NotesOnLife.org/YDN/archive/2023-08-08.php

NotesOnLife.org/YDN/archive/2023-08-08.php

The story of King David’s affair with Bathsheba started when three things came into alignment.

Instead of being in his appointed place and leading his armies that were engaging an enemy, David elected to stay back in the comfort of his palace. One night while on a casual walk upon the roof overlooking the city he happened to glance down and saw a woman bathing. This implies of course that she was naked, but instead of respecting her privacy and turning his eyes away he instead intently gazed at her beauty. In doing so, this story teaches three important lessons on how turning a GLANCE into a GAZE can quickly lead to temptation and sin.

First, whenever you are in a situation where temptation is possible, It Will Always End In Setting Yourself Up For A FALL.

For example, purposely going into a worldly night club or wandering onto a web page with salacious pictures is a situation ripe for falling into temptation. Like David, instead of being in a place where he should have been, he placed himself in a place he shouldn’t have been!

Second, while he had a chance to avert his glance away from her he (thirdly) chose to GAZE upon her which led to temptation and an even greater sin.

Today (and especially on-line) we are continuously subjected to pictures and 'click-bait' links that appeal to our lower nature, and even when out and about or watching TV it’s easy to turn from a general GLANCE to a glaring GAZE at something or someone that we should not be looking at.

Friend, make a concious decision that when you see ANYTHING that is not honoring to a life of faith and obedience to AVERT and LOOK AWAY. In so doing, Jesus promises us for for those that do that “Keep the word of His patience, that He will also keep you from the hour of temptation.” (Revelation 3:10)

Be ALERT & AVERT.

God Bless Your Day Jesus Loves You NotesOnLife.org

Along a well-traveled street in our city a speed camera monitors all passing cars. Knowing that they are being watched and fearful of getting a ticket, drivers briefly slow down, but once past blissfully continue on at their own pace.

Our behavior before God often operates the same way.

Just as we are mindfully fearful of the speed camera, we likewise ought to be aware that everything we do, say and think is also seen before almighty God.

Proverbs 20:27 says that “The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly” and Psalm 33:18 also reminds us that “The eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him” yet many people HAVE NO FEAR OF GOD for their actions or consider that everything they do and say is a matter of record:

“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.” Revelation 20:12

Friend, just as fear and mindfulness of speed cameras is for our good, when we also fear the Lord, “Evil Is Avoided.”

God Bless Your Day Jesus Loves You NotesOnLife.org/archive

This title and the accompanying scripture describe two different kinds of people.

For those that live by their own perceptions of existence, there is no second thought of life and living. Without the oversight of an angry, vengeful, eternal or perhaps ethereal being judging or condemning your life, there certainly is a freedom to live life with abandon. With no fear of an end-time accounting, consequences of the triumphs or tragedies of life are irrelevant.

For Christians that do believe in a God, the perspective of life, living, and eternity is quite different -- not because they live under the auspices of an evil task-master god, but because they believe in God’s loving promise of a hopeful and glorious future. However as today’s scripture so pointedly states, if in fact there is no god and the hope that the bible promises is simply a fantasy, then all these high principles of living, service and love for others above themselves is not only pointless, but winds up being a miserable waste of the short time that could have been enjoyed in a life.

Depending on your view of life and death in either case, YOU’D BETTER BE RIGHT because the end result will be exactly as you imagined. The difference for the Christian though is H.O.P.E. of a Heaven Of Peaceful Eternity.

Depending on what you believe, you better be right.

So what exactly do YOU believe?

NotesOnLife.org/archive

“How many moons are around Jupiter?”

If you said 92, you were right, but how do you know? Well, because someone Told You that’s the answer... but how did you know that’s correct? Examining it yourself would be unreasonable but in this case it’s reasonable to believe others.

So then, “How many moons are around the earth?” is an answer we can seek out ourselves.

If that’s the case, now consider this...

When it comes to “Is the Bible TRUE??” instead of also seeking the answer out for ourselves, most people (maybe you?) instead believe what others say about it like that it’s

Full of contradictions and discrepancies.

Not historically true or accurate

Miracles are not scientifically possible

Espouses unscientific events like the flood/6-day creation

A collection of myths and 'old wives tales'

Not possible for people to rise from the dead.

Been Translated so many times as to be meaningless

Just 'wishful thinking' of people hoping there is a heaven

So, if most (or all) of these are 'true' do you know this because YOU decided to SEEK the truth about it for yourself, or You Just Believed What Others Said??

As today’s verse says, if you truly SEEK (and not reading a few verses here and there) you will be surprised that everything others have said was false.

Friend, do not let others tell you what the Bible says.

FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF.

God Bless Your Day Jesus Loves You NotesOnLife.org

When I was five years old there was a very steep rocky cliff near my house. One day I sat on the edge of this precipice wondering how far I could scoot off the edge, so I moved down a few inches and all was fine. So I slid down a little further and it seemed easy to get back up if I wanted to.

So far so good.

I slid down a LITTLE MORE... but then the rocks under my behind slowly started to be a little slippery! Although I carefully tried to scoot back up, each time I did I slid a few inches more until finally I was going down the slope at a steady - then quick rate until it was as slick as a slide in the playground!

Fortunately I ended up at the bottom, crying hysterically, but safely winding up in an old man’s backyard terrified at what I had done, and wondering how I could get back up to the top. The kindly elder gentleman managed to pry my name out of me between my tears, looked up our home phone number in the white pages (remember those?!?) and called my mother to come pick me up.

Secret sins in our life are just like that slippery slope. While things may start off innocently enough and are 'So far so good ' like flirting with a co-worker behind your spouse’s back, experimenting with drugs, or secretly doing things you know are wrong. Before you realize it, it gets to point where you are in too deep - and just like being on that rocky slope - you can’t get back and it keeps accelerating until you keep sliding down to your doom.

Although you crash into the bottom of your slippery slope and it seems like there is no way back up to the top, there is a solution!

“Then I confessed my sins to you (and) I did not conceal my wrongdoings. I decided to confess them to you, and You FORGAVE ALL MY SINS.” Psalm 32:5

God is quick to forgive and restore you back home. His number is in the book of the 'White Pages of the Bible,' Call on Him, and HE will restore you to the top.

God Bless Your Day Jesus Loves You