Friday Feature: Favorite Quotes

(A friend posted this to google+ the other day and I liked it so much, I decided to repost!)

God Does Not Lie: Oaths & Promises

     A few weeks ago I discussed the topic Does God Change? I would like to build upon that earlier post with a look at Hebrews 6. In this chapter, we find an inspiring verse on Hope - something we've been talking about extensively on this blog. It's amazing how God works - certain verses in this passage caught my attention long before I read the verse on hope..... which only cemented firmly in my mind the loving way in which He guides us.

<Side note: Ever heard of your reticular activator? Definition: the reticular activator is a part of the brain that stays on alert. It's job is to make you notice some things and ignore other things (if you noticed everything, you'd be too distracted to function). When you buy a VW, it seems like the whole world has bought VWs, because you notice them everywhere. That's the reticular activator at work. I believe the Lord gave us this function to help us in our study of Him & His character. The more He reveals a particular aspect of His nature to us, the more we notice it in His word as we read! Our reticular activator at work. :) >

     A common thread among recent posts has been to take hold of His promises. When we know what His promises are for us, for our future, for our health, for our family..... for whatever is a concern to us, we then have something {or better phrased: Someone} to hope in. When we have hope, we live life to the fullest and without regret. The writer of Hebrews is explaining that God made a promise to Abraham. And Abraham knew He would perform it because:

1. He promised it
2. He swore that He would keep His promise
3. God does not lie

This finished the matter in Abraham's mind.  This Bible version makes it very clear and simple:

    ^"For instance, there was God’s promise to Abraham: God took an oath in his own name, since there was no one greater to swear by, that he would bless Abraham again and again, and give him a son and make him the father of a great nation of people. Then Abraham waited patiently until finally God gave him a son, Isaac, just as he had promised. When a man takes an oath, he is calling upon someone greater than himself to force him to do what he has promised or to punish him if he later refuses to do it; the oath ends all argument about it. God also bound himself with an oath, so that those he promised to help would be perfectly sure and never need to wonder whether he might change his plans. He has given us both his promise and his oath, two things we can completely count on, for it is impossible for God to tell a lie. Now all those who flee to him to save them can take new courage when they hear such assurances from God; now they can know without doubt that he will give them the salvation he has promised them. This certain hope of being saved is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls, connecting us with God himself behind the sacred curtains of heaven, where Christ has gone ahead to plead for us from his position as our High Priest, with the honor and rank of Melchizedek." Hebrews 6:13-19

     Now we know that this passage is referring to our salvation, but God is the same {yesterday, today & forever} and if this truth {that God does not lie & fulfills His promises} relates to Salvation, it also relates to all aspects of life. When we find and hold fast to the Promises of God {for us} in scripture, we have assurance that He will perform them. Perhaps not in the way we think He should - usually not when we think He should - and more often not how we think He should...... but nonetheless, He will perform them. We must be very careful to keep ourselves from fulfilling His promises in our own way...... remember Abraham and Ishmael? I find that I must so often put aside my idea of what His promises mean, and wait expectantly for Him to bring them to pass.......... in His way, in His time. 
     "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall not he do it? or hath he spoken, and shall not make it good?" Numbers 23:19
     "That by two immutable things {his oath and his promise} in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us." Hebrews 6:18
     And then we come to that verse so often quoted. I wonder, do we really grasp all that it means? When taken in context of this whole passage of scripture, it takes on a whole new meaning. {at least it did for me!}

Friday Feature: Favorite Quotes

Mirror, Mirror

I read this in my devotions this morning and it was so insightful - I never thought about this verse this way!

The Bible is a Mirror that lets us See Ourselves as God Sees Us

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25

How often do you see your reflection in a mirror? Some studies say that the average person looks in a mirror 8 to 10 times a day. Other surveys say it could be as many as 60 to 70 times a day, if glancing at our reflection in store windows and smart phone screens is included.
Why do we look so often? Most experts agree that it's to check our appearance, especially before meetings or social gatherings. If something is amiss, we want to fix it. Why look if we don't plan to change what's wrong?
The apostle James said that reading or hearing God's Word without acting on it is like looking in a mirror and forgetting what we've seen (1:22-24). But the better alternative is to look closely and act on what we see. James said, "He who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does" (v.25).
If we hear God's Word without taking action, we fool only ourselves (v.22). But when we examine ourselves in light of God's Word and obey His instructions, God liberates us from all that keeps us from looking more and more like Him each day. —David McCasland

My favorite quote is "If something is amiss, we want to fix it. Why look if we don't plan to change what's wrong?" It reminds me of a humorous commercial I saw years ago where a man goes into an important meeting and smiles - only to reveal something stuck in his teeth! Rather embarrassing yes, but clearly illustrates the reasons behind looking in the mirror. And how much more when we want to BE like our Savior. :)

Friday Feature: Favorite Quotes

Does God Change?

Does God Change?

     Have you ever had that thought? As humans, we're always subject to change. Life is constantly bringing new challenges. It brings different phases in our journey. It brings somewhat unexpected (and often unwanted) changes to our daily routines.  We're creatures of habit and many times we don't want to be uncomfortable. We like what we know and we know what we like. :)
     And then there's the whole idea of hopes, dreams and visions. What about those? What happens when you envisioned your life one way...... and it never happens. Or when something you never dreamed would happen suddenly turns your life upside down? What of all those hopes we have for the future? If we could look down through the portal of time, would our hopes change based on what we saw in our future, or would we lose hope altogether? After all, if we know what will happen we no longer have a reason to hope. The future and hope are directly linked. Read in Jeremiah (a man who prophesied future events): 
   

 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."    Jeremiah 29:11

"There is hope in your future, says the Lord...."    Jeremiah 31:17

      A key concept to remember as we look toward our future is to keep our eyes focused on Him and His promises. God does not promise us a life of ease. He does not promise to fulfill all our dreams. And yet when we choose to focus on ourselves, we begin to expect God to make life what we want. God never wanted us to put our hope in our dreams and desires for the future. But rather to put our hope in Him and His promises. Because whatever we may feel..... whatever we may desire.... whatever gives us purpose and fulfillment may all come crashing down one day if it's not rooted in Him.
     So does God change?  How do we know that we can trust Him... hope in Him? The answer to both questions is found in this answer: He never changes. 

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."    Hebrews 13:8

     When we realize that He keeps His promises and He never changes this gives us Hope. Some will try to make distinctions between the Old Testament and the New Testament. And I agree that we are under a new covenant...... no longer must we work and try to earn our way to heaven. But does that mean that God no longer cares whether we follow His direction and inspiration that was spelled out in the Old Testament? I don't believe so. Jesus said: "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." For when we focus on find God's heart, we will find Who He is in all pages of Scripture because He has been the same and will be the same for all time. Just a few examples: 

Love the Lord:

  "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength."    Deuteronomy 6:5

"Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment."    Matthew 22:37-38

Love Your Neighbor:

"...you shall love your neighbor as yourself"   Leviticus 19:18

"Jesus said, .....'You shall love your neighbor as yourself'"   Matthew 19:19

".....and if there is any other commandment, all are summed up in this saying, namely, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself'."   Romans 13:9

The Chastening of the Lord:

"Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty."    Job 5:17

"Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O Lord, and teach out of your law,"    Psalms 94:12

"And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:     

              "My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord       
               Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;       
               For whom the Lord loves He chastens,       
               And scourges every son whom He receives."

"If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons."    Hebrews 12:5-8

 "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent." (Words of Jesus, speaking to the church.)   Revelation 3:19

The Beginning & End:

 "I, the Lord, am the first; and with the last I am He."    Isaiah 41:4

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God."    John 1:1-2

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last."    Revelation 22:13

     Let us rest our heart in Who He is and what He promises to be for us and in us each and every day. Find His promises for your situation in life right now - put your hope in those promises and let Him fill you with hope.