Wonderful Jesus!

Isaiah 50:4- “The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary…”
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    • So Much More!

      Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on October 23, 2020

      Romans 14:17 – “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. NKJV

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      There is so much more to the Holy Spirit, that I can’t even begin to exhaust the subject of Him. As I have mentioned before, there are some really great books out there. One of my personal favorites was written by John Bevere. I encourage you to study the word, to find out His role in your life, but it wouldn’t hurt to read a book, either! Thanks for hanging in there with me, as I’ve tried to share a few truths I’ve learned about the Holy Spirit.

      I believe passionately in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. I’m sure I’ll come back to Him again and again! I also feel strongly about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. But today, I want to talk about Him from this perspective: there is so much more!

      Our text for today states that the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking. This is a perfect chapter to demonstrate an important aspect of the Holy Spirit, for in it, Paul is admonishing the body of Christ. He tells us that we are not to get carried away in what we eat or don’t eat because this is not what the kingdom of God is about. Understanding that at that time, they were coming together as a body of believers, made of Jews and Gentiles, and had concerns over the issue of what to eat and not to eat.

      They were also concerned over holy days and holidays. Again, Paul stressed the relative unimportance of these days, in relationship to the overall goal of being one in Christ. Much as many of us are still arguing over things like: to be immersed, or to sprinkle; to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, or just in the Name of Jesus. Should we be allowed to wear pants, or in today’s fashion world-leggings- or jogging suits to church? So many little issues that clog up the overall goal of advancing the kingdom of God. Should sin be allowed to infect the Body? Certainly not! But those things that are irrelevant in the whole scheme of salvation, should not be allowed to separate us!

      The kingdom of God is God’s rule and way of doing things. Jesus came preaching the kingdom, and commissioned us to go and do likewise. There’s much in the kingdom, and it will be my topic, soon, but for today’s post, I’m more focused on the end of the verse. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost!

      The kingdom of God is righteousness. Righteousness is being in right standing with God. This is accomplished by coming into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ! In the Strong’s the rendition is “the state of him who is such as he ought to be; the condition of being acceptable to God.” That’s what Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross made available to all who believe, that we would be acceptable to God. In a state of sin, we are unacceptable, but as believers, we are made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! (2 Corinthians 5:21)

      If we keep this verse in context, it also deals with our right relationship with others. It’s important to remember that God requires of us all to do the right thing in regards to others. Judging people on what they eat or don’t eat, the color of their skin, their economic state in life, isn’t right, and it isn’t godly. The Holy Spirit helps us to get this right in our relationships with others. Especially the household of faith!

      The kingdom of God is peace. Peace is a place of security, safety, prosperity; the state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ. In Ephesians, the Holy Spirit is mentioned as the guarantee of our redemption! Have you ever purchased a home and had to give a deposit to guarantee the seller that your interest was sincere? The Holy Spirit guarantees your salvation, He is your assurance policy. He also is there providing security, safety, and prosperity to those in the kingdom.

      In relationship to the context in which it is written, being at peace with one another is important. Arguing and being in constant dispute over things that bring division and discord, like food and drink, and what days to worship, and how to worship, is pure foolishness and doesn’t lead to peace. In the kingdom of God, peace that flows from the Holy Spirit should be flowing through us to others. Not a facade of peace, but the real deal that demonstrates our connection with the Spirit of God. We are to be people who want safety, security, and prosperity in our lives, and in the lives of those around us.

      The kingdom of God is joy! Cheerful, calm delight, and gladness is the kingdom. Joy isn’t based on what is happening around us, it is based on what is happening in us. Joy goes deeper than happiness, for it is rooted in our inner being. Happiness is external and subject to change. When there is joy in our lives, we are better equipped to spread joy to others. The Holy Spirit causes that joy to stay fresh, enabling us to radiate it, even when we are not thinking about it, or we don’t appear to have a reason for it. Everyone loves being around a joy filled individual. They look at life and see hope, and all that is good around them.

      In light of this verse, we are to bring joy, not pain and chaos into the lives of others. Hurting others, because of our need to feel superior, is not radiating from the Holy Spirit. Joy is meant to be spread to others, just as love is. When we purpose to allow joy to shine from us, in the midst of troubling times, it’s magnetic. People are drawn to it! People are drawn to the kingdom.

      Paul is writing to believers, and He is letting us know that in the Holy Ghost, we have access to righteousness, peace, and joy. That’s the kingdom! And as kingdom citizens, we should display righteousness, peace, and joy to others! I leave you with this thought:

      Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 – NKJV

      He’s so much more than we ever thought, or could imagine! Taking time to get to know Him better, and allowing Him to have a place of importance in our lives will benefit us more than it will benefit Him. He’s just waiting for you, for us, to give Him a chance to show us so much more! Wonderful Jesus!

      Posted in Holy Spirit, joy, Kingdom of God, Peace, righteousness | 2 Comments | Tagged Holy Spirit, joy, Kingdom of God, Peace, relationships, righteousness, the Blood of Jesus, word of God
    • Rejoice Always!

      Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on September 8, 2020

      1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. NKJV

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      If you’ve been following my blogs, you know that I have been writing on the requirements that God has for us. In the following blogs, I would like to write about some of the things that we are encouraged to do as believers. For this blog, I will focus on rejoicing!

      I found the Webster’s 1828 Dictionary listening to Pastor Bill Winston, of Living Word Christian Center. He said it was a favorite of his and I have been using it lately. According to this edition of the Webster’s Dictionary, rejoice means to experience joy and gladness in a high degree; to be exhilarated with lively and pleasurable sensations; to exult.”

      Typically people rejoice at weddings. When we attend a wedding of a family member or a friend and we like the dynamics of the couple, we rejoice with them because we are happy for them! When a baby is born to someone we love, we rejoice with them at the birth of the baby; even at the news that a baby is about to be born. We rejoice at birthdays, and graduations, and some times at home goings, even when we are sad, because we know that person has transitioned to be with Jesus! Sometimes it is easier to rejoice then it is at other times.

      I’m amazed at how many people are struggling at this time. I know it isn’t easy, but some are finding it especially difficult to find any type of joy, let alone joy to a high degree. I have even heard pastors speak of the challenge they are having to not to become discouraged. Well, God saw this day afar off and His word to us is to “rejoice always”!

      Who better to write words of encouragement, then Paul? Paul wrote this letter to a group of saints in a city he was thrown out of! You’d think he would tell them to leave that place or even that he was sure they were struggling with their faith in such a sin filled city. But that’s not what he said to them. He told them “rejoice always”!

      Paul learned in the course of his ministry that his joy didn’t come from the situations and circumstances that he continually found himself in. They came from the Lord! He understood that even when there was nothing outwardly to find joy in, we could find joy in Christ.

      Paul was shipwrecked on several occasions, stoned, whipped, lied on, thrown out of cities, left for dead, and persecuted throughout his ministry! Yet Paul said, “rejoice always”!

      We used to sing a chorus with these words in it:

      This joy I have, the world didn’t give it to me,
      This joy I have, the world didn’t give it to me,
      This joy I have, the world didn’t give it to me,
      O, the world didn’t give it and the world can’t take it away!

      But all too often in life, we live as though this is not a truth found in Jesus, and the world and its events really do take our joy away!

      Let’s look at a few scriptures about rejoicing:

      But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield. Psalm 5:11-12

      That I may tell of all Your praise In the gates of the daughter of Zion. I will rejoice in Your salvation. Psalm 9:14

      But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, Because He has dealt bountifully with me. Psalm 13:5-6

      I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy, For You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities, Psalm 31:7

      Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful. Psalm 33:1

      Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, “The Lord be magnified!” Psalm 40:16

      Are you getting the message? I had another post scheduled to come out today, but as I was lying in bed thinking on the Lord and quoting scriptures in my spirit, this one resonated with me and I felt that I was to get up and change my blog. It’s one o’clock in the morning, my time, and I have to get up soon for work, but I had to obey the prompting in my spirit!

      The numbers for the virus is escalating. Politics are getting nerve wrecking. Jobs are being lost and loved ones are dying. If we are not careful, we will become complainers, but God is saying, Rejoice always!

      Rejoice in your salvation! Rejoice because God is magnified over all of this stuff! Rejoice because He is mindful of you and all your adversities! Rejoice because He favors you! Rejoice because you can trust Him! Rejoice because from His vantage point, your praise is beautiful! Rejoice because He loves you! And rejoice because it is His will for you! Wonderful Jesus!

      Posted in joy, rejoice, will of God | 0 Comments | Tagged Attitude, encouragement, Handling difficulties, hard times, joy, rejoice, Salvation, Victorious Living, victory, will of God
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