Showing posts with label Learn of God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Learn of God. Show all posts

Monday, September 16, 2024

True peace

Those who love your teachings will find true peace. Nothing can make them fall. (Psalm 119:165)

True peace is different from what the world offers through its various self-help, or self-care. We might 'retreat' to the mountains, take a beach trip, or just veg on the back patio for the weekend, but all the 'self-care' won't restore our soul as much as Christ will when we lean into him. Some will proport that if you find something within yourself that brings you joy, that joy will burn out the pain in life. I suggest that if your joy is found in Christ and him alone, your pain will be 'burned out' by his healing touch and nothing else!

Fall in love with the teachings contained in God's Word and you are well underway toward finding true and lasting peace. It is the peace that isn't found in circumstances, but in his presence. Nothing can make a man or woman of God fall - although the temptation still remains to compromise. That temptation doesn't 'make' you fall - it lures you in wherever you are the weakest. Satan's ploy from the very beginning of time was to exploit the weaknesses of the individual. Shore up those weak areas, not through self-care or self-actualization, but through the blood of Christ!

We learn to love the teachings of God the more we are willing to trust what he says. The Word of God can be relied upon - God even challenges us to 'test the spirits' and see what is true (I John 4:1). God never tells us to latch onto some scripture just because it agrees with an opinion we hold. We may think some scripture is hard to comprehend - even wanting to avoid it all together because we simply cannot make sense of it. ALL scripture is God-breathed and 'good' - even the 'hard stuff'. We might just need to ask God to help us understand it, learn the context of it, and find a good study that guides us into deeper understanding.

The Word of God brings peace - even when it brings conviction. That may seem like a contradictory statement to some, but God's Word always produces the best in us, even when it brings us to a place of repentance. Whenever God uses his Word to bring an 'end' to something in our lives, he is simply bringing us to the place where we will find the new beginning we so desperately need. In turn, we are renewed, reenergized, and recommitted to the pursuit of holiness. Just sayin!

Friday, April 12, 2024

Logos

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. (John 1:1-5)

Did you know the word "Word" (logos) meant more than 'word' in the Greek language. It also carried the idea of divine reason, mind, wisdom, principle, and message. When John uses 'logos' in this passage, he was indicating all things divine were inherent in Christ - none more important than that he brought the message of salvation for all of mankind!

Stop for a moment to consider why John used this form of the word 'logos' to describe Jesus. Perhaps it was because words are what makes up communication - they are what allows the passage of ideas from one person to another. It could be that John's intent was to show us that Jesus is the way that God communicates with mankind. Jesus is that 'go-between' much like words between you and me. He is the mediator between God and us. 

Jesus’ life is God’s way of communicating truth and life to us. If you want to know about God, perhaps the Book of John is a good place to begin. Within its pages, we can actually study Jesus’ life. In essence, John is telling us that Jesus is God’s sermon to us. Studying the book of John is not just about learning of the person of Jesus. It is a direct window into the mind, purposes, and plans of God.

In other words, knowing Jesus (learning from him) is how we come to know our heavenly Father. God's life and character are reflected in all Jesus did and said on this earth. We learn through him. The message is inherent in the person - Jesus. Hear it and believe. Then watch all of heaven open up before you as God reveals himself more and more. Just suggestin...