"Experienced!"

"To see Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the sanctuary." (Psalms 63:2) Yes, I know, it's a throwback from the 60's and early 70's; but just because the world might use something, does not mean that it can't be used for God. Which reminds me, I heard a message yesterday that described what happens to these iconic rock stars that sell their souls to the devil, they get destroyed! The devil is a destroyer, he can not create anything, but he sure can destroy stuff, especially those that belong to him. But you know, God really spoke to my heart about something very important when it comes to leading someone to the Lord, we do not lead anyone! I know that sounds wrong, because even I have considered myself to have led many people to Christ; but in reality, nobody comes to God without God calling them onto Himself. Before I had accepted Christ into my heart, I had several invitations and opportunities to make a move; but it was not until God called me, softened my heart, and the Holy Spirit revealed the truth to me, that I could actually see my need for God's redemption, and see His great love for me through the power of the cross of Christ. I can lead someone through the Sinner's Prayer, but if God's not involved in the process, the transformation is not going to happen. Besides, nobody can really understand why they need Jesus without accepting Him into their heart; it's really that simple of a statement. Jesus said it Himself, while answering Nicodemus, saying, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) It is not a matter of just saying the sinners prayer and then your good; it is a matter of seeing your need for God's mercy and then saying the sinners prayer; something that involves the Holy Spirit revealing the truth into our hearts. To help understand what I am saying, we could look at the word "sanctuary" that is used in the verse above, which is not really a place, it's a position, which is described as 'apartness' or 'separateness'. In other words, it is us seeing the need for God's mercy and grace, because there is such a huge gap between where we are and where He is when it comes to holiness; a massive gap that can never be bridged by anything other than the cross of Christ. Now that's 'power' and 'glory', the likes of which we cannot experience without becoming a child of God...
"What do you mean?" exclaimed Nicodemus. "How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?" Jesus replied, "I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don't be surprised when I say, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit." (John 3:4-8) NLT  

"Wherever - Whenever" -2

"O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;" (Psalms 63:1) Oddly enough, we have something that needs to be filled, and there is only one thing that will satisfy that filling, which is God's Word; and even then, we still need to be continually filled! If you look at this word used for "water", it has some rather complex meanings, but I think the way it comes across is mostly regarding refreshment, as in relief; and pardon my expression, but it appears to be the kind of relief you get when take a piss, especially one that is way overdue. I can so relate to this, because hardly a day goes by that I don't feel this discomfort myself. I am very uncomfortable asking people if I can use their bathrooms, and most of the time, I hardly have any time between appointments, so I just travel from one inspection to the next; it is literally three or four hours sometimes before I can get a chance to relieve myself, and at times, it gets very uncomfortable. To look at it another way, you could see the feeling you get when you speak to someone about the Lord; your so filled up as you speak about Him, even as you depart from the person you were speaking with, you are still feeling filled; but soon thereafter, you feel as though you are drained, and in need of being filled again. This really requires that we seek such a deep and personal relationship with God, because this world has nothing to offer in the way of filling our spiritual appetite; if anything, it takes from any filling that we might have experienced, almost immediately! I think Matthew Henry tries to put it in a little better perspective, as he says, "The best and dearest of God's saints and servants may sometimes have their lot cast in a wilderness, which speaks them lonely and solitary, desolate and afflicted, wanting, wandering, and unsettled, and quite at a loss what to do with themselves." We really only have one cure for these wilderness blues, and that is a good heart-to-heart with our Heavenly Father! So, in case you were wondering what this title stands for, that's it, "Wherever - Whenever" He is never far away...
"Many among the crowds at the Temple believed in him. "After all," they said, "would you expect the Messiah to do more miraculous signs than this man has done?" When the Pharisees heard that the crowds were whispering such things, they and the leading priests sent Temple guards to arrest Jesus. But Jesus told them, "I will be with you only a little longer. Then I will return to the one who sent me. You will search for me but not find me. And you cannot go where I am going." The Jewish leaders were puzzled by this statement. "Where is he planning to go?" they asked. "Is he thinking of leaving the country and going to the Jews in other lands? Maybe he will even teach the Greeks! What does he mean when he says, 'You will search for me but not find me,' and 'You cannot go where I am going'?" 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.'" (John 7:31-38) NLT

"Wherever - Whenever"

"O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;" (Psalms 63:1) Yesterday was kind of special; I like it when the Lord speaks so loud and clear; it was like, "What do you seek" was so loud, it shuck me to my core. I don't know, maybe just to be held, that might do it; or to be so deeply in love, that it hurts to think about anyone else. What I really need is to just rest in the Lord; I know that, and I try continually every day to do that; but man, it's hard to do that when your racing from one place to another, constantly! There always seems to be someone in front of me that is slowing me down; like yesterday, I was late getting to an appointment up in Shingletown, and there was this guy in a little beat-up grey car, the closer I got to him, the slower he went. Finally, I noticed that he had a handicap plate, so I imagined that he was just a head without a body trying to drive a car, and then I began to feel sorry for him; but we all know, he was probably just someone that was trying to control somebody else, just to feel a little more powerful; Right? I remember something that I learned over thirty years ago, that is so easy to forget, especially when we are in a hurry; it is that God is watching over us, and sometimes there are reasons we get slowed down or redirected; sometimes, if it was not for your redirection, you might not have made it where you were going, or you might not have been where God wanted you to be, for whatever reason. What this has to do with anything, I'm not sure; but then again, a little redirection is sometimes just what is needed to get our attention...
"I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit, and He prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me." (John 15:1-4) NLT

"Yearning for God"

Psalms 63 [A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.] You know something that I really love about my relationship with Jesus, is that He gives you whatever you need, at the exact time you need it! For the most part, we don't really know what we need; we know what we want, and we have no problem making those wants known to God; but what we need, those things we seldom have any idea how to ask for them, even if we did know what they were. This particular Psalm was written regarding a very strange time in David's life; and according to the note I wrote in my Bible, this time was recorded in 1 Samuel 22:5, which was right after David raised a small army of about four hundred men; most of whom were men that were in distress, or in debt, or discontent (1 Samuel 22:2). I know that this introduction says "wilderness of Judah", but you have got to understand, this was not a desert or something like that, it was a forest; an uninhabited plain country, fit for feeding flocks. Prior to going here, David was hiding out in a cave, until the prophet of Gad told him to depart into the land of Judah. Sometimes what we really need is for God to give us a little different perspective; that all, just change our view point of who God is, or who we are in God; or how God provides for our needs, even when we don't even know what we need. David needed a little different perspective on who he was; who it was that God had called him to be, and why it was that God had chosen him to be king. Just prior to hanging out in that cave, David had pretended to be insane in Gath; while hiding out there, he overheard them saying, "Is this not David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?" (1 Samuel 21:11). To be perfectly honest, what I know that I need, is to have a closer walk with Jesus! I am sure that I could always use that, no matter how close I think that I might be, I can always be drawn closer, and closer, and closer. That's what "yearning" for something does to us, we want to be closer to whatever it is; or we want to be filled by, or comforted by, whatever or whomever we are yearning for; and in the case of "yearning for God", sometimes we just need a closer walk with Him; just a little one-on-one time together, back out in the fields, back out in the wilderness, or out where the flocks feed; that would be nice...
"Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped down and looked in. She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. "Dear woman, why are you crying?" the angels asked her. "Because they have taken away my Lord," she replied, "and I don't know where they have put Him." She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she did not recognize Him. "Dear woman, why are you crying?" Jesus asked her. "Who are you looking for?" She thought he was the gardener. "Sir," she said, "if you have taken Him away, tell me where you have put Him, and I will go get Him." "Mary!" Jesus said. She turned to Him and cried out, "Rabboni!" (which is Hebrew for "Teacher".) (John 20:11-16) NLT

"None Other!" -2

"Also unto Thee, O LORD, belongeth mercy: for Thou renderest to every man according to his work." (Psalms 62:12) Now what do you think? Is God full of mercy, or what? There is absolutely no question about it, we must depend upon God for His mercy, because without His mercy, we have no chance whatsoever of getting into heaven; none! And here is the kicker! God is the one who supplies the mercy, and yet, He is also the one who will judge! Go figure! Maybe it's me, but does it seem that the sureness of His mercy is made more relevant, considering He is also the judge? I mean, if I am going to stand before a judge, and yet, it is told to me that he will set me free if I only ask his forgiveness, is there any doubt I will be forgiven? I am sure that there are many who do not care, but it is by far the most important single thing that we have to make a choice about: Do I accept His mercy or not? That's really all that God is asking us! Do you believe that I love you? "For God so loved the world" is a statement, but it is presented in the form of a question that must be answered in every man's heart: "So, do you believe it?" The bottom line, in case you missed all the idol worship, is that God will not be second, can not be second! He must be number one in our hearts and minds, because He has earned that position in the manner that He has loved us! Nothing else could ever compare to what God has done for us, absolutely nothing! I'm sorry, but it's not even possible to think how I did not see it before accepting Him into my heart, except for the fact that my heart was as hard as a rock. But that's the most amazing part of it all! He softened my heart so that I could see His love for me...
"Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love. Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean! You will show us your faithfulness and unfailing love as you promised to our ancestors Abraham and Jacob long ago." (Micah 7:18-20) NLT

"None Other!"

"Also unto Thee, O LORD, belongeth mercy: for Thou renderest to every man according to his work." (Psalms 62:12) Did you get that? It is really easy to let it slip by unnoticed, but "We have left God's paths to follow our own" (Isaiah 53:6b), speaks to the fact that we all like to make our own paths to follow, as if we know best what is the way that we should go. You do realize that each and every person on this planet has a natural tendency to want to worship a god? The majority are not worshiping Thee God, and they may not even be worshiping anything that might resemble a god, it could just be the planet or themselves, if they base in power in them; but we are designed to naturally worship something, yet God has designed us to worship Him, ideally! I saw a survey listed on Drudge a couple weeks ago, and was it mentioned by Mike Huckabee, that Americans would rather have a Gay President than an Evangelical Christian. I can see why that is, in this modern day culture of 'tolerance'; "Don't Judge Me" has become the underlying theme in so many areas, especially in the area of sexuality and lifestyle. Don't you think it is interesting how the Rainbow has become a symbol of gay pride? The Rainbow that God used for a sign that He would never destroy the world again with a flood (Genesis 9:11-17). If our current President had not pretended to be a Christian, he might not have won his first election, but the culture has changed in the last seven years. There is an interesting Sermon by Charles Spurgeon, titled "Mongrel Religion", which he gave October 2nd, 1881; it was based upon the verse 2 Kings 17:41, which says, "So these nations feared the Lord and served their graven images, both their children, and their children's children: as did their fathers, so do they unto this day." If you check out the United Church of Christ, they claim and brag about being "the church of firsts"; unfortunately, I hate to break their bubble, but I think they are mistaken in that regard; they might be the first to do certain things here in America, but the pattern of blending the church with the world was not created by them. We have got to stay totally and completely dependent upon God's Word; if it is not backed up with the Bible, then it has "left God's paths"! If it is not based in 'Sound Doctrine', then it is following something other than the path that God has established! I don't care how compassionate or caring a ministry is, if it has left off from the teaching of the Bible as God's Holy Word and His final word, then it has created a path of it's own...
"I don't want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. All of them ate the same spiritual food, and all of them drank the same spiritual water. They drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, "The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry. And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day. Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. And don't grumble as some of them did, and were destroyed by the angel of death. Theses things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age." (1 Corinthians 10:1-11)NLT  

"Let Faith Arise" -Too

"God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God." (Psalms 62:11) You know that old saying, "Can't see the forest through the trees", well that was the point I think God was trying to make; we really spend way too much time on the details of the problem to understand the solution or see the situation as a whole. God really does have everything handled! I like the way Louie Giglio put it, when he expressed his view of God prior to seeing one of the larger stars in our galaxy; it was like, "Prior to this, my prayers would be advising God, correcting God, suggesting things to God, drawing diagrams for God," etc. The point I think he was making, is that our God is a very big and powerful God, beyond our wildest imagination, He is incredibly big and powerful, we can't even begin to think that we can advise God how things should be done; let alone, try to figure out how He is working all things towards the good; that's not important when it comes to our faith in Him, as hard as it is for us to understand that. We sometimes feel, if we can't see the how everything is going to work out, then God's not working; but God does not want us to try and figure out every little detail to His plan, but to just have faith in His promises, and leave all the details to Him. Have you actually seen the details that God has put into His creations? Even the smallest living thing has such great detail; and we are worried about how God is going to work our little circumstance towards the good? It really speaks more about God speaking once, and we hearing it expressed over and over! We see it in creation, in our hearts, in revelations, in the light of reason; it just keeps repeating it over and over, God is great, God is powerful! And when it comes to hearing Him say how much He loves us; well what can I say...
"Who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed His powerful arm? My servant grew up in the LORD'S presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected - a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet, it was for our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all." (Isaiah 53:1-6)

"Let Faith Arise"

"God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God." (Psalms 62:11) So, do you see now why we must depend upon God? "There is none righteous, no, not one." (Romans 3:10) To be perfectly honest, we sin because we are sinners, we are not sinners because we sin; therefore, it is impossible to be righteous, because we were not righteous to begin with, because we were born in sin; from sinful parents, and from the result of the fall of Adam and Eve, our original parents. Yesterday's post hurt my heart; but after several hours of working outside, clearing piles of tree branches so I could turn the RV around, I was able to think about how much God has provided enough mercy for me to be forgiven a hundred times over; with every branch that I moved, I was counting His mercies, literally thousands of branches; some one by one, some hands full at a time; His mercies never end! It might seem hard to wrap our little brain around it, but it's not the hard to just trust Him at His word; basically, just stop doubting what He is saying, and start listening to what is being said. If you are familiar with 'light pollution', then you might understand why it is so easy for us to doubt Him so much. Light pollution is the inability for us to see all the stars at night because the city lights are polluting the light of the stars; the stars are all still there, we just can't see them because of the lights from the city; just as we can not see them during the day because the light from the sun, but they are always still there. So too are God's promises, His word, His character, His unending love; they are never ever not there, they are only being polluted by doubt, worldly wisdom, and misunderstanding. Looking at this verse, there is something painfully true about what is being said, much like that closing Scripture from yesterday: God speaks once, we partially hear, but then we loudly hear by experience; ouch...
"Listen to Me; listen, and pay close attention. Does a farmer always plow and never sow? Is he forever cultivating the soil and never planting? Does he not finally plant his seeds - black cumin, cumin, wheat, barely, and emmer wheat - all in its proper way, and each in its proper place? The farmer knows just what to do, for God has given him understanding. A heavy sledge is never used to thresh black cumin; rather, it is beaten with a light stick. A threshing wheel is never rolled over cumin; instead, it is beaten lightly with a flail. Grain for bread is easily crushed, so he doesn't keep on pounding it. He threshes it under the wheels of a cart, but he doesn't pulverize it. The LORD of Heaven's Armies is a wonderful teacher, and He gives the farmer great wisdom." (Isaiah 28:23-29)

"It All Belongs To God" -2

"Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them." (Psalms 62:10) So, you might be thinking that there is nothing more to this verse than that of who's in control, or who has the power over what? maybe it's just about who has ownership when all is said and done? Yes, it's all true; each and everything that you could ever imagine, set your heart upon, whether material or imagined, if it can be weighed upon a scale, or judged in accordance of worth, it is all included; even your very own life! This is by far the hardest thing I have had to wrestle with, not because of the all the work that I have put into everything; and believe me, I have sacrificed more than I care to think about; but to be perfectly honest, the list of people I owe an apology to, goes far beyond my ability to comprehend; it hurts my heart to even think about it. I guess I could start with God, since in the end, He will be the judge of all that has been done. Typically, God is where every apology should start, because essentially, He owns each and every person that has ever been placed into my life. If I had to pick number two, then it would be my wife; as she was the one who stood by my side, even though I put creating a business over the responsibility of maintaining a strong spiritual leadership in the home. Don't get me wrong, I did maintain a spiritual leadership to some degree, but it was the bare minimum needed to get us through, the absolute essentials required visibly present; after all, I was an elder in our church, and I needed to maintain a certain appearance of spiritual maturity. But as far as growing into a deeper relationship, either with God or my family, I did not make that my priority; my priority was in building a business, everything else was just being dragged along side, or dragged from behind. This hurts! If I could give any advice to someone beginning such a journey, I would want to somehow compare the taste of meat to the appetite of success: once that first bite is tasted, it is hard to not make it the primary reason you plan your day...
"Now, however, Israel is led by drunks who reel with wine and stagger with alcohol. The priests and prophets stagger with alcohol and lose themselves in wine. They reel when they see visions and stagger as they render decisions. Their tables are covered with vomit; filth is everywhere. "Who does the LORD think we are?" they ask. "Why does He speak to us like this? Are we little children, just recently weaned? He tells us everything over and over - one line at a time, a little here, and a little there!" So now God will have to speak to His people through foreign oppressors who speak a strange language! God has told His people, "Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is the place of quiet rest." But they would not listen. So the LORD will spell out His message for them again, one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there, so that they will stumble and fall. They will be injured, trapped, and captured." (Isaiah 28:7-13)

"It All Belongs To God"

"Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them." (Psalms 62:10) It's rather obvious that God is in control, if you are paying in attention to the sun and the orbit of this little blue ball; but what about the things of this world, does He control everything? This was harder than I thought it was going to be; not the plan to go through Psalms one verse at a time, although it has had it's moments of being stretched; but this verse has be baffled. As I was praying about this verse, I saw a little glimpse of something that reminded me of the great challenge we face in the business world: yes God is in control of everything, and He owns everything that He created, which is pretty much everything that has ever been, is, or will be; but something happen a the fall of man which caused the stewardship of this earth to be taken from man and placed in the hand of the devil. That does not mean the devil owns it, he has dominion over it, but he does not own it; neither did man ever own it, it was placed in man's care, and he blew it. If prior to the fall, no one ate meat, then it was the fall that created the appetite for the eating of flesh. I know that sounds a little weird, but please bear with me. Once this appetite was established, there became something of a natural order created, what is commonly referred to as, 'The Food Chain'. Now, I am not trying to say that there is a food chain among us humans, but it is a pretty competitive world out there, and I know how things can be between labor and business; so in a manner of speaking, it is a 'dog-eat-dog world'; all of which can be attributed to the fall of man. So my problem, in case you were wondering, is how do we factor in our role, for those of us that own our own business, if it belongs to God, but it is currently under the dominion of the devil? Can anyone see what I am talking about, or is it just me? I guess what God is trying to show me, is that we are to ignore who has dominion, and focus upon the Owner; which means that we treat every thing and every one as though they are God's, because they are; God owns it all, and if you don't believe it, you will find out soon enough...
"Therefore, listen to this message from the LORD, you scoffing rulers in Jerusalem. You boast, "We have struck a bargain to cheat death and have made a deal to dodge the grave. The coming destruction can never touch us, for we have built a strong refuge made of lies and deception." Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken. I will test you with the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness. Since your refuge is made of lies, a hailstorm will knock it down. Since it is made of deception, a flood will sweep it away. I will cancel the bargain you made to cheat death, and I will overturn your deal to dodge the grave. When the terrible enemy sweeps through, you will be trampled to the ground. Again and again that flood will come, morning after morning, day and night, until you are carried away." This message will bring terror to your people. The bed you have made is too short to lie on. The blankets are too narrow to cover you." (Isaiah 28:14-20)  

"We Are All The Same"

"Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity." (Psalms 62:9) I can understand how much different our lives might appear, but taken away from life's situations, there is nothing different in any one of us; it all ends at the grave, as far as wealth or poverty goes; and beyond that only one thing really matters, whether you're rich or poor, Do you know Jesus? There is really nothing wrong with being rich, as long as you are aware of Who's wealth you are in charge of; and there's nothing wrong with being poor, as long as your doing the best that you can. Personally, I think I had less worry when I had less to care for; it's seems as though I have not been able to clock out for over 34 years; and if anyone of you are in business for yourself, then you know what I am talking about. I have taken plenty of vacations, and even as we speak, this is a vacation of sorts; although driving at least 800 miles a day might not seem like much of a vacation, it does allow me time to think on other things, other than work. I do not agree with giving hand-outs indefinitely; I have seen way to many families become dependent upon the government programs, my family included! I remember when it all started, I was about ten, and my step father hurt his back at work, or so he said. From then on out, we were never free from being dependent upon welfare or government assistance; it's almost like a sickness, once your given a taste of free money, your reaching for that money tree, and your most likely crippled for life. The same could be said for those that become successful in business; you are driven by becoming the one that can make something happen; which you do, but what has it proven? So you can put all your efforts into building a business; your relationship with God and your family will most likely suffer because of it, and in the end, your no richer than the guy on welfare! I was thinking of Madonna yesterday, because we are both the same age; it's so sad how glamorous people make a life built around their youthfulness, only to discover that it is gone so quickly; before you know it, you're planning beyond your retirement...
"Has the LORD ever needed anyone's advice? Does He need instruction about what is good? Did someone teach Him what is right and show Him the path of justice? No, for all the nations of the world are but a drop in a bucket. They are nothing more than dust on the scales. He picks up the whole earth as though it were a grain of sand. All the wood in Lebanon's forests and all Lebanon's animals would not be enough to make a burnt offering worthy of our God. The nations of the world are worth nothing to Him. In His eyes they count for less than nothing - mere emptiness and froth. To whom can you compare God? What image can you find to resemble Him? Can He be compared to an idol formed in a mold, overlaid with gold, and decorated with silver chains? Or if people are too poor for that, they might at least choose wood that won't decay and a skilled craftsman to carve an image that won't fall down! Haven't you heard? Don't you understand? Are you deaf to the words of God - the words He gave before the world began? Are you so ignorant?" (Isaiah 40:14-21)

"It Does Not Matter" -2

"Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us. Selah." (Psalms 62:8) The flip side, if that's what you want to call it, is "all times" being, in whatever circumstances you are in; whether you are doing well, or you are going through something that is horrific, you are trusting God. Here is the thing we find going on in certain situations, both individually, and in large groups of people: we always tend to look at good times as the fruit of doing the right thing. I know, you are wondering where this might be going; but just so you know, God needs us to trust Him in the good and the bad, not just the bad things that are happening, as we tend to always do. Not such a big deal, you think? Oh, I would disagree with that line of thinking any day of the week! Being dependent upon God is for all areas of our life, including the areas where we seem to be doing well in, especially when it comes to finances or provisions of any sort. Let me give you an example of the 'large group' happening, say a church which has grown rapidly by trusting God to bless their fellowship; so they get something good happening because they trusted in God, but once they have it going, they lean upon their own understanding to maintain it. I have seen it happen time and time again. And in our own lives, we get to a place where we think patterns of doing this or that have contributed to any success that we might have, which takes our focus off the 'Giver of all things', and places the focus on our routine or our own strength. The more I think about it, the more I think that the people who really need to "pour out their heart before God" are the ones that are doing great, because it does not come naturally to ask God for help when you otherwise don't need it; but you do, you just might not think so at the moment. It does not matter if you are at the top of the world, or in the lowest part of your life, God must always be your "refuge", whether you are in the midst of the storm, or you are enjoying all the pleasures of this life, you have got to keep trusting in Him...
"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again - rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7)NLT  

"It Does Not Matter"

"Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us. Selah." (Psalms 62:8) I get it that some people don't feel worthy of His love, it's only natural to want something a little more sure of than what we see coming from within our selves; which is the whole point! If we are going to make it, it's not by our strength or righteousness, it is by His! We have got to depend upon God for providing the way, because quite frankly, we have no chance at all without Him! I am sorry for all the excitement, but I am in Ohio right now on my way home with the new RV, and it has been hard to get use to the time changes. I might be back to normal by Saturday; then again, when have I ever been normal? I think the part of this verse that speaks to me the most is that opening statement, which says, "Trust in Him at all times"; it really does not matter what kind of condition that you are in, or what you have possibly been guilty of, God is always worthy of your trust, even if you don't feel worthy to trust in Him. That is one thing that I really admired about David, no matter what he had done wrong, he always trusted God's hand of correction. I would prefer God's had of correction over man's any day or any time, because I know that God loves me! It does not matter what you have done, or where you have been, God is not there waiting to crush you for your wrong choices; He might be crushed because of them, but He wants you to cry out to Him for mercy. That's the part that we don't really understand, why God's mercy is so easily offered, and yet it is so seldom that we accept it is even there; it's like, I don't deserve it, so why should I ask for it? Precisely the point: we seldom do deserve it, if ever; yet He is always willing to offer it, when we cry out for it...
"I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can't. I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway." (Romans 7:15-19) NLT

"In Him Alone!"

"In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God." (Psalms 62:7) I know that we would like to take some credit, after all, we do try to be His faithful children, and want to think that counts towards something, as it should; but when it comes to our salvation, we have nothing to boost in, it's all about God's mercy and grace! I could not help but think of the 'Prodigal Son' illustration that Jesus gave (Luke 15:11-32), and how the other brother reacted when the father was celebrating the return of that wayward son; he acted as if he was getting cheated because his father never threw him a party, and he had always been faithfully working for his father. It kind of reminds me about the 'Sheep and Goats' parable from Matthew 25:31-46; in it, Jesus illustrates two very important things, which is not really about works, it's more about compassion and caring. Neither the sheep nor the goats were aware of their circumstances; the goats asked, "When did we not feed you, or cloth you, or look after, or visit you in prison?"; while the sheep asked Him the opposite question, saying, "When did we feed you, or cloth you, or care for you, or visit you in prison?"; neither one was aware of the circumstances of their actions or lack thereof, because the sheep were focused on helping others, while the goats made it all about themselves. The son that stayed home and faithfully worked for his father, he always was the one who shared all that his father had, and he could have cooked up some steak any time he wanted to; but the prodigal son, he was lost and had squandered all of his inheritance, but he never stopped being his fathers son! It's not about us, how we work at doing this, or even how we squander it all; it's about the God that loves us and cares for us; and it's about what we can do to please Him, not because we are going to receive some kind of award, but because we love Him too. That prodigal son, when he came to his senses, he did not feel worthy of his father's love; but his father was not having any of that, it was not up to the son to cut off the relationship, it was up to the father...
"Let all the world look to Me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other. I have sworn by My own name; I have spoken the truth, and I will never go back on My word: Every knee will bend to Me, and every tongue will confess allegiance to Me. The people will declare, "The LORD is the source of all my righteousness and strength." And all who are angry with Him will come to Him and be ashamed. In the LORD all the generations of Israel will be justified, and in Him they will boast." (Isaiah 45:22-25)NLT  

'"Getting a Grip" -2

"He only is my rock and my salvation: He is my defense, I shall not be moved." (Psalms 62:6) Did you take notice of something missing between this verse and verse two? If not, it's okay, because it's pretty normal for that to happen; not just in the case of the missing word, but in the case of our eternal security in Jesus! And it's not the word "only", just in case you were wondering; it's the word "greatly" missing from this verse that was in verse two. You know, I could not help but think of Jesus always calling His disciples out on one particular fault that they all had in common, "O ye of little faith!" Generally speaking, we all suffer now and then in the faith department, it's just humanly natural, because that's what we are, humans! We are only man, so why do we expect ourselves to have the qualities within ourselves to be otherwise; if not for the power of God working in us! Maybe we really do need some schooling in areas of trust, because we are constantly drawn to our own inabilities and overlook the completed work of Jesus Christ! I will put my faith in Jesus! In Him I have the faith to move mountains, not because I have any special faith, but because He is SPECIAL!!! And yes, we do mess up from time to time; and we do cast doubt upon our relationship with God when we do; but God is not "greatly moved" by what we do, because He knew already we would do it; He new the very first moment that He thought you into existence that you would need to be saved! That's what makes His-story so incredibly awesome, because He made you, He knows you inside and out, and yet, He still loves you...
"After Gomer had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she again became pregnant and gave birth to a second son. And the LORD said, "Name him Lo-ammi -'Not My people' - for Israel is not My people, and I am not their God. Yet the time will come when Israel's people will be like the sands of the seashore - too many to count! Then, at the place where they were told, 'You are My people,' it will be said, 'You are children of the living God.' Then the people of Judah and Israel will unite together. They will choose one leader for themselves, and they will return from exile together. What a day that will be - the day of Jezreel - when God will again plant His people in His land. In that day you will call your brothers Ammi - 'My people.' And you will call your sisters Ruhamah - 'The ones I love.' " (Hosea 1:8-2:1)NLT

"Getting a Grip"

"He only is my rock and my salvation: He is my defense; I shall not be moved." (Psalms 62:6) Just so you know, the flood is anything that comes against us; cancer seems to be a big one nowadays, it's getting to the point where everyone seems to know someone that is dealing with some sort of cancer. Maybe, if that's you, and you are waiting for God to save you from that disease by making it go away, He is trying to lift you up from the devastating part of your flood, and He is trying to get you to feel secure in Him. God is not going anywhere; and whether we sink, swim, or get rescued, God will always be right there! I really don't know that I truly get that; I mean, I might say that I believe it, and for the most part, I think that I do; but how can I really believe it, when I so blatantly sin against Him? Okay, maybe that didn't come across the way that I wanted it to, because I feel I did not leave you feeling blindsided enough. But just for a moment, try to get a grip of what I think God is trying to say. How can we honestly say that we completely depend upon God, if we don't totally act as if He is always right there, each and every moment of the day? Okay, maybe your not getting the impact of the reality of what is being said, because I am sensing that it's not yet totally clear to you how important this is to your relationship with God; not the God that you think you know, but the God that knows you, every single second of each and every day! Talk about an idol; what about making God out to be just like an idol, as if He can be taken out of the room, or left upon a shelf? 'I'm going to pretend that God is not here right now, so that I can satisfy my sexual desires.' Does that sound familiar to anyone? When you see the same verse repeated, you had better know that it needs repeating! The same weakness that would allow us to pretend that God is not watching, is the place where doubt is formed on whether or not He is for us, and whether or not He is actually there to begin with. We really need to be totally transparent with God, if we are ever going to get a grip; do you know why that might be? I think you get it; because whether you know it or not, you really don't have a choice...
"When the LORD first began speaking to Israel through Hosea, He said to him, "Go and marry a prostitute, so that some of her children will be conceived in prostitution. This will illustrate how Israel has acted like a prostitute by turning against the LORD and worshiping other god's." So Hosea married Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she became pregnant and gave Hosea a son. And the LORD said, "Name the child Jezreel, for I am about to punish King Jehu's dynasty to avenge the murders he committed at Jezreel. In fact, I will bring an end to Israel's independence. I will break its military power in the Jezreel Valley." Soon Gomer became pregnant again and gave birth to a daughter. And the LORD said to Hosea, "Name your daughter Lo-ruhamah - 'Not loved' - for I will no longer show love to the people of Israel or forgive them. But I will show love to the people of Judah. I will free them from their enemies - not with weapons and armies or horses and charioteers, but by my power as the LORD their God." (Hosea 1:2-7)

"My Needs"

"My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him." (Psalms 62:5) Maybe what we need is a little more pressure, a little more squeezing out of these things that challenge our dependence upon the God who commands our respect. Can we honestly teach ourselves to be dependent upon God? I'm not so sure; maybe forty days in the wilderness might help; forty years might be more like it! And yet, when you study the children of Israel's forty year journey, it was God who schooled them on being dependent upon Him, they always continued to fail otherwise. Isn't that how it is for us? No sooner do we learn how to trust Him to get us through one thing, there arises another thing that challenges our dependence on His ability or desire to assist us; it's almost as if we have spent all of our 'God's Help Tokens', and now it's up to us or nothing. Do you ever feel that? How else do we explain where our "expectation" goes? I expected Him to work in this one area, but I don't know about this one; this one seems a little different, and I think God does not want to get involved with this one. I could not help but think of a joke I once heard, and that I have repeated over and over myself, many times over the last thirty years. It's about a man who is waiting upon God to save him from a flood; and at first there is a four-by-four truck that stops by, but he declines the help, saying, That's alright, God's going to save me. Next there is a boat, and this time he is on his roof; but he declines again, saying, No, it's okay, God is going to save me. And then, finally he is perched on the top of his chimney, and along comes a helicopter, with a ladder hanging down, and a voice crying out for him to grab hold; but again, he replies, It's okay, I waiting on my God to save me! That man did not survive the flood! What are you waiting for God to do, that He has not already done! God knows your needs far more than you do; He knows what you need to survive through the flood, but we keep looking for God to stop the flood...
"The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!" The LORD is good to those who depend on Him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD. And it is good for people to submit at an early age to the yoke of His discipline: let them sit alone in silence beneath the LORD'S demands. Let them lie face down in the dust, for there may be hope at last. Let them turn the other cheek to those who strike them and accept the insults of their enemies. For no one is abandoned by the LORD forever." (Lamentations 3:19-31) NLT

"Every Little Bit"

"They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah." (Psalms 62:4) If you thought yesterday was interesting, you have got to get some of this! I don't know about you, but I am sick and tired of hearing people talk as though God does not matter when it comes to having victory over something; as if it is more dependent upon how strong we are as a fighter and as a person of character, and God works off our strength, instead of the way that it should be; you know what I am talking about, "Strength in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). You can look at the vastness of the Universe, and it really does not take much imagination to wonder how we matter all that much in all of billions and trillions of stars and planets out there; but the Creator of all of that came here, on this "pale blue dot", to die upon a cross for our sins; how could anyone think that we don't matter to God? You have got to see how much David is trying to make a point, not just regarding how much we need to be dependent upon God, but how little we should to be dependent upon ourselves. I think of the tempting of Jesus in the wilderness, and how the devil tried to use anything and everything of this world to try and temp Him. It is no different for you and I; we get the same kind to temptations; sometimes from those who mean well, but without saying so, they seriously doubt "His Excellency"! If you are a child of God, then you have got to realize that God has nothing but good intentions for you! God is on your side; He is fighting for you, and He is 100% the Victor 100% of the time! I don't care what it is that you are going through and how much it might hurt right now, nothing compares to that which God has in store for you; absolutely nothing, not even life itself! Please don't get me wrong, I am not trying to put anyone down who might feel devastated in some kind of trial, I understand and I feel your pain, you have got to believe me; but it is really only for a little while, and there is no pain that we can be given here, that can even compare to the glory that awaits us in heaven; and God is really not trying to hurt you, He loves you! Everything that we go through, whether good or bad, it is all meant towards the good! God does not allow it otherwise, and we have got to get that into our heads! I you want something to fight for, then fight for the Character of God; let His character shine through you, in whatever it is, no matter the difficulty, God is Excellent...
"O Israel, says the LORD, if you wanted to return to Me, you could. You could throw away your detestable idols and stray away no more. Then when you swear by My name, saying, 'As surely as the LORD lives', you could do so with truth, justice, and righteousness. Then you would be a blessing to the nations of the world, and all the people would come and praise My name." (Jeremiah 4:1-2)

"Have No Fear"

"How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? Ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence." (Psalms 62:3) As crazy as this might sound, I can relate to how this strange little verse takes on some kind of a 'breaking down the walls' effect on our fears. Think about it for a moment, because you never worried about losing anything before you had something to lose. We build up walls of comfort around us, only to soon realize that those things become a wall of imprisonment and ongoing maintenance; never mind having to worry about where you would be without them. I know this is a stretch, but can't you see how wrong it is to worry about things that don't really matter beyond this life? Jesus put it in the simplest terms, using raiment, food and shelter as the example of stuff and comforts (Matthew 6:24-34); this He did to illustrate the importance of making heaven the number one priority in our lives, and putting God first and foremost on our list of things to be concerned about, as in, Am I pleasing Him? Well, are you? To whom do you answer to most, God's commands upon your life, or the needs of your stuff? I did not want to go down this road, but you would not believe the whole I have dug around my life by caring more for my stuff than I should; I will be paying off the IRS for the rest of my life; or at least for the next five to six years, I hope! You know that little command, "Thou Shalt Not Steal"? well not paying the taxes that you owe is pretty much the same as stealing; so I guess you can say I served mammon more than God, and I did it for a very long time! I know that it was wrong, and I have asked God to forgive me, and I have been trying very hard to make things right; but as for being afraid, I have no fear, because nothing in this life is able to take away from my eternity with Jesus, absolutely nothing! The way I look at it, I will either struggle to pay off what I owe, or I will relax in prison; the only thing that really concerns me is taking care of my wife; and for that reason, I am doing whatever it takes to clear up the mess I made. The simplest way that I can put this, is to imagine the worst thing that could happen in any situation that you are in, and then be comfortable with that; as odd as that might sound, it is absolutely true! Are you dealing with life-threatening cancer, then imagine it killing you, and make yourself comfortable with dying; whether you live or die is really up to God, and if God wants you to stick around, your cancer won't kill you, but your worries might...
"Then the LORD said to me, Even faithless Israel is less guilty than treacherous Judah! Therefore, go and give this message to Israel. This is what the LORD says: "O Israel, My faithless people, come home to Me again, for I am merciful. I will not be angry with you forever. Only acknowledge your guilt. Admit that you rebelled against the LORD your God and committed adultery against Him by worshiping idols under every green tree. Confess that you refused to listen to My voice. I, the LORD, have spoken! Return home, you wayward children, says the LORD, for I am your master. I will bring you back to the land of Israel- one from this town and two from that family- from wherever you are scattered. And I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will guide you with knowledge and understanding." (Jeremiah 3:11-15)    

"Hold On Tight"

"He only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved." (Psalms 62:2) If you are going through anything right now that is too far outside of your ability to control, or is way beyond your usual limits of endurance and strength, be encouraged, up are currently right where God wants you to be: totally and utterly dependent upon Him! If you have asked God to teach you how to love Him more, or to teach how to love others as He would have you love them, then please be aware, your lesson is going to involve sacrifice of self; there is no other way you are going to learn how to love, without love becoming the only thing left that you have to offer. If you have asked God to fill you with His joy, and to be able to rejoice through anything that might get thrown your way, then guess what, you have just become the target; you have just become the guy in the dunk tank at the carnival, and everyone wants a chance to make you wet. You have no idea what trusting in God truly feels like until you are in a position that requires you to put your trust in God! I know we don't want to hear that; and we surely don't ask for it outright; but it's true, if you want to trust God more in your life, then hold on tight, because the only way your going to learn to trust Him, is for Him to stretch your limits of doubt. Remember that this Psalm is about "Depending on God", and the only sure way we are going to learn how to be dependent on God, is by loosing our dependency on anything else but Him! I mean, we can say we are dependent upon Him, and we can pretend that we have what it takes; but how do you actually know, unless God is all that you have left? I took the liberty of making "Rock" and "Salvation" capitalized, because they are the two most important things that we have to hold on to; the Rock being our Lord, Christ Jesus, and He is our Salvation, and our salvation is secure in Him; nothing or no one can take that away from us, so it is the most secure thing that we have to hold onto. He has never promised us anything else but what really matters, so why should we expect Him to protect anything that does not? To be perfectly honest, I don't know that I have what it takes to "not be greatly moved", but I am not really that worried about it, because "He is my Defense", and He is not going anywhere...
"O LORD, I will honor and praise Your name, for You are My God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now You have accomplished them. You turn mighty cities into heaps of ruins. Cities with strong walls are turned to rubble. Beautiful palaces in distant lands disappear and will never be rebuilt. Therefore, strong nations will declare Your glory; ruthless nations will fear You. But You are a tower of refuge to the poor, O LORD, a tower of refuge to the needy in distress. You are a refuge from the storm and a shelter from the heat. For the oppressive acts of ruthless people are like a storm beating against a wall, or like the relentless heat of the desert. But You silence the roar of foreign nations. As the shade of a cloud cools relentless heat, so the boastful songs of ruthless people are stilled." (Isaiah 25:1-5)  

"For What It's Worth" -2

"Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from Him cometh my salvation." (Psalms 62:1) I am sorry for the rant; I'm sure that I must have misunderstood what was being said, because we all know that God still loved us even through we had not yet asked Jesus into our hearts; so for what it's worth, I am taking back the Seminary comment, and I am sorry for have spoken so harshly about a brother, even though I did not mention him be name. The title above this Psalm in my Bible, are the words, "Depending on God", and just so you know, God's love has a way of making us dependent, not just because He knows what is best for us, but because He has so much more for us than what we could ever plan on our own. Obviously God is in control of our lives, He has always allowed me certain lead ways, but He has always kept His angels watching over me; I truly believe that, and if it had not been for God's hand upon my life, I would have died several times before I had the chance to answer His call upon my life. I hear people say that nobody knows what is in their future, but I can honestly say that I do know what is in mine, because I am going to heaven! Only those people that have not yet accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior do not yet know what is in their future, and it's not too late for them, as long as they are still alive; but it is God's will that everyone would believe in His Son, God does not want anyone to perish; but contrary to what some might think, there are no second chances after you are gone! Having said that, I am completely confident that those He has chosen have been given many chances to answer His call, and He does not give up on those who do not respond, of that I am sure of. If I had to explain how that works, it would probably not make any sense whatsoever; all that I know, is that God is my Heavenly Father, which means that He made me for His purposes, I did not make Him; those are the things that idols are made of, gods that are made by man, and totally worthless...
"Listen to me, all you in distant lands! Pay attention, you who are far away! The LORD called me before my birth; from within the womb He called me by name. He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword. He has hidden me in the shadow of His hand. I am like a sharp arrow in His quiver. He said to me, "You are My servant, Israel, and you will bring Me glory." I replied, "But my work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose. Yet I leave it all in the LORD'S hand; I will trust God for my reward."" (Isaiah 49:1-4)  

"For What It's Worth"

"Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from Him cometh my salvation." (Psalms 62:1) You know, there are some people that know too much information, because too much information makes them think that they know everything. They go into Seminary hungry for God, and they come out fat with worldly points of views, and God is somewhere else outside of this domain. I actually don't agree with everything I hear on the radio, and sometimes I hear something, and I get fired up to counter that notion or belief. This verse has triggered such a response. How anyone could honestly think that God does not care what you do before you have come to accept Jesus Christ into your heart, is beyond anything that I have come to understand about God's calling upon our lives; because the Bible teaches that "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5) Now maybe that just counts for important people that matter, but I have been taught that we all matter to God the same; and if that is so, then God's calling has been upon all His children, long before they were in their mother's womb. And if that's the case, then wouldn't seem to make God as much concerned about the mother of one of His children as He is about the child? So if He is concerned for the mother, then would it not also seem to reason that He cares about what that child does after he is born? What the heck is going on in the head of anyone that would think such a thing? Maybe it comes from the fact that God called Abraham while he was a pagan living in a pagan country, and it was not till Abraham answered the call that God started to bless him; but then again, why does God go through all the trouble to list the genealogy of those that matter, if nothing before they answered the call matters at all? God is all over our lives! He was there all along, making us happen before we were even thought of, before our grandparents were even thought of; heck, God has known each and every one of His children since the creation of time; so put that in your pipe and smoke it! Hold the phone! Whatever happen to "Come Home"? Come on; I had a home to go to long before I went to it, it was always there waiting for me, I just needed to open that door! Which reminds me, my mother never ever shut the door to her house; if she had a home, then I had a home; my problem was that I did not respect her invitation a lot of times, and I surely did not respect the security she offered...
Happy Mothers Day to all you moms; and especially to you Mother. I'll see you soon!

"Depending on God"

PSALMS 62 [To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David.]
Joy, that's what's at the heart of the matter! I have been scratching my head for the last week, asking God, what is it that you are trying to tell me; what's up with all this stuff about idols and graven images; things that do absolutely nothing to help us in any area, whether here or there, they are worthless! "Jeduthun" is actually a person whose name means 'praising'; he was chief of one of three choirs of the temple. "Count It All Joy", although it's kind of a worn out statement, it never gets worn enough! We say that we know God; we say that we know that He has saved us; we say that He is so wonderful, and merciful, and loves us more than we could ever know; but where is the joy that backs it up? There is something that must be said about letting our light shine; first and foremost, it's not our light that needs to shine, it's God's Light that needs to shine in our lives! I sometimes forget that, and think that I have something to offer people who might need a little joy. I have nothing! Please don't think that I mean that I can not share the joy I have been given, that's not what I am trying to say; what I mean, is that the joy that I have is from the Lord, and it is Jesus that offers it, not me; I am only a vessel that He uses to touch others by; I hope you get that? My real question has to do with worshiping God, and whether or not they are all joyful in heaven, as they proclaim, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come." (Revelation 4:8) Can you see it? Because I find only one thing that proclaims sadness at the throne of God, and that was when John wept over no one being worthy to open the Book. (Revelation 5:4) And yet one the elders said onto him, "Weep not: Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof." Yes, that's right, "Weep Not", that's a pretty good slogan for today, don't you think? "Weep" is a word that means to mourn for pain and grief, as in, those that mourn for the dead. Jesus is alive! We are alive, and we shall live for ever more; so what is there to weep about? Where is the joy that expresses that? I want people to see my face and wonder, Why does he look so happy? not say, I wonder who stole his little red wagon...
"In that day you will sing, ""I will praise You, O LORD! You were angry with me, but not any more. 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 the 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 you."" (Isaiah 12) NLT

"Upon This Rock!"

"So will I sing praise unto Thy Name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows." (Psalms 61:8) Whether you are one that believes in the eternal fires of hell or not, I am sure that it is not a salvation issue, as long as you believe that Jesus Christ has delivered from hell, whichever hell that might be. But one thing is for sure, we could not have done it without Him! As I said before, performing our vows is not what gets us into heaven, as difficult as that might be to understand; if any vow might even seem plausible, it's the vow of believing God is who He says that He is; and even then, I think many of us fail that test in the midst of a trial, or when we have strayed from the path. As I was praying about this verse, I could not help but think about Peter, and how he denied Jesus, even after Jesus told him that he would; even after Peter told Jesus, to His face, that he never would, he still denied Him; not just once, but three times, just as Jesus told him that he would. We have got to be able to understand how dependent we are on the blood of Jesus, because there is absolutely no way we are getting into heaven on our own! Why anyone would even imagine that they could, it just goes to show how prideful we can be, and how little we know about our own abilities, or lack thereof. I heard a message several weeks ago, which talked about how we are the weakest in that which we think that we are the strongest; if you think that you are strong in being committed to your spouse, then that is where you will fail; if you think that you are strong in resisted anything, then that thing you think that you are strong in will end up being your downfall. Abraham trusted God, that seems pretty easy of a strength to hold onto; yet how many times did he doubt God's promises? I can think of at least six without even trying. Noah was a man that stood out from the rest of the "drunken" world, as righteous; yet as soon as he could, he planted a vineyard and got drunk. Moses was a man that interceded for God's people, constantly getting on his face before God and asking God to have mercy on them; yet, it was his temper against the people that kept him out of the promise land. Peter might be one of the easiest examples to look at, only because his weakness in his strength was so immediately obvious; it actually happened in a matter of hours! I think the key to understanding what is being said, is in the word "daily", because I am constantly needing to "perform my vows"; which does not mean that I am doing what I said I would do, but that I am vowing to do what I should over and over on a daily basis...
"Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance - all who seek the LORD! Consider the rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were mined. Yes, think of Abraham your ancestor, and Sarah, who gave birth to your nation. Abraham was only one man when I called him. But when I blessed him, he became a great nation." (Isaiah 51:1-2)      

"Prepped For Eternity"

"He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him." (Psalms 61:7) To whom it may concern: You do have a eternal soul! I'm just saying, because eternity is a really long time! We can argue about all the different thoughts on the matter, but that will not change the truth; personally, I do believe that there will be a resurrection for every one, and those that are cast into hell, although their resurrected body may be consumed in the fire, their souls will continue on for ever in that place of torment. I know that does not sound very nice, but it does not have to be that way for you, or anyone else that still has a choice; God is not willing that any should "perish", whatever perish might represent. To see a little example of another way to look at "perish", you could look at Matthew 10:28, where that same word is used, but it is used as "destroy"; and looking at it in the context of what the Lord is saying, then we could assume that both the body and the soul are destroyed in hell. I am not sure that it really matters all that much, because being eternally separated from God is the worse thing that can happen to anyone, whether the flame goes out or not; but according to Revelation 20:10 they never do! But God, who is rich in mercy, although there will be a judgment, He offers life to all the perish; whether or not we accept it, is totally up to each and every one of us individually. It is really just as simple as that! Do you have eternal life? That is the question that we need to be asking, not whether or not hell is eternal or not, because there is nothing you can do to change the truth of that once you are dead, it either is or it isn't. But you do still have a choice for eternal life; personally, I will chose life over death any day! My eternity has already begun, how about yours? Jesus said, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." (John 8:36) The way I see it, sin is what God is going to judge; so anything that is bound to sin will be judged in that lake of fire, whether eternal or not; but Jesus has made a way for us to be set free from the bondage of sin, thereby we no longer need to be bound to that which shall be judged. It no longer has it's grip on me, so why should I grab onto to it? We have been set free, so we need to walk in that freedom and no longer walk in bondage! I am holding onto Jesus, that's what I am grabbing onto; but if my hand might slip, He is holding onto me...
"Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do His will. And I know that I will not be put to shame. He who gives me justice is near. Who will dare to bring charges against me? Where are my accusers? Let them appear! See, the Sovereign LORD is on my side! Who will declare me guilty? All my enemies will be destroyed like old cloths that have been eaten by moths! Who among you fears the LORD and obeys his servant? If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the LORD and rely on your God. But watch out, you who live in your own light and warm yourselves by your own fires. This is the reward you will receive from Me: You will soon fall down in great torment." (Isaiah 50:7-11)

"Just Believe Him" -2

"Thou will prolong the king's life: and his years as many generations." (Psalms 61:6) Obviously, idols can distort our view of who God really is; anything that gets between us and God is an idol, anything! What are you trying to say? Sometimes I just don't know, I just type; you have probably figured that out by now, so just try to follow along, as I do. The KJV of Isaiah 42:8 calls them "graven images" instead of "carved idols", as in the NLT; but there is really not much of a difference, they are both something created by what is imagined in our minds, thus they are an image that we have imagined fits the God or gods that we put our faith in; whether or not that image is correct, is entirely based upon the Word of God. Some people say that you cannot put God in a box; well that might be true, and according to John, you can't put everything about Him in a book either (John 21:25); but if the God you know does not fit the God in the Bible, then you have an issue, and you are dealing with a "graven image". Can God really be anything to everyone? Some people think that He is; and some people will even preach that it is so; I was going to say teach, but in order to teach something, you need something to reference what you are teaching; at least that is what I have been taught. Why do you think that God took the time and the effort to put this Book together, if it was not important for us to believe it is from Him? Every word of it is God speaking from His heart to our hearts, if we would just listen. I guess that might be part of the problem, if you are going through an idol to hear what God is saying, then His words are most likely getting distorted. When it comes to having "Confidence in God's Protection", which is what this Psalm is meant to be about, our confidence must be placed in the right direction! It can not be diverted or go through anything, but must be squarely fixed on God! By the way, I heard another little tidbit of information on the radio the other day, concerning the "Judgment" in the last day, and why God will be judging everyone by all those books that are opened (Revelation 20:12); it is because your life is not over when your physical body is dead, it continues on and on through many generations; and what you may have done, whether good or bad, will continue to affect or effect many many lives, way after you are gone...
"Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens. Sing a new song to the LORD! Sing His praise from the ends of the earth! Sing, all who live in distant coastlands. Join in the chorus, you desert towns; let the villages of Kedar rejoice! Let the people of Sela sing for joy; shout praises from the mountaintops! Let the whole world glorify the LORD; let it sing His praise. The LORD will march forth like a mighty hero; He will come out like a warrior, full of fury. He will shout His battle cry and crush His enemies. He will say, I have long been silent; yes, I have restrained Myself. But now, like a woman in labor, I will cry and groan and pant. I will level the mountains and hills and blight all their greenery. I will turn the rivers into dry land and will dry up all the pools. I will lead blind Israel down a new path, guiding them along an unfamiliar way. I will brighten the darkness before them and smooth out the road ahead of them. Yes, I will indeed do these things; I will not forsake them. But those who trust in idols, who say, 'You are our gods', will be turned away in shame." (Isaiah 42:9-17)    

"Just Believe Him"

"Thou wilt prolong the king's life: and his years as many generations." (Psalms 61:6) Beyond just thinking that you believe in God, there needs to be this personal relationship, the kind that actually confirms what you believe. I think that before you can actually take God at His word, you must first have an encounter with His Word; His Word being none other than Jesus Christ, the Redeemer. Yesterday was a pretty interesting day in radio land, because there was some pretty tough subjects that were discussed; one that stands out the most was about eternity, and whether or not we all have eternity whether it is in heaven or hell. Some believe that those who go to hell are consumed in the fire, while others believe that they are not consumed, but that they burn forever in eternal judgment. Based upon the word "perish" that Jesus uses in John 3:16, it would appear that it means "to be done away with", or "be destroyed"; but looking further into the meaning, there is this phrase, "to devote or give over to eternal misery". The question then becomes, Do we have an eternal soul? Because if we do have an eternal soul, then it must be placed somewhere for eternity. I like to always go back to the beginning when faced with such questions, the beginning being Genesis 2:7, where we see God breath into man's nostrils the breath of life, and it says, "and man became a living soul". So I guess it really comes down to what "living" means, and how that might effect a "soul", if soul is anything other than just a person, or a personality brought to life. I am under the impression that man was designed in God's image, based upon Genesis 1:26, and in that sense we would have an eternal spirit, which is something that is part of God's image. Now the question might become that of a spiritual nature, and whether or not the body is consumed, but the spirit continues on for eternity. As I was pondering this yesterday, I had something that came to mind, which was also another topic for the day; it was the fact that Peter was not looking for Jesus to return in his lifetime, because Jesus had told him that he would be crucified. It's an interesting thought, don't you think? Right after Jesus told him that, Peter looked over to John, saying, "And what shall this man do?" I guess what the Lord was trying to tell me, is that I needn't worry about where the lost end up, as to whether or not it is the end or forever, but to just focus on the my own eternity with Him. It's bad enough that the lost will be eternally separated from God, that much is sure; so just believe Him that He has given you eternal life with Him, and be eternally thankfull...
"God, the LORD, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone that walks the earth. And it is He who says, I, the LORD, have called you to demonstrate My righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to My people, Israel, as a symbol of My covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations. You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons. I am the LORD; that is My Name! I will not give My glory to anyone else, nor share My praise with carved idols." (Isaiah 42:5-8)

"Called of God"

"For Thou, O God, hast heard my vows: Thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear Thy name." (Psalms 61:5) Prior to my encounter with Jesus, my life was somewhat just a bunch of random accidents; at least that is what I thought they were back then. But you know, God has a way of keeping us from going too far, and too out of control, and even though we might not have given Him our lives yet, His hand was still upon our lives, right from the start. I don't know how to explain it, because it is way too far beyond my ability to reason; but God says that it is so, and that is good enough for me to believe it. Actually, anything that God says must be viewed as the truth, whether we can comprehend it or not, that does not matter, if God said it is so, then so it is, period, end of argument. As far as "vows" are concerned, there is really only one vow that I believe that God will hold us to, and that is the one where we said, "I believe You are who You say that You are!" Beyond that, I don't really think we are capable of much else; at least not anything that has to do with obedience to His commands; if you have broken one, then you are guilty of breaking them all, that's just a fact. The "heritage" that we have been given is not based upon who we are, but it is based upon who God is, and whether or not we believe in Him or not; if we believe that His is God, that He called us to Himself, and that He loves in spite of ourselves, then that "heritage" is ours; "the heritage of those that fear Thy name" is for those that take Him at His word, regardless of what the world might say, others might think, or even if we don't totally understand what He is saying, He is God the Father, and He knows best, because He knows everything...
"Present the case for your idols, says the LORD. Let them show what they can do, says the King of Israel. Let them try to tell us what happened long ago so that we may consider the evidence. Or let them tell us what the future holds, so we can know what is going to happen. Yes, tell us what will occur in the days ahead. Then we will know you are gods. In fact, do anything - good or bad! Do something that will amaze and frighten us. But no! You are less than nothing and can do nothing at all. Those who choose you pollute themselves." (Isaiah 41:21-24)

"My Perfect Place" -2

"I will abide in Thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of Thy wings. Selah." (Psalms 61:4) I hope I made some sense of what God was speaking into my heart, because it really does matter how we view this very special relationship that we have with the God who made us. If ever you doubt that God is on your side, you just need to look into the eyes of Jesus, the one who paid the price for your sins; not only did He hang on that cross for your sins, but as He hung there, He pleaded for your wrongdoings to be forgiven. Possibly the second part of this verse best portrays the personal comfort that is found in that perfect place of refuge; if you could try and visualize a tent that is made of "the covert" of His "wings". The word "covert" is one that means shelter, but not just any shelter, a very special secret shelter, a hiding place; it is a place that is so special, that it is only meant for you, where you meet and fellowship with your Creator. If you did not know it before, then you need to know it now, that God desires for you to fellowship with Him in that very special place; that place where you can tell Him everything and anything that is in your heart, because He cares and He loves you like no one else! There is absolutely nothing that you can ever do to stop God from loving you; and no matter where you go, where you have been, or what you have been doing, God is always right there, waiting for you to turn to Him. I misread the word "covert" yesterday, maybe by mistake, or maybe it was what God wanted me to see, because 'comfort' is what I feel in knowing how much He loves me; there is really no other word that can express the comfort that we get to experience in knowing that He loves us and that He just wants to hold us in His arms and tell us how much He cares. Maybe the word "trust" that is used best describes this very special place, because it speaks of a place to flee to, to make a refuge, as in a special place that involves a very special Someone who is always there for me, even to the very end...
"But as for you, Israel My servant, Jacob My chosen one, descended from Abraham My friend, I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, You are My servant. For I have chosen you and will not throw you away. Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with My victorious right hand." (Isaiah 41:8-10)

"My Perfect Place"

"I will abide in Thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of Thy wings. Selah." (Psalms 61:4) There are certain things that require individualism, this happens to be one on them; not that anyone on their own is worth anything without Christ, because we are totally worthless without Him; but when it comes to being redeemed, it is all together different. One could say, if you really wanted to get technical, that we need to own it like it is ours for ever; even though it is the Lord's, His doing, His establishment, and His forever, when it comes to my eternal security, it is that place He has prepared for me before the foundations of the earth! Even as a child, way before I had ever given my heart to the Lord, it was always there. I never really knew it, but I do remember sitting out under the stars at night, and feeling the comfort in somewhere else; although I did not know where it was, it was enough to bring tears to my eyes and cause me to sing. I think it was songs like, "Sitting on the dock of the bay", or, "I hear the whistle blowing", or some such songs that involved being alone but wishing you were somewhere else. Whether you know it or not, you were chosen by God way before you were ever even born; it was just a matter of time before you would come home; but that home was established for you long before you were even born into this world. Sometimes we put way to much thought into our own personal failures and weaknesses; we are what we are, weak and dependent upon God; if you don't think that you are, then try and imagine where you would be without Him; if you could describe what hell might look like, that might be what you see; because it is exactly where you would end up without God's redemption! The word "tabernacle" is one that speaks of more than just the "tabernacle of the congregation", it speaks of a "dwelling place", that place of my personal refuge; that "tent" which belongs to me, and that God has prepared for a meeting place, where I will dwell with Him forever. It might sound confusing, but it is really pretty simple: we are each independently involved one on one with our Creator, but as a family, we are all one in the LORD...
"This is what the LORD says - Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD of Heaven's Armies: I Am the First and the Last; there is no other God. Who is like Me? Let him step forward and prove to you his power. Let him do as I have done since ancient times when I established a people and explained its future. Do not tremble; do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim My purposes for you long ago? You are My witnesses - is there any other God? No! There is no other Rock - not one!" (Isaiah 44:6-8)    

"Made Perfect" -2

"For Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy." (Psalms 61:3) Now that I think of it, it is really all about God's love; a love that is so strong and powerful, that once you have entered into it, you are so captivated by it, you never ever what to leave! Pastor Jon was showing something yesterday, and he really has a way of setting up a point; the point being that Jesus was made to be sin that was punished in our place; even though He did not sin, His righteousness took the place of our unrighteousness. Jon used the illustration of that serpent lifted up in the wilderness to make the point, that as the serpent tempted Eve in the garden by getting her to look upon that tree, and to make her want to desire it, so too, that serpent was lifted up for the children of Israel to look upon to be saved. The main point he was making, was not that Jesus was the serpent, but that Jesus was made sin in our place; the serpent being the representation of the cause of death, just as the children of Israel were dying because of the serpents which had bitten them. It is really a perfect illustration of the overwhelming depth of God's love for us, and how He would go to such lengths to make us aware of how much He loves us. By the way, "children" is a title given to children, as in those that need guidance, protection, and to be loved regardless of what they might do, but because they are a child; His child, to more exact. Which was the second most important thing to understand, that God has chosen me! He has made me His child; I did not make Him my Father; it does not work that way in life, and it does not work that way in heaven; the child does not produce the parent, the parent produces the child. Not only did God make me His child, but He has made me perfect in His Son; His Son that took my place upon that cross; who became sin; my sin, your sin; the sin of the entire world was put upon Him; so look upon Him...
"But now, O Jacob, listen to the LORD who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are Mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom; I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place. Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to Me. You are honored, and I love you." (Isaiah 43:1-4) NLT