It's Not too Late to Change
by Marsha Iddings
Deuteronomy 32:5 They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation.
Most of the remainder of Deuteronomy 32 details how God was faithful to unfaithful Israel and how they provoked Him to anger.
God details in this chapter how He will rain judgment on them for their unfaithfulness and sin.
Many paint God as being only a loving Heavenly Father who sadly endures the unfaithfulness and sin of men. However, we see a very different picture of God in this chapter.
Consider the following:
Deuteronomy 32:35-36 "To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste. For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left."
I see in Israel, a picture of man in general and a picture of many of God's people. Israel was a sinful people by nature and so is all of mankind.
Romans tells us, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"(Romans 3:23)
When man persists in going his own way like the nation of Israel did, God often pulls back and allows the natural consequences of their actions to run its course. Our nation is on downward course very similar to what is described in Deuteronomy 32. It's a matter of time before He rains judgment on us.
Dueteronomy 32:20 says, "And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith." Change takes place one person at a time. God says, "…they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith." If you see yourself here, it's not too late to change. God will help you.
This is a weekly devotional. Feel free to forward this to your friends.
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I received this pretty little heart from a friend who wanted to encourage me. This is what she said:You are always one to share directly the love of Jesus. I've not stopped in for a while, but see that you are still up to it and so I've passed along a "True Heart Award" to you as you came to mind right away for being more deserving of this than me.Thank you Jan Lyn. What an encouragement you are to me!
The Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth
by Marsha Iddings
Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
"...a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he."
In this day of political correctness and corruption in high places it is a comfort to know that there is Someone who is going to champion the truth, One who is sinless, just and right.
God will always act according to truth without the influence of sin. Many of the men and women in our justice system do not act according to truth and their decisions are not made according to what is just and right.
Last time we noted that God is called the Rock and so is Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:4). Similarly, we see that God is a God of truth while Jesus calls himself the truth. "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6 )
Jesus is the only way to God the Father. They are inseparable. You can't have one without the other. God the Father without God the Son, brings judgment and God the Son without God the Father means Jesus was nothing but a good man or maybe a prophet instead of our Savior. However, God is a God of truth, just and right. He will not allow sin to go unpunished and Jesus Christ willingly took that punishment to save His people from their sins.
Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Have you embraced the truth? God is a God of truth and Jesus is the truth.
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This is a weekly devotional. Feel free to forward this to your friends.
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Sufficient Grace Publishing
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Sufficient Grace for Suffering Saints
The Aroma of Change
http://aromaofchange.blogspot.com
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:17 And the way of peace have they not known:18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
COMMON SENSE OBITUARY
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, ‘Common Sense’, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
why the early bird gets the worm;
life isn’t always fair;
and, maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses, and as criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust. His wife, Discretion, his daughter, Responsibility, his son, Reason.
He is survived by his 4 step-brothers; I Know My Rights; I Want It Now; Someone Else Is To Blame; I’m A Victim.
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.
(This article was first published March 15, 1998 in the Indianapolis Star. It has been reprinted countless times sometimes attributed anonymously. The original author is Lori Borgman.)
Sufficient Grace Publishing
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Sufficient Grace for Suffering Saints
The Aroma of Change
http://aromaofchange.blogspot.com
My Way or God's Way?
By Marsha Iddings
Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
God's "work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment."
Matthew Henry says, “His work is perfect:” that of redemption and salvation, in which there is a display of all the Divine perfection, complete in all its parts. All God's dealings with his creatures are regulated by wisdom which cannot err, and perfect justice. He is indeed just and right; he takes care that none shall lose by him."
Because God's work is perfect, our thoughts will not always line up with His. Consider the following:
Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
It has been said, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.”
I read a devotional today that stated that whatever dream God has put into our hearts He will bring to completion. If it is for healing, or financial turn-around, or a legal dispute to be resolved, God will bring it to completion and finish it because He is the author and finisher of our faith. I have serious questions about this. How do I know that my dream is put there by God and that it's not just my own desires? How do I know that my dream of a particular outcome is what God has planned? Remember, "my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD."
God works in perfect wisdom and justice in all His dealings with His children. Sometimes we don't understand what He is doing and feel He is being unjust and unfair, but He is the author and finisher of our faith and will bring to completion the good work that He started in our hearts. It is the work of saving, justifying and sanctifying us so that we are fit for heaven.
Philippians 1:6 tells us, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"
What are you confident of? That God will make all your dreams come true or that God will complete the good work that He began in you? The two may not be the same.
Sufficient Grace Publishing
http://stores.lulu.com/marsha-iddings
Sufficient Grace for Suffering Saints
The Aroma of Change
http://aromaofchange.blogspot.com
This is #1 in a series on Deuteronomy 32
By Marsha Iddings
Deuteronomy 32:2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:
As I was reading through Deuteronomy 32, I was impressed by how rich that chapter is with doctrine! I was also impressed with the fact that this verse makes doctrine sound refreshing. That is an odd thought in this day when so many are saying that doctrine is old fashioned, and makes divisions in the church.
I plan to spend a few devotions on the doctrine that is in this chapter. I think when we are done you will find that doctrine can be refreshing and comforting, yet at the same time sometimes uncomfortable because it is also convicting.
The first bit of doctrine we see here is in verse 3 which says, "Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God."
The first thing we see here is that our God is great and we are to acknowledge His greatness. We need to recognize Him for Who He is.
As we go further into this chapter we will learn a number of things about God that will show His greatness. We'll learn about Him as the Rock. We'll see that his work is perfect and His ways are judgment. He is a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right. He made us and redeemed us. He kills and makes alive and he wounds and heals.
We'll also look at man in this chapter as well. There are some things to learn about man in comparison to God.
I am looking forward to doing this series of devotionals and pray that we will gain much insight and encouragement from it.
How great is your God? Do you really know Him? Do you study the Bible to learn more about Him? We can not really know Him or His greatness unless we spend time searching it out in study of His Word, the Bible. Therefore, it follows, that if we do not put forth some effort to know Him through the pages of the Bible, that we can not acknowledge His greatness, for we do not know it.
This is a weekly devotional. Feel free to forward this to your friends.
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Sufficient Grace for Suffering Saints
The Aroma of Change
http://aromaofchange.blogspot.com
God has an opinion of what President Obama has proudly designated as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual Pride Month (June). Read below:
Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 ¶ Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
These are pretty harsh words. But it’s not my opinion, it is God’s opinion. From what I read here, God is not pleased when we are proud of sin and President Obama has proudly told the whole world that we as Americans are proud of sin. He is not speaking for me. I hang my head in shame to be called an American that is proud of sin. From what God says, we are on our way to His judgment and wrath. It’s only a matter of time before His patience runs out. I fear for that day.
Sufficient Grace Publishing
http://stores.lulu.com/marsha-iddings
Sufficient Grace for Suffering Saints
The Aroma of Change
http://aromaofchange.blogspot.com
The Next Five Minutes
This week we return to the Action Email with this question: What will you do with the next five minutes? If you could invest the next five minutes – or three, if you’re quick – in changing the world for generations to come, would you do it?
That’s exactly what we’re asking you to do. Invest just the next five minutes in telling your friends about the Parental Rights Amendment. Below is a message you can use. Send it to your entire email list, post it on Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter (see the attached Tweet). It won’t take long, but the results of passing the Parental Rights Amendment will last beyond our lifetimes, to our children and our children’s children. Protect the freedoms of our next generations – with five minutes of your time.
The Message
A parent’s right to raise their children as they see fit is a time-honored American tradition, but today it is being threatened. The Supreme Court’s Troxel v. Granville decision in 2000 undermined a 75-year heritage of Constitutionally-protected, fundamental parental rights, which 8 of the 9 justices abandoned. At the same time, a growing body of international law fuels activist judges to legislate foreign standards from the American bench, while treaties such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child would subject parental decisions to government oversight and international review.
Rep. Pete Hoekstra (MI-2) has proposed HJR-42, the Parental Rights Amendment, to stop the erosion of parental rights in American courts while simultaneously defending our laws from international invasion. Please, visit parentalrights.org to learn more about the Amendment, and to join their email network by signing the petition to protect parental rights.
Tweet
http://tr.im/lmoH Parental rights are at risk from our courts and international law. HJR 42 amends the Constitution to protect these rights.
(A “Tweet” is a message of 140 or fewer characters, for use on Twitter.)
Now, Go!
You’ve got the message. Now, take five minutes to pass it on. If you’re sending an email, cut and paste the content under “The Message” into the body of your email and send it on. For Twitter, just cut and paste our Tweet into your Twitter account. You might also call your friends and loved ones by phone – but get the message to as many as you can. You’ve got five minutes – starting now!
Sufficient Grace Publishing
http://stores.lulu.com/marsha-iddings
Sufficient Grace for Suffering Saints
The Aroma of Change
http://aromaofchange.blogspot.com
| Marsha,
Very soon all of us who uphold traditional values will face a huge battle over the direction of the U.S. Supreme Court. The stakes are high and the winners will decide the kind of country we’ll leave for our children and grandchildren. You cannot afford to sit this one out. As you have probably heard, Justice David Souter has resigned from the high court and President Obama will very shortly announce his nominee for the vacancy. Based on what we already know, it will very likely be someone from the far-Left fringes of the law, who would advocate policies that you and I would barely recognize, on such important matters as religious freedom and the role of prayer and worship in society. But all of that lies just ahead. For now, I only want to alert you to one of the more amazing bills ever to have been introduced in Congress. It will serve as a valuable primer to help you understand the strong role played by the Christian faith in the foundation of the country. It’s a quick read and its facts cannot be denied. The bill, called H. Res. (for House Resolution) 397 would, if passed, designate the first week in May as “ You can quickly read through this incredible piece of legislation yourself by clicking here. You can also access a short video update on this bill that I just recorded with my colleague Stuart Shepard by clicking here. If you take the time to read the bill I guarantee you that you’ll have a new appreciation for the role played by the Christian faith in the founding of our country, and you will be much better equipped to sort through the noise as the debate over the Supreme Court vacancy reaches high decibel levels in the coming weeks. Sincerely
P.S. Join us in Washington, D.C., this September for the annual Values Voter Summit. It's a dynamic event designed to educate and rally pro-family citizens from across the country. We hope to see you in our nation's capital! |
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