Greetings sisters!
I hope you're pressing on in the kingdom of God!
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Luke 9:62
Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O LORD our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things.
Jeremiah 14:22
Rain can be a blessing (most times) but it can also destroy as well as bring judgement like in the day of Noah.
And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
Genesis 7:12
Fire also can be a blessing but it also can destroy and it is the judgement that is coming we know.
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
2 Thessalonians 1:7-9
Let us take this all seriously and not lightly at all.
Let us remember that God is a jealous God and wants us to have no 'gods' before Him of whatever sort they are.
We don't want to have anything of this world as our god.
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
James 4:4
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1 John 2:15
Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.
Philippians 3:19
This world is full of things that fulfil the lusts of the flesh. As I was shopping in the grocery store yesterday and was hungry and thirsty it was a battle to not give in to get something, (because I had a little already with me out in the car). Not that it would have been sinful to buy something else, but that's what we have to do I believe, be very disciplined to not give in to the flesh. The money we have is the Lord's and I know we can survive and thrive with much less food than we think. This life in Christ is all about not living to fulfil the lusts of the flesh. Of course there are fleshly needs which are good which we must address and we can rejoice and be thankful for the foods the Lord provides. But we know that this world is fulfilling every lust of the flesh as the loaded grocery store aisles of all manner of flavor and texture is a witness to that.
Let us remember that God sees all we do and our reward is in the next life not in this one. We shouldn't be looking for rewards now, although we know we are abundantly blessed already with many blessings in Christ! We do not live for our flesh, we lay it down, for the Lord and for others. He sees and others do too so let us strive to be blameless for His glory! May we do all things out of our love for Him...out of that will flow love for our neighbors and the saints.
He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.
Proverbs 28:13-14
Next Luke reading here...
Pondering the necessity of food and drink for physical life but of Christ's body and blood for eternal spiritual life.
Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
John 6:54-56
Let us remain in Christ and feed on His Word and be washed clean in His blood. Praise God for making a way for us to be forgiven and made acceptable to God!
Man can do very bad things to his fellow man...violence and hatred and murder. Our Saviour Himself suffered at His creation's hands...but we know it was all in His plans and He laid down His own life. Let us be ready to suffer for His name's sake in any way He allows for us.
Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
1 Peter 4:1-2
The Lord be glorified in all we do! Keep striving on!
Grace, mercy, and peace from above,
Sister Chayil
Find the gospel to eternal life explained here.
My biblical clothing shop here.