"Our God Reigns!"

"He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth." (Psalms 72:8) Yes, I thought about this most of the night, but seeing how it's the last day of the year, I thought it should go out with something spectacular. As I was thinking about "the river" mentioned in this verse, I had to think about what makes a river different from the sea. There are a lot of rivers that could be represented here, but I seriously doubt that there is any greater river than "The River of Life." It seams to me, last I checked, that most rivers empty into the sea; and there are many rivers that are produced, in part anyways, from under-ground steams. I don't know why, but I get the feeling that this river "is used as an image of abundance." If you would have told me twenty years ago that the rapture still would not take place by 2016, I would have told you that you were wrong, and that it was going to happen by 1998, or maybe by 2000; depending on what represents a generation, we are no doubt on borrowed time, either way you calculate the years. But you know, our God has always been a God of mercy; He always offers mercy before judgement; He is still offering mercy now, even in this present time, no matter how bad things might appear. It really does not take a whole lot of learning to see how merciful that God is towards us, I mean, His mercy stretches pretty far before it snaps; anyone that has been walking with Him for any amount of time knows that. But the stuff that I am talking about is not about those that are His already, it's about those that He is waiting for, those that have yet made up their minds and softened their hearts to accept His great mercy. That's the kind of "river" that I see spoken of here; yes, it's a River of Life alright, but it is more than that, it's an abundant River that goes and goes, and it keeps on giving life! Why the title, you might be asking, why "Our God Reigns?" Oh my goodness! This is the beginning of wisdom for those that want to have a piece of knowing anything at all, especially anything about real peace! If there is anything that we can gather from the Bible, it's the fact that God is love and mercy, first and foremost before anything else, He is always longing for people to turn to Him; waiting is really an understatement, because if you know anything about God, He does not wait, nor does He have to; it's more about longing, which is where you know it's going to happen, and it's just a matter of time. I love that God is in control! There is no one else that I would ever want to have their finger on the button than God, because there is no one else that cares more for us than He does...
"Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: "The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever." The twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshiped Him. And they said, "We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun your reign. The nations were filled with wrath, but now the time of your wrath has come. It is time to judge the dead and reward your servants the prophets, as well as your holy people, and all who fear your name, from the least to the greatest. It is time to destroy all who have caused destruction on the earth." Then, in heaven, the Temple of God was opened and the Ark of His Covenant could be seen inside the Temple. Lighting flashed, thunder crashed and roared, and there was an earthquake and terrible hailstorm." (Revelation 11:15-19) NLT

"His Cause Is Just" -2

"In His days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth." (Psalms 72:7) Come to speak of it, the "righteous" in this verse is a little different than both of the previous ones; not much, but enough to cause us to take a moment and admire what it means. It reminds me of that way we use to use the word when we younger, like back in the 70's and 80's, saying, "Wow, that is so righteous!" In other words, it speaks more to the fact of the place and reason all coming together as a perfect fit, making perfect sense, or a spectacular event that cannot be outdone. Another example that might not sit easy with the guilty, is that of the punishment fitting the crime; no one wants to think about such things, but we all are guilty of sin, and all sin must be dealt with and judged. Go ahead, thank Him for dealing with your sin; that is what He came for! The way Paul puts it in Galatians 6:14, he says, "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." In other words, "Boast in nothing but the cross of Christ!" You can not outdo what He has done for you! Now look at this meaning in the context of the message, and you might get a little glimpse of what those Heavenly Hosts were trying to tell those shepherds about the night Jesus was born. Talk about "blossom," don't forget that Arron's staff is in that Ark of the Covenant, which was a dead piece of wood that brought forth life! For thirty years Jesus brought life to dead wood; that is what Carpenter's do, they make dead wood into something that can be used or lived in. And after His three and a half years of ministry, He hung on a wooden cross; what kind of "righteous" is that? The most important thing that He worked with growing up, became the thing that He hung upon at His death. That might not seem like such a big deal to some, but to those that work with wood, it matters. I know a little something about what I am talking about, because no matter where I go, I am always looking for and noticing Termites and Dryrot on the buildings or structures that I visit; it's what I do, day in and day out, so it only comes natural. Do you think that He studied the quality of the construction? Did He noted what kind of wood it was made from? He most likely knew everything about how different grains of wood make a good cross, and some grains don't; so did He consider the structural strength of what He was being lifted upon? That is not really my point, but I think you see how "place and reason come together." Which reminds me of something that I heard Dr. Chuck say yesterday, it was something about all the messages of the Bible all weaving together. It is just about impossible to calculate the possibilities of all forty writers all being on the same page, not without taking into account the fact that God was speaking in and through each one of them. Wow, that is so righteous! Talk about "righteous!" Did you know what Ruth was? She was a woman from Moab, and do you know where the people of Moab came from? The first born daughter of Lot, who had a son that she named Moab, a son born from the seed of her father Lot, and cursed by God for being born out of incest...
"For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will take you back. In a burst of anger I turned My face away for a little while. But with everlasting love I will have compassion on you," says the LORD, your Redeemer. "Just as I swore in the time of Noah that I would never again let a flood cover the earth, now I swear that I will never again be angry and punish you. For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then My faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken," says the LORD, who has mercy on you." (Isaiah 54:7-10) NLT

"His Cause Is Just"

"In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth." (Psalms 72:7) Not that I have gone anywhere, but isn't hard to know for yourself if you have? Really, you're like the last to realize that you have lost it; everyone around figures it out way before you, because you are living in your own little world. By the way, even Jesus' brothers and sisters thought that He was nuts, that is until He rose from the dead; talk about mistaken identity, they sure missed that call. Speaking of "call," His visit here was very brief, but it's impact upon the earth was everlasting! Thirty-three and half years was all that He had, and only three and a half were spent in ministry; the first thirty years were spent making furniture. I heard something rather interesting the other day, it was a discussion about the 'Ark of the Covenant' and whether or not God took it to heaven; as strange as that might sound, I think it may have some validity. After all, it was not just a box that God had men fashion according to His specifications, it represented His presence! Oh, by the way, Dr. Chuck was talking about something else rather interesting yesterday; something about the Holy Spirit being represented by "unnamed servants" and how that any where in the Old Testament that the Holy Spirit is represented as leading the way to Christ, He is in the form of an unnamed servant. It all has something to do with John 16, and how the Holy Spirit will never represent Himself, but He shall speak of Jesus Christ. Wow, now that is rather interesting; how do you explain those services where the Spirit is blamed for causing people to roll around in the isles, or lay on the ground and laugh hysterically? I am thinking it might be a cause for some discretion when it comes to representing the Holy Spirit, because the way I read the words of Jesus, He says that the Holy Spirit will not draw attention to Himself. It's like the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit" in Acts 2:3-4, which caused all the believers to begin to speak in "other tongues" for all the non-believers present to hear. The interesting thing about that occurrence, was that they did not speak in an unknown tongues, but in "other tongues" which were meant for all of those that had gathered there from all over the earth for Pentecost. Not only that, but if you read further into the text, all those different languages being spoken were all saying the same thing, they were speaking about "the wonderful works of God" (Acts 2:11). Now I wonder who they were all speaking about...
"But now I am going away to the One who sent Me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. Instead, you grieve because of what I've told you. But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don't, the Advocate won't come. If I do go away, then I will send Him to you. And when He comes, He will convict the world of its sin, and of God's righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world's sin is that it refuses to believe in Me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see Me no more. Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged. There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can't bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own but will tell you what He has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring Me glory by telling you whatever He receives of Me. All that belongs to the Father is Mine; this is why I said, 'The Spirit will tell you whatever He receives from Me.'" (John 16:5-15) NLT

"Prepare Him Room"

"He shall come down like rain upon mown grass: as showers that water the earth." (Psalms 72:6) It might not seem like much, but this is what 'refreshing' is all about! You ever have one of those days when you need God to fill you up? I don't mean just a topping off, or some kind of extra spark; I'm talking about total and complete filling from head to toe, the kind of filling that replaces everything else. I don't know, maybe I've lost my mind, and I have gone off the deep end, or something very similar to crazy; but this is what I see in this text; which is really not just 'text' as in something to read, it is the life giving Word of God. I currently live on a mountain, and for the first time, I currently do not own a lawnmower; I don't need one, so I don't own one. But I still remember what it was like to mow the grass on five acres, and how awesome it was to smell it when it rained right after it had been cut. We use a weedeater now to knock down the high stuff; not quite the same effect, but there still is some hint of freshness in the air. Maybe you might have noticed what drought looks like? We have had a little bit of that here in California, so I have gotten a little taste of what it looks like. But let me tell you something that is totally awesome: as dead as stuff might look, with a little rain, there is always life! It's almost like everything was just waiting for water; just laying there dormant, waiting for some moisture to hit the ground, and then bursting forth in excitement. Okay, so it might not seem like much; but how much preparation went into that life busting forth? Not much, is what most might jump to; as if life does not require life, because it does! There is a life inside each and every one us that needs to be watered! Some of us are parched and thirsty beyond measure; there is a drought going on inside, and we need there to be rain of any kind, just a little shower would be nice! But here is what I see happening with all of that; the weeds that have grown up and are now laying over the ground, they suck up all the moisture; all the dead stuff is taking the water from the life! We have got to cut that dead stuff down! I know, it sounds kind of crazy; so call me crazy if you will, but I think it is relevant to the times we are living in. Two things that I see happening here that justify my strange way of thinking, are being prepared for Him to rain down, and Him preparing us for being watered. As odd as this might sound, there are some things that require our involvement in the process, and this is one of them; it's called 'relinquishment' of all that stuff which has grown over the life! It's all there, just waiting for you to do your part, so do it already! I happen to know a pretty good Master Gardener, one who knows His way around the inside of your heart; but He will not take what you will not relinquish... "Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces; now He will heal us. He has injured us; now He will bandage our wounds. In just a short time He will restore us, so that we may live in His presence. Oh, that we might know the LORD! Let us press on to know Him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring." (Hosea 6:1-3) NLT  

"Not So Fast"

"They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations." (Psalms 72:5) As if this is the case! I see a lot of people mocking and thwarting, but fear is not exactly the term I would use to say how people respond to the KING OF KINGS; at least not now they don't! Don't you think that it is funny, how sensitive people are to the name Jesus? I mean, you can speak the name God as if you mean it, but as soon as you start using Jesus as the reference, people start getting offended and complain. There really is something about that name! Soooo, maybe this is just a prayer after all? Maybe it's likened to the Prayer Jesus taught His disciples, which He said, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven." It's more about making the request so grand and so over-the-top, that anything between what you are asking for and what you don't realize, will be just fine. Yea, but, God does not play that way! God's will will always triumph, because God always wins! It might not be today or even tomorrow, but in the end, you just wait and see! Every single person that has ever lived, every single life, whether physical, spiritual or even angelic, every knee shall bow and confess that Jesus Christ is LORD! (Philippians 2:9-11) Just so you know, that word "fear" is the dreadful fear, the shock and awe kind of fear. Sure, it includes reverence, and maybe trembling with joy; but for the most part, it's all about terrible fear, the kind of fear that would make a man wish that he were dead; just kill me and get it over kind of fear! You know why that might be? What would be the reason for the same word having two drastically different meanings; but the worst meaning is over 75% of the words meaning? Come on! You can figure this out! It pretty much comes down to 'now or later' kind of fear; as in, you can fear Him now, or you will be frightfully fearful later! The fear that is demonstrated now is the good kind of fear, the fear that has reverence and produces joy and appreciation; but the fear that will be realized later, that will be the kind that produces horror and dread, because then it will be too late...
"You can enter God's Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it." (Matthew 7:13-14) NLT  

"Case For The Creator" -Too

"He shall judge the poor of the people, He shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor." (Psalms 72:4) I obviously do not have much respect the certain translations of the Bible; I was raised on the New World Translation, so you can see how sensitive I am towards changing the meaning of God's Holy Word. I know that I have shared this before, but why would anyone doubt that God could do anything? If a person believes that God created the heavens and the earth, then where does the doubt come from that causes them to not believe in the virgin birth? Shh, don't tell anyone this, but I know where it comes from; I know 150% where that lie comes from, because it comes from the same source that had to tried to prevent it from happening for four thousand years. But God does not allow His will not to happen! You can question the outcome all you want, but when God says that it will be so, then He pretty much knows what He is talking about. Now, to the point of the message. Although the word "judge" is not the same word used in verse 2, the word "poor" and "people" are; and yes, there is something that only God can do when it comes to making a way for us to be free from judgment, He changes the rules! But wait a moment, I thought God never changes, what's up with that? Who said anything about God changing; rules are made for certain conditions, not conditions made for rules. I think I might be touching some sensitive subject matter, so have the weak leave the room. Just because sin was defeated on the cross, does not give us the right to keep on sinning; neither does the climate of sinfulness in the world allows for the bar of sin to be lifted; none of those things are what I am talking about. I am talking about the conditions that God has established, not the conditions that we create or assume to exist; it is only God who allows certain things to happen, and only God will be the judge when all is said and done. But the point of the rule, the rule that mattered most was that of forgiveness of sin; the sin never changed from being a sin, but the judgment of the sin had been dealt with once and for all! How do we comprehend that? I don't think we actually can. We can accept it or leave it, but we can never comprehend the magnitude of what happened on that cross. There was something that was created upon that cross, something beyond anyone's thought or imagination. When Jesus died upon that cross, He did not just die in place of our death, He defeated the curse that sin places upon every single person that has ever lived, ever! He shattered the thing, like in a million pieces, and nobody or nothing can ever put it back together again. That is the kind of God that I serve; that is what my Creator has done...
"When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. Still, everyone died -from the time of Adam to the time of Moses -even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. But there is a great difference between Adam's sin and God's gracious gift. For the sin of the one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and His gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin. For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but God's free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. God's law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5:12-21) NLT

"Case For The Creator"

"He shall judge the poor of the people, He shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor." (Psalms 72:4) There really is no other way that we can explain this, because only God could do what only God can do! It must have been quite a sight, seeing that star over the place of His birth. I don't care what they say, those shepherds came to the place of His birth on the night of His birth; those wise guys might have shown up several years latter, but the shepherds, they had to see the sight! I heard that thing again yesterday about those that believe Mary was a virgin and those that don't; needless to say, I do not doubt it for a minute that she was, not just because God can do it, but because of the verse from Genesis 3:15, as the "seed" of the woman is not natural, because the women does not have a seed, the man does. Besides that, there are so many places in the Bible that speak of her being a virgin, it not mentioned that many times for nothing, because it really was not nothing, it was God showing up in the flesh!!! Just one more reason that I do not own an NIV, not that I won't respect those that do, but I will understand if your views slant a little to the left. Personally, I have not meet a liberal Christian that does not have the NIV Bible in hand, or at least use one to study from. I think that throwing out portions of what the Bible says, and treating impossible things as simply impossible, is really selling yourself short on believing in a God that can do all things. Our God is mighty and powerful, He can do anything that He wants to do, anything! He says it and it's done; He speaks and things appear from nothing; so, if the God who made the heavens and the earth can't make a little "seed," then your faith is in the wrong God... "In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!" Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. "Don't be afraid, Mary," the angel told her, "for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will call Him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His ancestor David. And He will reign over Israel forever; His Kingdom will never end!" Mary asked the angel, "But how can this happen? I am a virgin." The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and He will be called the Son of God. What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."" (Luke 1:26-37) NLT

"Just, Encased"

"The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness." (Psalms 72:3) You have got to love this, reading and thinking upon God's word one verse at a time. Imagine how long it would take to move through the whole Bible at this pace; as if we have that many days on this earth. This is a very odd verse, considering who is writing it and to whom it is being written; then again, I don't believe in accidents or random thoughts when it comes to God's Holy Word! Let's just say, for the sake of conversation, that this is directed directly at Jesus Christ. And let's just say, for the sake of inspiration, that this is talking about His Incarnation, which is God manifesting Himself here on this earth in human form. I heard pastor Mike say the other day, "This is the biggest demotion recorded in human History." I will take that one step further, by saying, This is the biggest demotion in the History of the Universe! In the Gospel of Luke 2:14, the angel that spoke to the shepherds was suddenly surrounded with a "multitude of heavenly hosts," saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." The word "righteousness" that is used in the verses above is the same one that was used in verse one, which speaks of, "What right have I any more?" If you compare that expression with "good will toward men," as spoken by the 'heavenly hosts,' you will find a very interesting connection between the two; because "good will toward men" represents 'among men pleasure produced by salvation, or God's pleasure in men;' and "righteousness," as spoken above, indicates 'faith counted for righteousness,' as spoken of by Paul in Romans 4:22 concerning Abraham's righteousness being accounted to him by God because of his faith. In case you were not paying attention, these are the two most important pillars of the Christian Faith: Who Jesus is, and what He represented towards us! "The mountains shall bring peace to the people" because, like the 'peace' spoken of by the 'heavenly hosts,' that peace was manifested in the Incarnation of Christ; God coming here in human form to do for us what we could never do for ourselves; and let's not overlook the fact that He was God! Gives a little extra meaning to "Higher Than I," don't you think? In other words, you really can't get much better than that! Talk about "peace" and what real peace should represent; that the Creator of the universe would step down from the heavens and present Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. And to make matters more defined, while here in human form, "a little less than the angels" as Paul described Him, He remained sinless! I guess the only real way that we can love God the way that we should, is only if we have come from God. Just another example of how we miss the mark...
"So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know Him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to Himself through Christ. And God has given us the task of reconciling people to Him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." (2 Corinthians 5:16-21)    

"Just, Because"

"He shall judge Thy people with righteousness, and Thy poor with judgment." (Psalms 72:2) Call me old fashion, but when did we stop telling our children it is alright to fail? I can recall leaning in school, how Ben Franklin tried and tried, how Henry Ford never took can't as an answer, and how Thomas Edison kept on till the thing that didn't work worked. As my mom use to tell me, "It's alright to fail at something, because you learn by your mistakes." Maybe we have gotten soft from all of this technology and comfort; or maybe we have run out of things to create, which I seriously doubt; or maybe, just maybe, we just don't want to be called a failure! Obviously, I have woke up on the wrong side of the bed; or maybe it was that ridicules dream that I had last night, which is not even worth sharing. Any suggestions, anyone? Okay then, let's get into this, because it's obvious I've failed thus far. If you look at the word "righteousness" in the verse above, it's a word that speaks of "straight paths" or "what is so, or ought to be so." The primary meaning of sin is to 'miss the mark,' as in, falling short of what ought to be so. As I said earlier in the month, I could not keep up with the amount of times I fell short in just one day; everything from failing to do this, to failing to not do that; it was quite overwhelming to try and keep track of all of my failures. I think I have the real reason Jesus took that napkin and folded it up, and placed it on that burial spot, because He did not fail! Everyone thought that He failed; His mission appeared to have missed the mark; but there was nothing that could have been further from the truth! Looking into that next little phrase, the "poor" are really all of us, the needy, wretched, weak, and afflicted that just can't seem to hit the mark, the mark being "righteousness." The sad thing is, is that many of us don't realize that that is who we are; we go about our lives thinking that we have it all together, and that we are doing such a good job at playing religion. But religion is just man's way of creating failure in the spiritual sense; it is just a failed way to try and make people right with God! I think it was the word "judgment" that did it for me, because I could not understand what success really looked like until I understood how much I fail. The law of Moses was the guide to show us our failure; it was not intended to show us what we should be doing, but more for showing us how far we fall short. If we really could love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength, then we would not have needed to be saved in the first place; and we would easily be able to love one another...
"Out of the stump of David's family will grow a shoot - yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him - the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD. He will delight in obeying the LORD. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of His word, and one breath from His mouth will destroy the wicked. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment." (Isaiah 11:1-5)

"Higher Than I"

"Give the king Thy judgments, O God, and Thy righteousness unto the king's son." (Psalms 72:1) Depending on the degree of God's personal input that you believe that the Bible contains, is probably how you might view God's involvement in our personal lives; at least that's the way I see things playing out. I believe that God wants to be intimately involved with every aspect of our lives, just as He was intimately involved with every all forty authors of the Bible, and guided them in everything that they put into writing. When you study the Seven Days of Creation, you will find that God was very specific in His process and intent of putting things in their proper places; everything had order and meaning, even the Seventh Day, which was dedicated to rest; much like peace is felt in the heart of the craftsman who has just completed a major project, God's rest was a celebration of a beautiful accomplishment. That is the same feeling I get from reading Revelation 22:6-21, as God closing the Book with a sense of accomplishment; not just the Book of Revelation, but the entire Book of the Bible! God created the world in six days, but it took Him at least six centuries to write the Bible; and when I am talking about the times to write the Bible, I am talking about the living time of the those that did the writing. It is pretty obvious to me that God has put great care into getting us His Written Word; so too, we should put great care into reading it, and leaning what it is that God has to say to us, individually and personally. There are many people who do not feel that way, because they personally do not understand the Bible, nor do they believe that it was intended to be personally interpreted. The way I see it, if you think that God cannot speak to you through His word, then you really do not have the Word of God living in you (1 John 6:5-12). On a similar note; when you read the account of the flood (Genesis 7), there are at least 4 times where God states that "All flesh died" in the flood, as if He was very grieved by what He had to do; which is pretty close to the same meaning of Genesis 6:6, because God is intimately involved with His creation...
 "Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, "What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created." They deliberately forget that God made the heavens by the Word of His command, and He brought the earth out of the water and surrounded it with water. Then He used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. And by the same Word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed. But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn't really being slow about His promise, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent." (2 Peter 3:3-9) NLT  

"A Prayer for the King"

Psalms 72: [A Psalm for Solomon.]
Okay, so I'm not perfect; and neither was Solomon, or David, or Moses, or even Noah; but I know somebody that was, and is, and always will be! This might be ascribed to Solomon, but according to the Red Stars next to almost every verse in my Bible, this is about Jesus, the KING of KING'S! It is pretty neat how this Psalm follows after that last one; because if you stop and think about God's promise to David, his elder years, and the fact that God's promise was not predicated upon David's performance, then this is perfect for how anyone would like to prepare to depart this world; vindicated and validated! And the most amazing thing of all, is that it was not based upon David's promise or performance, it was based upon God's! I am so glad that God does not hold me accountable to my promises I make to Him. I would have been struck down a hundred times, or more, if God was holding me to my word; especially those times when I used that term, "You can strike me down, if I fail to keep this promise, O God." We often fail to realize how blessed we are to be part of something that is far greater than our greatest failures; instead, we often back down from the challenge of standing upon God's promises, due to our performances; as if God spoke out of turn, or made a mistake in His choice of character. Don't think for a moment that God does not know everything there is to know about you, because He does! He knows every hair upon your head, every thought within your head, and every intention of your heart. So, if God has chosen you, then He did so knowing full well about all of your failures, way before you failed at anything! Only God is Holy! Only God is perfect and never makes mistakes; He can't make any mistakes, because He knows everything; He knows the end even before the beginning, so there is nothing that we can do that catches Him off guard, or throws Him for a loop. We, on the other hand, don't even know the evil that we are capable of doing; we might think that we do, and we might deny that there are certain sins within us; but push come to shove, we are capable of just about anything. We are not sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners; which means that we are sinful because sin lives within us. Even our greatest intentions aren't good enough to keep us from falling; if they were, then Jesus would not had to come and die for us. God had to do it the way that He did because there was no other way that we could be saved; He had to save us because we could never save ourselves...
"So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham's. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, "I have made you the father of many nations." This happen because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. Even when there was no reason for hole, Abraham kept hoping - believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, "That's how many descendants you will have!" And Abraham's faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead -and so was Sarah's womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever He promises. And because of Abraham's faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn't just for Abraham's benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in Him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and He was raised to life to make us right with God." (Romans 4:16-25) NLT    

"The Vault"

"My tongue also shall talk of Thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt." (Psalms 71:24) I know it seems almost odd to end it this way, but if you could only see what's coming up, it would all make such perfect sense. God has a way of making this perfect anyway; it's His answer to chaos and destruction. If we could only see the beauty of what God has in store for those that are chosen. Oh, excuse me, I mean those that believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior! I was listening to Dr. Chuck one day, and I could not believe I heard him mention a movie, "The Thirteenth Floor" as a good movie to check out; I own that movie, and it's pretty ruff around the edges; but I did kind of get his point about the different realities. It was kind of like, no matter where or what happens here, you're already there, safe and secure, sipping adult beverages, and on a beautiful beach with your perfect family. Yesterday morning I was checking out 'Spotlight on Entertainment' and noticed the personality to pray for that day was Chris Pratt, which led me to the list of celebrities that claim to be Christians; interesting enough, but Charlie Sheen was on the list of Born Again Believers. Maybe that is why he just had "Winning" as a reply to his fallen condition; but I am not one to judge the heart. Also on the list were Alice Cooper and Chris Tucker; but there were other's which identified themselves as Christian, but were listed as Catholic; but only one of those that I noticed was a devout Catholic, meaning that he went to church all the time, even twice on Sunday, and that was Mark Wahlberg. Anywho; we just can't know the outcome of this life, nor can we figure out the process; God's ways are so much higher than our ways! What is in your heart? Are you safe and secure? Because if you are, then there will be no doubt in your heart that you are! I believe God does two very important things in us when we say yes to His gift, He takes out of the darkness and He gives us life eternal. Both of those things combined are enough to confirm that the deal is done, because He gives us eyes to see and hope for eternity. Now, we might fog things up along the way, or hang out with the dead a little longer than we should, but that does not mean God has not sealed us in His Kingdom. When I look at the process, it seems a lot like the Ark of Noah; not that Noah did not have some issues, but it was God that closed the door of the Ark; which means that it was God that secured Noah and his family in the Ark, not Noah. So who gets the last laugh? I think you know...
"It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies. The Scriptures tell us, "The first man, Adam, became a living person." But the last Adam - that is Christ - is a life-giving Spirit. What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man." (1 Corinthians 15:42-49) NLT  

"This Life Within Us"

"My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto Thee; and my soul, which Thou hast redeemed." (Psalms 71:23) Obviously there is nothing we can do to slow down this life; but there is something that we can do to change our perspective on life. I heard an interesting word yesterday, one that I had never quite heard this way before. It was about those who say, "If God is trying to say that I need to worship Him or go to hell, then I don't want anything to do with Him." The pastor gave a very good analogy of what God is really saying, in that He is saying, "You are going to hell, but you don't need to, because I have redeemed you." It is really not a matter of "if I should go," it's more about, "can I not go;" and to that, the answer is "YES!" As I was thinking about this while driving around in a fog, I couldn't help think of the people I know who literally despise God and want nothing to do with His rules and judgments. They are looking at it all the wrong way; God is trying to free them from the bondage of sin and death, not ask them to give Him their life or else; it's 100% the opposite, He is saying, "Take hold of my nail-pierced hand, and let Me save you from death." Try and remember, this is a Psalm about "The Prayer of an Aged Man," who is not only reaching the end of this life, but has also moved beyond his youthful years; those times when things were easier, and life seemed easy to manage. Even if you did not succeed, there was always tomorrow and another chance to make it happen. Maybe I should just stick to the basic point, and focus on the life He has given us. I don't care what others might say, there is nothing that compares to what we have been given. If you have ever attended a funeral where the deceased was not saved, then you might understand what I am trying to say; because there is no hope present there; as everyone focuses on what was, but never mentions the hereafter. If we have been given eternal life, then this is not the end, but just the beginning! James puts our life here on earth in perfect perspective, saying, "For what is your life? It is a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." He was speaking this in reference to "knowing what tomorrow will bring in this life," because we have no clue what tomorrow here will be like. We could be on easy-street one moment, and in the poor-house the next; we could be healthy as ever one day, and dying from cancer the next. But! The life we have been given in Christ is permanent! What that means, is that it does not change! No matter what! If you have eternal life, then you are secure in Christ! That is what being set free from death really feels like! God does not offer His hand of salvation, and then say, "Now you need to work for it." God does not have our salvation dangling like a carrot on a stick; it is eternal life from the moment of our transformation from that of death to life...  
"But now God has shown us a way to be made right with Him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when He held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for He was looking ahead and including them in what He would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate His righteousness, for He Himself is fair and just, and He declares sinners to be right in His sight when they believe in Jesus. Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn't He also the God of the Gentiles? Of course He is. There is only one God, and He makes people right with Himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law." (Romans 3:21-31) NLT  

"Greatness In Us"

"I will also praise Thee with the psaltery, even Thy truth, O my God: unto Thee will I sing with the harp, O Thou Holy One of Israel." (Psalms 71:22) I'm not one to go running down the street proclaiming God's great work in me; but you do have to wonder how it is that we get more excited over football than we do about Jesus raising up from the dead. I can recall once, oh about twenty-eight years ago, there was a group of us that just finished up a Men's Retreat with our church, Hosanna Chapel. Pastor Gary was very impressed with the way we sang at the Retreat, so he had us get up before service and sing for the church; I think the song was about "Blow the Trumpet in Zion," "Victory Song," or something like that; but the twelve or fifteen of us rocked the house in a way I never would have thought. Maybe it was the old movie theater we were gathered in, but it was load and exciting. We have something in us that is more special that anything else on this earth; because, long after this earth is gone, we will still praising the Lord in Heaven. Maybe it's just not new anymore, and so it's not as exciting as it was on that special day. Do you realize today that you have been given eternal life? I woke up wishing this one was over, as I have been given something else as of late, something called a bug; I don't know which needs more attention, so I just sit on the toilet holding a trash can. Needless to say, it was a long night and a quick morning! Oh, I just thought of something else that matches the experience, it's called this life! Not that I don't enjoy hanging out, but let's get real; this life is tearing us apart day by day, and before you know it, it's going to be over. Can you think of a better place you could be right now? I believe that I am here to care for my wife; it is what I promised her I would do, and with all of my strength, I am going to do it. There is another example of the greatness in us; not that we are any more special for doing something that we said that we would; that's just keeping our vow, and in this day and age, it's not all that impressive to the masses. As a matter of fact, most will just be jealous or bitter over their own failures. They might say nice things when you are around, but as soon as your gone, they tear you down as being weird or indifferent. But that's the thing! We are different; we are a little weird; and it's all because of the One who dwells in us, is not of this world...
 "In that day you will sing: "I will praise you, O LORD! You were angry with me, but not anymore. Now you comfort me. See, God has come to save me. I will trust in Him and not be afraid. The LORD GOD is my strength and my song; He has given me victory." With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation! In that wonderful day you will sing: "Thank You LORD! Praise His Name! Tell the nations what He has done. Let them know how mighty He is! Sing to the LORD, for He has done wonderful things. Make known His praise around the world. Let all the people of Jerusalem shout His praise with joy! For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among us." (Isaiah 12) NLT    

"Living In Greatness"

"Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side." (Psalms 71:21) I don't know about you, but sometimes I lose sight of the awesome thing that I have been made part of; not that I don't know what has been done for me, because I totally get that; but it's more about the greatness of God's plan for me in eternity with Him, more splendid than any one of us could ever imagine. I know the Bible is the bible when it comes to getting the answers we need, but for some answers we want, the Bible just leaves us wanting to know a little more. It is really not about knowing all the answers; God did not intend for us to know all the answers; in fact, He was pretty clear about Adam not eating of the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil." There are just some things we are not meant to experience; and our God is a very good Father, who is really looking out for our very best interests. I think this is the part of our greatness that we tend to overlook the most. Not that we always do so intentionally, because I don't think we even realize how vulnerable we are to the devil's deceptions, because he really does have a way of making us feel good about bad choices. It is kind of like what we did as children, when our parents told us not to do something, we went ahead and did it anyways, thinking that they were just keeping us from doing something fun. That is the perfect example of something that is not great; the greatest thing we could have done, was to listen to our parents and obey. So it is with God! It is rather interesting what this word "comfort" actually means, because it surely is not talking about being all warm and fuzzy. It is really more about feeling sorry, with a little bit of pity, and a whole lot of grief. It is kind of like that closing Passage from yesterday, where it speaks of God wounding us, so that He can heal us; because we can't really appreciate God's goodness without experiencing His wrath, or know God's great mercy without fearing His holy judgment. This was the whole intention of the Law that God gave to Moses; it was to show us how far we fall short in every single area of our life. And when we think we are good, we really miss the mark even further than if we thought otherwise. That's what I meant about losing sight of God's awesome plan, because He knows exactly what I need, when I need it; He knows how far I can jump, how high I can climb, and how low I can go; that's the point of "comfort" on every side, because we are going to get a little bruised along the way... "I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts He has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. Through Him, God has enriched your church in every way - with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will do this, for He is faithful to do what He says, and He has invited you into partnership with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:4-9) NLT

"Living Out Salvation"

"Thou, which hast shown me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth." (Psalms 71:20) If you were unaware of this, it's really not your fault, because depending on your schooling in the Bible, not all teachers teach the same thing. There are basically three parts to our Salvation in Christ; actually, come to think of it, there are basically three parts to everything; but that's a topic for another day. Within our Salvation, we have 'Justification,' Sanctification' and 'Glorification.' We experienced the 'Justification' part the moment we were born again; and we continue walking in that same reality, because Jesus is making intersession for us. The 'Sanctification' part is being lived out in us day by day, as the Holy Spirit brings us closer and closer to the that place where we belong; this is also referred to as 'Salvation' in the Bible, as a present tense experience, which means that we are living it out in our daily lives. And 'Glorification' is pretty much self-explained; if you reach this part of your Salvation, then you have died and gone to heaven; otherwise, you are still leaning how to be saved! Basically, the point of this is simple: you were saved the day you received Christ as your Lord and Savior, but you continue to be saved day by day; which is God working out His salvation in you, all the way up to the very end of your time upon this earth. Interesting enough, the word "troubles" is exactly what it means, affliction or tribulation; with a slight little twist, because it speaks also of "a female adversary, enemy, especially a rival." And the word "quicken" is almost a counterpart to "troubles" in the case of relief; almost like taking a pill for any sort of ailment; if there was a pill you could take for 'adversity' then it would be "quicken." The word basically speaks of 'life' in the sense of living, but not just being alive; no, this world is more about being brought to life, or being made alive, as in being revived or restored to life. This is glorious news for anyone that is feeling as though you have failed or let God down in any way; because, God is really not done saving you yet; He is not done saving you until you are done living on this earth. So lift up your head and realize that your 'rival' has the ability to have an offspring, sometimes many; but God has a cure for each and every one...
"Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces; now He will heal us. He has injured us; now He will bandage our wounds. In just a short time He will restore us, so that we may live in His presence. Oh, that we might know the LORD! Let us press on to know Him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in the early spring." (Hosea 6:1-3) NLT

"The Proper Place"

"Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto Thee!" (Psalms 71:19) It might not seem all that grand, but to be perfectly justified in the Lord, there has got to be some humility and guiltiness on our part. Regardless of your stature or your reputation, God's grace is free to all, but that does not mean that His grace is cheap. This word "righteousness" is the same word from verse 16, the one that speaks of, "What right have I any more?" When you really stop and think about it, Jesus was put through some pretty sick humiliation; more humility than any one of us could ever suffer. I don't care what kind of reputation you think you might have; your stature or reputation does not compare to the Lord's! Jesus took the place between two thieves and made Himself to be a cursed thing; something unbelievable to look upon, and something which was easy to mock at, if not feel the shame He must have displayed. Who can compare to that kind of experience? No one! The older I get, the more shameful I become to the sinfulness that is inside me; yet at the same time, how thankful I am that Jesus took the blame! You just can't express that in any sort of words; there are no words to express the magnitude of grace that was poured out for us. Jesus taking the blame for my sinfulness, is more than just dying for my sins; it's dying for my sinful nature! So, "What right have I any more?" No rights, whatsoever! I surely don't have the right to protect my own reputation, or the right to not face any sort of humiliation. So what is stopping us from getting right before God? What stops anyone from getting right before God? Pride! That is all it is, once and for all; pride is us putting ourselves above God; the God that would take our place upon that cross, and would bare our shame before all humanity...
 "The grave is licking its lips in anticipation, opening its mouth wide. The great and lowly and all the drunken mob will be swallowed up. Humility will be destroyed, and people brought down; even the arrogant will lower their eyes in humiliation. But the LORD of Heaven's Armies will be exalted by His justice. The holiness of God will be displayed by His righteousness. In that day lambs will find good pastures, and fattened sheep and goats will feed among the ruins. What sorrow for those who drag their sins behind them with ropes made of lies, who drag wickedness behind them like a cart!" (Isaiah 5:14-18) NLT

"Live Strong"

"Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed Thy strength unto this generation, and Thy power to every one that is to come." (Psalms 71:18) I was reminded of something yesterday, something that God had shown me years ago about crying, that it's okay to cry for the right reasons. Crying over a dent in your car, or getting well done steak when you ordered medium rare, are not valid things to cry over; but realizing you have offended God, or that you have taken His love for granted, those are things worth crying over. Not only is it okay, but it is strengthening on almost every level. I find it weakening, both physically and spiritually, if I don't weep when I realize that I have sinned against God; it just cannot go without saying, if you don't get it taken care of, your going to feel sick inside, until you do. The passage of Scripture was 2 Corinthians 7:6-7, and the point was about Comfort and Rejoicing being the "Bookends" with Earnest Desire and Zeal being sandwiched on each side of Mourning. It is very interesting how little we forget what real repentance feels like. We might go through the same motions, but just because we are sorry does not mean that the sorrow we have leads to real repentance; not without earnest desire and zeal! But when we do get it right, and when we have earnest desire, mourning, and zeal, then comfort and rejoicing are on every side of our issue with God. Basically, it all comes down to getting right with God, no matter what the cost or discomfort. The way Pastor Rick put it, "It's the upside-down action of the Kingdom of God." You would think that people would not like you or treat you with respect, but not so; when you get right with God, you're comforted and there is rejoicing in the congregation of God. Those that do not take on that kind of character are not in line with God's character of forgiveness, and are basically outside of the congregation of God. They might be part of a church, but they are not living as though they are part of the Body of Christ; if they were, then they would be comforting a sick part of the Body, and rejoicing over any healing that takes place. Whether or not this has anything to do with Psalms 71:18, I don't really know; but if we are really talking about showing God's strength and power to anyone, then should it not be about changing a life? That is where the power of God shows up and remains, for those that are to come...  
"I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while. Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants His people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There's no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such readiness to punish wrong. You showed that you have done everything necessary to make things right." (2 Corinthians 7:8-11) NLT

"Primal Justice"

"O God, Thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared Thy wonderous works." (Psalms 71:17) Sometimes things just happen, and sometimes things are meant to be; but all things work to the good, no matter how they start out. The way I look at it, we all have a final destination, so whatever happens between here and there, it is really just an experience in life; but it does not disrupt the end result, not if you are secure in Christ. If you are not secure in Christ, then every day is another opportunity to change that final destination you are currently headed for; but if I were you, I would not put it off another day! This life might stink and it might be full of disappointments, but it is the only chance that we have to get it right. In other words, you don't get to do this over, so you had better make this one count. The title appeared in my mind last night; without even knowing what it might imply, it became what you see before you today. I think God has a way of turning the normal into spectacular, and the common into uncommon; that's just what He does. You have most likely heard it said, "God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things!" Those people that we admire in the Bible, such as Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Daniel, you name them, everyone with the exception of Jesus, was just an ordinary man; yet God took the ordinary and made it extraordinary! It was God working in and through their lives that made them extraordinary; He has a way of doing that; and He is still doing that today! How is it that God can do this? Because our God is an Extraordinary God! He is the One and Only, and there is none like Him! If you put your trust in Him, then you too will have an extraordinary life; not just because you might do extraordinary things, those are a bonus to what really matters; what makes this life so extraordinary is how nothing really matters towards your final destination! Not your sickness, your weakness, your position, your money, or lack thereof; it's all absolutely irrelevant to where you are going to end up. As long as you are in Christ, you have nothing to worry about; no matter how serious and detrimental your condition or circumstance might appear, if you are in Christ, it's just smoke and mirrors. I know that if you are currently going through something, it might not appear as though it just smoke and mirrors, because it hurts; whether it's sickness or separation, it stings like a one of those locust described in Revelation 9:1-11, who's sting torment men for five months, and they want to die but can't. Just so you know, "Primal Justice" is not just something I see as an ordinary title; it's far more meaningful to me, because I believe that it was from God. That is the point of this verse, because if we are going to do anything extraordinary in this life, it needs to be God's work being done in us, and we need to give God the glory...
"God's way is perfect. All the LORD'S promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection. For who is God except the LORD? Who but our God is a solid rock? God is my strong fortress, and He makes my way perfect. He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights. He trains my hand for battle; He strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow. You have given me Your shield of victory; Your help has made me great. You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping." (2 Samuel 22:31-37) NLT  

"None Beside Thee" - 2

"I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of Thy righteousness, even of Thine only." (Psalms 71:16) Just in case you did not get that, yesterday was what you might call a 'distraction.' The main point of letting ourselves get distracted from the Lord, is always pointing at ourselves! It's completely all about Jesus; no matter how you slice up the Word, there is always something that points to Jesus Christ, whether it's articles that the priests wore, utensils in the temple, special days of celebration, even reasons to sacrifice and how the sacrifice was performed; and those are just things of a certain order, never mind all the trees, animals, mountains, towns, people; you name it, if it was telling a story, or if it was making a point, it was always pointing to Jesus in one way or another. As for that closing Scripture, the Living Water is more that just the Holy Spirit living through us, it's Jesus being poured out of our lives! If you want to see what God looks like, then look at Jesus; and if you want to have God visible in our own lives, then Jesus is what people will need to see; and there is only one way for that to happen, and that's the Holy Spirit making it happen by in and through our lives. I know this might not make some people comfortable, especially if you are someone that does not like to do much, but if you want to experience more of God's Spirit in you, then you have got to do something with God's Spirit that is within you. That is the primary reason that Jesus called Him "Living Water" because He flows in and out of our lives; if He is not being used, then He is not being used; and if He is not being used, then He is not flowing; and if He is not flowing, then He is not living in and through us; and if He is not living in and through us, then people do not see Jesus in us. Don't ask me how it works, because frankly I don't really know. But I can say this, if the "Water" is the "Word," and the "Word" is Jesus, then what is it that people should see in us? The word "righteousness" is not just your ordinary word for righteousness; it actually points towards something required of us, or according to right, as in this is something required. It needs not be explained, because it is so; for example, ""the early rain according to right," i.e. the rain in just measure, as the ground naturally requires." As the definition goes, "What right have I any more?" There is "None Beside Thee, O LORD!" Just believe it and let it move you! Are you familiar with what blinders are to a horse; then don't let yourself get distracted from the Lord...
"But the LORD says: "Now I will stand up. Now I will show My power and might. You Assyrians produce nothing but dry grass and stubble. Your own breath will turn to fire and consume you. Your people will be burned up completely, like thornbushes cut down and tossed in a fire. Listen to what I have done, you nations far away! and you that are near, acknowledge My might!" The sinners in Jerusalem shake with fear. Terror seizes the godless. "Who can live with this devouring fire?" they cry. "Who can survive this all-consuming fire?" Those who are honest and fair, who refuse to profit by fraud, who stay away from bribes, who refuse to listen to those who plot murder, who shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong - these are the ones who will dwell on high. The rocks of the mountains will be their fortress. Food will be supplied to them, and they will have water in abundance. Your eyes will see the King in all His splendor, and you will see a land that stretches into the distance." (Isaiah 33:10-17) NLT

"None Beside Thee"

"I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of Thy righteousness, even of Thine only." (Psalms 71:16) If only you could have seen me yesterday morning; I was a wreck for at least twenty minutes after repeating that story about the guy with no hands. There is more to this "Daily Walk" thing than we tend to realize; because this has got to be something we keep up with very single day. As I was praying about this post, this title became very loud in my mind, almost to the point of being audible. Then, as I was beginning to start typing, the "Thee" in the title started to be turned in my mind into "Me", as in, "None Beside Me." There are so many different ways of looking at that statement; but the one that rings the loudest in me, is the one that speaks of walking in my own strength. Now, don't try and get ahead of me, because I am not trying to say that we are ever alone; I don't believe for a moment that the Lord is not with me always; I have the "Foot Prints In The Sand" picture, and I totally believe it to be so. But just because the Lord is with you, does not mean that we always lean on Him for strength and guidance. How can we pretend to by walking with the Lord if we don't start out each morning in fellowship with Him? I know, the mornings not your thing, you like doing your devotions before bedtime; mornings are for working out and getting ready for work. But, did you know, our starting of each day is required time to be with the Lord? I am not being legalistic, I am just trying to make a point about two very important things in the Bible; the first of which was the "Manna" that came down from heaven, and how it was dried up like dew in the morning; secondly, about "First Fruits" and how God made it a requirement to give Him the first fruits of all that we have. Another day, in my opinion, is another day that we have, and it is another day that God has given us to walk in His strength, if we so choose to acknowledge Him. Maybe that is the most important part of making it real; not that it is not real, because it is; but do we own it every day? Do we walk out each day in His strength, being freshly filled, or do we walk in our own strength between occasionally being filled? Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you knew: We leak and need the flow of God's Spirit... "On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, "Anyone who is thirsty may come to Me! Anyone who believes in Me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, 'Rivers of Living Water will flow from his heart.' (When He said "Living Water," He was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing on Him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered His glory.)" (John 7:37-39) NLT

"Innumerable"

"My mouth shall show forth Thy righteousness and Thy salvation all the day; for I know not the number thereof." (Psalms 71:15) Not that I am counting, but today is the last day to make good on those changes; because starting tomorrow, there are twenty one days left till New Years Day; just saying. The NLT has a little different take on this verse, although they do make mention of this version in a footnote; but the way they explain what David is trying to say, instead of not being able to count it, they make to more about putting into words, saying, "though I am not skilled with words." Maybe giving names to all the stars in the sky makes a happy medium; although God has them all named already (Psalms 147:4). John finishes off his Gospel by indicating how impossible it is to list all that Jesus has ever done, saying, "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." You stop and think about what that might imply, and you are talking about a lot of books; talk about "a gazillion books," I think that does not even define the number. Not that any of us trying to count, nor want to; but how often do we sin during one twenty four hour period? As I was thinking about yesterday, it was hard to keep up with the number; every thought, and every non-caring inaction; I guess it depends how deep you want to look into the heart, because these hearts of ours can get pretty murky. I drive around in the city a lot, so this time of the year it gets pretty crazy out there; if you can understand my sentiment towards stupid drivers. The other day I actually had to repent for my outburst; not that I actually said anything, but I sure could have; it's just that I realized how angry I can get, and how little I really care about what is going on in the other persons life. I was behind some elderly woman while getting onto the freeway, and she slowed down to twenty miles an hour to merge onto the freeway, a freeway that was moving along at seventy miles an hour; I actually thought for a moment she was going to pull over a wait. Then when I passed her, I could see that she was obviously very scared; she most likely would have avoided the freeway if she could have, and I felt bad for getting mad at her. Even though I tried really really hard yesterday to keep it together, if I was in a hurry, together went right out the window. I heard a pastor share something on the radio awhile back; I may have mentioned it before, but it bares repeating; and I will try to make it brief. He told about a time when he was standing behind someone at the register in a Pharmacy; and while this younger gentleman was trying to give money to the cashier, he was taking forever. The cashier did not seem to care, but he was starting to really loose patience, and was almost going to say something. But then the man turned to leave, and he noticed that he did not have any hands...
"Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can't draw fresh water from a salty spring." (James 3:1-12) NLT

"Bountiful Mercy"

"But I will hope continually, and will yet praise Thee more and more." (Psalms 71:14) If you were to continue reading what Jeremiah was saying, say like from verse 14 to verse 18, and you would probably wonder what went wrong; he pretty much curses the day he was born. It is really not all that hard to understand; as I have said before, if it was not for the fact that I have Jesus to hold onto, I most likely would have checked out of here long ago. As soon as we take our eyes off of the Lord and focus on ourselves, any one of us could begin to lose hope. The older you get, the more profound that sinking feeling becomes; and the more you dwell in that place, the more frail you realize that you are. Not that knowing that is so bad, because we must always count on the Lord for strength. But seriously, I know people that stay stuck in frail-mode for days and weeks, even months at a time; at some point, you have got to get over yourself and start praising the Lord for putting up with you. Why Mercy? You might wonder that, as if mercy is not part of what this verse is speaking of; but I would disagree strongly. After that last verse, you have got to realize something about who we really are, and that God's mercy is not something that we need once; which is to say, I received mercy at the cross, and now it's all about grace. I don't agree with that line of thinking, at all! I know that I need God's mercy each and every day of my life! The more God forgives me, the more I praise Him; the more and more grateful I am for His bountiful mercy, not because I deserve it, because I don't; but because He loves to have mercy on me; He loves to show forth mercy because He is merciful to us, every single day! The word "hope" is one of patience more than anything else; it speaks about 'holding on,' as to be willing to not give up because you know it will all be okay. Add to that the word "continually," and you have something that is perpetual and constant. If I have learned anything over these last 34 years, it's that we don't get to make the rules; God makes the rules, we just need to obey. Yes, I still need mercy...
"Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from His love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Jesus Christ had. Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross." (Philippians 2:1-8) NLT

"Throwing Mud"

"Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries of my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt." (Psalms 71:13) I know this might not sound very productive, and usually it's not the way we should approach conflicts and opposition; but in this sort of situation, you really need to call it like it is. We most certainly have an adversary, and he most certainly means business when it comes to wrecking the lives of believers. Unfortunately, most of the time, we simply don't care to get busy dealing with him, or even talking to God about dealing with him. Maybe we just don't want to piss him off, so we just ask God to give us strength and move on; making the best of what life deals us and trying to dodge as many fiery darts as we can. This is really not such a good approach to getting through life; maybe if you were all alone, like David Carradine's character in the 70's TV show, "Kung Fu." But if you are caring for others, have a family, or involved in a ministry, then you need to make every effort to stay alert and throw some mud. Maybe, just maybe, you can actually get a little mud to stick. If it sticks, maybe then you will have a more noticeable target the next time you are confronted or influenced by such a crafty foe. Two very important weapons that we have for taking on such attacks are more than adequate, if we would just practice putting them into work; which is something else to be said about throwing mud, in that it takes a little effort to make the mud you intend to throw. Those two weapons are prayer and God's word. Prayer is more for representing the ground or the soil used; where it needs to be sifted and have things separated out of it; if you going to make a good mud ball, then you need to refine the dirt. Let God open your eyes to everything that is relevant, especially those things that involve your own purity and weaknesses; if you know where you stand, then you stand better, and you can throw further. The Word is what makes it stick! It's like the water used to hold that soil together to make the mud; without the Word you're just throwing dirt, your own dirt mostly. I know, you don't need to say it, I am totally off my rocker; I blame it on the 70's. But if we are really going to get serious about taking back ground, then we need to get grounded; and that means face down and busy...
"I have heard many rumors about me. They call me "The Man Who Lives in Terror." They threaten, "If you say anything, we will report it." Even my old friends are watching me, waiting for a fatal slip. "He will trap himself," they say, "and then we will get our revenge on him." But the LORD stands beside me like a great warrior. Before Him my persecutors will stumble. They cannot defeat me. They will fail and be thoroughly humiliated. Their dishonor will never be forgotten. O LORD of Heaven's Armies, You test those who are righteous, and You examine the deepest thoughts and secrets. Let me see Your vengeance against them, for I have committed my cause to You. Sing to the LORD! Praise the LORD! For though I was poor and needy, He rescued me from my oppressors." (Jeremiah 20:10-13) NLT  

"Dialed In"

"O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help." (Psalms 71:12) In my opinion, God is only as far away as you make Him. If He is distant from you in your life, in the way that you live your life, then He will remain that way for you when you need His help; not because He is not near, because He is never far away; but because that is your experience of the relationship you have with Him. Besides, don't you know that the Holy Spirit dwells within you? So if the Holy Spirit dwells within you, then God really is always near. Now comes some critical questions regarding our relationship with the Holy Spirit; because if He is in us, but we are distant from Him, then there must be something seriously wrong with our relationship. By the way, you do understand what it means to be "unequally yoked?" It's not just about marriage, although that's what it's been made out to be. It's more about teamwork in the relationship, where both or all are working together in one direction or for one common goal. It just so happens that marriage is a common example of what that should look like, where a husband and wife are joined together, and the two become one. Besides, the Holy Spirit is not going to force you to do anything; so if your not feeling pressured, it's not because He is not there, it's because you are not listening to His voice! Personally, I have come to understand a few things about how this works; having experience teaching myself to sin, I know what it takes to ignore what the Holy Spirit is trying to say; sometimes, also trying to do. Maybe as a kid, you had a little experience with this yourself; as your parents tried to tell you something, and you held your breath in an effort to drawn them out. It is like you can force your ears shut if you apply enough pressure to the inside of your head; it is very similar to the way we harden our hearts to the voice of the Spirit. The problem with doing that, is that there can be some critical damage as a result. For the child that continually forces their ears shut, they could damage their eyesight, or even a blood vessel inside their head. For the believer that continues to harden their heart, they could grow callus to the voice, to the point of never listening, and our spiritual vision is very distorted. But God!!! God will not abandon you! Don't listen to anyone or thing that tries to tell you different! He has said, "I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." (Joshua 1:5) That same God is always there, waiting for you to listen, waiting for you to submit your life to Him, and waiting to get things done. Get dialed in, and start listening to what He says, and start doing what He says. That is all that there is to it; just do it...
"Don't team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with a unbeliever? And what union can there be between God's temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: "I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be My people. Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don't touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. And I will be your Father, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty." Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God." (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1) NLT

"Besides Opposition"

"For mine enemies speak against me; and they that wait for my soul take counsel together, saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him." (Psalms 71:10-11) I am pretty sure it was delightful to the enemies of God to watch Jesus be put to death, but their delight was short lived. If ever there is something for us to look towards for encouragement, no matter how discouraged our situation might present itself, then the cross of Christ is a pretty good one to focus upon. Think about what must have been going on in the minds of those who were witnessing that display of humiliation and destruction; not just those that were friends and family of Jesus, but those that were His enemies: knowing who He actually was, and then witnessing the torture that He was enduring at the hands of mankind. I'm sorry, but there seems to be something I see in the picture that makes me think those in the know were not all that happy about what was going on that day. All of the sudden, that expression on Jack Nicholson's face in "How Do You Know" comes to mind; the one where he is happy for a second for his son's true love, till he realizes that it means he is going to prison. That is how it must have been for them, as they were delighted to see the Lord being humiliated and destroyed, till they realized who He really was; then it dawned on them, "This is not over!" Oh, I'm sorry; didn't you know what the Scriptures say? Haven't you heard? What makes anything that has been created think that they can destroy the Creator? Global Warming comes to my mind; not that I am a Doubter or a Denier; it's just that it is not possible for mankind to do something that God does not allow. If we are facing some kind of catastrophic change in the climate, it's all part of God's plan; besides that, you stop for a moment and think about the position of the sun: Who do you think keeps that big ball of gas from getting any closer than it is? Wait just a moment! What orbits around what? It's a little scary when you think about the earth's Orbital Eccentricity...
"To whom will you compare Me? Who is My equal?" asks the Holy One. Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by it's name. Because of His great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing. O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights? Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:25-31) NLT  

"Keeping The Faith"

"Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth." (Psalms 71:9) Just because we might not feel God is working, does not mean that He has stopped; He is never done with us, He never will abandon us. I know we might not always feel as though that is the case, but sometimes God just wants us to be still. Don't you know that being still is also movement? How do you stop a speeding locomotive? Ya, I thought you would get that. It takes some kind of effort on our part to make ourselves be still; and if you really stop and think about, it might take more effort in certain situations to stay still, than it does to want to do something, anything! I can't just sit here and wait, not when there might be something I can do to help God get the job done! You ever feel that in your heart? You might not understand it if you have not experienced it for yourself; but I doubt none of us have not tried to help God along at least once or twice in our lifetime. And to make matters worse, the older you get, the more you might feel you need to help Him. It's that "While we're young" kind of mentality that thinks time is running out, and if God does not do something soon, then it's going to be too late. Well, just in case your there, let me help to encourage you in your waiting: As long as your still breathing, God is not done with you! Don't think for a moment that God can't use you, because God can bring the dead back to life! And if God can raise the dead, then He sure can make the living come to life. I think the ironic part of this verse, if you care to be humored by the thought, is that David uses his strength as a source of strength, as if to say, I guess because I can't fight like I once could, that God is done using me. Interesting how easy it is to find ourselves judging God's ability upon our own abilities, as if God can't work through something that is broken or weak; since when? The last I checked the record, God did His greatest work ever broken and weak... "We faithfully preach the truth. God's power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything." (2 Corinthians 6:7-10) NLT

"H.I.M."

"Let my mouth be filled with Thy praise and with Thy honor all the day." (Psalms 71:8) The older I get, the more I realize just how little I contribute to my own salvation. When I was young, I thought I had something in me that could change the world; but as I grew older, I realized it was the world that keeps on wanting to change me. This is why it is so important that we do not love this world; leave that up to God, only He can love it the way it the way it needs to be loved: John 3:16 gives us that illustration! This verse would be a great verse to live by, and I don't just mean to make it something you inspire to do, but that it is something you actually put into practice. You do know what that means, don't you? They say that it takes twenty-one days to establish a habit; the last I checked, twenty-one days is about three weeks, so if you are going to plan to make any New Year resolutions, then you had better start getting ready to put them into action. What I am really trying to say, is that you need to start resolving those issues now, not wait until New Years, as if there is some sort of magic in that day, because there isn't. I resolve not to say anything bad about anyone any more; and while I am at it, I should also resolve not to listen to the bad things that are said of others also. Other than that, I think my prayer life could use some great improvement; like maybe it needs to be brought back to life, because it seems as of lately to have been minimized profoundly. I know that these things are really not things that I can change on my own; which is primarily why the verse above begins with the word "Let" and not "I will have" or "My mouth will be." This is something I really want to do, but it is going to require God's help to make it happen; at the same time, I need to want it to happen! I don't think that we get that most of the time, because we ask God to change us in a certain way, but then we go on living the same old way we always have. You know that Abraham actually had to walk away from his father's home; eventually he did, and then it was accounted as righteousness. What are you saying Rich? He Inspires Movement! That's the whole wonderful point of living out the life of Christ, or any other aspect of the Christian life: there must be movement in the direction God inspires us to go...
 "As God's partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God's kindness and then ignore it. For God says, "At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you." Indeed, the "right time" is now. Today is the day of salvation. We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love." (2 Corinthians 6:1-6) NLT

"Our Partiality" -Too

"I am as a wonder unto many; but Thou art my strong refuge." (Psalms 71:7) Oops, forgot a word! Just one little word, "as," and it gets so out of focus; or at least it could lack the directional fortitude, which is where our strength actually is found; because it surely is not in us! Considering also that this is "The Prayer of an Aged Man," primarily David, you can see the significant meaning by the word "as," as in, "I am as a wonder unto many." I mean, looking back upon his life and considering he was blessed beyond measure, despite his terrible mess-ups, he can only come to such a conclusion about himself; it is God's grace and mercy, not our performance, that will be the thing that gets the job done! The NLT has a little simple way of reading this verse, because it says, "My life is an example to many, because you have been my strength and protection." To be perfectly honest, if it were not for some of the great mess-ups by those who are "examples" of men in need of a Savior, where would we get the strength to continue on in our own fight? We would most likely have given up long ago, if not for the proof that we all have flaws and weaknesses. Given this somewhat awkward position of being not as strong as we think we really are, should we not make our focus the source of our strength, and not focus so much on the source of our weakness? Isn't that the message that David is trying to get across? Despite all of my mess-ups, God is always faithful and never changes His position: He chose me to be His child, not because of my strength or righteousness, but because He loves me...
"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace He has poured out on us who belong to His dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins. He showered His kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding." (Ephesians 1:3-8) NLT  

"Our Partiality"

"I am as a wonder unto many; but Thou art my strong refuge." (Psalms 71:7) If I could have anything etched on my tombstone, I think this verse would suit me just fine. Although, I don't think we get to pick what gets put on our tombstones; not unless we prearrange everything before we die. Maybe that's not such a bad idea, to prepay all of your own burial expenses; otherwise, you will just wind up getting cremated and divided up into a bunch of jars. Getting back to something that I said yesterday, as to how we are to act out this love we have been so graciously given; it's not really our choice as to who we are to love and not love; in case you did not get the message, Peter did say, "love for everyone." As far as his remarks concerning "old sins," it is my understanding that this is a reference to our previous condition, not to the fact that we no longer sin. In other words, we cannot look down on others for being sinners, because we all were once just as those who have not yet tasted redemption; so to try and not love someone because they might be a sinner, is something that is totally against what Jesus stands for; or more importantly, what He died for! The word "wonder" is more about a 'sign' or a 'miracle' than it is about wondering; not like people might not wonder about me, as if to say, "I wonder if he is really saved?" It might be easier to understand by taking it more in the context of the last verse, then you can put the two together, making it God's power that has been put on our life that is the "wonder" for some to notice, not our lives in general. It's more like looking beyond the weaknesses in someone's life, and instead, looking at Jesus showing up in them. That way we don't always focus on the worst part of people, but we instead look for the good in them; besides, isn't that the way you want people to look at you? I think we often look for the bad in people because it makes us feel better about ourselves; but in reality, it weakens the body of Christ, if to no other person than ourselves. Basically, what I am trying to say, is that we need to be the "miracle" that we are meant to be, by letting the Lord show up in us! At the same time, we must remember what we are and where we came from; because outside of Christ, we are really nothing at all; which is what "strong refuge" is all about, He is our hope and trust...
"We know what real love is because Jesus gave up His life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion - how can God's love be in that person? Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and He knows everything." (1 John 3:16-20) NLT