"I have stored up Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." (Ps. 119:11)
The Bible calls us to live lives that are blameless. We are not ever sinless while we remain in our flesh, but we should sin less. God is at work in the life of every true believer to transform them into the image of Christ. Although Jesus Christ was tempted in every way that we are, He never sinned.
One of the disciplines of the life of a maturing believer that gives help in overcoming sin is "storing up" God's Word in our heart. The King James Version calls it "Hiding" God's Word in our hearts. How do we do that? We must memorize the scripture. We memorize it and we meditate on it. We study it and seek to comprehend its truth. As we have memorized it, the Holy Spirit will use it in our lives to overcome temptation. So when the psalmist asked, "How can a young man cleanse his ways?" in Ps. 119:9, he answers his own question in v. 11.
"I have stored up Your Word in my heart."
Heb. 4:12 tells us that God's Word is a living Word, sharper than even a two edged sword. The Word really comes to life in us when we have committed it to memory. Start with important verses to your life. Write them on 3 x 5 cards that you can carry everywhere you go. Review the verses on coffee breaks, or at red lights. Commit God's Word to Your heart today.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Is Heaven a Quiet Place?
"saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb'". (Rev. 5:12)
It is amazing to me that everyone says they want to go to heaven when they die. I haven't met anyone that genuinely said, "I prefer the alternative." But what is heaven really like? The old Christmas classic, "It's a Wonderful Life" says that every time we hear a bell ring, some angel has gotten their wings. The implication is that people who die and go to heaven eventually can become angels. But the Bible teaches that angels are created beings separate from humans, and that people never become gods or angels, or anything other than human.
Heaven must be a loud place. When John opened the windows of heaven in the Revelation and let us look in, he described the activity of heaven in Rev. 4 and 5. All around the throne of God are gathered the myriads of angels, which means huge numbers that are staggering. And all of the elders and saints, being the redeemed of all ages. So multitudes of angels and people, and they are all praising God. The sheer volume of people would create a loud chorus of praise, but our scripture above says they say with a "loud voice."
That is interesting to me because of what I sometimes hear in church. On one Sunday, one person came up and said the music was too loud today. And yet another asked, "Why have you turned the volume down, it seems we lost some energy." How can both be true on the same day? Have we forgotten it is not about us anyway? One person who complained of it being too loud one day was wearing hearing aids. Couldn't you just turn them down?
So if heaven is not a quiet place, are you going to put in for a transfer?
It is amazing to me that everyone says they want to go to heaven when they die. I haven't met anyone that genuinely said, "I prefer the alternative." But what is heaven really like? The old Christmas classic, "It's a Wonderful Life" says that every time we hear a bell ring, some angel has gotten their wings. The implication is that people who die and go to heaven eventually can become angels. But the Bible teaches that angels are created beings separate from humans, and that people never become gods or angels, or anything other than human.
Heaven must be a loud place. When John opened the windows of heaven in the Revelation and let us look in, he described the activity of heaven in Rev. 4 and 5. All around the throne of God are gathered the myriads of angels, which means huge numbers that are staggering. And all of the elders and saints, being the redeemed of all ages. So multitudes of angels and people, and they are all praising God. The sheer volume of people would create a loud chorus of praise, but our scripture above says they say with a "loud voice."
That is interesting to me because of what I sometimes hear in church. On one Sunday, one person came up and said the music was too loud today. And yet another asked, "Why have you turned the volume down, it seems we lost some energy." How can both be true on the same day? Have we forgotten it is not about us anyway? One person who complained of it being too loud one day was wearing hearing aids. Couldn't you just turn them down?
So if heaven is not a quiet place, are you going to put in for a transfer?
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