"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!"