Rooted in the Truth - Together

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, 

and whose hope is in the LORD.

For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, 

which spreads its roots by the river..."

(Jeremiah 17:7-8a NKJV)  

    Last month I was trying to decide on a month-long topic of study for my Facebook group (G.R.O.W.) and my youngest daughter suggested a topic that she felt was pertinent - having firm and established roots.

 

    At the time I couldn't foresee building a month-long series of articles/lessons from that topic, but it has never left my mind and so I have decided that we'll delve into it here and see where it takes us!

 

    Click on the video below (it's only 35 seconds long) and watch what happens when the wind blows against the trees. Take note of the ground at the base of the trees.

 

    

    How does that happen? The trees are all rooted in the earth - together. Their roots are intertwined into the same foundation and they help each other stay rooted when the winds rise up against them.

    If we are firmly rooted in God's Word alongside those of like precious faith then our roots will be bound together in His Truth! Just like the trees, we can help each other weather the storms that will arise in this life; we will help each other hang on!

  

    We are here to help each other (Ephesians 4:29-31, 1 Thessalonians 5:11); to remind each other of Christ's love for us (Ephesians 3:17-19, Romans 8:31-39). We are all seeking the same goal so we flee the same things and we pursue the same things (2 Timothy 2:22) - together! We do all we can to help each other overcome (James 5:19-20), by exhorting and encouraging each other DAILY so that none become hard and brittle through the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:12-15)!

 

    You are needed! By keeping your roots firmly planted in the Truth you can help a brother or sister in Christ stay rooted. Your staying power, your consistency, and your example can edify others to keep trying, to keep going, and to keep growing!

 

"Therefore, my beloved brethren,

be steadfast, immovable, 

always abounding in the work of the Lord,

knowing your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

(1 Corinthians 15:58 NKJV)

 

You can do it! So can I!!

 

 

     

 

    

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

     

 

 

 

    

 What we have learned in our study, “Building Faith and Confidence”:

• We can have confidence that we know God when we wholly obey His commandments (1 John 2:3)
  
• Surrender wholly to God because of what you already know of Him (His power, love, faithfulness, etc.) AND so you can learn MORE of Him (Psalm 46:10)
• When we abide in Christ – being part of His body, the church (Romans 6:3-4, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Galatians 3:26-29, John 3:5-7) – we can have confidence before Him when He comes again (1 John 2:28)
• Having faith like the mustard seed, which is willing to die (to self) in order to live, develop, and grow in stature (John 12:24-26) will, with determined tenacity, help us to remove great obstacles in life (doubts, fears, anger, etc.) and strengthen our confidence in God. (Luke 17:5)
• Fearing God, giving Him His due reverence and thinking on His awesome power and ability, gives us confidence in all that He can do. He truly does become a refuge for those who trust wholly in Him (Proverbs 10:26)!
• Faith continues to develop as we continue to serve God. We will be given many opportunities in life in which we will need to choose between doing what is pleasing to God or what is pleasing to ourselves – one results in eternal joy, the other only offers a fleeting feeling of happiness (Luke 17:7-10).

“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, 

which has great reward. For you have need 

of endurance, so that after you have done 

the will of God, you may receive the promise… 

…we are not of those who draw back to destruction, 

but ofthose who believe to the saving of the soul.” 

 (Hebrews 10:35-36, 39 NKJV)

Keep turning to God, keep seeking His instruction from the Bible, and keep humbly obeying it with determination each day! Surrender to God’s wisdom and discover the absolute beauty of His way! Keep choosing God and you will soon realize both your faith and your confidence are growing! Keep on keeping on!!

You can do it! So can I!!

 

Increase Your Faith By Serving God

    Do you want your faith to increase? You simply need to keep serving God!

    In Jesus’ response to the apostles asking for increase of faith (Luke 17:5-10), we find that a small amount of real faith would put them on the right path, but it is dedicated service toward God –  active and tenacious – that will increase and strengthen our faith.

    Many of us would desire an immediate gift of faith that would not allow doubt or uncertainty – a strong, secure faith that would not fail us, but Jesus said that that kind of faith is only developed through continued service – always choosing to put God’s requirements and commands ahead of our own (Luke 17:7-10).

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, 

by the mercies of God, that you present 

your bodies a living sacrifice,holy, 

acceptable to God, which is 

your reasonable service.” 

(Romans 12:1 NKJV)

    Along life’s journey we will have opportunities to grow our faith, through active times of raising children, through sacrifice of our own desires, ideas, and expectations, and through patient submission because of age, illness, or other long-term stresses, if in these we choose God and His holy ways, having a complete trust in Him, loving Him, obeying Him, and being fully confident of His promises, happily saying, “Whatever you need me to do, I will do it”, then with each opportunity our faith will increase.

    As I wrote in an earlier post, how can you have faith in God’s promise of peace if you never give over your worries (Philippians 4:6-8)? How can you have faith in His care if you never cast your cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:6-7)? With each opportunity to do things HIS way, our faith has opportunity to grow.

    We love and obey God willingly, eager to serve Him to the uttermost because we know what He has done for us (John 3:16-17, Romans 5:8-9), we see what He continues to do for us (Psalm 68:19, Psalm 103:1-5, Ephesians 1:3-14; 2:1-10), and we believe that what He has promised He will do for us (Hebrews 11:6, 1 Peter 1:3-9, 1 John 2:25)!

    In the end, we will only be able to say, “We are unprofitable servants, we have done what was our duty to do”, knowing we would never, even if we lived for a million years, we would never be able to repay God for what He has done for us!

    The joy we feel in trusting God’s grace is part of what propels us in our active, willing duty! So keep trusting, keep choosing God and HIS way, and keep serving – it is worth EVERY effort!!

“Let your waist be girded 

and your lamps burning; 

and you yourselves be like men 

who wait for their master, 

when he will return from the wedding, 

that when he comes and knocks 

they may open to him immediately. 

Blessed are those servants 

whom the master, when he comes, 

will find watching…” 

(Luke 12:35-37a NKJV)

You can do it! So can I!!

Building Confidence and Finding Refuge

 “In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, 

and His children have a place of refuge.” 

(Proverbs 10:26 NKJV)

    Why is there strong confidence in the fear of the Lord? How does this fear supply a place of refuge?

    When we truly and properly fear the Lord, reverencing and respecting Him, we will take Him at His word and obey His word; what He has told us to do, we will do.  When we live in this way we can have strong confidence, just as Paul had in 2 Timothy 4:7-8, we can have a hope of rest, and reward for doing what was our duty to do.

    When we live in fear of Him, remaining zealous in our admiration of His magnificence, God grants us refuge during the trials of life. Through humble obedience of God’s commands we will kept from wayward living, but there will still be trials of temptation and sin, health, age, and loss and in all these we have refuge through prayer! Knowing of God’s greatness, that He is BIGGER than anything we may ever face encourages us to boldly approach God’s throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16, 1 John 5:14-15)! We also receive a vital refuge in the form of protection from the devil and his schemes (Ephesians 6:10-18, Proverbs 14:27)! And when our lives are finished here we have the final refuge of life eternal, when we may rest from our labours (1 Peter 1:3-9)!

    Do you want a stronger confidence? Do you desire a place of refuge? 

    Find both these blessings by fearing the Lord and keeping His commandments – for this is our all (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)!!

“The fear of the LORD leads to life 

and he who has it shall abide in satisfaction…” 

 (Proverbs 19:23 NKJV)