1 Cor. 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Good morning! I’m certain that you are anticipating the new year and what it has in store for us as much as I am! Is this the year of Christ’s return for His church? Will we be raptured in 2022? How wonderful it would be to not experience death but be transformed and taken to Heaven to be with Him for all eternity! Oh reader, if you are not 100% certain that you are saved, please do not wait! Go to the last paragraph of this post and I can show you how to be born again!
Today’s usage of rock is once again capitalized, revealing that it is being used as a proper noun. This is referring to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour! As I have stated before, there are only seven verses in the entire Bible where the word “Rock” is capitalized. Today’s verse is one of them. It speaks of God’s people, the Jews, were chosen by Him to be a people separated from the rest of the world. God was to provide salvation to the Jews by coming to this world as a Jew and dying for their sins. The Jews called Him the Messiah but they were looking for a conqueror, not a suffering Messiah who would die for their sins. As today’s verse indicates, they “lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.” They forgot who God was – they were “unmindful”! God was not foremost in their lives – this leads me to believe that He was not a part of their everyday lives. So much so that the Bible repeats this just three verses later! Wow!
Seven times in the Scriptures is the word Rock used as a proper noun. To whom is this proper noun referring? It is none other than Jesus Christ, the Jews’ Messiah and our Saviour! I’ve noted in prior posts that seven is the number of completion and perfection. Christ began the work in the Old Testament and His perfect sacrifice was completed in the New Testament! The Rock is referred to only once in the New Testament. How wonderful that this solitary verse in the New Testament reveals who that Rock is! 😃
Christ was there in the Old Testament and was referred to as the Rock. However, the Jews did not recognize this. Jesus made it plain in the New Testament and revealed Himself. The Apostle Paul used to be a Pharisee and he was well aware of the Scriptures. Paul lets us know who the Rock of the Old Testament is and opens the eyes of the Jews. We Gentiles are blessed to be given this wonderful salvation as well!
I hope you have enjoyed these ten days of covering “Who is the Rock.” It always blesses me when we can see the Lord in different ways; how He portrays Himself in the Word. Praise the Lord, our Rock of salvation!
Can you say the same, reader? Does your hope lie with the world? The world will always bring disappointment. But Jesus never does. The world’s riches and rewards are only temporary. But Jesus’ rewards are eternal. If you happen to be reading this and are not saved, it is no coincidence. God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
Good morning, dear Reader! We have passed the Winter Solstice and our days are beginning to lengthen. I have always loved it when we get to this point because I know that the sun will set later and later with each passing day! I also love the symbolism. The darkness of winter can be symbolic of the state of one’s spiritual life. The more there is darkness in our heart, the more we will sin.
Praise the Lord that our Redeemer came to pay the price for our sins. He came to bring light to a dying world. Have you ever done a study on that word “redeem”? It totally blessed me! Noah Webster defines it as:
REDEE’M, v.t. [L. redimo; red, re, and emo, to obtain or purchase.]
To purchase back; to ransom; to liberate or rescue from captivity or bondage, or from any obligation or liability to suffer or to be forfeited, by paying an equivalent; as, to redeem prisoners or captured goods; to redeem a pledge.
To rescue; to recover; to deliver from. Th’ Almighty from the grave hath me redeem’d. Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles. Psa 25. Deu 7.
To compensate; to make amends for.
To free by making atonement..
To pay the penalty of.
To save.
God’s violated law, by obedience and suffering in the place of the sinner, or by doing and suffering that which is accepted in lieu of the sinner’s obedience.
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. Gal 3. Titus 2.
In commerce, to purchase or pay the value in specie, of any promissory note, bill or other evidence of debt, given by the state, by a company or corporation, or by an individual. The credit of a state, a banking company or individuals, is good when they can redeem all their stock, notes or bills, at par.
Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, paid the price for our sin and rescued us from the bondage of that sin. No longer do we have to sin because we have the power of Christ’s Holy Spirit abiding within us. We can say no to sin! Our Redeemer has completely saved us and has paid the ransom on our behalf! The word “redeemer” appears 18 times in the entire Bible and only in the Old Testament. Out of those 18 times, it is used as a proper noun seven times: Redeemer! As you may or may not know, the number seven in Scriptures is the number for completion and perfection. How appropriate is that? Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, came to earth to complete salvation. His salvation is perfect – without Him, there is no salvation! No religion can provide complete and perfect salvation; only faith in Jesus Christ and His payment for our sins!
This is such a blessing to me! I hope it is to you as well! There’s always a golden nugget that can be found in the Scriptures if we simply search. 😃
If you’ve read through this post today and you have doubts whether or not you are saved, born again, please leave a comment simply asking me to reach out to you. I would rather be certain of where I will spend eternity than to be afraid to admit to my church family that I’m doubting that I’m saved! Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
Good morning, dear reader! I’m especially excited to be writing this new series. I hope you will enjoy the comparison of our Lord to the word Rock! There is so much meaning packed into this one little word. It amazes me how we can glean from the Scriptures every single day and it is always something different. The Bible is the “living” word of God. Every time we read it, there is something for us to learn.
Did you notice that today’s two verses from Psalms both speak of David being set upon a rock? We could delve into what motivated David to refer to this term. However, I’m more interested in the fact that he chose this term. Both verses seem to reveal that at the time of writing, he desperately needed God to help him out of the troubles he was experiencing. The first says that God hid David in the secret of His tabernacle and He set him upon a rock. The second verse says God brought David out of a horrible pit, out of miry clay and set him upon a rock. Both verses show David’s desperation. I can almost hear David’s voice in my head relaying the degree of relief and comfort that God brought to him. Can you?
The fact that David was planted upon a rock shows the stability of God’s provision. David was in miry clay, indicating to us that he was sinking or had difficulty in moving. They reveal David’s hopelessness. Have you ever been there, reader? I surely have and I in all those times, the Lord did for me as He did for David. We have a faithful, wonderful Heavenly Father who loves us and helps us through the miry muck of our lives. He can set you on a solid rock if you let Him.
God reveals to us that He will set us on a spiritual rock whenever we reach out to Him in our own desperation. I love that about the Lord! I love that He is compassionate and loving. He doesn’t want us to wallow in that miry clay but wants us to seek His help. We, too, can be set upon a rock just as David was long ago!
Do you have doubts of your salvation? Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
Good morning! I love today’s picture! You can see the brook running passed the rocks and the rocks are not affected by the current. Granted, they may change formation after years of water running over/around them, but they are not uprooted from their secure spot. I love the picture this paints in my mind! My spiritual body, my soul, is not affected by the various currents of life because I accepted Jesus Christ as my Saviour and He is my rock and my shelter! This series is such a blessing to me because I am learning how to apply each of the Lord’s “rocks” to my growth in Him!
But another way to look at today’s verses is to actually see that only God is the rock! There is no other. Jesus gave us a great example of how firm of a rock He actually is in the parable of the wise man who built his spiritual house upon a rock.
Many “churches” today preach that Jesus is the Rock and foundation of our faith. However, they do not preach that we can build our spiritual body upon Him! He is truly the Rock and His Word is truth. When we accept Him as Saviour, we begin building our spiritual house, so to speak. We build that house on the doctrines taught in the Scriptures. As we apply these doctrines to our lives and obey them, our spiritual house gets stronger. We will weather the storms of life because our house is founded upon the Rock, Jesus Christ!
Yes, you may know this, but do you believe it and live it? Only a born again believer can successfully build his spiritual life upon the Rock! Please don’t let religion stand in the way of you making a decision. This is not about religion – it is a personal relationship with your Creator. It is a personal relationship with the One who died for you to be the price for your sins. God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
Good morning! We’re having an unusually warm December here in Northern Virginia. It hardly seems as though Christmas is right around the corner for those of us who don’t live in the North. But do we really need a tradition which celebrates Christ’s birth to recognize Him? Not hardly! To a born again Christian, Jesus’ birth is important but the more important thing is His resurrection from the dead, amen? Without that, our faith is nothing, amen? But praise the Lord that Christ was born and did rise from the dead! \o/
This devotional series helps me to better focus on the reasons why certain words were used in the Scriptures to describe an attribute of God. Every word of God is important – they lead to salvation in Jesus Christ and are the foundation of our very lives!
When one realizes that God’s Word is eternal, can’t be broken, and will be fulfilled, the quicker that person will understand why certain words are used. Today’s verse talks about the rock as our defense and refuge. Have you ever been in a situation where you just could solve the problem because it was out of your control? There wasn’t one thing you could do to resolve the problem. But we personally know the God who actually parted the Red Sea, my friend! Do you think He can’t solve your problems? He most certainly can! The solution may not be as you had hoped or expected, but it will be the perfect solution because it is God’s will!
So what does this have to do with defense and refuge? Think about it for a moment. When one is living for the Lord and encounters an insurmountable problem, God is always there for you to turn to for help! The word refuge, according to Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary is defined as:
REF’UGE, n. [L. refugium, refugio; re and fugio, to flee.]She lter or protection from danger or distress.
That which shelters or protects from danger, distress or calamity; a strong hold which protects by its strength, or a sanctuary which secures safety by its sacredness; any place inaccessible to an enemy. The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats. Psa 104. The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed. Psa 9.
Your life may have many enemies but the seed of that enemy is none other than Satan. His ultimate goal is to distract the believer so he can no longer be an effective Christian. This is where our defense and refuge becomes important. This is where we learn that there is someone we can turn to who loves us and will help us. Re-read the definition of refuge and use Jesus in its stead: Jesus shelters or protects me from danger, distress or calamity; He is a strong hold and protects me by His strength; He is a sanctuary which secures my safety by His sacredness; my enemy cannot access me when I am with Jesus!
Satan knows the Bible better than most Christians. But when we find shelter in it and live by it, we have the security that Christ will come to our defense and will provide us with that shelter! Praise the Lord for these little words in Scripture which open our eyes to God’s goodness and mercy!
If you’ve read through this post today and you have doubts whether or not you are saved, born again, please leave a comment simply asking me to reach out to you. I would rather be certain of where I will spend eternity than to be afraid to admit to my church family that I’m doubting that I’m saved! Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
Good morning, dear reader! How blessed we are to wake up to another day; to live, to breathe, and to behold God’s beauty. Today’s photo was taken by a high school classmate who has a great eye for capturing God’s creation! I love waterfalls because they remind me of God’s power! Also, they are usually surrounded by rocks which also remind me of God being the stable and solid foundation of my life. Dear most precious Heavenly Father, how grateful I am to be able to live another day to serve You! Although I’m retired and my “world” is smaller than it use to be, I pray that You would use this blog to attract readers to read about You, Lord. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, to save us. Thank You, Father, for giving us salvation. I long for the day when my faith will be made sight that I may be able to worship at Your feet! Lord, may You be honored here and may all who read come to a saving knowledge of Jesus, the Saviour of our souls! I ask all these things in His glorious name!
Today’s verse refers to God using three descriptions: father, God and rock of my salvation! But notice what precedes each of these descriptive nouns! Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite wrote this Psalm and he writes that God spoke of David and how he would cry to “my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation”! This excites me because it shows us that one can have a special, personal relationship with God. I know this because he speaks of God as his father. God is not some impersonal being and it’s quite clear that he felt that he could turn to his Father and talk to Him about anything! Born again believers are privileged to be called God’s children! Friend, are you able to call God
Do you have this special relationship with God, reader? It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
We are currently studying what the Bible says just who is the Rock. Some religions claim that their church is the rock. Some believe that there is no salvation other than through their church. Please leave a comment with your thoughts. To start from the beginning with Day 1, please go to our Table of Contents. It will be populated as each day is completed.