How far is the East from the West?

Psalm 103 (New Living Translation)
A psalm of David.

Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.

Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me.
He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.
He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

The LORD gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly.
He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel.
The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.
He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.

For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.

Sidebar:
How far is the east from the west?

Picture the globe. If you were located at any point on the globe and then began to travel in a northerly direction, eventually you would round the north pole and then be traveling south. Likewise, if you were located at any point on the globe and then began to travel in a southerly direction, eventually you would round the south pole and then be traveling north.

However, if you were located at any point on the globe and then began to travel in a westerly direction, you could continue in that westerly direction for infinity. At no point in that journey would you be traveling east. Likewise, if you were located at any point on the globe and then began to travel in a easterly direction, you could continue in that easterly direction for infinity. At no point in that journey would you be traveling west.

East does not meet West and West does not meet East!

And so it is with our sin. No matter where you are on the globe, once you accept Jesus Christ as being the Son of God and confess him to be the Lord, you can leave your sin right there, head in the opposite direction, and never have to cross that path of sin again!

Now back to the passage:

The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.

For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.
Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die.

The wind blows, and we are gone—as though we had never been here.

But the love of the LORD remains forever with those who fear him.
His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments!

The LORD has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything.
Praise the LORD, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. Yes, praise the LORD, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will!

Praise the LORD, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom.
Let all that I am praise the LORD.

Do Not Love This World

1 John 2:15-17 (New Living Translation)

"Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. "


This is a pretty simple lesson here. John tells us that one of the ways we can tell that we have the love of the Father in us, is by the lack of desire or love for the things that the world has to offer. Paradoxically, if you love the things that this world has to offer then you do not have the love of the Father in you.

This isn’t saying that God doesn’t love you. According to Romans chapter 8, beginning in verse 35, nothing can separate us from the love of God. But what this verse is saying that if you are going after fancy cars, huge houses, constantly seeking physical pleasure, coveting the things that others have, trying to store up treasures here on this earth then you have not received the full portion of God’s love that he wants to give you. It’s just not in you. For when you are filled with the kind of love that comes only from God, giving that love to others is all that is important to you. The “things” of this world will no longer matter.

Friends, I can honestly say that I speak here from experience. I started making pretty good money back when I was 17. Then by the time I was 26 I owned my own business. I spent many years chasing after the things of the world and putting almost all of my attention on money. What I now know that I was lacking was love from the Father, therefore, love towards anyone else. This was a formula for disaster and this formula most definitely proved to be true. Here is a link to my testimony for any of you who care to see just how true that formula ended up being.

But now, Praise God, after seeking God diligently for a few years and renewing my mind to who I am in Christ, I can say that today I am filled with the love of the Father. I could care less about anything that this world has to offer. It’s all fading away, and in the long run, in the grand scheme of things, means absolutely nothing.

See, I have been at both ends of the spectrum. I have had much and I have had little. I have been miserable in both situations. But now that I let the love of God flow through me, I find that I can be quite content in either scenario. Paul said this same thing in Philippians chapter 4, verses 10-12. Check this out:

“How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little”. (NLT)


There are several other scriptures that come to mind and I feel like I could talk about this for hours. But here is my point: Are you tired of chasing after goals that seem impossible to reach? Have you reached certain steps on that company ladder only to find out that they are not nearly as fulfilling as you had hoped they would be? Are you happy running in the rat race that the world pressures you into? Did you know that whoever wins the rat race is just the greatest rat! Is that the title you are shooting for? My advice, spend some time with the Father. Begin to let his love flow into your heart. Renew your mind to his word and I believe you will find a brand new life for yourself. One that is filled with love, peace, joy, contentment, abundance, self-control, happiness and hope!

I am out of time but thanks for stopping by. Feel free to leave your comments!

Michael

The Wisdom of God

1 Corinthians 1:18-31 (New Living Translation)

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.

As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”


So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength. Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made Him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; He made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the LORD.”


What is the Power of God? Well, according to this passage it is” the message of the cross”. Paul states this emphatically in the Book of Romans. Check out these scriptures found in chapter 1, verse 16.

"For I am not ashamed of this “Good News about Christ”. It is the “power of God” at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. "

The good news about Christ is that he died for us but was raised from the dead. He now pleads with God on our behalf. It Seems foolish to most people. But to those of us who believe it is the “very power of God” at work within us. Jesus became wisdom for us. He is our wisdom. It is in Him and Him alone that we are made right with God.

I used to be the kind of person that always had to figure everything out. I could not believe in something unless I could see it, touch it, feel it and understand all the intricacies of how it worked. I used to be the guy saying “God, if you are real then send me a sign. Strike me with lightning. Let me hear audible answer to my prayers, anything! Well, according to this word, this train of thought is foolishness. How can we expect that an almighty, all-knowing, ever present God, the creator of everything we can and cannot see operate on the same level as us? That’s foolishness. Check out what he says in Isaiah 55, verses 8 & 9.

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”


Once I just let go of trying to operate in my own wisdom and opened my heart to the truth about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, my need to understand everything turned to an attitude of trust, belief and faith. Once you do this, God begins to reveal things to you that you could have never concluded in your own thinking. The Spirit Himself will reveal to you things that are unknown and the great mysteries of life.

Friends, today I encourage you to put your trust in the Good News. The Gospel of Christ. It is Power! It is Wisdom! It is Life! Choose it Today!


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