"Tangled Up"

"The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined." (Psalms 10:2) It is one thing to imagine that you are something that you are not, but it is entirely something else to put others into a lower state in the process. Jesus gave us a good example of this, as He shared about the two men who went up into the temple to pray; the account of which we can find in Luke 18:9-14. Luke sets up what Jesus will be speaking of in verse Nine, as he says, "And He spake a parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:" Yes, David could very well be speaking about wicked barbaric men, filled with pride towards their quest to destroy the poor; however, I believe that there is another wicked that is hiding in the midst of their own righteousness; the wicked that believe themselves to be righteous, based upon what they perceive about themselves, not what is truth! To understand what it is that I am talking about, let's go through the first half of this verse, looking at some key words that David uses here. The "wicked" are those who are guilty of sin, of which we should all be classified as such; however, these are those who are guilty of a crime of which there has not been restitution for, such as would be the case of someone who is actively breaking the law and has not been punished yet; which would better be described as someone that is hostile to God, as someone who has not been convicted of their sins would be. Furthermore, we have the word "pride", which speaks of haughtiness, or excellency and arrogance, of which pride clothes their neck: a stiff neck being regarded as the seat of pride. Then we have the word "persecute", of which it speaks of to burn, to kindle, to inflame; as in, "he makes his arrows flaming", which means he shoots burning arrows. And then finally, we have "the poor", which speak of those who are in need; those who are needy, weak, afflicted, wretched, humble, and lowly; often with the added idea of piety, as in someone with whom you would have piety upon, or that is asking for you to have piety upon them. Now; as we go back to Luke, we find Jesus giving this example to two men; one a publican, the other a Pharisee; both of which have come into the temple to pray. Yet, one was lowly at heart, and could not even lift his head, as he prayed to God for forgiveness; while the other, the Pharisee, stood up boasting and saying, "God, I thank Thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican". Thinking that he was something that he was not, he further went on to boast of all the good that he had done to be set apart from others, saying, "I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all the I possess". Meanwhile, the publican, who stood afar off, would not even so much as lift his eyes to heaven, but beat upon his chest, saying, "God be merciful to me a sinner". It is the pride of those that think themselves better than someone else, which blinds their heart, for they think that they are closer to God in the ignorance of what it is that they think God requires. For, God requires a broken heart of someone that knows that they are a sinner, and that knows that they have sinned against Him, and that knows that He is a God of mercy!!! Because; it is only by realizing that we need mercy, that we are able to receive mercy!!! With that, we have the remainder of David's realization of the wicked, in that he says, "let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined"; whereas, "devices" speak of an evil purpose, discretion, or thought; of which "imagined" is further expressed as something which is invented within one's mind, as would be the cast of the Pharisee who thought himself to be justified before God. Therefore, he that does not seek mercy, will not find mercy; which Jesus expressed in summarizing His parable: "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted". The wicked's device has been turned upon himself, and he is put down...

"Bated Breath Too"

"Why standest Thou far off, O LORD? Why hidest Thou Thyself in times of trouble?" (Psalms 10:1) How about we think of something good today? I love it when I know that God is going to do something special in my life; I can also feel the excitement in the air, as if He is just about to put forth His hand in something that will be life changing and far reaching. The first thing that I wanted to share about is this word "stand" that David uses in asking God, "Why standest Thou far off, O LORD?" To make a stand, one must remain in a certain position; it goes to say, that God does not move, nor does He change, but what He does do, is He waits for us. This morning I was so captivated by the thought of the 'Lost Son'; the son that squandered all of his inheritance, and then came to his senses as he found himself eating out of the pig's food. It was the son which needed to turn towards his father and come back home; yet, within that story, the father did not stand far off; but rather, when he saw the son coming from afar off, he ran to him! I think sometimes our Father in heaven has bated breath for us; not that He doesn't know what we will do, because He does; but that He is waiting for us to experience His love that He has for us. The lost son was waited upon by the father; as the father would look at across the horizon, waiting for his son to appear; knowing that the day would come, and longing for that day when his son would be able to taste the love that he felt for him. This is how I believe that God waits for us; whether we are in a state of despair, or have fallen into sin, or are in the midst of the harshest storm, God waits for us to turn to Him and count fully on His love for us. He is always there with open arms, we just need to turn! The second thing that I wanted to point out, is why God conceals Himself in times of trouble; or so David puts it in the form of the question, "Why hidest Thou Thyself in times of trouble?" Again, I will refer to the 'Lost Son', and how it was that the father was not hidden from the son, but he was defiantly not found in the trouble! As a matter of fact, the father was to be found in the opposite direction of the trouble; which was what took place, as the son looked up from his situation, and put his gaze in the direction of his father, saying, "Even the servants in my father's house have better than this; I will go back to his house and be as one of them". Our God will not be found in our trouble; nor will we find Him by focusing on those trouble, but by looking away from that which is not of Him, and putting our gaze upon Him! That is what our Father is standing there with bated breath for us to do: to take our eyes off of this, and to gaze upon Him; turning and coming home...

"With Bated Breath"

"Why Standest Thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest Thou Thyself in times of trouble?" (Psalms 10:1) Maybe a good question might be, Who is waiting for who? I can remember a fight that I had when I was in grade school, which was prior to the days when I actually would fight back, and understood what being tough was all about; I think that I was in about the third grade, and somebody wanted to put me in my place; or maybe it was over a girl; I really can't remember. What I do remember, was that as I was taken down to the ground, I noticed that one of the teachers was nearby and was just standing there watching; and I wondered, Why won't he help me? Was he waiting for me to get beat up, or was he waiting to see what would happen, or if I would actually fight back? Either way, I was hoping that he would intervene and pull this fat kid off of me! I also remember that every second seemed like minutes, and that I felt like the teacher was on the side of the kid that was one top of me. This is a little taste of what David is saying here within this verse; not that God was on the side of his enemy, but that God was standing back, almost as if He was waiting to see what the his response would be. We could almost relate this to the moment when Jesus hung on the cross, and cried out, "My God, My God, Why hast Thou forsaken Me?" One thing that we sometimes fail to realize, is that God knows the outcome to our situation! He knows what will happen, and what will be the outcome of that which we are being pressed by; unfortunately, or fortunately, however the case may be, we do not! So; who is waiting for who? Are we waiting for Him to intervene, or is He waiting for us to respond to what is happening around us? As I think about times when things seemed to be at there worst, I can remember searching for God in the midst of whatever was going on; not finding Him in the midst of the turmoil, I cried out for help; not getting the response to my cry, I stopped to listen. It was not until I actually subdued my breathing that I was still enough to hear Him answer; which is what 'Bated Breath' means: Breathing that is subdued because of some emotion or difficulty. Bated is said to be a shortened form of 'abated', meaning to bring down, lower or depress; so, abated breath would actually make more sense; however, over the years, people have changed this expression to "Baited Breath" and given the phrase a whole new meaning. This new meaning would be that of waiting for something to happen that you are expecting; like when you watching a horror movie, and you know that something is going to happen at any moment; which, in such a case, you could actually use both of those meanings at the same time...

"Waiting..."

As we come to Psalms Ten, we are given a brief look at what it might feel like to wait for God to complete His justice. If you have the title for this Psalm shown in your Bible, then you will notice that the title is "Another Prayer for Justice". This may very well be a continuation of Psalms Nine, but the tone is obviously different. Psalms Nine was more about giving thanks to God for His good judgement, while this Psalm is mostly a complaint about how the wicked get by long without being judged. We have a tendency to look at the wickedness in this world in this fashion, more frequently than we might realize; mostly because it is only natural to feel this way, seeing that it comes so naturally into our hearts to do so. This reaction of feeling injustice is something that we pick right up on, right about the time we learn to walk; something that is easy to spot in small children, as they complain of being punished, while others are not. This is also about the same time that we learn one of our first few words: No! It's like a slight little rebellion for not feeling as though we were treated fairly. However; when we stop and think about the wicked in this world, and what their end result will be for those who appear to be getting away with murder now, we can begin to take a little pleasure in knowing that their day will come. In the mean time, we wait, wondering how much that God will allow them to get by with, and how it is that God allows them to prosper in doing what they please; while we are just waiting for justice to be served. I cannot help but think of Noah, who for about one hundred years, labored building that ark, and waited for God to judge the earth. It must have been hard to withstand the mockers, as they would ask him, What you doing Noah? Building a boat for what? Really? God is going to do what? It was not that Noah was not convincing enough, because he did convince his wife, his sons, and their wives; but the wickedness of the world was very great, and everyone was having such a good time sinning, that were not going to let Noah ruin it for them. In Genesis 6:3-8, we see the account of God's decision to destroy the earth's inhabitants, and it says in verse four, "That there were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown". If you can imagine what was going on in those days, it sounds like the fallen angels had joined the party, and that the world became one big free-for-all. Looking at the next verse, we can see that God saw their wickedness, and that every imaginable thing was being done, continually! And given God's judgement of the animals in verse Seven, it would appear that things had gotten way out of control! However; "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD", verse Eight so plainly says; not that Noah was perfect, but that God had extended grace to him, thereby making him a chosen vessel... We need to remember what we are!

"Awestruck"

"Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah." (Psalms 9:20) Now then; some things are only known by the experience gathered in learning; such is the case in knowing God's justice, both for now, and in the hereafter; because, before you can actually give thanksgiving for His justice, you must know it! As to the case of knowing it now, we have numerous ways in which we come to know how God's justice works in our every day experiences; some learn well, and some, well, they don't learn so much. For Example; when it comes to frustration that is experienced by what this world places upon on us, we have great opportunity to draw closer to God, in and through those difficulties, which is how is should be. Yet, there are some for who these opportunities become nothing more than things by which they complain about to others; thereby causing that which should otherwise inspire hope, to be nothing more than shame to the hope that should be inside of them. God's justice which shall come in the hereafter, is the basis for that hope; by which we experience by the peace that is given to us in knowing where our final destination shall be. This works for all forms of trials, persecutions, difficulties, and even the conflicts that take place among each other: because hope looks beyond anything that could possible take place upon this earth! Again, let me say that the last verse in almost every Psalm reinforces, gives summary to, or expresses the meaning of what that Psalm is about; so it is with this verse that ends Psalms Nine. The first part of this verse applies to both the saved and the unsaved, the believer and the unbeliever, for it says, "Put them in fear, O LORD"; to which fear is that which must be inspired in the hearts of those that do not believe; which is much the same as Paul explains in Galatians 3:24, how that the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ; because without the law, how else would we know how far short we fall, and how much we needed Jesus to save us from our sin. For those who are believers, this "fear" is that which speaks of reverence; an awe-inspiring spectacle or deed; which is what should be our response to a wonder-working God, who not only loves us enough to die for us, but also prepares a place for us in heaven, that we might come to live with Him! This is also the response that is generated by knowing and believing "that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose". (Romans 8:28) The remainder of this verse can be looked upon as something which is geared towards those that are outside of God's protection, and those that need to be reminded of who they are; whether that be those who do not believe, or those who have strayed away and are walking in their own strength. The point which David is making when he says, "that the nations may know themselves to be but men", is precisely what it implies; however, "nations" is the same word that was used for "heathen" in the prior verse; thus, the implication goes beyond that of nations, and extends to those that are strangers to The True Religion, which includes those that have walked away from God, in search of their own desires. Furthermore; in case you missed the point, this would also include those who hold onto unforgiveness, and who do not love as God has ordained love to be, in our love one for another. And with that, we have another learning curve; one which speaks of learning that we are but men: men who are fallible and are subject to make mistakes; for the word "know" means to learn, or to perceive; to know by experience; something by which we all have the same opportunity to learn, in one way or another. Therefore, I feel that I must clarify something, for which I am sure that some received as my complaint; but as to the frustration I feel in my own situation, I am but a man; and given that is what I am, I long for that day when my wife shall be healed; therefore, it is only normal that I hold onto that emotion, seeing that to this point, she is still in the state that she is; however, in the same manner, I am awestruck by the way God works through our circumstance, and how the hope that is within me triumphs over that which is seen; for in the process of waiting for her to be healed, I am brought not only to the point of trust, but also to the point of living out the hope which can only be realized by the frustration that I live; because that for which I ask for, although not yet realized, does not mean that I stop asking and holding out for it to happen...Selah!!!  

"Frustrated"

"Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in Thy sight." (Psalms 9:19) Having said what was said, and the expression of my frustration, I am reminded how that we are sojourners here in this place; which basically means, that this is our temporary dwelling place. And as such, our life that we live here, is not meant to be made comfortable, because this is not our home! Therefore; we should not be surprised by misfortunes and trials, because God is looking out for our best interest; which means, that God will endeavor to correct our environment as to ensure that we do not get to comfortable in this place. Am I saying that God wants us to be frustrated? Yes, in a particular way, I believe that He does; however, it is not with Him that we should ever be frustrated, nor can we, yet some people are; but if you trust Him, then there is no way that you can be frustrated towards Him; quite the opposite, you become more frustrated with the world that keeps knocking you down! It is in this, that we are kept hoping for that which is to come, and we are not able to become satisfied with what this world has to offer. The first part of the verse, David says, "Arise, O LORD"; which taken in the context of what I believe that David is getting at, means that God be established, or confirmed; which when taken to the extreme sense of the meaning, it says that God would impose His way, or establish His way into our lives. One way that God can choose to do this, is by frustrating the ways that are not in His will for our lives; making it so that there is nowhere else we have to turn, but towards Him. This I believe can be applied to the meaning of "let not man prevail"; and there are two reasons that come to mind that make it so. The first one is simple, and has to do with the need to put all of our trust in Him; making us count on His leading in our lives, and not on our own abilities and our own power. The second reason is not so evident, and is something that involves a way of life, more that just a direction for our life; in other words, a way of life is more of something that is settled for; whereas, we settle for something other than what God would have for us, because it is easier on our lives, instead of something that causes us to reach out for God's help, and requires us to press into Him for our basic need to carry on. In other words; God never wants us to say, I got this. But rather, He wants us to always know that He has us, and that He is in control! In this same line of thinking, we can look to the final portion of this verse, that says, "let the heathen be judged in Thy sight", and examine what the word "heathen" actually means; for it speaks of more than barbarians or non-Hebrew people; but it speaks also of those who are strangers to 'The True Religion', and those that have departed away from God. Both of these types of people have something very much in common: they do not depend upon God to rule their lives! I believe that Paul summed this up best, as he wrote in Ephesians 4:17-19, saying, "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness". Because; when we are not frustrated with this way of life, we can become subjective to all that it has to offer; finding ourselves willing, and wanting, to hold unto those things that have captivated us; even to the point of departing from that which we know to be true and right...

"Destinations"

"For the needy shall not always be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever." (Psalms 9:18) If you know anything about the mindset of those that have turned from God, then you should know that they think that they do not need Him. As a matter of fact, they look upon those who rely on God as people who need a crutch to survive, as if they depend upon God because they cannot depend upon themselves. There is some major truth in that way of thinking; it just that without God, we who know better, know what state we will end up in without Him in our life! To put this in a little better light, let's just say that the "needy" are those who know that they need God; especially for deliverance from a state of destruction! Men are often said to forget God; but on the other hand, God does not forget to care for man: for His mercy is mindful of us! It is His mercy that we who are dependant upon Him look for, not for care, as those that reject Him might think: His mercy that will see us through this life and into the next; something that those who live for today seldom think about. I cannot imagine what my life would be like if I did not have Jesus; yet those that do not know Him, can't imagine what real life is. Which brings us to "the expectation of the poor", who are not poor in standing, but they are those who are poor in spirit; meaning that they are needy of God's piety, and they are humble at heart. For them, their expectation is hope for the future; an outcome that is looked forward to, which is beyond anything that this present world has to offer. It's a destination; the thing I long for, and that I expect to be waiting for me at the end of this life. Call it a crutch if you want to; but I will call it a stretcher for my weary soul! A crutch is used to move around in our own strength, or whatever is left of it; but a stretcher, that is what we are carried in by; which requires no strength of our own at all!!! This is what it means to be poor: that we are totally dependant upon God to bring us home! And when David speaks of "perish", as in, "the poor shall not perish for ever", he is speaking about being lost, as wandering sheep that are lost in the wilderness; which is what this life may seem like at times, as we wander towards our destination; for we are now pilgrims here, in a place that is no longer our home! In a way, it is as though we are frustrated by this world, being focused upon that which shall come hereafter. And this is something that I am all to familiar with; as I pray day in and day out for my wife to be healed; yet, I know that ultimately God will heal her, and that in the life to come, she will be perfectly fine; yet, in the meantime, it breaks my heart to see her in the condition that she is in; knowing what she would be like if she were whole, and able to experience those things that she loves most, like fishing, golfing and caring for children: that my dear friend is what frustration looks like...

"Deterrent"

"The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God." (Psalms 9:17) As soon as man thinks that he is running things, everything goes to hell! Here are a few famous quotes from some rich slave owners; or so they are shown to be in our current school system. "You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are." (George Washington) "I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth - That God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that "except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it". I firmly believe this." (Benjamin Franklin) "Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have renowned their only firm basis, a conviction in the hearts of the people that these liberties are the gift of God?" (Thomas Jefferson) Forgetfulness of God is the cause of all wickedness, in individuals, as well as with nations; for when we forget that He is watching over us, we tend to do our own thing; no longer regarding the Keeper of our soul, we walk outside of the boundaries that He has established. As we look at what it means to be "turned into hell", it is a road that leads to hell that David is talking about; one that once your on it, requires a serious Deterrent to get off of it! The word "wicked" is understandably the unrighteous; however, it is also the guilty, which means those that are guilty of sin! In other words, we have all, at one time or another been going down that road to hell, because there is none righteous, and we were all born in sin. And there is only one Detour that has been established so that we might be free from sin, and that is Jesus Christ!!! Jesus, speaking to Nicodemus in John 3:17 & 18 said, "For God sent not His Son onto the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." This is the religion of Jesus Christ that George Washington was speaking about, and how it is that we will be better off than we currently are by knowing Him; because without Jesus, we are currently on the road to hell! It is a very wide road, for if you can imagine, it has whole nations traveling down it; millions and billions of people, all traveling in the same direction; and yet, every so often, a soul or two are taking the Deterrent off of that road, and onto the road that leads to eternal life...

"Device"

"The LORD is known by the judgement which He executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah." (Psalms 9:16) A device is usually a constructed tool, or something that is made for a specific function or task; even the medals that are worn on the chest of military personnel are a device, which is to show forth valor and service to country. Most recently we have been made aware of something referred to as an IED, otherwise known as a 'Improvised Explosive Device', which is use is roadside bombings. These devices are plotted in the ground where it is known that convoys are frequently traveled, and have been the cause of many casualties in the Middle East. The word "Higgaion" which David uses at the end of this verse, is a word that means 'the sound of a harp when it is struck'; which to a harpist, is resounding music, which means impressively thorough and complete; something brought on by a device that was made for such an expression. However; this is also a word that actually means device, a plot, or a meditation; which can express what is being said within this verse. The first half of this verse is proclaiming how God is known by His executed judgements; which is a statement of fact, and something everyone should be aware of. A good example of this would be how Belshazzar should have learned something from his father's mistake, and how it was not wise to take glory away from God, and give it unto yourself or any other object; for in the same hour that he did, the finger of God wrote upon the wall, "MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN"; which basically meant, YOUR DONE! Having no doubt witnessed his father out in the fields eating grass with the oxen, he should have realized that giving glory to the gods of silver and gold was not profitable to one's health and security. But, when you get right down to it, how often do we forget this rule in our own lives, as we take credit for things that have happened, or we accept praise of others, as if, if it were not for our hard work and efforts, then we would not be where we are at. I can recall something in my own life, as I was praised for having achieved much from very little, and how I needed to think twice about how it was that I was blessed with such success. I have shared on this before, on how I tithed according to the goals that I had set in sales; to which, God richly blessed me with so much work, that I could hardly keep up. The word "judgement" is a word that not only means a sentence or a ruling, but it also means ordinance; which is to say, The way things shall be, or are established. If there is one thing that I have learned over the last thirty years, it is that God loves to be tested on His promises; He wants us to test Him!!! There is a very distinct difference between testing God and tempting God; for one is to step out in His direction and His leading, while the other is to step out in our own desires, and then hoping that He will provide for us. Leviticus 18:4 says, "Ye shall do My judgements, and keep Mine ordinances, to walk in therein: I AM the LORD your God". The second part of this verse is describing the fate that the wicked come to, at the work of their own hands. This is really not to hard to understand, and is somewhat like the old saying, Live by the sword, die by the sword. The problem is, that many think that their plot is different or unique, and that they have found the answer to the age old problem of being effected by their own devices. God will prove them wrong; as He has in the past; so He shall in the future! Question: Who is really in charge here? It surely isn't man..."Selah" means, meditate on this!

"Karma"

"The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken." (Psalms 9:15) The word karma is a word that means 'cause and effect'; and the American definition of this word, is, What goes around comes around. What that actually means is 'deeds', and implies the entire cycle of cause and effect. Karma, from the root 'Kri', to do; is the means by which you become the architect of your own destiny. We can see this played out perfectly in the Book of Esther, as Haman had sought to destroy the Jews that were throughout the kingdom in which he lived. And if you know the story, the gallows which he meant to use on the Jews, primarily Mordecai, were used on himself because of his unethical behavior. The bottom line, is that God will not be mocked; for He alone shall have the last laugh! One of my favorite stories of the Old Testament is found in 1 Samuel chapter Five, in which the Philistines have taken the ark of God, and then they placed it in the temple of their god Dagon. As they arrive that next morning, they find their stone image of Dagon face down on the ground, as if it were worshipping the God of Israel; so they pick up their god, and stand it back upright, only to come back the next morning and find it prostrate again, but this time with it's head and hands broken off. And if that was not enough to convince them, God had stricken them all with hemorrhoids so that they finally said, "The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for His hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god". So they sent the ark to Gath, and then all the men of Gath had hemorrhoids. Then they sent it to the land of Ekron, and all of them had hemorrhoids, and those that did not, ended up dead. Finally, they decide to place the ark on a cart, along with five trespass offerings, and sent it off down the road, back towards Israel. I love God's humor; He has such a way of making His point! Within this verse for today, David shows two ways that the heathen are taken by their own devices. The first is the pit, which is much like a pit that would be dug to trap a wild beast, such as a lion; a hole covered with leaves and branches, that would have bait waiting over the top of it, for the lion to fall into the hole as he goes for the bait. This also speaks of Hell, which shall be the final resting place for those that have made their way against God or His anointed. The second is a net, by which they lay a trap for others to step into, which will then spring the net that captures them; except in this case, they have in one way or another forgotten where they placed the trap, and step into it themselves. What this speaks about is how the plot of man's devices become so complex, they forget how they got there from the beginning, thus being taken by their own device; what goes around comes around! Either way that you look at this, those that plot against God or His anointed, find that which they have plotted is turned against themselves. What this should tell us, is that of God's perfect justice, in that we do not have to worry about whether or not God's justice will be just; because, those that cause hell for us, will have Hell to pay...

"Reckoning Today!"

"That I might show forth all Thy praise in the gates of the daughters of Zion: I will rejoice in Thy salvation." (Psalms 9:14) Whether or not you agree with me as to how or what those crowns we have earned shall be spent, we have something right now that is of value for giving glory unto our Lord, and it is something by which we will be measured! I do not believe David was trying to make a point of praising God for the punishment that would be afflicted upon his adversaries, nor was he trying to say in this verse, That I might praise You for having taken care of those that caused me to suffer. If you think about this for a moment, there is something else that was pressing against David's heart; to be forgiven is something which can make a person take a whole different look upon what is counted as punishment or suffering. I don't know how it was for you as a child, but for me, I was spanked when I was bad; up to about age ten, if I did wrong, there was punishment. But I can remember the times I hated the most, were when I was told to go and wait in my room, and that punishment would be coming shortly. I hated waiting to be punished; it was like stretching out those swats into hours, of what would actually only be minutes of punishment. I am convinced that David was blessed by knowing that he was forgiven by a God that not only loved him, but also knew him, all the way down to the very thoughts of his heart. When we are speaking of fairness, we need to consider our own hearts first; otherwise we can't really even begin to understand what is pressing the heart of someone else; most of the time, we just assume people are motivated by the obvious things, such as greed, or jealousy, or whatever else makes the heart grow bitter. Instead, we need to leave judgement of others in the hands of Him that knows what is really going on in them, and focus upon our own hearts; which is much like saying, Don't worry about what is going on with them, but make sure your own heart is right! Really, that's where it at!!! How much time do we actually spend thinking about what other people are thinking about? This "gates of the daughter of Zion" which David is speaking of is a pretty interesting thing to think about, because it brings forth a whole multitude of different applications; from descendants of women, to description of character; to daughters of men, opposed to sons of God; to the lesser towns around the city, which are called daughters of the city; even to the meaning of a virgin, as in the undefiled of the land. The applications are all over the place; but what I felt God speaking to my heart about, was something that I have noticed that many average women feel about David; and that he was a womanizer or a fornicator; is usually the first reaction to the mention of his name. Regardless; I see David as someone who just wanted to praise God for the salvation of his soul; knowing that the punishment of his soul was never going to happen, he could take what time he had left upon this earth to show forth the praise unto God, and to rejoice in what he had been given; letting that be what people thought he was thinking, when they thought what he was thinking about!!! We should be the kind of person that people need to ask, What is it about you that makes you so happy? I like what Paul says in Romans 8:18, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us". That's really where it is at! What makes us rejoice, even in the midst of hardship and difficulties, is that we have the opportunity to be glad and look forward to something that far out ways anything that could be pressing against us now; therefore, we must be reckoning today, for tomorrow...

"Day of Reckoning" -2

"Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, Thou that litfest me up from the gates of death:" (Psalms 9:13) So; did you give it any thought? What pleasure is there to be gained in having disgust with those that came later? Do we even realize the point to what Jesus was getting at? What is fair for us, who suffer long through trials, and yet, those that suffer little, have the same reward? Or, better yet; what of those that turn, after having been our adversaries? Shouldn't that be something for which we can be glad in? Looking at the account of Stephen, was it not Paul who was there holding the coats of those who were casting stones at Stephen; for he was consenting to his death, as one who was in authority. What we are talking about is those things that bring us joy and happiness; things which cause us to gleefully spread unity within the body, not the other way around; because the needless pain we bare in our concern for fairness, only causes us to be bitter towards the body, as if we have been mistreated or not given our just reward. This is in part what I believe that David is speaking about here in verse thirteen, which is about fairness; and in a way, it is almost as if he is laughing at his own heart, and the way that he views fairness of God's judgement; as if being justified can remove all the stain! The beginning of this verse is a petition for God's fairness, by which he says, "Have mercy upon me, O LORD". It is this word "mercy" which can cause some confusion as to what David is asking for; because it is a word that can mean to show favor, to be shown consideration, or to be pitied. After this, he speaks about having suffered at the hands of those who hate him; which is not a complaint, but more of relating to the fact that he has suffered, and therefore he is asking God to consider his sufferings. Yet; in the final portion of this verse, we have a change of direction; one which looks up, as to declare what God has done for him, and not looking downward, as one who has been inflicted; by which, all suffering is counted as void of having any effect upon his eternal condition. What more can we ask for, than to be given eternal life in heaven with Jesus? In the account of Stephen's death, it says that before they started stoning him, he gazed upwards into heaven "and saw the Glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God". It was when Stephen described what he saw, that cause them to take him out of the city and stone him; and yet, he asked God with his dying breath, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge". Really; do we worry to much about what others receive, or what? I think it is much like the heart of the cheerful giver; for that heart is one which gives not out of necessity to give, but more for the joy of giving, knowing that you can't out give God! God has given us His all; of which, we did not deserve in the first place; yet, we focus to much on what others will be given, which only robs ourselves of that which we have in the meantime, which is joy! Meanwhile; the bottom line to what I believe that Jesus was saying, is this: when it comes to our rewards, and what that shall mean in heaven, we shall all be in heaven as one; and the more crowns that you might have, the more crowns you will have to cast upon the throne; because in His presence, all that we did, or that was done unto us, shall all melt away...

"Day of Reckoning"

"When He maketh inquisition for blood, He remembereth them: He forgetteth not the cry of the humble." (Psalms 9:12) We can consider ourselves to have been blessed with good fortune if we have not had to suffer physically from persecution, as have many of our brothers and sisters in lands where to be a Christian means that imprisonment and death is a very real possibility. Although, we that have such liberties, tend to fight more amongst each other, because in places where where the persecution of the church is real and prevalent, they seem to be more united and less willing to stab each other in the back. However; as with those that suffer in physical torment, we too, who are only inflicted by words, emotional suffering, or false judgements, shall also be given our day in the Son; provided we remain humble and leave vengeance in the hand of God. I for one, do not want to be accused of causing innocent blood to be spilt on my behalf; and I pray that has not already happen along the way! Okay; let's consider what it is that David is speaking about in the verse, which instantly seems to jump up from nowhere, just as we were singing praise and declaring to the people all that God has done. Let us not forget, that we who have been chosen are given something very special and is way beyond measure; meaning that there is no way to measure the worth of what we have in Christ; no way, no how! We have our security in Jesus Christ; yet those that do not know Him are lost, and they are condemned to a place that we should have been going also; yet, but for the grace of God, there go I: for we have been set free from such a fate, and have been given eternal life in Christ: Amen!!! If we look at the stoning of Stephen, in Acts chapter Seven, we can see what it means when David says, "the cry of the humble"; for Stephen cried out with his dying breath, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge". The harsh reality is about who shall actually suffer the longest, and about who's punishment is more long lasting! I would want to consider something Jesus said about the first shall be last, and the last shall be first; because I believe it has to do with an attitude of our hearts when it comes to looking forward to the day of reckoning, and who has wronged us, or who is worthy of God's forgiveness. If you know the parable that Jesus used for this, it was about the husbandman who went out to gather labourers for his fields. He promised to pay the first person that he hired a penny, and those that worked all day, worked happily for what they were promised; yet, towards the end of the day, others showed up looking for work, and he granted them the same amount, yet they only worked for a short while. When it came to the time to be paid, those that worked all day complained that those they just arrived received the same amount as them; to which the master answered, Did not I say I would pay you such, and you agreed upon that; why now are you unhappy because I have paid these others the same? I do believe that there is a very important lesson to be learned from this parable, besides that of being happy with what we have been given; because, it should also be a desire within us, that everyone should be blessed as we are. In other words, we are blessed more by blessing others, than if we curse them; even if they have wronged us in one way or another; we are blessed by blessing them! Think about the labourers who complained: Where they happier in their disgust of those that came late and received the same pay?

"Inhabited Praise"

"Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people His doings." (Psalms 9:11) If we really know Him and trust in Him, then we should automatically be able to praise Him; even in the midst of whatever comes against us. To see what David is getting at within this verse, we should examine the meaning of "which dwelleth in Zion" is speaking of; for it would seem that he is speaking of Jerusalem, however, I believe this refers to something far more personal and far reaching. To the Jewish, this speaks about the place where the temple dwelt; the place where many would look towards and pilgrimage to for worship of God; however, it also refers to a fortress: a place by which refuge in God's presence is found; which in David's time, Jerusalem was the place; a place where not only God's people, but all the inhabitants of the region considered to be the place of worship for the children of Israel. It was a City on a Hill, by which not only the Jew, but many other nations were aware of it's significant meaning, and that it was a place where many went to worship God, receive healing, and cleansing from sin. 1 Peter 2:9 says, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light". Just as the children of Israel were in that day His chosen people, and that temple was His looked upon dwelling place; it was to show forth the significance of God's blessing upon His chosen people, that He would be praised by not only the inhabitants of that time, but by generations to come; for God had called them to be separate and set apart for Him, and so too, we are called to be the same! When we are talking about a dwelling place for God, we must remember that God inhabits the praises of His people; for it is in the praises of His people that He is given glory, and by which His wonderful works are made known to a dying world. One thing for sure, is that His glory is not revealed in our complaints and our crying over our difficulties! Jesus spoke of this in a way that can make better sense, which we see in John 4, as Jesus is speaking to 'the woman at the well'. The people of Samaria had there own place of worship, much as those that were pure Jews worshiped in Jerusalem, those in Samaria worshipped at the hill upon which Jacob's well was located. The woman, after perceiving that Jesus was someone who was speaking for God, spoke to Him about her people worshipping on that mountain, as to show that they were spiritual people also, Jesus answered her saying, "Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, and now is, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him". It is this true worship that is the place where God dwells; not on mountain tops, or in temples; but in the hearts of those that praise Him for all that He has done for them. To which, David adds, "declare among the people His doings": of which, Peter also says, "that ye should show forth the praises of Him". Basically, we are talking about something that does not compare to anything that the world has to offer; therefore, in like manor, there is nothing that the world can do to us that can compare to that which we have been given; absolutely nothing! For when we speak about His doings, we are speaking about that which we know He has done; not that which we hope He shall do, or what we think He will do; but what we know that He has done, which is, That He has called us out of darkness into His marvelous Light!!!

"Who Do You Trust?"

"And they that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee: for Thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek Thee." (Psalms 9:10) It is not really a question of who it is that you trust, but rather Who do you trust; in other words, do you know Him who you say that you trust? We as a nation, have Trust In God printed upon our currency; but, does that mean that the nation has placed it's trust in God? What God do they follow after? When David speaks about "they that know Thy name", he is speaking about not just knowing what to call God, but knowing what God is all about; His reputation, His fame, and His glory. If you like word searches, try doing a word search on 'Power' in the Bible, and then read all the references that are listed in the New Testament alone; because that is what trusting in God is really all about, as to whether He has the power to help in times of trouble! I know, you say, He is powerful enough to do anything, and so do I; but do we really believe it with our whole hearts, or do we just hope that He will do something, and then move forward in our lives? Okay; let us look at the word "seek", as in "them that seek Thee" in this verse above. Picture a place in a meadow that is frequented by travelers, and what you should discover is a path that leads to and fro; a trampled path that shows the frequency that it is traveled; the point being of what is required to study, learn, or to know who God is, requires a well traveled path in understanding that is frequented to seek Him; not just in those times when we need Him, but through all times, and for the purpose of knowing who He is. Typically, the common thing that we do, is to wait until we are in a crises before we start seeking Him for any real direction in our lives; at which time, we find out that His desire is not what we thought it was, and that our direction was not in line with His direction. This is very important when it comes to ministry, and to stepping out into something that God has called us to do; because there will be opposition, and there will be those that will try and prevent the work that God wants to do in us, or through us. Another way that you could look at this, is that of practice; as to practice something to be well enough to do it well, or to perfect your ability in doing something. It is not a matter of making our way perfect, but that we know His ways are perfect; and the only way to gain such knowledge is by seeking out and traveling in His ways; not just in the critical times, but in all times and seasons of our lives. If we know Him, then we can trust Him in all of our circumstances; knowing that He will not forsake us; because we sought Him before the fire, during the fire, and after the fire, we know that He is more than able to continue a work in us: He wants to continue a work in us!!! That path traveled into His presence, day in and day out, has forged a relationship that is based upon frequent communication and upon examining not only who He is, but who we are in Him. Trust is something that is not just developed by putting our trust in something that will protect us, but is also by knowing we will be protected; in other words, we not only trust that God can protect us, but we trust that He will protect us because He loves us, and because we are His children! So; let me ask again: Who do you trust? And if you answer that you 'Trust in God', how well do you really know His name? Name meaning His reputation, fame and glory! And in knowing His name, how well do you know that He knows yours???

"My Hiding Place"

"The LORD also shall be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble." (Psalms 9:9) If ever I had something that I could relate to, this would be it! First off, you must understand the deeper meaning of this word "oppressed", because it goes a little bit further than somebody who is afflicted by an outside source; it goes to the heart of our very souls, as in crushed or dejected, which means to be discouraged or depressed. Again, I would refer to Paul's writing in 2 Corinthians 4:18, where he says, "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal". It is important to remember this, because we can get so overwhelmed by those things which are seen; such is the case within my life, on a fairly consistent bases. The word "refuge" speaks about a lofty place, a rock, affording shelter and security; but it also speaks about defence, which in this context is the security or answer we have to every problem that confronts us. Much like Paul illustrates in the verse above, we have an answer to this current situation, but it is not placed in those things which are seen; it is only available in the things which are unseen, for all that is seen shall pass away, but what lays ahead is eternal. The key to finding the refuge for a soul that is crushed, is that of a lofty place; in other words, that place which awaits my soul in heaven, as well as the soul of my wife! There are some days when I get fit so hard by the harsh reality of this present affliction, that I feel I can't carry on any further; where I just want to lay down and die! Yet, I know that the enemy of my soul will use my discouragement to his advantage; causing me to eyes off the prize, and place my focus on the struggle and the things which seem devastating all around me. It is in these times that I must look to the answer and my defence; because in this world there is no answer to my affliction, and there is no defence against the depression that I feel; but only in God do I find refuge for that which causes me to shrink under the weight of this affliction. I know that some can't really understand what I am talking about, because it is something which requires experience to really grasp the meaning; but living out something that is a constant affliction, day in and day out, is something that requires a constant hiding place; a place far removed from this present anguish. It is the hope that we have in what is to come that causes us to press onward; knowing that this present condition is but a dot in the life that we have in Christ, and that our experience within this present life, whatever that might be, draws us closer to the relationship with God; a relationship that depends on Him for shelter and a place where we can take refuge from that which presses against us. It really comes down to our vision of what is real, and what is eternal; for the things that are temporal, although present and seen, have very little affect on that which is eternal and unseen; providing that we keep our focus on Jesus Christ...

"No Worries!"

"And He shall judge the world in righteousness, He shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness." (Psalms 9:8) When we think of God's judgment, we tend to think primarily about His judgment that will be poured out upon the world, or the judgment day when all will stand in His presence; but what about now! Right now, in my life here and now; do I believe that God is ministering judgment in my affairs? Yes, indeed He is! As a believer in a God who not only has saved me from my sins, but who also comforts me and keeps my life in the very palm of His hand, I trust God will watch over all of my life; that includes everything that I know and all that I don't know. Paul writing in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, speaks about those that sow sparingly shall reap sparingly, and how God loves a cheerful giver. This concept of giving unto God goes way beyond the giving of money, or even time; it goes to the heart of worshipping God, and how much we really believe that He is in control of anything and everything that happens to us as His child. When it comes to finances, God wants us to give with a cheerful heart, which means a heart that is prompt to do anything; meaning that our heart wants to do all that it can to please and worship the God who loves us. When it comes to trusting Him with our very lives, it becomes a matter of believing that He actually governs our life; something that we tend to walk half in and half out off. Paul speaks about "always having all sufficiency in all things", which takes into consideration, not just the things that have to pertain to ministry, but things that pertain to every day life, like food and shelter, health and security; all things mean all things that pertain to the life which He has for us to live; which is where we get into some trouble, because the life that we want to live, may not be the life that He wants us to live. We have so much stuff in our lives; we really do! And the more stuff that we have, the more time it takes to maintain that stuff, and to give our attention to those things that we have accumulated. Think about a time when you had hardly anything, and think about if you were happy or not; were you? I can remember when my wife and I did not even have a car; yet we were happy to take the bus and to walk together to the store. We place far to much value on the things that we have in our lives, and not enough value on the people that God places in our lives! When we do stand before Him, I don't think that God will be asking us about the care we gave to those things He blessed us with; but He will be asking us about those that He placed in our care...

"Solid Ground" -2

"But the LORD shall endure for ever: He hath prepared His throne for judgement." (Psalms 9:7) I could not help thinking about the tenth of time yesterday; all day long, it was something that keep speaking to my heart, and made me realize something that I have known since the very first time I heard the parable of the talents: each and everyone of us have the same amount of time in each day that we are given! Even though we may all have different levels of wealth or talents, we have all been given sixty seconds in every minute; sixty minutes in every hour; and twenty four hours in every day that God gives us life upon this earth. Therefore, when it comes to the time that we have been given in each day, none of us can claim to have been given less than someone else; we may have been given less days or years, but never more or less time within the days or years that we have been given. With that, I will move on and speak about 'The Rock' on which we stand!!! There is no other ground on which we stand, for all other ground is sifting sand! The second part of this verse speaks about God's judgement, and how He has prepared His throne to judge the righteous and the unrighteous in complete authority. When we refer to Jesus Christ as our Rock, there are several meanings to what "The Rock" actually stand for, and several different reasons why He alone has earned the title. For us that are His chosen people, He is the Rock on which we stand; He is the Rock of our Salvation; He is the Rock that cannot be moved; He is the Rock of Living Water; He is the Rock of our security, or a hiding place. But for those that reject Him, He is the "Rock of offense"; of which He becomes the Rock of their destruction! When this verse of Psalms 9:7 speaks about "He hath prepared His throne for judgement", there is the reference to what Jesus did in going to the cross, in that God has fixed something to make judgement equal for all mankind. Much like the example given about time, all of mankind has been given the same opportunity to accept or reject Jesus Christ; there is no difference between the opportunity granted the rich or the poor; the thief or the policeman; the druggie or the priest; each and everyone of us are given the testimony of Christ in one way or another, and each and everyone of us will be judged accordingly as to how we received or rejected the testimony that we received. The other thing about the throne of judgement that God has prepared, is that His judgement shall be righteous; meaning that His judgement shall be exact and true; in other words, there really won't be any "Yes, buts" in the actual judgement that will take place. God has established His judgement to be one of pure righteousness, in that there will be no way for man to question the judgement which he shall receive; for man will stand before the throne of God's Holiness and Love; with the brightness of His power, and the expression of His Love that was given for each and everyone of us, there will be nothing to say in defence of any action or inaction; all of man's excuses will melt away in the presence of His Holiness, and in the presence of Christ Jesus, the LORD of all...

"Solid Ground"

"But the LORD shall endure for ever: He hath prepared His throne for judgement." (Psalms 9:7) I wish I had a nickle for every time that I have forgotten this! There really is only One who can be counted on over and over again, for He never changes; always there with arms wide open, to say, See, I am still right here; rest in Me. This is because He is a God of New Beginnings; and the more I think about this, the more I realize how He has chosen us to start each day as a day of something new; something that anticipates Him doing a new work in us, through us, or to us! I can hardly keep up with my day as it is, how can I deal with God doing something new in my life today? Isn't that how you feel? God really does want us to rest in Him; but in order to be able to do that, we must place Him first in our lives; which means, we must prepare our hearts for Him to do a work in us, Today!!! Not tomorrow; not next Sunday, or after the next big church event; but today is the day of God's working in us! Every day is a new day in Christ; everyday that we are given another opportunity to live for Him, is another chance we have to live for Him! There are only 24 hours in a day, but there are 1,440 minutes, of which 10% should be our first fruits unto the Lord; which relate to less than 2.4 hours, or 144 minutes of devoting our time given us unto God. I know, that really seems like a lot of time; how in the world can I make another 2 hours available to God; should I sleep less; watch TV less; I surely cannot work less! To look at this from a little different direction, there are 86,400 seconds in every day, and it only takes one of them to say goodbye!!! Now, for some deeper meaning into what David is bringing forth in this verse, that is but 14 words long; the first thing that really grabbed me, is the word "endure", because at the very first reading, I assumed that which I always assume in this meaning, which is that God remains the same yesterday, today and forever; however, today God spoke to my heart about sitting!!! Yes, that's right, He sits!!! I am so busy in my crazy life, running to and fro, thinking that I am accomplishing this or that; all the while, God sits there watching me; till He stops me long enough to take the time to sit with Him! However, when He makes the time for me to stop, much of that time I waste trying to regain my time that I feel I have lost; instead I should just realize that God wants me to spend some time sitting with Him. Something that God has really spoke to me about this morning, is that we need to focus on dwelling in Him! We make all kinds of movements in our lives, as we walk out each day with the confidence that God is dwelling within us, and yet He is, if we have His Spirit within us; however, God wants us to dwell in His presence, which requires us to take the time to rest in Him! I pray we can see this clearly, because I see something that is long overdue for my own consideration, in that I make most of my life about me, myself, and I; each day I am given another chance to live for Jesus, and each day is another day that I live for myself! There is no rock like our ROCK!!!!!

"Ground Removed"

"O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou (Thou) hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them." (Psalms 9:6) When it comes to standing our ground, there is something we must always remember, in that, this earth is not the ground that we stand upon! Will God protect us and our homes? Absolutely, He is more than willing and able; however, if He does not, does that mean we have been forgotten? No way, and no how!!! In this verse above, you may have taken note of the (Thou) that is repeated, as in "thou hast destroyed cities". As I had studied this verse, I had summed up that this verse was solely given to the enemy, but as I started typing the verse in this page, I was frozen in my pecking, as I began to type the word "thou". I don't know where you were schooled in God's grace, but my Bible says that God's Grace is sufficient for me! Paul had written about his own affliction, of which many have speculated it to be a watery eye, or a hip problem; whatever it was, it got in the way of Paul's ministry by being a hindrance. And in 2 Corinthians 12:8-10, Paul speaks about how he had confronted the Lord over this infirmity, and the Lord replied, "My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is made perfect in weakness"; to which Paul accepted the infirmities and the hardships, and even the persecutions as blessing by which he could rely more profoundly upon the Lord. I love that song where the words "You give and take away" are sung over and over about three or four times, because within that understanding of what things, and even other people that are placed in our lives, are meant to be, in that they are blessings; and when those are removed from our lives, they are still blessings; even the very act of removal is a blessing! God's grace must be more important to us than all that is around us, or that He places in our lives; because His grace assures us of something far greater than anything that this world can offer us! Therefore; the "thou" in the verse above, although primarily attributed towards the enemy and his destruction; can also be attributed towards God and His destruction of not only the cities of the enemy, but the destruction of anything that hinders us from drawing closer to Him. Does that mean that a loved one that was removed was a hindrance? In no means do I mean that; however, their departure causes us to rely more upon His grace in our lives; and in so doing, we will discover other things that God is working within us or through us. Our biggest problem that we face, time and time again, is that we try and figure out what God is doing; as if we can help Him facilitate a certain plan for our lives. I am thinking that this is really not such a good idea! God does not need my help; nor do I need to draw up plans for Him to go by, as if to show Him what I think it is that He is working in my life. His ways are not my ways; because as soon as I start trying to make my ways fit into His ways, He removes the ground from under my feet, so that I fall totally into His grace!!!

"Stand Your Ground"

"Thou hast rebuked the heathen, Thou hast destroyed the wicked, Thou hast put out their name for ever and ever." (Psalms 9:5) When it comes to being separated unto God, we that are called into His kingdom are set apart for a special calling; not that we are special in any way; but that we are ones who have heeded His call upon our lives. Some of the most miserable people I know, are those who had once received a call upon their lives, and then have since turned away from that call for something else; whether it be riches or worldly lusts, they took the low road instead of the high road, and are miserable over that decision. On the other side of this, we see those that are prosperous and seem very happy in their quest for all that the world has to offer; not wanting to confuse matters with even a serious thought of God, or especially a God who rules and reigns; for they have placed their trust in fortunes, and live for the comforts of this world. As we draw closer to the day when Jesus will return, I believe that the contrast between what is right and what is wrong shall be more clearly defined; not in the worlds view of things, but in the hearts and minds of those who are God's children. With that said, we should realize that those who are lukewarm in their love for God, will most likely gravitate towards the way of the world; not because they choose to be drawn in that direction, but because that is the way that seems most comfortable to the life that they have chosen. I am reminded of the movie called "Time Changer", and if you have not seen this movie yet, it is a good one to put on your list to watch. The general premise of the movie, is that sometimes we can't see the effect that the world has upon our lives, until we are given large doses of the sharp contrast all at once; it is then that we see the importance of putting Jesus first in our lives, and holding firm upon the Living Word of God! We can learn a lot by studying the actions of the children of Israel in the wilderness, and how they longed for those comforts that they had while in Egypt, yet being in bondage there; because while they were in bondage, they longed to be set free and delivered, but once they were set free from that bondage, they longed for the pleasures of Egypt, not caring about the bondage that came with the pleasures. It is kind of like 'the grass is always greener' kind of mentality; one which looks to the pleasures of the other side. The key to this verse that David is saying, is that of "for ever and ever"; for in this, we can take away something which is far more long lasting than this world; we are talking about eternity, because, for ever and ever is a very long time. When Jesus said, "Lay up your treasure in heaven", He was speaking about making choices which last towards eternity, and not those which shall pass away with this world. This is particularly important when it comes to matters of the heart; matters that deal with our hearts reaction to what the world does verses what we should do; in other words, it is easy to accept a wrong reaction within our heart, that is based upon what is normal and well accepted among the world, because it is justified by something or someones else response. But, when we are talking about eternity, and what matters most towards that destination, such things seem so trivial and really don't matter very much at all, compared to life everlasting. This is really what Jesus was saying, when He spoke of turning the other cheek, or walking two miles when asked to walk one; because the temporary discomfort is nothing compared to the eternal reward. Besides; look at the things which shall happen to those that are wrong; sure, they may have the temporary comfort, or the quick upper hand; but we have Life Everlasting!!! So who's really already won? End of argument!!!

"Leading The Way Too"

"For Thou hast maintained my right and my cause; Thou satest in the throne judging right." (Psalms 9:4) Regardless of how little we know or don't know about what it really means to be justified in Christ, we are given something those who do not know the Lord need: HOPE! I look at this world today, and I see something that has become worse today than yesterday, which is a hope in man's future. Everyone seems to be speaking about things getting darker instead of lighter; for this is actually what shall be in the last days, and should tell us that Jesus is returning very soon. God is still on the throne! He is still judging right!!! Therefore, we are more accountable then ever before to share the Hope that is within us!!! There is something very important that David is saying here within this verse, something that Jesus tried to tell His disciples over and over again; which sadly, we tend forget, more often that not! It has to do with a question of who we are, and for what purpose that we have been chosen! In John 15:16, Jesus speaking to His disciples, says, "Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you". This thing about our "fruit should remain" has to do with our lives declaring the hope that is within us! In other words; we cannot just tell people about Jesus, we need to show people the way to Jesus; and the only way to do that, is by living out the hope within us! When Jesus spoke about making disciples of men, He was talking about living out that hope that is within us so that others would see it; the opposite of this hope looks like living for today, of which there is no hope, for these days are darkened! Okay; here is what David is saying, when he says, "For Thou hast maintained my right and my cause"; it is God who has placed him where he is; therefore, he been established in God! The word "maintained" is a word that means fashioned, or to do; to accomplish a work in us! This is not only our hope, but this is our privilege and our calling; that we who have been washed in the blood of Jesus Christ should live out what it means to be sanctified in Christ. Disciples can only be made by us living out what has been performed within us! If we look at the word "right" that David uses, it means judgement or justice; which speaks about a sentence, as in a decision of judgement. What we have within us is the right to be called worthy to declare God's justice! It is that we have within us, because we have been made free from judgement by the blood of Christ; therefore, we given the liberty to express that freedom. Furthermore, the word "cause" is a word that speaks of judgement in another way, as to a dispute or plea; a cause which is judged. To which, we are going to be held accountable for how we hold the hope that is within us...

"Leading The Way"

"When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at Thy presence." (Psalms 9:3) "HE IS RISEN!" While we are still on the subject of being glad and rejoicing, let us not forget the mighty power demonstrated by Jesus Christ rising up from that grave! I can only imagine the applause in heaven, as the host of heaven rejoiced; I can also imagine the horrified demons, as they saw Him roll away that stone, and step out of the tomb; they realized right then and there that their days were numbered! Jesus had told His disciples in a variety of ways that He was going to rise again on the third day; telling them so plainly, that even His enemies understood what He was saying; but for some reason, His followers, just did not get it. Matthew 27:62-66, shows how much those that were against Jesus understood what He had said, as they came to Pilate saying, "Sir, we remember that the deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worst than the first". There was no doubt in the mind of the Pharisees that Jesus had said He would rise again; they surely did not believe Him, but they believed that His disciples would try to show that He did; which was so far from the truth, because His disciples had forgotten that He even said that He would!!! In John chapter Twenty, we see this account, and we can see how little they understood what Jesus had told them; but in verse nine, John writes, speaking of Peter and himself, "For as yet they knew not the scripture, that He must rise again from the dead". It was not that they did not believe Him, but rather that they did not understand the power of His words, or the context of His words, that He had spoken to them. The word "knew" is a word that means to perceive with the eyes, or senses; it speaks about observing something, and paying attention with understanding; clearly something that they did not do, because they lacked experience in such matters. Really, if you think about this, we all have the same problem when it comes to justification; for that is something we really do not have experience in! We have hope in that which we have been told, and we have faith in that which Jesus Christ has done for us; but seeing ourselves justified before God is something that we shall not fully understand until that day when we shall stand face to face with Jesus Christ. Paul speaks about this in 1 Corinthians 13:12, as he says, "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known". What this is speaking about is how God sees us now in Christ; washed by His blood, we are made clean as the driven snow; which means that we are pure white; as a virgin has never been defiled, so too are we undefiled by sin in God's eye! When David is speaking about "mine enemies are turned back", he is speaking of repentance; it is as though there is something which is dissolved when he says, "they shall fall and perish at Thy presence". That is what our sin has become in the sight of the Father: dissolved by the blood of Jesus Christ!!!

"Making It Known"

"I will be glad and rejoice in Thee: I will sing praise to Thy name, O Thou Most High." (Psalms 9:2) Yes, there was much sadness in that day when Jesus was nailed upon that cross; but there was a place where people did rejoice; and not for gladness that He was slain, but for gladness that His kingdom was at hand! Think about all those that were waiting for Jesus to show up in Hades, or Hell to some, and to set them as captives free!!! Abraham, David, John the Baptist; the list was endless of those disembodied spirits who were waiting for Jesus to show up and show them what soon was to come. To hear Jesus describe this place, He makes it perfectly clear that there are two separate chambers or dwelling places; one that is set in comfort, while the other is less desirable, and is full of torment. If we look at this account given in Luke 16:19-31, which is titled in my Bible as "The Rich Man and Lazarus", we see that there was depicted to be a large gulf between the two areas; one which did not allow for crossing from one side to the other; yet in this account the Rich Man was able to see Lazarus afar off, in Abraham's bosom; being also able to cry out to him for water. Jesus tells us within this portion of Scripture about something rather important, and that is often overlooked, and it has to do with the living; those that are alive and have the ability to touch others with the message of deliverance! In verse 27-31, as The Rich Man, who is really not that rich anymore, cries out to Abraham for Lazarus to be sent back to his father's house, saying, "For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment". To which Abraham replies, "They have moses and the prophets; let them hear them". In other words, Abraham is speaking about the written word of God that was available to them, that they might be taught what was right and wrong. But the Rich Man knew his brothers would not search out the Scriptures, much as he did not; so he then asked again for Lazarus to be sent, this time saying, "Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent". He said this thinking that someone from the dead would be able to persuade them to what was right; yet Abraham clearly says, "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead". But what would have made a difference in these brother's life? The Rich Man sadly regretted not knowing what he now knew; for if he had known sooner, then he could have went to his brothers, and tried to convince them himself. We are gifted with something that is far greater than riches and money; we are gifted with the Word's that lead others to eternal life! After I had shared at church last night, I thought about so much more that I could have shared; which is not unusual, because anytime I share Jesus with somebody, I always wish I had said more. But I shared about the need for us to tell others what we know; that it was not only something that needed to be said, but was something that had to be said! You can not say that you love someone, and yet, not tell them what they need to know! If we have someone in our life that does not know Jesus, they need to be persuaded; and words alone are not what they need, they need to see Jesus; and there is only one way that they are going to be able to see Jesus, and that is to see Him lived out in our life!!! We must live out Christ; and we do that with LOVE!!! If we look again to Psalms 9:2, David is making something abundantly clear in his opening words: "I will be glad and rejoice in Thee". I thought about the different ways that gladness looks, and hate never came to mind; neither did shame, or guilt, or blame; only love and thanksgiving came to mind, as I thought about what gladness actually looked like. "If your happy and you know it, then your life will surely show it"...

"High and Lifted Up"

"I will praise Thee, O LORD, with all my heart; I will show forth all Thy marvelous works." (Psalms 9:1) Seeing how this is Good Friday, I thought that I would use that prism example that I gave yesterday and apply this verse to what Jesus did on the cross; with a slight twist that shows what our response is to look like. The first thing that I would like to bring to remembrance that is special about today, is the fact that today is the day that we celebrate Jesus being crucified on the cross for our sins. We can celebrate that glorious day, because Jesus rose from the tomb, thereby defeating the death that He suffered; if Jesus had not rose, then we would really have nothing to celebrate. When Jesus was crucified, no one who loved Him was celebrating His death; nor did anyone who witnessed His death celebrate, save maybe one lowly individual that was close at hand. It was a very dark day in the eyes of all that witnessed it; literally, the Bible says that the sky became darkened in the hours before Jesus died. Luke, who was most likely not there to witness it, worked like a journalist putting together many different aspects of what happened; as one that was searching for the truth, and then writing the truth into a very comprehensive, logical and orderly manner, Luke is known to be the only Gentile writer in the New Testament; and his writings are geared to express Jesus as having a special kindness to those that are outcasts and weak, or suffering in different ways. This may have been in part, because he was known to be a physician and also because he was known to paint portraits of people; two things that cause someone to take special note to the expressions on a persons face, and to read something into that. Anyway; in Luke 23:44-46, he gives that account of those three hours as such, "And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, He said, Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, He gave up the ghost". It surely must have been a sight to behold, and many that stood by were taken back by the things that they witnessed. As a matter of fact, Luke goes on to say in the next two verses, "Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man. And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned". In other words, there was a great realization in the hearts of all those who witnessed the death of Jesus, that this was no ordinary man that they had just put to death; and their response was one of remorse for what they had done. In this first verse of Psalm Nine, David is saying, "I will praise Thee, O LORD, with all my heart", and in that, he is speaking about a response in his heart to God's marvelous works. In other words; there is something that must happen in our hearts as we realize what God has done for us; and within that response, is an action that takes place on our part; something which can be seen as an act of believing. David puts this action as showing forth all of His marvelous works; of which David did within all his songs and teachings as he would hold services within his court. But what if someone thinks that they have no way to put into action what has happened inside of them? In James 2:17, the apostle and half-brother of Jesus says, Faith without works is dead; so what then, if you have no time to share what God has done? Works are an outward showing of an inward response to God's working in our lives; which require something that shows that we believe what we believe. What better way to show this reaction, then that of the 'thief on the cross'; for he had nothing more than hours, if not minutes, to show forth the works in his life; and yet he did just that! All it took was a simple realization of who it was that hung next to him, and a rebuke to the other thief that mocked Jesus; and then a simple request: "Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom". If you were to compare this to the parable of the 'talents', you could say that this 'thief on the cross' most likely only had one; one chance to express what he felt inside; one chance to declare God's marvelous work! He could have buried that 'talent', and just kept in his heart what he was thinking; not rebuking his fellow malefactor; not asking Jesus to remember him; but he did not bury it, but used it, and used it well! How many lives have been saved over the years by the testimony of this one encounter? How many hearts have been assured of their salvation in the sample of this man's obedience? It only took belief, of which he demonstrated that he believed Jesus to be his Saviour; after which he acted upon that belief ,by showing forth his belief in the only way that he could; and the rest is history; and there was at least one that was rejoicing that day!!!

"Dead Man Walking"

"To the chief Musician upon Muthlabben, A Psalm of David." I love these introductions; they really get the brain juices flowing! Here we have yet another unknown word, "Muthlabben"; although with this word, there is a meaning, it's just that no one knows what that meaning really applies to. The meaning of the word is death; which could refer to the death of Goliath, or to that of Absalom; or maybe to the death and destruction of all the enemies listed within this Psalm. But; I like to dance around the edges, so for me, I will attribute the meaning towards that which I feel David was feeling as he wrote this Psalm; and I am going to go with 'Dead Man Walking'. If you have ever been around someone who is about to be put to death, especially if that person is a Christian, then you can relate to what I am talking about. There is really nothing that you can do or say to that person which will upset them, because they have mentally prepared themselves to be dead already; therefore, anything which is stirred up in their life prior to that actual death, is nothing more than noise between them and the destination. As I was reading this Psalm, I got a sense of David giving thanks for God's justice in advance of the actual justice being given; although David has listed instances where God has provided justice, these are but examples of what God has done; thereby giving reference of God's working things out in previous situations; making giving thanks something that is based upon knowledge of God's mighty hand in such matters. In the context of what I believe this Psalm is about, that word "Muthlabben" might be better translated as unto death; a translation that some have said does not fit the context; yet, there are always more ways than one to view God's Holy Word. I look at God's Word as a prism, where the actual meanings of what is being said depend on the application, and the Light of His Word is reflected in many different directions, depending on how it is being looked upon, and the application that is being used. With that; what this word "Muthlabben" could represent, is an illustration of what we are in the world around us; as in, that we are dead to the world. David saw Jesus coming; therefore, his view of what was to be given was based upon the hope of that which was to come; other than that, he never really lacked any of the things that we look back upon: the sacrifice given, the victory won, the risen King; all of which David had foreknowledge into, and believed to be the hope of his salvation. Paul gives us this illustration within Colossians 3:1-3, whereby he says, "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on the things above, not on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." Therefore, if you really think about it, there is nothing that this world can do to us, seeing that we really are dead already to the things of this world; and the only way that we can let it have any affect upon us, is if our affection is on the things of this world, and not on the things above. Much like the one who is about to die; who has his affection set on what is ahead, and if he is looking forward to being with Christ, then there is peace and joy within his heart; yet, as soon as he places his affection upon the things of this world, then there is a longing for the things which will be missed...

"The Righteous Judge"

Coming to Psalms Nine, we celebrate the righteousness of God's judgement with thanksgiving; thus the title of this Psalm, if you have one shown in your Bible, is "Thanksgiving for God's Justice". This justice that David is referring to is that of God's judgement upon the affairs of men, as well as His final judgement in the hereafter. This is something that we can tend to overlook when we are facing persecution from our enemies, or in certain situations where we are being treated unfairly. Much like when Michael the archangel, while contending with the devil, and disputing with him over the body of Moses, did not bring a railing accusation against him, but simply said, the Lord rebuke you. (Jude 1:9) In other words, he had no reason to accuse Satan of anything, nor to judge him, for he knew that Satan's day would soon be coming, and that God would be the judge on the day! So to, we are to be reserved in our treatment of others, whether because they are wrongfully treating us, or because they are just wrong; we should know our place, and that it is not our place to cast judgement, but God's: Who alone is worthy to judge, and by Whom, all righteous judgement is given! Knowing this, and then actually living it out whenever we are facing such a circumstance, allows us to be at peace; peace that comes from knowing that God is in control; even in the midst of persecution, we can have this peace, that is, if we are not overstepping our ground, and are assured in our hearts that God's judgements are righteous, and He will righteously judge our cause; whether it be now, or in the final day of judgement, we will be vindicated. Basically, what I am talking about, is having joy in every situation, even during those times when we are being persecuted; however, when we take on being the judge of those that come against us, we let them rob us of that joy, by taking it upon ourselves to judge, thus creating within our own heart a vengeful spirit, from which joy is lost. The easiest way to put this, is that we are to remain humble; and in so doing, we are able to experience peace in knowing that God is in control, and joy in knowing that He is our Righteous Judge; because our joy comes from knowing our destination, not the fate of others!!! A good example of what I am talking about is found in Luke 10:1-20. Jesus had sent out seventy, two by two, and had given them power to evangelize, minister, and cast out demons in His name; and when they returned, they came to Him rejoicing on how the devils were subject to them in His name; to which Jesus replied, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven". The point that Jesus was making in this statement, is that our joy must be in knowing that our names are written in the Book of Life, not based upon the working of the ministry, nor the power that has been given us, nor even the power that Jesus has over those that come against us; but in our destination, and in knowing that we are secure in Him: this is how our joy is fulfilled, in knowing where we shall end up...

"Alpha and Omega"

"O LORD our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth!" (Psalms 8:9) The first and the last: the last verse ends as the first verse started; and for good reason, for the first verse called attention to what was being said, while the last verse summed it up! All will know without question who Jesus was and is; sadly, for many it shall be to late. Looking again at the Book of Revelation, this time in the first chapter, we see Jesus give a description unto John of who He is; as if to say, Tell them I AM hath sent you. For many who have had a chance to read this account, there is no way that anyone can deny that Jesus is the first and the last, since He declares that multiple times. Yet in verse eight, Jesus introduces Himself plainly as God Almighty, for He says, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which was, and which is to come, the Almighty". This word "Almighty" means he who has sway over all things; ruler of all; almighty: God. Without getting to far off into interpreting what this actually means, it is easy to understand that the reference is that of God; not just a god, but Thee God! And if that is not good enough to satisfy those that might doubt the power given unto Him, in verse eighteen, He says, "I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death". Now why would anyone wish to question such power? Someone who has the power to not only raise Himself from the dead, but to raise us up also!!! Really; what more can you want than to be raised up unto eternal life? I am a little concerned about some that question why it is that God would have to come and die for us, seeing that it was the only way that man could be saved; for the sacrifice that needed to be given had to be perfect; and there is none perfect but God! Jesus declared this, in His own humble way, by saying onto the Young Rich Ruler that called Him good master, "Why callest me good, for there is none good, but God". It was not that Jesus denied who He was, but that He was clarifying that only God is good; and when speaking of good, He was referring to renown, or a good reputation. This is also the point to what David is declaring yet again in this last verse; as if to say, Yes indeed, You are good, O LORD our Lord! For really, what's in a name? When Moses asked, Whom shall I say that sent me? The Lord replied, "Tell them, I AM hath sent you"; in other words, The Eternal One! For the word "name" as used here, and repeated again by David, is a word that means stigma, or sign; which refers to a mark with which anyone is marked; and in the case of our Lord Jesus Christ, His markings are Life unto us...

"Lord Jesus"

"Thou madest Him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under His feet: all the sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas." (Psalms 8:6-8) Besides the fact that He rode upon a donkey colt that had never been ridden before, there is nothing that Jesus shall not have under His feet. I like how David says, "and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas", for if you recall, Jesus, when asked about paying taxes, instructed one of His disciples to open the mouth of a fish, and behold, there was a coin with Cesar's face upon it. I have always wondered what heaven will be like, and whether or not all the animals shall be there also; yet, whatever there shall be, whether it be life or light, Jesus shall be the one who shall rule over it, and all things will be perfect! No more sorrow; no more pain; no more death; Revelation 21:4, says, "for the former things are passed away"; which means that death shall no longer be a part of life, including death of the animals also, for the lion shall no longer hunt the lamb! Think about what that will look like, and how life will be lived in His new kingdom. Now then; regarding that Holy Winepress which I spoke of during the introduction to this Psalm; if we look in Revelation 19:11-16, we see Jesus returning to earth, this time not on a colt of a donkey, but on a great white horse. And in verse 15, it says, "And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God". That triumphant entry into the city was His setting up to the judgement upon Himself for the sins of the world; sin which He was not guilty of, nor had He taken part in; yet, as a spotless Lamb, He was sacrificed for the sins of the world. However; His return upon that white horse, shall be the sitting up to His judgement upon the earth; His vengeance upon those that refused to receive Him as their Lord and Saviour, shall be swift and righteous. And as we look at that judgement, given in Revelation 20:11-15, we see that books are opened by which people are judged; but it says that another book was open, which is the Book of Life; the Lamb's Book of Life, of which are written the names of all those who have been covered in His blood and who have been given eternal life. This judgement will be given on two different levels, as those that are not written in the Book of Life shall be judged by their works, of which shall be based upon their own merit, and of which there shall be no justification from sin; while at the same time, they shall be judged for not being written in the Lamb's Book of Life! And in verse 20:15, it says, "And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire". There was something else about that triumphant entry into the city, which He rode upon that colt, and we see this in Mark 11:4, which is where His disciples found that colt; for it says, "and they found the colt tied by a door without in a place where two ways met". In this, Jesus would show that He came to direct us into the right way; for we have two ways that we should go, and many are in danger of taking the wrong way...

"King Jesus"

"Thou madest Him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under His feet:" (Psalms 8:6) I don't know about you, but I am excited for this time of the year. Today is Psalm Sunday; which was the day Jesus made His entry into the Holy City, and all the people sang out, "Hosanna; Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord: Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest", as they spread their garments and palm branches on the ground before Him. To many of that day, they were caught up in the emotion of something for which they had no control over; it was as if God's Spirit had been poured out, and they were proclaiming Jesus as king, not because they wanted to, but because they had to, that the Scripture must be fulfilled. Many of these same people would be yelling "crucify him", just less than a week later. Hebrews 2:9 & 10 declares, "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." To really understand what this means, there needs to be an eternal timeline established in our minds; one that understands who Jesus was before He stepped down from glory, who He was upon this earth, and who He is placed back in glory. When we consider what is meant by, "to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings", it is not as though Jesus Christ was not already perfect in all His ways, but that through His sufferings He would bring everything completely under His feet; which included all things, or everything within all of creation; some of which shall not even been seen until that final day when we shall all stand with Him in heaven! If we go back to the beginning of creation, there was something that was not perfect in the Garden that man was placed into; although all might have seemed perfect, there was placed in the center of that Garden something that was forbidden unto man, the tree of knowledge of good and evil. It was not as though life was perfect for man, because God had provided all that man needed in a beautiful paradise; yet within this paradise was placed something by which man could be tempted; something which would end up as causing man to sin. It is this, by which man was tempted in that Jesus was made perfect; as coming in the form of sinful flesh, Jesus withstood all temptation; being tempted just as you and I are, He willfully submitted to being obedient, even to the point of death; thereby destroying even that which would cause man to stumble. There will be no tree of knowledge of good and evil in heaven, for He has taken it out of the way...