God Holds us! We don't hold him!

Isa 41:13 For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you,"Fear not, I am the one who helps you."

I go through bad times, times of disappointment, times of sadness and many other different times and seasons.

Sometimes I wonder whether I even have hold of God at all? This is a fear that recently has been removed. As a sinner, wretch and terrible person in every-way will let go of God and leave the Father I claim to love. My heart lies and deceives me.

However here in Isaiah, God is the one who holds Israels hand(and ours), not the other way round. Yes we stumble and fall, ran a million miles away and hide from God. But it is him who holds the hand. Not us!

Security in the Father is real! He holds us! What joy!

See the video below, (please forgive the cheesy photos.)

Talk to yourself, but don't listen to yourself?

Huh?
This is a weird saying of the Dr(Martyn Lloyd Jones).

He says how different we would be as Christians, if we just spoke to ourselves instead of listening to ourselves.

The Psalmist speaks to himself,
Psa 42:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation...

Do we ever do this? I mean people think that speaking to yourself is the first sign of madness? In fact I would argue its a sign of Godliness!? (You may disagree)

Brothers and Sisters, let us preach to ourselves the glories of the Gospel and wonders of what God has done!

Acceptable Legalism.

The War against sin is also a war against legalism. Why do we want to be like Jesus? Because of the Joy that awaits us in doing so? The Glory it brings to God? The Smile of God upon us?

I would argue that all of the above are not wrong, but miss the first stepping stone.

Surely we do everything out of grateful hearts to God?

I believe that whatever we do for God should be out of response for what he has done for us? How often to do we do this?

We should wake up in the Morning and Proclaim "I am a New Man/Women", created in Christ Jesus!

Not to wake up and think, "I must do....... to have a good day"

Brothers and Sisters, let us put nothing in the way of thanking God in our lives, no matter how Holy or Good they might be. Lets just thank and praise God, the rest will follow!