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Hosea 11:1 "When Israel was a child, I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son.
When you ask parents if they love their children, the answer is almost always a very big yes!
It does not matter if the child has physical problems or mental problems, the answer is still going to be yes; maybe more so with problems!
That love in unconditional and parents will always act out that love toward their children, especially when they try to steer them clear of trouble.
There may be many who do not listen to their parents and many who rebel; but there will always be one who listens and obeys. Start a new trend!
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Galatians 4:3 So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world.
Do you look back on your life with fond memories or do you wish you could escape it somehow?
God gives us the ability to put everything behind us and to walk forward with Him in a new life.
As a child, you probably gave in to many things and as an adult you now choose whether to do so or not.
As we grow with Christ we become like adults in Christ and have a more informed choice as to whether we go back to those old lives or continue on with Christ.
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Galatians 4:9 But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?
Yes, God knows every one of us… but He loves those who love Him! How different do you act towards those whom you love?
When we get to know and love God, our lives change because we do want to do more for Him, but there is still that temptation to turn away from Him…
Hopefully, though, you will see the temptation for what they are – times of weakness, forces of corruption, habits and false gods.
Continue on in God’s strength and He will keep you strong so you can avoid your moments of weakness more and more!
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Psalm 119:176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep; Seek Your servant, For I do not forget Your commandments.
When the land or world immediately surrounding you seems bleak, it is normal for us to wander off and look for something a bit greener than the bleakness we see.
Throughout the bible we see references to lost sheep, whether it be an individual or a whole nation, we all do get lost from time to time.
When we do, we need a shepherd to guide us or carry us back to the flock where we will once again be safe and secure.
But this verse hints at the task we have – to seek out the shepherd and not wait until he has to come looking!
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Matthew 18:12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?
It is a good leader who will stop the people and ask, “What do you think?” and not just to get a scripted response but to labour the point until an honest answer is given.
Livestock were a valuable commodity in these days, and continue to be a valued commodity nowadays; but shepherds would go out of their way to protect individual sheep to maintain their whole flock and not just the majority.
God looks out for every single one of us and not just the majority; He has a heart for you too!
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John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
God allowed His Son to be born into this world in the same fashion as a normal man so we would understand His love for us.
He did not send His Son to trap us or catch us out in any way but to share His love with us in a way we would understand.
God did not disrespect His Son to make Him a human – He respected us all enough to allow His Son to become human!
Always look to God to see the goodness and the hope He has shared with us. It is because of His love that we are here and continue to share this world – share it with love!
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Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
We may read something like this and wonder how we are ever going to see God – but it is not the be all and end all statement like some may think!
We have enough in our bibles to tell us how Christ has died so He can make us pure; so long as we continue to be caught up in our own obsessions and leave God out of things, we are walking away from Him.
But if we are willing to accept Christ as being a part of our lives at all times, then we are going to be called by Him.
When He calls us, He will change our hearts to be more like His so we can expect to see Him forever one day!
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Proverbs 22:11 One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace will have the king for a friend.
The more we mix (or live) in this world, the more corrupt our hearts and minds become – there is no natural way out of this situation!
But, no matter how rough and tough things get, we still have choices to make and we still have our hearts and the way we feel.
We may be sorely tempted to go off and do things which are terrible, but what are our hearts actually saying? The bible continues to tell us how God loves a pure heart…
It is what you want from your heart which will ultimately count – look to God and keep your heart purer.
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Colossians 3:21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
One of the main reasons why we have to be genuine, compassionate, truthful and loving is for our children and their peers.
Children look up to parents as role models, as guides and even as controllers – when they don’t know which way to turn they need guidance and that is why we are here.
Children are not always going to listen to parents, but being the caring parent role model will go a whole lot further than being Mr Angry!
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Ephesians 6:4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
Sometimes I love the title “Bible Basher” when given to me and yet other times I think it may be a bit harsh…
When we show people the truth about God and about Christ we should not be bashing the truth into them but giving it to them in the best possible light so they can make an informed decision to follow Christ by themselves.
We do have a duty to Christ, to God, but with the Holy Spirit we can make a loving and peaceful impact on people’s lives without violence; that is against God!
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Deuteronomy 6:7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
I love the way the commandments are given to us a few times – just in case we don’t remember them for any reason the first time through!
But we are also reminded here we have a duty to teach others about those commandments, about loving God in spirit and in truth!
We may forget to tell people at the most opportune times God gives us, but we still can remind people about Him and our love for Him by following and obeying His commandments as best we can.
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Malachi 3:16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, And the Lord listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the Lord And who meditate on His name.
It is very easy to get despondent about the world and all the things going wrong around us; but that is not what God calls us to do.
God wants us to see the good, the righteous and holy things in the world; He then wants us to talk to each other about these things – this way we can encourage each other toward
God and all He does rather than falling into despair about the world around us.
Live with hope! Live with God!
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Isaiah 50:10 "Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness And has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord And rely upon his God.
I timely reminder for us all who believe in Christ. The longer we live in this world the more we have to walk in dark places and see all manner of things going wrong around us.
It is not our fault the rest of the world is going to pot; each person has to stand up for the things they do wrong and has to answer to God alone.
Trusting in God now and living a life with Him is what He wants for us; that way He can help us to do the right thing more often than giving in to the temptations of the world!
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Micah 7:8 Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.
When is the one time when your enemy will come out and confront you without fear? When you are down or caught in a trap – then they come forward and mock you.
People came forward and mocked Jesus as He went to the cross because they could see Him in a position where He was caught up.
But just as God promised to be there for the tribe of Israel, so too is Christ saying he will be there for us.
Turn to you enemy and tell them you have a powerful God who is protecting you and will guide you out of your affliction. Praise Him for what He is about to do!
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Psalm 112:4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.
Many of us will face dark times, hard times and afflictions which will cause us to wonder where God and His light are.
But even in our darkest times we can still receive God’s light, guidance, power and strength; we just have to look and see where it is shining!
It is actually shining on you – but if your eyes are closed, you may well not see anything!
The Lord is merciful, bountiful, compassionate and righteous; trusting in Him and His ways should be easy…
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Ephesians 4:32 And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.
Christ chose to do what He did because it would allow us to see how much He loves us. He chose to lay His life down for our sakes, because we are who we are.
But just because we are corrupt and allow all manner of things such as hate, greed and pride to control parts of our lives, does not mean they should be allowed to do so!
Christ wants us to rise above those feelings and desires to allow His light to shine through – allow His love to shine through for others to see through us.
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Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
When Christ asks us to be imitators of God, just like Children imitate other, it is an instruction for us to try to be more Christ-like without doubting and questioning everything.
Christ loved us without question. He did what He had to do on the cross because that is what was required. Yes, He did ask God if there could be any other way, but totally accepted
God’s decision just as an obedient child does.
God does not want us to be blind followers, but simply to trust Him and obey the final decisions.
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Genesis 8:21 The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.
When God looked down on Noah and what he was doing, it pleased Him. No longer was there so much corruption in the world – instead this one family was worshipping God as best they could, just like it was in the beginning.
God wants us to turn our backs on evil. God wants us to live together in peace and as community just as He was in community with Adam and Eve in the beginning.
Give God a chance to make your life different!
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Genesis 6:5 The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.
How do you react when something you have made, created or constructed is bashed down and destroyed?
This world is God’s creation. He made it all for us! And yet, mankind was now doing just about every wicked thing against it and against God.
Just as we feel like we are being let down when our creations are destroyed, so is God feeling let down when we work against His Will in our lives.
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Matthew 15:14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.
Jesus Himself warned of the blind leaders as well. Something we need to make sure we take very good notice of!
Many leaders seem to go crazy when they get into power and do not live up to the promises they made when getting into that position of power.
Jesus, on the other hand, stood up to all the promises He made and tried to show the people who was telling the truth at all times.
Don’t follow the blind leaders – follow Christ!