"No Other Place For Me"

"Lead me in Thy truth, and teach me: for Thou art the God of my salvation; on Thee do I wait all the day." (Psalms 25:5) Whether or not you like it, I am trying to close with the writings of Solomon for many of these verses; especially from The Song of Songs, otherwise known as The Song of Solomon. As with the verse we closed with yesterday, we must realize what and where we are before we can truly appreciate where we need to be. The most important thing for us to hold unto is our salvation, for without that we are lost and have nothing to look forward to beyond this life. Having said that, there is still the matter of learning who God is and understanding how He wants us to finish off our days upon this earth. Yes, it's true that God takes us unto Himself, and that He never will leave us or forsake us; but we are responsible for our actions and for what we do with this great gift that we have been given. In other words; when we know what we have become, we are responsible in becoming it and living it out in our lives. That might seem like something that looks like work, or a task to hard for us to carry out on our own; and if it does, that's good, because we are not meant to do it on our own! That's the whole point of why we need His guidance in our lives, because without Him guiding our lives, we are seriously lost! We must realize where we need to be, and then stay there! We need to remain beneath the shadow of His wing, and we need to know when we are not, so that we can get there as quick as possible. Some may ask, How do you know when you are not? Oh, you know; and if you say that you don't, then you are kidding yourself and have been to long in sin. You will know, and sin is the reason you have stepped out from under His wing. When it comes to getting right with God, we are never to far from His forgiveness; in other words, we can never stray far enough away that He will not forgive us. That is why we must understand and believe how much He loves us, because His love is always there for us; even when we have fallen into the deepest sin imaginable, He is there to welcome us back, with arms stretched out! David knew this better than anyone, for he had some pretty good reasons to have learned about God's great forgiveness. Solomon also had been given great knowledge of God's amazing love; which he expressed in great detail through The Song of Songs; some of which is hard to comprehend, but once you see what is being said, you can understand why God wants us to know how much He loves us...(Our realization!) "I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me." (His desire is!) "Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages. Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grapes appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give thee my loves. The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved." (Song of Solomon 7:10-13)

"Recruit, Get In Line"

"Show me Thy ways, O LORD; teach me Thy paths." (Psalms 25:4) I know that I have shared this before, but I could not help thinking about how much I was transformed during my short stay in Boot Camp when I first entered the Navy, back in 1976. Back then it was in San Diego, and was a little warmer than where it is held now, which is Great Lakes. But I remember how stupid I thought it was that they made us march in such straight formations; like how is this going to play out in our duties aboard the ship? It didn't take long for me to catch on, that it wasn't so much about marching, but more about following directions and working as one unit together. God loves us, of that we can be completely sure; but with that love, He makes sure that we are instructional; in other words, He is not going to leave us untrained and unequipped, but is going to show us His ways and teach us His paths; that is providing we are willing to listen! I love Jon Courson's view of what heaven will be like, and how those that are unteachable here, will be 'banging pans' outside the city up there; at least that's the short version. To put it another way; let's just say, if your choice is not to be teachable now, then once you are in heaven your role is not going to be that significant. Oh, you will still be in glory, but you will waiting on others and serving the multitudes; much as your attitude towards learning His ways will suit you. While all those that diligently learned will be playing all sorts of great instruments, and in the congregation of the LORD, you will be outside, banging on your pans! How much that actually plays out, we shall see; but one thing I know, is that God wants us to be teachable. Not only should we be teachable, but we should desire instruction, just as if we were marching in formation and need to be told when to move and which way you are moving..."I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard I have not kept. Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?" (Song of Solomon 1:5-7)

"Looking For Guidance"

"Yea, let none that wait on Thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause." (Psalms 25:3) Actually, it should be "Eagerly Looking", as if you must find it or else! As with the portion of Scripture that I ended yesterday's post with, sometimes when we hear the Lord calling us for fellowship, we might be ready for bed, or have some other person matter that you are involved in, and you put yourself in a place of selfishness or unavailability; only to discover that you really needed to hear from Him, and now you can't get to sleep. Can anyone relate? Like, what did I miss out on? Hopefully you learn by your mistakes, and next time before falling off to sleep, you will actually pick up that Bible and read it, or get on your knees and speak with Him; otherwise, your up in the middle of the night, shamefully wishing you had taken the time before you went to sleep! The word "wait" or "wait on", depending on your Bible, is a word that means to wait, look for, hope, expect; to wait or eagerly look for, as would be the case with anyone that is waiting to hear an answer for a question. As many of you may have found out, God does not always answer right away when we ask for something or need an answer to a decision that we are trying to make; as a matter of fact, more times than not, He will purposely wait, because He knows we need something different, and He waits for that desire to fade so that He can show us something better. If we wait on Him for guidance, we are not going to be ashamed by where we might end up; even if it might be that seems wrong and difficult to be in, we know that God led us there, so we continue to trust Him for what He will do with us there. On the other hand; those that cannot wait to hear from the Lord will sometimes seek other counsel, like confiding in friends or loved ones, or seeking out some other form of confirmation; anything to get the answer that agrees with the desire behind their question. That is a good example of the word "transgress" that is used in this verse; which means to act or deal treacherously, faithlessly, deceitfully, offend. King Saul had such a moment, as he did not hear from the Lord, so he went to a Medium for an answer (1 Samuel 28); he really did not get the answer he was looking for. If we are truly trusting on the Lord for guidance, then we will not settle for anything short of His direction; neither will we try to conjure up some kind of an answer; but we will continually ask Him until He answers, or we will take His silence as a no. The final two words of this verse are telling, for they express the manner in which people will go forward on an issue without having actually received confirmation or an answer from the Lord; the words "without cause" are meant to mean vainly or emptily, as would be the case as one sets out in his own direction in an empty condition, not with God's blessing or direction... "By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me. I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please." (Song of Solomon 3:1-5)

"Misguided By Shame"

"O my God, I trust in Thee: let me not be ashamed, let not my enemies triumph over me." (Psalms 25:2)  I know that you are familiar with how we sometimes can't stand to ask for directions, it is like a curse that we men were born with, that somehow we are not really a man if we can't find our own way around. Not to long ago, I tried to maneuver out of a very stuff situation; let's just say that I owed a lot more than I could possibly pay, so I tried on my own to free myself of that debt. Talk about misguided; that was about the dumbest move of my life! If I trust God in my earnings, why can't I trust Him with my debts? If you can see no way whatsoever to get yourself out of a bad situation, then why on earth would you try and fix it on your own? Could it be because of shame? Do you know what shame is, and how it corrupts our way of thinking? It causes us to focus on our situation and not look upon the One who can make that problem go away. If you don't think I know what I am talking about, then look at Adam and Eve in the garden. After they eat of the fruit that they were not to have eaten, they were ashamed and they hid from God; even after covering themselves with fig leaves, they were still feeling naked and hid themselves from God. There was nothing that they could do that would cover their nakedness, but only God could cover them, and He did so with the skins of animals that were slain. Yes, I know that we are to be ashamed when we sin, as were Adam and Eve; but they let that shame guide their actions, hoping to remove the shame before facing their Creator. That is not how it works! Do you know what word is closely associated with shame? It is blame! That is what happens when we try and get rid of our own shame, we start to look for someone else to blame our own mistakes on; as if, if we can blame it on someone or something else, then we can be relieved of the burden of taking the blame, thereby releasing us of the shame by reason of it not being our fault. Did not Adam and Eve blame their sin upon someone else? Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent; while neither one of them were willing to take the blame for themselves. Personally, I believe that Adam should have taken full responsibility for what happened; because he was the first created, and because Eve had come from him, he should have been the responsible one not to sin; but he gave into the women, and therefore was not leading, but was being led. David here is talking about "let not my enemies triumph over me", and he uses it as a response to being ashamed, by saying, "let me not be ashamed". The only sure way that our enemies can have any chance of getting the best of us, is if we try and take them on by ourselves, without giving the matter completely over to God. Now I know that some of you may not agree with what I trying to get at, but that's okay; but we must be removed of the shame in order to think clearly! Shame is a deterrent to rational thinking, and can make us do almost anything to cover up our shame. If you don't think that I am right about that, then look at what David did to try and cover his shame over his sin with Bathsheba; all rational thinking went right out the window, along with his character..."I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them? My beloved put in his hand by the hole in the door, and my bowels were moved for him. I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock. I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave no answer. The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me. I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love." (Song of Solomon 5:2-8)      

"Current Location"

[A Psalm of David.]"Unto Thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul." (Psalms 25:1) You have got to love the way God works; He has such a great way of making dots connect together, even where there were no dots before. The first thing that came into my mind this morning was God's love for me. I was just amazed how much He loves me and continues to love me, even though I sometimes do not live as though I am cherished as much as I am. As I dwelt upon this supernatural fact, I realized how important it is that we understand just how much God loves us; it is pretty much impossible to understand our relationship with God without first knowing and accepting how much He loves us. This is where David is beginning this Psalm; as a man who is weak and weary; not because he has troubles surrounding him here, but because he realizes just how much God loves him, and how much he neglects acknowledging that love by his thoughts and actions; he is weak when it comes to loving God back, and he is weary over his weakness. The little blue dot in my navigation app is my current location; it tells me where I am in relation to where I want to be. Sometimes I forget to set the 'current location' in the 'from' box, especially if it a place traveled recently, the app will sometimes place some other location in the 'from box', and then my directions are totally off. This is how we must view our relationship with God; never from where it was that we previously had been taken, because that's not where we are in our 'current location'; we are always needing to be lifted up to His love, because we can never fully understand how much He loves us; neither can we base our acceptance of His love on a previous experience or happening in our lives; His love requires that we constantly refresh our 'current location'. The primary reason that this is so, is because God requires us to come to where He is at: "Come unto Me" are the words of our Lord, "and I will give you rest". And doing so requires that we come as we are, not to come to Him as if we are what we were when we had that last great experience in His Spirit, because that moment has passed, and now is something new, because His love is always fresh and new..." My beloved is unto me as a  cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi. Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes. Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green. The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir. I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love." (Song of Solomon 1:14-2:4) 

"Guidance And Protection"

As you might guess, the title of Psalms Twenty Five in my Bible is, "A Prayer for Guidance And Protection"; two things that we never run out of the need to pray for! And having witnessed the great and awesome power of our Lord and King, Jesus Christ, we can add confidence to the list of what should be expected of us. Within these twenty two verses are the general things that we must continually be in prayer for, and what we must continually expect to be in need of, no matter how mature we are, or think that we are in the Lord. Guidance is probably the most important thing that a Christian should be seeking from the Lord on a daily basis; for without seeking the direction of the Lord, we can find ourselves in a pretty serious place, where we should have not belonged; "all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer". But seriously, we must ask and seek God's guidance for our lives, and we must be doing so on a daily basis; not just at the beginning of the year, or the first part of every week; but it should be something that we continually keep at the forefront of our minds, as if He were our G.P.S. directional way to move through each and every day. It is amazing to me how much I depend upon my phone for directions on getting around, especially the app that I have which shows my position in reference to where I want to end up; it's a little blue flashing dot that travels towards a red dot along a blue line, the blue line being the route by which I should travel. I never carry maps anymore, or print out maps to my destinations; but just type in and address, and then follow the blue line to the red dot. If we know the way that we are going, we do not need to rely upon and sort of guidance system to get there; but are we always sure which way God wants us to go, or do we just ask Him for help once we get lost or have run out of road? The only way that we can be sure where God wants us to go, is if we are watching that little blue dot, which is us, in relationship to the blue line, which is where God is leading us, and the only way that we can see that blue line is by asking for His guidance, from red dot to red dot. The second most important thing that we should always be asking for is for God's protection; which is not just against our enemies or unforeseen problems which we might face, but for protection from the mistakes that we might make upon our daily journey. I do a lot of traveling each and every day that I am working, because my line of work requires that I go to my customers, they do not come to me; and the two most important things that are on my mind is finding the place where I am going, and getting there safely and without any issues, like running out of gas or something like that. You would be amazed by the amount of times I worry about running out of gas; mostly because I have the miles listed I have left to travel, but it goes away after thirty miles, and simply says "Low Fuel Warning". I think the most I have been able to fill my tank so far when it was empty was about 24.4 gallons, and I thought it was only a 22 gallon tank. Anyways, I think you get my point; we are not alone, and we should not ever act as if we are; God is always there waiting for us to ask Him for guidance and protection, and so we should be...ALWAYS!!!

"Refreshing Our Minds"

Whether or not there are a certain pattern to the Psalms, or if indeed Ezra had put them in a particular grouping as to arrange them around the five different feast days, or for whatever other reason; but one thing is sure, the Psalms are there for refreshing our minds, and for getting the "stinkin-thinkin" out of our heads. To put this in perspective, Ezra and Nehemiah were originally one book, and the time period was between 536 and 440 B.C.; while the Book of Malachi was written around 450 - 425 B.C., and it was the last words spoken by God to His people for over four hundred years. Four hundred years is a long time to not hear anything, whether it be prophesy, or message, or even warnings of repentance; nothing for many generations of people, and yet God had not abandoned His people, He just had nothing left to say, that is until that Day, "The LORD'S Day", which was written about in the last chapter of Malachi. I find it very interesting that Malachi writes, "Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgements." (Malachi 4:4) It is as though there was a strong intent to make the people focus and dwell upon the laws and judgments that they were under, and then say nothing else for four hundred years; and then after that four hundred years, introduce Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God which was to take them out from under the bondage of the law! And then, here we have a Psalm that goes from the declaration of "The KING of GLORY", and we enter into a Psalm that is asking for guidance and protection. After having seen the absolute glory of the KING, why should we need to worry about anything else; especially the need for protection? The answer is quite simple really, and has to do with that thing Paul refers to as "the flesh"; that which wars against the Spirit in every one of our lives. None of us are immune, and none of us are above reproach; and as soon as we begin to think that we are, we are going to get burned very bad by our own stupidity and pride. That might also be why Malachi starts the coming of the LORD'S Day with that of a burning oven, because those that might think they are worthy shall be burnt up in their own pride and wickedness... "For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear My name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in His wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts." (Malachi 4:1-3)

"...KING JESUS"

"Who is this KING of GLORY? The LORD of hosts, HE is the KING of GLORY. Selah." (Psalms 24:10) (Amplified!) "And the WORD was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His Glory, the Glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of Grace and Truth." (John 1:14) Jesus was the only one of His kind, and He is today, still the only one of His kind, even as He sits on the right hand of the Father, He still holds that honor as the One and Only, Lamb of God, Prince of Peace, Lion of the tribe of Judah, The Only Begotten of The Father; who for the sake of all mankind, became flesh and took our place upon that cross, making His righteousness our righteousness, once and for all!!! It is really not all that complicated, and we should not try and make it so; because, it is His Glory that makes it simplified! In other words; we are to just accept what He has done, as we wonder in awe at the great love which God has for us as His children; knowing that He is God, and what He has done, He has done because He loves us, not because we were deserving of anything, but because it was His will for us to be made into His image, Holy and Pure, and full of His righteousness! One in the Father, and One in Christ; that is what we shall become; that is what it really is all about! The only marriage that will take place in heaven, will be that between the Lamb of God and the church, which is you and I; making our union with the King of Glory as one; thereby, making our union with the Father as One, for He and the Son are One; and so we shall be for all eternity, as One in the Everlasting Living God! That's not too much to understand, is it? Neither is the fact that Jesus was, is, and always will be, because He is God; the one and only Living God, who for the sake of us all, took on flesh, and dwelt among us, and then placed Himself upon a cross to die for our sins, that we might have eternal life with Him, in Glory, and without sin. Pure and Righteous, that's what we shall be; made in the image of God, by the hand of God; that is God's will for you and I..."Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places: according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love; having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved: in Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace; wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself: that in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him. In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His Own will: that we should be to the praise of His Glory, who first trusted in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3-12)  

"THE ONE AND ONLY..."

"Who is this King of Glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of Glory. Selah." (Psalms 24:10) His name is JESUS; He is Jehovah, our Salvation and our Righteousness; He is the First and the Last; the Beginning and the End; the Alpha and the Omega; the Bright and Morning Star; and He will be returning very soon to snatch up His bride, the church! There will be no knocking on that day, at least not from Him; only from those who will be left behind, as they knock upon His door and request to enter. Now is the time of salvation; now is the time to open up our hearts and let Him in, because He is knocking now! One more day, is a slogan that seems to run out of time, and has a limited supply of mornings; yet, there are those who know in their hearts what they must do, yet they put off every day what they should have done yesterday. Today is meant to be a new day, and yesterday was meant to be in the past; yet they continue to look for tomorrow as the day they will commit their lives completely. When all is said and done, it will come down to this one and only question: Is Jesus Christ the Lord of your life? Or, do you just call Him Lord, yet you still are the one controlling your own life? In the Letter to the Church of Ephesus, which is in Revelation 2:1-7, Jesus mentions a phrase that is all too familiar to many, yet it is seldom taken into account; the phrase is, "Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love". The word "first" not only means first in time or place, it also means first in rank, as in the chief or principal love; putting the focus on that which we love the most, not that which we loved first. Basically, what that is implying, is that we are to love Jesus Christ above all else; of which the church was not doing, even though they did many works in His name, and labored patiently, and had not fainted; they still lacked loving Him first, because they were more involved in the ministry than they were in the Saviour of their souls. What do you think happens there in that instance? Put it this way: It is not instant; it happens gradually, and slowly; day by day, you become more involved in what you are doing than in the reason you are doing it. It is the same for those who put off for tomorrow what they should have done yesterday; the days no longer matter anymore, only their own desires and selfishness; until they reach a point where tomorrow is too far out of reach. The One and Only is not just to be our King of Glory, but He must also be our One and Only Love; far and above everything else, we must love Him with all of our hearts. Only in doing that, will today really matter!!! "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." (Revelations 2:5)

"Worth of Repeating"

"Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in." (Psalms 24:9) Some things are necessary to be said more than once, especially when it comes to our forgiveness! Why we some times doubt God's forgiveness is beyond me; except to say, that we are so use to looking at God based upon what we know about ourselves, and not based upon who He is, and what He has done for us because of His love, not our integrity or worthiness. I don't quite remember the plot, but for some reason as I was praying about this verse this morning, I pictured those 'Blockhead' characters from that old Gumby show; just what was their deal, and why were they always after Gumby and Pokey? Why is it that we always try to complicate things when it comes to God's willingness to forgive us? Putting some kind of requirement upon God's grace, as if it must be purchased by our own worth; when we fail to understand that we are not worthy of purchasing anything, neither do we have what it takes to scrape up enough good in us to be able to. We might not remember this from 50 years ago, but the guy that created Gumby also had created "Davey and Goliath" which was put out by the Lutheran Church of America. Not that it makes much difference, but "The Gumby Show" was actually put out by Dreamworks Classics, and is currently still showing on Christian Satellite Television, as is Davey and Goliath. Anyways; the message is simple, and is worth of repeating it over and over again; because God's grace and mercy is something that we could never afford, nor can it be purchased by our worth; we just don't have what it takes to muster that much worth, nor does He expect us to try and find it! Instead; God expects us to believe and trust in Him that He has given us all of His love, and that He is more than willing to forgive us; not based upon our worthiness, but based upon the worthiness of Jesus Christ His Son; for only Jesus had what it took to purchase our everlasting life! This verse might appear to be the same as verse seven, but there is one slight difference, which is the previous verse said "and be ye lifted up" prior to "ye everlasting doors"; while this verse says, "even lift them up" prior to "ye everlasting doors". Both of these variations have the same meaning, it's just a slight difference in the application; and one is asking to be lifted, while the other is asking for assistance...Something we all need!!!

"The Everlasting Doors"

"Who is this King of Glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle." (Psalms 24:8) In the previous verse, David made reference to "everlasting doors"; doors that only He can open, and no man can shut. You do realize that Jesus took the world by force, right? Looking at the sinfulness of mankind, we can see that the brutishness of a man's heart really does not have boundaries; for the sickness of the crimes against his fellowman are sometimes unimaginable. Yet, the punishment that Jesus endured for this world was a mirror of the sickness of our hearts; every strip, and every insult; being spat upon, and having his beard ripped from His face; the mocking of who He was, and what He came to do; all of it represented the wickedness of the human heart. Sure, He laid His life down, but He laid it down with force and power! The accounts of those things which had happened as Jesus gave up His life, are accounts of the power of His death upon that cross: the sky was blackened; graves were opened and the dead walked the streets; the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom; and least we forget, the sins of all mankind were purchased with His blood!!! But He was not done yet! For when He ascended up into heaven, He opened up those doors of heaven unto us! The First of the Resurrection, He made the way for those doors to remain opened unto us, for ever and ever, and always we will be with Him in heaven; all because of what He has done! "Who is this King of glory?" His name is Jesus, and He has taken this world by force! The shear power of His blood was enough to cover all the sins of all mankind; not to mention the power of His resurrection, which like a mighty vacuum, continues to draw our souls up into heaven. As with any great king that has ever lived, they are great because of there conquests and their strategy to overcome their enemies; so too, was our King "strong and mighty", "mighty in battle", for He has conquered sin and death, for ever...

"Standing At The Door"

"Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in." (Psalms 24:7) Knock, Knock. Who's There? You know who; it is Jesus asking to come in and dine with you! I never get tired of being restored by the King of Glory; because if there is one thing that Jesus loves to do, it is restoring His children and feeding them. If you know what I am talking about, just thank Him right now for being your KING. Watching "The Twelve Words of Christmas" last night, I was reminded how it was that God has come down to us; and that it was the only way that He could be close to His beloved creation. God knew that it was impossible for us to ascend up to Him, so He came to us in the Flesh; in the form of Jesus Christ, and as a man, and walking among us. No matter how far you might stray, or how low you might go in your journey in the direction of Hell, He is always there to pull you unto Himself. He is always standing at the door, those everlasting doors, as David speaks of them; because, when He is outside of our heart, He is always knocking to get in. Whether you are a new believer, or a seasoned old dog, Jesus wants to clean out our heart and make it new again; again and again and again!!! It could have been something like sin, or unforgiveness, or our love growing cold; but whatever it was that caused our heart to get hard and to have Jesus standing outside of it, He stands there knocking, waiting for us to open up our heart and let Him in. Looking at Revelation chapters two and three, we see Jesus giving John seven letters to seven churches. These were seven providential churches which were spread throughout Asia, but they were also seven church ages; more importantly to us, they were also different ways where we might be in our relationship with the Lord; many of which are not good, and are in need of improvements. But you see, that's the great news of the Gospel message: we are always in need of improvement, and Jesus is always waiting for us to let Him improve us! Don't wait till you are right to get right with the Lord; get right with the Lord, and He will make you right..."I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." (Revelation 3:18-20)

"Being a Son of The KING" -2

"This is the generation of them that seek Thy face, O Jacob. Selah." (Psalms 24:6) For any of you that looked up the word "Supplander", you might have noticed one of the primary definitions was "to take the place of another, as through force, scheming, strategy, or the like"; funny how that seems to describe want Jesus Christ has done for us, in that He took our place upon that cross, and suffered and died for our sins, that we could be free from the fall, and the death that came with it. The main point of the question I asked, is that Jesus Christ has made it possible that I might be able to stand in the presence of a Holy God without the fear of death, nor even the shame of sin or unrighteousness; and it is only because of His righteousness that it is so! However; there is something that I am required to do; something that each and every one of His children are required to do, and that is, To Believe Upon His Name!!! "This is the generation of them that seek" His face, because these are those that believe upon what He has done for them! Do you get what that means? You Are A Son Of The KING!!! Now, act like one!!! What is a son or daughter of a king? They are princes and princesses, heirs to the throne, rulers of Providences and cities; protected, and fought for, and made to be an example of the King's royal blood. The generation that seeks the face of 'THE KING of GLORY' are those that understand and believe what He has done for them; accepting that which He has done, and then entering into that, as one who has been called out of the darkness, and into the LIGHT... "Wherefore also it is contained in Scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a Chief Cornerstone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe He is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the Head of the corner. And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the Word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. 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 marvellous light: which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." (1 Peter 2:6-10)

"Being a Son of The KING"

"This is the generation of them that seek Thy face, O Jacob. Selah." (Psalms 24:6) Just in case you might think that generation only means a certain age of people, or a span of life cycle, it means a body of people also, such as would be the case with all those that are the children of God. Here is the thing about those that seek the face of God; they are doing the opposite the Adam and Eve did after they sinned in the garden. After they had eaten of the fruit which God had told them not to, they hid from God because of the shame of their sin; making coverings for their naked bodies out of fig leaves, because they felt so completely dirty and unable to commune with the Holy God that had formed them. It actually goes a little further than "seek", because it takes on the better meaning of 'demanding'; not as if we demand anything of God, but we are demanding to be in His presence, and will do what ever it takes to assure that happens. This is pretty much the same "seek" that Jesus was speaking of in Luke 11:5-13, as He was teaching His disciples how to pray and the importance of prayer when it comes to receiving from the Father. And what do you think gives 'this generation' the right to seek the face of God? All of those that believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are called into the generation of His children; and as the child of the KING OF KINGS, I have certain rights that I have been given; one in particular, is the right to enter into the Holy Place and not be slain. Better yet; I don't even need to be ashamed anymore before the God who formed me, because the blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed me of all my sin; therefore, I can stand fully exposed in the presence of a Holy and Righteous God, without the fear or shame of my nakedness, because I am clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ the KING OF GLORY. Why is this so??? The "Supplanter" has made it so, that's why!!! Look it up...

"Making Peace With God"

"He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation." (Psalms 24:5) The peace of God is something that can only come by being undefiled and washed from sin; do not kid yourself by thinking that peace of mind is the peace that you are looking to achieve, because the real peace that God gives goes far beyond what our minds can comprehend. To put it another way; the real peace that the Lord gives takes us to another place, far beyond the comforts and enticements of this world; a place where just being in His presence is enough to satisfy not just our physical yearnings, but the passion of our soul and spirit. God wants us to get right with Him, and He is patient and merciful towards us; far beyond that which we deserve, and many times should be allowed. It is "the blessing from the Lord" that I am speaking of, which is a blessing of peace that comes from resting in His loving arms and knowing how He loves you so very much. Do you understand the peace that I am talking about? If not, then you need to surrender your life completely to Him; I am talking about searching deep within, and letting Him clean you completely of all of your sins. The problem that we are always inflicted by, is a desire within us to hold onto something; just a little something that we can call our personal keep-sake; much like taking an idol and burying it in the sand below your tent, and then hoping no one knows or cares about it. Do you know what the problem is in that? It's two-fold, and brings great harm to yourself and those around you. First of all, God sees and knows everything, and there is nothing hid from His sight; no matter how deep you bury it in the sand, He sees it and the condition of your heart in wanting to hold unto it. Secondly, you see it also; no matter how deep you bury it, it is still there right before your eyes, just as if it was on display in your tent for everyone else to see. Don't get me wrong, and think that I am taking about trying to be perfect, or setting out to achieve our own righteousness; because our righteousness is from God, just as David declares within this verse; but then again, we are instructed to meet God on His terms and not our own!!! His terms are the ways of holiness and purity of mind and heart; meaning that there are no idols buried, nor any other hidden thing that comes between us and our sincere relationship with our God. When we lift up holy hands to God, we do so because our hands are holy and have been washed from all sin and unrighteousness; which they can be, but only after we have surrendered everything unto to the Lord. Jesus not only delivers us from sin, thereby giving us salvation from the curse which sin brings, but He also bestows righteousness to our soul; making us pure and holy, and as white as the driven snow. But it requires that we meet God on His terms! "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism unto death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:1-4)

"Honestly Redeemed" -3

"He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully." (Psalms 24:4) Let's be honest, this life has a lot of fun stuff for us to get use to, and many times we have a little too much fun with the wrong kind of stuff. I love taking my family to Knott's; even on Sunday, I can still feel as though we are getting some worship in, because they have gospel music playing in the background. My favorite ride is the Silver Bullet, but only when I get in the very front; I have not found another ride yet that compares to the experience of being pushed through the air with nothing out in front of you. Having said that, there is a point where you no longer are going for the thrill and excitement, but it becomes a place to hang out; which is one reason I do not purchase season passes, because I would rather just keep it to once or twice a year visits. Besides, you can really notice the difference in the parks character, if you limit your attendance; much like Disneyland, which has taken on a lot of darkness, and from what I understand, it has only gotten worse; pretty soon, they may be closing the park early, and then reopening for adults only, because there really is a hint of naughtiness in the air. I guess what I am getting at, is that the enemy of our soul has a way of making us comfortable in situations that we hang out in too long. I know you have heard how you can put a from in boiling water and it will jump out, but if you put it in regular water and then let the water come to a boil, the frog will remain there until it is dead; that is how it works for us and our getting trapped into certain situations where we do not belong. It begins with something that seams innocent and harmless, where we feel comfortable, and then it gradually gets to a point where you are living a life of sin without really knowing how sinful you have become. The most important thing that we can honestly practice, is that of evaluating our life with a pure heart; where we regularly seek God's opinion on our character, and then prayerfully ask Him to correct us, and put us on the proper path of righteousness and holiness. If we have been honestly redeemed, then that will be the desire of our heart; that we should have clean hands and a pure heart before our King of Glory; after all, He has earned our respect and love; don't you think? "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." (1 Peter 1:13-16)

"Honestly Redeemed" -2

"He who hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully." (Psalms 24:4) I heard the Lord speaking to my heart about something that is somewhat of an epidemic in many of our churches, and it has to do with "A Pure Heart". Do you know anyone that I might be talking about? They are like the lame man who had been lame for over thirty eight years, and had always been at the pool of Bethesda waiting for a chance to be healed, but always not doing what was necessary for healing to take place. Even was Jesus asked the man, "Wilt thou be made whole?", he answered him with an excuse why he has no chance of being healed. You will find this story in John 5:2-14, and it brings to mind the real problem that wrecks families and turns our youth away from following Jesus as they should. The main problem that I am talking about is called "transformation"; it is that which happens to a person who is truly "made whole" by Jesus Christ, they are transformed into a new creation, never to be the same again. The other issue that is brought into this story, is that of trying to do something on our own, and not letting Jesus make us whole; always having an excuse for failing, but never really surrendering completely to Jesus and making Him Lord of your life. Jesus said to the man, after he had given Him excuses, "Rise, take up thy bed, and walk". There was no reason for this man need any other form of healing, for Jesus had made him complete and whole; he needed only to take up his bed and walk; never needing to have a spot at the pool any longer, and being equipped to walk in the power of Jesus Christ. Later on in the story, Jesus bumps into this man again in the temple, and says to him, "Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee". This is the transformation that has taken place, where there is complete healing which is meant to be forever, yet there is some who make a choice to hold onto to something that the Lord wants them to release. The unfortunate thing about what happens, especially when we are talking about parents who half-heartily give their lives to the Lord, is that their children many times suffer; not seeing the power available in a life that should have been transformed, they doubt if such power even exist, and therefore doubt the power of the cross of Christ. It is the "pure heart" that David is referring to, as he says, "who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully"; because to have a pure heart a person must be sincere and honest before God; if they are not, then there hands are still dirty; and if their hands are still dirty, then there is no complete healing; and if there is no complete healing, then there is no lasting transformation to their life... "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12:1 & 2)

"Honestly Redeemed"

"He who hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully." (Psalms 24:4) In answer to the question, we have an answer given that many may not understand, nor do they adhere to the principles that are described within the answer. The question was about "who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in His holy place?"; and speaks to the fact that we fall way short of being able to ascend up to God, let alone stand in His presence. There is only one way that we can be made clean before God, and that is by the washing by the blood of Jesus Christ; but as far as the hands are concerned, they are much like the feet, and require constant washing and purification. It might not make much sense to somebody who does not believe that we need to be washed after having received total cleansing by His blood, but we do need to be made innocent from time to time; which for me is once or twice every single day: I ask for forgiveness when I get up in the morning, and when I go to bed each night! The word "clean" that is used here by David is a word that means free from guilt or innocent; if you have stepped in something, or have picked up something that was nasty, then you need to have your hands or your feet washed, plain and simple. The thing that makes this something that we are serious about, and something that must be paid attention to, is the following statement that David makes, which is, "and a pure heart"; because a heart that purely is surrendered to God will not want and nasty stuff on their feet or hands; especially when they are lifting their hands up to God. Jesus demonstrated this to His disciples as He washed their feet before having His last supper with them; besides being an act of servant hood, it was also to demonstrate that we need to cleanse our feet from time to time, and may even need help from one another in doing so. It might be hard to go to another brother or sister and ask for them to wash your feet, but taken to the literal meaning that is implied, I think asking them to actually wash my feet would be more pleasant. But seriously, if we are having a problem with sin, then we need to get help from someone that we can trust; and that brother or sister needs to have a servants heart in helping you. The problem that we seem to have with doing that is trusting our brother or sister to keep our sin to themselves; it's not that they are going to go around telling everyone that we have a problem, but that more times than not, they tell someone close; then it's the someone close that really spreads the news. This is probably the hardest thing for pastors and those in leadership within many of our churches; because they, being those that are in a leadership position, do not feel that they should be having to deal with such matters, let alone need to call out to another for help. WE ALL NEED EACH OTHER... "So after He had washed their feet, and had taken His garments, and was set down again, He said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." (John 13:12-17)

"Naturally Lost" -2

"Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in His holy place?" (Psalms 24:3) I knew yesterday that I was not done with this verse, but I had no idea why. God wants us to understand where we are at when it comes to being lost; it's not really something that we can get a quick fix for, and then move on with our lives as if everything is now okay and we are no longer in danger of being lost. Reading Romans is good practice for keeping fit in the way of preventing our selves from becoming lost again; in other words, it has some really good principles about how we can slip into sin, and how we can tend to take our liberties in Christ for granted some times. There is a really good book that was written by Watchman Nee in 1957 called "The Normal Christian Life" and is based upon the book of Romans. It is an interesting read, and will give you much to think about when it comes to stepping out beyond that which is considered normal and being that which God has created you to be. There are some that think Paul and James had differing views of what works should mean in a Christian's life, and whether or not works were important to the life of a believer in Jesus Christ; but this is not so, because they were both very much in agreement that 'faith without works is dead'. In the beginning of Paul's letter to the church in Rome, he acknowledges their faith being known and spoken of throughout the whole world (Romans 1:8); it is obvious to any sensible thinking person that they could not be so well known if they were not living out the life of Jesus Christ. Our life is meant to be something that other people can see Jesus in, and the only way that is possible is if we are living our lives as Jesus did! We are born into this world with a sin nature, which makes us naturally lost and separated from a God that is completely holy and without sin. As we mature and grow, we have something that is missing in us, and we know it; so, we begin to search for that which fills the void that we have within our spirit, and continually find that there is nothing here to satisfy the hunger in our heart. When that day finally comes when we accept Jesus Christ into our hearts, the void is filled and we are no longer lost and without a home. After receiving Jesus into our lives, there are things which we have accumulated throughout our lives which must be given over to the Lord; many of which were those things that you previously tried to fill that void with and found that they left you feeling empty. All of these things that we tried before were active ways of seeking satisfaction for a yearning within us to be filled, and each of which required an outside source for that satisfaction to come from; whether that be alcohol, or drugs, or pornography, or whatever your heart desired, it was always something that you reached out for to fill that void inside of you. Once you became a New Creation in Christ there is a new passion that is within you to live the life of Christ; this new passion is being power by the Holy Spirit that dwells within you and it must be allowed to work. If we do not do the work of the Spirit then our life in Christ will feel unfulfilled, and we will be very much in danger of try to fill a void that really should not exist; and when that happens, the result is usually called "SIN"... "Being made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants of God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end is everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ." (Romans 6:18-23

"Naturally Lost"

"Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in His holy place?" (Psalms 24:3) Have you ever tried to swim upstream against a very strong current? It is just about impossible to get anywhere, much less not  lose distance in the process. But that is our dilemma with regards to meeting the standard that God requires for holiness; we are naturally lost when it comes to meeting His requirements, and God knows that! As a matter of fact, that is the reason that He sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins; that we can be holy enough to stand along side of God as His children, and to be in His presence as spotless sheep with wool as white as snow. Only the blood of Jesus can make us holy enough to enter into the presence of God; and only the blood of Jesus can take away all of our sins. I came really close to death once when I was about fourteen or so; as a friend and I were doing something that we always loved to do in the storm drains. There was an outlet to one of the drains that always would have treated water running out of it, and was about four foot around, and was impossible to enter into because of the volume and force of the water coming out. We had discovered a manhole about 300 yards away from the mouth and would always jump down into it, and then get swept down the pipe and out the mouth; sometimes being pushed 50 feet or more out into the riverbed. One day we had jumped down the hole as we had done so many times before; but this time, when we got to the end something was different, someone had installed metal bars at the entrance, and there was no way we were getting out that way any more. We tried to make our way back to the manhole, but the current was to strong and the walls to slippery to do it alone; so we pushed against each other to wedge ourselves in the tunnel; making it back to the manhole in about two hours, after having moved about one foot at a time. If I had been alone in that pipe, I would have surely perished; and it was only because we were both strong enough to band together that we were able to make it out safe. We cannot make it to heaven on our own; there is just no way that we can achieve the holiness required to be counted worthy. But God, who knew the state of our dilemma, made a way for us to make it in; and it is only made possible by His Son bringing us in. With Him, we are saved; without Him, we are naturally lost..."Two are better than one; because they have good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up." (Ecclesiastes 4:9 & 10)

"All Life Flows From God"

"For He founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods." (Psalms 24:2) Make no mistake about how we got here, because no matter the process that was used, it was God who made it happen; although, I do not buy into the 'man from a monkey' route, because God made man in His own image and formed him from the dirt with His own hands; so, I do therefore believe that we were formed from mud, which involves dirt and water. The average person is about 70% water; which for me who's current weight is 170, that means 120 pounds of my weight is made up of water. I remember as a small child, I really enjoyed making things out of mud; many times getting myself into trouble for digging up my mother's flower garden, just so I could fill my wagon with dirt, and then roll over to the faucet where I could create something wonderful. I could not verify this with my limited research abilities, but I am will to bet that that ratio of salt water to fresh water that is upon the earth is the same ratio that is in our bodies. The verse above is referencing two very different water sources; one being that of the seas, which is that of a salty nature, and the other of the floods, which speak to rivers, streams and lakes, which are fresh water sources that are created by rain and snow. In the garden of Eden God formed four rivers to sustain the life which He had created there. These rivers are spoken of in Genesis 2:10-14 and appear to come forth from one river that was in the midst of the garden, which was probably a underground stream that flowed up from the ground. The importance of water to the substance of life is quite interesting; especially since the Lord used water to judge the earth when He caused the earth to flood. Then we have the fact that Jesus refereed to Himself as the "Living Water", and made reference to the fact that no one will experience abundant life without having drunk of the Living Water which flows down from heaven; Living Water being that which flows, has life, and gives eternal life. Even in the "New Jerusalem" that is spoken of in Revelation 22:1, there is mentioned "a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb". I guess the thing that I am getting at, is that our life in God is always moving and flowing, and there must be movement in the water in order for the water to contain life and to experience life..."Hath a nation changed their gods which are yet no gods? but My people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD. For My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me the Fountain of Living Waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no water." (Jeremiah 2:11-13)

"We Belong to The LORD"

[[A Psalm of David]]"The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein" (Psalms 24:1) If you really think about it, those that say they do not believe in God are going to be in for a very big surprise; just because you say that you don't believe in Him, does not make Him not own your soul. If you are like me and take the Bible to be the infallible Word of God, then you would agree that what the Bible says is sure and truth; unfortunately, not everyone that confesses to be a Christian believes that every word written in the Bible is true, because I have met some who say they are Christian and yet they do not believe every word that is written in the Bible. Somehow there are some who make determinations within their own hearts and minds which parts of Scripture are relevant for this day and age, or for the life that they have chosen to live; all because it was written thousands of years ago, they have bought into the lie that it is outdated and does not reflect this modern day world that we live in. It's really kind of funny how much we have all become worshipers of energy and power; because once the grid is turned off, there is nothing new under the sun! Before I was a Christian, I went through a phase for at least two years, where I tried to convince all my friends and relatives that we were being all led into a trap of dependency upon progress and commerce. Not many would listen to me then; and I really did not end up listening to myself, because just a few years later I was making money and starting a family like everyone else; with no care for what might happen if everything stopped being delivered to the markets, but just being focused on what I needed to do so that I could continue to shop at the market. I was reading an article yesterday about a family in Florida that is going to be fined $500.00 a day starting today, if they do not dig up their garden in their 25ft x 25ft front yard and put in lawn, as per the wishes of the city in which they live. If you really want a treat, you should watch a movie called "Uncle Nino", and see what he thinks about yards with lawns; it is sure to make you think about what we have accepted as important. I was asked the other day why it is important that we pray for our food and give thanks before each meal. Not wanting to make the person seem ignorant, I told them that it was because God is the one that provides us our food; even though we purchase food for our consumption, it is God that keeps the sun shining each day so the crops will grow, and it is God who provides the resources that we might enjoy all that He has provided. This all belongs to God; let us not ever forget that! That includes you and me, and every single person that has ever lived; we all belong to God! So next time you have an encounter with someone who says that God does not exist, tell them that just because they do not believe in Him, does not mean that He does not own their soul; and because He does own their soul, they will be answering Him one day for not believing that He is there...

"THE KING OF GLORY"

Moving on from what is probably the most quoted Psalm, we are now given a chance to experience a Psalm that describes our Lord as the Ruler and Possessor of all; something that many people do not pay enough attention to, especially those that might think that they have power over their own lives. It is believed that David may have written this Psalm after having successfully brought the ark of God into the city and to it's resting place. If you know the story, then you might remember how David's first attempt to move the ark ended with him wanting nothing to do with it, after a faithful servant was killed for just having tried to steady the ark from falling off a cart that it was being moved on. David was very discouraged over the death of someone who was just trying to help, and his view of God was obscured for a season by the thought of God's harsh judgement on someone who he thought was not guilty of doing anything wrong. Isn't the same way a lot of us will take up wondering about God's judgement and fairness, as we see some people cured of disease or sickness, and some who are not that we think should have been? Having a discussion with a friend yesterday about someone we know who is suffering with cancer, my friend asked me why God does not heal those that are prayed for, especially when they are being prayed for by so many people. I had no answer that I could rationally give to him, and I really did not know how to justify how those choices are made. Having thought about it all night, I have only one answer to return back with, and it may or may not add to any comfort for my friend. But it really all comes down to this one very important principle about God and all of His Glory: He is God, and because He is, He has all the answers, and He knows what is best for all of His children! David realized this after having seen the family blessed by the ark having been left of their land. It took a simple thing like God blessing someone for having done nothing but letting the ark rest upon their land for David to see the Glory of God's judgements, and to remember that the earth is the LORD'S, and it is His to do whatever is His will, and who are we to question His authority. If you know the story, then you should also remember how it was that David finally brought the ark into the city; not on a cart, but carried with poles by  Levitt's; just as God had instructed it to be carried when it was made. As you might have guessed, the title written above this Psalm in my Bible is "THE KING OF GLORY". I know that not every Bible has the same title written, and that some have none; but, having seen what happened to Jesus in order that we could be saved from our sins, how can we ever question God's compassion for us?

"Jesus Loves Me, Forever"

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever." (Psalms 23:6) Have you ever thought about what forever means? A really long time does not even begin to describe eternity, but it is about all that we can begin to think about. David started this Psalm with the promise to the Lord that he should not want; as if to say, Lord, You are all that I need, and you supply all  that I should ever want. Now we see the Lord's promises being acknowledged by David as his reward for allowing the Lord to be his Shepherd. Yes, I said 'allowing' the Lord to be his Shepherd. I know that Jesus chooses us, so allowing may not make much sense to some people; but Jesus also choose Judas, who was the one that betrayed Him. Judas did not allow Jesus to be his Shepherd, and when it came to the gift of the forgiveness of sin, Judas rejected that which was available, and instead took his own life. That might be the extreme example, but it shows how we are responsible for how we respond to what Jesus has offered us, and that it is a free gift, but as with any gift, it must be received and accepted with gratitude and assurance. The whole point of the Psalm is that of our assurances in Jesus being our Shepherd; with the premise of our hearing and listening to the Shepherd's voice. Part of that which is the Shepherd's voice, and what all those that are His sheep should hear, is His identity of who He is as the Shepherd; in other words, His sheep know that He provides safety and eternal security, therefore they need to look nowhere else, nor do they need to worry about finding those things. We are assured by the Lord, who as the Shepherd of our souls, will never leave us nor forsake us, and that we will forever be with Him in heaven for all eternity. What more could we ask for? and what more can we want? As I said in the beginning, I do want, and I do ask daily for Jesus to heal and restore my wife's mind; but that does not prevent me from feeling satisfied in my own spirit. That might not make much sense to some, but you must understand something about how I have come to accept where I am at and what the Lord leads me through; it is all about learning how much God loves me, and no matter what it is that my life might lack in the physical, the love of God overcomes in the Spiritual. I know without a doubt that my wife will be fully restored and given a new body without any defects whatsoever; but until that day she is taken home to be with the Lord, my duty as her husband is to love her, care for her, and pray for her healing. After all, isn't that also what the Shepherd does for us? Until we are taken home to be with Him, we are not going to be made complete, and we will always be in need of forgiveness; yet Jesus loves us, cares for us, and makes intercession for us daily; of this we are assured... "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ, shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For Thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:31-38)

"Jesus Loves Me, More Than I Know"

"Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over." (Psalms 23:5) And just when you thought it could not get any better, you find out that this is just the beginning of His blessing that He has for you; more blessings than you can count! What is it that should motivate us to love our God; is it fear or love? I think that we need to adhere to both; but it is the love of God that should persuade our heart's response to Him. He loves us so much, and has given so much for us to love Him back; our fear should be that we offend Him in doing something foolish against Him, and not loving Him with everything that we have inside of us. The first thing that we must convince ourselves is that of our need for His great mercy; it must always be something that is pressed into our minds, that without His great mercy for us, we are toast. I think some people think that His mercy is not that important any more after they have been forgive and have been lifted by His grace. Here is a little picture of mercy that never runs out, because we are such unfaithful creatures, and because His unending mercy, we would have been toast long ago! We must never ever think that we are too strong to need His mercy for our lives; and just when you do, you will soon find out how wrong you were about you own strength. I really like Matthew Henry's take on the little ewe-lamb that the poor man had did feed at his own table, had him drink of his own cup, and had him lay in his own bosom (2 Samuel 12:3); and how David must have seen this as himself being provided and cared for by the Lord. As not just a sheep amongst a herd of sheep, but one that is special in the sight of the Lord, and of His own choosing; brought into His house and treated as His only one. And just just His only one, but a tiny ewe-lamb, that is pretty much still dependent upon milk and being hand feed; and is one that can definitely not protect itself in the wild. This is the picture we have of God's great mercy towards us; because that is us, each and everyone of us are helpless without His great mercy. And if you really want to know something amazing, then you should try and imagine what it would be like without His mercy, and then see how the least little bit of His mercy matters; and then meditate upon the mercy that He has given you: words cannot explain the relief that you feel inside, once you really know that you are truly and undeniably loved, more than you can ever know... "By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil." (Proverbs 16:6)

"Fearless and Comforted" -2

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me." (Psalms 23:4) Proverbs 1:7 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction". The point of which, is that the fear of the LORD is the chief part of the knowledge of who God is and what is expected of us; in other words, if you find yourself lacking the knowledge of God and His instructions, then you need to start fearing Him as you should!!! That said; when we fear God and are trusting in His Devine Favour, then there is absolutely nothing this world can do to us that will cause fear to overcome us. Do you believe this? That is not a rhetorical question, but one that should make you think about the 'What If' questions of life, and whether or not you would stand the test. Although, even the strongest of His saints have their moments of doubt, the purest test goes to the surrender of this life, and if indeed we cherish this life more than we think we do. Do you think that a desire that a person has for this life might be associated with how much they fear the Lord? In other words; that our lack of fear for the Lord will contribute to a lack of faith in His protection, and therefore we do not know if what we are going through is judgement or not for our lack of fearing Him. This is why we are to instructed in 2 Corinthians 7:1, where Paul says, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God". Those promises that Paul was referring to, were that we have been changed into the likeness of Jesus Christ, and that we are sons and daughters of the Father (long story short); and because we are His sons and daughters, we can walk in the knowledge of Him caring for us as such. The rod and the staff of the Shepherd is meant to be for giving us comfort, not for discipline; but when the sheep become unruly, then the Shepherd will do what He needs to do to correct them. The "fools" spoken of by Solomon are those that mock when guilty, as if it is not such a big deal when we sin; because after all, we are not perfect, and God will always forgive us. This must not be our attitude before the Lord; and if it has become that in our life, then we need to have it corrected by any means possible! The greatest feeling that we can know, is that of total peace and comfort in God's hand of protection upon our life; it is a peace that passes all understanding and normal response to evil that might come against us; and that peace is only available to us when His rod and His staff are a comfort to us; the rod and staff being His Word and His Spirit... "We then, as workers together with Him, beseech you also that ye receive not the Grace of God in vain." (2 Corinthians 6:1)

"Fearless and Comforted"

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me." (Psalms 23:4) Probably the most quoted verse in this Psalm, but many times taken out of context, this verse speaks of the action, which is the fruit of the knowledge that comes from knowing God is there, and that He is watching over you. This is an action, because it is a choice that we have, to be afraid of all that surrounds us or is presently pressing us, or believe that God is really taking care of us and even death cannot separate us from His care. I know; there are some things that just come upon us quickly and without warning, and we are shocked into a place where we have forgotten this rule; but God is not that far away! If we find ourselves in a place where we are not trusting God at His word, and have let any situation we are in take hold of our faith in Him, then really, all we need to do is ask His forgiveness. Am I saying that not trusting God is a sin? Is not loving God a sin? Of course it is!!! What is the fruit of our love for God? Is it not that we "trust Him with all of our heart, and lean not upon our own understanding"? Here is the thing about this thing that David is calling "evil"; that which he says, "I shall fear no evil"; because it is to mean something bad, or unintended harm or injury, or even death brought on by unkind or wicked men or diseases. Whatever it is that surrounds us, we have no control over those things, but God does, and God has promised that He will bring us through anything and everything. What we do have control over, is our trust in Him for those promises that He has promised to us! The trusting ability that we have in Him, is what we call FAITH; that is what faith means, that we trust in the Lord for all that He stands for: "For His Name's Sake"; His name being His reputation, fame, and His Glory. To understand that concept of what this means, we look to the beginning of this verse, as David says, "Yea, though I walk through"; which is him saying, though I am taking even to the point of death, and should have every right to fear what might be happening to me, I am not afraid, and the reason I am not afraid is because God is with me! "But Dude; your arm was just ripped off!" It is nothing but a flesh wound!!! He shall be with me to the very end!!! That is the greatest thing about a "shadow of death", shadows have no bite..."Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trump shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruptible, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption,  and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Corinthians 15:51-55)

"The Lost Sheep"

"He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name sake." (Psalms 23:3) If you know anything about sheep, they are always apt to getting lost, and when they are lost, they will seldom find their way home. Unlike dogs, who can usually always find their way, sheep just do not possess the kind of ability to sense which way they should go. When we get lost, or have wondered off the path, it is the Lord that brings us back and puts us upon paths of righteousness; we, like sheep, just do not have that ability to detect which way we should go; nor do we often even realize that we are lost, but we graze in other pastures while believing we are still grazing in the Lord's. We can see a good example with that of David's sin and Bathsheba. All that David had done, by committing adultery with a faithful man's wife, and then by actually having that faithful man killed, just to try and keep his own honor in tact; but who was David fooling, because God's eyes were upon him, and he was hiding nothing from God. David was a lost sheep in that particular time of his life, and he was off the path and way away from the pasture; but God, not wanting David to be astray for too long, sent Nathan unto him, and knowing how David in the innocence of his youth was one who shepherd sheep, Nathan shares a story with David about someones precious only pet lamb. We can sometimes stray away from that which is right; sometimes, it might take something really harsh to get us to understand that we are even lost; it might even take falling all the way to the bottom; but God, as our loving Father, He is always waiting for us to return, and Jesus, as our loving Shepherd, is always looking for a way to bring us home. It might require Him breaking a leg; at which time He will carry us over His shoulder, and always have us by His side; and when that leg heals, we are more obedient to stay close by to Him, and never let Him out of our sight. But, it is God who brings us back; whether it be gentle word or a burst of thunder, He will do whatever it takes to reach into our heart and revive it back to Him. That's pretty much what happens to our heart, it becomes dead and callused to the righteousness of God, and needs to be revived; which sometimes might require God breaking the callused heart in order for it to start beating for Him again. Then again; this also speaks to our initial salvation, and how we really had no clue where we were prior to Jesus calling us out of the darkness, but were dead men and women walking around thinking that we had life, but were only dead souls waiting to be buried. Jesus brought our souls to life; real life that is for all eternity in Him, and that is always looking for a continuation of life, not the grave. And, after giving life to our souls, He then places us on a path of righteousness by placing His Spirit within us and His Word before us, that we are always being directed in the ways that we should go... "If thou wilt diligently harken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee." (Exodus 15:26)

"Comfort and Care"

"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters." (Psalms 23:2) Having one to care for that you love is something that can make you understand some things in a little different light; not that I have anything to brag about, but it just means that I have been blessed to experience something that very few have opportunity to live out. Being cared for by our Lord is the greatest feeling that we can ever know; the peace that it brings in knowing He will never leave you or forsake you, and how He will always bring you through to the other side of every difficulty; it is not that easy to explain the kind of peace that surrounds those that have put their faith in the Lord for His protection. I have only had one accident with my wife in all of these years in caring for her, and it happen on Mother's Day a few years ago. I was taking her to the restaurant to meet her mother for dinner, and as I was rounding a corner her chair fell over in the back of the van. My heart stopped; I instantly stopped in the middle of the road, and was in total shock. I could not get her chair back up, so I had to unstrap her and lift her onto the rear seat, which I belted her into until we could get to the restaurant; at which time I had my father-in-law help me hold her chair, as I lifted her out of the van to place her in it. It was the worst feeling I had felt in a long long time. The only way I can describe what I felt, is that my insides felt all dried up; if that helps you understand what I was feeling. The most memorable thing about that day was the look on her face after her chair had tipped over; as her face was planted against the side of the van, she was so helpless looking, and very visibly uncomfortable. I always double check her straps every since that day, because I never ever want to experience that again. Jesus takes extra care in providing for us also; sometimes, so much so that we don't realize the dangers and the problems that surround us; that is until we step outside of His protective arms. When we are abiding in His loving arms, there is no care in the world that can cause us discomfort; nothing can harm us or make us concerned about provisions, or health, or welfare, or any other thing that might usually cause us to worry. If you find yourself worrying about your life in way whatsoever, then I suggest that you evaluate whether or not you have stepped out of the loving arms of your Lord; because in His care there is no discomfort, but in this world there always will be. Jesus does not make mistakes, and in His care, there will be no accidents that can happen to us, because He is always watching over us...Do You Believe That??? "Better is little with fear of the LORD, than great treasure and trouble therewith. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith." (Proverbs 15:16 & 17)

"I Shall Not Want"

[A Psalm of David.]"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want." (Psalms 23:1) Because I know the voice of my Shepherd (John 10:3), I know all the good that He has in store for me; maybe not all the details, or even the actual journey that He will lead me on; but I know that Jesus will never leave me or forsake me, and that He has nothing but good things for me, of which He is deeply desiring for me to experience. This is the thing about not wanting, because how are we satisfied with where the Lord has us, or with what the Lord has given to us, if we are constantly wanting? I am really not one to talk. I want every single day, and more than not, I am in a wanting state multiple times of the day, because I am constantly wanting Jesus to heal my wife. I cannot seriously say that I shall not want, if in fact I am constantly wanting something of the Lord; wouldn't you agree? After almost nine and half years, you would think that I would have gotten over asking for her to be healed, and would have moved on to something else, like asking the Lord to take her home; but it is not that simple. I love caring for her; and I love that I can still care for her. More than anything else, I love that there still is hope; as long as she has life in her, there is hope that the Lord will heal her, and there is hope that we can speak again to each other, and that we can share our hearts to one another. That is really all that I am asking for, is for her to be share her heart with me; I share my heart with her every day we are together, and I would really love it for her to do the same. Do you think that God wants the same thing from us? Hasn't He poured out His heart to us by giving us His Word, that we can read how much He loves us; by giving us His only begotten Son, that we could have real fellowship with Him; and by filling us with His Holy Spirit that we can experience the comfort, love and joy that can only come through Him? It is thought that David had written this Psalm while he was fleeing from Saul; not really a time when he was not wanting anything, because there were plenty of times during his hiding out in the wilderness that he wanted food, or shelter, or even to have fellowship with the ones that he loved; but what it was that he always had was fellowship with God. He never needed to worry about God's intentions for his life, or whether or not God loved him, or if God was watching out for him; because He had a relationship with his Heavenly Father! If you do not think David poured his heart out to the Lord, think again! Look at all the Psalms that he wrote, and imagine that for every verse that he had written, there most have been a thousand words that he had thought in his heart towards God. That is just the way that it works; as we meditate on the Lord and we express our heart to Him, there is no way possible that we can write down all that is shared between God and a persons heart. It's like an onion that can never be pealed one layer at a time; with thousands of layers, each one giving off a new aroma, and each layer pulling apart and overlapping the next. The Lord wants us to pour our hearts out to Him; His desire for us is to be able to share our hearts with Him and to know that He is listening. Sure; we should not need or have want of anything; because if we are truly trusting the Lord in all things, then we should be content with what He has given us; but the one thing that we should always have need of is more of Him: more love; more power; more of Him in our life. And, there is the one thing that we should never ever have need of, and that is our ability to have fellowship with the Lord for ever and ever... "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them to Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are One." (John 10:27-30)

"The Lord is My Shepherd"

Moving on from the "Anguish and Praise" we come to that which is pure "Delight": 'The Twenty-Third Psalm'. There are no complaints or doubts rendered for God's protection, or heavy tears and cries of being afflicted, or even the aches and pains of living in a fallen world; just pure delight in being in the loving arms of our Shepherd, Jesus Christ! Isn't that what a New Day in Christ is to be like? The Twenty-Second Psalm shows Christ as the Lamb given for the slaughter, while this Psalm has Christ depicted as the Great and Good Shepherd that provides and cares for His sheep; His sheep being you and I. In John 10:11, Jesus speaking of Himself being the only way, and the way of His 'Door' being the only way into the sheepfold, which was a continuation of His answer to the Pharisees' question, "Are we blind also?", He says, "I am the Good Shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep". His initial answer that He gave to their question was, "If you were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth". (John 9:41) There is a certain comfort that comes from resting in Christ, and in the finished work that He has provided for us to rest in; this comfort that we get to experience is what we referrer to as 'Peace'; peace that is not as the world gives, but is only available in the sheepfold of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd. The point made to the Pharisees was one about their total lack of experiencing what He had to offer because they thought they could earn their way to heaven by their works, and that they were righteous in doing so. Nothing could be further from the truth, as they should have known; for had they really paid attention to the Scriptures that they so earnestly studied, then they would have realized the truth. Isaiah 64:6 says, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." There is none that can abide in God's presence without having been made clean; and trying to get their through our own righteousness, is like taking what should otherwise be clean rages of good works, and rubbing them on our filthy bodies, and then offering them up to God. There is no way to know the Peace of God, let along see the Peace available, without first entering into the Door of the Good Shepherd; and that Door is Jesus Christ and all that He represents as the one who lays down His life for His sheep... "I am the Good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine." (John 10:14)