But the king shall rejoice in God. All who swear by Him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped. (Vs 11)
It is the Lord, your God, you should fear. Him you shall serve and by His name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the people around you, for the Lord, your God, in your midst, is a jealous God. Deuteronomy 6
This was fun. I looked up the word swear and the word exult in the Hebrew. To swear: Shaba - to make an oath as if by repeating a declaration seven times. To exult(glory): halal - to shine; to make a show. So, those who swear an oath to our God will shine - be showy. How does this stop the mouths of liars? Easy. It proves God is real and powerful.
We had friends when we were first married who didn't believe in God. Said He didn't exist. However, this couple was drawn to us and curious about our faith. We had many conversations about Christ with them. Whetted the husband's appetite. One evening when they were at our home for dinner, Don told us about his ailing grandmother. She loved to dance but was now wheelchair bound. It was Don's fond wish that his dear grandmother get up and cha-cha again.
"What if Jesus could heal her and she danced again?" I asked. "Would you believe in Him then?"
Don was astounded at the thought. Figured it to be a safe bet, for Grandma hadn't gotten out of her chair for months, much less had the strength to dance. "Sure!" he answered. "Sure. Yes, I would believe in Jesus then!"
We prayed with him right then and there. Asked for a healing for her and thanked God for the answer. Several days later, Don called to tell us that his grandmother was not only up and walking, but was, indeed, dancing! Bill, of course, challenged our friend about his promise to receive Christ.
"Well, she was probably going to walk, anyway," he responded. "The prayer was probably a coincidence."
Don wanted to get into medical school - a particularly difficult one. He knew he had virtually no chance of it. Again we prayed with him. Though very cynical about his chances, there was that grandmother thing still lingering in his mind fueling hope that there is a God who can make our faces shine with answered prayer. The phone call we received telling us Don had been accepted into his dream university was emotional. He was crying. Because he knew. Only God could've done this. Don is a believer today because God put on quite a show for him in order to woo him to Himself.
Our faith was in Christ. He made a commitment to us, sealed with His own blood. The liar would tell the world God didn't perform that miracle...would've happened anyway. But lies are proven wrong by truth. You can't tell Don these days that God doesn't care, that He doesn't work miracles, or that He doesn't even exist. God made a show of His love and power. Shut the devil up! Our lives are the best example yet of a glorious, shining King of kings who could take the dust of the earth and breath His Spirit into it. Who can give us the power to say: "I once was lost but now I'm found." The world can discount the glory of creation, say it all just slapped together somehow out of primordial ooze, but it's hard to explain a life changed by the power of God.
It is the Lord, your God, you should fear. Him you shall serve and by His name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the people around you, for the Lord, your God, in your midst, is a jealous God. Deuteronomy 6
This was fun. I looked up the word swear and the word exult in the Hebrew. To swear: Shaba - to make an oath as if by repeating a declaration seven times. To exult(glory): halal - to shine; to make a show. So, those who swear an oath to our God will shine - be showy. How does this stop the mouths of liars? Easy. It proves God is real and powerful.
We had friends when we were first married who didn't believe in God. Said He didn't exist. However, this couple was drawn to us and curious about our faith. We had many conversations about Christ with them. Whetted the husband's appetite. One evening when they were at our home for dinner, Don told us about his ailing grandmother. She loved to dance but was now wheelchair bound. It was Don's fond wish that his dear grandmother get up and cha-cha again.
"What if Jesus could heal her and she danced again?" I asked. "Would you believe in Him then?"
Don was astounded at the thought. Figured it to be a safe bet, for Grandma hadn't gotten out of her chair for months, much less had the strength to dance. "Sure!" he answered. "Sure. Yes, I would believe in Jesus then!"
We prayed with him right then and there. Asked for a healing for her and thanked God for the answer. Several days later, Don called to tell us that his grandmother was not only up and walking, but was, indeed, dancing! Bill, of course, challenged our friend about his promise to receive Christ.
"Well, she was probably going to walk, anyway," he responded. "The prayer was probably a coincidence."
Don wanted to get into medical school - a particularly difficult one. He knew he had virtually no chance of it. Again we prayed with him. Though very cynical about his chances, there was that grandmother thing still lingering in his mind fueling hope that there is a God who can make our faces shine with answered prayer. The phone call we received telling us Don had been accepted into his dream university was emotional. He was crying. Because he knew. Only God could've done this. Don is a believer today because God put on quite a show for him in order to woo him to Himself.
Our faith was in Christ. He made a commitment to us, sealed with His own blood. The liar would tell the world God didn't perform that miracle...would've happened anyway. But lies are proven wrong by truth. You can't tell Don these days that God doesn't care, that He doesn't work miracles, or that He doesn't even exist. God made a show of His love and power. Shut the devil up! Our lives are the best example yet of a glorious, shining King of kings who could take the dust of the earth and breath His Spirit into it. Who can give us the power to say: "I once was lost but now I'm found." The world can discount the glory of creation, say it all just slapped together somehow out of primordial ooze, but it's hard to explain a life changed by the power of God.
No comments:
Post a Comment