Honest God Truth

 “And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”” ‭‭Job‬ ‭28‬:‭28‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Fear of the Lord  and turning away from evil are acts of faith in God.  Fearing God's punishment by staying away from evil is a correct way of love and honoring God.  Jesus said if you love me you will keep my commandments.  Turning away from evil toward the Lord shows our faith in him who will satisfy our soul and protect us from the evil of sin.  Lord may we trust in you more today.  Amen

 “my lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will not utter deceit.” ‭‭Job‬ ‭27‬:‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬ The more you know God the more holy you desire to become.  When sin loses its temptation and love and mercy are your fruit you know that your joy comes from God's presence in your heart.  Lord fill me more with your Holy Spirit so I may glorify you.  Praise you Jesus.  Amen

 “But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does.” ‭‭Job‬ ‭23‬:‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬ God is in control of this world and we know that he sent Jesus to die for our sins.  Since he loves us so much when we go through trials of many kind we count it as joy for we can trust in the Lord.  Help us Jesus to trust in you more.  Amen

 ““Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you. Receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart.” ‭‭Job‬ ‭22‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭ESV‬‬ God is in control of all things and if we know that he loves us then we can be at peace with the position of our life.  Lord help me to learn from the good times and the difficult ones that you are trust worthy and I can praise you always.  Praise you Jesus.  Amen

““Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭9‬:‭42‬-‭43‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Jesus is our Savior and closest friend who died for us.  Yet he teaches the consequences of sin and its evil results without his forgiveness.  God is a holy, righteous, just being that hates sin.  If we want to love and please him we must run from sins temptations and do whatever we can to cling to the grace and mercy of God.  Lord help us to realize how terrible sin really is and flee it with all our strength.  Praise you Jesus!  Amen  

 “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!” ‭‭Job‬ ‭19‬:‭25‬-‭27‬ ‭ESV‬‬ These verses declare the resurrection of the body when Jesus returns in glory.  This is amazing that back in the Old Testament God gives us hope for eternal salvation through the Lord.  Amazing grace how sweet a sound that saved a sinner like me.  Amen

 “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭38‬-‭39‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Paul was sure and he wants us also to be sure that God loves us through Jesus our Lord.  God's love is stronger than any trial or temptation in all the world.  The only requirement is that it is through his Son our Lord and Savior Jesus.  Jesus must be our Savior to remove our sins and our Lord which we obey.  God's love is the greatest gift we can receive and with that truth we must trust and obey Jesus.  Lord give us ears to hear these words and the Spirit to obey.  Praise you Lord.  Amen

 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬-‭30‬ ‭ESV‬‬ These verses are so well known we may take them for granted!  How sad, since they give us complete hope and peace if we truly believe that they are true.  If we are called by God to love him then God will do everything for us to present us to Himself glorified.  Satan will tempt us with doubt and lure us with temporary pleasures but because God is on our side we will overcome and be with the Lord forever!   Lord let, us with confidence in you, let your light  so shine that the world may see you in our lives and give you...

 “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭13‬-‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬ The process of justification to glorification is the long traveled down path to holiness called sanctification.  It is our life of being a Christian.  It starts with the Holy Spirit opening our hearts and mind to believe the gospel.  The great news is that the Holy Spirit never leaves us and will lead us on the path of righteousness if we choose to look to Jesus for everything we need and want.  The more we see and love Jesus the less sin's desires grip us into temptation.  Sinful desires begin to die and we find joy and peace in Jesus even in difficult times.  Lord thank you for th...

 “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭7‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭ESV‬‬ We are born again with a new set of desires to love and please God when we believe Jesus died for our sins.  Yet we continue to have sinful desires to please our selfishness.  The battle continues as we learn to die to these sinful desires everyday.  The Holy Spirit is available to overcome these sinful desires yet our selfishness is strong at times.  Lord give us the desire to love and please you so we will overcome evil and rejoice in the light of your love and grace.  Praise you Jesus.  Amen

 “Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭20‬:‭20‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Fear is a strong motivation to obey.  Love comes from the understanding that what you want and need gives you great joy.  Fear therefore has at least to motivators, one fear of punishment and two fear of losing what you love.  The great news is that both motivators are found in God.  Lord Jesus help us to fear and love you more today.  Amen

 “But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.”” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭5‬:‭36‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Fear of a loss often destroys our joy.  Jesus said to Jairus do not fear but only believe in me.  He came to Jesus asking him to heal his daughter and learned that his daughter died.  Jairius 's fear came true,  the death of his daughter.  But Jesus overcame death and gives life to everyone who believes on him.  Fear is conquered by faith in the Son of God who takes away the cause of death which is sin.  Praise you Jesus.  Amen

 “Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬ One instrument we often have difficulty with using righteously is our mouth.  We use it to eat, drink, breathe and speak.  And Jesus said it's not what we put into it that corrupts us but what comes out of it lets us know how righteous and holy we have become.  Do we occupy most of our time thinking what we put in it more than what we say with it?  Kindness often comes from words of comfort, love and hope.  Lord help our mouths be used to bring love, joy, peace and holiness to everyone we meet.  For  you said out of heart the mouth speaks.  Praise you Jesus.  Amen

 “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭7‬:‭21‬, ‭23‬ ‭ESV‬‬ We need to check our heart to see if evil is present.  Evil is anything that goes against God's word.  Evil doubts God's love for us by giving us directions and rules that allow us to have a close relationship with God the source of all joy and peace.  Evil tells God he is not enough for me, I need more to satisfy my desires.  Lord forgive me of my evil thoughts and give me the grace to desire you more than anything.  Praise you Jesus.  Amen

 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭21‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Before Jesus a spotless lamb was sacrificed for the sins of the person.  This was done over and over for the lamb died.  But when Jesus the perfect Lamb of God was sacrificed on the cross for our sins he died and rose again and we received his righteousness by believing he did that for us.  We love him because he first loved us.  We can't do anything but receive his grace of forgiveness and share his love with others.  What a remarkable truth in which we live.  Praise you Jesus.  Amen

 “And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭6‬:‭56‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Do we treat Jesus like these people seemed to do?  Use Jesus for what we can get from him and not realize that he is Lord of all.  What can we ask of Jesus that he didn't already give us?  When we understand that the gift of the Holy Spirit means that God is with us!  There is nothing else that we will ever need.  If God is with us who can separate us from ultimate love? Praise you Jesus for sending the Holy Spirit to us.  Amen 

 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Why did Jesus die for us, because he loved us.  If someone loves you but you don't feel it or experience something positive does it really matter?  I think for us who have believed for a while  "what have you done for me lately thoughts" can be troublesome.  We think to highly of ourselves and not realize that the gift of the Holy Spirit is always with us.  Lord keep us humbly to have eyes to see and hearts to feel your love everyday even when we question your love.   Praise you Jesus

 “But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” ‭‭Job‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬ ‭ESV‬‬ God is holy, just, loving, and full of mercy.  We can know that in all things God is good.  When bad things happen to us we must stay close to the Lord for in a storm he is our only sure safety.  In times of trouble we must believe God is working ultimately for our good.  Lord Jesus help us to trust you in the bad times.  Praise you Jesus.  Amen

 “and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Hope needs to be strong when we go thru trials.  If we hope in something that is false our hope is useless.  But because our hope is in God's love for us we will not be put to shame for hoping for something that is not true.  We have the Holy Spirit living in us to give us unshakable hope and we only know it is true when we go through trials.  Let us praise Jesus for all things that give us assurance of the hope we have in Jesus.  Amen

 “But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.”” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭5‬:‭36‬ ‭ESV‬‬ This statement do not fear, only believe is the source of all joyful life.  The future is the unknown that all mankind thinks about.  We try to control the future with many things but we can't know because we life in the present.  Jesus came to show us that God determines the future and if you love, obey and believe in him, the fear of the future is gone.  Lord Jesus help us to trust in you today and tomorrow.  Amen

 “Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life.” ‭‭Job‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Jesus has risen from the dead.  The act that changed the world because everything he said and did was verified when he rose.  Jesus is everything he claimed to be Lord, Savior and God.  Life is not as important than knowing Jesus because you can't stay alive without knowing him.  Job knew something about God's love to trust him with his life.  Satan didn't plan that Jesus would rise from the dead!  Thank you Lord Jesus for everything.  Amen

 “Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”” ‭‭Job‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭ESV‬‬ If we really believe that the Lord Jesus is God and is in control of all things then the most important thing we can due is fall down and worship him.  Anything we receive that we enjoy is pure grace because the only thing we deserve is wrath for we are sinners.  Oh the mercy and grace of the Lord Jesus to us who believe in the truth of the gospel of Jesus.  All praise to you Lord God.  Amen

 “And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.”” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬ This scene is a picture of what will happen when Jesus returns again to set up his kingdom on earth.  Even the demons will come and bow down before him.  We are so blessed to know the Lord now and receive his mercy and blessing of eternal life.  Lord Jesus thank you for your word that teaches us of your greatness, love and mercy that you graciously give us now.  Yet when you return your wrath and justice will be established forever.  Come soon Lord Jesus.  Amen

 “Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.” ‭‭Job‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭ESV‬‬ The fear of the Lord allowed Job to receive a bounty of blessings.  We will see even when his bounty is taken away Job still feared God.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom may mean without fear of God wisdom cannot even begin.  So to understand our life and all the circumstances we face we must start with the belief that the Lord God must be feared before anything can make sense.  Lord Jesus we know you love us help us to know that we must first fear you then we can receive your love.  Amen

 “And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭4‬:‭39‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Jesus performed many miracles mostly of healing people for they show his love for people.  All of his miracles proved that he has control over all creation from the smallest virus to a great wind storm.  He is also God of all angels, demons and anything in the spiritual world.  Through out the history of the church the Holy Spirit has healed many people but the stopping of wind and walking on water happened to prove that Jesus is Lord over all things.  Jesus help us to worship and praise you today.  Amen

 “And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”” ‭‭Job‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬ How does fearing God and turning away from evil work together to become a blameless person?  To fear God is to recognize that he is sovereign, in control of all things and when he gives a command there is a negative consequence for breaking it.  God's command is to hate evil and to say away from its temptations.  The longer you live fearing God and staying away from evil your life is full with God's blessings and you learn to love God.  Jesus said if you love me you will keep my commandments because you will know the blessings of obeying God.  Lord help us trust and obey so we will receive your blessings.  Amen 

 “And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light.” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭4‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Jesus is the light of the world and he has come to reveal the condition of mankind's heart.  Every thought, word and deed will be judged by him.  When we see and recognize Jesus for being Lord and Judge of all we fall on our knees in humility  and ask for mercy.  Then amazingly Jesus gives us forgiveness by dying for our sins.  By his blood we are healed and become justified.  Lord Jesus have mercy on me a sinner.  Praise you Lord God. Amen

 “But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭4‬:‭20‬ ‭ESV‬‬ We believers who produce fruit of the Holy Spirit hear the words of God and accept them as true. So Jesus is telling us that we must hear and accept what he said and did to be fruitful.  If we are sons and daughters of God then we trust and obey Him even when we don't understand.  Lord help us accept your truth found in the Bible.  Amen

 “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.” ‭‭Job‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬ This verse tells us God is in control of all things in the universe and that includes Satan.  All the good and evil the Lord is over all of it.  There is no way of allowing God a way out of what we call bad.  God is always good and always does his will perfectly.  What we must learn is to trust him in all things especially when we don't understand or like it.  Lord help us to trust you today.  Amen

 ““Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭3‬:‭28‬-‭30‬ ‭ESV‬‬ This extremely important teaching of Jesus speaks to all those who reject the gospel of His forgiveness of sin.  Without believing that Jesus is fully God and fully man who came from heaven to die on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead to give us his righteousness, then we will spend eternity in hell.  Just like Israel if they did not paint blood on the door post in Egypt, the angel of death would have killed their first born son instead of passing over them.  There is only one way to be saved it is by the blood of the perfect Lamb of God.  Praise you Lord Jesus.  Amen

 “And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.” ‭‭Job‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬ A wise father knows and cares for his children even when the become adults.  Job knew that feasts are times when sin can enter into the heart and sin brings separation with God.  Job consecrated his children after the feast which could mean he physically or in his thoughts, separated them from sin (the actions from the feast) and placed them toward God.  Then he offered forgiveness on their behalf by a sacrifice.  Wow, how important Job felt about the cleansing of sin and a healthy relationship with God.  We can't get our kids in heaven but Job tried to make it easy for his children to believe.  We should do likewise.  Lord...

 “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭1‬:‭35‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Jesus has a relationship with the Father that existed forever.  Isn't it wonderful that we who believe in the gospel of Jesus have the opportunity to participate in that relationship!  We have access to the throng of God because of the blood of Jesus and often we choose not to partake because of unbelief.  Lord thank you for giving us the privilege to have fellowship with you and the Father, help us to believe that you hear our prayers and give us your loving reply every time.  Praise you Lord God.  Amen

 “He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.” ‭‭Job‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬ If not me then who will take care of my needs?  Should I expect a hand out and be irresponsible in my duty to take care of my family?  This may be the thoughts of people who don't know the Lord God.  God works through those who believe in him and this faith gives the Lord Jesus the credit for all we do.  If we work hard it is God working in you.  Lord open our eyes to truly see you with all your love, mercy, and power to glorify your name through us.  Praise you Jesus.  Amen

 “And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Have you ever sinned and felt unclean in the presence of Jesus?  You fall down in humble, fear knowing how dirty and unrighteous you are and need of mercy.  Lord Jesus thank you for your love and mercy to me a sinner, please forgive me once again and cleanse me from all unrighteousness.  Praise you Lord Jesus.  Amen

 “There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.” ‭‭Job‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Job was the gold standard of being blameless.  As a believer in Jesus we know what it takes to glorify God and honor others above ourselves.  But often we choose to disobey because of our selfish sinfulness.  Lord help us to choose to trust and obey you like Job today.  Praise you Jesus.  Amen 

 “And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭2‬:‭27‬-‭28‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Sabbath is one day of the week that God gave us to rest in his love.  What a wonderful gift our amazing God gives us that we can receive his love, mercy and joy when we come and worship him.  Lord let is humbly come into your presence with great expectations to be refreshed and motivated to honor and serve our Lord, Savior and God.  Praise you Jesus.  Amen

 “And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”” ‭‭Mark 2:17.     When we realize how sinful we truly are we rush to Jesus for mercy.  If you don't see your corruption there is no need for a cure.  We must not compare ourselves to other sinners but to the righteous of God.  The more we know the Lord the more we see his holiness and realize how unholy we are.  Lord help us desire to be forgiven and cling to you for salvation.  Praise you Jesus.  Amen

 “And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.”” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭1‬:‭40‬-‭41‬ ‭ESV‬‬ We need to come to Jesus with our sinfulness to receive his mercy.  Humbly come to the Lord realizing we need him.  His love and mercy is always available but we must come to him.  We must lose our pride and seek our Savior everyday.  He is always willing if we come to him.  Thank you Jesus.  Amen

“Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭12‬:‭25‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Unity is very important for success in any adventure but uniformity can hinder relationships.  Being free to use the gifts God has given us to help others is essential for creativity.  Love allows others to express themselves in ways that may be different but not destructive.  The key is to trust and obey Jesus first then unity will bring joy.  Praise you Jesus.  Amen

 “the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’”” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬ Just as Jesus' life was foretold when it would happen it also was prepared by God using John the Baptist what would occur.  The knowledge to know God is totally in control frees up our worries for the new year.  We must trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus.  Praise you Lord God.  Amen