Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10 KJV Today, I want you to read the parable of the father of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32). As you read, keep in mind that this son utterly rejected and completely humiliated and dishonored his father, then only returned home when he remembered that even his father's hired servants had more food than he did!
And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech. Ruth 2:3 KJV There is a beautiful story of a Moabite woman named Ruth in the Bible. In the natural, Ruth had everything against her. She was a poor widow, and she was a Moabitess, a Gentile in the Jewish nation of Israel. But even after her husband died, Ruth remained with her mother-in-law Naomi. She left her family to follow Naomi back to Bethlehem, and made Naomi's God—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—her God.
I'm glad you opened this message but to be honest, no matter how hard we try not to, we will have moments when we stumble and fall short. What really matters is how we respond to it. When we lose our temper, succumb to temptation, or miss the mark… these moments, no matter how big or small, can build up and weigh on our hearts, and cause us to feel far away from our heavenly Shepherd and unloved.
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 NASB People who believe erroneously that God is hard on them for their failures will inevitably be hard on the people around them, and most of all, they will end up being really hard on themselves. They cannot forgive themselves for the mistakes they've made in the past and end up punishing themselves, whether they know it or not. It's a vicious cycle of defeat. The more they can't forgive themselves, the more they hurt themselves with all kinds of behaviors and the more they end up bound by various destructive addictions.
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." John 15:4–5 I'd like you to picture a strong and healthy tree. A strong and healthy tree does not worry about producing fruit or getting rid of the dead leaves on it.
Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. 1 Thessalonians 5:20–21 I encourage you to test everything you hear with God's Word. I always tell my church to read the Bible for themselves instead of simply swallowing all that any preacher, including myself, says. Be wise and don't just swallow everything—hook, line, sinker, fisherman, and even his boots! Be discerning when you hear something that does not sit well in your spirit, such as when a preacher tells you that "God gives you sicknesses to teach you a lesson."
"O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?" 2 Chronicles 20:6 When faced with what appeared to be certain destruction, King Jehoshaphat set himself to seek the Lord. Today's scripture is part of his prayer. Note that instead of rehashing his fears to the Lord and lamenting about how overpowered by their enemies their small tribe was, Jehoshaphat centered his prayer and thoughts on just how big and powerful his God truly is.
"Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it." Numbers 23:20 Take time to reread today's scripture. They are precious words, and they reveal how God sees you and me today. They were spoken by a prophet named Balaam, who had been hired by Balak, the king of Moab, to invoke a curse to drive his enemy, the Israelites, from his territory. However, when Balaam opened his mouth to curse, blessings from God flowed out upon the Israelites instead (Num. 23:21–24)!
Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength....For he shall be like a shrub in the desert and shall not see when good comes. Jeremiah 17:5–6 One of the saddest things about a man who trusts in his strengths and self-efforts—"who ....makes flesh his strength"—is that he cannot see good when it comes his way. As a pastor, I have seen, down through the years, people who don't put their trust in the Lord when it comes to their marriages, finances, and other areas of weakness. They are determined to trust in their own efforts and tend to be rather arrogant and frustrated with the people around them.
Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen. Romans 15:33 I'm sure you want the Lord to manifest Himself as the God of peace when you are fearful. So, let's go deeper into what the "God of peace" means. Don't forget that Paul was Jewish, so when he said, "the God of peace be with you," he was saying "Jehovah Shalom be with you." "Jehovah Shalom" is Hebrew for "the God of peace." Now, the first appearance of the name Jehovah Shalom is in the Old Testament story of Gideon in Judges 6.
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