Thoughts for Life: MORE THAN SKIN DEEP

Tom Felten- "Jose', a young believer in Jesus, was visiting his brother's church. As he entered the sanctuary prior to the service, his brother's face fell when he saw him. Jose's tattoos, covereing both arms, were visible since he was wearing a T-shirt. (Google image- Man in T-shirt with tattoos

His brother told him to go home and put on a long-sleeved shirt, for many of Jose's tattoos reflected the way of his past. Jose' suddenly felt dirty. But another man overheard the brothers' interaction and brought Jose' to the pastor, telling him what had happened.

The pastor smiled and unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a large tattoo on his chest-something from his own past. He assured Jose' that because God had made him pure from the inside out, he didn't need to cover his arms.

David experienced the joy of being made pure by God. After confessing his sin to Him, the king wrote, 'O, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out ot sight!' (Ps. 32:1 NLT).

He could now 'shout for joy' with others 'whose hearts are pure!' (v. 11 NLT). The apostle Paul later quoted Psalm 32:1-2 in Romans 4:7-8, a passage declaring that faith in Jesus leads to salvation and a pure standing before Him (See Romans 4:23-25).

Our purity in Jesus is much more than skin deep, for He knows and purifies our hearts (1 Samuel 16:7; 1 John 1:9). May we rejoice in His purifying work today.

Our prayer- Jesus, thank You for forgiving [our] sins and making [us] pure within."

1006-1010 One-line Scriptures for those of you who want to learn some more verses this week- or to review them from when they were first posted-

1006- Ps. 37:34 "Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land."

1007- Phil. 2:11 "And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

1008- 1 Cor. 10:13b "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

1009- Ps. 22:23a "Ye that fear the LORD, praise him."

1010- Ps. 107:2 "Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy."

Bill Hull's message from Ps. 139, and the Majesty of God. He's all-knowing and everywhere present. He knows our thoughts and what we've done, and still wants us to know Him. This is a great unfolding of Psalm 139, from verse to verse. You're sure to be blessed in your listening! Bill shares many truths for us throughout the message. Not as his mother, but as a student of the Schriptures, I was moved to be submissive to the Lord God all the more. (I will give a link to my notes on his message next week).

~Quote for today-

Kimya Loder- "We neglect God's presence even though He alone can provide the wisdom and hope we need. When we make spending time with Him through prayer and meditating on Scripture a priority, He'll give us the guidance and strength we need to address the challenges we face." (ODB, Aug. 5, '23).

Words of wisdom-

We will live for divine purpose when we look for strength from God. He is our Refuge, Provider, Helper and All in All! that we need!

Words from the Father in a journal:

"As you go through this day, I will guide you. Trust Me to know what it is you're to accomplish and to think. I will show you things that are new thoughts for you and help you understand what they are and how they are important to you, to Me and the Kingdom. Your willingness to learn will prove a valuable trait and I will enable you to excel in every effort."

Some encouraging words-

Nothing is effective without prayer. We may rest fully assured of this — that a man's influence in the world can be gauged not by his eloquence, or his zeal, or his othodoxy, or his energy, but by his prayers. Yes, and we will go farther and maintain that no man can live aright who does not pray aright.

#19 of 23 Parallels between Moses and Messiah:

Moses spoke to God in a uniquely intimate way, "face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend" (Exodus 33:11).

Messiah and God spoke intimately to each other in a far more unique manner — as Father and Son (Matthew 3:17; John 17).

Mau Fires- a Landscape of Loss . . . and One Symbol of Hope

Upcoming posts:

26th- THE EXAMPLE OF CHRIST

Lois J. Stucky (1928-2014)

9/2nd- NAPPING ON GOD'S WORK

Marcellus George

9/9- FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT

Dave Branon

Jean's blog (Click to see snippets of the 7 recent posts)