This video made me stop and think. This man spent so much time and cared so much for a tiny chameleon. Yet, he was just a man. Does not God care that much for every soul? Would we go to another country, learn the culture, travel rugged roads, pay for extra transport needs, and search through the night to find one soul? Would it be worth it? Perhaps we might say that this man had a lot more money than we do. That is probably true, but he does not have more money than God. I pray today that God will help me have compassion on souls and teach me to care. Psalm 49:8 says, "The redemption of their soul is precious."
Last night we watched a video about a man who went to Madagascar in search of a tiny chameleon. He spent money to get there, took time to understand the culture so he could do his work more effectively, traveled over very rugged roads, paid for gas to transport his vehicle across bodies of water on a ferry, and searched rain forests at night with a flashlight. He did all this to find this tiny chameleon because he was concerned that this chameleon would not survive if the rain forest were destroyed.
This video made me stop and think. This man spent so much time and cared so much for a tiny chameleon. Yet, he was just a man. Does not God care that much for every soul? Would we go to another country, learn the culture, travel rugged roads, pay for extra transport needs, and search through the night to find one soul? Would it be worth it? Perhaps we might say that this man had a lot more money than we do. That is probably true, but he does not have more money than God. I pray today that God will help me have compassion on souls and teach me to care. Psalm 49:8 says, "The redemption of their soul is precious."
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Continuing on the theme of “Set Your Affection on Things Above,” today’s Change Journey verse is Colossians 3:4. It tells the third reason why I should do so. “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” Christ is my life. He is my life now. He keeps me living, moving, and breathing and also gives me spiritual strength. Without Him I can do nothing. (See John 15:5) With Him I can do all things. (See Philippians 4:13) Christ is my eternal life. In John 14:6 Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Right now I do not have the privilege of physically being with Jesus and seeing Him as He is, but that day is coming soon. Christ will appear, and I will appear with Him in glory. When He comes to receive me, I will be like Him. I John 3:2 holds out to me a beautiful promise, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” I must set my affections on things above because 1. Jesus is my life 2. He is coming soon to receive me unto Himself 3. I will see Him as He is 4. I will be like Him “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” I John 3:3) “O, Lord Jesus, even so come quickly! And while I am waiting for You to come, help me to set my heart on You and keep me pure. For I shall soon be with You and see You as You are and be like You! Amen!” Snow and Ice The past few days have been very cold, and Tuesday it snowed. We got about an inch, just enough to be pretty. The trailer park road was covered with snow, and the road we turn onto from the trailer park was a sheet of ice. Even though it was quite chilly (about 16 degrees), I went out and took some pictures. Here are a few of them. It’s a beautiful, sunshiny, white Wednesday. Yesterday we had snow, only about an inch, but it is really pretty. Am hoping to go out and get a few pictures after it warms up a bit. The weather has been so cold, but up until now there was no snow; so we were rather excited when it started snowing. I love snow! “Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow?” (Job 38:22a) “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18) It has been a couple of days since I posted a Change Journey verse. This is because I took a little aside to study more in the book of Job. What rich treasures are found in that book! But now I am back to the Change Journey verses, and today’s Change Journey verse is again Colossians 3:3. The last half of this verse tells the second reason why I should set my affection on things above and not on things on the earth. It says, “…your life is hid with Christ in God.” My life is hid with Christ in God. It is concealed (by covering); it is kept secret. (See Strong’s) My life in Christ is a secret life. It is known only to God and me. Near to God’s heart is a special place made just for me by Jesus Christ. That place is one of safety. No one besides me and my Savior can enter it. There I am carried in my Father’s bosom and kept by His love. (See Isaiah 40:11) Sin cannot enter there. Satan cannot harm me there. It is my hiding place. (See Psalm 32:6,7) My life in Christ is a secure life. God holds me safe to His heart where I am kept by His powerful, loving hands. There in that safe haven, nothing can pluck me out of God’s hand. (See John 10:27-30) In Christ I have received eternal life. No one can take that life from me. When my earthly life is ended, my life in Christ will go on. I will still be safe in my Father’s bosom, held close to the heart of God by His powerful hands. But there will be nothing to molest me, no sin to tempt me, no pain or sorrow to afflict me – only peace and happiness for ever. Seeing this is my future and my life is even now safely held until then, my affection should not be on earthly things. They do not belong to me. They are only borrowed for a while. There is an inheritance reserved in heaven for me. I should set my heart on that inheritance which is “incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven” for me. (See I Peter 1:4) It was cold and windy this morning, but the sunrise was spectacular. God is such a wonderful Artist! It was so windy it blew some of the frost off the front door. Just kidding! I brushed it with my arm. :-) Continuing the subject of “Set Your Affection on Things Above,” today’s Change Journey verse is Colossians 3:3. It tells why I should set my affection on things above. I will consider the first reason today. “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3) 1. I am dead My old man is crucified with Christ (See Romans 6:6), therefore “It is no longer I that liveth, but Christ that liveth in me.” I am dead to sin and to this world but alive unto God through Jesus Christ. (See Romans 6:11) the things of this world should have no pull on me. A dead person cannot react. There are things I must do in order to sustain physical life in this world, but physical life is fleeting. It will pass away. My desire should not be here. Things of this earth should not move me. Why should I long after that which will perish? “2Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live.” (Isaiah 55:2,3a) It is No Longer I that Liveth It is no longer I that liveth But Christ that liveth in me. It is no longer I that liveth But Christ that liveth in me. He lives, He lives, Jesus is alive in me. It is no longer I that liveth But Christ that liveth in me. Words: Unknown Music: Sally Ellis The Change Journey verse for today is Colossians 3:2, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” For the thoughts on this verse, I will quote from Matthew Henry’s Commentary. He just says it so well. “’Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth.’ “Observe, To seek heavenly things is to set our affections upon them, to love them and let our desires be towards them. Upon the wings of affection the heart soars upwards, and is carried forth towards spiritual and divine objects. We must acquaint ourselves with them, esteem them above all other things, and lay out ourselves in preparation for the enjoyment of them… This is to be spiritually minded… and to seek and desire a better country, that is, a heavenly. (See Heb. 11:14,16) “Things on earth are here set in opposition to things above. We must not dote upon them, nor expect too much from them, that we may set our affections on heaven; for heaven and earth are contrary one to the other, and a supreme regard to both is inconsistent; and the prevalence of our affection to one will proportionably weaken and abate our affection to the other.” “They that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country… they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.” (Hebrews 11:14&16) Spirit Today’s Change Journey verse is Colossians 3:1, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.”. It is the next verse in the study of “Set Your Affection on Things Above.” Seek those things which are above – long after them, desire, endeavor to find them. (See Strong’s) Two things are mentioned in this verse as being in the place above where I am to seek. This is God my Father and Jesus my Savior. I must seek to be with them. God is sitting on His throne, and Jesus is seated at His right hand. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Yet, my Father and my Savior bid me come into their presence. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." I must seek my Father and my Savior. God invites me to come boldly to His throne. I do not need to fear because it is not a throne of terror; it is a throne of grace. There I do not find condemnation; I find mercy. There I do not find judgment and harsh sentences; I find grace to help me in time of need. Oh, what a King! Truly, “The King of Love My Shepherd Is”! What treasures are those I find above! The throne of grace The King of love My Father My Savior Mercy Grace Beautiful things to seek! Body Today’s tip is on exercise. Do you find that it is hard to get out in the cold and exercise? Or do you find that you don’t seem to have time to exercise. Here are some ways I add exercise in on busy days. What ideas do you have for exercising on busy days? Do ten sit ups in bed first thing in the morning before getting up Walk in place while stirring things on the stove Walk or jog in place while washing hands Do leg lifts while reading or working at the computer While walking from one place to the other, lift legs high as if marching Do shoulder shrugs and other arm and shoulder stretches or back stretches when I get up from the couch or chair and am getting ready to do a job that requires physical labor. Today for the Change Journey verse, I will finish studying Psalm 91:14. The second half of the verse is the part I want to consider, “I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.” “I will set him on high” – high, lofty, safe set up on high, to be too strong (Strong’s) “Because he hath ‘known’ my name.” “Know(n)” – acknowledge, comprehend, consider, discern, discover, familiar friend, kinsfolk, kinsman, know (to be learned) (Strong’s) This is not just a casual knowing God’s name, but a relationship with God. It is learning to know God so well that He is my familiar friend, that He becomes as close as a kinsman. It is learning to comprehend God and discover what He is like. It is the experience of learning Christ. Knowing God and learning Christ is the key to safety. Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” If I learn Christ, if I know God’s name, He will set me on High. He will put me in a safe place, a place too strong for the enemy. God is my place of safety. Spirit
This week, for the Change Journey verse, I will be continuing to meditate on Psalm 91:14, “Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.” The phrase I want to consider today is “Therefore will I deliver him.” Pursuing after God, seeking Him, desiring His presence, and finding my place near to His heart, has its rewards. If I set my love upon God, He will deliver me. That is His promise. Deliver – carry away safe, cause to escape (Strong’s) When I run to God, He will carry me away safe and cause me to find my escape in Him. Escape – to get clear from danger of evil of any form; to be passed without harm (Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, 1913 edition) “7Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. 8Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 124:7,8) Body The tip for today for physical help is rest. Rest is so important for health, vitality, energy, and healing. God gave us a special day to rest – Sunday. I hope that your Sunday was a day of physical rest and spiritual refreshment for you. On Friday and Saturday, I try to get all the cooking done for Sunday and Monday. That way I can rest on Sunday. Sometimes the extra work on Saturday is a bit tiring, but it is all worth it on Sunday. If the extra work is done Friday and Saturday, the afternoon hours on Sunday can be spent in time with the Lord or in restful activities that refresh both spirit and body. Today, for the Change Journey verse, I want to continue studying Psalm 91:14, “Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.”
One thing I am asking the Lord to each me this year is to set my affection on things above. Since God is high above all, it seemed a good place to start to set my affection on Him. But how? What does it mean to set my love upon Him? In his book, Treasury of David, Charles Spurgeon quotes from Mary B. M. Duncan’s thoughts on this verse. She says it so beautifully that I will quote her here. May it be spiritual food for thought! “’He hath set his love upon me.’ “We have a similar expression in daily use, which means the bending of all our energies to one end -- a ceaseless effort after one object. We say, ‘I have set my heart on such a thing.’ This is what God will have from us -- an intense, single hearted love. We must love him ‘with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our strength, and with all our mind,’ so that, like Jesus, we may ‘delight to do his will.’ “Just let us think of the way in which setting our heart on anything affects us, head, hands, time, thought, action -- all are at work for us [our?] attainment. How we sacrifice everything else to it! Comfort, ease, present advantage, money, health, nay, our very selves, go freely for the sake of our cherished wish. Have I so ‘set my heart upon’ God? “Temperaments differ. This may be an overdrawn picture of the way in which some of us seek a cherished object. But each knows his own capability in this way. God also knows our frame, and requires his best at every man's hand.” ~Mary B. M. Duncan. |
Sour Sammy
Sour Sammy could not be good, no matter how he tried. One day his father had to discipline him for doing wrong, He asked his father why he could not be good, so his father got down the Bible and showed Sour Sammy how only Jesus could make him good. "Soon it was known all over town That Sour Sam had lost his frown -- Jesus had turned it upside down." Mom's e-book for children can be purchased by clicking on the "Buy Now" button below. Journey Into the Love of God by C. Young "This little book, written from the perspective of a young Christian lady, will take you on a fascinating journey deep into the heart of God." $3.75
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If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well. Provided by Christ Notes Bible Search Looking for encouragement? Hop on over to our Encouragement blog for uplifitng Bible studies and more. Categories
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