September 10, 2012
Change your hearts and lives. CHANGE YOUR HEART AND LIVES. CHANGE YOUR HEART AND LIVES!!! This is the message throughout this chapter and throughout the Old Testament and New Testament. Someday I want to do a study of all the "change your hearts and lives" in the Bible. It is the prevailing theme and I would be curious to find out how many times it is referenced in each book.
Jesus provided the way, but He will not force us to change our hearts. It's the one thing we must do our self. We must be willing. We must act. He will prune. He will allow testing. He will put circumstances in our paths. He will send messengers. He will do all He can, but He will not force us. Only we can do it—and some people refuse. The door is narrow, and not everyone will enter. Luke 13:27 - "But he will say to you, 'I don't know you or where you came from. Get away from me, all you who do evil.' "
Psalm 1 compares the righteous ("... a tree planted by the river. The tree produces fruit in season and its leaves don't die. Everything they do will succeed"), to the wicked ("... like the chaff that the wind blows away.") Luke 13:6–9 talks about the useless tree that will be cut down if it doesn't produce fruit. Jesus gives it time, care, and fertilizer—everything it needs—but if it does not bear fruit, then it is useless and will be cut down.
Psalm 51:17 - "The sacrifice God wants is a broken spirit. God, you will not reject a heart that is broken and sorry for sin." (See I Samuel 15:22)
Proverbs 28:13 - "If you hide your sins, you will not succeed. If you confess and reject them, you will receive mercy."
Ezekiel 18:30–32 - "... I will judge each of you by what you do... change your hearts and stop all your sinning so sin will not bring your ruin. Get rid of all the sins you have done, and get for yourselves a new heart and a new way of thinking... I do not want anyone to die, says the LORD God, so change your hearts and lives so you may live."
Matthew 3:2 - "... 'Change your hearts and lives because the kingdom of God is near.' "
Acts 3:19 - "So you must change your hearts and lives! Come back to God, and he will forgive your sins."
II Corinthians 7:10 - "The kind of sorrow God wants makes people change their hearts and lives. This leads to salvation and you cannot be sorry for that. But the kind of sorrow the world has brings death."
I John 1:9 - "But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done."
Next Entry: Luke 14:1–35
Change your hearts and lives. CHANGE YOUR HEART AND LIVES. CHANGE YOUR HEART AND LIVES!!! This is the message throughout this chapter and throughout the Old Testament and New Testament. Someday I want to do a study of all the "change your hearts and lives" in the Bible. It is the prevailing theme and I would be curious to find out how many times it is referenced in each book.
Jesus provided the way, but He will not force us to change our hearts. It's the one thing we must do our self. We must be willing. We must act. He will prune. He will allow testing. He will put circumstances in our paths. He will send messengers. He will do all He can, but He will not force us. Only we can do it—and some people refuse. The door is narrow, and not everyone will enter. Luke 13:27 - "But he will say to you, 'I don't know you or where you came from. Get away from me, all you who do evil.' "
Psalm 1 compares the righteous ("... a tree planted by the river. The tree produces fruit in season and its leaves don't die. Everything they do will succeed"), to the wicked ("... like the chaff that the wind blows away.") Luke 13:6–9 talks about the useless tree that will be cut down if it doesn't produce fruit. Jesus gives it time, care, and fertilizer—everything it needs—but if it does not bear fruit, then it is useless and will be cut down.
"Happy are those who don't listen to the wicked, who don't go where sinners go, who don't do what evil people do. They love the LORD's teachings, and they think about those teachings day and night. They are strong, like a tree planted by a river. The tree produces fruit in season, and its leaves don't die. Everything they do will succeed. But wicked people are not like that. They are like the chaff that the wind blows away. So the wicked will not escape God's punishment. Sinners will not worship with God's people. this is because the LORD takes care of his people, but the wicked will be destroyed." Psalm 1II Chronicles 7:14 - "Then if my people, who are called by my name, are sorry for what they have done, if they pray and obey me and stop their evil ways, (then) I will hear them from heaven. I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land."
Psalm 51:17 - "The sacrifice God wants is a broken spirit. God, you will not reject a heart that is broken and sorry for sin." (See I Samuel 15:22)
Proverbs 28:13 - "If you hide your sins, you will not succeed. If you confess and reject them, you will receive mercy."
Ezekiel 18:30–32 - "... I will judge each of you by what you do... change your hearts and stop all your sinning so sin will not bring your ruin. Get rid of all the sins you have done, and get for yourselves a new heart and a new way of thinking... I do not want anyone to die, says the LORD God, so change your hearts and lives so you may live."
Matthew 3:2 - "... 'Change your hearts and lives because the kingdom of God is near.' "
Acts 3:19 - "So you must change your hearts and lives! Come back to God, and he will forgive your sins."
II Corinthians 7:10 - "The kind of sorrow God wants makes people change their hearts and lives. This leads to salvation and you cannot be sorry for that. But the kind of sorrow the world has brings death."
I John 1:9 - "But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done."
Next Entry: Luke 14:1–35
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