Showing God In Our Lives

I'm sure that almost every person reading this has had this preached to them before. And I bid you to listen to this one as well. Fore God will always teach you something new about what you think you know.
How many of you can say that you are a Christian, and that your friends would agree completely with that statement from only seeing your actions? From my experience, that number is too small. So often I hear this, and it is usually followed by the question, "What is it suppose to look like?" As always, the Bible has every answer. It tells us of 3 forms, which all come under one law. The first deals with humility, the second is sharing, and the third is service.

First, what does it mean to be humble? The dictionary defines it as, A lowering of pride, to lower the rank, and expressing a sense of selflessness, meekness, modesty, etc. That definition, describes exactly what it means to be humble in the eyes of God. In order to show God in your life you need to humble yourself before God. Fore James 4:6-7 says:

"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

If you humble yourself before God and resist the devil, which gets easier to do if you humble yourself, then you throw away your pride. Now throwing away your pride and humbling yourself means more than you might think. It means you submit all control of everything in your life to God. Your health, your family, your friends, your things, your money, your health, everything! And, that you no longer hold onto the image you have made for yourself. The image that those who know you and that those who don't see. Only in this way can you truly do what God asks you to do. Because if you hold onto that pride, it will stir up doubt, and worry in the face of what He will ask of you.
This is shown in 2 Samuel 6. When King David is moving the Tabernacle from Obed-Edom's house, where it was placed on it's way to the City of David. It says in 2 Samuel 6:12-23 says:

Now King David was told, "The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the Ark of God." So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.
As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.
They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord. After he had finished sacrifice the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord Almighty. Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.
When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!"
David said to Michal, "It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord's people Israel-I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor."
And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

Before I speak on what was just read, the linen ephod, that the king of the greatest nation at the time wore, was a scrap of clothing. Like that of a loin cloth. David wore a scrap of clothing and danced in front of his entire nation, because he felt that it was what God wanted of him at that moment. Every person had their thoughts of him. And it wasn't just Michal who thought of David in that manner, many people thought in the same way. Others laughed, or cursed, or thought ill of him in some manner. But he did not care. He said proudly that he would become even more undignified for God. When you have humility, you do not care about what others think. If God wants you to do it, you do it without a second thought. So, first you must have humility, so that you may do whatever work God asks you to do without a second thought on what others have to say. That means to follow the way of life set for you when you are at church, at home, and especially around your friends. Let them see that you serve God and that despite thier words of mockery and cursing, you heed no attention and are focused only on what God wants you to do.

Next is the second, which is on the sharing of God with others. In Acts chapter 13 Paul is in Pisidian Antioch speaking to the people there. Acts 13:26-52 says:

"Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.
"We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm:

"'You are my Son; today I have become your Father.'

The fact that God raised him from the dead, never to decay, is stated in these words:

"'I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.'

So it is stated elsewhere:

"'You will not let your Holy One see decay.'

"For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed. But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.
"Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the Law of Moses. Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:

"'Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.'"

As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
On the next Sabbath almost the entire city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying.
Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "We had to speak the the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord has commanded us:

"'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'"

When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Yes that was a big piece of Scripture, and so is the meaning behind it. Paul and Barnabas Shared God's Word with the people in Pisidian Antioch. Not afraid of what others would say or think of them, or even what they might do to them. At this time, just like when Paul was still a persecuter of the faith he now proclaimed, they could have hunted him down and tried to kill him if they wanted to. But, still he went, for it was what God wanted them to do. There were many who listened to what they had to say, and there were also people who cursed them and spoke against them. In the same way, God asks us to tell others about Jesus Christ, no matter what. There will be people who listen to what you have to say, and there will be people who will persecute you for your faith. But, if you humble yourself, and trust God with everything, God will take care of you. He will make the persecution seem minor in the wake of His great love for you, as you follow His instructions.
I shared on telling others about God in my post on Discipleship. Telling others about God is a very great way of showing others God in your life, and Loving others. But, before I get into Love we need to look at the third form of showing God in your life. It is through service. James 2:14-19 says:

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical need, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-and shudder.

And Provierbs 16:3 says:

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

If you humble yourself and do what God says, you will absolutely go into some form of serving others. And when you serve them for God and not self gain, they will see that the Lord is working in you. That you are a servant of God, and full of His Love and Joy. If you are humble in the Lord, then you are committing what you are doing to the Lord, because you are doing what He is asking you to do without excuse or reward. If you are doing something for God, it will complete the task it was planned to do. Even though it might not seem like it to you, God is timeless and knows all that will happen.

These three forms of showing God in your life all come together in 1 Commandment, which is called the Greatest Commandment. Luke 10:25-27 says:

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to Jesus. 'Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your strength and with all your mind'; and 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

If you think about it, if you obey this Commandment to its fullest you end up showing God in your life. If you love God with everything you have, then you would gladly do whatever He asks you to do, regardless of what others think and do to you for it. All you care about is God, and what He wants. And if you love others as well, then you tell them of God. For like I have said before, "If you truly love a person, then you would tell them of the one who would give them eternal life." And you would also serve them and help them in any way you can.

If you were to only follow this Commandment for the rest of your life, you would do everything God wants you to do in life. However, it is also the most broken Commandment. For every time you sin, you break this Commandment. For sin is not what God wants from you. Everyone has broken the most important Commandment God gave us, and is therefore worthy of only death. But God sent His Son to earth to die on the cross a guiltless death to save us. But do not let that be an excuse to not obey this Commandment. Instead, let it be the reason for you to strive for it. Let God's Love and Greatness be revealed to all around you, through you.

Thank You For Reading
Long Live Jesus Christ
Amen

Lust

This post is a part 2 of the previous post Why Do You Dress Like That? This post is directed to both girls and to guys. The first section will be to girls and the second to guys. I will explain just what it is that lust really is. This will be a PG-13 post.

Girls, from all I have seen and experienced I can say one thing with full confidence, most of you do not know the meaning of lust form a guy's point of view. Because if you did, you would not wear many of the things you do.
Matthew 5:27-28 says,

"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a women lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

But what does it mean to lust in his heart? Clearly not what you all think it means. I'm not a girl, so I don't have any idea what it means to lust after someone in a girl's mind, but it is not the same in a guy's. When a guy lusts after a girl, he mentally strips off her clothes, and imagines himself having sex with her. That is lust in a guy's mind. And when you dress in skimpy swim suits, belly shirts, mini skirts, and so on, you make it just that much easier to do it. The more we see of you, the less we have to imagine, and the harder it gets for us.
Yes, I did just say that you wearing less makes our lives harder. Because it is a Christian's goal to stop sinning, and the sin we have the hardest time with is Lust. If that does not make sense, remember, you all think on an emotional scale, while we guys think on a physical scale.
I myself have struggled and fought against this sin for years! I am still fighting, every single day! Because wherever I look it's there. School, public, TV and internet, and sadly even at church; you find women wearing near to nothing. You girls are not making it any easier for us guys to fight this sin! I'm not persecuting you right now, for it is not my place to do so. But I want you to realize that you are not helping us with this.
We hate the way this sin makes us feel with a passion! When we commit this sin, we feel like the lowest scum of the earth. Because when we have committed it we realize 2 things of what we just did. We realize that the person we just thought about like that was someone's daughter, probably someone's sibling, had a life of her own. And, that we just dissed God in a major way. When we think about those 2 things, we feel destroyed on the inside. We feel like crawling into a deep hole and dying there. We hate feeling that way, and that is why we fight it as hard as we can! And if you think there are people who do enjoy it, they don't! They just turn it into a major addiction by doing it non-stop to prolong that feeling. Or they use other addictions to hide it as well. But they all do it unsuccessfully.
When you all dress like you do, you make it that much harder to fight it off. And especially at church! The last thing we want is to be picturing our friends from church like that! If there is anything that I can say that will stress this point more it's this. When you dress like that, you are literally helping Satan! Because when you wear less, you make it easier to picture you in our heads, and harder to fight our sin. And if you make it harder to fight the sin, then you are helping cause it. Therefore, you help Satan spread his evil influence. So I ask you for myself, my friends from my church, and for all the guys of this world, dress modestly. Because this sin never goes away for guys. It haunts us from our teens till we're dead. It never goes away! It just gets easier to fight over time. So please help us fight it! Help us with destroying this sin in our lives!

Guys, now it's your turn. Stop looking! That is the best advice I could give you. Not all girls in the world are suddenly going to see this post or other things and dress better. So if you see a girl walk by who makes you feel that certain way, keep looking forward! Do not turn your head!
Remember, there is a difference between apreciating the beauty of God's creation, and having perverse thoughts of it. It's a fine line between the two, so try your hardest to stay away from the line. Don't even go near it! If you feel the urge coming, do whatever you can to take your mind off it. The best thing you can do is read your Bible and pray to God about it. You might have slip ups down the road, but you will get there! I still struggle with it now! But keep praying to God for strength to fight it, and He will grant it! Keep fighting the Lust as hard as you can! If there is something in your life that is making it that much harder to fight it, cut it out of your life. Matthew 5:29-30 says,

"If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell."

You should remember this from a couple posts ago. It means that if anything causes you to sin, remove it from your life. Fight as hard as you can! And remember that you are not the only one in the world who struggles with this sin, it just feels like you are. There are others, including myself, who deal with this sin. If your struggling, ask you pastor, the other guys from your church, you can even ask me. My e-mail is in a previous post. Just know that you are not the only one fighting this fight, and that there are many others who can help you with it. God gave you an army of help around you, you just have to ask for help!

I pray that my words did not offend, but brought awareness of the situation that plagues this world. So I ask: Girls, help us by dressing modestly, because that is all it takes to help us, a change of clothes. And guys, keep fighting as hard as you can and remember that you are not alone.

Thank You For Reading
Long Live Jesus Christ
Amen

Discipleship

The past week I've been at Hume Lake Christian Camp in California. It was there that I was humbled and showed that I haven't even come close to doing what I have suppose to have been doing. I heard the call to discipleship that week, and I learned that it calls out to everyone.
We studied Matthew 5:13-16 that week. It says,

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

We Christians are the salt and the light. Do not lose your saltiness. Do not lose your passion and your want of God. You need to want more of Him, more than water and life. You can't share what you do not have. You need to have a love of God that is so great and prevalent in your life that it shows in the way you live to the people around you. The people around need to see that your a Christian in the way you live, that they can see what God has done for you. They need to see that you love God, and that you love them. If they don't and you try to tell them how great and awesome God is, they'll ask "What makes Him so great and special? You're no different than me." No. That is not how it is supposed to be.
So, ask yourself. When the people around you look at you, do they say, "What makes them so different? How could I have the joy they have?" Do they say that when they look at you? Do they? If they don't, then you are doing something wrong! There is no way around it, you are not doing something right! I know I haven't. Because if you asked my neighbors if I was Christian, they would say no. In fact, they would ask who you were talking about, because I haven't even begun to reach out to them. That's not even close to what should be by now.
It says not to hide the light under a bowl, but put it on a stand to shine light on all in the house. I thought that reading my Bible a few hours a day and writing on this blog was enough. I was completely wrong! I've been hiding my light under a bowl when instead, I should be shining this light on my neighbors and the other people in my life. By showing them who God is and what He can do for them.
That is changing now. I am going to start ministering to my neighbors, and I call you to do the same with the people in your lives. Now here is probably where you think I'll give you an easy trick to make it easier. Sorry, it's not easy! You will have what-ifs, you will have worries and fears, you might be worried about ruining a relationship you've had for years, well there is no getting around them! The best thing you can do is pray to God to remove those things from your heart. God will do what needs to be done. There is a way that can make it go more smoothly than just going up to the person and saying, "You're going to hell unless you listen to me."
Begin making a relationship with that person, and remember to show in your life that you are a Christian. And everyone has a story. You have a story no matter who you are. Share your story with the person and what God has done for you in your life. The person will either want to know more and maybe begin chasing God, or they will flat out ignore everything you just said. If they come to God; show them God's word, take them to church, and love them as they grow. But if they don't accept God, just keep loving them. Because you need to remember that God is the one who changes the people, not you. And He will change them on His own time. The speaker at the camp told us about a guy he new who did not come to God for years, and then suddenly moved to Africa and now serves the people there in God's name. Just keep loving the person. We can only point the person in the right direction, it's up to God to change the person.

God wants us to share His saving Law of freedom with the world. It will be hard, and you will be persecuted, so give up your life to God, your physical things, the people in your life, your own body. Give it all to God and trust Him with it all, and share Him with the people around you. Ask God to take away your worries and fears and the what-ifs that cause them and all the distractions of this world. Pray that God shows you the sins you have committed and the He forgives you for them, and that He helps you forgive yourself for them. Pray with all your heart, and God will do so. James 5:16 says

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Pray with all you have and God will answer. For I can tell you with a promise on God that God has never left a prayer of mine unanswered. But, why do you have to forgive yourself? If you hold on to the sins, and pains they leave, your light won't be pure. How can impure light shine on those around it, likewise, how can someone who doesn't let go of their sin and pain help other people with theirs? You can't.

Now think about the person you love most, who does not know God. I tell you now that you do not love that person. Because if you did love that person, at all, then you would care if they went to hell or not! Would you not? If you truly love someone then you should do everything in your power to lead that person to Jesus Christ! Until they do accept Him!
But then God asks us to love our neighbor, who is everyone in this world. So if you want to truly love anyone in this world, you Need to share God with them! You need to show them what God can do for them! I am yelling these words to you! If you do not share Jesus Christ with someone then you do not love them, and you are not following one of the only things God wants us to do! If you are hiding this light then you are lying! You are lying to the people around you! You are lying to yourself! And you are lying to God! Do not be a liar of a Christian! Love the people around you and tell them about Jesus Christ. That He can save them! We know we are going to heaven, but them, they don't have that light! They don't have that hope and joy that we do! Show Them!! Show them God! It brings tears to my eyes to think of how empty my life would be if I didn't have God! That there are people who don't have Him in their lives! It needs to end! We need to stop lying! Go! Go and share this Light with the world! For in Romans 13:11-12 says,

And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Share God's saving Law now, for the time of Christ's return grows closer with every passing day! So we must save as many people as we can before that time comes!

I cannot say these things enough to you! But, I have saved the first step for last. Spend more time with God! Pray, read His Word, ask Him to teach you and speak to you! People say you can't hear God's voice, but they just haven't truly trusted that God will answer them! Like I said in the last post, rid your life of what keeps you from God! Separate the things in your life that glorify God and what does not. Remove what does not and keep what does. Trust God with all aspects of your life, and then share Him with the people around you! Become a Disciple!

Thank You For Reading
Long Live Jesus Christ
Amen

Idolatry Today

Idolatry is a direct sin towards God. It is mentioned in the Bible 666 times. But what is idolatry, and what does it have to do with today? When people think of idolatry, they think of people making wooden idols and performing ceremonies of worship to them. However, it is much more than that. Anything can become an idol. Work, TV, your computer, a game, work, sports, and even other people. An idol is anything that takes away time that should be spent on God, and usually become the focus of your life. In essence, it becomes your god.
The first time God warns against idolatry is in Exodus 20:4-6. It says,

"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them of worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing children for the sin of their fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments."

In order to fully understand this, we must look at James4:4-5. It says,

You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the Spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?

The world can easily become an idol. I'm not saying we should not make time to have fun, but a lot of the time, we start making more and more time for that thing. Eventually we give all our free time over to it. I know this from experience.

In February, I began playing an on-line game I had downloaded. I played probably 4 to 8 hours a day. It began consuming my life. I neglected my chores. My school work suffered, and showed in my grades. I began acting disrespectful to my mother and father. I rarely spent time with my family, or even talking with them. And worst of all, I almost completely stopped reading my Bible, and if I did, it was maybe 20 minutes for the entire day. It was to a point where I had a form of battle going on inside of me. Every time I played, that little voice in my head kept telling me to pick up my Bible, which was always arms length from where I was sitting. But I kept ignoring it. I made the game an idol. I wasn't "spending" time I was "devoting" time to the game. In the Old Testament, it describes devoting objects and things as the irrevocable giving over of things to the Lord. But instead of the Lord, my time was being devoted to the game.
My mom and dad told me all of this a week ago. And I settled the battle within me. The game was deleted off of my computer, along with anything else that I felt was keeping me from spending time with God. And I'm glad I did. I have spent hours reading the Bible this past week. And I have learned so much! I'm so joyful, and yet I'm sad at the same time. I think of all the time I devoted to the game, and what I could have read and learned in that time.
I ask you now, "What is your idol?" Just think about that. Do you have it? If you do, Matthew 18:8-9 says,

If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fires of hell.

Whatever causes you to sin must be cut off and thrown away. Whatever is your idol, it is taking away time that should be given over to God, and is therefore causing you to sin. Throw it away! Rid your life of it, and give the stolen time over to God to use to teach you, to have you pray, to have you serve, to use in what ever way His plan calls for!
And think before you begin starting a new hobby, or getting that new piece of technology, or signing up for unneeded overtime, or deciding your ready for that relationship. Think about whether you can still keep Most of the time of each day devoted to God. Think about whether God still has something to teach you about the new thing you're going to introduce to your life.
If it still seems fine to continue pursuing, Pray About It! And if it does start taking up that time, then it is not what God wants. So you must remove it from your life. It might not be easy to do so. Like I said, I had an inner battle within me that lasted for 6 months. It took the words out of my mother's mouth, that I was hurting her with the way I treated her, to make my decision.
Ask God to give you strength to remove it, and He will provide.

Idolatry has been and is a great problem in the world. It takes away what was meant to be devoted to God. Don't make the world an idol, and end up losing the time God gave you to use! Make God your world! Worship Him, and read His Word and serve Him! You'll be amazed at what He will do!

Thank You For Reading
Long Live Jesus Christ
Amen

All the Books of the Bible Are Important

I've been reading the Bible all the way through. And I've began noticing that the Scripture written in the Old Testament can relate to the New Testament. Deuteronomy 6 proves this point quite well. I will break it down into each paragraph. Deuteronomy 6:1-3 says,

These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you.

Moses is the one speaking in this passage of the Bible. He is giving his last words to the people of Israel before they cross the Jordan into the land of the Canaanites. He could not go with them because of the rebellion 40 years earlier, in which he did not listen to the words of God.
He is telling them to obey these laws that he has given them so that they may be blessed and not end up as the people who rebelled before them, so that they may gain the land promised to them by God.
This is something that can relate to the New Testament. The promise. I have spoken on this before, and I shall do it again. Hebrews 6:13-20 says,

When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, "I will surely bless you and give you many descendants." And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his promise very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

This is basically saying that God's promise is always fulfilled for the ones He made the promise to. When God promised the land to the forefathers of the people Moses is speaking to in Deuteronomy, He gave His unbreakable, undeniable, unbending word to them to give them the land of the Canaanites. And nothing would change it.
Continuing on in the passage, Deuteronomy 6:4-9 says,

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

This paragraph relates to two passages from the New Testament. The first is also something I've spoken of before. Romans 12:9-21 says,

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at piece with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for as it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, this you will heap burning coals on his head."
Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.

And another passage goes with this one. It's 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, and it says,

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

When it says to love God in Deuteronomy, it means all these things. It means to trust God, be kind to Him, be patient with the life He made for you, to always put your hope in Him, to persevere in the hard times, and to serve Him in any way you can. A huge part of loving someone is sacrificing for them. Time you were going to spend doing something for yourself, things you were going to get, it is the most major part of loving someone. You can't love someone without giving up your selfishness. It's not possible.
The second part of the paragraph can be related to James 1:22-27. It says,

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in the mirror and, after looking at himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will be blessed in what he does.
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

In Deuteronomy, it says to talk about the laws to everyone, and everywhere; and to show them to the world. In the same way, we are to read God's Word and talk about it with and show it to everyone we possibly can. To tell them of our faith, and to show them our faith with actions.
So we must love our God by doing His commands and serving Him in any ways we can, and we must talk about and show people who God is.
The next paragraph is Deuteronomy 6:10-12. It says,

When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you-a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant-then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

Moses mentioned God's promise again in this paragraph. Reminding the people of Israel of what God said He will do, and that He will do it. So that they not forget the Lord when He rewards them. Likewise, we should not forget the Lord when something wonderful happens in our lives. In fact, we should never forget the Lord no matter what happens to us in our lives.
Also, just like the Israelites were going to receive a new land they did not toil to build, we too shall receive a new land we did not toil to make. 2 Corinthians 5:1 says,

Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.

They received a land they did not build when they were set free from their bonds of slavery, and we will receive a land not even built by humans, but built by God. After we are freed from our bonds of sin.
The next paragraph, Deuteronomy 6:13-19, says,

Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the Lord your God who is around you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. Do not test the Lord your God as you did at Massah. Be sure to the keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. Do what is right and good in the Lord's sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land that the Lord promised on oath to your forefathers, thrusting out your enemies before you, as the Lord said.

Fear the Lord. But you should not fear Him as we do the dark or what we don't know, for we know the Lord, and that He loves us. Fear Him in a way of respect for His power and majesty and wisdom. For if you fear Him he will teach you.
Take your oaths in His name, fore God is the highest person to swear an oath upon. So that if you do swear an oath, you are bound by God to keep it.
Part of this paragraph can relate to many parts of the Bible, but the original location is
Exodus 20:3-6. It says,

"You shall have no other gods before me.
"You shall not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who have my and keep my commandments."

Do not follow any other gods and do not make an idol. These are not always some statue made of gold or wood. They can be your computer, your TV, sports, your spouse, your girlfriend/boyfriend, your ipod, school, family, work, other books, video games, idols take many forms. You can still do these things, but you just have to make sure that God is at the top of the list. These acts will not go unpunished, for God is jealous. James 4:4-6 says,

You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensly? But he gave us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

Be humble and do not desire the world or trust it. Instead, trust God and make Him your WHOLE world! Because God is bigger, and more forgiving than this world! Therefore, it would make much more sense to follow Him, than it would to follow an idol.
The next part can relate to Galations 6:7-10. It says,

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, espeacially to those who belong to the family of believers.

The Israelites did what was right and good in the sight of the Lord, and they recieved the land God promised with long lives. If we do what is good in the Lord's sight, we will be rewarded with riches in heaven.
Moses also mentions God promise once again at the end of the paragraph, and that God will keep it with them.
The last paragraph is Deuteronomy 6:20-25. It says,

In the future, when your son asks you, "What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord your God commanded you?" tell him: "We were slaves of Pharoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Before our eyes the Lord sent miraculous signs and wonders-great and terrible-upon Egypt and Pharoh and his whole household. But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our forefathers. The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness."

Just like the Israelites were told to tell their children that God freed them from slavery in Egypt, we are to tell others of how Jesus died on the cross to free us from our sin. Ephesians 2:1-5 says,

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved.

We were once slaves to our sins, but Jesus died on the cross and freed us.
The paragraph continues to mention God's promise to the Israelites again. I will get back to this.
The Israelites were given laws to obey so that they may live long and thrive in the land promised to them. This would be their righteousness. However that was before Jesus died on the cross. Galations 3:15-25 says,

Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. The promises were spoken to Abraham and his seed. The Scripture does not say, "and to the seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ. What I mean is this: The law introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.
What, then, was the pupose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise reffered had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a midiator. A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one.
Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law has been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.

What does all this mean? It means the promise made to Israel to receive the land would and could not be changed by the law. But also that the other part of the promise (made directly to Abraham) , that his seed would become a great nation, was actually talking about Jesus. Jesus is the seed that, when he died on the cross to save us from our sins, made a nation of all the people who believed in Him! That nation is the invisible Church of all the Christians of the world!
The law was completely separate of the promise made to Israel. In Israel's time, the laws were rules set up to be followed by the people. They didn't have a savior yet. However we do! But that doesn't mean the Law doesn't have anymore meaning. It tells us how God wants us to act for Him. It also shows us what sins we commit and need to be saved from. So when we see the sins we commit, we go to Christ and ask for forgiveness, and strength, wisdom, and knowledge to not commit them again!
This is why God's promise was mentioned 4 times in the passage. When the Israelites heard it, they were reminded of when God freed them from Egypt! And when we read it, we are reminded of Christ dying on the cross to free us from our sins!

The Old Testament is regarded as a bunch of stories that aren't worth reading most of the time by many of the people I know, as well as some books in the New Testament. But that is wrong! Every book in the Bible can have a deep meaning! You can see it if you keep reading your Bible! Eventually you can relate multiple books in the Bible to just one! And come out with a completely new meaning than with just the single books alone! God had the Bible written in the way it is for a reason! If you read it all the way, read it again, and again, and again! You will realize new things every time you read it!

Thank You For Reading
Long Live Jesus Christ
Amen

Worry

Worry. That word brings so much to people. None of which is good. As a teen, I can tell you that worry is one of the most destructive forces in the world. It brings pain, fear, doubt, and in some cases death to families. I have many friends in high school who worry about school work, friends, and relationships. I know some adults who worry about work, providing for their families, and money. I've been surrounded by worry my whole life as it is prevalent in my family. Worry almost ruined me.
But how can something like worry cause all this? Easy. But first I must tell what the Bible says about it. Matthew 6:25-34 says,

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important that food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all the things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

If you still do not see how worry can cause all the things I said, then I will explain. Take a man with a wife and kids, who works long and hard to provide for his family. Add these hard economic times, and worry will surely form in the man's mind of whether or not he will be able to keep providing. To make the money for food, clothing, housing, and other necessities. Eventually this worry turns to fear. This fear can then cause stress at work, which can come back home with him. Eventually, he begins to let it out against his wife and kids. And he in turn, destroys the very thing he worried about keeping, with the product of his worry. Or other times, it could drive a spouse into the arms of another person that they have come to know. Or it could drive them to drink, gamble, or some other addiction.
But adults are not the only ones. Teens have many troubles with stress caused by their worries. They worry about home work, relationships, friends, and especially how they look to the other teens in their lives. They worry about how they dress and act around each other. They worry about getting good grades. They worry about what their girl friend or boy friend thinks of them, and sometimes go to sinful lengths to keep from losing them or to please them. Others worry about sports. These worries can easily turn to fears and drive the youth to drugs, alcohol, violence(to others and to themselves), and many times suicide. Because the fears from their worries turn into stress and self doubt. But something that happens among Christian teens is what brings sadness to me. When the teen starts to worry, and then fear, and then stress, and end up in one of these situations, or if their parents worry, and stress and abuse them emotionally of physically, they begin asking the question, "God why are you letting this happen?" And soon that question turns into, "How can there be a God who loves me if this is happening to me?" Their worries turn to doubt in their faith. If you don't realize how real this is, statistics say that 3 of every 4 Christian teens stop being a Christian by the time they reach college. 3 of every 4! Do you see what worrying can cause?! Do you see how real it is?! It needs to stop!

But in that same passage, God tells us that we don't need to worry. He tells us that He will provide for us. All we have to do chase after Him. But if that is hard to believe, I'll give you another reason. Exodus 9:15-23 says,

On the day the tabernacle, the Tent of the Testimony, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire. That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire. Whenever the cloud lifted above from the Tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. At the Lord's command the Israelites set out, and at His command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the Lord's order and did not set out. Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the Lord's command they woud encamp, and then at His command they would set out. Sometimes the cloud only stayed from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. At the Lord's command they encamped, and at the Lord's command they set out. They obeyed the Lord's order, in accordance with his command through Moses.

Why would I mention this? In fact why would this even be metioned in the Bible? It is mentioned because it sybolizes life. We are the Israelites, and the cloud represents the events God has planned in our lives. God set up our WHOLE lives. You see, God planned our whole lives already. You might say, "Just because He planned out our whole lives doesn't mean it's a good thing." Well Jeremiah 29:11 answers that one. It says,

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

So not only did God already plan your life, but the plans are to make your life wonderful. To make you prosper. But even to this you might say, "I have seen many Christians follow God their whole lives and not gain anything." But they did gain something. They gained riches beyond our belief. They gained eternal life in Heaven with God Himself! That is the ultimate form of properance! That is what you gain from living without worry. But not only that. I can tell you myself that I do not worry as much as most people I know. In fact, I don't really worry at all. And my life has improved beyond belief from it. I feel so much better than I used to, and I have much more time than I did before. And God has shown me much more.
But, to this you say, "Easier said than done." I won't lie, it is hard. But not impossible. This is how I know. When I was young, in 5th grade, I wasn't exactly what you would call skinny. I was overweight for my age. My parents would tell me it was normal to be "big" at that age. But I knew I was fat. And the other kids let me know that everyday. Especially the 13 year old in my 5th grade class. I also had bad teeth. My front teeth were crooked so I looked like a beaver and I got the name bucky. I found out that I was being moved into a homeschooling program called Heritage Christian School. I would be homeschooled, and every 2nd and 4th Tuesday I would go to school with other homeschooled kids and our moms would be the teachers. So it was a whole group of kids that didn't know me. And I began to worry that the same thing would happen again here. So I changed my image and became something I wasn't. And I had the constant worry that the other kids would figure it out. Eventually I became stressed out about it.
At that point God decided to tell me something was wrong. I began getting what felt like shocks in my legs. At first they didn't bother me. But then they started getting worse and worse. So I started going to the doctor. They ordered blood tests and an MRI. But everything came back negative. And I began worrying about the shocks themselves. They started to get really bad. I began falling down. I even fell down the stairs a couple times. So what did I do? I delved into video games. And I ignored it completely and just went into my own world. And they went away.
I lived like that until the summer after 7th grade when I went to camp with my church and really saw who God was. But when I went home, I went back into the pattern after a while. After one week of being back in school, my grandfather went to the hospital. His cancer came back. And so did my stress, and the shocks. My grandfather was 72, and refused chemotherapy. So I watched my grandfather, my hero, get sicker and sicker in his bed as he slowly died. And I wondered, "Where is God?" When my grandfather passed things were less than perfect in my life. And I went back to ignoring the world in my video games and the computer. And it was like that for another year.
I started high school, and almost the exact same time as my grandfather's death a year ago, my dad had a heart attack. It was minor, but then we found out that we were a week away from losing him if he hadn't gone to the hospital. But this time, I turned to God. I asked Him to help me. And throughout the whole thing, I didn't worry or fear or stress. It was gone, and was replaced with something that I couldn't quite figure out. I talked to my youth pastor, who helped me through it and got me to read my Bible a little more. 2 months after I started reading my Bible, I opened this blog. And ever since, I haven't worried. And if I start to worry, I pray, and I read, and it dissapears.
I'll tell you now that this is only half of what I went through at the time. But do to some people's privacy I won't say. Nonetheless, it was only half of the things that have happened in my life and the effects of my worries.
My journey to a worry free life has been long and hard. I ignored my life and my family. I even became physically ill from my stress. But I reached the place God wanted me to. And it is SO worth it! My life is so much more gratifying and joyful now! But, if you caught on, I said I had a whole bunch of new time and empty places where the worry once was. So, what replaced it? Joy.
James 1:2 says,

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develpos perseverance.

John 3;16 says,

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

That joy, was also the feeling I had throughout the time of my dad's heartattack. The joy in knowing that no matter what happens here on earth, I have a whole eterinty waiting for me in Heaven with God. Now if you remember what I said earlier you should notice something interesting. The reason to not worry is that God planned at the beginning that we would have eternal life with Him in heaven, when you truely believe that, your worry dissapears and is replaced with pure joy. That is how it works. And thatis the only way! God is the only thing you can replace your worry with! The only thing! You can't keep worrying, but you also can't ignore the things that cause it. You can't! Only God can help you with that. And He will if you let Him.
And what can you do with all the new time you gain? Romans 12:1 says,

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship.

Spend your new time reading God's Word and sharing it with others. I can tell you from experience that it is rewarding. That God will show you so much, and teach you things you couldn't imagine! Spend that time serving instead of worrying. I promise you that if you really do it, that you'll find it impossible to not serve Him!
Now remember in Matthew it says that God will provide on His own, so instead when you pray, do not ask for things, or health, or to even take care of someone sick, for that in itself shows you're worried about it. Matthew 6:9-13 says,

"This, then, is how you should pray:
"'Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'"

First you praise God for all he does, and you ask that whatever His plan may be, that we follow it and do what He planned in the beginning. Serving Him throughout our lives no matter what happens, and having joy.
Now understand that the daily bread, is not actually food, or clothing or money, but what is necsesary for life. And that is the wisdom and knowledge of God. James 1:5 says,

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

We need wisdom and knowledge to live. Because the life I'm talking about is not here on earth, NO! It is our eternal life in Heaven with God! That is our daily bread.
Next we ask God to forgive our sins, and to help us forgive others for their sins.
And last we ask God to give us strength to turn away from temptations and sins.

We should live, worship, and pray without worry, otherwise we can never truely trust or believe in God when we do it. So remember, that you have no control over anything because it was all planned in the beginning and no amount of worrying will change it. So don't worry about money, things, work, what others think, your health, or even those who are closest to you. God has his own plans for all of that. And He has His own plans for you. So in the meantime, be joyful, worship God, share God, and don't worry.

Thank You For Reading
Long Live Jesus Christ
Amen

Doxology

Doxology is described as a hymn of praise to God. The doxology I'm speaking of is that of Romans 11:33-36. It says,

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out!
"Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?"
"Who has ever given to God that God should repay him?"
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.

These four verses say so much about God. I have to break it down. We shall start with the first 2 lines. Knowledge can best be described as knowing what the beginning of something was. How can we know something's beginning? We don't even know how old the earth is. We know that God was the beginning of everything. So knowledge is understanding that God created everything in the beginning. We are shown this in Proverbs 1:7. It says,

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

If we understand that the Lord is the one who created everything there is, we automatically fear Him. But not with a fear like of bugs, storms, the dark, NO. We fear Him with a respectful fear, showing that we know He is more powerful than us and wipe us away with a word. But, we know that He won't, because we know He loves us.
Next is wisdom. The Bible tells us that there are 2 kinds of wisdom. James 3:13-18 says,

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

The first type of wisdom comes from the earth and is good for nothing except self gain. Riches, sex, power; that is earthly wisdom made by the devil. True wisdom comes from the Lord and is not for gain. It is for living a life that the Lord wants us to live. It is the instructions of our Greatest Father, The Lord Our God. Proverbs 4:1-9 says,

Listen, my sons, to a father's instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching. When I was a boy in my father's house, still tender, and an only child of my mother, he taught me and said,
"Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live. Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor."

The instructions of our Father. Wisdom is knowing what will happen if something is done in life. If we listen to God's wisdom from heaven, we will live the life that God wants us to live.
So, knowledge is knowing the beginning of something, and wisdom is knowing what will occur if something happens. God knows everything there is to know about these 2 things. He was the beginning of everything, and He knows what will happen until the end of time. We can't even begin to know any of that. Our sin-filled lives prove that day in and day out. So of course as it says in the second sentence, "How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out." We can't search them out. We can't trace those things. It's impossible! Human kind has created a word for this. A single word to describe this quality of God. Omniscience. It means all-knowing. That is just what God is, all-knowing.

The next line sounds like a sort of repeat of everything I just said, but when it comes to God I've learned something, looks are most deceiving. They actually go with the next line as well.
"Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?"
"Who has ever given to God that God should repay him?"
These lines spell out one thing, God is above us. God is greater than us, his creation. And no matter what we do that will never change. Ephesians 4:5-6 says,

One Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

God is one being that is above ALL His creation. Again our kind has come up with a word for this. Transcendence. He is above all and watches us from above. You can't help but feel belittled by that I know. I felt that way when I read it, and I still feel that way writing it right now. But do not feel down about it. No! Instead, feel joyful. For God is unfathomably above us, and yet He tells us who He is. He actually told us. How do you feel now about being so small? I feel pretty joyous about it. That is all we can feel or do about it anyways. Because it says it right there that we can't repay Him no matter what. It's impossible to repay Him. But that does not mean we shouldn't try and do everything in our ability to give back and tell others about Him. That is all He asks for in return.

The next line sounds like what was said in Proverbs 4:5-6. "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things." We can rephrase this as, "Everything comes from God, through Him all things exist, and everything belongs to Him."

The first is that we come from God. We come from the one being that knows everything in all existence, and as we will see in a moment has power over everything that exists. We come from Him who is above all. We, who are imperfect and dirty come from Him. I do not feel deserving of that whatsoever. When I realized that, I felt undeserving of even existing. But God tells us that we should not feel that way. He tells us that we matter to Him and we have a purpose in His plan. 1Corinthians 12:12-13 says,

The body is a unit, though it is made of many parts; and though all its parts are many, They form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

The body is the church and God's purpose. And no matter who we are, we are part of that purpose. We came from God with a purpose.

The second is that through God all things exist. God is life and lives in everything that exists. Yet another word can describe this. Immanence. Meaning God is within all His creation. So God is with all He created as well. Is that not amazing. God is so far above us, and yet He chooses to live, not just "with" us, but "within" us. Within our sin-filled bodies. And because He chose to do that, we are saved. This also means something incredible. If God lives within all His creation, then He exists within everything. In other words, God is everywhere. From the smallest cell in your body to the most vast galaxy in the cosmos. Another word was made to describe this trait. Omnipresence. Meaning God is everywhere. We cannot hide from Him, or run away. God is always where we are at. God is always with us.

The third is still not fully understood by people. Everything belongs to God. That means everything. Not just nature, or our things. It means our parents, our siblings, our friends, our children, all the people in our lives. They belong to Him. We have no control over what happens to them. They belong to God. We belong to God. Our bodies, and souls, and lives belong to Him. He has control over them, He has power over all things. We cannot control our lives or the lives of the people around us. Only God can. And no matter how hard it is, we must remember that. Again a word can describe this quality. Omnipotence. God is all-powerful. He has control over everything, He has the power to do anything.

The last line, "To Him be the glory forever! Amen." Has a meaning of its own. God deserves Glory Forever. What does forever mean? We know that God has always and will always deserve Glory. Form when He was and on. But God always was and will always be. Thereis another word that can describe this. Eternity. Meaning God had no beginning, nor does He have an ending. God deserves Glory and praise for Eternity.

That is what this Doxology means. It tells us that God is Transcendent, above us; Omniscience, all-knowing; God is Immanence, within everything; Omnipotent, all-powerful; Omnipresent, He is everywhere; and God is Eternal, always was and always will be. God is all these things. And yet, God Loves you. He loves you. John 3:16-17 says,

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him."

I will say right now that we cannot understand this unless we know what love is. Romans 12:9-21 says,

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in afliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be concieted.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay." says the Lord. On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this you will heap burning coals on his."
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

This is what the Bible tells us what love is. Putting others above us. Sacrificing what we want for someone elses want. To treat others better than ourselves, even if it is our enemy. Even if the person wishes to kill us, and our families. We must treat them better than ourselves. However, this is the version written in the Bible for human kind. This is the most that human love can be. God's love is the love that is described in John 3:16-17. God's love is different than ours. For God can Not be known or understood by by us. God is perfect and we are imperfect. God's love is perfect. So when the Bible tells us that God loved the world and its people, it's talking about a love we can not even comprehend.
The same God who is all-knowing, meaning He knows the worst things about us deep in our hearts, and is Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Eternal, Transcendent, Immanence, and so much more, has a greater love for us than we could ever know! He saved us from our deaths! He sacrificed His perfect son for us! The Same God! That is so amazing and so beyond thought that I have no words for it! Nor the for the feeling it gives!
God Is Truely Amazing. Blessed Be His Name Forever. Amen.

Never stop reading His Word or wanting to know more about Him. Ask God for wisdom and knowledge always, for He will grant it to you. Always remember that He who is everything Loves you.

Thank You For Reading
Long Live Jesus Christ
Amen