A Crucified Life - - Answers The Call to Humble Oneself

 

    1 Peter 5:6

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you.

    To humble oneself is to choose to put ourselves under His Authority. It is good to humble ourselves, as God gives grace to the humble (Proverbs 3:34) . And we need His grace. 

    Who are the humble? The meek, the lowly in heart. They who put God first and themselves last. With Christ as our example of humbleness (Matthew 11:29), we place the cares of our lives into His loving hands. 

    We come to God in prayer and praise, in worship and tears, in thanksgiving and joy, bringing Him everything that bothers us, all that grieves us and whatever brings a smile to our faces or fills our mouths with laughter. We are ever aware that our very existence is by the mercy of God. 

    I read this book quite a few years ago titled I Am Third in which the coach had this plaque above his desk which read: Jesus first, Others second, Yourself third. That's my daily goal. 

    It isn't as easy as it sounds, though. Sometimes God allows us to go through the storms of life. Not because He doesn't care, but because He wants us to know that He will go through these rough waters with us. He will be with us in dangerous (fiery) situations. If He chooses to bring us through, we will get through, with Him. But, if He chooses our death instead, we will still be with Him. 

Job 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.

Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.

Philippians 1:20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.

    The thing we need to remember is that life and death are not about us. Our life is to magnify Christ that He may be seen in us through our actions and heard in our words. The believer's death glorifies God in the same way. We submit with grace; we do not seek revenge against they who attack us, imprison us and kill us: for vengeance belongs to God (Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19; Hebrews 10:30). As Job says, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him."

CALLED TO HUMBLENESS  (what I listened to while I studied)

I Found God - Ben Laine

Beatitude - Jonathan Ogden

Defender - Rita Springer

You Are The Light - Andrew Word

Psalm 34:1-9 - Awona

Red Carpet - Chapel Co.

You're The Best - Ben Oribe

Rest In You - All Sons & Daughters

Simple 

Simple Truth - Ryan Ellis

Filled With The Light - The Halls

Altar - Emilie Weiss

He Makes Me Well - Allie Paige

Home - Splendor Tree

Seek & Find - Zach Winters

Holding Us All Together - Andrew Word

A Crucified Life - - Answers The Call to Serve With Gladness

 

    Psalm 100:2

Serve The LORD with gladness! Come into His presence with singing! 

    It is impossible to serve The LORD with gladness if there is none in our hearts. We need Jesus Christ living in us and The Holy Spirit's guidance working through us to know what true gladness and joy look like. 

    Lip service is not what God is about. He makes promises that He keeps. For instance, He promised a Savior way back in Genesis 3:15 and kept it in Matthew 1, Luke 2 & John 1. 

    God promises to never leave nor forsake us: 

-Deuteronomy 31:8 "The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”

-Hebrews 13:5 "Let your manner of life be without covetousness, being satisfied with the present; for He Himself has said: "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you."

-Matthew 28:20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

    God is the ultimate Promisekeeper. We can trust Him. Always. 

Trust in The LORD

Psalm 119:9-11

Proverbs 3:5

Isaiah 26:4

Psalm 62:8

Isaiah 12:2

    We can serve God with gladness and come into His presence with singing because we have a relationship with Jesus Christ. We, the church, are the bride of Christ and we are anticipating His return to come and bring us back to the place He has prepared for us. 

    We can serve God with gladness and come into His presence with singing because our sins have been forgiven! Great is God's faithfulness to forgive us our sins when we repent of them. 

    We serve with gladness because the Joy of The LORD flows through us and overflows into anyone who comes near us and/or hears us rejoicing. Our cups overflow. 

Psalm 16:5

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure.

Psalm 23:5

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

CALLED TO SERVE WITH GLADNESS

Honey In The Rock - Brooke Ligertwood 

I Am Not Alone (Psalm 23) - People & Songs

Trust In The Lord - Babbie Mason

Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus - Casting Crowns

Song of The Beautiful Bride - Paul Wilbur

My Portion - Isla Vista

    

A Crucified Life - - Answers The Call to Commit

 

    Psalm 37:5

Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.

    Most of us think we know what 'commit' means. But what is God's definition of commit? 

    To make a commitment to another person is to be faithful in that relationship, whether we are friends, spouses, colleagues or coworkers. 

    To make a commitment to an employer is to make a promise to abide by company rules and regulations; to be on time and do the work for which one is hired according to the pay one is promised. 

    To make a commitment to one's country is to pledge one's self to obeying the laws of the land as long as these laws are not contrary to God's laws. 

COMMITMENT GOD's WAY

    What does it mean here when it says we are to Commit our ways to the Lord? God wants us to trust Him. And talk with Him.

>1 Peter 5:7 tells us to cast all our anxiety on Him, which lines up with Matthew 6:25-34 where Jesus tells His disciples to not worry about the necessities of life, but seek the kingdom of God and all His righteousness. 

>Psalm 55:22 says "Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken."

>Psalm 62:8 "Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah.''

    God wants to meet us in prayer. Committing our way to The LORD means living our lives according to His Word and His Way. When we become born again believers, we stop being the person we were before we got saved and begin to live the life of a new creation, for we are a new person in Christ. 

    When we repent (confess our sins and turn away from them, stop doing those sins), God promises, makes a commitment to, forgive the repentant sinner. Our sins are washed away by the blood of God's Lamb, His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. We are clean and fresh and new. 

    Making a commitment to God is making a promise to God that we will be faithful in obeying His Word, faithful in seeking Him out, faithful in trusting Him to care for us in everything; faithful in doing the work He entrusts us to do. 

    I, like the faithful servants in the parable, also seek to hear those beautiful words from my Lord and Master, "Well done, My good and faithful servant." (Luke 19:17, 19) I do not wish to hear what He told the unfaithful servant (Luke 19:22-27). 

    Hear the Word of The Lord. Today is your day to surrender your hearts and your lives to Christ. Tomorrow is not promised. And our days are shortened and getting shorter. This, too, is promised. (Matthew 24:22)

 PEACE OF MIND COMES FROM TRUSTING THE LORD

    Proverbs 3:5

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. 

SUCCESS COMES FROM A COMMITMENT TO THE LORD

    Proverbs 16:3

Commit your works to the LORD and your plans will be achieved. 

   A relationship without communication is an empty relationship: you're existing but not living. There are no anchor points to hold together the relationship. 

  We need God. By His Word we are formed and in His Word we are made complete. Let us commit our lives even now to loving Him, obeying Him, adoring Him. Let us live joy-filled faithful lives as we await His return to bring us home with Him. 

CALLED TO COMMIT 

Only Trust Him - Alan Jackson

Down To the River to Pray - Allison Krauss

Trading My Sorrows - 

Baptized In Fire - Ecclesia

Burn For You - Rivers & Robots

Here's My Life - Planetshakers

    

A Crucified Life - - Answers The Call to Trust In The Lord

 

    Psalm 37:3

Trust (rely on and have confidence) in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and feed (securely) on His faithfulness.

    Trust is bold confidence. I have to ask myself, 'Am I trusting in the LORD in this way?'  Yes. Otherwise this peace that I have in every situation I find myself in would simply disappear and I would be fraught with needless worry and anxieties. 

    While I do get anxious sometimes, because I don't like to be forgotten or ignored, my trust in God is still firmly in place. My faith is anchored in the LORD and if someone forgets to pick me up or is late, I have turned it into prayer time. Or study time. 

    The LORD tells me not to worry about when my everyday needs will be met or if and how they are met. He has everything under control. I am clothed. I am fed. I am sheltered. Matthew 6:25-34. 

    The LORD reminds me that I am His now that I believe that He is God's only begotten Son; that He died on the cross for me and took back the keys of hell and death from Satan; that He rose from the grave and ascended to His Father. Even now Christ is seated at God's right hand, where He intercedes on my behalf. John 3:16-18; Romans 10:13, Acts 2:21;  Acts 2:22-36; Revelation 1:8; Hebrews 9.

    Therefore, I TRUST IN THE LORD with all of my heart. My Faith is in God and God has a plan and a purpose for everyone. Rewards for they who believe and punishments for they who do not. The unbeliever can get anxious and worrisome; I will not, for I TRUST in The LORD God. 

    A crucified life seeks the Kingdom of God and all His righteousness. There is only room for Trust, a full confidence in that God's will and purpose is better than mine. The LORD calls His people to Trust in Him. If you are His people, He's calling you to Trust in Him. If you are not His people yet, He's calling you to salvation through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ and to Trust Him. 

    Trust that God has a better plan for your life than you do. Trust that God's plan of salvation will save your soul and change your life in ways you cannot even begin to imagine. 

    Our money is imprinted with the phrase "In God We Trust". Are our hearts and minds imprinted with this phrase, as well? We are instructed in this verse to also "feed on His faithfulness". How has God been faithful to you? in the day? in the night? in tough times and good times? in sorrow and in joy? He is ALWAYS NEAR. 

CALLED TO TRUST

First Things First - Consumed By Fire

Gratitude - Brandon Lake

Help Is On The Way - TobyMac

Speak To The Mountains - Chris McClarney

Rise Up - CAIN

Walking Free - Micah Tyler

God Really Loves Us - Crowder, Dante Bowe

Trading My Sorrows - Darrell Evans, Integrity Music

A Crucified Life - - Has Strong Confidence

 

2 Corinthians 5:6

Therefore, we are always confident, although we know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 2292

Confident: to be of good courage; of good cheer

From the Greek word 'tharreó' (pronounced thar-hreh'-o): to be of good courage, hopeful, be bold

TRUST, SECURITY

    Proverbs 14:26

In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.

     Psalm 27:3, 4

Though an army encamps around me, my heart will not fear; though a war breaks out against me, I will keep my trust. One thing I have asked of the LORD; this is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and seek Him in His temple.

    Hebrews 6:11, 12

And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

    Hebrews 11:13

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

    Romans 8:38, 39

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I AM PERSUADED

    As Paul has written in Romans 8:38-39, so, too, do I say: "I, Terri, am persuaded that 'neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate me from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus my Lord.' 

    See, it's a personal thing. Each of us must choose whether or not we will believe not only in God, but that God has a plan of salvation for those who believe that His Word is Faithful and True.

     His plan is Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 1:18, 23-24). His plan is Christ defeating death and hell and the grave  (Matthew 28:2-3; Revelation 1:18). 

    His plan is Christ resurrected, transformed/changed from the body He wore while He was in this world to a glorious body (Luke 24:46; John 2:22; John 20:17; Acts 2:24).

NO CONFIDENCE

    Acts 26:28

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” 

    Mark 6:6

And He marvelled because of their unbelief. And He went round about the villages, teaching.

    John 3:18, 19

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than Light, because their deeds were evil."

    Where is your confidence? Is it in yourself? or is it in Christ? We, the born again believers, have our confidence in Christ. In all aspects of Christ's Name we have placed our trust and He is our Firm Foundation. We declare to you who have not yet believed that "on Christ, the Solid Rock," we take our stand in Him, in the Living Word of God. 

    In John 3:16-18, we read that God loves the world so much that He sent His only begotten Son to pay for the sins of the world, and that the people who believed on Jesus would be believers. So, although Jesus is everyone's Savior, not everyone will believe this and their unbelief will condemn them. 

    

STRONG CONFIDENCE

Amadeo - Ryan Stevenson

No Impossible With You - I Am They

Where You Go, I Go - Jesus Culture

Whom Shall I Fear - Chris Tomlin

Battle Belongs - Phil Wickham

Alive In You - Jesus Culture

Graves Into Gardens - Elevation Worship

All My Hope - Crowder

        

Arming The Spiritual Warrior -- Trust Your Commander

 1 Thessalonians 5:24

He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.

Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 4103

Faithful: reliable, trustworthy, can be relied on

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 982

Trust: (you, we, I) put trust in; have confidence in, rely

A faithful people must be called by a faithful God, a God who can be trusted, a God who cannot lie, a God who leads the way.

GOD IS FAITHFUL 

Deuteronomy 7:9

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion for a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.

1 Corinthians 1:9

God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

2 Timothy 2:13

If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

TRUST IN GOD

Proverbs 3:5

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.

Isaiah 50:10

Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of His Servant? Who among you walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD; let him lean on his God.

God Doesn't Lie

Numbers 23:19

God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?

Hebrews 6:18

Thus by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be strongly encouraged.

God Keeps His Promises

Genesis 17:7

And I will establish My covenant between  Me and you and your seed after you in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto you, and to your seed after you.

Galatians 3:16

The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say, "and to seeds," meaning many, but "and to your seed," meaning One, who is Christ.

God Knows Where He Leads Us

Proverbs 3:6

In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

John 14:6

Jesus says to him, "I am The Way and The Truth and The Life. No one comes to the Father, but by Me."

Hebrews 11:16

Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.

John 14:2

In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

MUSTARD SEED FAITH

All we need is a tiny bit of faith, faith the size of a mustard seed, to believe and to follow God. And we need to act on that faith. 

Luke 17:6

And the Lord answered, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you."

Matthew 17:20

“Because you have so little faith,” He answered. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Mustard seed faith uproots trees and moves mountains. We just have to speak out our faith in God to see that He uproots the trees in our path, He moves the mountains that block our way. 

Mustard seed faith accomplishes in the spiritual realm what the heart believes and the faithful speak aloud. 

We pray for the impossible and God answers our prayers. We pray for the improbable to happen and God answers our prayers. We seek out God's Word to know our Leader better and see Him more clearly and hear His voice more softly. 

Mustard seed faith is strong faith. It may look tiny on the outside, but great things happen when we plant it in our spirits. It takes root. It grows. It buds, sprouts and rises above the dark places to spread its branches in the Sonlight, in the Day. Mustard seed faith multiplies a thousandfold. 

Matthew 13:31, 32

He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man planted in his field. Although it is the smallest of all seeds, yet it grows into the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

Mustard seed faith sees souls saved, diseases shrivel up, bones healed, minds delivered and more. 

 

Faith, Trust, requires us to believe what we cannot see ahead of us. It is as if we walk blindfolded, but not blindly. For we know Whom we have believed and where He leads us we will follow. Faith requires us to be faithful to God. 

Let us place our trust in God that what He has promised He will do. Let us pray for His kingdom to increase. And let us answer the call He has placed on each of our lives to be saved, be filled and be of service in His kingdom. 

 

Trust In The Lord: Psalm 37

PSALM 37:3 

Trust in the LORD, and do good: So shall you dwell in the land, and truly you shall be fed. Psalm 37:3

Trust (have faith in God) and do good (obey God's Word). Psalm 34:8-14 confirms this pursuit of happiness in Jesus:

8. Taste and See that the LORD is Good. To taste and see we must open our Bibles and pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal what God is speaking to us when we study His Word out. When we apply Biblical principles and ethics to our lifestyles, then we can begin to see how God is working in us and in our lives.

9. They that fear the LORD lack nothing in this life and in life eternal. Fearing the LORD is to obeying the Word He speaks to us. More than the 10 Commandments listed in Exodus, it is also a life of joy in obedience through Christ who is our Strength, as outlned in the New Testament.

10. Seek the LORD and any good thing is ours to have. Psalm 23:1 The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want means not only do I know Who my Leader is, but that I choose to follow where He leads me. And where He leads me is to a place of Enough, More Than Enough, Abundant Living in Him and through Him.

11. Learn the fear of the LORD by listening to the Holy Spirit's voice. It is the voice of Wisdom which speaks plainly in Proverbs. He is the Friend of the Bridegroom who not only prepares the bride to meet her Groom, but fetches the bride and her bridal party to the wedding.

12. Desiring a good long life is normal. But the only way to obtain it is to Trust and Obey God.

13. Don't speak evil against anyone, and don't be talking nasty about a person. No slander, no lies, no gossip, no backstabbing, no anger is to come out of the mouth of the believer. Don't be bad-mouthing a person. Nor should we talk about them without their knowledge. James 3:5-10 warns of the ruin our tongues can bring when we allow the tongue to lash out and lose control. 

14. Depart (walk away from, leave) from evil, and do good (be obedient); Seek peace (the peace which only God can give), and pursue it.

In God We Trust

 Really? Do we really trust God? Though it only took our national congress one hundred years to have some kind of motto like this imprinted on our monetary system, and then declared our national motto, how long does it take to have “in God we trust” written on our hearts? Or in our thoughts, our words, our actions?

The first commandments God wrote out for His people to follow was “I AM YOUR GOD Who delivered you out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. Nor shall you make any graven image nor shall you worship them. For I AM a jealous GOD.”

Having the money in hand does not mean having God in heart. Were that so all money bearing God's Name would be used for God's glory, not just some of it. It is the heart that declares who its God is, not the coin of the land. Such an outcry in recent years over whether or not such wording should or should not be used is a distraction from the important question: who is your God? In whom do you trust? Where are your loyalties? Who do you turn to when your life is in danger? Or your children's safety? Who or what do you trust in when your world is turned upside down by tragedy of death, weather-related disasters, wartime wounds inflicted and received? Who is your God?

What does it mean to trust? Searching Roget's Thesaurus, I see that trust can be described quite a few different ways, but in regards to the phrase on the table currently, trust mean: believe, place confidence in; 'bet your bottom dollar on', rely on, depend on, count on, expect; build on, have faith in, confide in. Trust means: give to for safekeeping; assign, commission, commit, delegate, put into the hands of. Trust means: believe the goodness, realness of; acknowledge, recognize, approve; have no doubt, be convinced of. And these are only a few of the definitions regarding trust as a verb. If that is what the intent was when first suggested in 1861, then when did the USA stop trusting in God as a whole? Did it ever? Did this nation every really trust God for everything that it needed? No.

Isaiah 42:17 “They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, 'You are our gods.” Money really does not grow on trees. It is minted. The metals used to make it are melted down, molten, and imprinted with the words and images, on varying sizes and colors and shapes to form American money. Yet it is not God who is trusted, it is money itself and what money stands for.

Power. Fame. Fortune. Glory. Wealth. Success. These can only be obtained in this world with money, a lot of money. Some believe they can even buy their way into God's presence. The very fact that you are alive is going to get you into God's presence, but it is not your life that will keep you there: it is the eternal life of Jesus Christ, granted to they who believe on The Lord Jesus Christ for their personal Lord and Savior. See, this trust issue is based on a personal relationship with God's only begotten Son Jesus Christ. Though God has many sons and daughters, He has only one ONLY BEGOTTEN SON. And that Son's Name is JESUS CHRIST.

He is all the glory and wealth and success and power believers will ever need. Believers like me.

It is not the phrase on my money that reminds me my trust lies in God, it is God's Word, which was written not only in my Bible, but on my heart, my soul, my mind. In God I Trust. Do you?