rooted

Make War

Simple Choices

All things start with a simple choice: to do something or not to do something!  

Daniel, in the Old Testament, made a choice to honor God with his choices (see Daniel 1:8-9).  That was a bold choice and probably a hard choice (I mean he was giving up a "buffett" that would put Golden Corral to shame).  But every choice has the potential to affect your life in a positive or negative light.

Daniel's choice to honor God (check out his prayer for forgiveness) caught God's attention (see Daniel 9:23). Which brings us to an obscure verse stuck in the middle of Daniel's dream in Daniel 10:

Vs. 12 - "...Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart (made the choice) to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard..."

God didn't immediately answer Daniel the first time he prayed, but God set in motion "all things to work for the good" from the first prayer!  Notice Daniel stayed consistent with his choice to honor God; he didn't give up!  And it's never too late with God to start making choices that honor God...He allows U-turns at any time!

Are your choices presenting God opportunities or road-blocks to bless you?

 

 

There is Hope: God's Love & Compassion

So many people (within and without of the church) want to paint God as this raging, mean, "ready-to-pounce on you" figure; who gets such joy in punishing you for your sin! 

But as you read the Bible (which is always a good thing to do when you want to learn more about God), you see who God really is in His nature.

Now you may be thinking "Doesn't all sin have a punishment?" Yes!!!  All sin has a price and that price has to be accounted for by someone!  The payment of sin is either paid for by the person after deathin a place called Hell OR by accepting Jesus' death on the Cross as your forgiveness of sin!

You see, Jesus paid the punishment for all sin (past & future)!!!

And when we accept that payment, all "guilt" of sin is wiped away!  God does not want us living in the "guilt" of sin.  He loves us too much to allow us to live in sin and calls us to run to Him to repent (to give up that sin).  Do you have the mental picture of this: God, not as laughing because He gets to punish you, but as a loving Father who wants to hold you when you get hurt?

Micah, in the Old Testament, gives such a clear picture of God's character when it comes to us turning away from our sin.  You see, God's chosen people had turned away from Him and embraced sin (they turned their back on God).  And God sent/allowed events to happen to turn His people back to Him (so many people confuse these events with punishment).  But God /sends/allows these events to happen as His way to say "What I have for you is so much better than this sin you are choosing!"  Micah writes to tell the people that God is allowing these events to happen, but as soon as the people turn back to God...He will love them like nothing ever happened!

Check Micah 7:18-20 out:

"Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of His inheritance?  He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in steadfast love.  He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities underfoot.  You will cast all our sins into the depth of the sea.  You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as You have sworn to our fathers from the days of old."

It's great to know that God loves us even when we choose other things over Him!  He will throw the rememberance of our sin to the deepest part of the sea.  And He will wrap His arms around us and love us being back with Him! 

Now that's a love you can "bank on" never failing you this Valentine's Day!