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What Do We Push?

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment

Yesterday’s devotion really spoke to me and I wanted to share it with y’all.

“Liberty and the Standards of Jesus”
From My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers

A spiritually-minded person will never come to you with the demand—”Believe this and that”; a spiritually-minded person will demand that you align your life with the standards of Jesus. We are not asked to believe the Bible, but to believe the One whom the Bible reveals (see John 5:39-40). We are called to present liberty for the conscience of others, not to bring them liberty for their thoughts and opinions. And if we ourselves are free with the liberty of Christ, others will be brought into that same liberty— the liberty that comes from realizing the absolute control and authority of Jesus Christ.

Always measure your life solely by the standards of Jesus. Submit yourself to His yoke, and His alone; and always be careful never to place a yoke on others that is not of Jesus Christ. It takes God a long time to get us to stop thinking that unless everyone sees things exactly as we do, they must be wrong. That is never God’s view. There is only one true liberty— the liberty of Jesus at work in our conscience enabling us to do what is right.

Don’t get impatient with others. Remember how God dealt with you— with patience and with gentleness. But never water down the truth of God. Let it have its way and never apologize for it. Jesus said, “Go . . . and make disciples. . .” (Matthew 28:19), not, “Make converts to your own thoughts and opinions.”

The Key to Forgiveness (Part 5)

Published on by Amanda Tero2 Comments

{Scroll down to read the first four parts in this series}

Forgiveness Involves More than “I Forgive You.”
Jesus said, “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”(Matthew 18:35, emphasis added)
Forgiveness involves more than us merely mumbling, “I forgive you.” We see clear evidence of this by looking at God’s character.
1) God’s Forgiveness is backed by love
 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17, emphasis added) The whole reason God sent Jesus for us to have Eternal forgiveness, was because of His love for us (1 John 4:10). We can easily accept that love, but we must do more than accept it – we must embrace it as a pattern for our lives. “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” (John 13:34, emphasis added) God’s love was manifested in His forgiveness for us. Our love for God should be manifested in our forgiveness towards others (John 14:15).
2) God’s forgiveness always involves a sacrifice
In the Levitical law, God required that an animal be sacrificed (Leviticus 4-7). He would look down from heaven, see the sacrifice, and forgive (Leviticus 4:31). In an action of love that only God can understand, He gave the ultimate sacrifice – His own Son – for our eternal forgiveness (John 3:16). To forgive God’s way, it involves a sacrifice; most often, a personal sacrifice.
3) God never “grades” sin – He just forgives
Sacrifices covered multiple “types” of sin in the Levitical law. There was no offense that could not be forgiven via sacrifice (Leviticus 4:26, 4:35, 5:10, 6:7, 19:22, Number 14:19, 15:28). When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He died for “small” sins of deceit, murmuring, covetousness, gossip, and idle thoughts as well as the “big” sins of dishonor, rebellion, murder, theft, fornication, adultery, and unfaithfulness. Christ died to forgive all sins (Acts 5:31, Acts 13:38, Acts 26:18, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14). If we, through God’s grace, are to embrace Christ-like forgiveness, it means that we must be willing to forgive any type of sin that others commit: lying, thefts, deceit, rebellion, murder, and adultery.
4) God forgives fully without expecting repay
When God sees true repentance, He forgives (1 Kings 8:47-50, Acts 3:19, Acts 5:31, Acts 8:22). He does not hold grudges, wait to see if the person will “prove themselves worthy of forgiveness,” or “get even.” Those are all human actions. As Christians, we are commanded, “If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.” (Luke 17:3-4) Nothing is said of conditional forgiveness (“Forgive if . . .”). Actually, we are commanded to notretaliate or get even (Proverbs 24:29, Romans 12:19, 1 Thessalonians 5:15, 1 Peter 3:9).
5) God does not “just forgive”
God’s forgiveness reaches far beyond the words, “You are forgiven.” When God forgives, He also heals (2 Chronicles 7:14, Psalm 103:3), cleanses (1 John 1:9), covers (Psalm 85:2) and forgets (Jeremiah 31:34). Following His example, we should be ready to restore and heal the relationships – not “turn a cold shoulder.” We should be willing to cover the sins of others – not gossip about them and unearth them for others to see.
With these five points (a deeper study on the character of God’s forgiveness would reveal many more), we see that there are some things that we cannotdo with forgiveness:
~Forgive and stay angry (Ecclesiastes 7:9, Ephesians 4:26)
~Forgive and continually bring up the case (Psalm 85:2)
~Forgive and hate our brother (1 John 2:9-12, 1 John 3:15-16)
~Forgive and gossip about our brother (Leviticus 19:16, Proverbs 11:13)
~Forgive and retaliate/get even (Matthew 5:39-42, Romans 12:17, 1 Peter 3:9)
~Forgive and hold a grudge (Leviticus 19:18, Proverbs 24:29, Romans 12:19, James 5:9)
Conclusion
To forgive like Christ forgives us seems difficult if not impossible. But we can be assured that in any trouble we face, we can go to Christ, Who knows exactly how to help us.  “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16)
With every problem, God gives a solution. Our case is not a “singular exception” but rather something that all men struggle with. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)
To forgive is not an easy path, but for the believer, it is the right path. We must daily choose whether or not we will follow the right path that God has set before us.

The Key to Forgiveness (Part 4)

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment

{Scroll down to read the first parts in this series}

Unforgiveness Hinders our Relationship with God
What if God forgives us exactly how we forgive others? Would we honestlydesire to pray, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors?” (Matthew 6:12, emphasis added) We take for granted that God will forgive us. In fact, we expect God to forgive us . . . even when we fail to forgive others. But, according to Christ, such is not the case.
“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14-15)
“But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” (Mark 11:26)
“Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:”(Luke 6:37)
Jesus concludes the parable of the unjust servant with, “Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.” (Matthew 18:32-35, emphasis added)
Because God has forgiven us so great a debt, we are then required to forgive others (“. . . For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required. . .” Luke 12:48).
Beyond being required of us, our lack of forgiveness directly affects our prayer (“Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.  And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” Mark 11:24-26) and our giving (“Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” Matthew 5:23-24)
We should continually check our hearts before God, to see if there is any “spirit of unforgiveness” in us.
. . . to be continued next week . . .

The Key to Forgiveness (Part 3)

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment

{Scroll down to read the first parts in this study}

Truths About Forgiveness
“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” (Colossians 3:12-13, emphasis added)
This thought is explained in detail in Matthew 18:23-35. Jesus tells a parable of a master whose servant owed Him ten thousand talents (vs. 24). The servant fell on his knees and begged his master’s forgiveness (vs.26). The master was moved with compassion and promptly forgave his servant (vs. 27). The servant immediately went out and found another servant who owed him a mere one hundred pence and violently demanded that he pay him (vs. 28). We see a similar picture of the servant with his master: the debtor fell on his knees and begged the other servant to be patient with him (vs. 29). It seems like the servant who had just been forgiven his ten thousand talents would have compassion. Instead, he threw his debtor into prison (vs. 30). When the master heard how his servant had treated his debtor, he was angry and delivered him to the tormentors (vs. 31-34). Jesus concludes this parable with, “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.” (Matthew 18:35)
I think that many of us would like to defend our case and, like Peter, ask, “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?”(Matthew 18:21) Surely we have been patient enough! Surely, we have borne enough wrong at their hand! However, Jesus replied, “I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:22) As children of God, we are commanded to forgive others. We are the man who owed ten thousand talents and Jesus Christ our Master freely forgave us our debt. Will we, in return, turn to our “fellow-servant” with unforgiveness, bitterness, and grudges towards their “debt of one hundred pence”? Or will we remember how compassionate Christ was towards us, and freely forgive others’ sins against us? As with all of God’s commands, He gives the strength to obey His command to forgive others, but He also allows us to make the choice whether or not we will obey.
. . . to be continued next week . . .

The Key to Forgiveness (Part 2)

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment

{Scroll down to read the first part in this series}
God’s Forgiveness Available for Us
Though God’s very character is one of forgiveness, we are sinful and cannot simply reflect on God’s forgiving character. Something must be done so that wecan personally experience that forgiveness.
In the Old Testament law, when a man came to make things right with God, he had to bring a payment. For any sin (theft, murder, adultery, ignorant sin, purposeful sin), an animal was to be brought to the priest. The priest would sacrifice the animal as a peace-offering between man and God and the sin would be forgiven (see Leviticus 4:20-26, Leviticus 5, Numbers 15). A sacrifice was required in order for one to gain God’s forgiveness.
This type of sacrifice for forgiveness continued for centuries. However God had a better plan. Since “almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission {freedom, pardon}” (Hebrews 9:22), “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” (Hebrews 9:28)
Jesus Christ came to earth to shed His own blood – to be the sacrificial lamb so that we could have remission of sins (Matthew 26:28, Acts 2:38, Romans 3:25). We fully deserved to pay the full price for our sin (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23), but when Christ died in our place it made the way for God to freely forgive us. Today, it is only through Christ’s blood that we can receive full forgiveness of our sins (Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14), but we must accept Christ’s blood atonement. To reject the Blood would be to reject God’s forgiveness (John 3:18, John 3:36, John 6:54).
Before we can forgive others, we must accept forgiveness. We cannot understand the heart of forgiveness until we understand God’s forgiveness for us. We cannot forgive others in our own strength, because true forgiveness only comes from God and through God’s power.
We must examine our hearts to see if we have truly accepted Christ’s forgiveness for our sins. If we have not, what is keeping us from asking God for His forgiveness and accepting His free gift of salvation? We cannot merely say, “God knows I’m wrong, God’s knows I’ve sinned.” Though God is all-seeing, He is also waiting for us to humble ourselves and bow before His holiness, recognizing our transgression (Psalm 51:3-4), confessing our sins (1 John 1:9), and asking His forgiveness (Matthew 7:7-11, Luke 11:9-13, John 14:12-13, James 4:2, 1 John 5:14-15). When we ask, God forgives us freely.
. . . to be continued next week . . .

The Key to Forgiveness (Part 1)

Published on by Amanda Tero4 Comments

{This is the beginning of a 5-part series; Come back next Thursday for more}
Most of us have heard the importance of forgiveness, but when we try to apply forgiveness, it seems an insurmountable task. Perhaps this is because we do not truly understand forgiveness.
We cannot grasp the concept of forgiveness by looking it up in Webster’s dictionaries. We cannot grasp the concept of forgiveness by looking at those around us. However, we can get a clearer understanding of forgiveness by looking into God’s Word; we cansee a pattern of true forgiveness by looking at the One Who is always consistent in forgiveness. So please join me as we search God’s Word to get a clear definition of true forgiveness.
God’s Character of Forgiveness
(emphasis added)
“ If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
“Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, Thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.” (Psalm 85:2)
“For Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee.” (Psalm 86:5)
 “{God} forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;” (Psalm 103:3)
 “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34)
 “But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith He to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.” (Matthew 9:6)
 “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted His raiment, and cast lots.” (Luke 23:34)   
 “Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 5:31)   
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) 
From these few verses, we gain that . . .
     ~God has full power to forgive any and every sin – purposed sin and ignorant sin (Psalm 85:2, Matthew 9:6, Luke 23:34)
     ~God is always listening/waiting for us to ask His forgiveness (2 Chronicles 7:14, Psalm 86:5, 1 John 1:9)
     ~God freely forgives when we ask His forgiveness (Psalm 86:5,
     ~God freely forgives when we do not deserve forgiveness (Luke 23:34)
     ~God freely forgives and heals (2 Chronicles 7:14, Psalm 103:3)
     ~God freely forgives and cleanses (1 John 1:9)
     ~God freely forgives and covers (Psalm 85:2)
     ~God freely forgives and forgets (Jeremiah 31:34)
     ~God made it possible for every man to be forgiven by Him (Acts 5:31)
God’s forgiveness is directly linked to His love for us – not what we do for Him.
. . . to be continued next week . . .

Incorruptible Beauty Magazine

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment

I don’t know about you, but I appreciate wholesome, conservative and godly magazines for young ladies. My sisters and I have been receiving Incorruptible Beauty for at least six years and they just launched a website, which I am excited to share with y’all! If you have a moment, please stop by and check it out: http://www.incorruptiblebeautynewsletter.com/index.html

Verses Update

Published on by Amanda Tero2 Comments

It has been WAY too long since I have updated memory verses. I am sorry . . . but we can never read too much of God’s Word in one day, so here’s a full-fledged update! 🙂

Romans 8:13-20
13 – For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 – For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 – For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 – The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 – And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
18 – For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
19 – For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
20 – For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

Psalm 101:1-8
1 – I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing.
2 – I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
3 – I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.
4 – A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.
5 – Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.
6 – Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.
7 – He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.
8 – I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD.

Psalm 37:3-8
3 – Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4 – Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5 – Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
6 – And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
7 – Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
8 – Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

I could comment a lot about these verses, but it would take a lot of time. 🙂 So I shall simply highlight those that God has really used to speak to me.
“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15) As a believer, we should not be bound by fear because this type of fear does not come from God.
“I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.” (Psalm 101:2) I know that we girls struggle with the last part, “I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.” Do we? Do I? Or do I simply “let my thoughts roam” not caring whether or not they are pleasing to God?
“Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.” (Psalm 37:3) Trust in the Lord, Trust in the Lord, Trust in the Lord!!!! Verses such as these always stick out to me. Why shouldn’t I trust in God? Isn’t He the same God Who brought Israel out of Egypt? Who saved Daniel from the lions? Who raised Lazarus from the dead? Who rose again, defying death and the grace? How can I not trust Him?
Have you memorized any verses recently?

"I Love God"

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment
I am not a big “quotable quotes” person, but there are a few quotes that have really gotten me to thinking. Here is one of them:
I can’t brag about my love for God because I fail Him daily.
But I can brag about God’s love for me because it never fails.
{Source Unknown}

~*~*~

“Herein is love; not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:10

Sowing and Reaping

Published on by Amanda Tero2 Comments

In memorizing Galatians 6, the Lord has impressed upon me several things which I thought I would share with y’all.
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:7-10)
As with all passages in God’s Word, there is SO much that we can glean from Galatians 6:7-10! One thing that stood out to me was the “well-doing.” Quite honestly, the easiest path to take is the path of sowing to the flesh. We do not have to try hard to live/sow in the flesh. Actually, it comes quite naturally.
But what about the other side of this passage?
Both sowing/living in the Spirit and doing “good unto all men” are not the easiest, most pleasant paths to tread. I believe that is why God sandwiches between these two actions, “let us not be weary in well doing.” Since living in the Spirit and doing good to others do not come naturally, it is a tough battle that rages every minute of our lives. Whether or not we are aware of it, we are constantly making choices to sow in the flesh or the Spirit. And, as God’s Word is true, we will reap the results even in those instances when we were not fullyaware that we were making the wrong choice.
As we live our daily lives, are we taking the “path of least resistance” or following God’s Holy Spirit?