diaryofadaughterofgod

[diaryofadaughterofgod]

1 Corinthians 9:22

‘’To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.’‘

This verse is so beautiful. It really shows the depth to which Paul went to in order to fulfil the great commission. 

commission =  an instruction, command, or role given to a person or group.

the great commission is the the last instruction Jesus gave to us before he died=

Matthew 28:19-20 : Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Paul emphasises boldness and ‘Anadeia’ which is a Greek word for ‘shamelessness’. He noted that he is made ALL things to all men. This means that what he was doing in order to save people may not have been ‘him’ or it may not have been a characteristic of his. for example many people say that preaching and teaching is not for them however we know that preaching is a way that saves people (1 Corinthians 1:21) and so they have to do it for the souls that will be saved!

This really motivated me today because it made me realise that I have to develop shamelessness. It’s so easy seeing people doing a lot of things in order to save people e.g. preaching on the street, posting all about Jesus on social media, being peculiar and different from the rest of the world because of Jesus and its so easy to say ‘oh no, ill leave that for other people to do, its not really me’. However this verse shows that we have to be more like Paul in terms of becoming weak to save the weak, becoming like others in order to relate to them to ultimately save them! Becoming and doing things that may not seem like ‘you’ simply for the gospel! 

I remember in church, my pastor said that its a good thing when people cant guess your temperament and I’m now realising why. You’re not meant to be so stuck in your ways that people can guess what you will do next; you’re meant to mould your character for the gospel! you’re meant to mould your character in order to gain souls. 

Mark 8:35:

‘’For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it."

[diaryofadaughterofgod]

Psalm 23:1-6

The John 10 of the old testament. 

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

When the Lord is your shepherd you will not lack anything. Mark 9:23- anything you believe is possible. 

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

still waters= waters of rest; lie = relax, recline, be placed, be positioned. The places God leads you is meant to bring you peace. God will not lead you to places of trouble. Jeremiah 29:11

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Just like the Lord, we should lead our sheep. We must always be ahead of them. We must Lead them into righteousness = goodness, for his names sake= to demonstrate the character of God. We are all being led by something, when we show ourselves we should be reflecting Jesus/The lord. 

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

The holy spirit comforts us (John 14:26). Whenever we go through seasons of darkness we need to remember that God is with us! The same way that we must be there for our sheep when they are going through hard times. 

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

In the presence of enemies, God fights our battles whilst still making sure we are fed with blessings upon blessings. Like the lord, we must learn to fight out own battles without it interfering with way we take care of our sheep, or without neglecting the sheep. 

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Theres always a space for you in the house of the Lord. Gods Goodness and Mercy will not run out or will never stop following us. When we backslide God is there. With our sheep we must always let them know that you are there for them regardless of whether they are backsliding or not. God always has a space for us. Just like the prodigal son; The lord is happy when we come back to him! 

[diaryofadaughterofgod]

Luke 6:38

‘’Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.’‘

I have known this verse for as long as I can remember. But I’ve never really dissected it. Whenever you give, you will receive something back. Your gift will be given to you in good measure (fully), pressed down, shaken together = to  make room for more - The amount you give will determine the amount you give back. Sometimes we worry about tithing and giving offering or lending money to a friend in need but we need to remember that God always gives you just enough. We can complain that we don't have any money but somehow we never go fully dry, because God is sufficient. 

When Jesus fed the 5000 With the 5 loaves and 2 fishes it seemed impossible, but somehow it was just enough! Jesus said thanks to God (John 6:11) before he gave out the bread and the fish and this shows his gratefulness even though he had a lack of food. We need to give thanks to God through our offerings and realise that he will sustain us. Giving offering and tithes shows that we have faith in God and that we believe he will sustain us! 

[diaryofadaughterofgod]

Psalm 68:19

‘’Blessed be the LORD, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.’’

Daily = day-day

loadeth = lay something on 

benefit = well-being, advantage, assistance, reward, profit, comfort, ease, blessing

The fact we are alive today should make us realise that God is the one keeping us alive. This verse makes me realise that God is prepared to load us with blessings on a daily basis. It made me automatically think of Luke 9:23 ‘ And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me’’. Sometimes we expect so many things from God but we don't do anything back? we are selfish. We are created unto good works not just to sit down and keep salvation to ourselves (Ephesians 2:8-10). we need to learn how to  obey God and expect the daily blessings rather than obey our feelings and sin but still expect blessings then blame the bad things on God...

[diaryofadaughterofgod]

2 Corinthians 11:3

‘’But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ’’

Beguiled = deceived

subtilty = craftiness 

simplicity =  straightforwardness, easiness, clarity, directness, lack of complication, effortlessness, simpleness. 

This verse shows how Paul was scared that his new converts would be deceived by the devil just like Eve was. The fact that Christ is described as simple means that it is fact the devil that makes things difficult. One way we see Christ as simple is from when we can be born again simply by believing and confessing (Romans 10:9-10). The reason we can be born again is so simple aswell; because God so loved the world! Simply because of God’s Love (John 3:16). The devil puts ideas in your head that make you think that being a Christian is ‘long’ and ‘hard’ and makes you question God, when in  reality there is simplicity in Christ. whenever you start to question things and start to over deep God just remember that there is ‘simplicity’ in Christ. Don't be deceived like Eve.

It shows that the devil attacks your minds! Which is why in Romans 12:2 we see the notion that we should renew our minds. How can we renew our minds? Another word for renew is refurnish/make over/ remodel. When you refurnish a house it means you replace the old furniture with the new. Meaning that with our minds we need to remove the old ideas/thoughts/knowledge and put new knowledge. Reading the bible, listening to messages, reading Christian books etc will allow the holy spirit to refurnish our minds. 

[diaryofadaughterofgod]

John 4:41

‘’And many more believed because of his own word;’‘..

Chapter 4 of John speaks about Jesus and the Samaritan woman. We see how Jesus offers her a solution to her suffering - water - but not the normal water that she was collecting from the well but rather water that he gives … his word. This is when she then believed he was the messiah and went out to call people to Christ. It says that many believed in Jesus because of the woman but many more believed because of his own word. This verse is beautiful and it made me realise that we can really force to evangelise with our own words and with our own testimonies, however the ultimate thing that will quench the thirst of people is not them just believing in us but rather the word of God. MANY MORE believed because of his OWN WORD. The word of God is a powerful tool that brings the increase in born again Christians. It reflects the importance of hearing the word (John 6:63). God is the  one that brings the increase, we cannot do anything without him, (Ezekiel 36:37). 

[diaryofadaughterofgod]

Leviticus 10:1

‘’ And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. ‘‘

Wow. This verse got me thinking so much about obeying God. God did not command the sons of Aaron to offer them anything else other than what he commanded them. But rather they offered strange fire before the lord. Strange is defined as unusual, unfamiliar, mysterious, puzzling. Obedience is better than sacrifice. why do we always come to God with our vessels filled with strange things? We are the vessels and we are supposed to offer ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). so when we come to God with issues caused by not obeying God its strange... He turns away from us when we sin... and so sometimes when we are far from God we need to analyse ourselves and see what we are filling ourselves with? what are we coming to God with? Is the answer to our problems simply obedience?? 

[diaryofadaughterofgod]

Leviticus 6:13

‘’The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out’‘

Thank you Jesus, for your fire that burns continuously for my sacrifices. Thank you Jesus for loving me so much that for 24 hours , every day, I am able to come and ask for forgiveness with no consequence. Your fire burns continuously to remind me that every day I am able to take up my cross and that everyday I should be sacrificing. Forgive me for not presenting myself as a living sacrifice; for not allowing my fire to burn for others, for not being zealous every minute of every day just like you deserve. Help me to be a priest that helps you to keep the fire burning for others. The fire must never go out. I love you so much. Thank you Jesus.