Today's Word -- WAIT

 Prepositions are important. What are prepositions? From  WaldenU we get a proper definition: A preposition is a word or group of words used before a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to show direction, time, place, location, spatial relationships, or to introduce an object.

When we study out the word WAIT, the preposition after it shows us what it means in that particular verse.

Psalm 27:14 

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. 

To wait on the Lord is to WAIT FOR the Lord to lead us in the right direction, to speak what He wants us to hear. As a good private, we wait for our General to command us where to go and how to get there. We know He is leading an army because the next phrase in this sentence tells us to 'be of good courage' and He (the Lord) will strengthen our hearts [so that we will not fear but be emboldened and follow Him]).

Isaiah 40:31

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint

To WAIT UPON the Lord in this verse means to 'twist [together, like a rope], to endure, to stretch'; to look eagerly for, to patiently watch for together. The implication here being that we, as a group, as the church, are to anticipate with joy the coming of the Lord, knowing that (Nehemiah 8:10) "The joy of the Lord is our Strength". Are we doing so? Is eager anticipation to meet Jesus Christ on His return filling our minds, our hearts? Or do you have fear and trepidation? 

    If you know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, having believed that He Is Lord, that He died for you on the cross; conquered death, hell and the grave; walked out of the tomb with a glorified body, then joy and anticipation surely fill your soul, your heart and your mind. For you have endeavored to have a personal relationship with your Savior. 

    But if fear and terror fill your mind at the thought of meeting Christ and God one on one, with the knowledge that you will be judged for your unbelief and your wicked ways, then you need to repent now and call upon The Name of The Lord to forgive you. 

    That way of life you think is okay to live is surely your choice, as it was mine so long ago. But if it is not a godly lifestyle, aligning itself with The Word of God, then there needs to be a change. Not just a change of how you are living, but a change of heart that changes your motivation for living. 

    Are you content? Do you know real peace? Do you crave a happy life? Yes, being a Christian is hard. Yes, living a holy, godly lifestyle may be difficult at first. People will stop loving you, stop associating with you, stop talking to you, stop hanging out with you. It is not to attain a holier-than-thou attitude, but to be completely aware that without the grace of God through Jesus Christ we are utterly and totally lost in our sins. But it's so worth it to be friends with Christ Jesus. 

I AM A FRIEND OF GOD -  Israel Houghton 

IN THE WAITING - Vicki Yohe

 

The Prepositional Factors of The Cross

    In church we sing a hymn titled, Room At The Cross, which is an altar call song, calling those who hunger for more than what this life has to offer and come to what God has to offer through Jesus Christ. 

    It is not enough, however, to come to the cross and stop there, we must go through the Cross, under the blood, down into the tomb and out in the garden. 

     Many claim to be Christians, but they have stopped at the Cross. Our lives as Christians should lead others to Christ on the Cross, that they may walk through the Door of Salvation and into the Newness of Life, which the message of the gospel proclaims. And, yet, it is our very lifestyles that convict us, for many who say they are Christ's are not. 

     

Ephesians 2:16 "...and He might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross, by it having slain the hostility."

Colossians 1:22-23 "But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy, unblemished, and blameless in His presence---IF indeed you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope of the gospel you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant."

     It is impossible to 'continue in' if we have not first gone 'through'. You and I must believe that Jesus Christ is indeed the only begotten Son of God who died on the cross bearing the weight of our sin, was buried in a tomb, conquered death, hell and the grave, rose from the dead and walked out of the tomb into the garden where He not only was seen but heard. 

      How far have you gone in this your faith? Are you near the Cross, at the Cross, through the Cross? Only you and I can answer this honestly. The Holy Spirit is calling you even now to pass through the Door of Salvation, where the blood of Redemption will cover you as you walk across the threshold of Atonement, through the empty grave and into the Newness of Life in Christ. 

     Now is the time to answer that call. Be reborn in Jesus Christ and become the new man or new woman the Spirit is calling you to be.