Knowing the Word of God

"Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. Joshua 1:7 NKJV (emphasis mine)

I was listening to a sermon by Dr David Jeremiah on Turning Point last night, and was struck anew as to the importance of knowing the Word of God. Over and over again in this first chapter of Joshua, God instructs Joshua to know the Word, and all His commands, so that he keeps them all his days, and never strays from them.

Not only does God instruct Joshua to know the Word of God, so that he does not stray, but He also instructs him to always speak of it, no matter the circumstance.

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." Joshua 1:8 NKJV (emphasis mine)

Now, though the "Book of the law" that is being described here, is only the first five books of the what is now the Bible, we should be aware that it now applies to the whole of the Word.

Not only are we to never stop speaking the Words of our Lord, and His commands, but we are to teach them to all we come into contact with, especially our family members. This was part of the "Book of the law" that Joshua was to have meditated on always:

"You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. " Deuteronomy 6:7-9 NKJV

I feel convicted today, that I have not been doing this nearly enough. Though I do witness, to some degree, I do not meditate on His Word, ALL the time. My every conversation is not about the Lord and His commands, as it should be. Can you imagine what life would be like, if we could- and would do this, as we ought? There would be a lot less confusion, and division in the Church, today if we did, I think. Also, there would be a lot less hypocrites giving Christ a bad name, if we did. It would also be patently obvious to anyone that we are followers of Christ. There would never be any question. Talk about being Salt and Light!

What excuses do we use, to not make Christ the center of our every day lives. Is our Lord central and the MOST important part of our lives? Or is our relationship to Him, more of a distant acquaintance, than the personal, close relationship He wants with us? I shall be meditating on this today. How about you? Blessings to you!

There is no "MORE" to this post.

Christian/ Muslim What's the Difference? by Shalene

Have you ever wondered just what it is that separates the Islamic religion from Christianity? I have; especially lately. I have been wondering about this lately, because I have a friend that is Christian, but her husband is Muslim. We were talking one day about the difficulties that presents for their marriage. I cannot begin to fathom having a mixed- belief marriage, and one that seems so at odds with one another. So I have been doing some research on the subject. I still am, by far, quite ignorant about the Muslim religion, but here are some things I have learned.

I learned a while back that the origins of both "races"- Jews and Muslims came from the same man. Father Abraham. That the Jews were, as we know descended from Isaac. And the Muslims (Meccans) were descended from Ishmael. What makes this so interesting to me, is that I place myself in the proverbial shoes of Ishmael, and think about his lot in life. For thirteen years, he is thought of as the heir to all the promises that were for Abram's descendents. Can you imagine, how it must have felt to know that though he was the first born, he was not the heir after all, and in fact was to later be banished from his father's household? The bible does give us some of this story in Genesis 21:9-10,14-16. I cannot imagine such a thing, except through the narrative that the bible provides. I cannot imagine such a sense of rejection, maybe? And perhaps abandonment? But whatever Ishmael felt, we know very little about it, for certain. I just find that interesting.

Now we all know that Christianity is an offshoot of Judaism. That in fact the Messiah was part of their promise first, and then for the Gentiles was it given as well. Now when you look back, you might begin to see the beginnings of the enmity between the Jewish people and the people would later become what we call Muslims.

I've also wondered just what the Qur'an says about Jesus. I had heard that some say he was "just a prophet" no higher than Muhammad himself. Muhammad was the founder of modern day Islam. He was born 1400 years ago (approx 600 yrs after Jesus.) He was a very righteous man and believed that Allah (God) had revealed the Torah and the gospels. He had learned of both the Jewish books, and the Christian bible. (All the letters, etc. had been canonized by now.)

"ALLAH is HE besides Whom there is none worthy of worship, the Living, the Self-Subsisting and All-Sustaining. HE has sent down to thee the Book containing the truth and fulfilling that which precedes it; and HE has sent down the Torah (Law of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guidance to the people; and HE has sent down the Discrimination (judgement between right and wrong)." -- Qur'an, Surah 3:3-4

I have learned recently that the struggle with Muslims to believe in Jesus as the Messiah comes from, perhaps, some misinterpretation of their own Qur'an.

"Thereupon she pointed to him. They said, 'How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?' Jesus said, 'I am a servant of ALLAH. HE has given me the Book, and has made me a Prophet; 'And HE has made me blessed wheresoever I may be, and has enjoined upon me Prayer and almsgiving so long as I live; 'And HE has made me dutiful towards my mother, and has not made me arrogant and graceless; 'And peace was on me the day I was born, and peace will be on me the day I shall die, and the day I shall be raised up to life again.' That was Jesus, son of Mary. This is a statement of the truth concerning which they entertain doubt." -- Qur'an, Surah 19:30-35

In calling Jesus a messenger, Muhammad was also correct. He did not mean that Jesus was not the Messiah. Muhammad knew that one could be a messenger and not be a Messiah… but as The Messiah, one is also a messenger.

Jesus was both a messenger and The Messiah that Allah had promised! What is a Messiah? A Messiah is always known as "a Saviour… a liberator and a deliverer." God had promised to send one (Messiah) to pay the debt of sin for all mankind. Excerpt from ChristianAnswers.net

Now, how to witness to Muslims with this information? As of yet, I do not know, but I will be praying on this. I do not think it is in my calling to minister to Muslim men, as that would not bode well, I think, considering their cultural views of women, but I will be praying about how I can continue to minister to my Christian friends that are married to Muslim men. Please pray with me. Any Muslims reading this, please see Surah 3:38-48 regarding who Jesus was for you, as well as for me.

--Lord, I pray for discernment from You. That You may give me the words and the wisdom to know how to use them. I pray for my friend and the marriage that is blessed by You, despite the seemingly difference in beliefs. I pray these things in Jesus' Holy Name, Amen.

Picture of Qur'an from http://www.aldunya.net/
Picture of Holy Bible from http://www.uxbridgenazarene.com/Bible.jpg

The Blind Leading the Blind by Shalene

Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after. 1 Timothy 5:24 KJV

This scripture is referencing the choosing of the Pastors and Ministers in the church. Why do I mention this today you ask? I mention this today because of something I learned yesterday. I found out yesterday, first hand, how easy it is to become an ordained minister! Yes, I'm now ordained. Does that mean anything? NO! (And if any of you start calling me pastor or minister, you will really offend me.)

The thing that concerns me is not that pretty much anyone can become ordained, but that too many of us believe that if a person holds a title of ordained minister, pastor, or evangelist, that they must really know their stuff. And we follow them blindly because of it. Today, I hope to shatter that notion!

Let me be clear here. I am not anti-pastor, anti-minister, or anti-evangelist. What I am is anti-ignorance of HIS Holy Word. (Yes, I know none of those things are real words, but let's pretend for a moment shall we?) How many of you, like me, assumed that to be a pastor or to hold the title of minister, you needed some kind of schooling? That's what scares me! I am frightened for all those souls that are following someone that claims to be one of these; thinking that they are somehow more qualified to teach the Word of God- based solely on their title! This is not always the case.

I am aware that there ARE learned men and women that preach the true Word of God, and these esteemed people are most definitely qualified to do so. They also have my utmost respect. But there are some that claim to be learned and do not preach what is true.

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John,and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13 KJV

It's true that anyone can minister, if they but know the Word of God. And anyone can know the Word of God, by reading and studying it. You must ask yourself, though, anytime that you choose to follow the teachings of anyone: have they "been with Jesus"? Test what they say, test their claims. Do not blindly follow them! I exhort all of you, do not blindly follow me either. I am no one. I only follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, and am inspired by Him alone. But test all that I say as well. Know for yourself the Truth! We have become a society that does not recognize a fraud because we don't know one when it is staring us in the face. Get into the Word, and you too shall know the Truth.

I happen to belong to a wonderful institutional church, and am not telling anyone that they should abandon their church. What I am saying is that everyone one of the teachers within your church, if you belong to one, should be willing that you question them on their theology and their teaching, and it should fall in line with what the bible says. I, for one, believe the Bible to be the final authoritative, only infallible Word of God. Do you??

--Lord, I pray today that those reading these words will see that Your Name is to be glorified above all others in every teaching. I pray that they will learn the Truth of their own reading of Your Holy Word, and that they will not blindly follow the blind. I pray that Your Name has been glorified by my words, and that you continue to use me to reach others. I pray this in Jesus' Holy Name. Amen.