"The Big Point To!"

"And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities." (Psalms 130:8)

  As much as I would like to take some credit, every time I think there is something to brag or boast about, I remember just how terrible I am at being faithful and holy. I actually have "Norrup Family" written in-between the lines of verse 6 and 7, with arrows pointing to "Israel." This is something that is written for you and me, a promise that we can take upon ourselves and own it! I heard a pastor speaking about God's promises the other day, saying that there are promises intended for certain people, and then there are the promises intended for everyone. I really don't know if I am willing to except that or not, because God uses every last bit of His word for each and every one of us, in one way or another. Take God's call upon Abraham and His promises to Abraham; sure, you could say that there is no way those promises could be transferred to any of us, if you take them to be strictly about what they were meant to mean for Abraham; but there are likenesses for every single thing that Abraham went through, to everything you and I must go through also. You could start by looking at the very first thing that Abraham was told to do that had promise, seen in Genesis 12:1-3; there is not a single thing God spoke to Abraham in that portion of Scripture that cannot be applied to our lives, whether it is, Getting out of our lifestyle and away from those that make us comfortable, to us being a blessing to the world. I have a couple things written in those margins also: Between verse 1 and 2, I have written, "God's presence always comes before place or position," and between verse 3 and 4, I have written, "Half way with God is no way!" In other words, if you want the blessings that are promised, you must do what God tells you to do, plain and simple...

"So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God's grace." (Romans 6:11-14) NLT