The Lord God Will Reveal Himself

"I'm not a bad person.  I never killed anyone."

How many of you have heard something like that from someone?  And the next thing said is, "So why do I need a savior?"

This could explain why Jesus said the tax collectors and prostitutes enter the Kingdom of God before the Pharisees, that is, before the law-abiding people.  If one doesn't know he or she needs a savior, needs Jesus, that person is going to be content just to live a life of self-fulfillment.

But God...

But the Lord God loves people too much to let them drift along like that, without any awareness of their peril.  He will reveal Himself, whether they like it or not, even more so if you are praying for them.  And you may recall what happened to Saul/Paul, how he was knocked to the ground and heard Jesus' loving confrontation.  The believers were praying intensely!  (Acts 9)

He'll do that with your loved ones, too.  Because He loves them!

Larry Carroll

By Your Fruits

Matthew 7

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

16 You will know them by their fruits.

...

20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not ... done many wonders in Your name?’

...

23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

So, "many wonderful works" in Jesus' name are not the fruits Jesus is talking about.  Then what could they be?

We get more than a good clue from Galatians 5:

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

These elements of this fruit come to us when we welcome in the Holy Spirit, when we invite Jesus into our inner-most being, to save us and to shepherd us.

Note: Don't compare yourself to anyone else, whether you see fruit or not.  This is just between you and the Lord God.  Discernment comes later.

Larry Carroll

Psalm 150

Psalm 150 with my notes in parentheses.

1 Praise the LORD!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!

(Praise Him - where. Everywhere. You can't get away from praising Him. I hope you don't want to get away from praising Him. That He is everywhere is a good thing, isn't it?)

2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!

(Praise Him - why. For what He does and for who He is. What He does is overwhelming and who He is is also overwhelming. That's a good thing, too, isn't it? )

3 Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

(Praise Him - how. I suppose you can praise Him quietly, too, but don't despise the noise of others.)

6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!

(Praise Him - who. Everything that has breath. Well, I have breath, so this includes me. Hallelujah!!)

Praise the LORD!

ESV version

And when? Rejoice in the LORD always...

Larry Carroll

Be Content With Such Things As You Have

 

Hebrews 13 verse 5

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Hmmm, let's see.  Let's work it backward.

OK, I know Jesus said He will never leave us or forsake us.  I know He is true to His word, and I know by my experience over the decades that He has always been with me.

Therefore, for this reason, I can be content with such things as I have, since I have Him.  And that contentment is based on the fact that I have, and will always have, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and all the promises of God.  And that's huge!

And therefore, since I have this assurance of complete contentment, I have no reason to be covetous. 

Well, it works for me... when I am aware of His presence (and enjoying it) and am not distracted by the world, the flesh, or the devil.

Well, LORD, am I aware of your presence right now, or am I too intent on getting the wording of this post just right?  Jesus, save!

Larry Carroll

Spirit to spirit

 

How do you describe color to a blind-from-birth person?  You can't.  Right?

Well, how does the Lord God describe things of the spirit to a natural-from-birth person?  That is, to us?  Good news, He can!  What is impossible with man is possible with God.

First Corinthians chapter 2 declares there is hidden wisdom, the wisdom of God, a mystery. (verse 7)

And in verse 9 it expands it to this, quoting from Isaiah:

"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

Adding, "But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit." (verse 10)

God has revealed things to us which our natural senses have no power to comprehend!  And He will continue to reveal them to us!  That's really good news!  Yes, what is impossible with man is possible with God!

But how?  Spirit to spirit!  His Spirit to our spirit.  Hallelujah!

OK, truth be told, we will start by seeing in the Spirit dimly.  But we will grow, we will see more fully as His grace enables us to exercise our faith.

How does this all start?  ASK.  Ask the Lord God to reveal Himself to you.  He wants to.

Larry Carroll 

DAILY

 

I was reading the scripture yesterday and this word jumped out at me: "DAILY"

The Lord God is not stingy with His blessings!  They do not come just once in a while!  Look!  His blessings are constant, as is He!

Psalm 68 verse 19

(English Standard Version)

Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation.

(New King James Version)

Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation!

How did Jesus demonstrate it?  He healed everyone who came to Him!

Acts 10 verse 38

(English Standard Version)

...how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

And Jesus is with us now!

Hebrews 13 verse 8

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

Do you need Him now?  Don't be afraid to approach Him and ask for His touch, His hand, His blessing!  He already has given you His love!

ASK!

Larry Carroll

Romans 7

Many people know, at least sorta know, that the last half of Romans chapter 7 describes a person, even a good person, as trapped in a place where that person can't do what that person wants to do.  Sin makes him/her powerless.

Verse 19 "For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice."  Alas!

However, the first six verses of Romans chapter 7 describes a marriage that is terminated by the death of one of the two spouses, and says this is how it is, or can be, with us.  [And who is us?  It could be you.]  We are not hopelessly trapped in doing what we do not want to do.  How?

Verse 6 "But now we have been delivered from the law [and from the sinful nature], having died to what we were held by so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter."

Then Romans chapter 8 picks it up again, and in it, we all rejoice at our freedom in Christ Jesus.

Does this describe you?  Are you free from all that oppresses, from the law, from the curse of the law, from religion, from that which makes you do what you do not want to do?

Chapter 8 starts out this way and describes how we are delivered:

The NewLivingTranslation says it this way:

1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body, God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son [Jesus] as a sacrifice for our sins. 

The NewKingJamesVersion says it this way:

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son [Jesus] in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,   [The word "flesh" here refers to our sinful nature.]

That's how we are set free.  God does it; He rescues us!  

Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!  He is the savior!  He will set you free from the bondage of sin and self!  He starts the process of setting you free!  And usually starts off with a bang!

Your part is to say "Thank you!  I need this!  I need you, Jesus.  Please set me free!  Thank you, Father God!"

Larry Carroll

Holiness

Holiness - it's a wonderful thing.  It's pure, it's clean, it's beautiful.

Psalm 29:2 tells us to "Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness."

The Lord God can clean you up, make you holy, make you beautiful. And He wants to.  Let Him do it.

 Admit to Him that you really need Him, the only one who can bring you to holiness, to purity. to cleanliness, to real beauty - in Jesus.

Hallelujah!

Larry Carroll

A Glow You Can't Hide

 

Moses, as he came down the mountain from the 40 days in God's presence, had a glow he couldn't hide. So, for others' sake, he put a bag over his head.

In Second Corinthians 2:14-16, we have a fragrance for the same reason - we have been in the presence of the LORD for a significant amount of time.

And we can't hide it.

Second Corinthians 2:14-16:

14.  Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 

15.  For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.

16.  To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? 

And we can't fake it.

Some people are happy with us when we diffuse the sweet smelling fragrance of LIFE all around.  But some people don't like it and want us to "put a bag over our heads".  Or maybe they'll bag our heads for us.  But even with a bag over our heads, we'll still smell sweet.

One speaker whom I respect added Psalm 23:6 here:

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever!

It is so worth the price, being in the presence of the LORD. Psalm 16:11 says "In His presence is fullness of joy!"

And we don't have to go up a mountain to be in His presence, He came down the mountain to be with us continually. And He said He would never leave us or forsake us.

Jesus! Hallelujah!

Blessings,

Larry Carroll

The Lord God is generous

 

The Lord God is generous with those who are generous.

It says so in Luke chapter 6 verse 38.

Read it in its context.

This is Jesus Christ talking here.

Blessings,

Larry Carroll