God has been speaking to me and others in the church about returning to Him (our "first love"), about not placing ourselves, our interests and other people above Him. I struggle with making God Lord over every area of my life but if He is not Lord of All then He is not Lord at All. There should be no compromise, no area left unchecked and uncommitted to God's cleansing, no idols that take our attention away from God or cause God to be a lesser priority in our lives. Why do we turn to things of pleasure that do not last, things which rust and moth can destroy, instead of turning to that which is of eternal value?
Ezekiel 11: 19-20 says, "I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God"
Joel 2: 12-13, 22 says, "'Even now'. declares the LORD, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning'. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God,for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity...Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the LORD your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed"
Isaiah 46: 4-10 says, "Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. To whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared? Some pour out gold from their bags and weigh out silver on the scales; they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, and they bow down and worship it. They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it stands. From that spot it cannot move. Though one cries out to it, it does not answer; it cannot save him from his troubles. Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me"
There are other passages in the Bible that remind us that there is no one else like God. When God allowed Job to face trials for his faith, and Job questioned the purpose of his great suffering, and some of his friends came to offer poor advice and ended up condemning him, God asked Job is he was there when the earth was formed, when everything within it was created. God gently reminded Job that His thoughts and ways are not like ours, He is far beyond everything we know and can even imagine. God is sovereign. He is the alpha and omega. Why do I still struggle to trust with all my heart, mind and soul? Why do I insult him with my lack of confidence in who He is?
Isaiah 45: 5 "I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me" then in verse 18 "For this is what the LORD says — He who created the heavens, He is God; He who fashioned and made the earth, He founded it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited — He says: I am the LORD, and there is no other" and verse 22 "Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other"
Ezekiel 11: 19-20 says, "I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God"
Joel 2: 12-13, 22 says, "'Even now'. declares the LORD, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning'. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God,for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity...Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the LORD your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed"
Isaiah 46: 4-10 says, "Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. To whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared? Some pour out gold from their bags and weigh out silver on the scales; they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, and they bow down and worship it. They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it stands. From that spot it cannot move. Though one cries out to it, it does not answer; it cannot save him from his troubles. Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me"
There are other passages in the Bible that remind us that there is no one else like God. When God allowed Job to face trials for his faith, and Job questioned the purpose of his great suffering, and some of his friends came to offer poor advice and ended up condemning him, God asked Job is he was there when the earth was formed, when everything within it was created. God gently reminded Job that His thoughts and ways are not like ours, He is far beyond everything we know and can even imagine. God is sovereign. He is the alpha and omega. Why do I still struggle to trust with all my heart, mind and soul? Why do I insult him with my lack of confidence in who He is?
Isaiah 45: 5 "I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me" then in verse 18 "For this is what the LORD says — He who created the heavens, He is God; He who fashioned and made the earth, He founded it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited — He says: I am the LORD, and there is no other" and verse 22 "Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other"
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