You killed the Prince of life, and He lives forever

And killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. Acts 3:15

Peter testified in this verse who Jesus is; He is the Prince of Life.

He testified of the evil deed of those present; you killed the Prince of Life.

And testified of God's glorious and great work; God raised Him from the dead.

People deprived of life the One who gives life, God brought Him back to life.

Those who have been given eternal life by Him testify about His resurrection.

From my diary,

July 31,  2023

When my heart is faint, I will pray more

"From the end of the earth, I call to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I." (Psalm 61:2)

When the psalmist's heart was faint, he made the right decision: to call upon the Lord.

Praying with a faint heart is difficult, but as difficult as it is, to pray is equally necessary, urgent, and mandatory. If praying is difficult, then there is something to worry about. If there is something to worry about, then prayer is a must.

From my diary,

July 30,  2023

 

The Lord does what His soul desires

 "But He is unique, and who can make Him change? And whatever His soul desires, that He does." (Job 23:13)

God is unchanging. The Lord does what His soul desires, and what His soul desires is good, wise, right, and holy. The desire of His soul is fulfilled, and the fulfillment is for my good. God does what His soul desires; therefore, my soul has peace. I want His heart's desire and my heart's desire to be the same. That's how I'll get my heart's desires.

From my diary,

July 29,  2023

My Redeemer lives

With great joy I proclaim,

"My Redeemer lives," I praise His name,

No mere assumption, but truth held tight,

He's my sole Redeemer, in Him, I find light.

A ransom paid, a price so high,

He conquered death, He'll never die,

Because He lives, I am dead to sin and worldly love

With all my heart I seek things above.

My Redeemer lives, I face no dread,

The future's canvas, yet to spread,

In His presence I have a hiding-place,

Day by day renewed by His grace.

My Redeemer lives, His Spirit quickens me,

Wonders of His love and mercy I see,

Because He lives, I will live forever with Him

With joyful heart, I lift my thankful theme.

Acquaintance with God and peace

"Acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee." (Job 22:21)

Here is an acquaintance, resulting in peace and good. It is acquaintance with God, intimacy with Him, and communication with Him.

If I am acquainted with His wisdom, I will not worry; I will trust Him, and as a result, I will have peace.

If I am acquainted with His love and mercy, I will love Him with all my heart. Love for Him is the most powerful sin killer, enabling victory over sin, and thus, peace will dwell within me.

Knowing Him as the Hearer of prayer, I will pray instead of worrying, giving all my problems and worries to Him, and as a result, peace will rule in my heart.

When acquainted with His works, I will reflect on His wondrous deeds and miracles, strengthening my faith, and fear will yield to peace within.

Knowing His promises, I will be thankful for them, rejoice in them, and find peace in their assurance.

To be acquainted with Him, I must spend much time meditating on His Word, His love, His holiness, and His works. With prayer as my number one priority, this acquaintance will flourish.

From my diary,

July 28,  2023

The joy of the hypocrite is short-lived

"Do you not know this of old, since man was placed on earth, that the triumphing of the wicked is short, And the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment?" (Job 20:4, 5)

Even though Zophar the Naamathite accused Job unfairly, and his words are misapplied here (Job is neither wicked nor a hypocrite), those words are true.

The wicked and the hypocrite may have temporary victory and joy, but they are short-lived. Pharaoh thought he would defeat the people of Israel, but his entire army drowned in the sea. Haman thought he would kill Mordecai and was happy that Queen Esther invited him to her feast, but he was executed. Jezebel thought she could do anything, even killed a man to take possession of his vineyard, but she became food for dogs. Her evil daughter Athaliah declared herself queen after killing members of her family, but was then killed herself.

The victory of the wicked will be short-lived; only God's children have permanent victory and eternal joy.

From my diary,

July 27,  2023

 

Either believe or draw back

But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. Hebrews 10:39

The apostle here contrasts two groups, in one group are people who draw back to perdition, in the other group are those who believe in the salvation of souls .

If we believe in the salvation of souls, we will not be among the backsliders. By drawing back a person shows that he does not believe in the salvation of souls.

Those who believe in the salvation of souls will not draw back, because they have heard the Lord's Promise, "The righteous shall live by faith," they believed that promise and want to receive it. To receive the promise we must go forward, not backward. As long as we believe in the Lord's promise, we will not draw back. Either believe or draw back;. it is impossible to do both.

I believe, therefore I must go forward.

From my diary,

July 26,  2023

Pure hands and pure prayer

 Yet there was no injustice in my hands, and my prayer is pure. Job 16:17

Job could rightly say that his prayer was pure because there was no injustice in his hands. His prayer was pure because it was free from hypocrisy. His life lived up to his creed. When there is injustice in the hands, then surely there is hypocrisy in the prayer.

God Himself testified of Job saying that he was blameless and upright, God-fearing, and shunning evil.

The prayer offered to the Holy Lord should be holy and pure. Pure prayer is free from hypocrisy, pride, wrong motives. Pure prayer comes from a pure heart. Prayer is pure when there is no hidden sin in a person's life, and there are no hidden evil desires and thoughts in the heart.

Therefore, I should keep God's Word in my heart so that my life is holy and because of it my prayer will be pure.

From my diary,

July 25,  2023

We are Christ's house, a temple and a palace!

 "But Christ, as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end." - Hebrews 3:6

The Son of God has a house on earth. That house is composed of those who are His people and hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. He is the Architect, the Builder, and the Owner of that house.

Many rich people have houses in which they don’t live, but Jesus personally lives in His house. What should Jesus' house look like? Clean, neat, tidy! There shouldn't be a single messy area in His house. There should be no cracks, no broken places in His house.

That house is His property, and no one can take it from His hand. There can be no other occupant or co-owner in His house; He is the only Resident and Owner. In that house, His Word, prayers, and songs of praise will always be heard.

That house is a holy temple and a palace fit for a King.

From my diary,

July 24,  2023

Increase my faith

 "And the apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith' (Luke 17:5).

The apostles prayed this prayer because they knew their faith was small; they knew they needed greater faith, and they knew who to turn to for it.

These same things I know, and I also have the same desire: greater faith. So, I want to ask the same: 'Increase my faith.'

Increase my faith, and holiness will increase in my life. I will have more strength to serve You, and my victories in the battle against sin will increase.

Increase my faith, and my joy and peace will increase.

Increase my faith, and my worries, doubts, and anxieties will disappear.

Increase my faith, and my desire for heavenly things will grow, and my thirst for Your Word will increase.

Increase my faith, and the fervency in my prayer will rise. The answers to my prayers and Your miracles will increase.

God increases faith through His Word because faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

So, I will listen to God's Word, remember the works He has done, the prayers He has answered, the blessings He has bestowed, and I will pray to grow in faith day by day.

From my diary,

July 23,  2023

God's works

 Who does great things, unfathomable, And wondrous works without number." (Job 9:10)

Almost the same words were said in chapter 5 by Eliphaz the Temanite: "Who does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number." (Job 5:9).

Job repeated Eliphaz's words, showing his agreement with what he said. He was not going to reject those words just because they were said by his critic and accuser. Eliphaz and Job stated what all Christians know: God's works are great, unsearchable, beyond our understanding; they are wondrous and innumerable.

We cannot comprehend or search God's works, and we cannot count them, but we can rejoice in seeing His works. We can give thanks for them and be free from worry, knowing that He works wonders.

From my diary,

July 22,  2023

Holy One and sanctified ones are my delight

I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good besides You.” As for the saints who are in the earth, They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight. Psalm 16:2,3

David says to the Lord: "I have no good besides You" (v. 2). In the next verse, he speaks about the people of God: "The saints who are in the earth, they are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight" (v. 3).

He who loves God also loves His people. He who loves holiness also loves those sanctified by the Word and Spirit of Christ, for whom holiness is happiness, friendship with saints is also happiness.

He who enjoys conversing with the Holy One also enjoys talking with the sanctified ones.

I am so happy that I can say these words of David with all my heart.

From my diary,

July 21,  2023

 

Sinful silence

For I have not concealed the words of the Holy One. Job 6:10

Concealing God's Words is a sin. A person can conceal the Words of God from himself when he does not examine his actions, heart, and motives with the Word of God. And he can hide the Word of God from others by not speaking the Word of God. There is a sinful silence when we do not speak God's Word to ourselves to stay away from sin, and when we see a person sinning or twisting God's word, and we don’t warn him with God's Word.

 From my diary,

From my diary,

July 20,  2023

So many reasons to give thanks to the Lord

In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

If a person receives a gift every day and doesn't thank the giver, he is ungrateful. God gives us gifts, blessings, and favors every day, so it is natural that we should be thankful to Him for everything every day. A new day is already a gift from the Lord; now that I am sitting safely in my home and writing a meditation in my own room, is a gift from the Lord. The most precious gifts are forgiveness of sins, eternal life, victory over sin, the wonders of His Word, sanctification, etc. His blessings are countless, and our gratitude can never be enough. Everything in a Christian's life is ordered by God's wisdom, sanctified by His grace, based on His promises, and flows from His love. God makes all things work for good to those who love Him.

So we have reasons to give thanks in everything every day. If we don't see reasons to be thankful every day, then we are blind, and we need to pray for spiritual sight.

From my diary,

July 19,  2023