7 At All Times

 ~ A Christian’s Checklist of Continuous Responsibilities ~

Praise At All Times  ~  “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together” (Psalm 34:1-3).  

Trust At All Times  ~  “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us” (Psalm 62:5-8). 

Righteousness At All Times  ~  “Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can declare all His praise? Blessed are those who keep justice, and he who does righteousness at all times!” (Psalm106:2-3).   

Longing At All Times  ~  “Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live and keep Your Word. Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law. I am a stranger in the earth; do not hide Your commandments from me. My soul breaks with longing for Your judgments at all times. You rebuke the proud—the cursed, who stray from Your commandments. Remove from me reproach and contempt, for I have kept Your testimonies. Princes also sit and speak against me, but Your servant meditates on Your statutes. Your testimonies also are my delight and my counselors” (Psalm 119:17-24).  

Friendship At All Times  ~  “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (Proverbs 17:17).   

Zeal At All Times  ~  “It is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you” (Galatians 4:18).   

Peace At All Times  ~  “May the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all” (2 Thessalonians 3:16).    

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

* * * * *

Jesus Is…, 57

~ Jesus Christ Is Our Righteousness ~

Passage  ~  “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God — and righteousness and sanctification and redemption — that, as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him glory in the Lord’” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31).

Significance  ~  Those who are Christians are seen by God as covered with His Son’s righteousness.  When God the Father looks at a believer He sees the righteousness of Jesus Christ totally enveloping His child.  The critical aspect of this to know, remember, and praise God for is that the Christian did nothing to earn his or her position in the family of God.  All other religions in the world have a significant aspect of earning salvation through doing some things.  In contrast Christianity tells the truth that man cannot earn anything with God, but the Good News is that Christ has paid all the penalty and salvation is done—accomplished!  The only requirement is to accept the free gift which God offers you!

Comment  ~  It may be helpful to compare two theological terms.

JUSTICE – The attribute of God that reveals His hatred of sin. 

RIGHTEOUSNESS – The attribute of God that reveals His love of holiness.

the key question:  “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15).  This is the most important question you will ever answer.  If you do not answer it, or answer it incorrectly, you have made the biggest mistake anyone can make!

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

Messiah, 209

~ Messiah Would Wear the Breastplate of Righteousness ~

“Search the Scriptures—they testify of Me.”

— Jesus Christ (John 5:39)

The Scripture

“He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him.  For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak” (Isaiah 59:16-17).

The Messiah  

“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27).  Christians are told, “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness” (Ephesians 6:14b).

~~~ EXPLANATORY “MESSIAH” NOTES ~~~   

(1)  Each Saturday ALN posts an example of a Hebrew Scriptures prophecy (or foreshadowing) related to the coming Messiah which was fulfilled in the birth, life, death, or resurrection of Jesus Christ.

(2)  While extensive it will not be a complete list—there are hundreds of prophecies of the coming Messiah which have been fulfilled by one man—Jesus Christ at His First Coming.

(3)  It is important that there are many more prophecies of the Messiah, yet unfulfilled, which Christians believe will be fulfilled at the time of His Second Coming.  A particularly relevant Scripture verse in this regard is: “Do not despise prophesies” (1 Thessalonians 5:20).

(4)  These posts will typically consist only of Scripture—which speaks for itself.  Sometimes italicized or bold font will be used by ALN for emphasis.

(5)  The numbering of these fulfilled prophecies of the Messiah is used to differentiate individual posts. It is not chronological (either by time of the prophecy or by sequence in the life of the Messiah).  The posting sequence will, for the most part, be in the order that the prophecies appear in Scripture.

(6)  Because of the chosen methodology (#5 above) we will find many specific prophecies repeated multiple times throughout the Scriptures.

(7)  These serial posts are in addition to our regular Tuesday ALN postings on random topics.

(8)  Subscription to ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog is simple—just use the link on the left sidebar.  Once subscribed you will not miss future posts.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .