Tov Toda
Sanctuary
- Thread starter Rowan
- Start date
koberstein
Active member
Are you Jewish?
No I Googled it. It said it was a Jewish slang word for "Ok thanks" I'm a Gentile grafted into the Olive Tree.
Yet Abram’s offspring also includes all who trust in Jesus, and so even Gentiles gain this reward” Gal. 3:29
koberstein
Active member
You replied correctly. I appreciate your input from Galatians. My wife is a Gentile that is also grafted into the Messianic tree. She sometimes doesn't understand some of the meaning of Hebraic customs .
My boss is a Jew- His name is Jesus Christ
That would make a good bumper sticker. Except for all the anti-semitism going on today it could lead to some vandalism.My boss is a Jew- His name is Jesus Christ
koberstein
Active member
I agree. Be careful
Rowan
Active member
MARCH 20
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
MATTHEW 5:2–3
[Jesus] opened His mouth and taught them, saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Malcolm Muggeridge once called the pursuit of happiness the most disastrous purpose set before mankind, something slipped into the Declaration after “life and liberty” at the last moment, almost by accident. In his Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis had the archdevil, Screwtape, advise his apprentice demons on the lure of happiness. He called it “an ever-increasing craving for an ever-diminishing pleasure.” That’s exactly how the pursuit of happiness works in this world.
Pleasure is an anesthesia for deadening the pain of their empty lives. There seem to be few happy people around today. That’s why I appreciate the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Nine different times Jesus uses the word blessed, which roughly translates to “happy.” The core values Jesus offers in the Beatitudes describe life that is really worth living.
David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
MATTHEW 5:2–3
[Jesus] opened His mouth and taught them, saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Malcolm Muggeridge once called the pursuit of happiness the most disastrous purpose set before mankind, something slipped into the Declaration after “life and liberty” at the last moment, almost by accident. In his Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis had the archdevil, Screwtape, advise his apprentice demons on the lure of happiness. He called it “an ever-increasing craving for an ever-diminishing pleasure.” That’s exactly how the pursuit of happiness works in this world.
Pleasure is an anesthesia for deadening the pain of their empty lives. There seem to be few happy people around today. That’s why I appreciate the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Nine different times Jesus uses the word blessed, which roughly translates to “happy.” The core values Jesus offers in the Beatitudes describe life that is really worth living.
David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
Rowan
Active member
MARCH 25
WORDS OF LIFE
PROVERBS 16:24
Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.
Karl Marx devoted his entire life to writing about the demise of capitalism and the coming of communism. He, along with Friedrich Engels, wrote one of the most well-known political treatises in all of history, the Communist Manifesto. As evidence of his keen understanding of the great power of words, Marx is credited with saying: “Give me twenty-six lead soldiers and I will conquer the world!” Who are the twenty-six lead soldiers Marx referred to? They are the twenty six letters of the alphabet on a printing press.
All words have power and meaning (Isaiah 55:11). Jesus said we would be held accountable for even our idle words (Matthew 12:36–37), and Proverbs says that words have the power of life and death (18:21). So the question is not whether words have power. The question is, “What power am I releasing with my words?” If you have sent forth words that hurt, take them back with an apology and replace them with words that heal. The greatest untapped source of healing in life is “pleasant words.”
You may not consider yourself a physician, but you should—as long as you are
David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
WORDS OF LIFE
PROVERBS 16:24
Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.
Karl Marx devoted his entire life to writing about the demise of capitalism and the coming of communism. He, along with Friedrich Engels, wrote one of the most well-known political treatises in all of history, the Communist Manifesto. As evidence of his keen understanding of the great power of words, Marx is credited with saying: “Give me twenty-six lead soldiers and I will conquer the world!” Who are the twenty-six lead soldiers Marx referred to? They are the twenty six letters of the alphabet on a printing press.
All words have power and meaning (Isaiah 55:11). Jesus said we would be held accountable for even our idle words (Matthew 12:36–37), and Proverbs says that words have the power of life and death (18:21). So the question is not whether words have power. The question is, “What power am I releasing with my words?” If you have sent forth words that hurt, take them back with an apology and replace them with words that heal. The greatest untapped source of healing in life is “pleasant words.”
You may not consider yourself a physician, but you should—as long as you are
David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
Rowan
Active member
LIVE ABOVE DECEPTION
JOHN 14:16
I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus is the truth. God accomplishes His will on earth through truth, and Satan accomplishes his purposes on earth through lies. When the child of God believes the truth, then the Spirit of God can work in him, God’s Word can work in him, and he can be set free from deception.
But when we play with the deceptive words of Satan and allow that deception into our hearts, we open the door for him to wreak havoc in our lives and in the lives of our families. Every time there is destruction among God’s people, it’s because the deceiver has been allowed to have just a little bit of a foothold in someone’s life.
Today, the spirit of deception is rampant. But let’s not forget that in the midst of this problem, there is Jesus. In the midst of the deception, there is the Truth. In the midst of all of the seduction of our society, there is the absolute, rock-solid person of the Lord Jesus Christ—the Way, the Truth, and the Life. When we put our trust in Him, we can live above deception and on the level of truth.
David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
JOHN 14:16
I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus is the truth. God accomplishes His will on earth through truth, and Satan accomplishes his purposes on earth through lies. When the child of God believes the truth, then the Spirit of God can work in him, God’s Word can work in him, and he can be set free from deception.
But when we play with the deceptive words of Satan and allow that deception into our hearts, we open the door for him to wreak havoc in our lives and in the lives of our families. Every time there is destruction among God’s people, it’s because the deceiver has been allowed to have just a little bit of a foothold in someone’s life.
Today, the spirit of deception is rampant. But let’s not forget that in the midst of this problem, there is Jesus. In the midst of the deception, there is the Truth. In the midst of all of the seduction of our society, there is the absolute, rock-solid person of the Lord Jesus Christ—the Way, the Truth, and the Life. When we put our trust in Him, we can live above deception and on the level of truth.
David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
Rowan
Active member
THE MAN WITH A PLAN
PHILIPPIANS 1:6
He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
When a young teenage girl named Joni Eareckson broke her neck in a diving accident, she thought it was the last step on her road to life. In reality, her mishap was actually the first step on a path of fruitfulness that she could not have imagined at the time. From her wheelchair, the quadriplegic Joni Eareckson Tada has touched millions of lives through her books, art, music, and advocacy for the disabled.
Joni’s story is more dramatic than anything most of us will ever experience. But the depth of her suffering serves all the more effectively to illustrate the point: The day we think life has come to an end is the day God’s plans and purposes are brought into even sharper focus. What we call “accidents” in life are nothing of the sort if we mean that accidents are random occurrences outside of everyone’s control—unpredictable events with no more meaning than a ricocheting steel ball in a pinball machine. The same God who has every hair on your head numbered has the days of your life numbered as well.
The child of God should rest in the knowledge that our Father in heaven has a plan—and He is never late.
David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
PHILIPPIANS 1:6
He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
When a young teenage girl named Joni Eareckson broke her neck in a diving accident, she thought it was the last step on her road to life. In reality, her mishap was actually the first step on a path of fruitfulness that she could not have imagined at the time. From her wheelchair, the quadriplegic Joni Eareckson Tada has touched millions of lives through her books, art, music, and advocacy for the disabled.
Joni’s story is more dramatic than anything most of us will ever experience. But the depth of her suffering serves all the more effectively to illustrate the point: The day we think life has come to an end is the day God’s plans and purposes are brought into even sharper focus. What we call “accidents” in life are nothing of the sort if we mean that accidents are random occurrences outside of everyone’s control—unpredictable events with no more meaning than a ricocheting steel ball in a pinball machine. The same God who has every hair on your head numbered has the days of your life numbered as well.
The child of God should rest in the knowledge that our Father in heaven has a plan—and He is never late.
David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
Rowan
Active member
APRIL 27
STRENGTHEN ONE ANOTHER
1 CORINTHIANS 10:23–24
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.
You and I are called to build up and strengthen one another. I am called to build you up. You are called to build me up. I must be very careful not to tear you down by my actions, inaction, or words.
Tearing down is the polar opposite of our calling in Scripture. Edifying one another doesn’t happen accidentally. Be on your knees before God, asking Him to fill you with His Spirit and show you opportunities. Be filled with the Word of God and begin to see people as individuals who need to be built up. Fight off the inevitable distractions and interruptions.
Paul is saying, “There are many things I might do and many things I might say. But my first concern ought to be, will this build up or tear down my brother or sister in the body?”
David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
STRENGTHEN ONE ANOTHER
1 CORINTHIANS 10:23–24
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.
You and I are called to build up and strengthen one another. I am called to build you up. You are called to build me up. I must be very careful not to tear you down by my actions, inaction, or words.
Tearing down is the polar opposite of our calling in Scripture. Edifying one another doesn’t happen accidentally. Be on your knees before God, asking Him to fill you with His Spirit and show you opportunities. Be filled with the Word of God and begin to see people as individuals who need to be built up. Fight off the inevitable distractions and interruptions.
Paul is saying, “There are many things I might do and many things I might say. But my first concern ought to be, will this build up or tear down my brother or sister in the body?”
David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
Rowan
Active member
MAY 4
ANGELS REJOICE AT OUR SALVATION
LUKE 15:10
Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
The Bible tells us that angels are aware of the moment each person repents of his sin and becomes a Christian. According to Luke 15:10, they rejoice. One writer says that “they set the bells of heaven to ringing with their rejoicing before the Lamb of God.”
Although the angels rejoice when people are saved and glorify God who has saved them, they cannot do one thing: They cannot testify personally to something they have not experienced. Angels have not been redeemed. They can only point to the experiences of the redeemed and rejoice that God has saved them.
This means that throughout eternity we humans alone will give our personal witness to the salvation that God achieved by grace and that we received through faith in Jesus Christ. As great as they are, angels cannot testify to salvation the same way as those who have experienced it.
David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
ANGELS REJOICE AT OUR SALVATION
LUKE 15:10
Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
The Bible tells us that angels are aware of the moment each person repents of his sin and becomes a Christian. According to Luke 15:10, they rejoice. One writer says that “they set the bells of heaven to ringing with their rejoicing before the Lamb of God.”
Although the angels rejoice when people are saved and glorify God who has saved them, they cannot do one thing: They cannot testify personally to something they have not experienced. Angels have not been redeemed. They can only point to the experiences of the redeemed and rejoice that God has saved them.
This means that throughout eternity we humans alone will give our personal witness to the salvation that God achieved by grace and that we received through faith in Jesus Christ. As great as they are, angels cannot testify to salvation the same way as those who have experienced it.
David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
Rowan
Active member
MAY 15
WHEN GOD SEEMS UNFAIR
EZEKIEL 18:25
You say, “The way of the LORD is not fair.” Hear now … is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair?
That’s not fair! Did you ever say that to your parents? Most of us have, and in some cases we have spoken the truth. But usually children feel that way because they’re unable to see things from a more mature perspective.
In Isaiah 55:8–9, our heavenly Father says:
“My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways.… For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
Abraham might have wondered if God were being too harsh with the population of Sodom, but he contented himself with this assurance: “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25).
He shall! God is righteous—that is, He is morally right, and He is right in His decisions and in all His ways. But God tempers His justice with mercy. If you sometimes feel God has treated you unfairly, tell Him so. Then ask Him to give you a higher understanding of His ways and a deeper dependence on His grace. You can trust the Judge of all the earth to do right.
Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
WHEN GOD SEEMS UNFAIR
EZEKIEL 18:25
You say, “The way of the LORD is not fair.” Hear now … is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair?
That’s not fair! Did you ever say that to your parents? Most of us have, and in some cases we have spoken the truth. But usually children feel that way because they’re unable to see things from a more mature perspective.
In Isaiah 55:8–9, our heavenly Father says:
“My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways.… For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
Abraham might have wondered if God were being too harsh with the population of Sodom, but he contented himself with this assurance: “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25).
He shall! God is righteous—that is, He is morally right, and He is right in His decisions and in all His ways. But God tempers His justice with mercy. If you sometimes feel God has treated you unfairly, tell Him so. Then ask Him to give you a higher understanding of His ways and a deeper dependence on His grace. You can trust the Judge of all the earth to do right.
Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
Rowan
Active member
MAY 22
NINETY-TWO BANANAS
PHILIPPIANS 4:19
God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
The prophet Jeremiah and the apostle Paul discovered the same thing about prayer: When our hearts are right, God delights to give us more than we asked for. In Jeremiah 33:3, the Lord said, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” In Ephesians 3:20, Paul said that God “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.”
In her autobiography, Evidence Not Seen, missionary Darlene Diebler tells of being near starvation in a Japanese POW camp. Through her window she saw in the distance a banana. “Lord,” she prayed, “just one banana.” But she couldn’t see how God could get her a banana through prison walls.
The next day she heard footsteps coming down the hall and the key turning in the door of her cell. In walked a guard with a bunch of bananas. “They’re yours,” he said. She sat down in stunned silence and counted them. There were ninety-two bananas!
As Darlene wept and thanked the Lord, she seemed to hear Him say in her heart, “That’s what I delight to do, exceeding abundantly above everything you ask or think.”
David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
NINETY-TWO BANANAS
PHILIPPIANS 4:19
God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
The prophet Jeremiah and the apostle Paul discovered the same thing about prayer: When our hearts are right, God delights to give us more than we asked for. In Jeremiah 33:3, the Lord said, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” In Ephesians 3:20, Paul said that God “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.”
In her autobiography, Evidence Not Seen, missionary Darlene Diebler tells of being near starvation in a Japanese POW camp. Through her window she saw in the distance a banana. “Lord,” she prayed, “just one banana.” But she couldn’t see how God could get her a banana through prison walls.
The next day she heard footsteps coming down the hall and the key turning in the door of her cell. In walked a guard with a bunch of bananas. “They’re yours,” he said. She sat down in stunned silence and counted them. There were ninety-two bananas!
As Darlene wept and thanked the Lord, she seemed to hear Him say in her heart, “That’s what I delight to do, exceeding abundantly above everything you ask or think.”
David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
Rowan
Active member
MAY 23
A REFLECTION OF HOLINESS
EXODUS 33:19
I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you.
What happened to Moses when he experienced the Holy? Moses had seen some pretty amazing miracles in his life, but he still wanted to see God’s glory. God decided to show Moses a little bit of His glory. God put Moses in the cleft of a rock and covered him with His hand as He passed by.
Moses only saw a reflection of the holiness of God from a distant rear view, but it affected him so much that the people of Israel were afraid of him when they saw him. His face shown so brilliantly, the people were terrified. Moses had to wear a veil in order to talk to the people.
If we could see God as He really is, not only would we know Him as a God of compassionate love, but we would see Him as a God of holiness, quite apart from anything we have ever known.
Why is it important to see God as He really is in His holiness? Because only then will you see yourself as you really are.
David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
A REFLECTION OF HOLINESS
EXODUS 33:19
I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you.
What happened to Moses when he experienced the Holy? Moses had seen some pretty amazing miracles in his life, but he still wanted to see God’s glory. God decided to show Moses a little bit of His glory. God put Moses in the cleft of a rock and covered him with His hand as He passed by.
Moses only saw a reflection of the holiness of God from a distant rear view, but it affected him so much that the people of Israel were afraid of him when they saw him. His face shown so brilliantly, the people were terrified. Moses had to wear a veil in order to talk to the people.
If we could see God as He really is, not only would we know Him as a God of compassionate love, but we would see Him as a God of holiness, quite apart from anything we have ever known.
Why is it important to see God as He really is in His holiness? Because only then will you see yourself as you really are.
David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
Rowan
Active member
MAY 31
DON’T ASK, DO
GENESIS 6:22
According to all that God commanded [Noah], so he did.
Noah did “according to all that God commanded him, so he did” (Genesis 6:22). Therein lies the key and secret to Noah’s faith. When God told him to do something, he did it. He was a man who took God at His word.
We have no record of Noah disagreeing with God or debating His instructions. He believed his salvation depended on God’s wisdom and good plan, and he chose to receive it and implement it just as God explained it.
For us to be saved and move ahead as men and women of faith, we have to do the same thing. God needs to know that we are not going to debate or disagree with Him. His Word to us becomes our command. You and I will likely never be in Noah’s position—the only person on earth who will obey God. But we need to live like it anyway. If we do, God will remember us the same way He remembered His friend Noah (Genesis 8:1).
David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
DON’T ASK, DO
GENESIS 6:22
According to all that God commanded [Noah], so he did.
Noah did “according to all that God commanded him, so he did” (Genesis 6:22). Therein lies the key and secret to Noah’s faith. When God told him to do something, he did it. He was a man who took God at His word.
We have no record of Noah disagreeing with God or debating His instructions. He believed his salvation depended on God’s wisdom and good plan, and he chose to receive it and implement it just as God explained it.
For us to be saved and move ahead as men and women of faith, we have to do the same thing. God needs to know that we are not going to debate or disagree with Him. His Word to us becomes our command. You and I will likely never be in Noah’s position—the only person on earth who will obey God. But we need to live like it anyway. If we do, God will remember us the same way He remembered His friend Noah (Genesis 8:1).
David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
Rowan
Active member
JUNE 1
COME TO KNOW HIM
2 TIMOTHY 2:12
I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that day.
We worship whom we trust, and we trust whom we know. We come to this level of faith because we build trust, and we build trust because we spend time with God. Do you remember the experience of getting to know your best friend—perhaps the person you married? You didn’t fully unburden your deepest thoughts because you didn’t know whether you could trust your new friend. Alas, there are lesser relationships with people who fall by the wayside because they betray our trust in some way. But your best friend was that person who redeemed your trust, and you confirmed it only through the time and tears of relationship.
The same principle holds true with God. You must come to know Him before you can really, truly, deeply trust Him. Then and only then will you be able to worship in spirit and in trust. Then and only then will you be able to say, in a twenty-first-century paraphrase of Habakkuk, “I may lose my work, my loved ones, and all that I own. Still I will love God all the more. Still I will praise Him with the loudest voice I can muster. And He will lift me up, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able.”
David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
COME TO KNOW HIM
2 TIMOTHY 2:12
I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that day.
We worship whom we trust, and we trust whom we know. We come to this level of faith because we build trust, and we build trust because we spend time with God. Do you remember the experience of getting to know your best friend—perhaps the person you married? You didn’t fully unburden your deepest thoughts because you didn’t know whether you could trust your new friend. Alas, there are lesser relationships with people who fall by the wayside because they betray our trust in some way. But your best friend was that person who redeemed your trust, and you confirmed it only through the time and tears of relationship.
The same principle holds true with God. You must come to know Him before you can really, truly, deeply trust Him. Then and only then will you be able to worship in spirit and in trust. Then and only then will you be able to say, in a twenty-first-century paraphrase of Habakkuk, “I may lose my work, my loved ones, and all that I own. Still I will love God all the more. Still I will praise Him with the loudest voice I can muster. And He will lift me up, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able.”
David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
Rowan
Active member
THE POWER OF LIVING WATER
JOHN 7:38–39
“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit.
The greatest danger to any ancient city during a time of siege was not the enemy without; it was the lack of resources within. More often than not, when an army like the Assyrians attacked a walled city like Jerusalem, they would simply surround the city and wait for it to run out of food and water. Then, when the people were weak and desperate, the city could be taken almost without a fight. But Hezekiah made sure that would not happen to Jerusalem. He rerouted a spring of water outside the city walls so it flowed inside the walls of the city.
Interestingly, Jesus referred often to the Holy Spirit as the living water given by God to the believer which constitutes a secret, powerful resource in times of trouble. When you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you, you possess a resource that can give you abundant life through the longest siege of the enemy. The enemy can camp at your doorstep for an indefinite period of time and it won’t matter to you. The Holy Spirit is your indwelling source of life.
David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
JOHN 7:38–39
“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit.
The greatest danger to any ancient city during a time of siege was not the enemy without; it was the lack of resources within. More often than not, when an army like the Assyrians attacked a walled city like Jerusalem, they would simply surround the city and wait for it to run out of food and water. Then, when the people were weak and desperate, the city could be taken almost without a fight. But Hezekiah made sure that would not happen to Jerusalem. He rerouted a spring of water outside the city walls so it flowed inside the walls of the city.
Interestingly, Jesus referred often to the Holy Spirit as the living water given by God to the believer which constitutes a secret, powerful resource in times of trouble. When you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you, you possess a resource that can give you abundant life through the longest siege of the enemy. The enemy can camp at your doorstep for an indefinite period of time and it won’t matter to you. The Holy Spirit is your indwelling source of life.
David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
Rowan
Active member
GOD’S BEAUTY TREATMENT
PROVERBS 31:30
Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
Americans spend billions of dollars every year on cosmetics, but the best beauty treatment isn’t found in a bottle, but in a book—the Bible. First Peter 3:3–5 says, “Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves.”
Little is said of the physical qualities of the woman in Proverbs 31, though we assume she had a pleasant appearance. It is her character that’s emphasized—her trustworthiness (v. 11), her hard work (v. 13), her business instincts (v. 16), her generosity (v. 20), her creativity (v. 22), her initiative (v. 24), and her strength (v. 25).
It’s not the makeup on her face but the make-up of her heart that makes her beautiful. We can’t all be fashion models, but we can all be fashioned by grace as models of our Lord Jesus Christ.
David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
PROVERBS 31:30
Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
Americans spend billions of dollars every year on cosmetics, but the best beauty treatment isn’t found in a bottle, but in a book—the Bible. First Peter 3:3–5 says, “Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves.”
Little is said of the physical qualities of the woman in Proverbs 31, though we assume she had a pleasant appearance. It is her character that’s emphasized—her trustworthiness (v. 11), her hard work (v. 13), her business instincts (v. 16), her generosity (v. 20), her creativity (v. 22), her initiative (v. 24), and her strength (v. 25).
It’s not the makeup on her face but the make-up of her heart that makes her beautiful. We can’t all be fashion models, but we can all be fashioned by grace as models of our Lord Jesus Christ.
David Jeremiah, Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Refuge in the Presence of God
