"Making It Real"

"I will incline my ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp." (Psalms 49:4) If I really want to understand what God is speaking into my heart, then there are a couple ways for me to begin, the first of which is to listen. That is probably the biggest mistake that we make in the way that we gain any kind of meaningful understanding, in that we hear what is being said, but we really don't listen to what God is telling us to do; instead, we hear what He says, then make our own meaning up about what He said, without taking the time to listen. It is easy to hear, but it is hard to listen. Listening requires complete attention to what is being said, as in, stopping whatever it is that you are doing, and really listening to what is being spoken. Oh, I heard this before, so I don't really need to pay that much attention; besides, I have got this down; my life is good, and I have it all under control. Sadly, that is the whole point of what I said yesterday; we don't have it all under control, and as soon as we think that we do, we are setting ourselves up for a fall. We cannot take our little toys from the toy box and try to use them in the real world, as if anything that we have is of any use to really make a difference. Nothing is real! I cannot believe that we don't understand that! How can we put our trust in anything that has no life within itself? We can't! There is only one Giver of life, and that is Jesus; our riches do not give life; our riches do not contain life, they might maintain some life, but they fall very very short when it comes to providing life; don't take my word for that, just ask any rich person that has a terminal illness. The second biggest mistake that we make in the way that we gain any kind of meaningful understanding, is how we relate what we are told; it is one thing to listen to what we are told to do, it is something totally different to accept it as truth. Nothing is real that is not the truth! I don't care what you hear, or even what you see, if you cannot accept it as the truth, then you will not trust that it is real. A simple way to acknowledge the truth is to turn it back in the form of worship! We were made for worship, and we are designed to worship the God that has made us! You want to make what you think that you understand real, then worship God within your understanding! Acknowledge what you have been given to the Giver of all that you have... "Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. Thou shalt plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall; plant, and shall eat them as common things. For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the LORD our God. For thus saith the LORD; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye and say, O LORD, save Thy people, the remnant of Israel." (Jeremiah 31:4-7)

"The Connection" -2

"My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be understanding." (Psalms 49:3) As I was trying to say, before I so awkwardly interrupted what God was trying to tell me, is that we practice more trusting in riches than we practice trusting in God; we just don't realize that we are doing it, at least not until those riches are cut off, then we feel the result. Go ahead a say it, Speak for yourself! I am doing that, but I am also speaking for most everyone else also; maybe you are okay at this point in time, but I still think that everyone can relate to what is being said. Why is this Psalm even written, if not for us to gain some understanding? The ultimate excuse that we give for everything that we do not know to do right, is that we did not understand the command; yet, that is really a lie, because our hearts knew all along what the right thing to do was, our minds just did not care to understand the concept. Of all the letters to the Churches, Jesus did not charge any with not understanding what to do, but not doing what was right; especially for the Church of Laodicea, which was the church that was dead, because it trusted in itself and did not need anything from God. "Understanding" is not a concept that is learned, it is a way of life that is lived out; nothing that we understand is any good until it is put to use; and nothing that we understand is proven until it is tested. Another way we can look at this, is to relate it to a skill; as with any skill, only the practice of that skill will make anyone skillful; the understanding of that skill really achieves little compared to the practice of actually doing it. The same goes for "wisdom", which is nice to obtain, but it does not do any good if it is not put into practice; it only makes us more accountable for what we know; and let's not even talk about speaking wisdom, because that makes us appear foolish if we do not practice what we preach. Our best excuse before God is that we are weak and in need of a Savior! Our best position to be in before God is in the position of humility and utter desperation! This is where God wants us to come to understanding, in that we understand how much we need Him... "I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayset 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)  

"The Connection"

"My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding." (Psalms 49:3) Hi, my name is Rich, and in case you haven't noticed, if have this thing about sharing what God puts on my heart, each and every morning, without fail! I say that because God has put a message upon my heart this morning about this little distance the exist between our hearts and our minds; although it might appear to be only about a foot or so, it can sometimes seem as though they are miles apart. If you are wondering where I am going today, you might want to have a seat, because today I want God to speak to me! My heart knows what I am meant to do, but my mind always wants to go in a different direction; maybe it's just me, but how is it that the two cannot agree together and stop opposing each other? Let me give you a sample of what I am talking about, and use worry as the main point in the discussion; and let's say I am more than convinced in my heart of hearts that I have no need to worry about anything because God is in control, and because God loves me, and because God provides for all of my needs; this is what is commonly known as faith, as in, I believe in a God that loves me and my heart is sure of that. Somewhere, and I am not sure where, there is this thing within my mind that wants to see results before they even happen; in other words, my mind wants to have my complete path laid out before me, and wants to be at rest with knowing the plan, and that the plan is well thought out. Then in steps God! You know what I mean? The same God that loves me, and is in control of my life, and wants to provide for my every need, He steps in and says two words that totally dissolve all of my results that are played out in my mind, He says, Trust Me! Oh, I do; I know that I do; I believe that I do; but there is a part of me that is scared and wants to see what happens next; that just wants to know what might be waiting around the corner; that wants to prepare. That, my dear brother and sister, is the heart of trusting in riches; it is that kind of trust which is foolishness because it is putting trust in what we see before us based upon what we think we are capable of achieving with what we have been given. And the really funny thing is, it is all from God; yet He gives it, and He can also take it away; so why are we focused on any of that? Why would I want to hold onto anything that is not mine to hold onto? Come on, really!!!
"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city." (Hebrews 11:13-16)

"Trusting Riches Is Foolish"

Psalms 49: [To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.] "Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world: both low and high, rich and poor, together." (verses 1-2) Before you can actually share something earnestly with others, you need to have learned it for yourself. How can a man that is poor share with a rich man the foolishness of trusting in riches? How can a man of low esteem share with someone of great power the foolishness of trusting in his stature? It is relatively a simple matter of places that your heart has dwelt, not necessarily the road in which you have traveled, but where or what you have yearned for in your heart. This is such an important matter, that it is placed after such a spiritual Psalm as 48, must go to show us how important of a matter it really is; it is the ruin of many great men, and it has destroyed many great ministries. Think about this very hard, because we all are inclined to fall into this same trap; and it really does not matter who you are or what you have, but more about what you've got and what you want; or better yet, what has got you, even if you have not gotten it yet! And why would this follow after several very uplifting and promising Psalms about God's protection and provision and grace? We shall see; but in the meantime, let us clear the air of the smoke of indifference; because we all are the same in the end, the rich and the poor, the low and the high; there really is no difference at the grave between the conditions of our bodies, they are dead, whether they lived rich or poor, in the end, that really does not matter to the man that is placed within the ground. On the other hand, our soul is much a different story! What happens to me after I die is going to matter for longer than what happens to me in this body! I hope we really understand that, because sooner or later we are going to experience it for ourselves. And yes, the title of this Psalm in my Bible says, "Trusting Riches Is Foolish", just in case you were wondering. This Psalm is more a sermon than a song; a sermon filled with parables and points of reason, so as to show us the foolishness of trusting in anything so unstable as wealth; even if you have not obtained wealth, you are still subject to the foolishness of trusting in it, just by your desire to be wealthy... "And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto His disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." (Mark 10:23-27)

"Guiding The Way" -2

"For this God is our God for ever and ever: He will be our guide even unto death." (Psalms 48:14) Actually, if you get right down to it, even the mistakes that we make can be learning tools for the hope we have within us; then again, what is to be considered a mistake? I don't think I want to go down this rabbit hole; but there is nothing that we can do that catches God by surprise, so who's to say that He has not planned for what is ahead before we have actually gotten there? Take David's sin with Bathsheba as an example: David's bloodline was established when, before or after the sin was committed? It was seven years before David sinned that God had promised David "thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee", which was right after David had brought the Holy Chest into Jerusalem. God also told David that his son would build a temple, that son was Solomon, who was his second child from Bathsheba; the first one died. I guess what I am getting at, is that God really does have our back; even when we screw up, He has "set a table before our enemies" takes on a whole new meaning, because the meal is prepared already, the menu is already chosen, because it has been chosen by God, and it is based upon what He already knows. Does this mean we do not have a choice? No, everything we do is about choice; our world is based upon choices made, but God has already established His plans based upon our choices that we are going to make; so chew on that for a while and see if you can figure that out! Anywho; if God is our God, then we have absolutely nothing to worry about! That is what I am going with, and that is my story... "O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee. Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by Me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals of fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 54:11-17)

"Guiding The Way"

"For this God is our God for ever and ever: He will be our guide even unto death." (Psalms 48:14) To be quick about it, Who will guide them? Who will show them where hope is to be found? Not so long ago, I would have not worried so much about it; after all, as long as you put people around them that have the appearance of being good and God fearing, everything should be okay, right? Not quite sure anymore! There are some really strange people out there; some of which have no care for anyone but themselves when it comes right down to it, especially when you push them the wrong way. The word "guide" that is used in this verse is from the word 'nahag', which surely speaks of guiding, but with more of a driving force. You can get a sense of what this means when you consider the three words which follow "guide", as in, "even unto death"; in other words, the guiding force is driven hard, and is unstoppable! That is the thing about knowing the truth, because if you really know the truth, then nothing can stop you from moving forward. When Jesus spoke of "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32), the whole point of His message was about being set free from the dominion of sin, of which includes death, as in "You are going to die!" Not me!!! I will not die, because I have been given everlasting life! That is the unstoppable driving force that I am talking about; it is not just a gentle guiding force, it is hard to push against and is sure; just as the word "make" that Jesus uses, as in, "shall make you free", it is an outside force that causes us to be set free, not of ourselves, but something far greater than ourselves. The road is wide to destruction because there are so many way that lead there; and the road is narrow to eternal life because there is only One Way... "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree; that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might recieve the promise of the Spirit through faith." (Galatians 3:10-14)

"Marked for Eternity" -2

"Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation following." (Psalms 48:13) "Mark" is not quite the same as making a mark, as in to mark something; it is far more important than just leaving a mark, it is about making a mark. What will be your mark? You know what you were called to do, at least you should, then are you? If you are doing what God has called you to do, then you will leave a "mark" that will stand; otherwise, you will leave a stain that will fade, which is another kind of a mark, one which gets trampled over and disappears. Maybe it's not that big of a deal to you, and your main objective is to just make into those Pearly Gates without too much damage; maybe your hair will be smoldering, but at least you made it, right? Wrong! You are not here for you, you are here for others! Within the definition of the word we find things like, "how shall I set thee amongst the children?" or "thou hast put me amongst those who eat at my table"; as odd as they might appear, they speak volumes into what we are called to the most, which is to make disciples of those around us; you know, that great commission, "Go ye into the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). The world really starts at home, in your house! These are the lives that we make the most impressions upon, because they are the ones watching our lives the most. The word "well" could be speaking of something like 'with care' or 'substantially', but I doubt it. I am thinking that it speaks more about 'the heart of the matter', or 'in the midst of things'; in other words, RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE AT is what matters the most! We have a tendency to focus more upon the actual ministry, as in the vocation, and leave the small stuff for someone else... "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much." (Luke 16:10)  

"Marked for Eternity"

"Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that ye may tell it to the generation to follow." (Psalms 48:13) Once upon a time is something out of Fairy Tale stories, this is real and it must be lived that way! This is something that the Lord needs us to get right, because it is totally up to us to pass this torch to the next generation; that is why we are here and have not gone home. The best thing for us would have been to be taken home the moment we were saved, or at least those first few months; but that's not how this works, because we are not just saved for us, we are saved to be salt and light in this world, that others also may come to know their need for a Saviour. The word used for "bulwarks" only appears one time, right here in this verse and it is closely related to that which speaks of power and might, as in to be able, as in able to withstand, as in a fortress. The main meaning that I am getting from this verse has much to do with our testimonies, such as would be the case of established "marks" upon our lives, which are not just stories that are handed down, but a life. How do I get this across without appearing mystical? Imagine this body is a suit of armor, and upon the breastplate of this armor are tales of our victories won in battles; in other words, if you were a archer, then the tale would involve arrows; if you were a blacksmith, the tale would involve a hammer; whatever your tale displays, it involves victory that God has established in your life. "Palaces" are those that were looked at in verse three, "God is known in her palaces for a refuge", which speaks more about the corporate gathering into fortresses, whereas "bulwarks" and more individual. Basically, I guess what I am trying to say (obviously with little success), is that our lives are what make this real: our lives are what people look at for the proof that there is hope, and that there is a God, and that God loves us...
"We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:" (Colossians 1:3-6)

"Changing Direction"

"Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof." (Psalms 48:12) It's really quite simple; if you know and understand that God loves you, then turn to Him and let Him do a work in you! I really don't think He could have made it any simpler, it's really just us that want to complicate things by making everything about process, when it's really just about change, drastic change that happens in an instant! Oh, you doubt me? How fast can you turn and walk the other way? One way you are living for yourself and seeking after the things of the world, yet the opposite direction is to be living for God and seeking after His righteousness; it is really just about choice, as in what direction you will choose to walk in; once you have made the choice to do right, He will rightly guide you and your life will have real purpose, His purpose! Your next question might be, then how do I know the direction to turn to? Simpler even yet: you turn to Jesus!!! I was going to title this post "Go Tell It On The Mountain", but I thought this verse was a little more about a change of heart than just telling something that you think that you know; because before you can honestly tell about God's awesome love, you need to experience His awesome love for yourself; then His love just flows from you, and you can really share His love. What really did it for me were the two "about's"; the first one is about changing direction, while the second one is about fastening together, such as something with a clasp which, returning back to itself, forms a circle. Interesting enough, but that is how God's love works in our life; we can't buy His love and take it on our own; just as we can't live outside of God's love and expect to love. We must abide in His love in order to experience His love and in order to share His love; and when we are abiding in His love, we will tell of His love, it's going to happen, no doubt "about" it... "Therefore, when He had gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God be glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in Himself, and shall straightway glorify Him. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek Me; and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:31-35)

"Lost In Love" -2

"Let mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of Thy judgments." (Psalms 48:11) Sick is more modern of a term than crazy; and what did you expect? I could not see the keys or the Text anymore, so I just had to let it go. When you look up the word 'mishpat', which is the word used here for "judgment", the use is all over the place; yet the way I see it, is there are at least three different directions that this word can go, but all the directions loop into one another. For example, Judgment is the most widely used form of this word in the Hebrew writings, but the next most widely used form is the word Manner and the third most is the word Right; there are about eleven more uses, and twelve miscellaneous uses not even mentioned, but the word "judgment" is used 296 times, compared to the others, which start at 38 and then go down from there. The interesting thing about "judgment" is that it has seven subcategories just for it's meaning, but five more for the root word, all of which relate in one way or another to "way", as in His way, or His ways. Some are hard to figure out; like "right" is not hard, because there is a right way, but "ordinance" is more difficult, yet it is not if you consider that it has been established, and by Who. "Manner" is super easy, because His manner is the way that He does things; but "execution (of judgment)", that is super hard, because now we are getting into something deep; way too deep for a simple post! But here is the thing about God's 'sick' love for us: because He is holy and righteous sin had to be judged, the "execution" of His judgment had to be met; there was no way that justice could be satisfied without an "execution" of judgment! So what do you think God's "manner" of dealing with justice was? Did He not love His Son more than us? You better believe that He did, but He knew that His Son could take it; He knew that the end justified the means, and that there was no other way to fulfill justice for sin and redeem all of us. "Mount Zion" must refer to the church, there is just no other explanation; but how that all plays out, we will see that in the end. The "daughters of Judah" is just another way to exclaim the privileges associated with daughters of royalty, or in this case a place which "by the laws of parallelism denotes the inhabitants of Zion". Which by the way, brings me to the third direction which is "Justice" and "Privilege", both of which speak of "right" in almost opposite directions; but then again, that's all about choice... "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (Matthew 7: 13-14)

"Lost In Love"

"Let mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of Thy judgments." (Psalms 48:11) You should know me by now, the title always comes first, then the message; this one might take awhile! When you are talking about God's "judgments", there are just so many different directions that you could go; are we talking about God judging sin, or are we talking about God's way of doing things? Well, based upon the "gladness" and "rejoicing" that is being spoken of, I would go in the direction of the way that He does things. If we were to be perfectly honest with ourselves, without God's mercy and grace we really do not have a whole lot to rejoice about, not if we know God's judgment of sin, it is not a laughing matter. Jesus did not laugh that night before the cross, He wept; wept is a little weak of a term, He was tormented! Sin was a very serious issue that had to be dealt with, and there was just no other way to do it, no matter how much it was going to hurt. Do you see what I am getting at? God tore sin up! He tore it up with His Son; literally, He tore His Son up to free us from our sins! What kind of craziness is that!!! "Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?" (Isaiah 53:1) That "arm of the LORD" that is being spoken of is His judgment! What that actually is talking about is His judgment of sin which He poured out upon His Son, for you and I; that is the crazy kind of love that I want to be lost in! I never want to find my way out of it! Just so you know, there is a little bit of weeping going on here; okay, maybe more than just a little!
"So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: It shall not return unto Me void, but It shall accomplish that which I please, and It shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent It. For ye shall go out with joy, and be lead forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 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 55:11-13)

"...It's All About Love"

"According to Thy name, O God, so is Thy praise unto the ends of the earth: Thy right hand is full of righteousness." (Psalms 48:10) I mean really, of all the places to be lost, where is the best? God's love! We might not understand this now, mostly because it is way to vast for us in our current form, but we will get it all later, that much I am absolutely sure of. As a matter of fact, I believe the greatest torment for those that will suffer in hell, will not be the flames, but will be the knowledge they will receive of His great love, and that they are missing out on sharing in it. What could have been, that is going to be the greatest torment of all! It might be hard to see that, only because of our current limited sight; but God's love is bigger than we could ever discover in this lifetime. Look at this verse, and notice "name" and "praise" go hand-in-hand, primarily because they both have something very much in common: fame and glory! Looking back to verse two, in regards to the "sides of the north", which were the 'darkened' side of the mountain, meaning the side which is hard to visibly see, "Thy right hand" is speaking to the side of the south, or the side which is visibly displayed. Think of it as if you were to show the greatest honor to someone, then they would be seated on your right; they are seated on your right so as to show anyone who might observe, that they are in the place of the greatest honor; which means that that honor is displayed, not kept in secret or hidden. Now then, how did God display His love for us again? Okay, so you are not convinced yet; then try this on for size! "Thy right hand" also speaks of prosperity or success, victory might be a better word; regardless, that main point is that it shows special honor that is earned. "Righteousness" also speaks of prosperity, especially following after "full"; therefore, the point is made that Who is on the right hand, which is the side of victory, has also the victory within Him; now who could that be? And what did He display?
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whomsoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:14-17)

"Truth Be Told..."

"We have thought of Thy lovingkindness, O God, in the midst of Thy temple." (Psalms 48:9) Since love is the best motivator for us, what are we meant to do? I could maybe try and think of some ritual or act out some type of devotion; maybe even just begin to worship God with song and dance, yes, that might do it; humm. Then again, what would you do if you were to enter into the holy of holies itself? I mean, if you could enter into the very place where Aaron and his sons were only allowed, what do you think that you would do? Very little would be my guess; at the very least, you would do nothing more than you were instructed to do; and I believe a couple of his boys found that out for themselves. But really, it is the same rational for what we are meant to do, we are to think upon His love for us; you want to be motivated by love, then there you go, think about how much God loves you. The basic starting point (and ending point for that matter), is the cross; that cross where Jesus hung and died for you and me is where God proved His love towards us. He has shown us how much He loves us: "As we have heard, so have we seen" is not just a catchy phrase, it is the truth; we have heard of His love, so has He shown us! It really does not get any simpler than that; but we sure do try to make it difficult; which might be what the word 'cult' refers to, in that we have taken something that is meant to be so simple, and made it 'diffi-cult'.... "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain. He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham." (Galatians 3:1-7)

"God Does Not Lie!" -2

"As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it for ever. Selah." (Psalms 48:8) Sad as it may appear, but many more will serve sin or legalism with greater devotion than those that should serve God out of the newness of the Spirit; which reminds me of one of my very first posts: What is a greater motivator, fear or love? Ya but, which one is the best! There is really no one here that has all the answers, but the Holy Bible gives us all that we need to know; it is God's love letter to us, every last bit of it, even those parts that make absolutely no sense towards love; at the root of every trial or every disaster is God's mercy and grace. You see, our biggest problem is that we can't see beyond what we see day in and day out; compound that with the way most of us live our lives, and all you have is fuzzy dots, and life is just a blur; a blurry mess that is spinning out of control. God's love slows it down dramatically! I learned quite a long time ago that it is best to write things down when ever you think of doing something; get it out of your head and put it down on paper, otherwise you waste so much time trying to either think of what you were thinking to do, or tossing thoughts around in your mind. Why do I even bring that up? I was wondering the same thing just as soon as I finished typing my sentence. But you know, God really has given us a mind that creates, since we are made in His image, we have some things in common with our Creator; we may not have what it takes to get it right, but we do have something special. Which brings me to the main difference between fear and love: one is stable and one is very unstable, can you guess which one is which? One is always looking over it's back, while the other is always looking forward, to love. There really is a very big mountain that God has placed before us, and that mountain screams out His love for us, if we would just take the time look and see; after all, God does not lie, and if He has said that He loves us, then He loves us! Of all the items God told Moses to make for the Tabernacle, only one had no measurement given, the Brass Basin which was used for Aaron and his sons to wash their feet and hands. What this Brass Basin represents is the Word of God, which has no end and cannot be contained to a measurement of space. In other words, God has written down His thoughts towards us, but His thoughts towards us are endless. We can never read through His Word and not receive something fresh and that sparks love in our hearts; His great love for us, that knows no bounds...Humm..."The WORD"...
 "This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that His testimony is true. 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 21:24 & 25)

"God Does Not Lie!"

"As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it for ever. Selah." (Psalms 48:8) Some mornings are harder than others, this one is hard! Between Romans 7 and Genesis 15, I believe that God is really speaking something very profound into my heart, and I am trying very hard to listen. Something very interesting about the whole "contract" thing from Genesis 15, which is where God tells Abram to bring all those animals; basically God was telling Abram that it was time to sign a contract. And as was the custom of that time, the pieces of animal parts were spread out upon the ground, and the two parties to a contract would walk among the pieces, repeating their part of the covenant. Interesting enough, when it came time for the signing, only God walked among those pieces in the form of a 'smoking furnace' and a 'burning lamp', while Abram just watched. In other words, Abram did not sign the contract, only God signed it! I hope we get the significant meaning in that! God signed the covenant for both Him and Abram, so the fulfillment of the deal was all up to God! Fast forward to Romans 7, Oh my! What does it actually mean to be released from the law? And why can't we simply walk in that without trying to add something superficial to His grace? Do you think Abram went about saying, "Hey, I just signed a contract with God!" No; he went about saying, "God has promised my descendants this land!" God established and signed that contract all by Himself, all that Abram needed to do was accept it and believe God does not lie! It's really a good thing that Abram did not need to sign that contact, because then the contract would have been flawed. God keeps saying to us, "It's by My grace", and we keep answering, "Ya but"; "Ya but, I have this thing in my life"; "Ya but, I can't seem to just get it right"; "Ya but, I can't see the righteousness that You have accounted to me". I hope you see the point, and how this point lines up with the verse above; if you don't, maybe it's kind of like all of those "Ya but's", which need to be turned into "Yes Lord's", as in, I see Jesus! He has delivered me from this thing; He has made me right with God; and He is my righteousness; now just deal with that, because that is God's covenant with us, and only He has signed it, therefore it is not flawed by our inadequacies... "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye shall be married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of the Spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." (Romans 7:4-6)

"God Is Way Big"

"Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with an east wind." (Psalms 48:7) You know that old school-yard thing, the one where you stand around comparing who's father is bigger and better than who's; well let me tell you something, our Heavenly Father is the best, and He is bigger than you could ever imagine. Sometimes I think we forget just how present God is in our lives, or how impossible it is to do anything without Him knowing. God knows everything that there is to know about us; He knows what we are going to do, way before we even think about doing it; yet He still loves us, even though we do the stupid stuff that we do. If you stop for a moment and think clearly about how powerful and mighty God really is, then maybe you might be convinced to allow Him to take control of your life; and when I mean control, I mean that we yield our lives to what His Spirit says! This verse may not appear to be saying much, but it truly does pack a punch for those that wish to rebel against God. A rebellion requires knowing what you should do or are asked to do, and then doing the opposite of what you are told, or going in the other direction. Okay, let's start backwards, and look at the word "wind", which clearly means spirit, or in this case, God's Spirit, the Holy Spirit. "East" is a word that means 'forwards' or 'the part opposite'; of anything which is vain and at the same time pernicious. There is a word that you don't hear every day, "pernicious", which basically means, having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way. Oh, if only we would listen to what the Spirit says; if only we would just obey, we would save ourselves a whole lot of pain and anguish, and maybe even save some lives in the process. "The ships of Tarshish" speak of large merchant ships, which pretty much speak of world goods, which in turn speak of pleasures, as in vanity trying to be satisfied. When you read James 4:1-10 you can get a sense of what vanity being satisfied really means, because in essence, vanity cannot be satisfied, but always wants more and more. The only way for vanity to be satisfied is by having the desire for fulfillment broken, meaning that we no longer desire to fulfill the lusts of our flesh, because that desire has been replaced with the opposite desire, which is to desire God; for when we desire more of God, then and only then, will we find real satisfaction. Obviously I have somehow drifted somewhere else; but then again, the way of God is ultimately far more exceedingly bigger than the way of this world... "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 4:8-10)

"God Is Big Enough"

"For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together. They saw it, and so they marveled; they were troubled, and hasted away. Fear took hold of upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail." (Psalms 48:4-6) Now this is interesting, besides the fact that I am drawn to do several verses at a time, it's just the way God puts things together; not just in a literal sense, but in a spiritual sense, and for today. Maybe I am getting far too ahead of myself; I have a tendency to do that, because sometimes I have no clue what it is that God is going to say, but the Spirit within me does; which is why we need to spend less time talking and more time listening. Besides the fact that we have mostly no idea what we are talking about, most of us speak before we are told what to say anyway, when God wants us to listen, like that Passage, "Be still, and know that I am God" from Psalms 46:10, sometimes we just need to stop what we are doing and just marvel at God's doing. Today I am honored to deliver the message, which will be Genesis 15; yes, the entire chapter, from verse one, all the way to verse 21 in a single message. At first I thought I would just take a portion of the chapter and teach something on that; but there was nothing there that did not need to be said, because from verse one, all the way to verse 21, everything fit together in one message. The point that struck my heart the most, was God showing Abram what would happen to his descendants. I mean really, if you wanted to help someone with doubt, then why not give them a little history to help them see how things are going to turn out. Not only that, but I truly believe that God gave Abram a love for those children; not just any love, but a sick love; not being able to be with them in their suffering, but knowing what they would be suffering through; yet knowing also, that one day they would be together. The cord that struck the hardest was the fact that God gave Abram a little taste of His heart towards us; His sick love towards all of us, knowing our suffering, and knowing the bondage we suffer under; yet also seeing the outcome of what we shall be in the end. God is big enough to shape our lives, to shake this world, and to cause fear to take hold in the strongest of men; which is why I think its time to pay Him a little respect... "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalms 46:10)

"God Is There!" -2

"God is known in her palaces for a refuge." (Psalms 48:3) "Known": the actual word is 'yada', which is a verb, meaning that it describes an action or occurrence, or even indicates a state of being; not quite the same yada that my mom would use when she wasn't buying my excuse for not doing what I was told to do; then again, maybe it was a close relation, which is why she would say it several times in a row; like saying, "I know what your telling me, but it doesn't quite match your actions or your situation". The word is to perceive, to acquire knowledge, to know, or to be acquainted; and it includes the action of knowing both as commencing, and as completed. Of course the word is far more complex than that, but at it's basic meaning, it incorporates the action which is involved with faith, as in saying, "faith without works is dead" (James 2:26), because you know that a body which does not have a spirit is dead, and you can see that there is no life within it; so too, faith that does not move is faith that has no life, and will take you nowhere. This is what faith looks like, because it knows the completion, therefore it moves in that direction; if it does not move in the direction of the completion, then it has no life, and where there is no life, there is nothing to be acquired by moving forward; it's pretty much like a dead corpse just laying there waiting to decompose and be put to some kind of use in the ground. I find it interesting that David uses the word "palaces" verses sanctuary, because it speaks more to the fact that its a dwelling place more than some place used for shelter to find refuge; in other words, refuge is in the dwelling place. What this speaks into my heart about, is about where God wants me to be, verses where I usually am: God wants to be dwelling in Him constantly, not trying to find a place of refuge every time I am in a jam or have a situation. You would think by now I would "know" by experience the place in which to dwell; but then again, sometimes I think that I can take His refuge with me everywhere I go; not such a good idea, because He wants me to dwell in Him, and in Him alone. Therefore, "home is where the heart is" has a new meaning when it comes to these "palaces" that are for "refuge", because "THERE" is where our hearts need to be... "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?" (Matthew 6:24-30)    

"God Is There!"

"God is known in her palaces for a refuge." (Psalms 48:3) I would like to think that most everyone who claims to know God would understand that He is always there for us, but it is hard to see that sometimes by the way we live out that understanding. Let me put this another way, but with a little less sarcasm: if we truly believed that God was there for us, then maybe we would live out our lives as if He was there for us! Yes, but God surely does not have time for my simple little life; who am I that God should bother with my life, I am nobody. If you are somebody, then you are somebody to God; and He cares about the scrape you got on your knee, the dream the woke you up in the middle of the night, the tear that came to your eye when you felt alone; there is nothing that we experience in this life that God does not know about or care about. I think that hope is more than just something that we look forward to, it is something that is lived out in our lives by the way we react to life, by the way that we plan our lives, and by the way rise up each morning expecting and knowing that God is there for us. Why am I doing this blog every day? Why do I get up at four each morning to force myself to do this each and every day? Personally, I do this expecting God to speak into my heart; and He never fails! What I say may not make any sense to anyone else, but this is really between me and God; a living journal for all to see, that's all this really is, and all that it was meant to be. Sometimes I wonder if I am just obsessed with not missing a single day, but God will not let me stop, at least not yet He hasn't; for every time that I have wanted to step away, He has put something upon my heart that I cannot keep from putting out there for somebody to see. Who ever you are, He loves you and cares so desperately for your life; even if that life might seem as if it stinks, to Him it is a sweet aroma that reminds Him of His Son...   "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (for after after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." (Matthew 6:31-34)  

"God Is Great" -2

"Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion; on the sides of the north, the city of the great King." (Psalms 48:2) Because "Situation" is a noun, it should make us realize something when it comes to the circumstances in our lives, that is of course if you actually believe that your circumstances are ordained by God, then you should know that they are real; no matter how temporary, or how unbelievable, nothing happens in our lives by accident. With that, if you actually truly believe that God has your back, and that God really does concern Himself with your life, then any and every circumstances should be accepted with joy and gladness, knowing that God is working out something good in your life. Of course we do not actually get to see everything that God is doing; there is this "Beautiful Mountain" set before us that makes it impossible to observe what He is doing on the other side; but this "Beautiful Mountain" should tell us that He is doing great things, things which are beyond our imagination or the plans of our minds. Basically the thing that I am trying to say, is that this is real, although very temporary and filled with death and destruction, this place is real enough to make a difference in our eternal existence. Now matter how short lived our lives might appear compared to eternity, this little window matters in each of our lives; we are here for a purpose, and we are being tested in that purpose. It is like that old Indian screen that used to show up on our TV screen halfway through our favorite show, saying, "This is a test", a minor interruption in an otherwise routine experience of life, we are here today and gone tomorrow, but it is not for nothing. This is so unlike what they are teaching our children in school today; we are raising a generation that is without hope; and I know that might sound a little extreme, but it is so very true! We cannot see what is on the other side of anything, but yet if we know that God is there, and that He loves us, then we can always have hope... "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:6-9)

"God Is Great!"

"Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion; on the sides of the north, the city of the great King." (Psalms 48:2) There really isn't much else that you can say, because the greatness of our God far surpasses anything that this world can dish out; as a matter of fact, this is all deteriorating matter, all of it; yet, "God made all things beautiful!" So what should that tell you about how great our God is! It is kind of like a Great Chef, who puts everything that he has into making the perfect dish, even though it will be enjoyed for only a few moments; and even though it is going to end up eventually as waste, while it is going to be enjoyed, he wants it to be beautiful. God's creations are all beautiful, even those that only live for a moment, He puts such detail into even the shortest lived creature that He has made. This word "situation" is from the word 'nowph', which is a word that only appears once in the Hebrew writings, which is here, and it speaks of elevation or height. Compare this thought with that of "on the sides of the north", whereas the thought is of something of a mystery, or the dark side of something which cannot be seen or discovered, or at least not easily found out. In other words, God's reasoning in doing what He does is for His pleasure; much like that Great Chef, who gets such pleasure in making something beautiful and enjoyable, even if it is going to get destroyed and devoured in just a few moments. "The way in which something is placed in relation to its surroundings" is a definition of "situation", which should remind us where God fits into all of this; all of this matter, that really does not matter in comparison to all of eternity, because it will all be gone; yet He has created it all for His glory and for His pleasure. Hats off to the Chef... "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:3-5)

"Zion, God's City- For Real"

"Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness." (Psalms 48:1) Picture, if you will, this great mountain, but not just any mountain, because this mountain contains the glory and the majesty of God Almighty. I know, it is a little corny, and could be almost mystical; but it is not for any sort of journey or transport, it's to define what is real and what is not. I may have lost you I'm sure, but try to stay with me. Many people will walk by faith their whole lives, but as soon as they come face to face with several consecutive trials, maybe only two big ones back to back, and they are done; they have no more trust in God, nor do they want anything else to do with Him. Why is that you might wonder? Could it be because of the image that they have made of God and His dwelling place? When we place God's holiness anywhere else but where it belongs, we can tend to put too much stock in this life and what we do or have, verses the place in which God's glory dwells. It's not fair to assume that people who give up on God are just being stubborn or upset at God over what He has allowed to happen in their life, because it's not really about what has happened to them, it's about what has happened to God in their perspective. God has somehow become "Not Big Enough"; although, their first response might indicate the opposite, in that God is  "Too Big and He is destroying my life"; but in reality, they have left off from the image of God's greatness, as in "God Is Great!" Maybe it's hard to imagine that when you just lost your job, your child, and your home all at the same time; but then again, what is real? If you have ever listened to Chuck Missler, then you know that his view makes heaven more real than this earth, and when he means heaven, it's not the stars above that he is speaking of. What is real is what is in the eternity, and nothing that we look upon here falls into that category, not even the stars in the sky... "As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 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 last trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruption 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 15:48-55)

"Zion, God's City"

Psalms 48: [A Song and Psalm for the sons of Korah.] "Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness." (verse 1) First off, I usually don't do things this way, but I just feel that this completes yesterday's post, and continues the flow towards that direction; because quite honestly, I could have spent several more days being stuck on 46:9; which reminds me, there is a verse 10 out there somewhere, it's just when I found it, I could not understand what language it was in. Again, I am totally convinced that these Psalms are not randomly placed in the order that they are listed; having said that at least a dozen times, I honestly believe that it is so. Not only do I truly believe it, but I am also convinced that Ezra is the one who assembled the Psalms in the order that they are in, but that's something for another day; much like the question of who wrote the book of Hebrews, or whether Jesus ever physically was here before He was born here; personally, I think Luke wrote Hebrews with Paul, while he was with Paul in Rome; and as to whether of not Jesus was here upon this earth prior to His birth, that's absolutely certain! (John 8:56-58) As we left off yesterday, the thought was towards God being greatly exalted as King, and not just any King, but King of the place where His love dwells; which is not just anyplace, but is only found in the love of God, for His love is the only love that is truly unconditional. Just reading this first verse without a pause between it and 46:9, they simply flow together; and usually the last verse will complete and be a summary of the entire Psalm, but verse nine of the last Psalm kind of kept us wanting, as if there should be more to be said. Which brings me to my point about Luke, who was not a Jew, yet he had a heart for the Jewish people; just reading the Gospel of Luke should make you aware that his heart was that they would come to an understanding of who Jesus was, and how important as a nation that they are to God. Luke was with Paul all the way up to the very end, and Paul's heart broke for his people; and Luke, even though he was not born a Jew, was a dedicated child of Abraham; having been grafted into Israel by his faith in Jesus Christ, he was passionate about reaching his new found people with the truth. If you know anything about Luke's writing style and his attention to detail, then you can just imagine him and Paul sitting there as Luke drills Paul for every sort of information, and every detail in the creation and growth of Israel, God's chosen people; with Paul adding to the message as they spelled out together the Hope of Israel... "Now the God of Peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that Great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation: for I have written a letter unto you in few words. Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he comes shortly, I will see you. Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you. Grace be with you all. Amen." (Hebrews 13:20-25)

"Living In Love" -3

"The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: He is greatly exalted." (Psalms 47:9) The more I think about it, the more I think about it; you really can't make this stuff up! If you look at the meaning of "shields", it says, "This word implies a shield of a smaller size and extent than an armed man, used of a thief." In truth, we are really not equip to love the way that God loves; never mind the condition of our hearts, it's the condition of our minds that tend to destroy our abilities to obtain unconditional love. If we could just blank out every negative thought we have towards one another, maybe our hearts would have a chance to taste what God's love feels like, that is if it feels anything at all; which is primarily our biggest problem when it comes to love, because it is more than a feeling, it's a place! As hard as that might be to comprehend, it best describes what unconditional love comes close to, if it could be observed, if it was something to be looked upon, then it would be unmovable; which means that it is not affected by whatever comes it's way, because it does not move; therefore, it tends to change the things which come in contact with it's environment, yet it is not changed by those things, because it goes nowhere, it remains right where it is, no matter what. Therefore, my synopsis of this Psalm is in regards to the place; and since there is a place, then that place needs to have a King; and yes, that King is greatly exalted!
"Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee, because of the LORD thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee. Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 55:4-8)

"Living In Love" -2

"The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: He is greatly exalted." (Psalms 47:9) When it comes to unconditional love, there is only one right way to truly respond to it, and it is called "reverence"; although some might call that "fear", but fear is such a very misunderstood word. The reality of what is happening in relation to God's love for each and every one of us involves choice, as in, will I choose rightly to respond to His love for me? In other words, there are many vast responses that are wrong, most of which involve pride or selfishness, but there are very few responses that are right; much like "the strait gate" which Jesus speaks of in Matthew 7:13-14, which in narrow and does not allow for very many options. Reverence is the responding love that Paul speaks about in Ephesians 5:33, which is the wife's love towards her husband, and is a mirror image of our love towards God; which is not based upon our love for Him, but His love towards us. Many people think of the love relationship in a marriage as a two-way street, which I highly disagree with; looking at the love between a husband and a wife in such a way paints a picture of two equally portioned lanes upon a road, both of which are driven towards each other; but that is not the case, nor should it even be considered as the relationship in love between us and God. The husband is called to love his wife with a sacrificial love, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it (Ephesians 5:25); and any woman that is loved in such a manner by her husband, will surely reverence her husband; so the lanes are not equal, if anything, the wife rides upon the lane and in the direction of her husband's love for her; which again, is a mirror image of how we love God; much like the word "shields", as in "the shields of the earth belong to God"... "So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: for we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband." (Ephesians 5:28-33) 

"Living In Love"

"The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: He is greatly exalted." (Psalms 47:9) Talk about your need to be subdued, there is no greater need that we have than to be subdued by the love of God. At first read, you might associate this verse with those that are prepared for battle, or with those that might be gathered together for worship; and it may very well be speaking towards either one of those in relationship to worship or fighting in the army of the Lord; but I am seeing something that goes a little deeper than that, because it involves what brings those people together, which is the love of God. The "princes" are those willing subjects of the King, those that are willing to do as the King has instructed them to do; and in the case of our King, His instructions for us are very simple to follow; they might be hard, but they are very very simple, simply love; love God and love one another; it really doesn't get any more simple than that. How we complicate the simplicity of His command, is the same way the Jewish leaders complicated the law, by adding all sorts of additional requirements and practices to what God instructed; thereby making the command so cumbersome and legalistic that only those who were legal scholars could figure out how to keep it. Simply put, the source is always the best place to go for the answers, and in the case of God's love, only God is the source. In other words, we do not go through others to get to God's love, and His love is not directed through anyone to us. What I am trying to say, but obviously can't, is that God's love must come from the source in order to be authentic and pure, because only His love comes without additional requirements or practices. Everyone of us will attach some sort of requirement or practice to our conditional love for one another, and even to our conditional love for God; only God has the authentic and pure unconditional love that we need to love as He loves; and only God is the source for us to go to for unconditional love...Oh, I feel something happening...
"Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, but 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)    

"Ruled In Love"

"God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of His holiness." (Psalms 47:8) This is no 'do nothing' God that we serve; He is constantly working to bring about His perfect plan in our lives; which is something that we fail to totally understand, mostly because we spend more time walking in the flesh than in the Spirit. Love is by far the most important thing that we need to practice; love towards God, as well as love for one another; there is simply no better way to put it. Understanding needs to come in the form of love! I think that is why John was the last of the disciples to go, because he understood what importance love was in the relationship with God, for he says, "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." (1 John 4:8) It really does not get any clearer than that! This is literally our response to God, for, "We love Him, because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19) Therefore, when it comes to getting anything from God, there is really nothing else that we need, because He has already given us "all" of His love: His greatest gift of "all". When David writes, "God reigneth over the heathen", it would appear that he is speaking of Gentiles or those that are not governed by God, which is not the case; instead, he is speaking of all the nations of the world, including the nation of Israel; in other words, there is no difference when it comes to those that He rules over, nor in those that His love is poured out for; just as John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world", which literally means "all" the world, every single one of us! I guess you could say, "God loves me in spite of who I am, or what I do, or how I worship, or even if I worship Him at all; God still loves me!" It's really hard to wrap my mind around that kind of love, which is precisely why I must enter into it, because I can never get a grasp upon it, it is just too massive and too overwhelming to contain; which also best describes the second portion of this verse, which basically is like saying, "You can't touch this!"
"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity (love), these three; but the greatest of these is charity (love)." (1 Corinthians 13:11-13)

"What Then!" -again

"For God is King of all the earth, sing ye praises with understanding." (Psalms 47:7) Yes, I know, sometimes I can get a little carried away and off track; but studying the book of Romans can do that to you, especially if you are going to be teaching on it, there is nothing quite like it. It really makes a person take evaluation of this life we have been given, and wonder, "Am I really a slave to God, or am I a slave to sin?" As for this verse, it appears I might have gone off track, but nothing could be further from the truth. "Understanding" is key to every aspect of a new life in Christ, not just for worship; although, if you truly don't understand what you are in Christ, then it is really questionable what is in your heart as you worship; are you worshiping for God, or are you worshiping for yourself? If you are sowing seeds of worship, for who's benefit are those seeds that you have planted? God does not need our worship, He needs to be worshiped! We don't worship God to get anything out of it, we worship God for what He is and what He has done! Maybe you worship God so that you can feel closer to Him? If that is so, and it might be true, then that's really not worshiping God, if your desire to draw closer is your motivation for worship; I think that might lean closer to worshiping yourself then it does to worshiping God. We don't worship God to get anything out of worshiping Him, we worship Him because He deserves to be worshiped; which is the same with tithing, we don't tithe to be blessed by God, we tithe because God has blessed us, and we honor Him with our tithes. As far as giving anything to God, "God is King of all the earth", what could you possibly give Him that He does not have already? So we don't worship as if it is some sort of gratuity for God, just as we don't tithe as if we are tipping God for His good service. We are His and He is our King; we are His subjects and He is our Lord; we are His slaves and He is our Master; we are His creation and He is our God; we are His children and He is our Father that loves us more than we realize...He want's our hearts!!!
"Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples. As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love. If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love. These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." (John 15:8-11)

"What Then!"

"For God is King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding." (Psalms 47:7) I see!, said the blind man. Spurgeon once said, "Grace that does not change my life will not save my soul." A very profound statement, but something the everyone of us that are counting on grace should understand; God's grace does not stop at salvation of the poor sinner, it continues in life for the believer; and not just eternal life, but abundant life! As I was thinking about John 1:16 and the "fullness" of God's grace, I couldn't help but wonder how few believers actually walk in the "fullness" of His abounding grace; "grace for grace" is how John puts it, and then he adds this comment in verse 17, saying, "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." We often let sin dictate who we are, instead letting the promise of new life demonstrate what we are in Christ; the new life being part of His abundant grace, and more than that, it is a very important part! If Jesus had not risen then all of this would be for nothing, but He did; and because He did, we will rise also; and not only that, but in the spiritual sense, our old sin nature died with Him on that cross, and our new man has already risen with Him and is alive unto God (Romans 6:11). Paul puts it another way in Galatians 2:19, saying, "For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God." Imagine how it might look for a dead man to try and keep any portion of God's law, let alone try to serve God in any capacity; it's just not going to happen, as long as that man remains dead. New life is so vitally important to what it means to be a Christian, so much so, that it is the proof of our abiding in Christ; if there is no new life, then we have not been completely grafted onto the vine..."I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without Me ye can do nothing." (John 15:1-5)

"Now What?"

"Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises." (Psalms 47:6) Oh, don't you know it's time to praise the Lord? Unconditionally and in the moment, He deserves to be praised for what He has done, regardless of what we know or don't know, but because of what He knows, and yet, He still called us! Walking in His victory changes everything! I have spent untold hours, even days, and months even, walking in defeat because I have waited and wanted to have the victory in myself; but that's not the way this thing they call being a Christian is really all about; it's about abiding in Christ and letting Him make you into a fruit bearing branch attached to the life giving vine. Call is being stubborn, of thick headed, or what ever you want; but trying to do things my way has failed over and over again; so why do I keep doing it? What do I keep trying to prove? and to who? Myself, is who I think that it is, because it surely isn't God; I would be totally stupid to think that I could prove anything to God. What I should be doing is to prove God to be true! When God says, "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace (Romans 6:14), then I should take Him at His word and walk accordingly; but it always seems that I try and use my performance as the judge of God's promise, instead of using God's promise as the guide for my performance. When Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:9, "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him", I believe that in the context of what he is talking about, we cannot see or understand the spiritual life that we have in Christ, we must just walk in it and see for ourselves by the result. Instead, we tend to base the whole complex workings of God upon the minuscule capacity of our minds, thinking that we can figure it out before we go forward; but that is not how it works!!! We could see that clearly if we just could understand the whole point with the children of Israel refusing to cross the Jordan the first time; they saw what they wanted to see based upon their carnal minds, instead of walking out in the promises of God... "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds:) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; and having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)