God is our refuge

Psalm 46:1 (KJV) “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble”. 

The word refuge in Hebrew means refuge, a shelter from rain or a storm and from danger or falsehood; it also has the same reference as to trust.  In this post I will be sharing with you a truth that has been diluted or all together ignored.  The truth is my friends that there is a storm coming our way and the only refuge is found in the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth.  Good works, religion or denying the whole subject will not save you from the storm, (judgment of God).  This is not about a denomination or certain doctrine this is not even about trying to convince you to join or go to church; this is a truth that’s going to happen whether you believe it or not. 

AS IT WAS, IT IS AND GOING TO BE:

Matthew 24:37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

So how was it during the days of Noah?  The bible shows us in Genesis 6:5 that the heart of man was continually evil.  Every thought of man was evil; they only cared about themselves.  To them it didn’t matter what had to be done in order to get what they wanted; whether they had to kill, steal or rape to get it they were going to do it.  

In essence they forsook the law of God Jeremiah 9:12-14 .  So how is the law of God summarized? In one word LOVE Galatians 5:14.  When you truly love God you will automatically love other people and will not want to harm them in any way. 

God is a loving God that will never force anyone to love him.  On the contrary he will give you over to what you want Romans 1:28.  If God is a loving God why the storm then?  As I mentioned God is a loving God that because of his perfect love will punish all evil.  Just as we wouldn’t expect an honest judge in our courts to let go of criminals unpunished because he is a good judge on the contrary we expect because he is a good honest judge for him to deliver righteous judgment.

GOD WILL FULFILL HIS PROMISE:

So now what?  Many people have deceived themselves into thinking that God is not going to punish anyone for their sin.  Some have even convinced themselves into thinking that there is no God.  The truth is that there is a day coming when all this will become evident to all.  This storm is coming and God will fulfill his promise; his desire is that all will repent of their sin before this terrible day 2 Peter 3:3-9.

JESUS IS OUR REFUGE:

What must we do to be saved from this storm?  The answer is we must confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives Acts 4:12 and live for him.

Refuge is found in no one else; in the day of trouble He will shelter you and deliver you Psalm 27:5.  Trust in Him… 

       

Proverbs 10:25 "When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous endures forever."

VAIN PURSUITS

"Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come."

1 Tim 4:8 (NLT)

All the attention the 2012 Olympics have gotten from the media and everyone else has stirred up a question in me.  What if people were as committed to God as they are to physical training?  How better would this world be? 

Hearing and reading some of the personal testimonies from the athletes that are participating in the Olympics has honestly saddened my spirit.  Why?  Just look at the dedication and effort they put into becoming what they have become.  They’ve sacrificed their whole being!  A lot of them that’s all they’ve known since a very young age. 

All that hard work is done to receive a medal that will not last forever.  It reminds me of the passage found in, 1 Corinthians 9:25 where it also mentions that the work we do for God will last for eternity.  It saddens me to see that people will not even make an effort to go to church and set a godly example for their children, but they will spend all their time and effort to send their children to all the right schools and get trained by all the right coaches.

Don’t get me wrong I enjoy watching these athletes and what they’ve accomplished.  I respect their hard work and dedication, but the reason I get a little bend out of shape is because I know our life is but a mist, James 4:14 here on earth and no one is promised tomorrow.    

I see a lot of friends and family members get passionate about other pursuits other then God such as their careers, family or hobbies. Though some of these things are not evil or bad in themselves, but when we place anything before God we make that thing our god and that is called idolatry, Exodus 20:3-6. 

It’s funny that when a person is passionate about his career or skill he is called dedicated, but when a person is passionate about God he is called religious.      

When Jesus came to earth, he knew exactly why he came it was to do the will of the Father.  He had a plan and it was to redeem all of man kind by dying on the cross.  A great Pastor once said that the evidence of the desire is in the pursuit.  If we truly love God then why is he always second best?  Isn’t it time to get passionate about God, Matthew 6:33?