"Word of God Speak"

"Sacrifice and offering Thou didst not desire; mine ears hast Thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast Thou not required." (Psalms 40:6) Some things, although they might appear to be mysteries, are more plainly seen than we might otherwise have considered; for example, the sacrifice of an animal to take away the sins of a man, just how much sense does that make? Probably about as much as performing some sort of work to gain righteousness with God, or giving money to earn salvation and eternal life. Yet, how many people do you know that try and base their right standing with God upon their performance to adhere to His law? Jesus said, "Come unto Me", not because we needed to work our way to God, but because He would give us rest from trying to do something that was beyond our ability to do. Another way I think we can see this lived out, was in Abraham's obedience to separate himself from his father's house, and then to allow God guild and provide for him; in other words, Abraham became dependent upon God for that place which he should dwell; yet the place which Abraham looked for, was a place other than here on this earth, but was a place with God. If anything, those sacrifices which were made, were for man to know his need to be forgiven, just as the law was given to let us know how far we fall short of righteousness; they all worked together as a way to show our dependence upon God to provide a way, not for us to work or earn our way to eternal life, because that was not going to happen. I can remember the day that I asked Jesus into my heart, the thing that triggered my making that move, was not something I had seen, but something that I had heard; my ears had been opened to receive the truth, that my heart might receive it, and my mind would consider how urgent my need actually was. Once you see that urgency for salvation, you really come to realize that it is not something that anyone can work towards or obtain doing good, because it is too urgent of a need for that; but rather, it must instant and complete, because it is totally performed by God. Not only did a Man's blood get spilled for mans sins, but that Man was God, who not only took our place upon that cross, but He became sin for us, that we might be made free from that which has bound us, mainly our sinfulness... "But God commanded His love toward us, in that, while we yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son; much more, being reconciled we shall be saved by His life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." (Romans 5:8-11)

"God of Wonders" -2

"Many, O LORD my God, are Thy wonderful works which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto Thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered." (Psalms 40:5) If you think that David is making this up, you really need to understand that He was seriously under the direction of the Holy Spirit at this point, and he was probably catching visions of things so complex, he could hardly speak of them, let alone count how many layers that there was in the onion being pealed. The next three verse of this Psalm happen to be those found in Hebrews 10:5-7 which were what I closed with yesterday; as Jesus said in John 5:39, "Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me"; so to was the vision that David was getting, as everything seemed to point towards Jesus and God's redemption of mankind from the foundations of the world. On a completely different scale, we could only imagine what David might have written if he had the technology to see what we see now; telescopes that explore the heavens, and magnification of things beyond belief; it is hard to believe that God went through so much trouble to make this for us to see His handiwork in all of creation. There is absolutely no doubt of God's existence in all of this, yet there are those that refuse to accept it, and continue to deny that there is One which shall judge them one day; mostly for fear of what that might mean. But if they could only come to understand what God has done for that judgment, in that He has placed it upon Himself. Which reminds me of this fascinating thing about God's judgment being placed upon Himself, because if you look at the 'token' of the covenant that God made with Noah after the flood, it was 'His bow in the cloud'; which in many cases, the bow stands for judgment; yet where is that bow pointed, it is pointed towards God; because the very next time that God would be dealing with the sins of the whole earth, it would be on the cross. Wow, how good is God? How wonderful are His works that He has done for us? They just cannot be numbered... "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen." (John 21:25)

"God of Wonders"

"Many, O LORD my God, are Thy wonderful works which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto Thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered." (Psalms 40:5) Where to begin; this is full of so much stuff, I seem to be at a lose for words. Why not start with how wonderful God is, and how wonderful He is towards us? What ever happen on the day, "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy", I am getting a certain feeling that it had something to do with us; which may or may not explain Lucifer's rebellion, because after all, it seems that he is seriously jealous of the relationship God has towards us. Being created the most beautiful can make one be filled with pride and vanity; then you add onto that, the darlings of God's creation, and you can have the makings of an all out war. That is what I believe that we are, God's darlings of all His creation; nothing else compares to us in His eyes, and He will do whatever it takes to win our hearts. Free will has a price, but it also has reward such as nothing else; kind of like that old saying, "If you love something, set it free"; except in this case, there happens to be a little twist, and it actually can get a little complicated trying to figure it all out. To help set the record straight, we can start with the four words, "O LORD my God", because those four words encompass the essence of where our understanding must come from; He is my God, and He has made me to love Him, and He has done everything else, and made every thing, that I should know I must love Him. Seriously, He has thought this through to the very last detail; there is nothing too small or too great that He has not put us into the plan of it, because we are so very special to His heart. Doesn't that make you want to shout for joy? or maybe at least tell someone that they are loved? Really, what came first, the fall or redemption? When David says, "they cannot be reckoned up in order unto Thee", is it because God knows the beginning and the end, therefore, He has established redemption from the beginning? I'm just saying... "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore, when He cometh into the world, He saith, Sacrifices and offering Thou wouldest not, but a body hast Thou prepared Me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of Me) to do Thy will, O God. Above when He said, Sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and offerings for sin Thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; then said He, Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that He may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (Hebrews 10:4-10)  

"We Better Believe It"

"Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies." (Psalms 40:4) It seems that it all started with a lie, and that lie came through a very proud serpent; so proud was that serpent, that he thought he could be as God; as if a created being could be as the Creator. Actually, the lie was threefold, and it took in every aspect of what was need to satisfy our desire to sin against God, in making God to appear less than He is. The first thing right off the bat, was to convince the woman (and most likely the man also), that God was not being truthful with them, but was actually holding them back from being enlightened; God cannot lie, and He surely wants us to be enlightened; it's just that He wants us to be filled with His Light; it's the darkness that He wants to protect us from. The second thing that the lie had done, was to give the impression that we could make better choices than God would allow; as if what God says does not really apply to me, because I actually know what is best for me, based upon my desires; nothing could be farther from the truth, and what God says must be trusted. As a matter of fact, the way it is presented in the verse above, God is not only to be trusted in all things, but He is to be made our Trust; which means that there is no other source of trust other than God, and that we only think good and great thoughts of Him, because He can be trusted in all things; especially in those things that He has spoken to us by His Word. Nothing that the serpent said was said by God; nothing that was presented to the woman was going to be as it was presented; as a matter of fact, it could be said that our eyes are a portal for the devil to tempt us, as he presents things which tempt us through the passage of what is looked upon; in the process of being tempted through the eyes, what is said really does not matter as much, because the eye has began to make the choices seem more appealing and desirable over what we have been told. God, on the other hand, uses the portal of our hearing, as He speaks into our lives His truth; and by the power of His Word, He makes Himself known unto us. The third thing that the lie has done, is to make man feel as though he can do this alone, as if God can remain where He is, and we can be just fine right here without Him. O, how that hurts us; as well as hurting His heart, it hurts us because we need God so much, and He is our very breath of life. Yesterday at breakfast, as I prayed for the meal, I prayed for traveling mercies for that day; and wouldn't you know it, I surely needed that protection: as I traveled on a icy road, the car right in front of me spun out, started up the side of the mountain, and then came right back down in front of me. I don't really know how I was able to stop, but I did; although I do have studded tires, we were going at least 50 miles an hour, and the car was only about fifty feet in front of me. We can never get to a place where we no longer feel that God is needed to run our lives, by putting our trust into the things that we see, or the abilities we think that we have or that we can have in our own strength. We can do nothing without God, and we better believe it... "The the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou Me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the corner stone thereof; when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:1-7)

"Our God is Greater" -3

"And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD." (Psalms 40:3) In case I forgot to mention this, we are already lifted up into the highest heaven; that is the greatest part of this magnificent story, God has already performed all He needed to do for our salvation, therefore it has been finished; which is what Jesus said just before He died on the cross. Don't you think we need to start walking in the victory that has already been won? We seem to struggle from day to day dealing with defeat, when defeat is something that has already been taken care of at the cross. Every since man was created, man has been defeated by sin and death; but God put an end to that by sending His Son to set things straight, and to give us the victory over sin, by taking sin out of the picture altogether. What an amazing God we serve, that the thing which caused man to fall, could actually be the thing that brings him to be delivered. In showing this fact in another light, we could see the illustration of the "Serpent lifted up in the wilderness"; how that it was God's judgement on sin that brought the serpents into the camp to bite the rebellious children of Israel in the first place; the same thing that was inflecting them was also that which would save them, if they would only look upon it and believe. It was sin that had inflicted man from the beginning, and it was sin that was placed upon Jesus Christ as He hung upon the cross; He became sin for us, that we should be delivered from the bondage and the affliction of sin for ever. It is also rather interesting that God should use a serpent as a sign of His judgement and His redemption; after all, if your going to deal with an issue such as sin, then you might as well "crush it's head" while you are at it... "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:1-5)

"Our God is Greater" -2

"And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD." (Psalms 40:3) Many shall see what? What shall many see that will cause them to fear, and to trust in the LORD? "It" could be the "new Song" that David has placed in his mouth by God, but I don't think we are talking about praise here; it's more like something spectacular that has caused the praise. As I mentioned in the beginning of this discussion, this Psalm has two parts: one is the first eleven verses, which is "A Song of Deliverance"; while the other, which starts at verse twelve, is "A Prayer for Help". The general idea, and the main point that we must fasten hard into, is that God has delivered us from all things already, we just need to pray for help in understanding and acceptance of His grace. "It", I believe is the free gift of Salvation, which should not only cause us to fear God for what He has done, but in whom else can we trust after seeing to what measure He was willing to go to for us? If you have not seen the short video by Kirk Cameron called "UNSTOPPABLE", then you should grab a copy of one right away and watch it about five or six times. The first time that I watched it, my jaw dropped; the second time I watched it, by heart broke; I can't wait to watch it again to see if I can grab hold a little tighter of the One that is holding me. The main point that is asked in the video, is, "Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?"; which is a question that stumps and stumbles so many believers and nonbelievers time and time again. The word "fear", although it causes us to be afraid, the fear is one of being astonished, as in, What have I done! But it takes us to the next level in our astonishment, because we realize that no matter what we have done, He has done a greater thing to overcome anything that we can do. God's grace and mercy is "Unstoppable"... "Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the election of the world: but when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." (Galatians 4:1-7)

"Our God is Greater"

"And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD." As you may or may not know, we can try and crawl off of that Rock all we want, but God has a string attached to us, so you had better get use to being a Yo Yo. If you can't see what I am talking about, all that you need to do is to look at Israel, and you will see a people that are taken captive and delivered over and over again; all because they would not listen; all because they made wrong choices; but God did not give up on them, nor will He ever. The magnitude of God's love for His people goes further than we could ever imagine, and the power of His word is something that can not be outdone by anything that we can imagine in our own hearts; if God says that you are His forever, then there is really nothing you can do to change that; it might get a little ugly for a while, but in the end, your still standing on the Rock. So why fight being blessed? I mean, really; why do we forfeit so much of what God has for us, only to enjoy being bad for a little while? There are different degrees of being bad; there might be no variation in sin, because sin is sin; but being bad, that has something to do with our intentions and our respect. It is kind of like when the children of Israel were in the wilderness; some days they were bad, and then some days they were really bad; almost every day they sinned and fell short of giving God the glory for delivering them from bondage; but some days, they just flat out cursed God for taking them from the comforts of that bondage. If they only knew what God had in store for their lives, those so called comforts would appear like fast-food compared with a five star restaurant, or Motel 6 to a Luxury Resort. Once we catch the vision of God's goodness towards us, and once we can settle for what He has in store for us, instead of trying to have our cake and eat it too, maybe then we shall be able to sing that new song, and with patience run the race that is before us... "Wash ye, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment , relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it." (Isaiah 1:16-20)

"God is Better" -2

"He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings." (Psalms 40:2) Seeing that this is "A Song of Deliverance", we should acknowledge what it is that God has done for us; not just because it needs to be said, but because it needs to be lived out in our lives. Do you understand what I am saying? There really is nothing better than being lifted up by God; and when I say lifted up, I am talking about where we are actually above the mess and the decay; where all that really matters is the relationship that we have with God, and everything else just kind of takes care of it's self. When we are walking in the Spirit, that is how our life seems to flow. Speaking of flow, we should take note of the word "also" that David mentions here, because it should cause us to reread the first verse and see what it is there fore. Primarily, the first verse has to do with waiting on the Lord and knowing that He hears and is concerned with our cry; much like the cries of a infant, where the mother hears the cry, and is also concerned over the cry, but may or may not act upon it directly; mostly because she does not want her child to use crying as a way of expression or communication. If you use to being picked up and comforted every time that you start crying, then you can grow to think that crying is how you get attention; God really does not want a bunch of crybabies for children, but He does want us to be dependent upon Him just as a child is dependent upon it's parent for comfort and security. The horrible pit and the miry clay are still there, don't you know? The thing is, is that He has brought us up out of them, lifting us up and placing our feet upon the Rock of Jesus Christ, on which we stand, and must keep on standing; otherwise, we could end up back in that pit of miry clay, and we could begin to wonder what it was that we were delivered from. Really, it is not just every day that we must determine in our hearts to stand upon that Rock, but every waking hour; even every moment of every breath we take, is another breath we take for God and by God; if we could just hold onto that thought and never let go, oh how our lives would be so much better... "He hath made the earth by His power, He hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by His understanding. When He uttereth His voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth: He maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of His treasures. Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. They are vanity, the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish. The Portion of Jacob is not like them; for He is the former of all things: and Israel is the rod of His inheritance: the LORD of hosts is His name." (Jeremiah 51:15-19)

"God is Better"

"He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings." (Psalms 40:2) "Better is one day in Your house, then thousands else where!" (Psalms 84:10) Isn't that the truth? Yet, don't we know that we are the temple of the Living God? I can tell the difference between the days when I am walking in the Spirit and those days when I am walking in the flesh; and let me tell you, there is nothing better than being comforted by the Comforter; the peace that is felt in my life when I am being blessed by the Best. The days in which I walk in the flesh, they end up being dreary; more than that, they usually end in me being terribly sorry for having offended someone, mainly Jesus Christ, but also someone else that might have looked to me for spiritual guidance; you can only do that so many times, and then you are not credible anymore as a leader. I think the Lord has put this heavy on my heart today; not even sure that it has anything to do with this verse; but as men, those of us that are husbands and fathers need to stay credible as the spiritual leader of our households, which requires that we stop having days in which we live in the flesh! I find that those days in which I give into my flesh, it is usually because I found something to do that I thought was better than God, if not for the moment; and even though I could hear the Holy Spirit say don't, my flesh overruled the Spirit, thereby causing the Spirit's comfort to be removed from me, and I was stuck being comforted by what the flesh desired; which really does not last very long at all. Okay, maybe I lied! Now that I think of it, those days are like a horrible pit and miry clay, like saying, What have I done? or What have I gotten myself into? My mom use to say, You dug your grave, now get yourself out of it. But that's the thing, we can't get ourselves out of it, He must bring us out of it! He brings us up out of the horrible pit, out of the miry clay (which is actually worse than trying to walk in three feet of water that is rushing towards you); but He sits our feet upon the Rock, which is our Foundation, the Lord Jesus Christ; and He establishes our goings by the Holy Spirit that directs our lives. All of which is based upon that choice of walking in the Spirit, or walking in the flesh; every day, we must make that choice; every day, we must determine in our hearts to stand upon the Rock and to be led by God... "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what accord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the Living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." (2 Corinthians 6:14-18) 

"God is Bigger"

"I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry." (Psalms 40:1) I don't care how big you might think that your problem might be, God is bigger than your problem; so where else are you going to go, but to God? "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5) We must remember that God is bigger than anything that might come against us, and that there is nothing too big that God cannot handle; but what gets us in such a state of worry, is that we seem to always try and figure out what He should be doing, or how He should be getting it done; while all along, God has bigger plans that are being worked out all around us and in us. Waiting patiently on God is a gift, just as much as it is a condition of our trust in Him; the reason I say that it is a gift, is because we are gifted with the gift of patience the more that we pour our hearts out unto God: the more we draw closer to God, the closer He draws us into His love, and the more we experience His greatness, (Song of Songs 1:4). Besides, it's really not a matter of if God will deliver us from whatever it is that we are going through, it is really a matter of when; because He will either remove the problem, or He will replace it with His presence; either way, He must be praised for the outcome that is going to happen, which we demonstrate by waiting patiently on the God that not only loves us, but only wants the very best for our lives. Do you believe that? If so, then that second part of this verse speaks of us knowing and believing that He has heard our cry, and that He has considered what is the worry of our heart. In this we might truly know that He will comfort us in what ever it is that we are going through, for He is our Comforter... "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (John 14:26)

"A Song of Deliverance"

PSALM 40 [To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.] No matter what you might think about that last Psalm, whether or not it inspired hope, you can bet your life that God has delivered you from the pit of hell; therefore, here we are with this wonderful Psalm of deliverance, as the title reads above it in my Bible. Actually, this is another Psalm that has two parts, as there is another title written above verse twelve that says, "A Prayer for Help"; it seems that no matter what condition that we are in, or where we are in our relationship with God, we will always be dependent upon God; and so it should be with our hearts and minds, because we should never think that we have arrived until we are actually standing in His presence. I like the fact that this moves from hope to deliverance, because it is the fact that we have been delivered from all sin and death that we have our hope in the first place, so in this we are being assured the more. I just can not hear or read it enough that "Blessed Assurance Is Mine", especially in these wicked days that we are living in. If I didn't know any better, I would think that everyone was on drugs the way those that are in charge of things are changing the culture in which we live; but it is a thing called power that has grabbed hold of their very souls; so much so, that they do not believe they are accountable to anyone else but themselves. Do not be mistaken, God is still on the throne, and He is still in control; this world might be spinning out of control, but it cannot spin out of His hands, and all will be judged for their wickedness. I would like to liken this Psalm to Daniel chapter three, which is the story of "The Fiery Furnace" and "Shadrach, Messhach, and Abednego"; it has all of the elements of how power corrupts, the power of God, and how we are to take the side that is more powerful, no matter what way things may appear... "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." (Daniel 3:16-18)

"Hope For Today" -2

"O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more." (Psalms 39:13) Obviously there is still something that God has to do in you, for once He starts a work in us, He will finish it; but if you really stop and think about it, He has been working His plan out in you since before you existed. We just have no idea just how involved God is in setting the stage for our entering the world, but we can see how much He had His hand upon us since the time that we were born; everything that He allowed to happen, He allowed it knowing what we would become. Don't think God can not do something with your life, because He creates beauty from ashes, and can give life to dead bones; He can even make a jackass speak plainly, He can surely use any of us that make ourselves available for Him to use. Availability is not something I seemingly have an abundance of, but then again, it is most likely the same for most of you; it just requires a little thing call priority in your schedule, as to whether or not you make time for the Lord. It is a lot like tithing, where you really can't see where the money will come from, but once you are faithful, you always seem to make it through, and sometimes can't believe where the money comes from. If we are faithful in the little things, then God will bless us in the bigger things, which includes time; time that we spend serving Him, praising Him, and just being still before Him. Like, Oh, I have a few minutes, I think I will read my Bible, or I think I will say a prayer for that person I just met, or maybe I will go visit someone and see how they are doing. Those are all the little things that we can do that will make the biggest difference in how the bigger portion of our days are successful, however it is that we might count success. Really, the more we are in touch with God's will for our lives, even what might appear to be ruin or catastrophe could in fact be that which God is using for our success, as odd as that might appear to look; because God takes the foolish things of this world to astound the wise, and He is made to be strong in our weakness. The thing that we must truly come to terms with, is that we are weak, and that we must rely on Him for every single part of our lives; whether it be loving our spouses, raising our children, providing food for our families, or even being faithful in those little things; our attitude must be one that begs God to guide us, not just saying, Lord, I can't do this without you, but saying, Lord, I do not want to do anything without you; because He really does want us to give Him all of our life... "And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto Him, Lord, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head. And He said to another, Follow Me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow Thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home in my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:57-62)

"Hope For Today"

"O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more." (Psalms 39:13) Besides there being hope for tomorrow, we have a job to do now in the midst of whatever it is that we might be going through, we either are in need of a miracle, or we are someone's need to believe that there is hope; more than likely, it is going to be both of those things at the same time. We can not just be concerned with ourselves, because it is not really about us, it's about Jesus Christ being lifted up in whatever it is that we are going through. Finishing well is so important, because we could have messed up so badly at the start, or even somewhere along the way, but as long as we are still here God can finish that work in us, if we just give Him all that we are. There are so many of us that are hurting inside, and we do not really know what to do about it because we feel ashamed for the lack of joy; but the reason for our hurt is because we have not made it all about Jesus, and have made it about ourselves or someone else. This life is going to bring us death and destruction, there is no way that we can avoid being effected by it, because everyone will face it in one way or another; but what we do before we go from this place matters; and if God has allowed us to go through the fire, then He has done so that He might receive the glory, not that we might be burned up; because He is not a punishing God, but a God of restoration and redemption, and a God that loves us so much more than we even love ourselves, we cannot even imagine what He has in store for our lives, if we would just give Him all of this life, and live it for Him. That is where the real joy comes from, even in the midst of the most horrible trial of our life, and even in the pain and the weeping, there is still joy to be found in Jesus, the One who is waiting for us with open arms. We that have been called of God have a job to do, for we are bought with the blood of Christ, and we are the property of Him the purchased us with His blood; therefore, we no longer live for ourselves, but we live for Him, if we are in Him; and if we are in Him, then He is in us, and our joy is made full in Him; that my dear brothers and sisters is our hope for today... "These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

"Man's Surrender" -2

"Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not Thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with Thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were." (Psalms 39:12) We are surely not going to find peace in this world, because this world has set it's face against God; and because we have joined ourselves unto God, we are strangers here with Him, just passing through until we get to the other side. This is what hope is all about, not that we have obtained, but that there is a glorious place that has been prepared for us; day by day we long for it, and each day He gives us the strength to face another, and another, until that glorious day arrives. Yesterday I heard the desperate cries of a woman in pain who wanted to end her life; she feels so all alone in her pain, and has no hope for tomorrow. When we lose hope that tomorrow will be a better day, then we really can become hopeless, and the fear and the pain of whatever it is that we are going through can seem overwhelming, becoming the focus of our attention, and the draining of all of our ambitions and strength. That dear sister needs to be smothered in love, so that the love will drown out that pain she is going through; that is what John was saying about love being made perfect, in that love that is perfect will cast out all fear. We must learn to surrender to the love of God, no matter what it is that we are going through, because there is nothing greater than His love; the more we surrender to His love, the more we love Him; and the more that we love Him, the more we can love each other. All that this world can offer those of us in pain is a pill; but God, He has healing in His wings; just a breath from God, and all is changed; just a wink of His eye, and we will be in His presence bowing at His feet. Do I believe that God is going to heal my wife? You bet I do; I am positive that He is going to give her a new glorious body; one that will be free from all sickness and pain. In the meantime, she is still going to be cared for just as if God should heal her now, because nothing is impossible with God; absolutely nothing... "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him." (1 John 5:13-15)

"Man's Surrender"

"Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not Thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with Thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were." (Psalms 39:12) Our God is so mighty, we have no idea just how big and powerful that our God really is; but the Bible tries to get that point across to us in the beginning, as the description of creation points out how He created the heavens and the earth. How can we even imagine to know a God of such magnitude? and yet, He has given us this love letter to express who He is, and to tell us how much He loves us. We must come to the understanding of who we are in this world, who we are in Christ, and what is our standing with the Father; without doing so, we are bound to be pushed down by a fall, our own frustration, or even possibly an accusation; as it says in Romans 8:31, "If God be for us, who can be against us?", absolutely no one! We will one day see Him face to face, but until that day comes, we must strive forward, never doubting, and always anticipating that He is doing a work in our lives. It is impossible to rejoice in the wake of something tragic, but we are to count it all joy, knowing that God has His hand upon our lives, and He is not letting go; and if we need to cry, He will comfort us with His peace, as the loving Father that He is. There are some days that I feel I can not take another day; as I care for my wife, wondering how long Lord must this go on? how long Lord must she suffer this condition? Not long, is His answer, Not long at all. Much the same as our journey is here on this earth; we are here today, and gone tomorrow; like a flash it will seem, so we must make every moment count for what tomorrow will bring. Just keep loving... "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgement: because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love caseth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love Him, because He first loved us." (1 John 4:17-19)

"Man's Vanity"

"When Thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, Thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Selah." (Psalms 39:11) "Surely every man is vanity"; what a concept! It's all about me, so the man thinks; that is until it is about his iniquity, then he wants nothing to do with himself. All that we are, and everything that we own is so short lived, yet we pour so much of our lives into that which fades away; surely there is no hope in this world or in the flesh, yet we continue to hold onto that which is fading quickly away, as if to squeeze every last once of pleasure out of it. It is surely a pity when we live for riches and beauty, because they are so temporal, and we are never satisfied by either one of them; yet we all have a certain character that wants something more or something better; just as Eve, when she saw that the fruit was good to eat, pleasant to the eye, and desired to make one wise, took and did eat of it, thinking that it would be good for her and her husband; when in reality, it was the worse thing that she could have done. We only have a short time here and all that we do to please ourselves is consumed almost instantly, almost before we can actually enjoy whatever it is, it is fading away or gone all together. But God, He does not change; God is the only thing that we can put our trust in; He is our only hope for real security and comfort; He is our All in All, and there is nothing that compares to the riches and beauty that are found in Him, right here, and right now... "O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things in the life of my spirit: so wilt Thou recover me, and make me to live. Behold, for peace I had great bitterness; but Thou hast in love to my soul delivered me from the pit of corruption: for Thou hast cast all my sins behind Thy back. For the grave cannot praise Thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known Thy truth." (Isaiah 38:16-18)

"God's Wrath"

"Remove Thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of Thine hand." (Psalms 39:10) On the flip side of God being for us, as if that should be the case, if we are being chastised by God, then our only hope we have of relief is with God; no one else, or nothing else will be able to remove His wrath from us, only He alone can stay His mighty hand. And yet, His wrath against His children is actually one of the safest places that we can be found; for His wrath against those that are His, is more against the sin than it is against His children. Unconditional love does not question if we are worthy of His love, He has chosen to love us no matter what; so now, that choice is up to us, whether or not we are going to accept His love for us; and when we make that choice to accept His love, then He will do whatever it takes to assure that we remain His children; even if that might mean a spanking to get us back in line with His will. Here is a quote worth writing down, which is by Joni Eareckson Tada: "Sometimes God allows what He hates to accomplish what He loves." God hates to see His children suffer, but He will allow them to suffer if that means that His grace will be revealed in their suffering. If you doubt that this is true, then you only need to look at the cross of Christ to see your answer; for God loved us so much, that He allowed His only begotten Son to suffer and die upon that cross, that we might be saved. Don't think that God did not hate to see His Son beaten and tormented as He was, because it was something that broke His heart; but He allowed that which He hated to see happen, in order that He might save the world which He loved. So, what is a little chastisement on one of His children compared to what Christ has done? We deserve to be punished, yet Jesus did nothing deserving of the punishment He received; and yet, it pleased the Father to allow it to happen, because the result was going to bring the forgiveness of sin to the whole world, by the death of One. The word "wrath" means strong, stern or fierce anger, deeply resentful indignation, vengeance or punishment; of which God has against sin, but not the sinner: for the sinner He came and died for, but the sin He consumed with all that He could. His wrath is surely the safest place for us to be... "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper on his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured our his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." (Isaiah 53:10-12)

"God's Way"

"I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because Thou didst it." (Psalms 39:9) So what should we think? "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) We really do not have anything else to say; nor do we have any complaints; nor should we, because God has everything under control; nothing happens by chance, it is all God's handiwork. Do you think God was not knowing that man would sin? or that He placed that tree in the Garden only to test man? Revelations 13:8 says, "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." It was His plan from the very beginning to die for our sins; even before He created the heavens and the earth, He had determined what He must do for us. That is hard for me to grasp onto, because He loved us that much; enough to take the time to not only form man from the dust, but then breath into his nostrils the breath of life; all the while, knowing in His heart that He would soon suffer and die on a cross for that which He was creating. So what do we say to that? There really is nothing that can be said, except, "To God Be The Glory!" We cannot really take the credit for anything anyways, because He knew from the beginning that we were not capable of remaining free from sin; it was the cost of love, and He knew it when He gave man free will; not because He wanted man to do whatever he wanted, but that He wanted man to choose to love Him, by choice. That is why Jesus wore that crown of thorns upon His head, because He owned that curse given to Adam after the fall; it was His curse to bear, and it was part of His plan all along... "Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off." (Isaiah 55:13)

"Hope to Cope"

"Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not the reproach of the foolish." (Psalms 39:8) Do not think that there is no repercussion for our sin, because the Bible clearly says, "for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap". (Galatians 6:7) On the bright side, what ever those repercussions might be, they end here, as long as we have been forgiven of our sins and have repented; all the carnage will be left here, to be burnt up with everything else. As a matter of fact, I don't think that it will be something on our minds once we are with the Lord in heaven, because it says in Revelation 21:4, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." What that means for those that have sinned so bad that they can't stop weeping over what they have done, is that there is hope that one day God will wipe that sin from their mind, just as He wipes it from His own. God will surely deliver us from all of our transgressions; as John says in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"; but that does not mean we shall not suffer from the consequences of our sin, whether they might be big or small, all sin has consequence, and all sin leaves a mark on this earth. The fullness of what that mark might be, we really will never know, but God knows; if He knows every hair on our head, then He can also know every domino that has been knocked down because of our sins, and the chain of events to evolve from our transgressions. It's the "reproach of the foolish" that we must concern our selves with, for they are those that do not understand God's mercy, nor do they understand forgiveness; they mock that God could even consider forgiving us for what we have done, yet they do not consider themselves as a sinner. Sin is sin, no matter how we slice it; all sin is the same in God's eye; it all has the same root, and it all has been purchased by the blood of Christ; therefore, it has all been dealt with the same, and that gives us the right to rejoice in our deliverance, and to share God's forgiveness... "Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make desolate cities to be inhabited." (Isaiah 54:1-3)

"Knowing Hope"

"And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in Thee." (Psalms 39:7) When it comes to receiving an answer from God on anything that we are praying for, especially something that appears hopeless, our greatest way to know God is listening to our pray is to give everything to Him, including that which we are praying for. In other words, we must not make that which we are praying for the condition of our answer, but just trust He has heard our prayer, and then know that He loves us. As easy as that might sound, it requires us giving up on what we want, and accepting what ever it is that God wants for us; something that might be hard for some people to actually accept in their heart, but it is the heart that needs to be resting in God perfect will. The heart of the matter, is our heart; and if something is the matter with our ability to put all of our trust in God, then that something is the heart, is what is the matter. I just want to be closer to You Lord! That is what my heart should be saying, not trying to guess what He might do or not do, or trying to judge why it is that He is doing or not doing something; but just to know that He loves me, He hears me, and that He only wants the very best thing for my life; regardless of what it might appear, or regardless of nothing appearing at all, because hope is not about any of these things which are given or taken, but about our life in Christ. Some things just need to be placed in the Lord's hands, and then taken off the "I Need This To Happen" list, so that we can begin to focus on loving God; it is really hard to focus on loving God, if our real focus is on whether or not He loves us... "Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy Maker is thine Husband; the LORD of hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall He be called. For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer." (Isaiah 54:4-8)

"Give and Take"

"Surely every man walketh in a vain show: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them." (Psalms 39:6) Part of me wants to enjoy all that this world has to offer, and part of me wants nothing to do with any of it; after all, there are some good things to be said for the lap of luxury, but it comes with a price; unfortunately, that price can sometimes be more than we can pay in this life. In Luke 9:62, Jesus is speaking about God's kingdom being first in our lives, and sums it up by saying that it must be first, saying, "No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God". It is more a matter of where our heart belongs to, and what matters more to us, this life in which we are to die to, or that which we are to plow ahead into; because there are so many things to focus on as we are plowing ahead, just as there are for a farmer to plow his rows straight and uniform. There is a reason for the lines to be straight and uniform, besides that they look good, they also function well for getting sunlight and irrigation throughout the entire crop; just as we must focus upon every area of our lives, that we do not fail in any category, but that in all things we are well equip to stand. There are so many things in this life that can grab our attention; some of them can grab too much of our attention, so much so, that we can neglect other parts of our lives, including those that attain to our walk and our abiding in the Lord. As I was driving to church the other morning, I saw a black Jeep coming off the freeway, which had written across the top of it's windshield, "Go Prepared", in big bold letters. The way that we prepare for heaven is by sowing in the things towards heaven; whether that be in the giving of our time and resources, or the taking back those things that have been stolen from the enemy; either way, we are storing up treasure in heaven, and we are gaining treasure that will survive being tested in the fire; because all that is done for this life will surely burn up, but all that is done for heaven will last forever... "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (as it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God." (2 Corinthians 9:6-11)

"Short and Sweet"

"Behold, Thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before Thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah." (Psalms 39:5) Surely God has numbered our days, and He has measured out every moment that we have in this life; if we could only see the scale that shows the results of our actions, we would be amazed how much time we spend on ourselves. If we would just spend half our lives on others, what spectacular world this would be. If you think about how much time we spend on our own cares and concerns, verses that which we give to others, it really hardly compares; for myself, I have an obligation to care for my wife, and even then, I still somehow find the time to care for myself. When we take the time to consider how short this life really is, it truly is like counting with our fingers; there is no need to break out a calculator, because by the time you know it, it's too late to count the days; days become weeks, weeks become months, months become years, and years become decades; so really, we are only going to be counting decades when it's all said and done; so how many fingers do you have? Compared to God, these few decades are nothing at all; just a blink of an eye in God's perspective; yet He cares for our life here anyway, as He takes time to guide us, save us, and strengthen us in His love. Oh, how He loves us... "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." (Isaiah 55:1-3)

"Burnin' Out"

"LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am." (Psalms 39:4) When it comes to knowing anything about this life, I am not quite sure I would want to know when I should die; I am already feeling as though the end of this journey is on it's way, I don't need to start counting the days that I have left. But in truth, wouldn't it be kind of interesting to know the year or maybe the month? Then you could at least get your house in order and prepare a little better for your journey to stand before the Lord; say like, do all the witnessing that you can those last few months of your life, and abstain from all things that do not glorify God for those last few months of your life; and of utmost importance, make sure that you have no unconfessed sins and that you are totally covered in the blood of Jesus Christ. All of those things would be good for when it's time to go, but we don't know the time of our departure, just like we don't know the time of Jesus' return; we are to be ready at all times, because it could happen at any time. However, I am not quite sure that David is speaking about actually knowing the day of his death, as much as he is speaking about knowing the frailty of this life; kind of like that old rock song, "Don't you know that you are a shooting star, Don't you know?" Because in relation to the number of our days, compared to the end of our days, this is just a flash of light across the sky; just a blip on the radar screen in comparison to our life after this life. This is to be our main concern for eternity, what must I do to prepare for heaven, not how much longer do I have to enjoy life in this world. Our days here are numbered, and in comparison to eternity with God, these days are a puff of smoke; here today, and gone tomorrow; so frail, and so quick to fade; all that we can do is to keep our eyes on the prize of heaven, and not worry about what happens here. I think it is more like David is saying, Lord, just keep me in the right frame of mind, so as I do not forget how short my days are here, and forget to remember about heaven. That can actually happen in our lives, so we must keep on guard; the cares of this life, especially when everything is going really well, and we are having so much fun, can cause us to take our focus off of heaven by getting caught up in the things of this world; just where the devil wants us to be... "Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up." (James 4:5-10)  

"Burnin' Love"

"My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue," (Psalms 39:3) There is nothing better than meditating upon the goodness of God; to just sit here and think about how much he loves me, I can only remain silent for so long, and then I need to say something to express my gratitude, and to release some of this fire that is burning inside. Whether or not this is what David was speaking of is between him and God, but based upon the next verse, he appears to me more concerned about himself than giving praise to God. On the other hand, I believe that David really was a good example of Jesus Christ in so many ways; not that he was without sin, but more along the lines of his relationship with God and his kingdom. As I was thinking about this, I was reminded of Isaiah 55:3 & 4, as God is speaking about "the sure mercies of David", and how the beginning of verse 3 God says, "Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live". The thing is, is that we must come to God; and it really does not matter how we come to Him, whether we are clean or dirty, because we can never be as clean as He is; but what matters is that we come to Him expecting to hear from Him, because He is Life. What we are living in here on this earth, although there are beautiful things to enjoy, this life is full of death and decay, which is really not life, but death; we start entering into death from the time that we are born, (and some do not even make it that far), so the life that God is speaking of is not this life that we are living; but I am sure every one of you knew that, right? Which is where I believe that David is going with these next few verses, because he appears to be challenging the vain side of thinking by taking the wrong side of the issue. However, now that I think of it, God has done something very similar, in that He provided His flesh to take on the spiritual issue of mankind; something that could not have been done any other way, and that was the most powerful demonstration of love that could ever be given. Do not ever think that God does not love you; and if that thought ever crosses your mind, just think about that cross... "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him: rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." (Colossians 2:6-9)

"Silence Is Golden"

"I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred." (Psalms 39:2) It is really hard to argue with a man that is not speaking, and it is really hard to interrupt him if there are no words coming out of his mouth; but the point keeping quiet, has more to do with our own treasure to our words, such as, once the word is spoken, it is then every one's to share; if that makes any sense at all. But truthfully, how often have we held something within us, even something that is of good report, and it's value seems more holding onto then if we should let it go? It is like that special present wrapped beneath the Christmas Tree; the biggest reason that it is special, is that it is a mystery and leave one to wonder; once it has been opened, it is just another gift. That is just one more example of what hope has for those that hold onto it: "for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?" (Romans 8:24); because what we do not see is far more valuable to us then what we do see; and what we see, does no even compare with that which is to come. The part that makes this interesting, is the part about, "and my sorrow was stirred"; it has more to do with bringing out hidden feelings, such as fear of death, or illness, than it does with feeling sorrow; much like if you are dwelling on something challenging for you on the horizon, and then you begin imagining all that could go wrong; like something that is feared the most among so many people, which is the fear of speaking to a large crowd of people; what if I freeze? what if I make a fool of myself? what if I pass out? They say, that if you imagine the crowd is naked, then it makes it easier to speak; however, if you giving a sermon in church, then it is probably not a good idea to start imagining anyone is naked. On the other hand, I like to count myself as unworthy when giving the message, because I want God to speak, not me; then it is more about me just being available to be used, so that I can see what God might do; that way I really don't have to worry about what might happen, because that is up to God. However, if we are looking at this another way, then we could say that "my sorrow was stirred" has more to do about us realizing how close we are to death, and how far we are from holiness; which needs to bring us back before the cross, as we rely totally upon the grace of God, and not upon ourselves. That just makes me speechless... "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." (Philippians 3:8-11)

"Words Do Matter"

"I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me." (Psalms 39:1) I do not know how many times that I have broken a promise, the number of which is more than I can count; but I do know that God does not break His promises, because His word matters very much to who He is. Upon what occasion David has written this Psalm, it seems that we do not know; except to know that he was troubled, both in spirit and in his heart, and that he was taking time to consider the frailness of life, and the weakness of this present tent that we dwell within. There are some things we have control over, and there are some things we obviously do not; whether or not we praise God is one of those things that we can control, provided we keep our minds set on Him; if we have our minds set upon this present life, then we might not find praise at the top of our list; instead we will be filled with complaints and words that do not edify our hope in God. We can always talk a good sermon, but do we always walk out that which we talk? Sometimes living out the hope that is within us is hindered by the lack of praise in our lives. Maybe this was a period in David's life where he lacked giving praise to the Lord; a time of focusing on himself more than on the goodness of God. We can all have those times, some more than others, but all of us are capable of vanity and putting a little too much importance in me, myself, and I. I hear people say, "Praise the Lord", while dealing with certain unfavorable situations, as if it were God that had brought on that situation; but that is really not praising Him in those bad situations, it is only like saying, I hope this turns out alright for me, or I trust God has His hand on this situation; both of which are thinking first and foremost of ourselves, and not actually considering that God needs to be praised whether times are good or times are bad; because most of the people I know, as soon as they say, "Praise the Lord", they instantly start working on a way to get out of whatever situation they are in, even at the expense of giving God the glory in their situation or circumstance. If we notice something interesting about the second part of this verse, there is mention about the wicked being before him; not that David hung out with the wicked or anything like that, but there were wicked people that came into his presence; and what we say before the wicked can surely be used against us if we are not careful with our words. Some people talk differently around their fellow believers then they do in front of nonbelievers; it all goes back to vanity... "My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell." (James 3:1-6)

"Hope"

Psalms 39: [To the chief Musician, even to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David.] Do not ever lose hope! That is what "keeping the faith" is all about; we must never give in to the deceit of the enemy, who is always trying to rob us of the hope that is within us. Just as Paul said in those few verses of Romans 8, we must patiently wait for that which we do not see, for hope keeps longing for deliverance from this present condition into a new glorious condition that is going to be so worth waiting for. If we look at the introduction to this Psalm, David uses the name of "Jeduthun", who was the chief over the choir when David set up those who should minister around the ark of the covenant, after David had brought it back into Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 16:37-43). The name Jeduthun actually means 'praising', which is something that we need to do constantly for God, and is what was set up around the ark of the covenant, for there to be perpetual temple choirs, that should never end praising God. This name is mentioned in the introduction of two other Psalms, 62 and 77; one which was written by David, the other by Asaph; both Psalms speak of waiting upon the Lord and not focusing upon your current situation, but keeping you eyes focused upon Him and His goodness. And yes, the title above Psalm 39 in my Bible simply says "Hope"; that is it, just the word hope and nothing more. Hope is that which takes us through to the other side; for it is hope that keeps us from giving up, and gives us better tomorrow's, even in the darkest of today's. And guess what we need to do when we feel that there is no hope; that is when we need to praise God like never before... "The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for His mercy endureth for ever: and of them that bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD." (Jeremiah 33:11)

"Salvation"

"Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation." (Psalms 38:22) Have you ever prayed for something to pass, only to get further discomfort? There is really only so much pain that this human body can take, and then it starts to ignore the pain and focus on something else. If we want something spectacular to focus upon, then let it be the salvation that awaits this broken vessel, and the glory that is to come, for all eternity! I always say, there is only so much that can happen to me here, my soul is secure in Christ; in other words, they can do whatever they want to destroy me, but they can't take my soul. Actually, the quickest thing that God can do to help us in any situation is to quicken us with His Spirit; not that have not been made alive already by His Spirit the moment we were born again, but that He might revive His Spirit within us in the time of our greatest need. Sometimes we just need to have a little change of direction to the way that we see things, and then all of our worries are totally gone; and the majority of our pain is associated with worry, which weakens our strength and endurance. The greatest asset that we have is our salvation, and there is nothing that can compare to being saved from death; "O death, where is thy sting?" is our's to keep, because the death of this body only brings life unending. We really do need to get busy sharing this gift with everyone that we know, because time is running out, and we need to share the hope that is within us... "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope; for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:22-28)

"Adoption"

"Forsake me not, O LORD: O my God, be not far from me." (Psalms 38:21) A man in pain prays, because he knows to whom he belongs, and he knows that his Father will answer. There is really nothing that is more satisfying to a persons soul, than to cry out to our Heavenly Father, and to truly believe that He hears our petitions; it is not even a question of if He will answer, because we know that He is just; combined with the fact that He loves us unconditionally, the fact that He is just gives us comfort to just rest in His love, whatever His answer might be. I am patiently waiting for God to heal my wife, but in the meantime, I am also taking every opportunity that I have to love her unconditionally; whether He heals her or not, she is still here, and she still needs my love. For all that I know, she could outlive me; although I pray that she does not, because I do not believe anyone else will care for her the way that I do; but God is in control of such matters, I must just concern myself with doing my best with every day that He gives me. It is hard sometimes to understand what unconditional love feels like, because it is hardly lived out in the way that we love one another; but to truly feel the way that God loves us unconditionally, we must not focus on who we are, but who He is, as the Father that has adopted us into His arms, for ever and ever. How often have we seen that written, or even written it ourselves, without even understanding what it actually means? To say, I love you for ever, to anyone, is not even something that we can actually fulfill in this lifetime; but God, He is able to make it happen; He is able to fulfill His promise to love us for ever and ever, all the way to the very end. We really do not need Him to answer us, because He has said enough already in that He sent His Son to die for us; in this, we can take our refuge, because there is no greater demonstration of His love; and if it is words that we want to hear, then He has already given His Word, and now we need to rest in Him, unconditionally... "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together." (Romans 8:15-17)

"Mediation"

"They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is." (Psalms 38:20) As Jesus said that it would be like in the time of Noah, so shall these last days be that are upon us; yet, for the sake of the elect, these days will be shortened, because unless they were shortened, there would be none that should be saved. (Matthew 24) Understanding the times that we are living in could not be any easier than it is right now, for the majority of our children are being led by a system that denies God, and that confuses good with evil, and evil for good; is it any wonder that so many of our churches are taking on new standards and practices that go against God's laws, because His law is being replaced by the law of the land. It breaks my heart to see those little hearts being turned from God, because unless their parents are fully committed to the Lord, then they are going to believe the lie over the truth, because the truth is really not being displayed in their homes. With all that is going wrong, there is still hope for those that might otherwise be lost, and it is called fervent prayer for those that are trapped in darkness, that God would reveal Himself to them, and that their hearts would be softened. It is God that must change a person's heart; it is God that must reveal Himself to them, by the power of His Holy Spirit; only then will they see what is Truth, and see their need for Jesus Christ is not based upon what they know about being a Christian, but is based upon their need for salvation. Once I understood the truth, then all the deception became apparent, and so it will be in their lives; but we need to pray for our children, because the battle is spiritual, not physical. All that said, when it comes to our own stumbling and falling short of being perfect, we have an adversary that would like to use those things against us; either by our own guilt, or being seen guilty by others, he will challenge our worthiness to be considered a child of God, and he will lessen our testimony of the gospel of Christ. If we truly are trying to follow after "the thing that Good is", then we are assured mediation before the Father, by none other than our Mediator, Christ Jesus... "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him that hath subjected the same in hope; because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God." (Romans 8:18-21)

"Redemption"

"But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied." (Psalms 38:19) A strange twist to that of being liberated; yet, it comes to reason, the more we give over to God, the more the world is against us. Usually when we think of being redeemed, we think of our Redeemer, and the mighty price that was paid for our iniquities and our deliverance from sin; but the word redemption also can also imply what state we have become in regards to this world, for He has redeemed us from this fallen world, of which we are no longer a part of, but rather a Pilgrim traveling through; and as such, we are in debt to Him, as the One who redeemed us. To put it another way, we could use the word rescued, which is a term a little easier to understand, and one that better describes the transformation that He has made upon our lives. When David is speaking about how his "enemies are lively", he is making the point that they do not just lay around waiting for him to mess up, but that they are vigorous in their hate against him; so much so, that they gather others in their cause to take him out. We are living in some pretty interesting times, because the more evil is pressed against, the more emboldened they become that practice evil, and the louder they become in their protest of being stopped. This is something that we might not have seen sixty or seventy years ago; and it surely is not something that those that practice good are accustomed to do. How often do you see the church out protesting evil? and when they do, they sure are a lot quieter about it, and a lot less threatening. But this world belongs to those that live in darkness, at least for now; and because it belongs to them, they will fight for what is theirs, just as those that lived in the days of Sodom, as they demanded Lot bring out his guests, and chastised him for judging them; and yet, we know what happened to them... "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." (Romans 8:12-14)