Those Born Of God Do Not Continue To Sin

(18) We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. (19) We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. (20) We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true. And we are in Him who is true — even in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. (21) Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.
-- 1 John 5:18-21 (NIV)

“I don’t condemn you either. Go! From now on don’t sin.”
-- Jesus' words to woman caught in adultery, John 8:11b (GWT)

Holiness unto The LORD!
Grateful

Turn To Me Before You Are In Trouble

Yes, they have turned away from Me instead of turning to Me.
Yet when they are in trouble, they say, ‘Come and save us!’
-- From Jeremiah 2:27 (NET)

Lord, help us to turn to You everyday all-the-time. Yes, not just when the days grow dim, but also during the days of delight give us a desire to look to You. Give us a hunger to know You intimately in every instance, not just when we are in trouble. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Deo Volente -- Whatever God Wants!
Grateful

Making Sure

Lord, I want to spend the rest of my days making sure I know You and making sure You know me and making sure You are made known to everyone in this world You will entrust me to tell about You. My heart cries out, "No more missed opportunities!" In Your Wonderful Name, I pray, Jesus. Amen

...Be My Witnesses... (Acts 1:8b)
Grateful

The Way To Have Eternal Life

And this is the way to have eternal life—to know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the One You sent to earth.
-- John 17:3 (NLT)

Lord, I want to know You more!
Grateful

Why Worry?

Let's hear and heed the words of Jesus concerning worry.

(22) Jesus said to His disciples: I tell you not to worry about your life! Don't worry about having something to eat or wear. (23) Life is more than food or clothing. (24) Look at the crows! They don't plant or harvest, and they don't have storehouses or barns. But God takes care of them. You are much more important than any birds. (25) Can worry make you live longer? (26) If you don't have power over small things, why worry about everything else? (27) Look how the wild flowers grow! They don't work hard to make their clothes. But I tell you that Solomon with all his wealth wasn't as well clothed as one of these flowers. (28) God gives such beauty to everything that grows in the fields, even though it is here today and thrown into a fire tomorrow. Won't He do even more for you? You have such little faith! (29) Don't keep worrying about having something to eat or drink. (30) Only people who don't know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father knows what you need. (31) But put God's work first, and these things will be yours as well.
-- Matthew 6:25-31(CEV)

Click here: Lauryn Hills/CeCe Winans/His Eye is on the Sparrow

By Faith! In Faith! (Hebrews 11)
Grateful

Soon-Coming Jesus! Right-Now Readiness!

The Happy Goodman Family used to sing a Gospel song that said: What a beautiful day for the Lord to come again!

One of my life verses contains five words spoken by my soon-coming Lord Jesus, followed by four echoing words spoken by John the Revelator. Those four echoing words of John's, very often cry aloud to my soon-coming Lord Jesus from the depths of my desperate-to-see-Him soul:

“Yes, I am coming soon.” -- Five Words of Jesus

"Amen. Come, Lord Jesus." -- Four Words of John

-- Revelation 22:20 (NIV)

Finally, Crystal Lewis sings a song of urgency that reminds (those who know God) and warns (those who do not know God). The title of the song is People get ready! Jesus is coming!

Click>1YouTube - People Get Ready, Jesus Is Coming - Crystal Lewis

If you sense you are not ready, please come to Jesus. Turning from sin and turning to Him, He will exchange your sentence of death for His gift of eternal life.

Click>2YouTube - Come Just As You Are - Crystal Lewis

Our soon-coming Jesus is our right-now Readiness!

Grateful

Which Way? The Way!

(13) "You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. (14) But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it."
-- Words of Warning from Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14 (NLT)

(3) "And this is the way to have eternal life—to know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the One You sent to earth."
-- Words Jesus Prayed to the Father in John 17:3 (NLT)

"I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life. No one can come to the Father except through Me."
-- Jesus' Declaration in John 14:6 (NLT)

Knowing You, my Lord, is the Narrow but Sure Entrance to Life.
Grateful

Take Time to Abide With the King Today!

Let us take time to abide with the King today, that we might know Him in the Beauty of His Holiness, lest tomorrow, time takes us away from the King's presence for forever.

(21) Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as "Lord," but they still won’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven. (22) On judgment day many will tell me, "Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name." (23) But I will reply, "I never knew you. Go away; the things you did were unauthorized."
-- Matthew 7:21-23 (NLT)

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

Jeremiah 33:3

This morning I awoke with a Bible reference on my mind as strong as any impression I've ever had. A life-verse for one of my pastoral leadership mentors, Dr. Charles Thompson, God's Wonder-filled words of expectation are recorded in Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV):

Call to Me, and I will answer you,
and show you great and mighty things,
which you do not know.

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

A Right Now Relationship With God

We can't expect to rely on an in-the-past relationship with an I-Am-Present God.

My God, I want an up-to-date, here-and-now, right relationship with You. I want to know You in ever-increasing intimacy. Amen.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst desperately for a right now, yes, an up-to-date personal relationship with God, for they will be fulfilled. -- Kerry's Paraphrase of Matthew 5:6

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

Being Still. Doing Nothing.

Being still, I've wonderfully learned, is much different than doing nothing.

Be still, and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

God Desires to Be Known

God desires to be known by His creation. -- Robert Coleman

I desire to know and to be known by my Creator God. -- Kerry Willis

The words of this Steve Green song say "it" quite effectively:

Just the time I feel
that I've been caught
in the mire of self.
Just the time I feel
my mind's been bought
by worldly wealth.
That's when the breeze begins
to blow, I know
the Spirit's Call.
And all my worldly wanderings
just melt into His Love.

Oh, I want to know You more!
Deep within my soul I want to know You,
Oh, I want to know You.
To feel Your Heart and know Your Mind,
looking in Your eyes stirs up within me,
cries that say I want to know You
Oh, I want to know You more.

Oh, I want to know You more.
When my daily deeds
ordinarily lose life and song,
my heart begins to bleed,
sensitivity to Him is gone.
I've run the race but set my own pace
and face a shattered soul,
Now the Gentle Arms of Jesus
warm my hunger to be whole.

And Oh, I want to know You more!
Deep within my soul I want to know You,
Oh, I want to know You.
And I would give my final breath
to know You in Your Death and Resurrection,
Oh, I want to know You more.

Oh, I want to know You more.
Oh, I want to know You more...

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

Desire... Granted.

The desire of the righteous will be granted.
-- Proverbs 10:24b (NRSV)

Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.
-- From the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus, John 17:3 (NIV)

Lord, I know to be righteous, one must be in right relationship with You. Yes, to know You intimately is to know life eternal both immediately and ultimately. Lord, grant me my heart's desire, for if I know my heart's desire, my heart's desire is wholly for what You desire in Your holy heart. Yes, Lord, I desire what You desire more than I desire anything. I desire what You desire for me. You are my heart's desire. In Your Name, I pray, Jesus. Amen.

John Mandeville's song expresses my heart's deepest desire:

I want what You want,
more than I want anything.
I want what You want for me. (Repeat)

Cause Your faithfulness
is like the ocean and the rain.
Everyday the same.
And Your Word is our Life,
so through the laughter and the pain,
You've taught me how to say... that...

I want what You want,
more than I want anything.
I want what You want for me. (Repeat)

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

Proverbs 1:7 & Matthew 5:3

When Jesus spoke Matthew 5:3 (KJV) -- Blessed are the poor in spirit, it seems quite synonymous with the truth found in Proverbs 1:7 (NLT) -- Fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.

I love the The New Living Translation rendering of Matthew 5:3: God blesses those who realize their need for Him.

Don't you think it's easy to connect the dots between these two passages?

My personal paraphrase of Matthew 5:3 might be: You're blessed when you obey God's will wholeheartedly and acknowledge that everything praiseworthy comes from Him alone.

My own amplified wording for Proverbs 1:7 might be: With reverent trembling in your eternal soul, willingly obey and respect the Lord, now you can declare that you have chosen the God who has chosen you, you now can begin to know the God Who wants to know you, as you can, too, commence to really love the God Who has already proven He loves you. As you claim Him as Your Everything in this life and in the Life to come, you will be surely BLESSED beginning now.

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

Devotion Dilemma

We have (during these too-busy days that we "live" in) what I call, a devotion dilemma. Yes, sadly, it seems that people these days have little or no time at all for praying. However, if we are to ever learn to pray, it will take time and plenty of it. If we are to ever know God in ever-increasing intimacy it will require seasons of prayer in His presence, not just seconds of prayer as we wrecklessly race into the future. Let us take time immediately for intimacy with Immanuel or time will take us ultimately from His presence for eternity.

Lord, teach us TO pray... -- Luke 11:1 (NIV)

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

Stand Silent! Know God!

Stand silent! Know that I am God! -- Psalm 46:10 (TLB)

Unless we live our lives entering and reentering the rhythm of Psalm 46:10, we will become desperately, driven people, running all over the place without divine direction.

Isaiah 30:15-18 (NLT) -- (15) The Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says, "Only in returning to Me and waiting for Me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it. (16) You said, ‘No, we will get our help from Egypt. They will give us swift horses for riding into battle.’ But the only swiftness you are going to see is the swiftness of your enemies chasing you! (17) One of them will chase a thousand of you. Five of them will make all of you flee. You will be left like a lonely flagpole on a distant mountaintop." (18) But the LORD still waits for you to come to Him so He can show you His love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for Him to help them.

Lord, I want to live the perfectly balanced life. I want to stand silent and know You, I do not want to run swiftly and drive past You. I want to saturate in Your Holy Presence, for I am weak but You are strong. In everything I think, say, and do? Be my Great, All-Powerful God and my Gentle, Ever-Present Guide! In the name of Jesus. Amen.

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

God's Love... In My Life And In Yours

This quote from the life of Henri Nouwen is a prayer I pray for my life and for yours. In part, this quote helps explain why I am a beautiful-feet-blogger:

My hope is that the description of God’s love in my life will give you the freedom and the courage to discover . . . God’s love in yours.

Lord, make Yourself known to me and through me, I pray. In Jesus' name. Amen. --kw

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

A Prayer & A Psalm for Haiti

Yesterday, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti, experienced an earthquake that measured 7.0 on the Richter Scale. It all happened without warning just before sunset. Only at daylight today will the devastation begin to be discovered.

Let us take time alone with the Lord, to weep over Haiti. Their pain is surely in our hearts.

Also, Psalm 46 is on my heart. I am claiming it for the precious Haitian people. It is Psalm 46 from the New Living Translation of the Holy Bible:

(1) God is our refuge and strength,
always ready to help in times of trouble.
(2) So we will not fear, even if earthquakes come
and the mountains crumble into the sea.
(3) Let the oceans roar and foam.
Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! Interlude
(4) A river brings joy to the city of our God,
the sacred home of the Most High.
(5) God Himself lives in that city; it cannot be destroyed.
God will protect it at the break of day.
(6) The nations are in an uproar, and kingdoms crumble!
God thunders, and the earth melts!
(7) The LORD Almighty is here among us;
the God of Israel is our fortress. Interlude
(8) Come, see the glorious works of the LORD:
See how He brings destruction upon the world
(9) and causes wars to end throughout the earth.
He breaks the bow and snaps the spear in two;
He burns the shields with fire.
(10) "Be silent, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world."
(11) The LORD Almighty is here among us;
the God of Israel is our fortress. Interlude

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

How Do We Know God?

Psalm 46:10 (NLT) -- Be silent (still), and know that I am God!

ALL JOY!
Grateful

Knowing Christ -- The Priceless Gain

What do you want to gain more than anything?

I say "Amen" to Paul's Priceless Gain Goal, recorded in Philippians 1:8-9a (NLT):

(8) Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ (9) and become one with Him.

ALL JOY!
Grateful