Aches and Praise Three Hundred & Sixty One

Posted on 2018-08-08 in English |

August 8, 2018
 
Dear friends, 
 
This edition of Aches and Praise is being sent earlier in the week than usual because Karen and I are leaving tomorrow on a trip to visit friends of the ministry. This morning I prepared a study on how God speaks to us. Although many of the verses may be familiar to you, I urge you to meditate on God’s Word and marvel at how much He loves you.
 
 
  1. God speaks through creation.
Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”   
                                                                 
Psalm 33:6 – “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.”   
                
Psalm 19:1 – “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.”

Romans 1:19-20 – “… because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made …”

Do you believe that God created the world? It takes more faith to believe that tadpoles became monkeys which became men and women.
 
 
  1. God speaks through His Son.

John 1:1 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 8:58 – “Jesus said to them, Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

John 10:30 – “I and My Father are one.” The Bible teaches that there is only one God, who exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Philippians 2:5-11 – “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God … and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Colossians 1:13-20 – “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins … For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”
 
 
  1. God speaks through His Word.

Matthew 4:4 – “But He answered and said: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

Psalm 119:11 – “Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against You.”

Psalm 119:105 – “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

To avoid sin, we must obey the Word of God. In Genesis 3, we read the account of the fall of Adam and Eve. Satan changed the Word of God when he talked with Eve. She believed his lies and Adam agreed with her.

After Adam and Eve disobeyed God, we see the first emotion recorded in the Bible: fear, in Genesis 3:10. God doesn’t want us to live in fear.
 
 
  1. God speaks through angels.                      

Matthew 1:20-21 – “… an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Luke 1:26-33 – “… the angel Gabriel was sent by God … to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David … the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary …’”

Luke 2:8-14 – “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields … an angel of the Lord stood before them …Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid …’”

Luke 24:4 – “… two men stood by them in shining garments”; v. 23: “… they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
Next week, Lord willing, we will look further into how God speaks.
 
Scripture for the weekend: “For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’” 2 Peter 1:17 (NKJV)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
Thought for the weekend: “Christianity is not a religion, it’s a life. Religion consists of a set of formal rules and ritual observances. Religion teaches works; Christianity teaches faith, and we find this distinction throughout the Scriptures. ” – M.R. De Haan
 
 
By His grace,
 
 

Steve             

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