Posts
timewithgod.blog-city.com — March 2009
Revelation 20-22 I Know The Future -- God Wins!
Revelation 20:1 gives us some interesting information: God owns the keys to hell, not Satan. And Satan has no say in anything going on. He is always defeated by God.Believers who are raptured plus the Tribulation saints togeth
Revelation 20:1 gives us some interesting information: God owns the keys to hell, not Satan. And Satan has no say in anything going on. He is always defeated by God.
Believers who are raptured plus the Tribulation saints together will rule with Christ for the Millennium. During this time, there will be children born, and they must be tempted, it appears, and they must decide for Christ as well.
The thought of a new earth, restored to the way it had been at Creation, is wonderful! Soil, rocks, trees -- all will once again be capable of actively worshiping God, unhindered by the curse put on the earth by man's sin.
And the New Jerusalem -- 1500 miles square -- will possibly hover above the earth, for there's not indication of it landing. It will be the City of God with the river of life and the tree of life fully accessible to all who have believed in Christ.
Jesus reminds us, "Listen! I am coming soon!" Why would anyone wait? Why not come to Him now and receive Him as Savior? Why miss this opportunity?
Father, thank You for saving me. Thank You for preparing an eternal home for me. Please help me to help others come to know You so they can be there, too.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Deuteronomy 1 -- Long Enough....
The Israelites are camped just outside of the Promised Land. Moses, now very old, is speaking to them. There's a strange mixture of excitement and regret as he speaks. For he is retelling what happened over the last 38 years.&nb
The Israelites are camped just outside of the Promised Land. Moses, now very old, is speaking to them. There's a strange mixture of excitement and regret as he speaks. For he is retelling what happened over the last 38 years. Maybe they don't want to hear it. Maybe they should.
Fresh out of Egypt, they'd camped at Mt. Sinai. They'd gotten their marching orders there. Then God said to them, "You've stayed here long enough. Get ready and go."
They must have felt about the same way then. Only these people were kids back then, or not yet even born. The trip only takes 11 days, but they'd taken 38 YEARS getting here due to their disobedience and disbelief. "Long enough..." echoes in their minds.
They'd reached the outskirts of the land, and God had said, "Here it is! Go up and take it!" But they'd balked, Unsure of themselves AND their God, they'd sent spies instead, only willing to test the water with their toes. They were hesitant. They'd not obeyed.
Moses had thought it a good idea, too. He'd been swayed by popular opinion. The spies had come back with glowing reports of the land, but their description of the people there struck fear in the hearts of those being led by God Almighty! "We're not like them!" was probably the cry. Not trusting Him, they'd believed the lie. "Long enough" became "NOT long enough." So 11 days turned into 38 years. "Long enough" for the naysayers to die off. God would wait. He'd wait for a people trusting enough of Him to get the job done. Thirty-eight years of missed opportunities!
Maybe this new set of leaders had finally decided for themselves that it had been "long enough". Maybe God saw that in them -- a restlessness of spirit that He could use. Finally, they were saying, "Long enough!" and meaning it.
God led me to thoughts of our own church. Thirty eight years ago would have been 1971. I was in 7th grade -- the age of my son! I thought back to how our church has changed. Still about the same number, it seems. But the mix has changed. I remember about 20 high school kids at most in youth choir, but no youth group really. Just a "get-together" place in the basement of the old building now long gone. I remember a college group coming in and talking to our church about the Holy Spirit active and alive and at work within us. After they left, though, it was as if the "spies" had returned in Moses' story. That was a new land for us, and it must have been scary, I guess. They didn't seem to want to go there, either. Thirty-eight years .... long enough, Lord!
Father, bring us into that land! Let us not be afraid. Let us trust You completely. Show us what we need to do to conquer this land and make You God Of This City.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Deuteronomy 2 -- Beginning To Take What Has ALREADY Been Given To Us
God was really at work in this chapter, and not just for the Israelites. I read, "I have given the mountains of Edom to Esau as his own .... The Horites also lived in Edom before, but the descendants of Esau forced them out and destroyed t
God was really at work in this chapter, and not just for the Israelites. I read, "I have given the mountains of Edom to Esau as his own .... The Horites also lived in Edom before, but the descendants of Esau forced them out and destroyed them..... I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as their own.....The Ammonites forced them out of the land and took their place.... I am giving YOU the power to defeat Sihon .... and his land. So fight against him and begin taking it.....The Lord gave Sihon to us.... No town was too strong for us; the Lord our God gave us all of them."
I saw a spiritual truth here: God gives the victory before the battle is even fought. His sovereign will decides it and it happens. All that is required is that we BEGIN taking what He's given us.
Father, in the same way, I believe You have given us our city already. Yes, there is a spiritual battle going on. But our victory is already assured by You. It only remains for us to begin to take what You've already determined that we shall have. It's not enough to wait on You in the battle. You expect us to engage. Please help us to step up now as all of these other people did and claim what is ours, by Your power, for Your glory.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Deuteronomy 3 -- Beating The Giants
Og was another king who stood in the way of Israel's entering the Promised Land. Not only were his cities well fortified, but also he was a giant like Samson. God simply said, "Don't be afraid of Og, because I will hand him,
Og was another king who stood in the way of Israel's entering the Promised Land. Not only were his cities well fortified, but also he was a giant like Samson. God simply said, "Don't be afraid of Og, because I will hand him, his whole army, and his land over to you." The result? "We completely destroyed them!"
A giant stood between the Israelites and where God wanted them to be. A scary giant. But God said that He wan in control and if they obeyed and believed, and ENGAGED, then He would make it happen.
So many times in our lives, there's a giant standing between us and where GOD wants us to be. For a church, it could be fear of change. For an individual, it could be a pet sin that we simply don't want to give up. For either, that "giant" is keeping them from God's plan for them. God simply says, "Don't be afraid of your giant, because I will hand him over to you. You can COMPLETELY destroy him. You just have to decide to do it!"
Father, don't let me hold on to any giants that You want to slay. Help me to desire You and Your plan for my life more than any giant that tries to block me from You.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Deuteronomy 4 -- What Kind Of God We Have
Even as they stood at the beginning of a new era, the Israelites listened as God, through Moses, reminded them again of what kind of God He Is: v. 7 -- an approaching God v. 20 -- an adopting God
Even as they stood at the beginning of a new era, the Israelites listened as God, through Moses, reminded them again of what kind of God He Is:
v. 7 -- an approaching God
v. 20 -- an adopting God
v. 24 -- a jealous God
v. 25 -- a just God
v. 29 -- a discoverable God
v. 31 -- a merciful God
v. 36 -- a teaching God
v. 37 -- a loving God
v. 38 -- a rewarding God
That seems to follow somewhat of a progression -- God comes near and allows us to come near to Him. He makes us His very own. He wants no rivals for His affection. He punishes us when we sin. But then He lets us find him. He has mercy on us in our sin. He teaches us His ways and loves us despite our sin, and He rewards those who follow Him.
Father, I thank You for coming after me and for adopting ME into Your family. Thank You so much for wanting me badly enough to accept no rivals for Your affection. I'm glad You were jealous enough to work to cleanse me and bring me back to You. Once I was back, You worked to teach me about You, loving me despite what I'd done that was wrong in Your eyes, and rewarding me with my two sons and eternal life! Such a great and wonderful God You are!
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Just In Case
I will be on vacation Monday through Wednesday of this week. Hopefully I WILL be able to blog, but wanted you to know, just in case.
I will be on vacation Monday through Wednesday of this week. Hopefully I WILL be able to blog, but wanted you to know, just in case.
Deuteronomy 5 -- The Grand Picture
Moses was reminding the Israelites of the incredible day they'd seen God and lived. He'd spoken to them face to face from the fire on Mt. Sinai. I don't think it was the simple commands that did it. Maybe instead it was
Moses was reminding the Israelites of the incredible day they'd seen God and lived. He'd spoken to them face to face from the fire on Mt. Sinai. I don't think it was the simple commands that did it. Maybe instead it was the overwhelming grandeur of God's plans. For they were hearing for the first time that their sins weren't isolated events -- failures which they hoped to forget. Instead, they were intergenerational. What they did would impact their families for generations. It wasn't God getting back at them by punishing their great-grandchildren -- it was the impact their very own lives would have on their families, for their children would be watching what they did and they would be unconsciously storing all this up, to be played out unconsciously in the own lives to their children.
God also let them know that the reverse was also true. A life well-lived for God magnified God over thousands of lifetimes. Spiritual seeds were being planted that would be harvested even outside those families centuries later.
Yet they weren't remembering that time as a glorious event. Instead, I think their hearts were betraying their own unwillingness to obey. They were remembering, as they watched and listened to God, that the leather bags in their tents at that very moment held idols they'd carried out of Egypt. They were standing before their God in sin as He spoke.
God wasn't blind to all of this. In verse 29, he opined, "I wish their hearts would always respect Me and that they would always obey My commands so that things would go well for them and for their children forever!
Everyone present knew that they were hearing God's ideal, and that man could never reach it. Only God knew what He had in store to fix that problem. If they'd only known!
Father, this reminds me so very well of how far I am from Your ideal. Let me not think that I can get closer to it. Only by the blood of Your Son do I dare to dream of being with You, face to face, someday. Thank You that my dream is secured!
Deuteronomy 6 -- Getting The Math All Wrong
God required quite a bit from the Israelites (and us): their respect, their complete obedience, their love, their worship, and purity in their desires and actions.They'd been brought out of Egypt and slavery and taken to the border of the P
God required quite a bit from the Israelites (and us): their respect, their complete obedience, their love, their worship, and purity in their desires and actions.
They'd been brought out of Egypt and slavery and taken to the border of the Promised Land by God. God was about to go before them and force out the inhabitants there to give the land to them.
Yet despite everything He'd done and promised to do, they balked. They could not completely obey. They would not give Him their complete love and respect.
So what would it have cost them to obey? A one-week trip straight to the Promised Land, no battles or deaths, and a fruitful existence.
Sometimes our willful stubbornness causes us to pay 40 times over when we could have instead enjoyed thousands of blessings. We seem to totally forget how to "do the math" when God asks for our obedience.
Father, please help me not to selfishly think of my immediate gratification and discount so heavily the blessings You promise. Help me never to trust my own math when it comes to obedience, for Satan will constantly be trying to distract me as I do.
--
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Deuteronomy 7 -- What A Father We Have!
In this chapter, I see a picture of a loving Father willing to go to any lengths to preserve, protect, and defend His children. He wants to protect them from physical and spiritual harm. Unlike many parents today, He doesn't turn them
In this chapter, I see a picture of a loving Father willing to go to any lengths to preserve, protect, and defend His children. He wants to protect them from physical and spiritual harm. Unlike many parents today, He doesn't turn them lose in the world "to find themselves". Instead, He goes before them to rid their lives of any influences likely to take them away from Him. He says:
-- The Lord your God will hand these nations over to you.
-- You are a holy people who belong to the Lord Your God. He has chosen you from all the people on earth to be His very own.
-- The Lord chose you because He loved you, and He kept His promise.
-- So know that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God. He will keep His agreement of love for a thousand lifetimes for people who love Him and obey His commands.
-- If you pay attention to these laws and obey them carefully, the Lord your God will keep His agreement and show His love to you .... He will love you and bless you....You will be blessed more than any people.
Our duty as His children is to love Him back and do what He says. That requires trust, and He is a God who can be trusted.
Father, thanks for going ahead of me AND for ridding my life of both physical and spiritual foes. I suppose that I will not know, until I get to Heaven, every snare and trap You saved me from! Thank You for Your jealous love for me. Always go before me and keep me safe.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Deuteronomy 8 -- God Answers Why
God rehearses why He did what He did with the Israelites over those last 40 years in the desert: He wanted them to know what was really in their hearts.He first had to take away their prideful attitudes, because pride in their achievements (whi
God rehearses why He did what He did with the Israelites over those last 40 years in the desert: He wanted them to know what was really in their hearts.
He first had to take away their prideful attitudes, because pride in their achievements (which were really God's gifts to them) would cause them to forget Him. He did this by letting them go hungry -- showing them that they had nothing of their own to truly brag about. Then He gave them what He'd taken away by sending manna. He wanted to teach them that it wasn't just food that gave life. Dependence on Him does, too, along with complete obedience to His word.
Three times He mentioned pride as a cause of sin. He was about to make them rich, and He wanted them to understand that He was the One who gives the power to become rich.
What great application this has for us today, for economic conditions have reduced the financial resources of so many of us. Perhaps God is once again choosing to remind us that we are often disobedient to His word, that He is the sole source of all of our blessings, and that, despite the severity of all we've experienced lately, He does in fact lovingly correct us "as a parent corrects a child", and He gives what He takes away once He sees that we truly understand how our own hearts mislead us.
Father, thank You for loving us enough to discipline us -- for reminding us that everything we have is a gift from You. Our hearts are far from righteous. You are the Holy One. Please bring us to repentance and understanding, then in Your grace restore what the moth has eaten.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
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