Stiving to get closer to Jesus every day and sharing what I learn.
No creature can hide from God. Everything is uncovered and exposed for him to see. We must answer to him.
– Hebrews 4:13 (GOD’S WORD® Translation (©1995))
Why do people think they can actually hide what they do from God? He sees EVERYTHING and not one thing does He not see. But thanks be to God that we, His sons and daughters, are seen through the filter of the Blood of His son Jesus!
And let not your behaviour be like that of this world, but be changed and made new in mind, so that by experience you may have knowledge of the good and pleasing and complete purpose of God.
– Romans 12:2 (Bible in Basic English)
We should never want to be like the sinners of this world nor pattern our lives after them. We are rather to have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) who was never impressed by those with fame or fortune but only by faith. If you want to be like anyone, be like Jesus who only did the will of the Father.
But this one thing I do–forgetting everything which is past and stretching forward to what lies in front of me, with my eyes fixed on the goal I push on to secure the prize of God’s heavenward call in Christ Jesus.
– Philippians 3:13b-14 (Weymouth New Testament)
We have all made big mistakes in the past…maybe even minutes ago! But we are to repent, ask God to cleanse us in His Blood and put our eyes back on the call of God on our lives. You haven’t messed up too many times and God doesn’t take back that call. He’s constantly waiting for us to get with it! So dust yourself off and get back on track with God!
Your lives should be untainted by love for money. Be content with what you have; for God Himself has said, “I will never, never let go your hand: I will never never forsake you.”
– Hebrews 13:5 (Weymouth New Testament)
Even if everyone else in life abandons and forgets you in your hour of need, God NEVER will.
Where there is no vision, the people are uncontrolled; but he who keeps the law will be happy.
– Proverbs 29:18 (Bible in Basic English)
To give your life proper direction you should have a vision (from God obviously) so that you don’t just run wild doing everything except that which God wants you to do in the first place. Even big secular non-Christian companies have a “mission statement.” Seek the Holy Spirit today to make the vision for your life clear so that you are always working toward that ultimate goal and not wasting your time doing worthless things.
Purify me from sin with hyssop, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
– Psalm 51:7 (GOD’S WORD® Translation (©1995))
When I first read this verse years ago I just didn’t get it. How are the branches of a hyssop plant supposed to clean sin? Remember the night the children of Israel were about to delivered from Egypt and the death angel took all the first born? The exception was he was not allowed to touch those who were in houses that had the lamb’s blood on the door posts spread on them by…say it with me…HYSSOP! Now it’s not the hyssop plant that cleans sin but the BLOOD that that is applied with it. Thank you Jesus for your Blood! What can make me white as snow? Nothing but the Blood!
That day they offered many sacrifices and rejoiced because God had given them reason to rejoice. The women and children rejoiced as well. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard from far away.
– Nehemiah 12:39 (GOD’S WORD® Translation (©1995))
Can you imagine this happening today? Why not!? The praise of God was SO LOUD that it can be heard in the surrounding towns! So yes God really does like loud praise! (And of course the devil hates it! Hah hah)
He that shall overcome, shall thus be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
– Revelation 3:5 (Douay-Rheims Bible)
Wait a minute! Hold the phone! You mean to tell me that one day Jesus is going to say something like, “Hey Father, and you angels too…let me tell you about Rick Costa {insert your own name here}” I don’t know about you my friend but the thought of that blows me away. That the Creator of everything that exists will mention me BY NAME to His creation? Wow.
Make no mistake about this: You can never make a fool out of God. Whatever you plant is what you’ll harvest. If you plant in the soil of your corrupt nature, you will harvest destruction. But if you plant in the soil of your spiritual nature, you will harvest everlasting life.
– Galatians 6:7-8 (GOD’S WORD® Translation (©1995))
If you invest your time in the foolishness of this world you will hurt your spiritual growth in God. Instead build yourself up in His Word, in prayer and in fellowship with your brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Everything written long ago was written to teach us so that we would have confidence through the endurance and encouragement which the Scriptures give us.
– Romans 15:4 (GOD’S WORD® Translation (©1995))
One of the great things about reading the Bible is you find out that all of God’s people from throughout time go through the same types of things that we do and if they can make it, so can you!