who is unsearchable. What a privilege that is. I don't think there's anything more crucial to our life right now. A. W. Tozer Said," what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us... we tend by secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God." That's way above my pay grade but I think it means our personalities will inevitably conform to our gods. You don't have to look much further than Islam to verify that point. I also think it's clearly seen throughout history. The truth is we are made in the image of God, and when we worship and inferior version, an idol, Whatever that idol is we become like whatever we worship, And Idol is the thing or person that comes first in our lives, and we will either be deformed by our idols or transformed by the true God who made us. If your god is money, you'll become materialistic. If your god is sex, there's no telling what you might become. If your god is yourself, you'll be more and more self-focused. But if your God is the almighty creator of scripture, you've got a lifetime of joy ahead of you. That's right, joy.. joy... joy... overflowing whenever we put our trust in Him. Not to mention, all of eternity to study Him, know Him, love Him, and reflect Him in our attitudes, actions in personality. Because we're being transformed into his image. And one day we will see him as he is. Very nice! Very Good. According to Romans 1 we KNEW God (which I take to mean that we knew of him, and were born with a presupposition or mindset that God exists, contrary to the atheistic notion that the default is atheism), but, (according to Romans 1, still) we suppressed the knowledge of God —that, I say, in our insistence on self-importance, self-exaltation, self-determinism; almost as if we are someone with whom God has to deal. Where people come up with the mindset that God owes us something, merely out of fairness concerning the fact that he made us sentient beings... Do we really think our sentience compares to his, that he must respect us? Do we have any notion of what it means to be made in his image? We do not, I think. |
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Post by civic on May 18, 2023 3:08:08 GMT -8
Some say the greatest question in life is: Does God really exist? I think most everyone on the planet has heard about the Christian God, but do they know Him? Or do they just know some things about Him? And the really big question do they know Him as Lord and Savior. None of us may really know Him as well as we think. After all He is as far above us as the heavens are above the earth. The Bible says his greatness is unsearchable. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. Ps 145:3. His judgments are unsearchable. O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! Romans 11:33. His riches searchable.8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; Eph 3:8–9. Dictionary definition of unsearchable: unsearchable (adjective)
unable to be clearly understood; inscrutable:
"their motives in coming were complex and unsearchable"But wait... there's more, He is knowable. According to the Bible, He has revealed aspects of Himself in both nature and in Scripture, and we can know Him who is unsearchable. What a privilege that is. I don't think there's anything more crucial to our life right now. A. W. Tozer Said," what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us... we tend by secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God." That's way above my pay grade but I think it means our personalities will inevitably conform to our gods. You don't have to look much further than Islam to verify that point. I also think it's clearly seen throughout history. The truth is we are made in the image of God, and when we worship and inferior version, an idol, Whatever that idol is we become like whatever we worship, And Idol is the thing or person that comes first in our lives, and we will either be deformed by our idols or transformed by the true God who made us. If your god is money, you'll become materialistic. If your god is sex, there's no telling what you might become. If your god is yourself, you'll be more and more self-focused. But if your God is the almighty creator of scripture, you've got a lifetime of joy ahead of you. That's right, joy.. joy... joy... overflowing whenever we put our trust in Him. Not to mention, all of eternity to study Him, know Him, love Him, and reflect Him in our attitudes, actions in personality. Because we're being transformed into his image. And one day we will see him as he is. Very nice! Very Good. According to Romans 1 we KNEW God (which I take to mean that we knew of him, and were born with a presupposition or mindset that God exists, contrary to the atheistic notion that the default is atheism), but, (according to Romans 1, still) we suppressed the knowledge of God —that, I say, in our insistence on self-importance, self-exaltation, self-determinism; almost as if we are someone with whom God has to deal. Where people come up with the mindset that God owes us something, merely out of fairness concerning the fact that he made us sentient beings... Do we really think our sentience compares to his, that he must respect us? Do we have any notion of what it means to be made in his image? We do not, I think. The image of God in man would make for a great topic of discussion. |
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Post by Redeemed on May 18, 2023 10:56:07 GMT -8
civicI'll start a thread. Let me see what I can come up with.
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Post by civic on May 18, 2023 14:06:12 GMT -8
civic I'll start a thread. Let me see what I can come up with. Great |
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