Do you understand? In His Word
6-12-17
Brethren,
my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel
Sometimes when we are
reading the Bible we just don’t pay enough attention to really get what God is
trying to say. Many people even pray the ‘prayer of salvation’ thinking they
have to say the specific words but they do not really understand what they are
doing or what it means.
To really get it, to really
understand we need to rely on the Holy Spirit to be out guide as we dig in to
the Word today lets look to see what we can understand about salvation and what
it means to us.
I
know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. 3 For they don’t
understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept
God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to
keep the law. 4 For Christ has already
accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who
believe in him are made right with God. Romans 10:2-4
30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. Acts 16:30-32
8 In fact, it
says ,“The message is very close at hand; it is on your
lips and in your heart. ”And that message is the very message about faith that
we preach: 9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart
that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that
you are saved. 11 As the
Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” 12 Jew and Gentile
are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to
all who call on him. 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of
the Lord will be saved.”
14 But how can they call on him to save
them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have
never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells
them? 15 And how will
anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say,
“How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” 16 But not everyone welcomes the Good News,
for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 So faith comes from hearing that is,
hearing the Good News about Christ. 18 But I ask, have the people of Israel
The message has gone out,
they have heard; but will they react to the message they here?
These must be the questions
pastors and other Biblical teachers ask the Lord when they teach or preach; “Have
they really heard the message we gave them Lord? Do they really understand what
You wanted them to know?”
Having faith is to trust
God to tell you the truth, did you know that? Faith believes that God meant
what He said when he said that if you just believe you will be saved. And if
you are saved you will want to live the righteous life! To here and understand
what God wants you to know both in Church and in your Bible you have to listen
with your heart and mind, and soul! Hey that’s how God wants us to love Him
too! Its kind of fun how the truth winds itself around your Heart and mind, and
soul and strength in so man ways we live.
So what does all this mean
today Teresa? Why are you telling me this?
I felt drawn to write about this
topic today because in my daily reading Bible it stood out to me that so many
people ‘get saved’ each week and then go back to their daily lives on Monday. I
wonder if it’s real, I wonder if its ‘took’ to their heart and mind what they
just did.
I can remember the day I
told someone about my salvation. I may have mentioned before that I was saved
with the assistance of the Holy Spirit and my Gideon’s New Testament; the Bible
my mother won for Memory Verse work as a child. I did not get saved in church
with a human to guide me in what to say; though I tried to at ten while
visiting a church with a friend; I did not understand the seriousness of what
sin was and why I was living in sin as a child. Though I know my son knew what
he did at a younger age I personally did not yet understand. So at 18 when I
knelt in my bedroom and prayed to God telling Him I believed it was not a
specific prayer but it was a heart felt “Lord I believe in You” prayer and then
I went to work later that day and found someone to tell.
I chose someone who was a
known Christian at my work place. She was not impressed just kind of acted like
“Why is she telling me this?” So it was not the big party I thought I would get
with the response but God still guided me to a church further down the road!
Eventually, a year later I started attending Church services at a church I used
to see nearly daily and thing that God was there! Funny how the Holy Spirit was
calling me even before I knew it!
I did not understand His
voice until I chose to believe.
When we are listening to
the Word taught, or reading it in our Bibles we need to have an open heart and
mind to the Holy Spirit in order to truly understand what the Spirit is saying
to us. God will speak to our hearts and minds via His Holy spirit, also known
as ‘the Comforter’ that Jesus left for us. He will help us to understand what
our flesh cannot comprehend, if we seek Him, and His direction in the Word
today. Lets make that our plan of the
week, just as a start; pray each day and as God to help us understand the Word
like we never have before; to know the purpose an the plan of each thing we
read daily.
Dear Heavenly Father, help
us understand the Word today and to know why You gave it to us in the words You
put it in. Help us to understand what You want us to do with it, in Jesus name,
amen.
Read some more: Romans
9:1-33, Romans 10:1-22, 2 Thessalonians 3:1-18 and Act 16:1-40