"Mine or Thine" -2

"O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of His praise to be heard: which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.'' (Psalms 66:8-9) Let it be known, God is our resource! Plan and simple; if it were not for His love, how would we know love? Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of love to experience in this life; but there is no love compared to the love of God! That might be half the problem with reaching others with the truth, they need to see the Real Love that we know; but there is only one way that they are going to see it, and that is for us to die to ourselves. We might have conquered some sin here and there, or maybe even suffered on behalf of someone that we love; but if we can't express the love of God, then it is only a half life! In the Lexicon, the word "life" has the meaning expressed by a question, "Is your father yet alive?" This is what I believe Paul was getting at in Colossians 3, by saying, "And when Christ, who is your life"; based upon his statement, "Since you have been raised to new life with Christ", the life that we now live is no longer our own, it belongs to Christ. I know that we know that, but do we consistently live it out in our actions? You know that old saying, "Actions speak louder than words", well it's true! We can't get away with the rule of our parents, "Do what I say, not what I do", because the world needs to see something that is real; they need to see God's love manifested in our lives, otherwise we really don't have much to offer them; at least not anything that makes any sense in a world that is dying and afraid. People need to know how much that God loves them, and part of the story is told in the way that we love; does it show up in us? or is it all just a myth? I remember those bumper stickers from the 80's and 90's, the ones that simply said, "Jesus Lives!" Is your Savior yet alive? And if He is, where is He?
"Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much He loved us by sending His Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love - not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and His love is brought to full expression in us." (1 John 4:7-13) NLT

"Mine or Thine"

"O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of His praise to be heard: which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved." (Psalms 66:8-9) It is pretty obvious that God is extremely patient with us; and yet, at the same time, He manages to get things done! The title of this post is more the product of a message I heard yesterday, but it seemed to fit today's message just fine. The message was based upon the Lord's Prayer, I believe, at least the portion that I heard was; except I believe Dr. Ed was using these words in reverse, saying, "Thine or Mine"; either way, the point is still the same: Are we seeking our glory, power and kingdom, or are we seeking God's? As I was listening to the message, I thought of something to add to the list, resources; as strange as that might sound, it really spoke to my heart, because my biggest problem has to do with looking at what I have available to run my life, instead of looking for what God has for me. It is a little more complicated than just material things, although they are included; it is more about our spiritual battles and our ability to proclaim the gospel message; both of which are things that we do not do in our own strength, although we seem to always try. In Dr. Ed's message, he was using the end of the Lord's Prayer, which says, "For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever." The sad truth of the matter is that we usually start out seeking and using God's resources, but end up counting on our own, as if we have been given some sort of ability to manage things based upon experience and some kind of strength that we have gathered; when in reality, we do not have any strength within our selves, and we have never really experienced perfection. Basically, what I am trying to say, is that if we are going to be any good at all in this earth, we have got to be heavenly minded; heavenly minded meaning, He is our All in all!
"Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all His glory." (Colossians 3:1-4) NLT

"A Curve To The Ground"

"He ruleth by His power for ever; His eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah." (Psalms 66:7) Paul just had a way of putting things in their proper perspective; we just need to learn how to take that perspective and apply it to our daily lives! The earthly man, who is physical, lives for this world, it's just a fact; no matter how you define your intentions not to do it, your physical body is going to want to be satisfied, whether that be by food, drink, or whatever, it's always crying and complaining about something that it wants. Even after going through that spectacularly incredible display of God's power and deliverance, the children of Israel did not take long to start complaining; three days was all it took for them to start their murmuring against Moses (Exodus 15:22); 45 days was all that it took to totally erase what deliverance felt like! (Exodus 16:1) Every day we must be on guard against these natural tendencies of our flesh; every day we must remind ourselves of the deliverance that we have experienced, and what it was that God has brought us through. It's not just enough to believe that He has saved you, you need to believe what for and for what He has called you to be, because that is what matters the most. What makes any of us think that we have something over the children of Israel? We are all rebellious in our own particular way. Just because we have been delivered, seen God's spectacular works, and witnessed a miracle, does not mean that we have had our appetite to be satisfied taken care of, because as soon as we are needy, whatever that need might be, it will be right back! These are three very basic principles for keeping ourselves in check: Remembering that God is in control, and He has the power to crush you; He sees you, no matter where you are or what you are doing; and, for whatever it's worth, don't let yourself get cocky...  "After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever. His rule is everlasting, and His kingdom is eternal. All the people of the earth are nothing compared to Him. He does as He pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop Him or say to Him, 'What do you mean by doing these things?' When my sanity returned to me, so did my honor and glory and kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored as head of my kingdom, with even greater honor than before. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All His acts are just and true, and He is able to humble the proud." (Daniel 4:34-37) NLT

"A Learning Curve"

"He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in Him." (Psalms 66:6) It just so happens, God really did part the ocean; and yes, the ground was dry enough for Israel to go through to the other side; without having to get stuck in the mud! Speculate all you want, but God is not subject to the laws of nature; God created everything with just His word, He can surely manipulate or change anything He wants to, without much of a challenge. I really do think that this is a good example of God doing whatever it takes to make something good of a bad situation. This has been the subject of several debates that I have witnessed in my lifetime, so I can only imagine how often it really is discussed. Was the water really parted into walls, or did it just subside? How could they get their wagons through, let alone walk on the muddy surface? Let the speculators think what they might, God has the power to do anything! The only thing that surprises me, is why the armies of Egypt thought they could follow them across! What were they thinking? Maybe it was, If their God made this happen for them, then it should still stay that way for us. That did not turn out to be a very good choice on their part, because they were all buried in the ocean. Does it stand to reason that we need to trust God in every situation? More importantly, I believe that we need to not pay any attention to how things appear, because God does not do things that meet the plans we might have, nor does He allow us to take the credit; when we come through to the other side, we are going to know, undeniably, that it was all His doing...
"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 for ever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they are 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 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)

"Don't Be Fooled" -Too

"Come and see the works of God: He is terrible in His doing toward the children of men." (Psalms 66:5) It is kind of like the whole notion of what is a day in Creation; Was it a thousand years or was it a 24 hour day? Personally, I am sticking with the 24 hour day for the earth; and I am sure of it because God said so: "And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day." (Genesis 1:5) As to whether or not we can explain carbon dating, or any other form of judging how old the earth might be, I have a question: Did God create Adam as a man, or was he created as an infant? And if God created Adam as a man, fully grown, then why would anyone think differently about the earth being made fully grown or matured? Do not underestimate the abilities of our God, because He is able to do anything; there is nothing impossible with God! What came first, the chicken or the egg? What a stupid question!!! It was the chicken! "And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful. and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day." (Genesis 1:22-23) Is our God able? Or is He restricted by the laws of nature and principle of physics? Again, that is a stupid question! The world would want you to believe that there is no God at all, and that we are floating aimlessly through space on a small little blue dot. The worldly churches will say that there is a God, but then they take away from all of His majesty and might by denying His holiness and power; some of them don't even teach out of the Bible at all, they just make up whatever they think people want to hear. I have been attending Calvary Chapel every since I became a Christian, and the main reason I stay put, is because they teach the whole Bible, believing every bit of it is truth and that each and every word of it is God's written love letter to His children. If your church does not agree with that, then you need to find a church that does! This is too serious of a matter to play around with God's word... "And remember, our Lord's patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him - speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction. I am warning you ahead of time, dear friends. Be on guard so that you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to Him, both now and forever! Amen." (2 Peter 3:15-18)

"Don't Be Fooled"

"Come and see the works of God: He is terrible in His doing toward the children of men." (Psalms 66:5) You know, just because our God is patient or long-suffering towards us, does not mean that He does not mean business, because He does! Enough is enough when it comes to how much God will tolerate when it comes to those that just do whatever they want, because He is just, He just can tolerate so much; and then, as Pastor Mike said, "He is going to get up off the couch!" I really don't want to be here after the church has been taken; I don't know about you, but I tend to agree with the 'Pretribers' on this one, "Get right, or get left", because you only have one time to be wrong on that belief, so just be ready! It might not be a major doctrinal issue, but it is one that you should be prepared either way; besides that, some people think they are going to get serious about God after the rapture happens, which really does not make any sense at all. Why would you think that your heart would get softer, when the Bible says that men's hearts will get harder during the tribulation? Something else I find to be a little interesting, is that the rainbow is something that is created by light; or as Wikipedia puts it, "A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky." Not much more I wish to say about that, except, I would be careful what you choose for representing your movement, because it just might become the source of your destruction; I'm just saying. Besides, His own works praise Him, not sinfulness! We are the ones with the sinful nature that like to take and turn things around, taking what God has made for good and using it for whatever we want, however we want. That word "terrible" is something of a homonym, in that it has multiple meanings; it means awesome if you are on the right side, and dreadful if you are not...
"But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will; set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God's righteousness. And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight." (2 Peter 3:10-14) NLT

"A Ticking Clock" -2

"All the earth shall worship Thee, and shall sing unto Thee; they shall sing unto Thy name. Selah." (Psalms 66:4) Whether you realize this or not, we were created to worship God. It is by far the best experience that we can have in this life, and it will be the air that we breath in the next. I really don't know how it is all going to happen, but sooner or later everyone is going to bow down and worship the Lord, even His enemies! As I was praying about this and reflecting upon yesterday's rant, I realized how close we are to getting out of here; I can't imagine how it could get anymore obvious, because all the signs are pointing to today is the day to get ready. Jesus said that we would not know the day or the hour, but we would know the season; and this my friend is pretty much it! Yesterday seemed rather enjoyable compared to most days lately, because I made sure to start off my day giving God ten percent of my time; which is not even really mine, but it belongs to Him. If we are to count everything that we have as God's, shouldn't our time be counted also? If you really stop and think about it, what makes the most lasting difference in your relationships, giving them money, or spending time with them? Shouldn't that matter with God also? Something I learned quite some time ago, is that you always seem like your running out of time when your thinking of doing something you need to be doing while your doing something else; it's like that rabbit with the watch in Alice in Wonderland, always in a hurry to get somewhere else. Now, I know this might sound alarming to some, but time is something that God has created for us while we are living on this earth; once we are done here, the clock stops ticking...
"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 from 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 judgement, 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 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 Ticking Clock"

"All the earth shall worship Thee, and shall sing unto Thee; they shall sing to Thy name. Selah." (Psalms 66:4) I probably need some really good alone time with God; at least that's what I am feeling in my heart. There must be someone out there who is praying for me, because I am totally not happy right now with the way my life is going. I was hoping to be starting to wind down my business by now, but it just keeps seeming to be winding up; so much so, that I am finding it very hard to keep up. But you know, I am the one who allows it to continue to accelerate out of control; I always have been! We tend to think that everything has got to be done a certain way, based upon how we have played it out in our minds, or observed it done by others; but in reality, life is really what you make it to be; the only thing that stays consistent is that clock that just keeps on ticking, tic, toc, tic, toc; on and on it goes, and you cannot stop it, nor slow it down. That said, we have got to make time to be with the Lord; it must be something that we make time to do every day, whether we feel like it or not, we have got to make it happen, which is also totally up to us! That is the tithe I believe counts more than money, our time! Two hours and twenty four minutes a day, or 144 minutes; which is ten percent of the 1,440 minutes that we all have been given in every 24 hour day. Maybe you don't think you have 144 minutes to spare; which is really a lot like thinking you can't spare ten percent of your income; which is pure nonsense! You can not out give God, whether it's your time or your money, because it all comes from Him! That, we are totally unable to control, no way, no how; we might think we can, but it's totally up to God how much time we have on this earth, and He determines our blessings; He holds the purse strings, whether you believe it or not, your blessings come from God. So, now that I have said all of that, let me tell you what I have realized this morning: I have been robbing God of His tithe! Not by my giving of money, because I don't have a problem tithing that; but with my time! It really is like spending money! For example, if you don't give your tithe, guess who gets it, the devil; one way or another your out at least ten percent of your money; so why not give it to God first, that way you can watch Him bless you through your giving; or you can hold back your little ten percent, and then watch the remaining money you have get consumed, along with the ten percent you wanted to keep. The same principle applies with our time, but with one minor little difference: we all have the same amount, 1,440 minutes in a 24 hour day... "I am the LORD, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed. Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of Heaven's Armies. But you ask, 'How can we return when we have never gone away?' "Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me!" But you ask, 'What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?' "You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies. "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies." (Malachi 3:6-12) NLT

"Notwithstanding"

"Say unto God, How terrible art Thou in Thy works! Through the greatness of Thy power shalt Thy enemies submit themselves unto Thee." (Psalms 66:3) Some days are just better the more you look for God to do something you least expect. I really don't know how to explain it, but God's ability to remove all doubt, it's just totally unexpected; one thing for sure, He is in control! There is some things that go on around us, and we wonder, How can God allow this to happen? But then again, How do we allow things to happen to ourselves? It's really not God's fault that this world is in the shape that it is, He made the choice perfectly clear; we just love making wrong choices. That's what it is, undeniably, we love our sins more than we love righteousness. Don't think for a moment that God does not know your heart, because He has you all figured out. As a matter of fact, He has made the way for His enemies to no longer be His enemies, but to be His people. Can you see the way that is unexpected? Who would have thought it would happen, but in the economy of heaven, "So the last shall be first, and the first last." We cannot count on getting into heaven based upon our righteousness, because none of our righteousness is worthy enough to buy our way in; none of our righteousness can undo our sinfulness, that sinfulness that keeps us from obtaining eternal life. There is just no other way that we can enter, other than submitting ourselves to the Lord!!! Whether you are weak or strong, rich or poor, sick or healthy; whatever your condition or standing is in this world, you must submit yourself unto God and enter in on His terms; He makes the rules; He has the perfect plan, because it is His work that will get us into heaven, never our own... "Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down! How the mountains would quake in your presence! As fire causes wood to burn and water to boil, your coming would make the nations tremble. Then your enemies would learn the reason for your fame! When you came down long ago, you did awesome deeds beyond our highest expectations. And oh, how the mountains quaked! For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those that wait for him! You welcome those who gladly do good, who follow godly ways. But you have been very angry with us, for we are not godly. We are constant sinners; how can people like us be saved? We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind. Yet no one calls on your name or pleads with you for mercy. Therefore, you have turned away from us and turned us over to our sins. And yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand." (Isaiah 64:1-8) NLT

"Just Make it Happen!"

"Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: sing forth the honour of His name: make His praise glorious." (Psalms 66:1-2) So what, it was a little weird; but man, did God minister into my heart through that portion of Scripture. I had to stop typing because I could not see the keys, I was crying so much. Let me tell you something about giving God your depression, because you really should not hold it in: He replaces it with gladness! If you are feeling depression in your life, you will not find the cure for it in a pill, although they have pills to give you for it; real relief comes through praising God! Yes, I know, it sounds hard to believe, and the world will try and tell you that you need to take the pill; but unless your heart is changed, your not really going to lose the depression, your just covering it up. Why else do you think they tell you that you cannot just stop taking your medication? There are three steps mentioned above to entering into giving praise unto God, and the only part that makes it about us, is that everyone is included; otherwise, it's all about Him! The first step requires that we cry or sing out over and above the noise of our surroundings; besides the fact that our praise is be joyful, it needs to be elevated above everything else, including the noise in our heads. We are making God the focus of our attention, so our attention must be on praising God. The second step is to give Him honor for all the good things that He has done; forgetting about anything that we might be depressed over, or whatever is bothering us, we just need to praise God for who He is and all that He has done. You might not realize this, but you have been blessed far more than you have been cursed; you just need to put the focus upon the blessings, which far outweigh the things that make you depressed. And the third step is the most important step of all: "Make His praise glorious!" It is not that those first two steps are not important, because they are; but you really need to take it all the way, and you need to experience the real heart of worshiping God; as if to say, "I'm not leaving here until I enter in to the heart of worship!" You really need to experience God's glory, which brings you into His presence; there really is no other place to get real relief... "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee. Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee." (The Song of Solomon 1:2-4) KJV  

"More Praise and Thanksgiving"

PSALMS 66 [To the chief Musician, a song or Psalm.] Seriously, this title is above the Psalm in my Bible; and at first I did not know what to think of it, but at this particular moment, it is perfect! Even the introduction, although it just says that it is "a song or Psalm", it makes perfect sense, especially after the little sucker punch delivered in the last Psalm; "Thanking God for Nature", might have been a catchy title, but it puts your mind at ease, just enough to allow God to open the eyes of your heart; and when that happens, you had better be prepared to give him thanks and praise Him! The way Matthew Henry addresses this Psalm, is that it is a "thanksgiving-psalm, and it is of such a general use and application that we need not suppose it penned upon any particular occasion." I find it always helps me when I am feeling sad or discouraged to just start praising God and thanking Him for His wonderful mercy and grace; it really takes my mind off of me and my particular issues, and it makes me remember how glorious God is. That is exactly what we need to do when we are feeling discouraged or depressed, we need "More Praise and Thanksgiving" for what God has already done for us; forgetting about what it is that we might feel we need Him to do right now, and just thanking Him and praising Him for what He has already done! That is all we really need anyways; we don't need anything more than what He has already done, because what He has done for us already assures our eternal inheritance in Him; what more do we need? I can really get seriously depressed if I let myself dwell on certain aspects of my life, especially when it comes to my wife and her condition. A really good crying followed by some serious praise always seems to help. I would not wish this upon anyone, but I have got to tell you, it sure makes you aware of your priorities when it comes to what really matters in life; I just wish I would have realized the importance of a touch twelve years ago... "A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. She heard about Jesus, so she came up behind Him through the crowd and touched His robe. For she thought to herself, "If I can just touch His robe, I will be healed." Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition. Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out of Him, so He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched My robe?" His disciples said to Him, "Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, 'Who touched Me?'" But He kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of Him and told Him what she had done. And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over." (Mark 5:25-34)

"True and Simple" -2

"The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing." (Psalms 65:13) I have got to wonder, is it real enough for you? or are you not yet convinced that it is true? Can you see the evidence for yourself? or do you need more proof before you totally commit all you've got? Do you get the sense that all of this really does not matter? Well, think again! "By Him, For Him, and Through Him!" It all matters to God! This is the last verse of this Psalm, isn't it meant to at least complete the thought put forth, or has it left that up to our imagination? What do you think of when you see what you cannot see otherwise? This morning I had every intention to move on to the next Psalm, but I new that there was something left out that God wanted to speak to me about; something that should remind me of proof He has performed a miracle, and that it's not all just speculation. Yes, the Holy Spirit is His seal upon our lives, this is true enough, and it should suffice; but there is something else that remains to be explained, as in, why do I have this hope that holds on, and this joy that is unending; because my hope is in Jesus and my joy cannot be spent! I can see the Truth is true, I don't need anymore further convincing, because I know that my longing has been satisfied, and there is nothing anyone can say to change my mind. Sure, I might have moments of doubt, as most of us probably do; but these doubts are brought on by my own insufficiency and failure, never from doubting that Jesus is not who He said that He was; I have seen the risen Lord, maybe not as those did when He rose, but I have seen Him in my heart and with my mind, so whether or not He is real is not the issue; the issue has to do with whether or not I am real. And to that question, I bring it back to my Risen Savior, Christ Jesus; in Him there is no doubt...  "But tell me this - since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead? For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless." (1 Corinthians 15:12-14) "HE IS RISEN!"    

"True and Simple"

"The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing." (Psalms 65:13) I think we try to make more out of it than we should. One of the messages I heard the other day, talked about how the Jews took each letter from the Ten Commandments and made that a law; six hundred and something little laws of man from ten laws of God; talk about stretching the truth, that's just nonsense. The Gospel Message is one of simplicity and truth, we either believe it for what it is, or we don't; there really isn't a whole lot of options. 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." The law was given to show man how sinful he was, not to pile on more laws; just as the cross was complete to remove all of our sin, the law was complete to expose all of our sins. Then Jesus shows up, and He simplifies the law even more, stating, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these to commandments hang all the law and the prophets." In his Epistle, John takes this message of love and makes it the test of our true conversion, by stating, "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God." It might seem too simple, but that's because it really is; we either love or we don't have love; and if we truly know God, then we will love one another. To the point of the text, there is several different ways that someone might apply this Scripture; but in the context of the Psalm, it speaks about how nature demonstrates the goodness of God, specifically how God waters and provides completely for all that He has made; and God does not make junk! We might make junk of what He has created, but everything that He has created "shouts for joy"; what else is there to do, but to praise Him? Sing praise to the LORD, for He has done a marvelous work in you! You know, there is something else to keeping the Gospel Message simple, and it was spoken by a man who was born blind...
"But this I know: I was blind, and now I can see!" (John 9:25b) NLT  

"Expect To Be Amazed"

"They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and little hills rejoice on every side." (Psalms 65:12) Not that it comes to a surprise, but I must have heard at least four messages yesterday that contained something from yesterday's post. Pastor Jon's was the one that hit closest to home, as he spoke about love, and how we need to realize how much God loves us. That's what nature proves; from the littlest of God's creations, to the mightiest mountain, God has painted out glimpses of His love in everything that He has created. His most powerful demonstration was the cross, and sending His Son to die for our sins; but in nature, we find constant reminders of the fact that He has a love which not only wants to save us, but His love wants to amaze us, going above and beyond what we could ever expect or consider. If you can't quite get what I might be talking about, then see for yourself; start looking at things around you that have beauty, and then ask, God, what were you thinking when you made this? Now, as to the point of getting right with God, we were made right with God at the time of our rebirth; at the very moment that we asked Jesus into our hearts, eternity in our new life became a reality, and our old fallen nature was no more a factor in our eternal standing with God. There was nothing left for us to do, as far as our eternity was concerned, it was established in Christ forever; that my friend is the distinguished mark of a believer! God chose and called us unto Himself, we excepted His free gift, and now we must choose to walk in the newness that we have been given; or as Pastor Jon was saying, "Stand under the spout where the blessings come out!" If we so choose to do this, God is going to bless our socks off! There is absolutely no end to the blessings we experience when we are walking in the Spirit, absolutely no end! Just in case you might be holding out for that sign, you need to go look in the mirror, because your it... "Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you - unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and He was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, He was seen by more than 500 of His followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then He was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw Him. For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I'm not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God's church. But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out His special favor on me - and not without results. For I have worked harder than any other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by His grace. So it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach, for we all preach the same message you have already believed." (1 Corinthians 15:1-11)

"Distinguished"

"Thou crownest the year with Thy goodness; and Thy paths drop fatness." (Psalms 65:11) Before I get going on this, I must address the importance of what that last verse was making clear, that God is the one that waters and causes the growth in us; He establishes what it is that springs forth from our lives, whether it be teaching or simply standing in the gap; and it is all established in love! How important is it for us to know how much God cares for us? It is about the most important thing that trusting in God is based upon. If we trust in God, then we have settled this issue in our hearts, and now our only issue is to live out what our faith is based upon. This is where the Holy Spirit becomes more than just a guide, He becomes a Helper! We cannot do this on our own! I don't care how strong you might think that you are, your only as strong as the faith you have in God's ability to get the job done. Is He a miracle working God for you? or are you still holding out for a sign that He cares? Really, it pretty much comes down to that; do we totally and completely have trust in our God to do what is best for us? I am not talking about as a people, I'm talking about individually, as a child of the KING; because if that's what we are, then we need to know that He is watching out for us, and because He is watching out for us, He is there to help! The only reason that we can have any power whatsoever over being tempted is because the Holy Spirit lives within us; that's the whole point of being born again, that we are alive with the Spirit of God in us. Prior to our new birth we were spiritually dead; separated from God due to sin, we had no power whatsoever over sin, because we were slaves to sin; born in sin, we had no other choice. But now we have a choice; now we can choose to be slaves to God's righteousness; and to ensure that we can, God's Spirit is alive in us to make it happen. Do we see the connection? Is God mighty to save or what? If He tells us to do something, then it must be something that we can do, otherwise He would not have asked us to it! But, like the writer of Hebrews said, "Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin." (Hebrews 12:4) But have you even tried God? This is for me...
"So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong. Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for who are not holy will not see the Lord. Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many." (Hebrews 12:12-15) NLT

"Progression" -2

"Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: Thou settlest the furrows thereof: Thou makest it soft with showers: Thou blessest the springing thereof." (Psalms 65:10) Where are you in your walk with the Lord? I would tend to think that I am currently in a wilderness journey; not that it is a bad thing, but it is more about being prepared for what's ahead. If you study the wilderness journey of the children of Israel, they needed to be prepared for crossing into the land that God had chosen for them. That is important for us to see, because God choose where He was going to place them, they did not chose it. It really does not matter where you are in your walk with the Lord, as long as you are walking with Him. Some people will try to tell you that you need to be here, or there; or maybe they might try and convince you that your missing out on something by not doing what they are dong. But it really is more about being exactly where God wants you to be; whether that's dealing with something beyond your ability to overcome, or just sitting there waiting for God's direction for your next move, as long as you are keeping your eyes on Jesus, your progressing forward. I tend to think we pay way too much attention on what others are doing, and less attention on what God is doing in us. How often do we hear a message and think, Oh, so and so needs to hear this, because they are doing this or that; when actually, God was speaking to you regarding something He wants to work out in your life? More than we care to think about, is what I think. God just wants to work things out in us, each and every one of us that are His children; we all have issues, and God has the perfect solution for each and every one of them; if we would just pay attention and listen to what He is telling us! Stop thinking that His directions are for others, and start applying what He tells you to your own life first; if there is a change that needs to happen, it needs to start in me... "Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless. When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Three things will last forever - faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:8-13) NLT

"Progression"

"Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: Thou settlest the furrows thereof: Thou makest it soft with showers: Thou blessest the springing thereof." (Psalms 65:10) There are few things in life that really stand out as things you can be sure of, nothing is more sure than the fact that rain brings forth life; without the rain, things tend to die off, and before you know it, things just don't grow anymore. No matter what level you might be as a believer, whether you are a new believer, or a burned out pastor, God is always going to keep moving you forward; you might get settled into something for a season, but sooner or later God is going to make you move. That is what I believe is the main difference between those that truly are saved and those that are not: God has a way of keeping you moving towards the goal. You might not think that you have a goal, but each and everyone of His children actually have the same goal, which is to be made into the image of His Son. None of us are actually there yet, at least none of us that are still here; but there is the fruit of what it means to be born again, you are, in one way or another, being changed, molded, or stretched, to be conformed into the image of Jesus Christ. But you might say, I don't feel as though God is doing anything in my life; and if that is you, you just need to be watered! That's all; just pick up your Bible, dust it off, and start reading!!! But you might say, I am already reading my Bible; then read it some more; read it like you mean it to be the breath of your life; read it like your life depends upon every word that is written! Sometimes God will let us settle, just so we can be thirsty for His fellowship; just so we will feel as though we need something more. But God is not done with you yet! You have got to believe that, because He has promised to complete His work in you, all the way to the very end, one way or another...
"And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built upon Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Don't let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. When you came to Christ, you were "circumcised," but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision - the cutting away of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with Him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead." (Colossians 2:6-12) NLT

"Taken Into Account" -2

"Thou visitest the earth, and watereth it: Thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: Thou preparest them corn, when Thou hast so provided for it." (Psalms 65:9) I love hearing confirmation from the Lord; it is what keeps me going, day after day. Yesterday I heard a message from Pastor Jack, which was pretty much right in line with what God was speaking into my heart yesterday morning. He said something that pretty much put everything into perfect perspective, which was something along these lines: "Predestination doctrine is for the believer, for their edification; those that are unsaved are not moved by it whatsoever." That is exactly right! God chose Jacob over Esau, and guess what, Jacob responded and Esau did not; Jacob became the man chosen of God, while Esau became a man of the world. Pastor Jack added a little something else, by saying, "I imagine that when we get to heaven, the front of the door will say, 'Whomsoever Come" after going through and see the backside, it will say, 'Chosen of God'. It's God's way of letting us know that it is all about Him and His purposes; He has the plans for us, He get's to build His church and prepare His bride; we get to be a part of something spectacular, not because we are anything special on our own, but because He has called us into His family; He chose you, long before you were even thought of in this world, He already knew your name. That blows my mind! Why "Taken into account"? It is quite simple really, because it has got to be! We are special, you and I; not because of anything that we have done on our own, but because of what God has done for us, in us, and to us. He has prepared the way for us; He has made the change in us; and He is completing His plan to our lives... "Are we saying, then, that God was unfair? Of course not! For God said to Moses, "I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose." So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it. For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, "I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying My power in you and to spread My fame throughout the earth." So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and He chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen. Well then, you might say, "Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven't they simply done what He makes them do?" No, don't say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, "Why have you made me like this?" When the potter makes jars out of clay, doesn't he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar of decoration and another to throw garbage into? In the same way, even though God has the right to show His anger and His power, He is very patient with those on whom His anger falls, who are destined for destruction. He does this to make the riches of His glory shine even brighter on those to whom He shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory. And we are among those whom He has selected, both from the Jews and from the Gentiles." (Romans 9:14-24)

"Taken Into Account"

"Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: Thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: Thou preparest them corn, when Thou hast so provided for it." (Psalms 65:9) Duly noted, that might have been one of my weirdest postings; but when you think about it, insurmountable is the best word for trying to describe how difficult it is to undo what God has done; it's not possible! The only explanation that there can be, is that it was never fully completed in the first place! For what ever reason, whether it was your heart did not receive Him, or the world was really where your heart belonged; true transformation requires giving your life to Christ, it is not just about asking Him to come into your heart. That said, as I mentioned before, there are several different levels, or whatever you wish to call them, to salvation; some of us are just stronger than others, and some of us require very unique circumstances in order for God's work to be complete in us; but He will complete it! If you have truly given your life to Christ, which is what is required if you really believe that He is Lord, then there is no turning back; absolutely no way can it be undone; once you have been born again, you are a child of God for good! Now, I can't speak for what your eternity will look like in heaven if you have not fought the good fight, but I do have a general idea that there are certain levels in heaven also; some for those that served Jesus, and some for those that served themselves. I would relate this verse to one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, Isaiah 55; verses 10 & 11 say, "For as the rain cometh down, and the show from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." Just so you know, God saved you, you did not save yourself! You might think that you had something to do with it, but He found you, He called you, He softened your heart, He came into that heart, and He made you open your mouth to say what you said; it was all His doing... "Well then, has God failed to fulfill His promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God's people! Being descendants of Abraham doesn't make them truly Abraham's children. For the Scriptures say, "Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted," though Abraham had other children, too. This means that Abraham's physical descendants are not necessarily children of God. Only the children of the promise are considered to be Abraham's children. For God had promised, "I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son." This son was our ancestor Isaac. When he married Rebekah, she gave birth to twins. But before they were born, before they had done any good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to His own purposes; He calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.) She was told, "Your older son will serve your younger son." In the words of the Scriptures, "I loved Jacob, but I rejected Esau."" (Romans 9:6-13)

"Insurmountable" -2

"They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at Thy tokens: Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evenings to rejoice." (Psalms 65:8) Why is that, you might wonder; Why is it even the subject of discussion? Let's imagine for a moment that the earth was flat, and if it were, the edges were the places where you would dwell if you had a relationship with God; the innermost parts were where everyone of the world dwelt, and where all the action was, but the "uttermost parts" were where those that did not want to be part of the action dwelt. I know it might seem silly, but for the sake of time, humor me for just a moment. Another way to look at it, would be that those on the uttermost parts are no longer under the law, and no longer slaves to sin; while those on the innermost parts are still under the law, and are slaves to sin. The thing about being "afraid" is not the act of being fearful, it is to be in awe. To boast about something that seems to push back at God's love is not "to be in awe" at His "tokens"; His tokens which represent His banner, or His standard, or even His distinguishing mark. In other words, those that dwell in the outside edges choose to remain apart from the world; they might step into the middle from time to time, but that's not where they choose to live; it is not where they are comfortable, so they do not live there. I think John puts it the clearest, when he says, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not of us." (1 John 2:19) As to the second part of this verse, there is something extremely important about the rising and the setting of the sun, and I really hope we do not forget how important it is, because God has designed it to be so, and in it, there is hope. For those that are His children, every day is a new day in Christ! Every day is another day to look forward to His return, and to prepare ourselves to be ready; we have that desire in our hearts, because the Holy Spirit within us makes us want to ready; now it's just the matter of trying to be obedient to what the Spirit tells you to do. Today is a new day, yesterday is behind me; yesterday equals chose, while today equals choose; try and choose right...
"Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God's grace. Well then, since God's grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! Don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from the slavery of sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living." (Romans 6:12-18)

"Insurmountable"

"They that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at Thy tokens: Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice." (Psalms 65:8) So a question arises, Can I lose my salvation? or is it true, "Once saved, always saved?" Google that little phrase and see what you come up with! But the other day, as I was having dinner with family, the statement was made, "Once saved, always saved", and I was speechless. Don't ask me why, I just had a check in my spirit, and I felt the Holy Spirit making me still on the issue; almost as if the statement was made in a way that was not respectable to God's standard or desire for us to be set apart. In other words, I do not believe that a person can be saved and still want to do whatever it is that they wish to do; at least not without having some serious conflicting issues going on inside their heart, and without getting into some serious trouble with God. I was listening to a message the other day, and Pastor Mike was using the example of "God getting up off the couch", as if to say, God will tolerate some foolish behavior, but push His patience, and He is going to get up and give you a spanking! God does not do that unless you are His child; and if you are a child of God, then yes, you will always be His child. So in the case, the statement is abundantly correct, You cannot lose your salvation; you did not earn it, so you cannot spend it! That said, there are several different levels of eternal security, and there are several different ways that the saved will enter the promised land. Notice I said "saved", because no one will get into heaven without being born again; it's like this: Be born once, die twice; be born twice, die once! Now the real question is about when did the "once death" happen? It does not happen when you are dead and buried in the ground; that is called moving on for those that have been born again; it happens at the time of your salvation, which is the time when you are born again; you cannot be born again unless there is a death that takes place. Paul says, in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, that not all will fall asleep, as he calls it, but that when the Lord comes, the ones who remain will be "caught up", and they shall ever be with the Lord. So for those, there will be no physical death or sleep; just a transformation from corruptible to incorruptible, which takes place between earth and heaven... "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. Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of His wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined Him in His death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives." (Romans 5:20-6:4) NLT

"Inconsequential" -2

"Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people." (Psalms 65:7) No, it is not the sin which is inconsequential, as we have already seen; it's the reasons that we sin, or better yet, it's the excuse we have made up in our minds. And yes, I said Paul, because I believe Paul had the say in how Hebrews 12 was written, it was right out of the book of Romans; besides that, haven't we been set free from that sin, so why do we continue to entertain it? It's kind of like these multi-leveled recovery programs that are out there; there is a program for whatever sin that ails you, but drugs and alcohol seem to top the list; they are more about having the excuse to fail, then they are about being set free from sin; like, "Hi, my name is Rich, and I'm a product of society." No, you once were what you were, but now you are a child of God! So basically, what I believe Paul was trying to get across, is that we really need to move on past the whole, "O wretched man that I am!", and start pressing forward into the "good fight"; the good fight means the fight that matters, which is winning souls for Christ, and stop fighting that corpse that is strapped to you, cause it's dead already anyhow. If my God can calm the seas with a word, then He can surely help me to overcome anything that overtakes me; but do I ask Him for help? Maybe after I sin, or whenever I feel convicted for the sin that I like; but hardly ever in the moment of sinning! Paul uses the term, "given your lives in the struggle against sin", as if to say, "You have not yet done all that you can do"; or as Jesus put it... "You have heard the commandment that says, 'You must not commit adultery.' But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So if your eye - even your good eye - causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your hand - even your stronger hand - causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell." (Matthew 5:27-30) NLT

"Inconsequential"

"Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people." (Psalms 65:7) I could have grouped all three into one, but I thought it was better this way. Is David talking about God or the mountains? Actually, I believe he is still on the "terrible things" from verse five, terrible meaning, things that cause us to stand in awe, and to be astonished. How do you answer that, because God will always have the last word! It does not even need to be a word, you cannot look upon anything which has not been established by His word, absolutely nothing. This is actually a pretty interesting verse, because it reminds me of the ride the disciples took with Jesus in the boat; you know, the one where Jesus slept, while they freaked out; the one where Jesus calmed the waves with just a word, which caused the disciples to freak out some more, as they wondered, "Who is this guy?" (Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25) Don't blink, because you could miss the punchline, He is God! Sometimes we just don't get it, God can do anything! Or, as in the words of a famous angel, "For with God nothing shall be impossible." (Luke 1:37) Yes, that mountain is still there, but compared to God, it seems to only be a hill. You might still be in the trial of your life, but compared with your eternity with God, it is but a moment; all the suffering in this world cannot compare to the glory that awaits us in heaven! How can we answer that? In righteousness God will answer us, and we have nothing to say to that, as Isaiah discovered as he visited the throne of God (Isaiah 6:5). If you think that is anything, then think about the worse person you know, and imagine yourself a million miles away, looking back at them, and saying, "They don't look so bad", as you gaze upon the little blue ball that they are living on. Up close and personal, our sins are like those ragging waves, beating against the boat, causing our lives to be in turmoil. But God, He has a better perspective, one that sees through the filter of the blood of His Son. He sees a life that has been purchased and paid for by the greatest Gift ever given to mankind. This is what I believe Paul was referring to in reference to our sin which so easily beset us... "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne. Think of all the hostility He endured from sinful people; then you won't become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin." (Hebrews 12:1-4)

"Monumental"

"Which by His strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power:" (Psalms 65:6) Maybe there is something to it, but have you wondered why some mountains are worshiped? Even if it might seem pagan, it was something that God had a hand in, if for no other reason than to have His people look upon them as a sign of His strength; whether it be Mt. Zion, Mt. Sinai, or even Mt. Moriah, there was something special in the way these monuments were used to explain God's power and strength from generation to generation. If you stop and think about it, there is nothing that stands out as a symbol of strength as much as mountains, especially the really big ones. I can recall my early drives from Southern California to home, and how Mt. Shasta would appear in the morning sun as I was about coming up through Willows, it was ginormous; it would look as though it was at least three to four times bigger that it looked from Redding. And seeing it, it was like viewing the face of God, as if it were a bust showing His immovable power and strength; I could only think about how important it was for my eternal security how He never changes, and how far bigger He is than any issue I might have with doubt or despair. Sometimes I think it helps to have a little reference point to point to God's security, something that stands out above the horizon, something that catches our attention to remind us of God's monumental promises, like, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." In Matthew 17:20, Jesus was speaking about having faith, and He reference a mountain, saying, "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." You want to know something about that mountain? It's still there...
"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below - indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39) NLT

"Obstinance" -2

"By terrible things in righteousness wilt Thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea;" (Psalms 65:5) I don't know if you have ever been there or not, but it takes on a whole new adventure when your about 1,500 miles out to sea; it pretty much does not matter any more how far out you get, because at that point, your toast without a boat. It's kind of like when your in a plane, once your up at cruising altitude, what the heck, just enjoy the ride; but it's the ascending and descending parts of the ride that make you uncomfortable. That's what we must understand about our salvation, is that God has removed that from our inability to overcome! Not that there are not some things that we need to work out, because there are; but He has taken us from darkness to light! There are not transformations we make to get from the darkness to the light: we were in darkness, and He has removed us from the darkness, and He brought us into His Light; there are no fifty shades of grey, it's either you are in darkness or the Light, in between the two does not exist, except in our minds. There is something we need to understand about our "eternal security", if that is what you want to call it, because it's not so much that we cannot lose our salvation, it's more about the Light being impossible to overcome with darkness, no matter how hard you might try, because you have been relocated!!! It's like the "Prodigal Son" who wound up in the pig-pen, he was not a pig, he was a son of the King, who just so happened to make some wrong choices, but he never stopped being the son; his mailing address never changed, he still got his mail in his Father's house! We do not clean ourselves up first and then come to God for salvation; He saves us first, and then He works out the wrinkles; we just need to sit back and enjoy the ride...
"What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since He did not spare even His own Son but gave Him up for us all, won't He also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for His own? No one - for God Himself has given us right standing with Himself. Who then will condemn us? No one - for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and He is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.") No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ Jesus, who loved us." (Romans 8:31-37) NLT

"Obstinance"

"By terrible things in righteousness wilt Thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the seas:" (Psalms 65:5) If you must know, it was the last part of this verse that sparked the title; I just pictured myself out there, and thought, "Why am I here?" I can't say this word is used all that much anymore, seeing how everyone gets to do pretty much whatever they want and with whoever they want; but it still is a word that defines the laws of nature: "the trait of being difficult to handle or overcome." The secondary definition is the one most people would use to for explaining someones character, which is, "resolute adherence to your own ideas or desires." I really can't just make this stuff up; I just call it the way that I see it. There is no getting around the laws of nature, no matter how hard people might try, they cannot cheat death, and they cannot stop the clock; but that does not stop them from trying; and if that doesn't work, then just party hard, and make the best of it! Before you set sail, you should probably consider the "terrible things" part of this verse, because it expresses something "difficult to handle or overcome" in the reality of God answering our sinfulness and rebellious ways, mainly, the death of His Son upon the cross! It might have been free, His gift for you and I, but it was not cheap! His death was horrible; and yet, it was God's answer to solve man's difficult position of being separated from his Creator; God's righteousness being used to overcome our unrighteousness; so party if you want to...
"And the one sitting on the throne said, "Look, I am making everything new!" And then He said to me, "Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true." And He also said, "It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega - the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be My children. But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars - their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." (Revelation 21:5-8)

"Dependence on God" -Too

"Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest, and causest to approach unto Thee, that he may dwell in Thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, even of Thy holy Temple." (Psalms 65:4) If you don't think that nature is dependent upon God, think again. There is really so much in this one verse, I might need several days just to figure it all out; but then again, as far as man is concerned, we are just one breath away from finding out just how dependent we are on God's care for our lives. It might be more clear how much our lives depend upon God the closer we look at how complex our systems are; I mean, if you think the relativity of the distance between the earth and the sun are important, then you should examine how important your heartbeat is, or the function of your lungs. Is there really any difference as far as you are concerned, whether the earth were dissolve, or you were to drop dead any minute? God has more to do with holding us together than we might otherwise think. As far as this verses goes, I think the most meaningful point is that of "approach", because if it were not for God's mercy and grace, we would not have any chance of approach unto God. As simple as that might be to write about, it has more complexity than our simple minds could ever comprehend. Just the Holiness of God alone is more than we could ever understand; we surely could not come face to face with Him, at least not in these mortal bodies; talk about being dissolved, we would vaporize in His presence. But imagine what it will be like to actually be in His presence...
"I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, God's home is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever." (Revelation 21:3-4)

"Dependence on God"

"Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest, and causest to approach unto Thee, that he may dwell in Thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, even of Thy holy Temple." (Psalms 65:4) Not quite what I had in mind, but God woke me up this morning with this reminder. And yes, it might be a day here in America when we are celebrating Independence of a nation, but we are steadily forgetting about our dependence upon God. Because this nation was founded upon the principles of God being the one who governs the affairs of men, and that man is subject to the laws of God, we are destined for sure destruction if we abandon those two basic principles of what gives us our independence. Our independence does not come from man or from the State, and it surely does not come from the Federal Government; our complete independence as a nation comes from the fact that we are dependent upon God to govern our lives as a people. I wonder how many people in this country will celebrate independence from God today, as we have made ourselves into something that gives no regard to what God thinks, nor considers Him to be part of our future. Maybe that explains why we are not a major player in Bible prophecy, because we don't really matter in the role of things to come. We are a nation that has become dependent upon and surrounded by stuff, but forgetting where all this stuff comes from, it all comes from God! I don't care how wealthy you are, or how independent you might think that you are because of your wealth, you are dependent upon God for every breath that you take; which means, you are dependent upon God for every deal that you make... "Listen to this message from the LORD, you nations of the world; proclaim it in distant coastlands: The LORD, who scattered His people, will gather them and watch over them as a shepherd does his flock. For the LORD has redeemed Israel from those too strong for them. They will come home and sing songs of joy on the heights of Jerusalem. They will be radiant because of the LORD's good gifts - the abundant crops of grain, new wine, and olive oil, and the healthy flocks and herds. Their life will be like a watered garden, and all their sorrows will be gone. The young women will dance of joy, and the men - old and young - will join in the celebration. I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing. The priests will enjoy abundance, and My people will feast on My good gifts. I, the LORD, have spoken!" (Jeremiah 31:10-14) NLT

"It Is What It Is"

"Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, Thou shalt purge them away." (Psalms 65:3) There is another lesson we can gather through nature, as in the decay of matter: there is a price to be paid for sin! I can't undo what has been done; but God will use it for something good; but it will still leave a mark, and there will be a price to pay. I know Jesus paid the penalty for my sin, but He did not remove the consequences and repercussions of what I did; nor will I go without paying the price in this life, for what I do in this life. As for my eternal life, that is a whole different matter; my sin has been removed, and my eternity is secure in Christ; but as far as this life, on this fallen world; let's just say, "It is what it is." What I need to be focused on is the life that awaits, and doing the best that I can to finish well in this one; God will take care of all the rest, because I can never undo what has already been done. That said, God can make lemonade from lemons, or have something useful become of something destructive; that's just how He works things together for the good; it might not necessarily seem so good for us, at least not at the moment, but it will work for good to someone. Really, when you think about it in those terms, we are here to be a light for Jesus, so why would we have it any better than He did? Was He rejected by His friends and family? How can we expect to be free from rejection? Was He wrongfully persecuted? How can we expect to escape persecution? Maybe because I live in the 'good old USA' I think that being persecuted involves being laughed at; or God forbid, someone might post something on Facebook, and I am labeled as someone that is a hater; but those things are nothing compared to the real suffering going on in the other parts of this world. Whether you believe it or not, we are all one body, we are are one in Christ; so those that suffer real persecution somewhere, they are of the same original sin that I am, and they are of the same salvation that I am, and they are of the same Body of Christ that I am; so we suffer together, whether we realize it or not... "Then Nathan said to David, "You are that man! The LORD, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you your master's house and wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. Why, then have you despised the word of the LORD and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife. From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised Me by taking Uriah's wife to be your own. This is what the LORD says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wive to another man before your very eyes, and he will go to bed with them in public view. You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in the sight of all Israel." (2 Samuel 12:7-12) NLT

"Simple Observation"

"O Thou that hearest prayer, unto Thee shall all flesh come." (Psalms 65:2) Obviously nobody can do that, we can only wonder and guess how everything holds together; or we can pretend that we know something about origin, and make up the way things are going to end. I think the point to all of that "rendering" stuff, is the simple fact that God will be praised in the end, no matter when and how, He will receive the glory that He deserves for all He has done; "every knee shall bow." (Isaiah 45:23; Romans 14:11) I can't help about those that are facing death, whether it be from terminal illness or just old age, and they do not know what their future holds; what goes through their minds as they ponder the mystery ahead? I really can't remember a time in my life when I did not believe in heaven; even before I was born again, I still believed that there was a God, and I still believed that there was a heaven to go to; I might not have believed that I was going there, but I never doubted that it was real. Whether you believe it or not, God will be glorified in the end, and you will give Him the glory that He deserves, whether you like it or not! Why not praise Him now while you have a choice? He is willing to save you, if you only would just trust Him and cry out for mercy; He is not willing that any should perish, so why put yourself through all that needless pain and suffering? Just believe...
"When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to Him. The Jesus told them, "The voice was for your benefit, not mine. The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself." He said this to indicate how he was going to die. The crowd responded, "We understood from the Scripture that the Messiah would live forever. How can you say the Son of Man will die? Just who is this Son of Man, anyway?" Jesus replied, " My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in darkness cannot see where they are going. Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light." After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them. But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in Him." (John 12:29-37) NLT

"The Rendering" -2

"Praise waiteth for Thee, O God, in Zion: and unto Thee shall the vow be performed." (Psalms 65:1) I think it might appear as though there is something missing, but I assure you, God has covered everything we need; it just takes a little faith on our part; He will do the rest! The whole point of putting our faith in God is all about His ability to accomplish this or that, not for Him to somehow gives us the power, because He is all that we need. I guess that is one of the things we can get from nature that makes us render to God all of the praise that He deserves, that everything in nature is so natural; nothing really needs to work at doing what it is meant to do, it just happens naturally. All the elements do what God designed them to do, because that's what they do, because that is how He made them to work. It could be a little hard for us to do, but we all could learn something from the natural process in regards to trusting God. If you really think about it, God has given us all the same amount of time in each moment that we live; some might have more moments than other, but we all have the same amount of moments in each day that we live; yet each and every day that passes here, is nothing in comparison to eternity in heaven with God; absolutely nothing! The point I think I am trying to make, is that we are in God's hands, so why worry about the space in between the there and the now, because the end is all that really matters? It really does not take much faith to put our trust in God. It might take a whole lot of faith to put our trust in anything else, but not in God, because God is able to do all things; there is nothing impossible for God! Nature demonstrates God's ability to do whatever it is that He wants to do; just the simple fact that the earth keeps turning and circling the sun, that alone is enough to prove He is able; nobody else could pull that off... "Can you direct the movement of the stars - binding the cluster of the Pleiades or loosening the cords of Orion? Can you direct the sequence of the seasons or guide the Bear with her cubs across the heavens? Do you know the laws of the universe? Can you use them to regulate the earth?" (Job 38:31-33) NLT