I'm back from Israel and looking forward to getting back to blogging the Bible Plan! Psalm 113:1-4:
1PRAISE THE Lord! (Hallelujah!) Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord!2Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forever3From the rising of the sun to the going down of it and from east to west, the name of the Lord is to be praised!4The Lord is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens!
The word "praise" here is that Hebrew word, "halal", which we have looked at many times and means: to make a show, to boast, to rave, to be clamorously foolish, to celebrate! When was the last time you took the time to celebrate the greatness of our God? Stop and do it now! His Name is supposed to be praised from the rising of the sun until it goes down again! Guess what? The sun is always rising somewhere, even as it sets somewhere else! So what does that mean? That means that He is to praised continuously all over the earth! I want to be a part of that, don't you? Of course you do! AMEN!
My favorite verses in 1 Corinthians 1 are verses 18-21:
18For the story and message of the cross is sheer absurdity and folly to those who are perishing and on their way to perdition, but to us who are being saved it is the [manifestation of] the power of God.19For it is written, I will baffle and render useless and destroy the learning of the learned and the philosophy of the philosophers and the cleverness of the clever and the discernment of the discerning; I will frustrate and nullify [them] and bring [them] to nothing.20Where is the wise man (the philosopher)? Where is the scribe (the scholar)? Where is the investigator (the logician, the debater) of this present time and age? Has not God shown up the nonsense and the folly of this world's wisdom?21For when the world with all its earthly wisdom failed to perceive and recognize and know God by means of its own philosophy, God in His wisdom was pleased through the foolishness of preaching [salvation, procured by Christ and to be had through Him], to save those who believed (who clung to and trusted in and relied on Him).
The Gospel of Jesus Christ sounds like foolishness to the unbeliever, but is the most beautiful message in the world to believers! That's the way God intended it to be! He will only reveal Himself and His Word to those who truly want to know! That's how we should pray for unbelievers. Pray that they will realize their need for a Saviour and that they will WANT to know Him! That is the only prayer that He will answer for an unbeliever. Are you a believer? Have you received Jesus of Nazareth as your Lord and personal Saviour? Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sin, that He rose from the dead and now sits in Heaven at the right hand of God the Father? Is there any reason that you can't make Him the Lord of your life right now? Then pray this prayer from your heart:
Almighty God, I am a sinner. I believe that Jesus Christ came to this earth, died on the cross for me, was raised from the dead, and is now seated at Your right hand. I accept and receive Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour and I invite Him to come into my heart and become Lord over my life. I thank You now Father, for welcoming me into Your family. You are my Father. I am Your child. Jesus is my Lord! Amen.
Now you ARE a believer and a child of the living God! Check out the Spoken Word Church website through the link on the left of this blog and find out how to grow up in the Word. If you couldn't pray this prayer because you didn't know what we were talking about, check out the website and find out more! You'll be SO glad you did! AMEN!
Shalom in Him!
