Preach, Reprove, Rebuke, and Exhort

 Happy Sunday!

"I can’t impress this on you too strongly. God is looking over your shoulder. Christ himself is the Judge, with the final say on everyone, living and dead. He is about to break into the open with his rule, so proclaim the Message with INTENSITY; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don’t ever quit. Just keep it simple. You’re going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They’ll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you’re doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God’s servant."(2 Timothy 4:1-5 Message).

The Apostle Paul wrote these words to his son in the ministry, Timothy.  BUT God inspired them to be written so that we could also benefit from them.  2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be PERFECT, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."(KJV).

Verse 2 in the King James Version says, "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine."(2 Timothy 4:2).  Four instructions for all of us.  First PREACH.  Jesus said, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and TEACH them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world."(Matthew 28:18-20 CEV).  Second REPROVE.  Reprove is defined as "To charge with a fault to the face; to chide; to reprehend".  Proverbs 13:24 says, "He who withholds the rod [of discipline] hates his son, But he who LOVES him disciplines and trains him diligently and appropriately [with wisdom and love]."(Amplified).  Don't miss this!  If you truly love someone you will tell them the truth!  Love always involves hate.  When you love people, you will hate what is killing them, hurting them, or sending them to Hell!

Third REBUKE.  Matthew 8:26 is a good example of the word rebuke.   It says, "And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and REBUKED the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm."(KJV).  The storm was out of order!  Jesus didn't debate with it, He told it to "Shut Up"!    Fourth EXHORT.  Exhort is defined as, "to encourage, to embolden, to cheer, to advise. The primary sense seems to be to excite or to give strength, spirit or courage."(Websters Dictionary 1828).  Hebrews 12:6 says, "The Lord corrects the people he loves and disciplines those he calls his own."(CEV).  Because He loves us he corrects us, but he doesn't leave us there sad and broken!  He encourages us to do better.  He gives us boldness to obey.  He cheers us up, and gives us courage.

That's GOOD News!

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Getting It All Back!

 Happy Sunday!

"And I will restore or replace for you the YEARS that the locust has eaten—the hopping locust, the stripping locust, and the crawling locust, My great army which I sent among you.  And you shall eat in plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord, your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you. And My people shall never be put to shame."(Joel 2:25-26 Amplified).

I love the WORD!  But that's no secret to you!  I really enjoy these scriptures in the KJV.  It made me look up the various insects that are mentioned.  The Cankerworm, the Caterpillar, and the Palmerworm are insects who one after another would fully decimate a garden, and crops.  Most of us are so far removed from agriculture.  But before produce reaches the Piggly Wiggly it has to be planted, nourished, watered, protected from too much sun and bad weather, and protected from pests.  So God used these agricultural terms that the people were familiar with to describe what they had experienced in life.

In John 10:10, Jesus says, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."(KJV).  Don't miss this!  Three attacks from the enemy, and three insects devouring the harvest.  Can't you just see it in life?  Time eaten up by illness, time wasted on strife and unforgiveness, and time spoiled by poverty!  BUT Fear Not!  No matter what has been stolen from you it can ALL be restored! How much is a year worth?  Can you do the Math?  We may not be able to quantify it, BUT God can!  Matthew 10:30 says, "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered."(KJV).  Numbered, not counted!  He knows exactly what is happening with hair #101,230 at this very moment!

In 2 Kings 8:4-6 we are given an example of Restoration of Years!  "And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.  And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life. And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, RESTORE all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now."(KJV).  The Living Bible for verse 6 says, "everything she had owned was RESTORED to her, plus the VALUE of any crops that had been harvested during her absence."  Now, that's GOOD NEWS!

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Walk By Faith

 Happy Sunday!

"So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever."(2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Message).

Just for a moment, think of the most stressful time in your life.  During that period of time you may have felt there was no way you could make it, and no way for you to survive.  BUT thankfully here you are today!  You made it!  You didn't give up!  Everything we are experiencing now is temporary, subject to change, guaranteed to change.  Change is inevitable!  My employer says, "Change Energizes Us!" 

The Psalmist experienced many things.  Even in the Psalms that begin in despair, suddenly the writer remembers the Goodness of God and immediately the tone changes.  Psalm 27:13 says, "I am expecting the Lord to RESCUE me again, so that ONCE AGAIN I will see his goodness to me HERE in the land of the living."(Living Bible).  Don't miss this!  God desires for us to enjoy life here on earth!  He created everything for His Children, not for the Devil and his agents. 

Psalm 84:11 is a good scripture to memorize and confess, "For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: NO GOOD THING will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."(KJV).    Hebrews 11:1 says, "What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the CERTAINTY that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead."(Living Bible).  2 Corinthians 5:7 says, "For we walk by faith, not by sight:"(KJV).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

P.S. - I laughed with my Best Friend about how people say that they  are praying for you.  Most of it is just a praying hands emojis! LOL!  I really do pray for everyone that reads this blog and I know that God hears me.  1 John 5:14-15 says, "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we KNOW that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him."(KJV).  My prayer for you is general; that you will know the Lord, accept His plan for your life, be healed, and prosper.  If you would like for me to agree with you on specific concerns, let me know. I'm just a comment away.

Hold Fast!

 Happy Sunday!

"So, my dear brothers, since future VICTORY is sure, be Strong and Steady, always abounding in the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is EVER wasted as it would be if there were no resurrection."(1 Corinthians 15:58 Living Bible).  Have you ever wasted time?  Are you wasting time now?  The Apostle Paul encourages us to use our time wisely!  He assures us that nothing we ever do for the Lord is ever wasted. 

Don't give up!  Hold on!  HOLD FAST!

"Prove all things; HOLD FAST that which is good." - (1 Thessalonians 5:21 KJV)

"Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and HOLD the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle." - (2 Thessalonians 2:15 KJV)

"HOLD FAST the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." - (2 Timothy 1:13 KJV)

"HOLDing FAST the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers."(Titus 1:9 KJV)

"But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we HOLD FAST the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end."(Hebrews 3:6 KJV)

"Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us HOLD FAST our profession."(Hebrews 4:14 KJV)

"Let us HOLD FAST the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)"(Hebrews 10:23 KJV)

"HOLD FAST till I come."(Revelation 2:25 KJV)

"Behold, I come quickly: HOLD that FAST which thou hast, that no man take thy crown."(Revelation 3:11 KJV).

Love and prayers, Cynthia