Hill Thread

Galatians 3:26-29
“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Galatians 4:2-7
“Instead, he is under guardians and stewards until the time set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were in slavery under the elemental forces of the world. But when the completion of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ” Abba , Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.”

How comforting is it to know that we are God’s children!? Every day can be father’s day, as we praise God and thank Him for all that He has done for us. Rejoice in the fact that God loves you and accepts you just the way you are.

Related Text:
1 John 3:1-2
“Look at how great a love the Father has given us, that we should be called God’s children. And we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know Him. Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed.”

(ps. Father’s Day is this Sunday, June 20)

Psalm 103:1-12
“Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

Over 10,000 people every day are told that there health condition is terminal. The testimony most common among them is that, “Thing I have taken for granted, like my health, my family, and my friends, have suddenly become all-important to me. Trivialities no longer matter.”

It shouldn’t take a death sentence to make us stop and recognize just how amazingly God has blessed us. Read this Psalm again, then fill our the Bible study guide, and praise God for all of His blessings in your life. (the link to the Bible study guide is below)

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=865855&l=9847ff9f71&id=1579207436

–From the book ‘Crazy Love:

“The Good News – the best news in the world – is that you can have a close, intimate, personal relationship with God Himself. Do you believe that God is the greatest thing you can experience in the whole world? Do you believe that the Good News of the Gospel is not merely about forgiveness, but that you also have access to a loving God?

Some of the best things in life are the gifts from the One who steadfastly loves us. But an important question to ask ourselves is this . . . Are we in love with God, or just His stuff?

Imagine how awful it would feel to have your child say to you, ‘I don’t really love you or want your love, but I WOULD like my allowance please.’

Our love for Him always comes out of His love for us. Do you love this God who is everything, or do you just love everything He gives you? Do you really believe that God loves you, individually, personally, and intimately? ”

Related Text:
1 John 4:19
“We love because he first loved us.”

Psalm 27:4
“One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.”

Deuteronomy 6:4
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”

Zechariah 14:9
“The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name.”

1 Corinthians 8:5-6
“For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth—as there are many “gods” and many “lords”—
yet for us there is one God, the Father,
from whom are all things, and we for Him;
and one Lord, Jesus Christ,
through whom are all things, and we through Him.”

Ephesians 4:4-6
“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope at your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.”

When Jesus was asked which of the Ten Commandments was most important, He said, “This is the most important . . . listen Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:29-30)

There is no question about the importance of loving God and ONLY loving God. This may be opposed to the way that some of your friends or family think about how they live their life. But the Bible is very clear about loving only God. The first commandment in Exodus 20 told us not to have any other gods besides the One True God, God that brought the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt, God the Father of Jesus. And the second commandment in Exodus 20 tells us not to make up any idols, but to only worship God, and God alone.

Check out Isaiah 44 verses 6 and 8. “I am the first and I am the last. There is no God but Me.” “You are My witnesses! Is there any God but Me? There is no other Rock; I do not know any.”

God must be the only focus of our praise and worship.

Psalm 23:1-6
“1 The LORD is my shepherd;
there is nothing I lack.
2 He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He renews my life;
He leads me along the right paths
for His name’s sake.
4 Even when I go through the darkest valley,
I fear no danger,
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff —they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
as long as I live.”

Here’s a unique exercise with Psalm 23. Read it again, verse by verse, and re-write it in your own words. We’re not re-writing the Bible, but the idea here is to personalize this God-praising hymn and make it specific to our lives. Personalize this psalm by using specific examples of how God is your shepherd. We’ve probaby all heard this Psalm before, but let’s meditate on it’s words and praise God for His blessings in our lives. Don’t just skim over it.

Here are some questions that you may think of to get the ball rolling as you re-write your own personal Psalm 23. What are your green pastures and quiet waters that God has supplied you with? How has He directed your path? What dark valleys has He carried you through?

Have fun!

Related Text:
John 10:11
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Psalm 123:1-4
1 I lift up my eyes to you,
to you whose throne is in heaven.
2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the LORD our God,
till he shows us his mercy.
3 Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us,
for we have endured much contempt.
4 We have endured much ridicule from the proud,
much contempt from the arrogant.

Jehovah was one of the common names used for God in the Old Testament times. Jehovah was referred to as God’s personal name. The name Jehovah is actually the English word used to translate and pronounce God’s Hebrew name: YHWH. Depending on which translation of the Bible you have, you might see YHWH pop up here and there in the Old Testament. And in some translations, they use an all caps spelling of the word LORD, which signifies this personal name of God. If you take a look at YHWH, you will notice there aren’t any vowels. It’s normally pronounced Yahweh (sounds like Yah – Way).

God is referred to by several names throughout the Bible. Lord, God, Father, Counselor, King . . . Although the usage of His names might change from time to time, His character, His abilities, and the way in which He loves His creation will always stay consistent. Always has, always will. His mercy is amazing, and His love abounds. That truth is worthy of our celebration today!

Related Text:
Ephesians 2:1-5
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”

James 3:9-12
“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”

What good are ideals of God’s love and grace if we cannot control our tongues enough to speak respectfully to other human beings? Everyone, from time to time, has trouble with this. We sing praises on Sunday at church, but we’re rude to the person moving too slowly in front of us at the grocery store. (and some of us are rude in that really annoying way – where we say the rude things with a smile on our face so we can deny it later) It’s like we left our patience inside the church doors, and we’ll pick it back up the next time we’re there.

Our contradictory speech is a puzzle. At times, our speech is right and pleasing to God, and at other times it is a violent and destructive force ready to tear down anyone in it’s path. When the Holy Spirit purifies our heart, He gives us self-control. Let’s begin to put that self-control into action. May God convict us when we speak words that are destructive, and may we understand how to show patience, love, and grace with our words (even in line at the grocery store when the person definitely doesn’t have less than 15 items). What we say under our breath might be a better picture of who we really are.

Related Text:
James 1:26
“If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.”

1 Corinthians 13:1-8, 13
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.”

v13-“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

On a bed of grass, a chameleon can change it’s skin color to green. On dirt, it can change to brown. On a pair of pink sunglasses, it has even been known to turn pink. The animal changes to match it’s surroundings, which helps it to survive. But followers of Christ are not called to blend in with their environment. We are new creations; born again and changed within. We have values and lifestyles that confront the world around us and clash with it’s accepted morals. True believers won’t blend in very well.

The Christians in Corinth were struggling with their environment that surrounded them. Surrounded by corruption, and every conceivable sin, they felt the pressure to adapt. In the middle of Paul’s teaching and instruction, he gives us chapter 13. Some people call it his famous “Love” chapter. It’s a reminder to us to have pure motives, and let everything we do come from love.

Related Text:
Matthew 22:36-39
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.’ “

Matthew 5:13-16
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men. You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

Ephesians 5:6-10
“Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for because of these things God’s wrath is coming on the disobedient. Therefore, do not become their partners. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light — for the fruit of the light results in all goodness, righteousness, and truth — discerning what is pleasing to the Lord.”

DON’T HIDE IT! The world is filled with darkness and God needs you to be a bright shining light for Him. Let your life shine! In Matthew 5:16 it says, “let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Now, this isn’t saying to “do works” just so people will notice them. But, if we are truly living our lives for our Lord, then everything we do will glorify Him. Then, when people see what we’re doing, they won’t praise us, but the will praise God in Heaven. Don’t be ashamed of the Gospel, don’t be afraid to share Jesus. Live your life with the volume turned up high.