A Life that Has Understanding

When you have understanding then you will enjoy life so much more and will be much less frustrated than others without understanding. Understanding will give you insight in decisions and make you more successful because of your right choices in life.

I Chronicles 22:12,13 Only the Lord give you discretion and understanding, and give you charge over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God. Then you will prosper, if you are careful to observe the statutes and the ordinances which the Lord commanded Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and courageous, do not fear nor be dismayed.

The more understanding that you have the more wise counsel that you will have to guide your life and to help others.

Proverbs 1:5 A wise man will hear and increase in learning,
And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,

When you have understanding then it will watch over you.

Proverbs 2:11 Discretion will guard you,
Understanding will watch over you,

When you have God’s understanding then you will learn more and more to trust Him and to not trust your own understanding. Your own understanding is limited to what you see or feel about a situation. God’s understanding is impartial and is based on His knowledge of life.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.

Understanding calls to us to live according to her ways. The word “folly” means stupidity. When we lack God’s understanding about life we have a tendency to do stupid things. Stupid decisions and stupid activities rob us of life.

Proverbs 9:6 “Forsake your folly and live,
And proceed in the way of understanding.”

When one has understanding then they will recognize those that do not and will not fall into the snares of people who will get them into trouble and bring grief to their lives. Many a man’s life was made very sorrowful because of the woman he married. Understanding will keep a man from the woman of folly. A person lacking in understanding is naive.

Proverbs 9:13-18 The woman of folly is boisterous,
She is naive and knows nothing.
She sits at the doorway of her house,
On a seat by the high places of the city,
Calling to those who pass by,
Who are making their paths straight:
“Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,”
And to him who lacks understanding she says,
“Stolen water is sweet;
And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
But he does not know that the dead are there,
That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

A godly mother will teach her sons to avoid the woman of folly. A wise son will listen to his mother. A man can not see through women and in the same way a female can not see through males. A young lady needs her father’s counsel and a young man needs his mother’s counsel when it comes to choosing a life partner. If you do not have a mother or father in your life then go to an older godly person who has understanding so that they can give you wise counsel. Other than choosing who will be your Master in life the next most important decision that you will make will be who your mate will be. Choose wisely and you will be blessed. Choose foolishly and that choice will become a curse to you.

 

A Life that Understands

We all long to understand life and many of the aspects of life, that is, if we want to know how to do life right. A sign of maturity is wanting to do life right and to be responsible for what we are called to do and be. How do we receive understanding?

Deuteronomy 4:5a,6 See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the Lord my God commanded me… So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’

The Lord wants His people to be wise and understanding but the wisdom and understanding comes from keeping and doing His commandments. Do not seek to understand first and then obey but rather learn His commandments and do them and then you will receive understanding. As you learn to obey Him you will have many “Ah ha!” moments and say to yourself, “Now, I understand”.

Exodus 35:31a And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding and in knowledge

God’s Spirit is the One who gives understanding. The more you walk with the Lord by His Spirit and are filled with His Spirit the more understanding you will have about all of life.

Deuteronomy 32:28 For they are a nation lacking in counsel,
And there is no understanding in them.

When you are lacking in God’s counsel then you will be lacking in understanding. His Word is His counsel to us and when we know His Word then we will know His counsel and have understanding.

Job 12:13 With Him are wisdom and might;
To Him belong counsel and understanding.

To God alone belongs counsel and understanding. Know the Lord and you will understand more and more. He is the author of all and the creator of all. He knows and understands how everything functions and how it is supposed to work.

Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

It is the knowledge of the Lord that is understanding. When you understand then you will also be able to counsel others for counsel and understanding go together.

Proverbs 8:14 Counsel is mine and sound wisdom;
I am understanding, power is mine.

We are all leaders in some way or another and understanding is one of our biggest needs so that we can counsel wisely according to what the Lord would have us to say. Those who lead must have understanding so that they might lead and understand those under them.

I Kings 3:9 So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

When a leader leads with understanding then those under them will be blessed. A parent needs understanding. A friend needs understanding to counsel their friend. A spiritual leader needs understanding to point others to the Lord.

II Samuel 23:3b,4 ‘He who rules over men righteously,
Who rules in the fear of God,
Is as the light of the morning when the sun rises,
A morning without clouds,
When the tender grass springs out of the earth,
Through sunshine after rain.’

A leader who has understanding will lead others in righteousness and in the fear of the Lord. They will be as the light of the morning when the sun rises.

 

A Life with Love Does Not Forsake

True love does not forsake. Since the source of true love is not the recipient but the one who is the giver of the love, true love is not dependent on the one loved but is dependent on the lover. The only source of true love is the Lord because He is the only One who never changes. However, He can give us His love for others so that we can love others with a true love. When Jesus Christ comes to live within a person then He can and wants to love others through the one whom He lives within.

We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. I John 4:18

Abide means to live within. When the Lord is where our heart abides and He abides in our heart then we will experience His love and others will experience His love through us. When we come to know God then we come to know His love and how great it is.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. I John 4:7,8

God’s love for us never changes. The Lord says that He will never forsake us, in other words, His love will never leave us and God will always be with us. This is one of the most amazing truths about Jesus Christ and His love for us. The reason why this truth is so powerful and amazing is that this love came at a very high price. All of us forsook the Lord and so we deserve to be forsaken. Forsake means to leave and all of us left God. Adam and Eve left God when they sinned in the garden and everyone who has descended from them inherited the same sin nature to “want to live life on our own” and “be our own master” with the same outcome of death.

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned— Romans 5:12

Since all of us sinned then all of us deserve death. Death is ultimately separation from God. We are all born spiritually dead without the capacity to know God. Every time we sin we experience death to our soul, which is the guilt, remorse, regret and all of the other destructive things we feel when we do not keep God’s law. Man even tries to get rid of God’s laws so that man can rid himself of the guilt but God’s laws are written on our hearts and so we have to close ourselves completely off to God to try to get rid of the guilt. The only way we can do this is to say that there is no God. However, even our mind can not accept that because the Lord has put it within us to know that there is a Creator. So…we try to get rid of a Creator by saying that we all evolved through the theory of evolution. However, as all of us can see, trying to get rid of God becomes even more foolish because only God can give life and breath. For this reason, it has been said, that there are few atheists on the deathbed. In our hearts, all of know that there is a God. We have to be taught that there is no God and we believe that teaching only if there are things in our lives that go against God’s laws, such as immorality, stealing, lying or anything else that brings guilt on us.

So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. Romans 5:18

Through Adam’s sin came death and condemnation to all men. However, through the righteousness of Jesus Christ came the gift of justification and life to all men.

For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:17

Jesus Christ is the only One who never sinned and did what was right in God’s eyes. He kept the entire Law of God and in obedience to the Father, Jesus Christ went to the cross for us. He took our sin and death on Himself in order to give us His life and righteousness.

For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. Romans 5:19

Jesus Christ was forsaken so that those who receive the gift of what He did on the cross for them, the gift of life, would never be forsaken. Forsaken means to be cut off from God’s presence and His love.

At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Mark 15:34

When Jesus Christ took our sin, He also took the death and condemnation that we deserved. God’s wrath was poured out on Jesus Christ when He was on the cross. God, the Father, turned His back on Jesus Christ. God, the Father, forsook Jesus Christ on the cross so that we would not be forsaken.

for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” Hebrews 13:5b

Jesus Christ was forsaken so that we would not be forsaken by God. Jesus Christ is the gift that God gave because He so loved the world.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16

The gift of Jesus Christ is available to all men and any who will believe in Jesus Christ and receive this gift of God will never be forsaken. This amazing love and promise is for whoever will believe in Him.

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, John 1:12

Those who receive Jesus Christ will never be forsaken and will live in His love for all eternity because God gives them the privilege and right of becoming His child. God restores what was lost in the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned. God restores the love relationship and sweet fellowship with God that He designed for man to have through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ paid the price for our sin with His own blood.

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. I John 3:1

It is not until we come to know God’s love that we can ever truly love someone else with this same kind of love that will not forsake or change. We are never more like God than when we love, for God is love and the one who loves is born of God and knows God.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. I John 4:7-9

If you want to find love and keep love in your life then you must find God. He allows Himself to be found by those who will seek Him with all of their heart. Seek Him and you will find Him. In finding God, you will find true love and the true love of God will never forsake you.

But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. Deuteronomy 4:29

The Results of a Great Life

Great lives are rare but when you are around a great life you often are aware of it and it has a profound effect on you. If you can’t be around a great life then read books and stories of great lives. You will always learn something and will be blessed, that is, if you want to become great in this life. The Lord tells us not to seek it but He does want us to seek to be more like Him and in doing so, we will live a great life.

Jeremiah 45:5a But you, are you seeking great things for yourself? Do not seek them;

Seek great things for God and for His glory and you will see Him. He does great things and wonders without number. When you see His greatness then you will worship Him.

Job 5:9 Who does great and unsearchable things,
Wonders without number.

Those who do truly great things will acknowledge that it is the Lord that has done these great things and that apart from Him they can do nothing great. The great things that God does are good and they are righteous and true.

Psalm 71:19 For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You?

The Lord’s lovingkindness and His truth go before Him. When we exhibit these qualities of Christ then we will see Him work and do even greater things. There is no revival apart from His Word, which is His truth, and His love. When we walk in the truth of the Lord and we love like He has loved us then we will be the salt and light that He has made us to be. Love without truth will mislead and truth without love will not lead. God’s work done in God’s way will change a life and will change a city and will change a nation. The results of a great life will be change for the good.

Psalm 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
Lovingkindness and truth go before You.

Often we don’t know and can not verbalize the truth and the same with love but when we see it then we recognize it and will sometimes say, “that is good”. Those who are great will exhibit love and truth and it will have a compounding ripple effect. There is something within us that wants to be good. Many people will say, “I am basically a good person” and when parents are asked about what they want for their children they will say that they want them to be good. Parents will praise their children for being good. We want to be good and we want those around us to be good.

Proverbs 27:19 As in water face reflects face,
So the heart of man reflects man.

When we see someone who is truly good then we want to be like them and we realize that we really are not very good at all. A great person will have a good heart because the Lord has given them a new heart and they have been faithful to nourish what the Lord has done in their heart. A person with a good heart will reflect our heart because their heart is pure. For this reason a person who has a corrupt heart will not reflect our heart but will rather deceive us and make us feel good about ourselves so that we will say, “I am not so bad after all”. The Lord tells us to stay away from people with a bad heart because they will ultimately corrupt us. Bad company corrupts good morals, as the Scripture tells us.

Luke 8:8 Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

A great life will have an honest and good heart. They will hold fast to the Lord through His Word and will do what it says. They will bear much fruit and that fruit in turn will bear more fruit.

Luke 8:15 But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.

The effects of a great life are very far reaching through many generations. Usually behind a great man is a great wife. Sometimes a great life is public and sometimes it is more in the background. Often a great mother will have great children and there is not much in life as influential and powerful as a great husband and a great wife who become parents and have children. Great parents will instill greatness in their children through seeing the greatness of God. Great parents will love God and His Word and will be characterized by their love for one another and their love for others.

Psalm 112:1-4 How blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
Who greatly delights in His commandments.
His descendants will be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in his house,
And his righteousness endures forever.
Light arises in the darkness for the upright;
He is gracious and compassionate and righteous.

How blessed is the person who learns to fear the Lord and who greatly delights in His Word. His children will be become great and will be blessed. True wealth and true riches are in his house and he will do what is right. He will have the light of Christ and will be a light to others. He will show love and truth in all that he does. This is what it means to be truly great.

 

 

A Life with Love Casts Out Fear

There is no comfort in fear. Fear can emotionally paralyze the one who has it. Fear can control us and ultimately destroy our mental well being. Fear comes from not knowing and not being in control and when life seems out of control we become anxious and fearful. Fear is not a part of God’s will for your life.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, I John 4:18a

The only cure for fear is when we will trust the One who is always in control and who loves us perfectly. We do not even love ourselves perfectly so we can not even trust ourselves. Nor do we have all power to control everything always so we are helpless and can not even help ourselves. There is only One who can ultimately help us and He is all loving and all powerful and we can trust Him. He is in control and is fully aware of everything that is going on in our lives. Nothing catches Him by surprise.

The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all. Psalm 103:19

The Lord can do whatever He pleases. He is the only One with that kind of power.

Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps. Psalm 135:6

The Lord loves you and He loves all of us. He does not show partiality.

For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe. Deuteronomy 10:17

His love is perfect and it is available to any who will call on Him. He is able, He will and He wants to deliver you from your fears.

And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Will be delivered; Joel 2:32a

The Lord will not only deliver you from your fears if you call on Him but He will save you. He will be your Savior in this world and for all eternity if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead.

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. Romans 10:9,10

He will never leave you nor forsake you if you call on Jesus Christ to save you.

for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. Hebrews 13:5b, 6a

He will replace your fear with His peace. There is not anything that can take His peace away from you.

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:27

To those who call on the Lord Jesus Christ to save them He will be their refuge and One whom they can go to any time and call on any time if they ever start feeling fearful again. He will deliver them from evil and their soul can find safety and shelter from the troubles of life.

For you have made the Lord, my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place.
No evil will befall you,
Nor will any plague come near your tent. Psalm 91:9,10

Those who call on the Lord Jesus Christ and put their trust in Him will not be disappointed.

For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:11-13

He is a present help in time of trouble. If this is a fearful and troubling time for you then maybe God has allowed this time so that you will realize that you need Jesus Christ in your life, not only for now, but for all time.

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

If you are weary of trying to make it on your own or if you are weary of carrying the burden of your fears and anxieties then come to Him. He invites all who are weary to come to Him. He is gentle and humble of heart and He understands your fears, anxieties and troubles and He loves you.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus Christ loves you and in His love your fears will be cast out and in Him you will find rest for your soul. He will be a present help in time of trouble and you will be able to take refuge in Him and be safe. He will give you His peace and nothing can take it away. He will never leave you. You will not be disappointed when you put your trust in Him.

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe. Proverbs 18:10

A Life with Characteristics of Greatness

There are certain character qualities that describe a person who is great. If you want to be great then don’t focus on being great rather focus on the discipline of your character. These characteristics described the life of Jesus Christ. He was not only God but He was fully man also. He laid aside His God powers and lived just like us, dependent on the Father in a life of faith in the Father. Jesus was full of faith. Another word for full of faith is faithful.

Hebrews 3:6 but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.

You can only be faithful if you are full of faith. Faith is what pleases the Lord and He allows our faith to grow through His Word.

Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

There is no greatness without faithfulness and no faithfulness without faith. You must grown strong in your faith. Faithfulness is obeying the Lord in everything that He commands us to do and exactly as He commands. If we do this then we will be doing according to what is in His heart and His soul.

I Samuel 2:35 But I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed always.

Faithfulness is related to walking before the Lord always. The person who the Lord makes great will have a consistent walk with the Lord. They will live and walk in His presence.

Proverbs 22:4 The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord
Are riches, honor and life.

The person who is humble before the Lord will be honored by the Lord. However, part of humility is not caring about what the world thinks of you so this person only desires the praise of God and does not seek or even want the praise of men. The humble person wants the praise and honor to go to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 2:3-8 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

The disciples argued about who was the greatest. They were just being honest because all of us to some degree are tempted to compare ourselves to others to see how we measure up. The truly humble people compare themselves to Jesus Christ and none of us measure up. Our humble and honest response will be “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Matthew 18:1-6 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

A truly great person will consider others more important than himself and will walk in humility and not be a stumbling block to others. This person will seek to serve rather than be served and will look to the Lord alone for praise, rather than to others. A great person will me misunderstood but their contentment will be in Christ alone. They will be characterized by faithfulness, obedience, humility and love towards others. The fruit of such a life will be that many will be blessed. A truly great life leaves a wonderful ripple effect where others want to be life him. It is the seeds of greatness in the lives of people that make a nation great. It is not prosperity or knowledge, rather these things lead to pride and arrogance. It is the knowledge love of the Holy One and living and teaching that to others that causes a family and a nation to be truly great. When a person or a nation returns to the Lord Jesus Christ then they are on their way to greatness and the world will be blessed.

 

A Life with Love has a Refuge

A refuge is a safe place where a person can feel secure. We all need a refuge. We need a refuge from the storms of life just as a person needs a refuge if they are caught in a physical storm. There is something very unsettling about being in a place that starts to shake during a hurricane or a very bad storm. The winds blow and howl and the rain seems never to stop. Often the storms seem worse during the night. The sounds can cause much fear and more than anything else the unknown can seem the worse. Not too many years ago there was not much warning when a hurricane was coming and people did not know how long it would last. The storms of life are kind of like that, we don’t know how long they will last or what will be the outcome. Storms can be frightening.

Trust in Him at all times, O people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Psalm 62:8

The Lord is the only One who can be a refuge for us at all times and at any time. We can trust in Him all of the time. He wants us to pour out our hearts to Him. He is a present help in time of trouble.

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

Since the Lord does not change and He loves us perfectly therefore He is the perfect refuge for us. Everything else in life will change but if God is our refuge then we do not need to fear. We do not need to fear the unknown or the changes. The Lord is a present help in time of trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Psalm 46:2,3

The Lord will cover you with His pinions and under His wings you seek refuge. Just as a mother bird will protect her babies so the Lord will protect those who take refuge in Him.

I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!”
For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper
And from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may seek refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. Psalm 91:2-4

The Lord can protect you from harm. His faithfulness is a shield and a bulwark. He is faithful to His Word. You can trust Him.

As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the Lord is tested; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. II Samuel 22:31

The Lord preserves those who take refuge in Him.

Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You. Psalm 16:1

Those who take refuge in the Lord will not be ashamed.

In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge; Let me never be ashamed; In Your righteousness deliver me. Psalm 31:1

The person who takes refuge in the Lord will see how great His goodness is that He has stored up for them.

How great is Your goodness, Which You have stored up for those who fear You, Which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You, Before the sons of men! Psalm 31:19

How blessed will be the one who takes refuge in the Lord.

O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Psalm 34:8

None of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned. He redeems them.

The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned. Psalm 34:22

The Lord wants us to hasten to Him and take refuge in Him. When the storm is coming it is important to hasten to the place of refuge.

I would hasten to my place of refuge from the stormy wind and tempest. Psalm 55:8

You will find that as you learn to take refuge in the Lord that you will want to sing of His love and His faithfulness. Your heart will overflow with joy. The storm will not last forever and those who took refuge in the Lord will have a testimony to share of the Lord and what He has done for them. Do you want to see the Lord and experience His love and faithfulness? Learn to go to Him rather than seek refuge in people or other “things”. He is the only sure refuge and you will be safe and secure.

But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength; Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning, For You have been my stronghold And a refuge in the day of my distress. Psalm 59:16

A Life that Becomes Great

You must be taught by One who is great if you want to become truly great. Since there is only One who is truly great when we are taught by Him then He will lead us into greatness.

Luke 6:40 A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.

You must learn to sit at the feet of Jesus everyday and allow Him to teach you His ways. When He speaks to you do what He says. He will speak to you through His Word and you will find that as you obey His teaching that He will teach you more.

Luke 16:10 He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.

Faithfulness is what is necessary to become great. Faithfulness in the little things will bring more truth so that you can learn faithfulness in the bigger things. Righteousness is doing what is right. We learn to do what is right by doing what Jesus teaches us. Yes, when we become a Christian we receive the righteousness of Christ, since He always did what was pleasing to God, but He also tell us to do righteousness that we might represent Him to the world.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

As you allow yourself to be taught by Him then you will learn to practice righteousness and will become more like Him. As you learn from Him then He will also lead you. You will see that as you follow Him that He will also teach you to be a servant, for Jesus came not to be served but to serve.

Matthew 20:26-28 It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

As you learn to follow Him and be led by Him then He will lead you into the good works that He prepared beforehand for you. He has made you unique and no one else can do what He has called you to do. He wants you to follow Him.

Matthew 4:19 And He *said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Follow Him and you will be His servant and you will see His kingdom built. Your cup of joy will overflow as you learn to walk in His ways, do righteousness, love kindness, do good to others and see Jesus and His glory.

John 12:26 If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

Do you want to become great? Then you must learn to become like the One who is truly great. Jesus came to serve and those who follow Him, He will lead and will teach them to serve. All of our service to others is an expression of our service to Jesus Christ. Whoever serves Jesus, the Father will honor him and he will become great like his Teacher, the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

A Life that is Made Great

We can not make ourselves great because there is nothing within us that is good. Greatness comes from doing good and doing what is right and teaching others also. However, there is One who is truly great and He is the One who makes great.

Psalm 18:35 You have also given me the shield of Your salvation,
And Your right hand upholds me;
And Your condescension makes me great.

The word “con” means with and the word “descend” means get down. When God came down to earth to be with men and show them the way of salvation then He made us great by lifting us up out of our despair and hopelessness. The Lord alone is great and He came to restore man to the greatness of being made in the image of God and being called a child of God.

Psalm 138:6 For though the Lord is exalted,
Yet He regards the lowly,
But the haughty He knows from afar.

The Lord has regard for the lowly. He comes to those who realize their desperate need for Him, not just to get them out of the mess they are in today, but for eternal salvation which begins today and continues into all eternity. He came down to lift us up.

John 3:13-15 No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.

What is the outcome of those who have been made great in this life and restored to a relationship with God? They will want to do good. Doing good works is the fruit of those who have been lifted up and made great.

Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Good works is what we were created for in Christ Jesus and even these we can not do apart from Him. He has gone before us and prepared them so that all we have to do is walk in them. When we walk with the Lord then He will lead us into these good works. For doing good works is what characterizes the person who has been made great.

 

 

A Life that is Great in Life

If you want to be the great among people here on earth then you must do what is right and teach others also to do what is right.

Matthew 5:19 Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

The Lord gave us His commandments so that we might learn to do good to others. If we keep His commandments then we will be doing right in life and the outcome will be good towards all who we come in contact with in this life. When we don’t keep His commandments then we are doing evil towards others and the result is that we bring grief to others. When we cause harm to others we are the least in God’s kingdom.

Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?

The Lord has told us how to do good and that is to treat others right and to do it with kindness and not grudgingly and to walk humbly with the Lord. The only way we can live this kind of life is by God’s grace. Grace comes through humbling ourselves before the Lord.

James 4:6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

The Lord meets the one who wants to do what is right. The word righteousness means doing what is right.

Isaiah 64:5a You meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness,
Who remembers You in Your ways.

Do you want to be great in life? Then learn to keep His commandments and teach others through your life, words and actions. The Lord will help you. He will meet you and give you His grace. Not only will He do these things for you but He will exalt you. You do not need to seek to exalt yourself. That is pride. Humble yourself before the Lord and seek to do what is right and He will life you up.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

There is none like the Lord. When He lifts you up then you will know that it is the Lord and He will be the One who ultimately is exalted for He alone is God.

Isaiah 64:4 For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear,
Nor has the eye seen a God besides You,
Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.

He alone is worthy of all honor and glory.

Revelation 4:11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”