God Attribute, 93

~ God Punishes ~

 

This Series  ~  This series of posts looks at some of the many attributes of God.  Generally, we move in alphabetical order.

 

Introduction  ~  There is coming a day when God will punish those who never received the free salvation offered to them through the sacrificial death of His Son Jesus Christ.

 

Scripture  ~  “And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:12-15).

 

Comment  ~  God does not punish His believing children for their sins.

 

“For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:11-12).

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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Bible Question, 113

~ Test Your Bible Knowledge ~

 

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~~~~ bible question ~~~~ 

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question:  What are the two great commandments that Christians are to adhere to?

 

Please provide your answer in the comments below!

 

The answer will be provided in a future blog.

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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Traits Of A Godly Person, 13of13

~ A Person Of God Is Spiritually Mature ~

 

Series Note  ~  There are many qualities which God desires in His children.  In this series we will briefly cover a few of the major ones.

 

Scripture  ~  “But solid food belongs to those who are of full [spiritual] age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14).

 

“But concerning Apollos our brother, I encouraged him greatly to come to you with the brethren; and it was not at all his desire to come now, but he will come when he has opportunity.

 

“Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.  Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:12-14 nasu).

 

“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.  Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

 

“Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.  Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind” (Philippians 3:12-16).

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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In Jesus We Have… , 41

~ In Jesus We Have Eternal Life, 6 ~

 

Introduction ~ In this series we look at a few of the verses which state what we have when we are “in Christ.”  Consider our series theme verse: 

 

“God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:4-10).

 

Currently we are posting some of the many verses which talk about eternal life?

 

What is your definition of “eternal”?

 

Scripture ~ “Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’

 

“So Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.  You know the commandments: “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not bear false witness,” “Honor your father and your mother”.’  

 

“And he said, ‘All these things I have kept from my youth.’

 

“So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, ‘You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’

 

“But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich” (Luke 18:18-23).

 

Comment ~ I like to consider one-word descriptions of the Bible.  There are many but my favorite is “forgiveness.” 

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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Satan in Matthew 4, 5of9

~ Satan Is Deceitful ~

 

Series Note:  Matthew 4 is a well-known chapter which gives an account of Satan tempting Jesus Christ in the wilderness.  There has been a lot written and discussed regarding these three temptations (the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life). 

 

While the study of Matthew 4 is a rich study regarding our Savior Jesus Christ it also allows us to have insight into some of Satan’s abilities and actions.  This series contains nine examples which make it clear that Satan is a real personality. 

 

Scripture ~ Notice how Satan quotes Scripture but leaves out part of the passage.

 

“Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.  For it is written: “He shall give His angels charge over you,” and, “In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone”’” (Matthew 4:5-6). 

 

Comment ~ Satan was quoting Psalm 91:11-12, but he skipped part of the passage which reads:

 

“For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.  In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone” (Psalm 91:11-12).  Notice Satan’s omission in his quote. 

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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Fool Characteristics, 32

 ~ Fools Deserve Punishment ~

 

Series Note  ~  In this series we look at some of the passages in the Book of Proverbs – wise sayings that are generally true – that describe a fool from God’s perspective.  Some may surprise you. 

 

Chapter Note  ~  Eleven of the first twelve verses of Proverbs 26 contain a comment about fools (only verse 2 does not).

 

Scripture  ~  “Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow, so a curse without cause shall not alight.  A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the fool’s back” (Proverbs 26:2-3).  

 

Important Truth  ~  “The fool has said in his heart, ‘there is no God’” (Psalm 53:1a).

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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Satan in Matthew 4, 8of9

~ Satan Expects A Payoff ~

 

Series Note:  Matthew 4 is a well-known chapter which gives an account of Satan tempting Jesus Christ in the wilderness.  There has been a lot written and discussed regarding these three temptations (the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life). 

 

While the study of Matthew 4 is a rich study regarding our Savior Jesus Christ it also allows us to have insight into some of Satan’s abilities and actions.  This series contains nine examples which make it clear that Satan is a real personality. 

 

Scripture ~ “Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me’ (Matthew 4:8-9).

 

Comment ~ Obeying Satan always comes with a cost!  Obeying Christ also comes with a cost.  The key is choosing who you will obey.

 

Joshua understood the implications of who a person chooses to serve.

 

"Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt.  Serve the Lord!  And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.  But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:14-15).

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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Newness In Christ, 3

~ A New Person ~

 

Scripture  ~  “But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:20-24).

 

Comment  ~  The new life we receive as a result of being born again (spiritual life) is the seed towards a whole new person including their personality, temperament, and so forth.  While with their physical life they received natural talents now with spiritual life they are graciously given spiritual gifts.

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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God Attribute, 92

~ Provider ~

 

This Series  ~  This series of posts looks at some of the many attributes of God.  Generally, we move in alphabetical order.

 

Introduction  ~  God provides for both our physical and mental needs.

 

Scripture  ~  Physical:

 

Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

 

“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

 

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:25-34).

 

Mental:

 

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5-6).

 

Comment  ~  Jesus does ask us to ask Him for our needs. “He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread”’” (Luke 11:2-3).

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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Behind The Scenes

 ~ History In The Making ~

 

Question ~ Which writer of the Bible was truly unique from the others and how would you describe him?

 

Answer ~ “For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’  And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:17-21 kjv). 

Our conclusion then is that the most important author of the Bible was the first known ghost writer.

 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

 

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