#psalm 25:14

[jesus-is-lord-and-savior]

The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.

(Psalm 25:14, ESV)

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion

Devotional for February 18th

The LORD is a friend to those who fear him.        He teaches them his covenant. — Psalm 25:14

Insight

“The LORD is a friend to those who fear him.” God offers intimate and lasting friendship to those who revere him, who hold him in highest honor.

Challenge

What relationship could ever compare with having the Lord of all creation for a friend? Your everlasting friendship with God will grow as you revere him.

© 2010 by Tyndale House Publishers

[mt1820today]

Do you have a listening ear?

Photo by Enoch Patro on Pexels.com “When we hear God’s truth being spoken or even sung, are we willing to ask God the question “what must I do?” with an open heart and a listening ear? Psalm 25:14 says, “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him…” He whispers the glorious secrets of His kingdom to us when our hearts are postured to hear Him.” ErIc & Leslie Ludy

[aspirant1598]

[walkswithmyfather]

1. “The Lord gives wisdom. Knowledge and understanding come from his mouth.” —Proverbs 2:6 (NIRV)

2. “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” —Isaiah 40:29 (NIV)

3. “This is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.” —Psalm 48:14 (ESV)

4. “Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” —Psalm 25:5 (NIV)

5. “I will make you into a great nation. And I will bless you. I will make your name great. You will be a blessing to others.”—Genesis 12:2 (NIRV)

“Dear God, I thank you for the week that is ahead. I know you will be with me every step of the way. Please give me strength, wisdom and guidance. Help me to be a blessing to others as you are to me. Amen!” 🙏

[coptorthodox]

The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant. Psalms 25:14

[graceandpeacejoanne]

Happy Thanksgiving

The invitation to feast with God is there, every year, but I think the feasting, and God’s desire to gladden our hearts, and by the way, God’s anticipation of being blessed by us, too, goes beyond just thanking God for all the things that feel good.

Setting aside a time of thanksgiving once a year is an ancient tradition for many people groups, including the Hebrew tribes. Before they entered the Land of Promise, God instructed them on the several festivals they were to keep each year, including a day of feasting at the Lord’s table soon after the year’s first harvest. In the wilderness, everyone daily ate at God’s table, as manna from…

[bojackson54]

The Best News About the Past is That It's Really a Present

If there is anything to be learned from history, it’s that we should learn from the past. George Santayana famously said, “Men who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” So history can be educational, but there is another observation about the past that we should remember: we can’t live there… The Apostle Paul put it this way: “Brethren, I do not count myself yet to have…

[bookkats]

Narrative Lectionary, Year 2, Lent 6

March 24th, Lent 6Mark 11:1-11 Triumphal EntryMark 14:3-9 woman anoints JesusPsalm 118:25-29 Kneeling with ChristThe Promise of a New Kin-domBreaking [A World Beyond] Capitalism Lent 6 : Anointed King by a Serving, Simple Woman or Throw him a parade instead of serving the poor, humans never change–Love and Serve the Lord, Jesus wants sacrifice of praise through loving and serving one another…

[banishedchildofeve]

♡.‧₊˚ Bible verses to remind you of your worth :

౨ৎ Psalm 139:13-14 : “For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; yours works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

౨ৎ Hebrews 13:6 : “So we say with confidence, ‘the Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?’”

౨ৎ Jeremiah 29:11 : “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’”

౨ৎ Proverbs 31:25 : “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.”

౨ৎ 1 Timothy 4:12 : “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

౨ৎ Deuteronomy 31:8 : “the Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.”

౨ৎ Jeremiah 17:7 : “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.”

౨ৎ Philippians 4:13 : “I can do all through him who gives me strength.”

౨ৎ Philippians 4:6-7 : “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ.”

₊⋆·˚ ⁀➴ ༉‧₊˚. ₊ ⊹ 𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✧˚ .

[jesus-is-lord-and-savior]

The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.

(Psalm 25:14, ESV)

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

A Golden Treasury for the Children of God

by Carl Heinrich von Bogatzky (1690-1774)

Devotional for November 25th

The sword of the Lord and Gideon - Judges 7:20

For they are bread for us; their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us; fear them not. - Numbers 14:9

But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and has followed, me fully, him will I bring into the land, whereunto he went - Numbers 14:24

Surely the wrath of men shall praise thee - Psalm 76:10

Take care, O my soul, that there may also be another, namely, a kingly spirit with thee, as there was with Joshua and Caleb; not to be discouraged on account of my weakness and great numbers of frailties and enemies, as if it was impossible to live only, and get the victory. Behold Christ, the true and great Joshua and Caleb, marches out before thee, to make war himself against thine enemies, and who can conquer him? He is unchangeable, his spirit now is as mighty as ever, and his sword as powerful, and sharper than a two-edged sword. Against thy various infirmities he offers also a variety of divine strength, and against each of thine enemies he holds forth to thee a particular sword in his word; and abiding in his word thou shalt surely conquer. Though the enemy should raise thine inward and outward calamities, to the highest degree, as so many strong wails, yet he must fall; one single word will strike him down.

Not all that tyrants think or say. With rage and lightning in their eyes, Nor hell shall fright my heart away, Should hell with all its legions rise.

[aestariiwilderness]

Abortion is Murder & Unbiblical

The Bible does not use the word abortion. How could it? The term itself as a procedure wasn't invented yet! However, the Bible does cover: 

Humanity's inherent value and rights as (uniquely among creation) made in the image of God

Murder

Child/infant murder as something abhorrent to God

Life's beginnings, indirectly (although that also has biological support) 

Legal ramifications of killing a child in the womb 

How God sees and interacts with children in the womb 

How we as His followers are meant to treat children 

What He expects us to do for the defenseless and vulnerable (i.e., the most defenseless and vulnerable human imaginable is the one in the womb) 

And how the question of following Him and His Word is what makes or breaks the difference between a Christian and someone who claims the name but is tragically unsaved  Below are some verses and some additional explication (partial credit: @glowsticks-and-jesus)  

Proverbs 31:8 

Luke 1:44 

2nd Kings 17:17 

Jeremiah 19:5 

Genesis 9:6 

Exodus 21:22-25 

Matthew 7:20 - 23 

John 15:14 

1st John 1:5-10, 2:3-6 

Exodus 20:13 

Mark 10:13-15 Leviticus 20:3-5 (https://biblehub.com/hebrew/mizzaro_2233.htm) 

Matthew 18:10, 14

Psalm 22:10

Jacob & Esau, John the Baptist, Samson, etc. 

Judges 16:17  Glowsticks-and-Jesus Collection:

"Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.'"Jeremiah 1:4-5

"The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name."Isaiah 49:1

John the Baptist leaped in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary greeted her cousin (Luke 1:39-45), an example that babies in utero are responsive human beings already aware of the outside world.

The righteous Hebrew midwives at the time of Moses pleased God by saving babies deemed unworthy of life by the authorities of their day (Ex. 1:15-21).

 As an additional note -- these references are included above, but worth a second mention -- it's plain that child sacrifice - child murder - is something that God abhors and explicitly does not command. I'd look here (https://biblehub.com/jeremiah/19-5.htm) and here (https://biblehub.com/2_kings/17-17.htm) and check out the cross-references as well. Likewise, there is direct support for laws against murder and the protection of the unborn (up to capital punishment) in the Bible (Genesis 9:6; Exodus 21:22-25  -- an additional reference here included about the common misunderstanding of the latter verses: https://www.str.org/w/what-exodus-21-22-says-about-abortion).

In summary -- it's possible (although, I believe, it does deprive its proponents of a foundational basis for the value of life) to be both secular and anti-abortion. But it is not possible for a Christian who truly understands their faith, their God, and His Word to be pro-abortion.

[banana-with-a-bow-tie]

is being gay/trans REALLY a sin? Is being attracted to the same sex/wanting to dress as the gender you feel you should be really all that bad to christians? Why do christians care what people do with their own lives to the point that they tell them it’s “sin”

I'm seeing three questions here. 1. What is sin? 2. How do we know something is a sin? 3. Why do Christians care if people sin?

What is a sin?

In order to understand what sin is you need to understand who God is. God is good. He does not just possess good or desirable qualities. He is good. The word "good" comes directly from the word God because God is the very standard of what it means for something to be good. We can say things like flowers and sunsets and sharing are good because they are based on God who is the source of everything good (James 1:17).

God is also our Creator. He designed us according to His perfect goodness so that we could be like Him and walk in His good ways (Psalm 25:8; Hebrews 12:10). God would be unloving to create the world and not follow His goodness.

Sin, then, is our rebellion against God and His goodness. When Adam and Eve first sinned, they were tempted with the idea that they could be like God and decide what is good and evil for themselves. They wanted to be able to say, "God is not king, I am king. God's ways are not good, my desires are good."

This is a lie from the father of lies. Satan wants us to believe that if I just do whatever I think is best then I will find true goodness and satisfaction, but all it does is lead us further and further away from true goodness which comes from communion with God (Psalm 34:10).

2. How do we know something is a sin?

When Adam and Eve sinned, our communion with God died. We all like sheep went astray and turned aside to our own ways. (Isaiah 53:6). We stopped listening to God's loving care and instead started following our hearts, but our hearts are deceitful and wicked beyond understanding (Jeremiah 17:9).

We cannot listen to our attractions or our feelings because we are attracted to and find pleasure in things that God declares are evil, things that are contrary to His good design. If people did not find pleasure in things like cheating on your spouse or stealing, then they would never do it. They are drawn into wrongdoing by their own wicked desires (James 1:14).

But God is still good. He has not left us without a witness. He has given a conscience to people who are hostile to Him so that even they can recognize when their desires are not good. We all know inherently that lying is bad, that pride is bad, that fighting and anger are bad, because God has hidden His law in our hearts (Romans 2:15).

However, because we have deceitful rebellious hearts, we try to justify ourselves and explain it away and muffle the conscience so it can't bother us any more, like searing your hand with a hot iron so it can't feel anything (1 Timothy 4:2).

The only way we can know something is sinful is by God giving us new life and enabling us to trust in the goodness of His Word again. We can know with certainty that all sexual desire outside of marriage is sin because God told us it defies His character and people do it because they want to rebel against Him, so God gives them what they want (Romans 1:24-25).

3. Why do Christians care if people sin?

Ray Comfort tells a story about a man who hated homosexuals. There was a broken elevator in his building with a sign on it that said "DANGER! OUT OF ORDER!" The hateful man saw two lesbians approaching the elevator so he took the sign down so they would use it and fall to their deaths.

God has given us a clear warning in Scripture that following your heart is dangerous. It's like an addictive drug, numbing your mind with pleasure so you don't realize it's killing you. If someone you loved was overdosing in front of you, you wouldn't say "whatever man, live your truth." You would shake them awake so they could see what is happening to them and try to get them help. If I believe that God's warning is telling the truth, the most unloving and hateful thing I can do is not tell anyone about it. Woe to me if I see judgment coming and don't tell anyone how to be saved (Ezekiel 33:6)!

Christians aren't trying to control you or force you to follow their personal preferences. Some people who profess Christ do that, but mostly we have met a God who loves us, who saw us hurtling in a downward spiral of guilt and shame and earning eternal punishment for our crimes against Him, and choosing to show us forgiveness in an unfathomably kind way.

Every single one of us has disobeyed God and tried to take His place on the throne. We all stand guilty before God not just for things like murder or homosexuality, but for lying and envy and idolatry. We have broken God's laws and because He is good, He cannot leave evil unpunished. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Every single one of us dies because it is what we have earned for ourselves. We deserve for God to give us His wrath and anger for waging war against Him (Romans 1:18).

But God is rich in mercy and abounding in love even to those who hate Him. We owe God a righteous life, but none of us are righteous, so God decided to wipe away our debt by living the perfect life for us. God became a man, Jesus, lived a perfect life, then died on a cross, taking the wrath of God we deserved, then rose again on the third day, proving that the price had been paid, then He ascended to God's right hand to offer Himself as the reason people can stand before God as righteous.

God does not delight in the death of the wicked. He does not want you to keep trying to find your identity in yourself. He wants you to know Him and His love for you. He wants to wipe away your sin and make you white as snow. What you need to do is confess your sin to God, which means to agree that you are guilty of rebellion against Him and that He is truly Lord, and you must believe that He will forgive your sin and give you eternal life because of what Jesus did for you on the cross. God is faithful and just to forgive the sin of anyone who asks Him (1 John 1:9)

I care about what you do with your life because I love you and because God loves you, just like a Father loves His children and wants what is best for them. I don't want you to miss out on the amazing gift of grace God is offering to you. Don't let Satan keep deceiving you. He promises you peace but all he can give you is death. Every promise of God will always come true (Titus 1:2)

[heavenlymorals]

Biblical References in the RDR Games: Part 2

You guys seemed to LOVE my original biblical references post for Red Dead so I am here to post some more because there are SO MANY. And like before, I am aware that some of these may be complete reaches, but it's my blog and I do what I want 🙃

Enjoy babes ❤️

@headersandheelers @secretcheesecakenacho Since you guys wanted to get tagged ❤️🤭

Arthur and Dutch mirror Moses and Pharaoh in chapter six. Arthur begs Dutch to let his "chosen" go, who are the people who he believes have a chance in living without the baggage of the gang (the women and John and his family). Dutch refuses to let them go, which creates the biggest conflict in chapter 6.

Arthur kicking out Strauss gives me heavy Matthew 21:12-14. Basically, Jesus kicks out loan sharks and sellers from a temple designated as a house of worship where people can be helped. Their presence destroyed the sanctity and the purity of the temple. Both the gang and the temple existed originally to help folks, but the presence of people like loan sharks destroy that original mission. So yes, Arthur kicking out Strauss is a parallel to Jesus kicking out the loan sharks from the temple.

The color for high honor is blue while the color for low honor is red. Blue in the bible is very often associated with heaven and God. Red in the bible represents the flesh that humans are trapped in during their time on earth, which can then correlate back to sin and violent.

Micah was a prophet in the bible who is most known for predicting the fall Jerusalem. Micah in the game also predicts the fall of the gang in the sense that he was the one who caused it. The name Micah also means he who is like God, so the irony is kinda funny.

John being able to see the cracks in the gang before many of the other characters could very well be a reference to this passage: "For you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you Free" - John 8:32. Abigail in RDR also says this which is a reference to this passage: "You knew the truth, John. And they hated you for it."

Just another passage that reminds of Arthur's redemption and the whole searching for peace thing: "Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it" Psalm 34:14

The mission "A Fisher of Men" is a reference to Matthew 4:18-20. "While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him." Of course, beyond just the action of fishing with Jack, this is also a parallel to Arthur's empathetic yet still firm style of talking to Jack. "It's about time you earned your keep." "You got to stick at things, Jack."

The mission "The Sheep and the Goats." In Matthew 25:31-46, it describes how God will separate people in two groups. The "sheep" will inherit heaven and the "goats" will be damned. You can connect that to the gang as well. The sheep are the ones who leave Dutch while the goats stay with him and become damned or a shameful version of who they once were.

Also note in the epilogue how John says he doesn't like goats and chooses sheep as the first animals to raise on his ranch. That could also connect to Matthew 25:31-46.

The mission name "Do Not Seek Absolution" is really interesting to me because it's the first biblical mission name that could either be a reference to scripture, which I'm thinking Deuteronomy 12:13 in the sense that one shouldn't offer their praise or worship to false gods who won't answer prayers (think Arthur and Dutch and how Arthur was still following Dutch after the gang lost it's original image) or a rejection ofa the Christian mindset of the time. Absolution is the idea of the promise of having your sins forgiven by God. It might be saying that Arthur should try to redeem himself by his action towards the person rather than his guilt towards a higher power.

Molly getting burnt rather than having a funeral is less a biblical detail but more a cultural detail. Though cremation wasn't really condemned in the Bible, the passages about being buried in the ground or in tombs was the people's standards in how they wanted their dead body to be handled due to religious reasoning. Whether or not Molly is Protestant or culturally Catholic (I lean the latter), the fact that Grimshaw asks for her body to be burnt just adds so much more weight to how cruelly traitors of the gang were dealt with

Love this stuff sm