Fear Not, 15

~ Joshua Again Was Given God’s Peace ~

God does not want His children living in fear.  “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:2-3). 

“Fear not,” or its equivalent, is recorded many times in Scripture—ALN will post one “fear not” each week during this calendar year. 

This Week’s Verse  ~  “Now the Lord said to Joshua: ‘Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai.  See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land” (Joshua 8:1). 

The Foundation Of Peace  ~  “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid” (Psalm 27:1). 

The Solution If You Lack Peace  ~  “Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble” (Psalm 119:165).  “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You” (Isaiah 26:3).  “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). 

Summary  ~  “No Christ = No Peace” versus “Know Christ = Know Peace”

~ 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/ .

Bible Answer, 11

~ Did You Get It Right?  ~   

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~~~~ bible answer ~~~~ 

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question 11:  Which Biblical character(s), other than Jesus Christ, does the Bible indicate lived their life without sin?

comments:  There is more behind this question than some may have supposed.  This question came about as a result of my being asked this question years ago by a well intentioned friend.  My immediate answer was “none.”  My questioner corrected me by saying, “The Bible does not ever mention any sin by Daniel.”  This reply bothered me, so I set out to prove him wrong by reading through the Book of Daniel one more time. 

answer:   It is true that no specific sin of Daniel is mentioned in the Book of Daniel.  However, we find Daniel confessing personal sin!  This confirms what we know to be doctrinally true that Daniel was a sinner.  The Bible does NOT indicate that any human being has lived their life without sin—other than the sinless Son of God!

Daniel said, “Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God” (Daniel 9:20). 

“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  

additional comment:   This post is in no way intended to diminish the life of Daniel.  On the contrary, we recognize that Daniel lived a life that was pleasing to God.  What an honor it would be if when the Spirit of God directed a summary of our life to be written did not record any specific sin!  At the same time we must realize that even Daniel possessed the fallen nature of Adam. 

~ 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/ .

Quote: Light or Dark?

~ It Is Not Always Straightforward ~ 

How Would You Have Answered My Young Daughter? 

The following is an excerpt from a book.

Will it be light or dark in Heaven?” asked my then five-year-old daughter Laura. It was evening and I had just tucked her into bed. As I sat on the edge of her bed she looked up with an inquisitive innocence that communicated to me that it was a serious question.

We had developed a little game at bedtime; I would ask Laura a question regarding the Bible, and she would provide the answer. It was, I thought, a good way to communicate some Christian truths in a natural way. One of the questions that she never missed was, “What three things that characterize God’s nature start with L?” Her response was always immediate, sure, and consistent, “God is love, God is light, and God is life.” Because I was sure that she knew these concepts well, it bothered me to have her now pose this question, which to me had such an obvious answer.

Calmly and methodically I began to help Laura discover the answer for herself. “Well, Honey,” I began, “what three things characterize the nature of God?” “But Dad,” she replied, “you know I know that! What I want to know is will it be light or dark in Heaven?” “Well, Laura, what do you think?” “Dad!” her exasperated soft voice replied. As much as I didn’t want to give in and spoon-feed her the answer, I replied, “Honey, since God IS light, don’t you suppose it will be very, very light in heaven?”

Laura appeared to be deep in thought for a few seconds and then came her reply, “I thought it would be very, very, dark so that we would be able to see Him better!” I must admit I like her concept better than my own, and to this day when reflecting back on that moment I feel a lump in my throat.

Throughout the Bible we find man pictured as being in darkness—actually more literally “as darkness”—or spiritually blind. Those who have discovered and acted upon the truth of Jesus Christ as the Son of God are pictured oppositely as in the light—literally “as light”—with spiritual sight.

As we begin our study of parallels between sunlight and Sonlight, consider the apparent paradox: it is physically harmful to look directly at the sun, but spiritually necessary to look to the Son for direction and salvation (Numbers 21:8, John 3:14).

As a flower moves itself to face the sun, we should keep our focus on the Son. A.W. Tozer put it this way, “God made us to be like planets. Around and around they go, held together by the magnetic attraction of the sun.”

May you always keep the Son in your eyes!

~ from “GOD LIGHT: Sunlight - Sonlight, pgs 23-24 (ISBN: 0-7414-7553-7)              

Learn more about this important book at Amazon, the Publisher, or the Author’s website.

~ 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/ .