12 Nov '13 12:56>
My favorite verse in scripture is Genesis 15: 1 KJV
"After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward."
I can remember what I saw the first time I read this, I was so happy to
find out that God Himself is our exceeding great reward. Not some house
that is being built in heaven for us, not some Spiritual gift in this life, not
even eternal life itself, but God himself.
In this life time we see so many things that would have us desiring them
over God, from other people, to things, to status, to many things in this life
that will not last. Our families members come and go, our friends come
and go, our positions can come and go, we are put up and down in status
throughout life. We can look to so many things to satisfy our lives and give
our lives meaning. All of this I'm sorry to say even my own reasons for
picking Gen 15:1 has to do with what I can get out of God.
So God when He reaches out to us does what, appeal to what we can get
out of it, not so much, KJV John 19
28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.
29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.
30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
Jesus was stripped, beaten, hung up and killed for us laying down His life
for us. Jesus died that He could pay for our sins, so He gives up His life
for us.
So when we look to Jesus we should NOT be looking for what we can get
out of Him to make our lives better. The major concern we should have is
not what we should be getting out of God, but can we honor Jesus, because
He deserves it, as a reward for His suffering! We should be honoring Him
with our lives, asking for lives that honor God. We should be forgiving as He
has forgiven us, we should not be putting stumbling blocks in front of those
that Jesus died for, He died for each of us, does He not deserve the reward
for His suffering and shouldn't we be long suffering towards each other as
God has been for us?
Kelly
"After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward."
I can remember what I saw the first time I read this, I was so happy to
find out that God Himself is our exceeding great reward. Not some house
that is being built in heaven for us, not some Spiritual gift in this life, not
even eternal life itself, but God himself.
In this life time we see so many things that would have us desiring them
over God, from other people, to things, to status, to many things in this life
that will not last. Our families members come and go, our friends come
and go, our positions can come and go, we are put up and down in status
throughout life. We can look to so many things to satisfy our lives and give
our lives meaning. All of this I'm sorry to say even my own reasons for
picking Gen 15:1 has to do with what I can get out of God.
So God when He reaches out to us does what, appeal to what we can get
out of it, not so much, KJV John 19
28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.
29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.
30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
Jesus was stripped, beaten, hung up and killed for us laying down His life
for us. Jesus died that He could pay for our sins, so He gives up His life
for us.
So when we look to Jesus we should NOT be looking for what we can get
out of Him to make our lives better. The major concern we should have is
not what we should be getting out of God, but can we honor Jesus, because
He deserves it, as a reward for His suffering! We should be honoring Him
with our lives, asking for lives that honor God. We should be forgiving as He
has forgiven us, we should not be putting stumbling blocks in front of those
that Jesus died for, He died for each of us, does He not deserve the reward
for His suffering and shouldn't we be long suffering towards each other as
God has been for us?
Kelly