"Flash in the Pan"

"Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches." (Psalms 73:12) In case you might have stepped away, I still have not quit; and as odd as it might sound, those that want to try and figure out what I am up to, have stopped being so intrusive. I guess they have figured out that there is really nothing to see here; just some nut who is obsessed with his own blog. Some mornings I get a title stuck in my head, but before I use it, I type it into a search-engine to see what it produces; some of the results are really quite entertaining. Oh, and by the way, it is really all about me and my wife; whether you can believe it or not, I am still holding out for a miracle, and I have determined in my heart to keep on going to the very end. As for this verse, it is a really strange one; considering the next three verses, it would appear the writer has had some sort of revelation, and is all out of sorts because the ungodly prosper. Yes, it is hard not to notice, but if you really stop and think about what happens next, after the final dance, if you will, prosperity and riches have no value whatsoever. Sure, they can live high on the hog, enjoying every moment there is to try and live life to the fullest; but there really is nothing gained by living that way, nothing that matters at the time of their departure from this earth. I think of Jesus and how He was buried, He pretty much had nothing more than what He came with; even the tomb He was buried in was borrowed, just as the manger in which He was born. They wrapped in swaddling clothes when He was born, and wrapped Him in burial clothes when He was died; other than that, nothing else mattered, as far as material things where concerned. But after death! Wow, what a difference a little death might make! I heard something the other day that I tried to share, but it really did not seem to cause much of a reaction. The point was about how atoms really should not hold together, yet they are held together by some kind of a force; and, as pastor Mike said, that force which holds them together is Jesus. It is Jesus that holds everything in its place, from the smallest particle, to the biggest galaxy, He holds everything from coming apart. So, if that is the case, then what do you think happens when He lets go? (2 Peter 3:10) You know how He just appeared in the upper room; He was not a phantom or a spirit, as some might try to say that He was; He was just taking control of atoms, like He always has, and always will...
"Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. Your gold and silver have become worthless. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This treasure you have accumulated will stand as evidence against you on the day of judgment." (James 5:1-3) NLT  

"Dumb and Dumber"

"And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the Most High?" (Psalms 73:11) No doubt this is by far the most incredibly stupid couple of questions that man could dream up! That the thought of God not having the ability to know anything, or that He has no knowledge; as if the complex systems of the universe could have created themselves! No! It gets far more stupid than that! Why would anyone even want to be alone in this vast universe? What could cause the human heart to consider such a ludicrous idea? I can remember that I always believed in God. There was really never any time that I can remember when I doubted that He existed; even in my darkest days, I knew still He was there, it just did not matter to me at the time if He knew what I was doing. If you could have seen some of the things I did, then you would totally agree that I did not care if He knew. This actually takes on some really dark and evil practices, way beyond just the simple act of saying that God does not exist; this goes over the top of that by saying He does exist, but that He simply does not care, or even want to care what we are doing, or if we even exist. You might not get the reason, but this is straight out of the devil's playbook. It is really hard to deny the existence of God; although there have been such aggressive efforts in the last fifty years, there is still more that believe than there are those that don't. But if you can convince people that He is unattached or that He has left us to our own devices; or better yet, that we can somehow become like He is on our own, then you have created a totally wicked people. You can't see that happening? It already has, and it has been going on for a really long time. We really don't know the power behind so many things that are going on, because typically we cannot see that spiritual forces that are controlling the leaders and those in high places; but they are there, and they are bent on destroying the Gospel. Yes, that's really what they want more than anything else, to destroy any thought that God cares, that He loves us, and that He sent His Son to die for us. Forget that they are trying to get people to not believe that He is, because that only works on the totally stupid ones who have brains bigger than their hearts; they are out to get people to believe He does not care, or that He is just a force or a distant power that has left us on our own. If you don't believe this is true, then you should listen to some of the things the Pope has been saying. A one world religion is not that far from being considered, if they can just get something to agree upon as their Standard of belief, something like love...
"Son of man," he said, "do you see what they are doing? Do you see the detestable sins the people of Israel are committing to drive me from my Temple? But come, and you will see even more detestable sins than these!" Then he brought me to the door of the Temple courtyard, where I could see a hole in the wall. He said to me, "Now, son of man, dig into the wall." So I dug into the wall and found a hidden doorway. "Go in," he said, "and see the wicked and detestable sins they are committing in there!" So I went in and saw the walls engraved with all kinds of crawling animals detestable creatures. I also saw the various idols worshiped by the people of Israel. Seventy leaders of Israel were standing there with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan in the center. Each of them held an incense burner, from which a cloud of incense rose above their heads. Then the LORD said to me, "Son of man, have you seen what the leaders of Israel are doing with their idols in dark rooms? They are saying, 'The LORD doesn't see us; he has deserted our land!'" (Ezekiel 8:6-12) NLT

"Dumb and Empty"

"Therefore the people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them." (Psalms 73:10) Do you see a pattern developing here? "Misery loves company," that's what my mother would always say. There seems to be something to that term, "It Takes a Village," because there is always this mentality of "The More the Merrier" when it comes to sinful living. I have no doubt that we are living in the last days. Not just because the world is getting dumber; more than that, the world is getting closer and closer to artificial life. It might not seem like that is a factor, but it points right to the heart of man's rebellion against God. You might be wondering how the world can be getting dumber on the one hand, but more technical on the other; but it's the technology that's getting smarter, not the people. You could ask me what my mother-in-law's phone number is, and the only answer you would get is Mary, because I honestly don't know, even though I call her on her phone every other day. No doubt you have heard the term, "Use It or Lose It," because it is all about the brain when it comes to retaining knowledge. We are simply getting more and more hooked on the Cloud and less and less dependent upon retention. There is something here, I promise you that there is; I am just setting things up for what comes next. As you are all aware, "Therefore" is a word that makes us ask the question, "What is it there for?" The writer has been setting the stage for a whole lot of "nothingness." He starts out speaking about how "God is good to Israel," and then goes into this testimony of being causeg to stumble because of the "prosperity of the wicked," moving into their corruption and pride, which then leads to them leading others into their wicked manner of living; and now we come to the fruit, nothingness! What were we expecting to see? Where were we expecting to be taken? How will it all end? These are the questions that are good to ask in the beginning, not after having bought into something that leads to nowhere. Nowhere good, that's for sure! Driving down from the mountains yesterday, and listening to Dr. Chuck speaking about God's visible attributes, I could not help looking out over the horizon and seeing the beauty of the mountains. In almost a moment, I was fortified in my spirit of God's presence and His greatness. It was as if the hills came alive to demonstrate the power of God and the weakness of man. Driving in a car around those curves, and seeing the metal nets on the cliffs holding the rocks back from the highway, might have contributed to the moment; but when you realize how great and powerful God must be, there really is nothing else quite like it...   "But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, "LORD, who has believed our message?" So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. But I ask, have the people of Israel actually heard the message? Yes, they have: "The message has gone throughout the earth, and the words to all the world." But I ask, did the people of Israel really understand? Yes, they did, for even in the time of Moses, God said, "I will rouse your jealousy through people who are not even a nation. I will provoke your anger through the foolish Gentiles." And later Isaiah spoke boldly for God, saying, "I was found by people who were not looking for me. I showed myself to those who were not asking for me." But regarding Israel, God said, "All day long I opened my arms to them, but they were disobedient and rebellious." (Romans 10:16-21) NLT

"A Manner of Life" -Too

"They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth." (Psalms 73:9) We actually started in Joshua last night at church, so it was really fitting to close the post yesterday with the most well known verse from the book based upon such an interesting character. I know that Moses messed up, and God told him that was the reason for him staying on the other side, but Moses represented the law, and Joshua, in a manner of speaking, represented Christ. Now that we have established the two choices are that of obedience and disobedience, the law always comes into question when we examine the choices; mostly because the law shows us the incredible difficulty we have in keeping on the side of obedience. But, there really is another way! It's so incredibly simple, it is almost ridiculous! Which is probably why the cults have so much success in recruiting people to join them, because it makes more sense to be governed by rules than it does to be governed by love. The word "set" appears twice in the Scriptures, and it speaks about the act of provoking, as in to provoke heaven; as if anyone could, but they do it all the time. We, that are considered His children, might even be found doing it ourselves, in just the way we willfully disobey; not just slipping up here of there, but we are talking about willful disobedience, the kind where you know what God is telling you to do, but you do the opposite. Oh, what do you say, that's not you? Okay, if that's what you think, then go ahead and run with that; but let me remind you, the law accounts for the actions of the heart, which means that you can break the law in your sleep! Why can't we just fess up and cry out to God for help, like we are meant to do? Pride is the main reason; we just can not seem to get past ourselves to get to God. Like I heard pastor Matt say yesterday, he fights with himself more than anyone else. Which is absolutely true; we really are our own worst enemy when it come to obedience. You know, if you really wanted to, you could find a church that will fit perfectly to what ever form of sinful life that you want to live; what ever it is that you want, if it can be imagined, you can find people to help make you feel comfortable and safe. You know that old saying about "Safety in Numbers;" well it has more truth in it than we might otherwise think. Although it is totally "set" against heaven, based on the extremely false manner of living, it is highly accepted as the normal way of life. There is just one problem with that manner of living, because we will not be judged according to the sins of others; it's all about a one on one relationship with Christ. Just so you know, Adam and Eve will be waiting for you in heaven when you get there, so don't be surprised when you see them...
"Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command -be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:6-9) NLT

"A Manner of Life"

"They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth." (Psalms 73:9) Any time we think that we have things under control, we should take caution of what we are walking into, for there might be a trap waiting up ahead. Typically, every single day of our lives is another day to trust God. It never gets to the point where we should feel as though we have things under control, because we never want to be outside of God's grace and protection. Remembering the message, "The Fate of the Wicked," we must truly understand that every single one of us are capable of being wicked; every single one of us have the capacity within us to turn against each other, no matter how strong you might think that you are, you are not anything without Jesus giving you the power to love. The only difference between those that are saved and those that are wicked is the relationship that the saved have with God. The wicked are those that say they don't need God, while those that are saved know how much they can't live without Him. Basically we have two choices regarding the manner of life we take up; and believe it or not, those same two choices never stop needing to be made, no matter how mature or grounded you might be in your relationship with the Lord. If you have not figured out what those two choices are by now, you should have, because they have never changed since the very beginning with Adam and Eve. The choices are simple to understand, but they are incredibly hard to follow. It's like the post from a few years back about "The Crack" and how incredibly hard it is to get through such a small opening; but with God, all things are possible! Without Him we can do nothing, but with Him, we can do all things! The choices that never change are to obey or not obey; there really is not anything in between, we either do what we are told, or we don't. Yesterday I heard something really sad; it's very true, but it's sad; because people really do not like to be told what to do, even if they know it is God who is the one talking. The point was about those who will jump from church to church, only to hear what they want to hear, and only because something was said that made them uncomfortable with themselves. It does not really matter who said it, if the Holy Spirit convicts our heart, then we need to obey what God is trying to tell us to do. As with most days that have a message, the message was delivered by several different speakers. Another pastor was talking about the fact that sometimes the voice of God will sound like his wife, using the example of asking God to speak to him about a certain topic, and then his wife will come up to him with the answer, without even knowing the question. That is not usually something we are fond of; as a matter of fact, we will usually get offended or engage in an argument with our wives if the answer breaks into our hearts; it's just who we are, and the pride within our hearts...
"So fear the LORD and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD alone. But if you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:14-15) NLT

"Touched in the Head"

"They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily." (Psalms 73:8) I hope to make this a little better than yesterday, as I was not quite feeling my best, and my head was a little clouded by the day ahead. Do you ever have those days? Days when the cares of this world just seem to take over, and your really not quite sure why you even keep trying to make it work? Well guess what, it's not right and we should not be worried about stuff that really is out of our control. You would think by now it would be almost automatic, to just give it all to God and go with the flow; but it is hard to not have everything under control; it is hard to not know what to do next. If you are wondering where this is going, it is already there! This is the general idea that God is speaking into my heart about this verse; because if we are His children, then we should not be concerned about such matters. If it's made of matter, then it does not matter! A real problem for the wicked is their ideas of having control over their lives, as if nothing is too difficult for them to accomplish, or that no problem is too difficult for them to figure out. But their problem concerning that problem is too difficult for them to understand, because they think that they are in control of their lives. It could all end in an instant; we are all just one breath away from leaving this earth, and nothing that we have accomplished or created will matter; you take nothing with you when you go! Other than trying to be our own captain, it is more about surrendering to God's will; which last time I checked, His will is not based upon our plans and desires, it is based upon His purposes for our lives. Any time we start thinking that our plans are going to be God's plans, we are going to get unpleasantly surprised. I find it works best to follow God's plans and to seek His will, and maybe, just maybe, we find ourselves getting pleasantly surprised by how awesome God is in making everything work out just right. This verse is more about attitude and feeling of being in control; not just of ourselves, but in having control over other people. As soon as we start thinking that we matter more than others, we begin to sink below the level of worthiness; as in, you are not worthy. Not a place where you want to be found hanging out when Jesus comes back; that's for sure...
"So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God's obedient children. Don't slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn't know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, "You must be holy because I am holy." And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of Him during your time as "foreigners in the land."" (1 Peter 1:13-17) NLT    

"Best, By Far"

"Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish." (Psalms 73:7) Obviously, I could have spent another day or more on "Stranglehold," but without getting to carried away, let's just move on and revisit that another day. At first glance you might think that there is a missing word or two in this verse, as if there should be something between "than" and "heart," like maybe 'their' or maybe 'man's.' But I believe that it has the soul in mind; the part of us that is the appetite of the heart, which is actually separate from the body, so it does not count as mine, it belongs to God. I think that we sometimes forget that, as if we are the owners of all that we are. No, it's all His property! He owns your soul and He has loaned you this body; the body will dissolve, but the soul goes back to Him. The first part of this verse is something that I think I can relate to, as I am one of those people who likes to buy the best of whatever I am buying; in other words, I am not satisfied with junk. If I buy a new TV, then it's going to be the best one that I can get; or if I buy a new car, then I find the best one that meets my needs. Don't ask me when that started, because I really can't remember. Growing up, we were lucky if we had anything. Most of what I had as a teenager was stuff that I had stolen, and even then, it was not enough, even if it was stuff that I did not use. That is pretty much what I get from this, is that of not being satisfied, even with the best and the most of everything you can get. There is a pretty good reason for that, and it has to do with our soul. None of this stuff, no matter how rich it might appear, or how glamorous it might make us appear, it does nothing to satisfy the desire of our soul; if anything, it just bogs down our soul with stuff, useless stuff at that. Really! Think about this, because the more stuff you get, the more stuff you must take care of; and the more stuff you must take care of, the less time you take care of yourself. The NLT has this verse written in a way that is a little different than what I see, but it brings it all down to earth. It says, "These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for!" I am alright with that, but when I study the Bible I prefer the King James because it leaves so much more to be interpreted on our own; besides that, all of the tools available for interpretation are based upon the King James Version, and there are a lot of things that are left up in the air for people to figure out on their own. The first and most important thing to remember is that we can never be satisfied with anything of this world, ever! Only a right relationship with God can give us satisfaction! You can try all you want to fill that void with whatever you want, but it will still leave you wanting...
"Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think wealth brings true happiness! The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth -except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!" (Ecclesiastes 5:10-11) NLT

"Stranglehold"

"Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment." (Psalms 73:6) Yes, I did have the "Cat Scratch Fever" tape in 1978, but it was only a brief encounter that did not make it to the vinyl collection; a collection that I threw away in 1983, which was probably worth thousands, if not tens of thousands. Hardly any of my albums were played more than just a few times; they were always recorded on the very first playing, on two tapes at a time, with a little less speed on the turntable, and hardly anymore than a half gram of weight on the needle. If someone were to open the door of the room, then the needle might have lifted. One thing for sure, headphones only were used during recordings; recordings were done a very high settings, so speakers were out of the question. Enough of the vinyl era. There is something about pride that causes destruction; not only self-destruction, but the desire to destroy anything that makes you feel ashamed of yourself. The best example we have of this is the first example, which is Cain; Cain killed his brother Abel because of selfish pride. If you look at the discussion that he had with God before killing his brother, God warns Cain of the 'stranglehold' he was stepping into (Genesis 4:7). The illustration of that in this verse is that of a "chain" which is worn as a necklace, but soon becomes a thing that strangles. The idea is that of something put on to make us appear more glamorous, but it becomes that which causes destruction in the form of arrogance and stubbornness. The point of this encounter with God, is that Cain became stubborn and hostile towards God, which led to greater disobedience. The word "violence" is that of "being wrong" or "wronged," which ever you prefer, they are both used in the same fashion. To be wrong, yet not admit that you are, is pretty much the same as being wronged by someone else, they both produce the same result, injustice or oppression. It is pretty much the attitude of the heart that seals the fate of the prideful; without some kind of supernatural intervention, they are all but done! Without a doubt, pride is the most difficult force that we battle within us; not because we do not have control over it, because according to God's instruction to Cain, we have a choice; but if we give into that wrong choice, we become a servant or bait to what is produced. The servant part is that of letting it control us; the bait part is that of becoming the prey of a predatory animal. There really is nothing you can do, it is no longer in our control once the cat is let out of the bag; your only hope is Divine Intervention...
"Dear children, don't let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. Those who have been born into God's family do not make a practice of sinning, because God's life is in them. So they can't keep on sinning, because they are children of God. So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God." (1 John 3:7-10) NLT  

"A Strong Delusion" -Too

"They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men." (Psalms 73:5) Listening to a couple of messages yesterday on CSN that each had mentioned the same thing in some portion of their message, I thought it might be a sign for me to take note. I do not remember who each of them were, except for one, which was J. Vernon McGee because his was the most direct, but they all spoke about those that think they are Christians who will be left behind and forced to go through the Tribulation. I get the feeling that more will be left than those that are taken; and if you were listening to Dr. McGee yesterday, he said that of all the Seven Churches, only one will be taken, the Church of Philadelphia. Not that it represents one out of seven, because I believe the churches are more about a spirit of commitment and discipline. By the way, have you ever noticed how discipline and disciple are so familiar; it's almost eerie to connect the two, if you have no connection to be made between them. The good news, if you want to call it good, is that there will be a great multitude of people who come out of the Tribulation and end up in heaven; so if that's how you want to prove your commitment to Jesus, then stick around and take your chances. But, from what I have heard from several different teachings, if your not serious about your commitment now, without having to sacrifice your life, what makes you think that you will give up your life later? Then, there is the call-in hour of the station; which always gives me much to think about: yesterday they had a guy call in with a question about living by enjoying life, and that got a little interesting. One of the pastors gave a illustration of someone whipping their own back and asking people if they would like to join them; as if to say that you don't want to give people the impression that you are suffering for the Lord; but Jesus did say, "Pick up your cross and follow Me." I think it is more about who or what you are living for; kind of like eating food: Do you live to eat, or do you eat to live? Do you live to enjoy life, or do you enjoy the life you have been given? If you do the later, then you will enjoy whatever state you are in, whether you have or have not. Sometimes I think it's more about spending time with the Lord that matters more than anything else; like who or what do you enjoy most? Personally, if I was not doing this blog every day, there would most likely be days that I would miss spending time with the Lord; and days can turn into weeks, weeks into months, and months into; well, you get the picture. By the way, I was reminded of a quote from a brother who went to heaven decades ago, who said, "Going to church doesn't make you a Christian anymore the going to McDonalds makes you a hamburger." There is a really good movie on the horizon, called, "Risen;" in it, there is a question that the Centurion gets asked, which is, "What are you afraid of most of all?" To which he answers, "Being wrong." There is another "Strong Delusion" that we must be careful of, thinking we are right when we are wrong...
"Write this letter to the angel of the church of Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen -the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's new creation: "I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! You say, 'I am rich. I have everything I want. I don't need a thing!' And you don't realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. So I advise you to buy gold from me -gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be ashamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference. Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne. Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches." (Revelation 3:14-22) NLT  

"A Strong Delusion"

"They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men." (Psalms 73:5) Not every one gets to have such a clearly defined path, some will live as though they are very good people, while all the while they are greatly deceived. No one needed to tell me I was a sinner, I broke every commandment that there was by the time I was twelve, with exception of killing someone; although, if we go by the true measure of the law, then I was also a murderer for hating people. If you have not seen the movie "God's Not Dead" I highly recommend that you do, there is a character in the movie played by Dean Cain that makes this verse come to life. He plays a very successful businessman who thinks his life is perfect; but his heart is cold and totally selfish. His girlfriend tells him she has cancer, so he straight up breaks up with her and tells her that she has broken her part of the relationship. I was once that cold and uncaring too, because I once broke up with a very sweet girlfriend, only because see told me she had scoliosis and that she needed to wear a back brace. I was about fourteen at the time, and I guess I thought it was not cool to be seen holding hands with someone wearing something like that; what a terrible person I was! God has a way of giving people what they want; if they want to pretend that He is not there and that their life is perfect, then He will let continue thinking that way, even helping them along by allowing them to believe the lie. There is really no way to better explain it, then to say that they just don't get it! I have meet many people who are delusional when it comes to getting right with God; they think that because they are successful and healthy, that they really don't need to be forgiven of sin. Thinking that they are a good person, they have denied a need to be saved from anything, and that people who do think they need to be saved are only needy people. Yes indeed! I need Jesus! Two main issues that scream out "Delusion!" Not in trouble and not being plagued! First and foremost, we have this issue of "trouble," which, if you are looking at it from a worldly perspective, then it has justification and merit; but this world is not our final resting place, so none of that matters in the real scheme of things. Just because someone is not in trouble with man or the world, does not mean that they are not in trouble with God, because we all are born in sin. Which brings me to the "plague" of death; not only are we born to die upon this earth, but there is a second death that we could face; a death far more important than the one in this life. The plague is real; the death is real; hell is real! There is no other way to explain it, then to say that we all need to be saved; and if you don't think that you do, then you are dealing with a strong delusion...
"LORD, you always give me justice when I bring a case before you. So let me bring you this complaint: Why are the wicked so prosperous? Why are evil people so happy? You have planted them, and they have taken root and prospered. Your name is on their lips, but you are far from their hearts. But as for me, LORD, you know my heart. You see and test my thoughts. Drag these people away like sheep to be butchered! Set them aside to be slaughtered! How long must this land mourn? Even the grass in the fields has withered. The wild animals and the birds have disappeared because of the evil in the land. For the people have said, "The LORD doesn't see what's ahead for us!"" (Jeremiah 12:1-4) NLT

"Smoke and Mirrors"

"For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm." (Psalms 73:4) As odd as this might sound, I can relate to most of this, except for the firm part; I seem to remember wearing a mask throughout the day, but at night, crying like a baby. Back in the day, I really had no fear of death, as in dying. I did not want to necessarily die right away, but it wasn't something that I was particularly afraid of facing; at least not the way one might think someone should react to possible death. Did I face possible death? I thought I was going to die several times; so, I guess you could say that I did. For ten years of my life, I was living the party life; from the time I was almost twelve, till I was almost twenty-two, there were times when I had taken so many drugs, most people would have died with those many substances in their system. And believe me, there were times when I thought it was time for me to go. But I would just lay there on my back, as if I was laying in a coffin with my arms crossed over my chest, and I would wait to die. I know it's not a pretty picture, but it is how I remember facing death; or at least what I thought was going to be death. As far as the crying at night, that was mostly due to relationships; I was not a very nice person, and I had hurt several people in my life. Mostly my mother, since I really put her through some very difficult years. Not that see had not been drinking prior, but my running away and staying out all night, most likely did not help. By the time I was thirteen, she had a nervous breakdown; and she even needed to be in an institution for a month or two. I really blamed myself, since I was the oldest, I was also the most rebellious of her children. I don't know why I am sharing this, except to relate my experience with what this verse is saying; but one thing is for sure, none of that was worth the hurt! You can never really take back the hurt that you cause others. Sure, you can ask for them to forgive you, and they can even say that they have; but it's not ever really gone completely. My mother has been in heaven for at least twenty years, and I can never get some of those moments out of my head. We can be so cruel sometimes. If we only could know how to love others sooner, what a wonderful world this would be. Which causes me to think of all these children being taught that God does not exist; I believed in God, and look what a mess I was; I can't imagine what I would have been if I thought He was not there...
"Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. But as I look at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless -like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere. So I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and madness (for who can do this better than I, the king?). I thought, "Wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness. For the wise can see where they are going, but fools walk in the dark." Yet I saw that the wise and the foolish share the same fate. Both will die. So I said to myself, "Since I will end up the same as the fool, what's the value of all my wisdom? This is all so meaningless!" For the wise and the foolish both die. The wise will not be remembered any longer than the fool. In the days to come, both will be forgotten. So I came to hate life because everything done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless -like chasing the wind." (Ecclesiastes 2:10-17) NLT

"The World Corrupts"

"For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." (Psalms 73:3) It is really not that hard to figure out why we can get drawn into the world's corruption; after all, we are still flesh and blood. But to understand what it is that makes us stumble into this thing called envy, we need to realize that there is something else involved besides just being enticed. You might have heard the joke about the three pastors and their wives that all died in a plane crash together; the one where the wives were named Brandy, Penny and Fanny; well, no joke, we are enticed by the lustful desires of our hearts. It just so happens, this world has what we need to satisfy those desires; they might be all smoke and mirrors; but nonetheless, they do provide temporary satisfaction. The writer hits this right on the mark when he calls them "the foolish," it is pure foolishness to think that anything this world has to offer will complete our fleshly desires, because there is nothing here that will. As a matter of fact, the more we feed those desires, the more the flesh wants to be fed. It is really not that hard to understand the what, because that what is only want, as in, "I want to be pleased." I hope that you can see the connection between that want and the world's corruption, because they are closely related when it comes to anything the matters in the end. But then again, isn't that the whole point of "the foolish" and why they are so named? Taking our eyes off of eternity, if but for a moment, can put a seed of corruption into our hearts. There is something about want and the hunger to puts inside of us; if you really don't think so, then you should study Ecclesiastes, and see what Solomon had to say about it; it has a life of it's own. There is no way to satisfy the lustful desires of the flesh, it just keeps on wanting and wanting, and it is never satisfied. The world corrupts, but the flesh is corrupt, so there you go; it's all just a lie...
"Then, calling the crowd to join His disciples, He said, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? If anyone is ashamed of Me and My message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when He returns in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." (Mark 8:34-38)

"Man is Frail"

"But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well-nigh slipped." (Psalms 73:2) Possibly the hardest lesson we have to learn, is that we are weak, but need to be weaker still. I have spent most of my Christian life trying to get this down, but it is hard to be humble and meek; it is hard to stop trying to do in our own strength what only God can do. If you can try and picture what the writer is saying, it is simple, yes, but it is also very deep; deep enough to make us wonder where we might look for strength, in what we see, or in what we don't see. If I was a betting man, I would go for the seeing strength, any day of the week. Try and picture a man who is following God in a way that is ultra spiritual, where there is nothing else that he is focused upon but worshiping before God; literally, I mean worshiping in the Temple of God, where God is always present. It's hard to imagine what that might be like, but there might be a small chance that the man might feel a sense of privilege instead of servitude. It is really not to hard imagine what that might look like, because it had happened to a mighty angel, one who thought he could be like God. Not that we are talking about that degree of rebellion; that kind of rebellion requires great power. No, it's more alone the lines of feeling special and protected because of position, and really not paying attention to the world that is taking place outside of your spiritual bubble. And then imagine what could happen if you all of the sudden caught a glimpse of what you are missing; not just a peak, but a look that caused your heart to feel left out of something. By the way, my house literally just did what I was trying to illustrate; the water pressure became reversed, and was literally sucking all the water out of the house! If I had not opened the kitchen sink faucet, by water heater might have been drained. I kid you not! But that is what I am trying to describe; a man that catches sight of something that literally sucks the spiritual life right out of him. Having said all of that, we do have this happening in our lives all the time, we just might not realize how frequent it happens because it is on such a small scale; but it happens, none the less. I can't get into all the detail of what I am trying to say, except to refer to James 4:1-10 if you are interested in the details of the what and the why. The main point that I am trying to make is about where we get our strength; because if our strength comes from God, then to God we will look for strength. Our greatest problem stems from taking the strength we get from God and applying it to ourselves, as if God has given us His power to walk in our own strength. It's not going to happen! It's the basic principle behind Paul's letter to Ephesus; we must be seated in Christ before we can walk in Christ! The general idea is that of being a spiritual paraplegic, and Christ is your wheelchair...
"The LORD gives both death and life; He brings some down to the grave but raises others up. The LORD makes some poor and others rich; He brings some down and lifts others up. He lifts the poor from the dust and needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, placing them in seats of honor. For all the earth is the LORD'S, and He has set the world in order. He will protect His faithful ones, but the wicked will disappear in darkness. No one will succeed by strength alone." (1 Samuel 2:6-9) NLT

"God Prevails!"

"Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart." (Psalms 73:1) The more you need God, the less you to fail; that's my understanding of how it works. But, many of us take decades to actually come to that understanding, if we ever really do at all. I think when Paul declares, "All of Israel shall be saved," he is actually speaking about those that are "Governed by God," not the knuckleheads that don't want to even listen to God's voice. It is really quite simple, we either want to listen or we don't; those that want to listen, stop what they are doing and pay attention; those that don't, couldn't care less what God is trying to say. You may have heard the term 'white noise,' because it is what we do when we want to shut God out; we totally think on something else, or force our mind to be filled with distorted thoughts. While God, on the other hand, is whispering into our hearts, "You are living a lie." Not much else to say when you hear those words mentioned, except, "God help me!" I actually heard something on the radio several weeks ago, I might have already mentioned it; but it never hurts to say it again. The basic lesson said, was that of asking God to help, as a boy says to his father, "Daddy, I can't lift that big rock, it's too heavy; and I have tried everything in my power, but it just can't be done." To which the father replies, "Have you really tried everything, my son? Because, as of yet, you have not asked for my help." Yesterday at church, the message was on Paul's "Thorn in the side" from 2 Corinthians 12:6-10. I have probably heard a hundred messages on this portion of Scripture, but I have never heard anyone mention Jesus asking for the Father to remove "His Cup" three times, and relating that to Paul asking three times for deliverance. I was setting there thinking, I bet Paul really had asked many more than three times, but there were only three that really counted. If you understand what I am trying to say, then I really don't need to say any more; but if you don't, then I can break it down for you. We really only cannot shake off the sins that we really like; it's because we like those sins, that we really do not ask God with all our hearts to help. We ask Him to help us with the ones we hate, but those that we like, we half-heartedly ask Him to take that desire away. It really comes down to us being "Governed by God." If that is what we are, then God will prevail in our lives, no matter how big the rock is...
"The Jewish ceremony of circumcision has value only if you obey God's law. But if you don't obey God's law, you are no better off than an uncircumcised Gentile. And if the Gentiles obey God's law, won't God declare them to be His own people? In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep God's law will condemn you Jews who are circumcised and possess God's law but don't obey it. For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God's Spirit. A person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people." (Romans 2:25-29) NLT

"The Fate of the Wicked"

Psalms 73: [A Psalm of Asaph.]
Having studied my Bible more than once, I know a thing or two about what happens to the wicked. I also know from my own personal experience, that I am full of wickedness! No, it's true, my heart is desperately wicked! I can not believe some of the wicked thoughts that can be conjured up inside of me. That said, I have Good News to tell you about how this wickedness has been dealt with! Just to make things perfectly clear, we are all wicked; we are all sinners that need to be washed by the blood of Jesus Christ; and if not for the fact that we have been made clean, then we would be judged according to our wickedness. Not really something you want to participate in, let me assure you; hell is nothing you want to be a part of, and yet, there are many who make it their choice. There are those that have no fear of hell, not because they do not believe in hell, but because they quite frankly do not care; as hard as that might be to believe, they just make their choice to be unashamedly wicked. You might not understand this, but I was once just like what I have just described: I knew full well that there was a God, I also believed that there was a hell, and I did not care about my fate; as a matter of fact, I wore it like a badge or a symbol of what I stood for: being a rebel against God and all of His rules. I thank God for His kindness upon me, that He did not judge me back then; instead, He watched over me, keeping me from destroying myself, and all those around me! I started this blog with a simple question, What motivates us to love God, fear or love? I am more than certain of the answer, because the answer is love! And it's not my love for God that makes it happen, it's God's love for me! Despite my wickedness and my foolishness, God loves me!!! Jesus hung on that cross and died for me, wickedness and all, He died to set me free from this wickedness. And do you know how He died? No one needed to break His legs, because He was dead already, and He died from a broken heart; a ruptured heart, proven by the blood and water that came from His side when they pierced Him with a spear. So, if you really want to get technical about what makes us change, I would have to say, it is a broken heart...
"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 One and Only 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. And God has given us His Spirit as proof that we live in Him and He in us." (1 John 4:7-13) NLT

"BOOK III"

I really do not know why there are Five Books in this Bible; apparently not all Bibles have them in five, some have them in three, or even six; but regardless, as I have said before, and I will say it again, this is God's Book to us, His children; and for whatever it's worth, it must be taken as His Word. Matthew Henry says that each of the Books end with "Amen, Amen," or "Hallelujah." I can see that pattern is true, however David ended the last Psalm with, "The Prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended," but the Psalm or Song ended with "Amen, and Amen." It might have been his last Psalm, but it surely is not his last words to be presented in the Psalms; there are many more Psalms ahead that were written by David; as a matter of fact, some question the origin of these next eleven Psalms, as if they may have been given to Asaph, as he was David's chief Musician. Regardless, God's word is God's Word, whether it came from David, Asaph, or any other of the many writers that make up the pages we have before us each day. Personally, I do have my own theories on why there are Five Books, and it is kind of like the "Five Monkeys Experiment" where we have to learn the Why? and the Why Not? of living in this fallen world and trying to "come out from among them and be separate." Many times our life lessons are repeated, sometimes many different times; but my lesson and your lesson may look totally different, even to the point of being considered unfair or one person being favored above another. We have no idea what is going on in the heart of another person, but God knows, He knows what hurts us and what draws us closer to Him. And even though a lesson might seem similar to another, it is either a different day or a different person every single time; no two people are alike, nor are there two days that are exactly alike. Besides that, we are have different phases that we go through; some draw us closer to God, some entice to be closer to the world; some might put us in a funk, and some on the edge of screaming; some may cause us great pain, while others cause us to rejoice; each phase is just another side of living, but there is only one place where we can find consistency and refuge; no matter where we might find ourselves, God does not change...
"God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, "God is tempting me." God is never tempted to do wrong, and He never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. So don't be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us His True Word. And we, out of all the creation, became His prized possession." (James 1:12-18) NLT

"Come Again"

"The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended." (Psalms 72:20) We really cannot compare what Jesus did on that cross to anything we might be going through; as if our trials or sufferings even could be considered close to His, because His were measured out of this world. You know, they say that the darkness that fell upon the world could not have been caused by an eclipse, because an eclipse only will last for a few minutes, not for three hours. And there were dead people walking around on the streets, and going into the synagogues and market places. The veil of the temple was torn in half, from top to bottom; which was something that amazed everyone, seeing how it was four inches thick and about 60 feet high. Just in case you were unaware, the veil being torn in half was that sign of our redemption being complete; just as Jesus said, "It is Finished," the sign of the work that He had finished was the torn veil, the veil that separated the place where God dwelt from the place where man dwelt! You are certain because of that curtain! Anywho; as I was praying about this last night and this morning, David's days out in the fields came to mind; his days as a young shepherd boy, tending his father's sheep, and speaking with God out under the stars. I can remember doing the same, only I was praying that the cops would not find me, not telling God how awesome He was, or looking for answers to spiritual questions. My experience was more about not getting caught, as I laid there hidden in the dark and looking up at the stars. I was about twelve or thirteen, and I had been away from home for several months, living in tunnels and in the mountains of San Bernardino, California. But my time of running was coming to an end, I could feel it in the air, as weird as that might sound. Maybe it was just me being tired of being on the run; or maybe, I just wanted to go home and face the music. I had sent word to my mother that I was well, and had even called a few times; but the last time I was at home, things got way out of control between my stepdad and I; you could say that we had become enemies, if there was any way to describe our relationship. I had never known my real father up to that point, so my stepdad was all I had known a father to be; and he was not a very good example of a dad, beyond giving out punishment. As far as relating to David and his relationship with his own father, I don't think I can; I was the oldest, and he was the youngest; he was raised by his real father, I was raised by a stepfather. But as to our Heavenly Father, I think I can relate to how he looked up there at the stars knowing He was there...
""Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. Outside the city are the dogs -the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie."I, Jesus have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star." The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life." (Revelation 22:12-17) NLT

"He Has Blessed Us So"

"And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and Amen." (Psalms 72:19) Wow, what an amazing God we have, that He would put so much care into every little thing that He creates. I can't begin to tell you how much I miss teaching God's word; it has been over a year now since the last time I have put a message together, and I always ended up getting spoken to so much every time I did. I am one of those guys that likes to do my message the Saturday morning before I need to give it. I might have the title a couple days before, but the message is not put together until the morning before; or should I say, until the Saturday before, because most times it was at least eight hours in the making. But no matter where in the Bible I was speaking from, whether it was Genesis 7 or 27, my message was always about the Gospel. It is true what they say, the Gospel message is woven throughout the Old Testament writings; pretty much every single page contains something that can be presented in a Gospel message; even the genealogy pages, if you can believe that. It is all in there for us to discover, if we just ask Him to show it to us; heck, you can get the Gospel from the instruments and furnishings in the Temple, or from the way the children of Israel marched in the wilderness; you can even get the Gospel message from Balaam's ass, if God gives you the message! (Numbers 22:21-35) If we search hard enough, God can show us His glory in anything that He has created; so why is it not possible to get the Gospel from anything that He has written? It is like the word "name" from the verse today, it has the 'mark' of something that speaks of God's reputation and His glory. It is not just a name that is glorious, it's everything that makes His name to be glorious, from the beginning, to the very end, He gets all the glory. Oh yes, it is really all about Him! Even you and I, we get to partake in His glory; but make no mistake about it, it is all His glory that we are part of; no matter how you slice it, or how you pick it apart, it is all about Jesus Christ our Lord...
"If I were to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be valid. But someone else is also testifying about me, and I assure you that everything he says about me is true. In fact, you sent investigators to listen to John the Baptist, and his testimony about me was true. Of course, I have no need of human witnesses, but I say these things so you might be saved. John was like a burning and shinning lamp, and you were excited for a while about his message. But I have a greater witness than John -my teachings and my miracles. The Father gave me these works to accomplish, and they prove that he sent me. And the Father who sent me has testified about me himself. You have never heard his voice or seen him face to face, and you do not have his message in your hearts, because you do not believe me -the one he sent to you. You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life." (John 5:31-40) NLT

"Our Wondrous God"

"Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things." (Psalms 72:18) I guess you know by now, I am one of those that believe in the Holy Trinity; as I assume, do most of you. But you would be surprised at the answers you get to the question about the Trinity and how God is One God in Three Persons. Not that I am an expert at anything, but I have heard and read plenty of sermons and studies on what and how and why we must accept and believe in all Three as One. I have even taught a few classes on the difference between the God that we worship and the God of some of the cults. You know, cults are not just false religions, they are also filled with people who need Jesus, the real Jesus, to save them from hell. I say the real Jesus with all sincerity, because if you do not know who Jesus is, then you do not know Jesus! I had a very deep discussion with a brother once, it involved whether we know Christ before or after our being saved. He was taking the side of 'Not Knowing' and I was taking the side of 'Knowing.' I guess the real defining answer can be summed up in the quality of what you know, not in the quantity, because we both agreed that our faith must be placed in Jesus Christ and His redeeming sacrifice in order to be saved; which requires that we see our need to be saved, while at the same time, see His ability to save us. For that to happen with all uncertainty being removed, we need to have some awareness of who Christ really is and why only He can provide the forgiveness that we need. I gather that his 'Not Knowing' stance was based upon the John 3:3 verse that says, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." But that does not explain my experience, if being born again means that you do not know who Christ is until it happens; because I surely knew who He was, and I accepted Him based upon the powerful knowledge that I had been given. After accepting Jesus into my heart, that is when the relationship started, but I have no doubt whatsoever that I did not see who He was prior to raising my hands. The reason for my strong assurance is based upon the message that I received; it was not just some words being spoken and me trusting that they were true; it was the Holy Spirit doing His part also by confirming in an instant what was being said by softening my heart. I have no doubt whatsoever that that was my moment! You might not agree with me on this, but I believe that we all get 'a moment' when it is time to make the choice; and when I say 'a moment' I mean that it is our moment when all Three show up at once: The Fathers Love, The Sacrifice of the Son, and the Confirmation of the Holy Spirit, and you had better not make your choice! Now, as to "Seeing the Kingdom of God," that is an entirely different subject altogether. The "wondrous things" spoken of in this verse speak of "To separate," or "To distinguish," both of which are the conclusion of the matter; meaning, that once we are born again, we have crossed over into a whole "separated" and "distinguished" side that we have never seen before. That is the difference between light and darkness, life and death; and it is only then that we can relate to what has happened to have made the change, our being forgiven of our sins... "For Moses writes that the Law's way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands. But faith's way of getting right with God says, "Don't say in your heart, 'Who will go up to heaven?' (to bring Christ down to earth). And don't say, 'Who will go down to the place of the dead?' (to bring Christ back to life again)," In fact, it says, "The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart." And that message is the very message about faith we preach: If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you aresaved. As the Scriptures tell us, "Anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced." (Romans 10:5-11)

"The Victory is His! -2

"His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed." (Psalms 72:17) Just in case you doubt that He is God; or just in case that you think it is not important that He was, as stupid as that might sound, you should consider your options. Take into consideration your risk at being wrong, and then compare that to the chance that you change your mind. Unfortunately you cannot just change your mind without first changing your heart; and in order to change your heart, Jesus must enter in as LORD! I understand the skepticism, because I once was there myself; but you have got to ask Jesus to come into your heart and then study for yourself what the Bible says. Once you have been born again, you will no longer doubt the truth, and the Holy Spirit will guide you through all Scripture. Now, before I forget again, beside the fact that only God is perfect, there is the issue of winning; something else that only God could have done! You might not think it is that big of a deal, but if Jesus was just a man, then He would have been born a sinner just like you and me. That is why the virgin birth is such an important part of the Christian doctrine; if Christ was not born of a virgin, then He would not have broken the curse. One of the goals of the devil was to prevent Jesus from being born; just the fact that He was born, was a victory in itself. I get the "Swirling Eddies" like you wouldn't believe just thinking about the way God fashioned everything together; every little detail of creation, every little piece of the puzzle, there is nothing that He has left to chance, it is all precision and accuracy through and through. I know that there are some things in the Bible that are hard to understand, but we must understand that God's ways of doing things sometimes don't make sense to us; you just cannot compare our way of thinking to that of an All-Knowing God; we only see one small little piece of the puzzle, and you cannot ever begin to understand what the puzzle represents by just one little piece. I can't wait to get to heaven, because I know that there is going to be so many answers revealed, once I get there. But one answer that I will not need answered is who Jesus is, was, and always will be... "Then I saw heaven opened, and a white house was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for He judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on His head were many crowns. A name was written on Him that no one understood except Himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and His title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed Him on white horses. From His mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. On His robe at His thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords." (Revelation 19:11-16) NLT  

"The Victory is His!"

"His name shall endure for ever: his name shall continue as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed." (Psalms 72:17) I know that I have my ups and downs, but I know that my Savior has blessed me with an unmovable position in Him. I don't just believe it to be so, I believe the Bible is God's Holy Word, so if the Bible says that it is so, then it is so; what is there left for me to question, because God has already supplied the proof. It is really quit simple: if you believe that the Bible is true, and if you believe in the God of the Bible, then guess what you have before you: you have all the proof that you need! I think that might be the devils doing, to get people to doubt the Bible is completely accurate, or to have worldly pastors teach that it is not to be taken literally, or that it is mostly allegorical. It is 100% true through and through; and if your Bible has flaws, then you need to get yourself the proper translation; one that has not been adjusted to worldly thinking, like the "New World Translations." Oh, I am sorry, did I offend someone? If I find a Bible that has God in John 1:1 written with a lower case g, then that Bible is not for me! I might have made that up, but it does sound kind of poetic; primarily, it is the way I have judged any translation of the Bible since the day I was born-again. I was shown at the time of my conversion who Jesus was; it was made abundantly clear, not only by the preacher who was sharing the Word, but by the Holy Spirit confirming the Word in my heart. I saw Jesus for who He was, and He was nailed upon the cross, giving up His physical life for my sins; my Creator creating my salvation with His destruction! It just does not get any more simple than that! I had a J.W. ask me once, "Why would God need to come and die on a cross?" I got the question, because I was once where they are, under the influence of a spirit that denies Jesus was who He said that He was; even though the Bible clearly says that He was God, they seem to always have an answer to deny what the Bible clearly says. But the question contains a certain element that puts Jesus in the category of something created by God for destruction; as if it was not necessary for God to come Himself, because He could just create someone to come and die in our place. Is that how you look at the One who died for you? Please say it's not so! If you seriously doubt that He was God, then you really need to take a second look at your Bible, because it does not lie...
"It was the Lord's Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. It said, "Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea." When I turned around to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across His chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And His eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and His voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in His right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from His mouth. And His face was like the sun in all its brilliance. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if I were dead. But He laid His right hand on me and said, "Don't be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look -I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave."" (Revelation 1:10-18) NLT

"The Harvest" -2

"There shall be a handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth." (Psalms 72:16) When you stop to think about the magnitude of the Good News, there are people all over the world today that would die, and are being killed, for their testimony of Jesus Christ. This might not sound very good, but the impact upon the earth is far more powerful when people are being killed for what they believe, than if they were not. This is part of what is being said, I believe, and it represents the power that is demonstrated in faith that is willing to suffer, all the way to the grave, if that is what it takes. We here in the United States have it really easy compared to a lot of other Christians around the world; so we really don't understand the significance of how persecution of the church causes there to be a boldness and an awakening, that otherwise would lay dormant and doing nothing. We are not talking about anything but pure willingness to share God's love, nothing about violence or protesting or getting riled up; it's more about pressing God's love out, like a wine press; and the wine thereof continues to spread. I believe that the 'workers' Jesus was referring to, in Matthew 9:38, are those that are willing to teach the Word of God; not like teachers would teach someone to read, or teaching for the sake of teaching; but it's more about connecting the dots, which is primarily what the disciple did after Jesus went up into heaven. It was what Stephen did just before he was killed. It is what the Holy Spirit shows us, as He leads us into the Word, showing us the connections from the Old Testament into the New Testament. It was what Jesus did, as He taught from the Scriptures; showing the significance of His life and death, in comparison to the writings of the Law and the Prophets. The main point is that of keeping to the Word of God! Not mixing God's word with the philosophies of men or of the world; if it is outside of the Bible, then it is not fit to be taught. Which reminds me of another "mustard seed" Scripture that speaks to the pureness of the mustard seed...
"At the foot of the mountain, a large crowd was waiting for them. A man came and knelt before Jesus and said, "Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. So I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn't heal him." Jesus said, "You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me." Then Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy, and it left him. From that moment the boy was well. Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, "Why couldn't we cast out that demon?" "You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible."" (Matthew 17:14-21) NLT

"The Harvest"

"There shall be a handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth." (Psalms 72:16) As many of you should know, I have been taking care of my wife for over twelve years now, and I have been blessed beyond compare in doing so. Just this morning I was standing over here and gazing down at her peaceful sleep; and as I gave her the first morning med, I could not help but notice a smile that came to her face. We really cannot understand what God sees in us, because what He sees in us we really can't see; but if we could, we would never feel the same about ourselves, or each other, again. I think a deep study of The Song of Solomon might give us a hint; but then again, it does not reach the height or depth of His great love for us. I truly believe that the many different authors of the Bible all had the same glimpse of God's heart for His children, both the good and the bad, because we all lack the ability to be perfect; besides Jesus, only Adam and Eve had the ability to be perfect, and we see how that went. Someone told me something a few weeks ago about the 'mustard seed' that I had never heard before, that a mustard seed is the only seed that can not be cross-pollinated with another seed. That gives an additional meaning to the statement of Jesus in Matthew 13:31-32, regarding the 'mustard seed' and how it grows into a tree; because it is not mixed with anything else, just pure faith in God's word! I get such a kick from people who feel that they need to supplement the Bible with some book that helps explain what the Bible says, as if God can not speak for Himself; or people that say, "I don't read my Bible, because I don't understand it." I did not understand it either, until I had the Holy Spirit living in me to show me what it meant; then it became perfectly clear, and it ministered directly to my heart. This verse has some powerful insight into God's ability to spread the Gospel; sure, we do our part, but it is God that make it flourish and take root...
"Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of the area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And He healed every kind of disease and illness. When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to His disciples, "The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields."" (Matthew 9:35-38) NLT

"Jesus Lives"

"And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised." (Psalms 72:15) I had this bumper sticker on my first truck that I owned, right on the cab back window: it was "Jesus Lives" in big bold letters that had a rainbow going over the top of it. That was back in 1982, before the rainbow became the symbol of something else. We can argue the times of His second coming all we want, but the fact that He lives cannot be denied. If you really want to see something interesting, you should watch the movie "The Investigator" and see how criminal investigators determine facts surrounding a case, hundreds and even thousands of years after they happened. The facts surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, although it happened two thousand years ago, can still be determined by weighing circumstantial evidence surrounding the case. Without giving it all away, the main proof of His resurrection was the fact that so many people were killed for their testimony of Him being alive. That anyone would allow themselves to be put to death for a lie is not very likely, let alone a whole group of people. When you examine what Jesus told Thomas, after he exclaimed, "My Lord and my God," (John 20:28), you see the distinct difference between his belief and ours; because his belief was based upon physical evidence, but our belief is based totally upon faith. Even those that were before were more blessed than those after, because those that were after had historical facts. We have historical facts that show us the truth; we have undeniable scientific data that proves the Bible is truth; just based upon the fulfilled prophecies of Jesus alone, the chances of all those things coming to pass are astronomical. We have all the proof that we need, not including the personal contact we each experience in our lives. I think it's about time that we make His being alive known to the world, don't you? I mean really! If your walk seems to be a little dead, it might just be because you have forgotten that He is alive...
"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 of our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God -for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can't be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when He comes back." (1 Corinthians 15:12-23) NLT

"Eternally His, To!"

"He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight." (Psalms 72:14) I hope you got the message, because we are the poor and needy, yet He has satisfied our needs! But you say, I still need stuff! No you don't; you might think that you do, but Jesus has satisfied every need! Even if you are currently waiting to be put to death, your need has been satisfied; you will soon realize the truth and understand what is important and what is not. I believe the point James was making speaks to the night and day difference between those that love the world and those that do not; those that love the world want to continue to get everything that they can out of it; those that do not just want to get home, blessed. There is no other thing more important than our eternal security in Jesus; not family, work, health or wealth; it is all nothing compared to our eternal life that we have been given. James used a very strong word, speaking of us acting like "adulterers" when we choose the world over pure fellowship with God. It's kind of hard to accept the metaphor and what it represents, but it catches the "spirit" of what he was speaking about. Here is the thing that I feel God speaking into my heart, and it hurts to think how true these words are to the way that we generally live our lives. We have been redeemed at a very expensive price; the Creator of heaven and earth came and died upon a cross for us, it does not get any more costly than that! And even though it was His blood that was shed for us, our blood He regards higher than His own! Oh no, don't get me wrong! His blood that was shed at Calvary is the most precious blood of all; but as for Him, as for His point of view, ours is more precious than His own! It is pretty obvious that we don't love the way that He loves, nor do I think that He expects us to; but He does expect us to try! But, as James was saying, in not so few words, we can't do it because we get in the way! My concerns and my desires take priority over those of anyone else, including the Lord sometimes; scratch that, all times that I am not doing the Lord's will, I come first. And no, the title is not a "Dumb and Dumber" thing, although I did think about it when it came to mind; it's more about, opposed to from...  "Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever." (1 John 2:15-17) NLT 

"Eternally His"

"He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy." (Psalms 72:13) I do not pretend that I don't have bad days, because, if you have been following this blog for any amount of time, then you know that I do; but God has not called me into some kind of fairy tale life where everything is sweet and there are no disruptions; some days are hard, and they feel darkened by life in general. I really don't want to be that kind of guy that walks around like his life is a mess, but sometimes it's hard to pretend that it's not. But isn't that what the joy is meant to be about? We can wish for happiness all day long, every day of our lives, but it's not about being happy; there is absolutely no way that I can be happy about this life, because this life is not dishing out happy endings. But joy, on the other hand, is more about what is to come! If you stop and think about this, our lives are not meant to be free from pain and suffering, otherwise we would not have to endure any of it, and everything would be wonderful. This is about eternity; whether you agree with it or not, every single life on this earth is dealing with an eternal destination. Do you know where your eternal destination is going to be? If you are sure that it is in heaven, then you should have joy in your heart; if you are not sure, then any joy you experience is based upon happiness, which is here today and gone tomorrow. I know, it's not the current new way of thinking; I have heard the new "Happiness Is A Life" way of thinking, and I think that it is rubbish. We are meant to be happy, there is no doubt about that, but that does not mean that we don't feel the pain and the suffering of this life, because it's real, and it's not going to get any better any time soon. My mom would always tell me, "Be happy with what you have been given." It is more easy to do that if you don't know anything about what you don't have, because as soon as you do, you are no longer happy with just what you have. That is really are biggest downfall, wanting what we do not have; if it wasn't for knowing what is available, then living with what you have been given would be easy, and being happy with only that would not be an issue. On the flip side of all of this happiness stuff, there is another perspective that needs to be examined; the focus needs to be taken off of what we have, and needs to be placed on to whom we belong. I am the property of Christ Jesus, so that is where real joy comes from... "What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don't they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can't get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don't get it because your motives are all wrong -you want only what will give you pleasure. You adulterers! Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit of God has placed within us is filled with envy? But He gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, "God opposes the proud but favors the humble." So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor." (James 4:1-10) NLT    

"Helpless, Not Hopeless"

"For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper." (Psalms 72:12) I think the key here is the word "crieth," as in 'to cry out for help.' Oh, and by the way, you are a son or daughter of the King, so that gives you every right to cry out expecting to be delivered! That is probably the biggest difference between relationship and religion, the right to be answered by God. All those who live a life of religion, which is man's way of getting right with God, have no clue what it's like to be delivered; they are hoping for deliverance, but they do not think that they are helpless. Big difference, very big; like night and day, there is simply no comparison between the two, except for the fact that they both involve God. Maybe you don't think that you are helpless, or that you have some sort of way to overcome temptation, something that gives you an edge that others might not have. Please don't say that is you, because there are some pretty strong characters in the Bible that made the same mistake. Given that we have the Holy Spirit living within us, we can sometimes think we are able to overcome anything; which is true to a certain degree, because "Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4). But we are still dealing with our flesh, and this flesh longs to be satisfied in one way or another. Where one of us fail in abstaining, the other might fail in forgiveness; where one might not have compassion, the other might steal without thinking; it's really not all that hard to see the faults of each other, but it sure is hard to look at your own. We are all helpless where it comes to holiness, which is exactly what the cross is all about; but we are not hopeless to be made holy, because Jesus has made us holy by His blood. Only the blood of Jesus can wash away my sins! There is no other way that our sins can be removed! The relationship that I have is based upon the faith in knowing that Jesus Christ has paid the price for my sins, not in hoping that my sins might be forgiven, but knowing that they are; and because of that fact, I am a son of the King, I am a child of God, and I have access to the Father. That does not mean that I am still not helpless, because each and every day that I wake up, I am dependent upon the Lord to get me through another day; but, man-o-man, my hope is secure... "For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. That is why, when Christ came into the world, He said to God, "You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But You have given Me a body to offer. You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin. Then I said, 'Look, I have come to do your will, O God -as is written about Me in the Scriptures.'" First, Christ said, "You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were You pleased with them" (though they are required by the law of Moses). Then he said, "Look, I have come to do Your will." He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For God's will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all. Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the alter day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which never take away sins. But our High Priest offered Himself to God as a single sacrifice for sin, good for all time. Then He sat down in the place of honor at God's right hand. There He waits until His enemies are humbled and made a footstool under His feet. For by that one offering He forever made perfect those who are being made holy." (Hebrews 10:4-14) NLT

"King Breaker"

"Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him." (Psalms 72:11) There really is not much left to say after that, because how can you give away what is not yours to begin with? It is really all about a heart of worship; if I truly love the Lord, then I will worship Him with my life; that's pretty much the just of what Paul was trying to say, "Prove it with actions!" Oddly enough, it is the story of what love is in a nutshell. Love is not saying, love is doing! John 3:16 does not speak of God saying this or that, it speaks of God doing something amazing because He loves us; something that required Him to give His all for all of us! God took the first step, He always does! I think that we tend to forget that; some of us might have never even realized it from the start; but most of us, at some time or another, forget who called out to who. It was God that called out to us, it was God that first loved us, it was God that took the first step to save us from the eternal fires of hell. I must say, this is hard to express without getting all emotional, and wanting to go crawl under a rock, but we sure can be very unthankful and unloving towards God; after all that He has done for us, you would think that we could show a little more gratitude and respect. Not that it matters, but people who say that they do not believe in God, really can not prove what they claim; not that they could, but they cannot truthfully and honestly say that there is no hint of belief in God present within their heart. Paul gives us this insight with his letter to Rome, as he explains in his introduction that everyone knows of God in one way or another, it is understood by His creation from the very beginning (Romans 1:18-20). The way that Paul explains it, there will be no excuse for not knowing God, because everyone has the same knowledge of His existence, it's more about what they do with the knowledge they have been given; do they retain that knowledge, or do they disregard it and become vain in their hearts and minds; by which, they are made to be fools and totally lost in wickedness (Romans 1:21-32). Basically it all comes down to our response to what we know of God. It is pretty obvious that He is our Maker, because He has written His name upon our hearts; not just those who are His children, as we can interpret His name, but everyone has God's stamped upon their hearts, as we are all living souls, created in His likeness. I think that it is this fact, the fact that we have an eternal soul, that makes this verse so real and awakening. The way that Matthew Henry puts this, he says, "Yea, all kings shall, sooner or later, fall down before him, either to do their duty to him or to receive their doom from him. They shall fall before him, either as his willing subjects or as his conquered captives, as supplicants for his mercy or expectants of his judgment." Respond to the proof of His love, otherwise you will respond to the proof of His judgment; your choice... "For God loved the world so much that He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God's One and Only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God's light came into the world, but people loved darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants." (John 3:16-21) NLT  

"King Maker"

"The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts." (Psalms 72:10) First of all, I want to say that I am sorry for being a little off these last few days; let me blame it on the lack of sleep, and we will just leave it at that. That said; the Lord is never off on anything, ever! He is always just waiting on us to open up our hearts; to stop playing around, and to say, Please, take my life and make it yours! As for this verse and these kings, you could spend all day looking up their origins and trying to discover any connection or meaning to these places, but I am thinking it has more to do about independents and wealth than it does about locations. Besides that, if David was making this Psalm as a dedication to Solomon, then this would be more about respect than it would anything else. But, as I said, there is a red star next to this verse in my Bible, which indicates it's more about Jesus; whether or not David intended it to be so, really does not matter, it is what God intended that matters; after all, this is His Book written through the hearts of men, men who were listening to the voice of God. Not that it has not been said before, but Solomon was the son born from Bathsheba, the woman that David murdered a man over. Say what you will, but if you really want to get technical, choosing Solomon to built the Temple was a pretty strange gesture on God's behalf, considering the reason He gave David for not letting him build it. Not that Solomon had anything to do with what David did with his mother; but if you really wanted to get right down to it, what did we have to do with Adam's disobedience in the garden? One thing is for sure, God has a way of making His point known, whether it's through Adam, or David, or even Manasseh, the Bible clearly teaches that the consequences of the sins of ancestors do affect later generations; which also explains the reason for the Day of Judgment, because you are not through with your sin after you die, your sin keeps on doing damage way after you're gone. But God, the awesome God that He is, has so much more mercy than we could ever need; no matter what kind of sin we have committed, or how much has been accounted to us, God's way of redemption takes all of it out of the way! Do you get what that means? I AM FORGIVEN!!! You can not get any more forgiven than that! So, the real purpose of this verse is about special offerings to the KING OF KINGS, our King and our God; what can I offer Him besides my heart... "Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His ways! For who can know the LORD'S thoughts? Who knows enough to give Him advice? And who has given Him so much that He needs to pay it back? For everything comes from Him and exists by His power and is intended for His glory. All glory to Him forever! Amen. And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice -the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." (Romans 11:33-12:2) NLT  

"Reign In Life" -2

"They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust." (Psalms 72:9) Not that the wilderness dwellers are a bad thing, because there is where God is in control; but the thing about those that dwell in the wilderness, is that they are always looking for a place to settle, always seeking to be brought out of that wilderness. In other words, it is a place where God's direction is being sought after, which is a good place to be, you just don't want to find yourself wanting to stay there. That is the whole point of God's direction being what guides our lives, in that it's not about what we want that matters; it's not even about what we think, but what God says that matters most; even if what He says does not make any sense at all, because those are the times when miracles happen and great battles are won. If you don't think it is so, then you have not studied your Bible very well; the cross of Christ made no sense whatsoever, but look at what Jesus was able to do from that cross! The enemies of Christ are not just people that are enemies of God, at least they don't think that they are; some of them are very devoted to what ever form of worship and service to God they think they are performing. I don't know if we can totally understand the real impact that Jesus had upon religion in general, let alone the Jewish religion. But then again, it all depends on the view of the cross; just like that serpent Moses lifted up in the wilderness, they accepted it's purpose and lived, they denied it's purpose and died. But, it was not their denial of the acceptance that killed them! That is where people have it all wrong, because they were dying already; they just needed to accept the gift of life. That is kind of the way I see the "lick the dust" part of this verse, because it takes work to deny Him, and it takes work to worship God without Him; but in the end, that's all you get a taste of, the dust left behind... "What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God's standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place. But the people of Israel, who tried hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded. Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in Him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path. God warned them of this in the Scriptures when He said, "I am placing a stone in Jerusalem that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. But anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced."" (Romans 9:30-33) NLT