"God's Eternal Care"

"He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation." (Psalms 91:15-16)
After all of this, and it comes down to loving God and treating people as you would like to be treated. You could say, it's like a school of ministry being lived out in our lives; except this school never lets out. There are a couple things here that need to be brought to our attention; the first of which is who is speaking here in these last three verses, because in a manor of speaking, it is all three, the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. I know, it might sound a little strange; but here is the deal that makes it so interesting and gives us hope, they are all three for us, and they all three care for us. Sure enough, we will constantly fail to be perfect, but in God's eye we are already there; not only that, but He sees us as Saints, pure, and white as the snow. The Son makes us righteous, the Spirit make us holy, and the Father makes us His children; we don't have a care in the world, literally! We are in this world, but we are no longer of this world! Predestination is a very strange concept to understand, because it's not something we can wrap our heads around; it is totally beyond our ability to grasp. But with God, it is all so natural, because He is eternal and lives outside of the constraints of time. I did not say that God lives outside of time, because time and time again He proves to us that He does; but He is in all time, in the past, present, and future, all at once. Try to figure that out with your limited ability! Albert Einstein came close, but then he might have driven himself crazy in the process. There are just some things that are not for us to know, nor should we try to figure them out. No, we just need to be thankful that He chose us, and rejoice in what waits ahead; not concerning ourselves with what's behind, we look forward to what's ahead, knowing that it is all God's doing that saved us, and it will be all God's doing that will get us past the finish line. In the meantime, we love God and treat others as we would like to be treated; which means, whether you like it or not, we must share the Good News, just as we are grateful that someone shared it with us...
""Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and no one will even think about the old ones anymore. Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation! And look! I will create Jerusalem as a place of happiness. Her people will be a source of joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and delight in my people. And the sound of weeping and crying will be heard no more. "No longer will babies die when they are only a few days old. No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life. No longer will people be considered old at one hundred! Only the cursed will die that young! In those days people will live in the houses they built and eat the fruit of their own vineyards. Unlike the past, invaders will not take their houses and confiscate their vineyards. For my people will live as long as trees, and my chosen ones will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains. They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune. For they are people blessed by the LORD, and their children, too, will be blessed. I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers! The wolf and the lamb will feed together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. But the snakes will eat dust. In those days no one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain. I, the LORD, have spoken!"" (Isaiah 65:17-25) NLT 

"God's Complete Security"

"Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name." (Psalms 91:14)
Not that it will make much difference, but you do know that it's alright to fail, don't you? We have been given something that is so amazing, there are not enough words to express the wonderful gift of salvation that we have been given. You think about this Psalm, if David did write it, and if it was the result of his punishment for taking the census; he took that census in vanity, to puff himself up, and to tally up the power, worldly power, that he had been blessed with. There was no difference between what was in his heart and that which was in Peter's heart disputing with the Lord as to whether or not he would deny Jesus, even after Jesus told him details of the how it would happen. There are two totally different worlds we are dealing with; one is infinite and all powerful, while the other is temporary and frail; surprisingly, the more powerful one cannot be seen, at least not naturally. It's all about our dependence upon God; the more we depend upon Him, the more secure that we are. The world will tell you that your faith is a crutch; as if there is greater power available in standing upon your own two feet and living life at it's fullest. If this was all that there is, then that might be the right frame of mind; but I am convinced that it's not, that there is life after death, and that the Bible is the true and living word of God. Therefore, if someone wants proof, if seeing is believing, then here it is, right here, all 66 Books that are written by 40 Authors; tangible proof! You are not going to convince anyone otherwise; if it's Jesus they need to know, this is where He is written of; other than that, it's all about their heart and the Holy Spirit. But for those of us that know the truth, the truth sets us free; free from the power of death and free to hope for a new tomorrow; a tomorrow that is without sickness and decay, without death and destruction, and one that if full of God's light and love! So, if that's your description of a crutch, then consider me a cripple; and I will limp my way all the way to the finish line; because I won't make it there without Jesus...
"My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the one, "You can sit over there, or else sit on the floor" -well, doesn't this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives? Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn't God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren't they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? But you dishonor the poor! Isn't it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? Aren't they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?" (James 2:1-7) NLT

"God's Gifting"

"Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under foot." (Psalms 91:13)
It is pretty obvious that God is in charge, so we will press forward into something a little more hands-on, if you will pardon my boldness. I know that we all struggle from time to time with sin; it's just the basic facts of this life, a life that is tempted by desire, envy, and vanity; it seems it's hard to get through a single day without falling short in one way or another. I have to be honest, as I hope anyone else who wants to please God will be; but the simple fact of my weakness, is not that I am weak to sin, but that I am weak to cry out to God. Maybe weak is not the right word; maybe the word I am looking for is more about stubborn, or maybe even pigheaded. Yes, I think that's the word I was looking for, it fits quite nicely. Even a child could figure it out! If you don't ask for help, then how do you expect to overcome anything? You won't! I'm sorry, but it's just a fact. These are spiritual matters, and if we are going to be victorious in battle, then we need to have spiritual weapons to fight! We already have these weapons at our disposal, yet when it comes to something that appeals to our fleshly desires, we lay our weapons down! Okay, maybe that's a little too judgmental; how about, let's say, we tend to forget that we have any weapons at all; yes, that's the ticket! We literally just refuse to acknowledge that we have been given the option; and almost like it's meant to be, we ignore all that is right and godly, and we just please ourselves. That sound about right? Well stop doing it! That's all there is to it; just stop, step back, and get on your knees! Ask God to help you, and He will instantly intervene! We have every weapon already at our disposal, it's just a matter of wanting to be victorious or not; because if we really don't want to win, then the enemy is glad to accommodate our real intensions; otherwise, we can stand up and fight...
"I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom: Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths. But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don't be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you. As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me -the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:1-8) NLT

"He's in Charge!"

"For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone." (Psalms 91:11-12)
It might not make sense now, but it will later. Have you heard that before? Sure you have, it's the answer for all those questions, Why did God allow this? or How could this happen? I have given up on trying to go in my own direction; that includes my own preferred routes in my travels, and in my own time tables. That does not mean I don't plan the trips that I set out on, because I do; but if there is a delay, or something happens and my route is diverted, then so be it, there must be a reason. It's like when your plane is somehow full, and then they inform you that you must take the next flight; don't fight it, don't have a fit, just be willing to ask, What do you have for me to do Lord? Who are you wanting me to share with? And if that doesn't work for you, then just say, Thank you Lord, for getting me on this next flight. I tend to think that God is watching out for us in every way; He's just that big and powerful. He's there in our trials, He's there in our failures; He's even there when we don't want Him to be there, like in those moments we regret. These verses might sound familiar, because they were the ones that Satan used when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness, when he told Jesus to cast Himself down off the highest peak of the Temple. And Jesus answered, "It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." I look at this as more than just testing God or seeing if God will protect us; it's more about challenging God to do something, even when we know He does not want it to happen. If we go ahead and do it, does that mean God is no longer in control? If that's what you think, then you have overlooked some basic principles of God's abilities , like, "beauty from ashes." Two very familiar instances come to mind; one is when Israel desired a king, and God warned them against it, but they wanted one anyway; the other is Jonah, who tried not to do what God wanted him to do, and he ended up dong it anyway. Both of those instances where entirely different in origin, but there outcomes were the same, they were controlled by God. That's what I mean about God being in every part of everything; whether it's His will or not, He will control the outcome; whether we like it or not, His will is going to be done...
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." (Proverbs 3:5-6) NLT

"Always Protected"

"Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling." (Psalms 91:9-10)
Don't think too hard about it, because it's God who is the Judge of everyone; we need only worry about our own salvation. That said, this is a perfect example of just that: "Because 'we' have made the LORD, 'our' habitation." If we have any say in the matter whatsoever, then it is to follow Jesus! I need to share this little message from yesterday, which was one that should give a little hope to anyone that might be feeling hopeless: When we set our hearts on following Jesus, then He directs our steps! That does not just included our manner of walking, I truly wish it was that easy; no, what that involves is that which we step upon, whether good or bad, He is there directing our lives. What that means, is that no matter what, no matter the circumstance, no matter had bad things appear, it is something that the Lord has allowed to take place in our lives for a reason. I know that it might hurt, and I know that it might be ugly; but if we are following Jesus, then guess what, things aren't always going to be pretty. Jesus was only thirty-three years old when He was crucified upon the cross; and as horrible as that circumstance appeared, it was ultimately the best thing that ever happened for man, that we could receive forgiveness for our sins; it was the ultimate sacrifice! There are a couple of things here that need to be discussed; first of which, is that this is not our home! So, "thy dwelling" spoken of within the context of this verse, is not speaking of the house that we live in; it's not even speaking about the tent we dwell in, which is this fleshly body. No, it is speaking of our heavenly home, that place reserved for us in heaven; the place that Jesus is preparing for us, which is far better than anyplace we could dwell on this earth. Secondly, "there shall no evil befall thee" is not saying that we will not have some evil things come against us; no, it is simply saying that, "What some might mean for evil, God will use it for good!" That includes the devil; that includes cancer; that even includes divorce or death of our loved ones. And what's more, is what makes this all possible, that we abide in Christ Jesus, our Risen LORD...
"Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don't need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don't yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)" (Romans 8:18-25) NLT 

"What It's All About"

"Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked." (Psalms 91:8)
I have got to tell you, this might be one of the most vivid realities of what being a Christian is about; it's called knowing the truth, the truth about hell, and the fate of those that refuse God's Son as their Savior. Matthew Henry gives the example of the children of Israel the night God Passed-Over them in Egypt. What a fright that must have been, to hear the screams of those who were tormented by the angel of death. Was their joy in the houses that were not? I am absolutely certain that there was not. What there was, and most likely should have been, was a sober awakening to the protection of God. This protection goes far beyond this mortal existence on this earth; this is nothing compared to what we are really protected from, the fires of hell! I am not so sure that the majority of the church is fully convinced of the truth, like maybe most have been accepted to lie; a lie, that today is more alive than ever. If you don't know, it's a very familiar lie about God having forgiven all sin, everyone's sin, no matter if they receive His Son or not; in fact, many believe that hell has been removed all together, and we will all just in up in heaven, the sinner and the saints as one. Just as bad, but not all that new, is the thought that good people will be awarded heaven, just based upon the good deeds they have done. And then we have the most popular one, the one I always heard as a kid: What about the people in Africa that have never heard about Jesus, what happens to them? My only answer for every angle and every lie that is out there, is Revelation 20:15, "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the fire." Now, you can determine what it means to be written in the book of life, if you want to; because I know there are several thoughts on that subject. The basic thought is that of accepting Jesus Christ into your heart; as soon as you do, you are written into the book. Another popular thought, is that everyone's life is written in already, from the beginning of time; but sin strikes out their names, and they are no longer found in the book. Personally, I tend to think it might involve Jesus Christ, and whether or not a person refuses to accept Him; if you have never heard the Gospel Message, then you have never been given the choice, so your name remains, and there will be judgment based upon your love for God and your fellow man; but if you have been given the choice and refuse, then your name is stricken out. But that's just my belief, based upon the God that I have come to know in the Bible. The main point to this post, is that of awareness! Hell is real; God will judge the wicked; and we need to awakened to the fate of many around us...
"For Jerusalem will stumble, and Judah will fall, because they speak out against the LORD and refuse to obey him. They provoke him to his face. The very look on their faces gives them away. They display their sin like the people of Sodom and don't even try to hide it. They are doomed! They have brought destruction upon themselves. Tell the godly that all will be well for them. They will enjoy the rich reward they have earned! But the wicked are doomed, for they will get exactly what they deserve. Childish leaders oppress my people, and women rule over them. O my people, your leaders mislead you; they send you down the wrong road. The LORD takes his place in court and presents his case against his people! The LORD comes forward to pronounce judgment on the elders and rulers of his people: "You have ruined Israel, my vineyard. Your houses are filled with things stolen from the poor. How dare you crush my people, grinding the faces of the poor into the dust?" demands the Lord, the LORD of Heaven's Armies." (Isaiah 3:8-15) NLT

"What We Trust In"

"A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee."
(Psalms 91:7)
I think we all should understand this by now; at least those of us that take God at His word! But, just in case you might not understand, and please pardon my abruptness, but if you are saved and afraid of death, stop doubting God! I'm sorry if I offended you, or made you feel uneasy; okay, maybe I am just a little bit sorry, mostly it's because I'm sorry for you. But what it actually comes down to, is the simple fact of believing; we either believe Him or we don't; and if we don't, if we even doubt Him at all, then we need to get some faith, and we need it now! My mom use to say, "Don't put off for tomorrow what is possible today;" so true, and so relevant to the subject at hand. Don't worry about making a fool of yourself, or maybe upsetting God; because God's greatest concern is for you getting this right in your own heart. If you doubt Him, then ask Him to remove all doubt; if you lack the faith needed to get through something terrible, then ask Him for more faith. Go ahead, He won't be mad or offended by your request; He might be relieved that you finally asked Him for His help! You can't stop your flesh from decay and death; but if it's already reckoned dead, then it's no longer that much of an issue. So, if this flesh is reckoned dead, then what is left is your eternal soul; and the way I see it, nothing can harm that, but unbelief. Basically, what that means, is if you are going to worry about anything, it should be about your belief, not death! I mean, really! What in this world could ever help you or prevent your body from dying? Sure, you might gain a few years, but what is that? Seriously, what are a few more years compared to eternity in heaven? Unless you are not truly convinced; unless you have doubt in your heart; then you want to scrape out every last second from this temporary life; digging your fingers into the ground as you are lowered into the grave. If that's your reality, then you need some serious faith in the Word of God! Jesus did not lie when He said, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believeth thou this?" (John 11:25-26) It's really a pretty simple question, you either believe it or you don't; and if you do, then what in the world are you worried about? Get over your fear! False Evidence Appearing Real, that's all that fear is for anything that this world can dish out, just smoke and mirrors...
"So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call then his brothers and sisters. For he said to God, "I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among your assembled people." He also said, "I will put trust in him," that is, "I and the children God has given me." Because God's children are human beings -made of flesh and blood -the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying." (Hebrews 2:11-15) NLT

"What Trust Makes in Us"

"Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth a noonday." (Psalms 91:5-6)
Have I told you that trust takes courage? If I failed to mention that, I am terribly sorry; but I guess I just assumed that you might have figured it out on your own. Does courage take away fear? Well, if I have to put something in words, I would say that courage overrides fear, but that the fear is still there. It might not be the best way to describe it, but it's the easiest way. Actually, the fear sharpens your senses, while the courage keeps you pushing forward; I have a vision of what that might look like, but describing what that is might take more time than I have available. But, here is a little taste: say you had two people inside you; one is the skinny scrawny you, and the other is the buff tuff you; the little you is always looking for trouble to happen, even if it's not there, while the bigger one is not all that concern; but stepping over and reaching around the little one, says, No big deal! and then keeps moving forward. I know, you don't need to say it, I am really strange! But, if you have actually been able to picture that image in your mind, then that's the image you need to see in order to know how courage works in us. Fear will always want to hide and is always looking for danger; even if it thinks it has found a safe hiding place, danger is still lurking there, or so it thinks. Courage, on the other hand, is not afraid, but will quickly analyze any situation, and determines, It's not a deal breaker! Smoke and mirrors, that's all, just smoke and mirrors! Obviously there is a little more to it than that; primarily, the fact that you are In God's Care also needs to be established first; but after you have firmly established that fact, then there you go; your hero is not only possible, He will materialize...
"But now, O Jacob, listen to the LORD who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, "Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; and you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."" (Isaiah 43:1-3) NLT

"What Trust is Like"

"He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler." (Psalms 91:4)
It might not have the impact that you are looking for, but it surely will have the proof that you need. That's what my thought was last night, as we looked into Ruth chapter two, and we witnessed the trust come to life in Ruth. There might have even been a point where she might have lost it, but I don't think so; it would have been when they first came into Bethlehem, and everyone said, "Is this Naomi?" To which she replied, "Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?" You can imagine how Ruth must have felt, had she not put her trust in God, as I believe that she did; she could have otherwise felt as though she didn't really matter much, after all, Naomi had her, so she was not totally empty. Sometimes we can say things without really considering the impact of our words upon others, especially to those around us that matter most, like our spouse and our children. When you look at your life one day and say, I feel like I am such a failure and my life is meaningless. Meanwhile, your family hangs their heads in shame, realizing that they must not matter much in your eyes, or in your heart. I heard a crazy statistic about how much time fathers spend talking to their children each day, and it was something like three minutes average. That seemed like it was a mistake, but then I looked back upon my own life, noticing that I don't even know if I averaged that much; at least not those last years of his life. Man, we sure can get our priorities messed up! It sure is a good thing that our Heavenly Father is always there when we need Him! That's what real trust is like, in that you do not need to worry if God is looking out for you and is there when you need Him. Isn't that what Ruth displayed? She could have felt offended my Naomi's comments, we really don't know what that moment was like; except that we know she did not hold onto any offense, and we can see that in the way that she walked and worked and respected Naomi, because it was God she aimed to please, not people. That's really what trust looks like, because it's not about how we are treated by people, it's God we need to focus upon, He is the one who has the power to bring everything together for good. Not that we should not care what people think of us, but it should not matter to our trust in the Lord. That is how we avoid being offended by what people might say or do; people will be people, but God is God, and if God is for us, then who can be against us, and how could it really matter...
"Then Boaz asked his foreman, "Who is that young woman over there? Who does she belong to?" And the foreman replied, "She is the young woman from Moab who came back with Naomi. She asked me this morning if she could gather grain behind the harvesters. She has been hard at work ever since, except for a few minutes' rest in the shelter." Boaz went over and said to Ruth, "Listen, my daughter. Stay right here with us when you gather grain; don't go to any other fields. Stay right behind the young women working in my field. See which part of the field they are harvesting and the follow them. I have warned the young men not to treat you roughly. And when you are thirsty, help yourself to the water they have drawn from the well." Ruth fell at his feet and thanked him warmly. "What have I done to deserve such kindness?" she asked. "I am only a foreigner." "Yes, I know," Boaz replied. "But I also know about everything you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband. I have heard how you left your father and mother and your own land to live here among complete strangers. May the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done."" (Ruth 2:5-12) NLT

"What Trust is About"

"Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence." (Psalms 91:3)
It's hard to believe that it has already been a year since my son went home to be with the Lord; but I know I will see him soon! I heard Dr. Chuck say something the other day, and I thought it was rather interesting; he was talking about looking at you time left in the space of weekends, as if twenty years was the average time you would have left, then that would give you 1,000 more weekends, there about. Fifty-two of those have passed since my sons passing; or 1/20th, if that helps speed things up. Taking off from yesterday's closing Scripture, there was something special about knowing that it's not our righteousness that gets the job done; what a mighty burden has been lifted off of our shoulders! Do you know what that allows us to do? We get to lift up our heads and praise the Lord! We can literally stretch up our arms and sing praises to the Lord, our salvation is in Him! That is what Isaiah 12 is all about, thanking God for saving us and making know His wonderful works. If we do not express the joy that we have been given, then what kind of testimony are we giving to what God has done? We must rejoice in our salvation; above all else, we must rejoice! That said, what are those things which might cause us to not rejoice? Here are a couple listed above, in case you were asking. The "snare of the fowler" is one that gets us focused upon the absolutely wrong direction. What I believe that speaks about is our natural way of looking for relief, which is to look upon the horizon. In other words, we look out over the surrounding possibilities for the relief that we need, and guess what, there is nothing in sight; there is no hope found as far as we can see, not for what we might be going through or what we are worried about. So, there are two things that need to happen, if that's what is bugging you and stealing your joy; you need to look up, not out, and you need to say something that might sound hard to say: So be it! There you go, you have just released yourself from one of the most powerful tools to take away your joy, worry! The "noisome pestilence" is second, which I believe is less important, is that of survival. For most, survival might be the most important thing on their minds; they might not even realize they are thinking of it, because it comes so naturally; and they don't even realize that they are being controlled by it. I believe this might be the biggest threat to unity within the church. Unlike the other, which causes us to look out for relief, this one causes us to look out for ourselves. So then, why did I say that it was less important? Because that's what I am, that's why...
"Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on the cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:3-11) NLT

"The Choice is Ours"

"I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God ; in him will I trust." (Psalms 91:2)
If only I could be faithful to God every moment of every day, then maybe He would bless me more, then maybe He would love me more; obviously I can't, so I guess I will just settle for something a little less than more. Is that what you think? If it is, then you have missed out on something that has been there all along, just within your reach, but out of your control. Many years ago, somewhere back in the first couple of years of this new life, I had experienced something very interesting about this thing called being perfect; I discovered that I am not! It seemed that the harder I tried to be perfect, the harder it was to be perfect; and the more I hated myself for not being perfect, the less I was able to share my faith in the Lord. That is when I came to realize that the enemy of my soul is the one who was making me feel that way. Yes, that's right, it was that fallen one, the one we think has no power over our lives anymore; he was the one trying to make me out to be less than I am in Christ, all because of my own weaknesses and failures of trying to be like Christ, and always falling short. That's when I realized something amazing about the cross: Jesus didn't just die for my sins from yesterday, He died for my sins today, and the sins I will obviously commit tomorrow. I am a child of the KING! Do you know what kind of blessings and love come with that? Most children of kings are raised up to be noble and to inherit kingdoms; but we are children of the KING that owns all the Kingdoms, and created everything; even that fallen one who likes to make us feel less than we are. Now, don't get me wrong, we do not have license to sin, just because we keep on sinning; no, but we do have the privilege to ask for forgiveness, when it so happens that we sin. That might be the thing that has the fallen one so pissed off, so jealous of what we have; that we can be forgiven. We get to live by faith, but he, the fallen one, he knows the glory of God, he has already stood in the presence of Majesty! I don't care what you have done, or how many times you have done it, as long as there is still breath within you, it can all be forgiven, every little bit of it. Only Christ Jesus is perfect! He is perfect in every way; and because He is perfect, we become perfect by abiding in Him. It's really that simple; just like that woman who reached out and touched His garment. (Luke 8:43-48) She reached out and touched Him, and then He changed her, she did not change herself...
"In that day you will sing: "I will praise you, O LORD! You were angry with me, but not any more. Now you comfort me. See, God has come to save me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. The LORD is my strength and my song; he has given me victory!" With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation! In that wonderful day you will sing: "Thank you LORD! Praise his name! Tell the nations what he has done. Let them know how mighty he is! Sing to the LORD, for he has done wonderful things. Make known his praise around the world. Let the people of Jerusalem shout his praise with joy! For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among you."" (Isaiah 12) NLT

"In God's Care"

PSALMS 91
"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."
(Verse One)
If you have not figured it out by now, my blog is set upon a particular journey; one that I prayed would be a Living Journal, and one that I continually pray that God would be able to speak through, especially to me. And He is always doing just that! We began to explore the Book of Ruth in church yesterday, and Pastor Rick took us straight to the mat! The title for the adventure is, "The Road to Redemption," and based upon what was taught yesterday, it looks to be quite a straight road. I went away from the teaching (which primarily was an introduction to the Book, but was mostly just on the first chapter), thinking of a new title for the introduction, "Meet King David's Great Grandmother." Actually, when you think of it, Boaz, who would be married to Ruth, was one that had a little secret all of his own; after all, he was the son of Rahab, a former prostitute and pagan in Jericho. So here we have the son of a former pagan prostitute married to a girl from Moab, and these two would be making a child that would end up being King David's grandfather, named Obed, the father of Jesse. Okay, so many the road is not as straight as it looks; or maybe the road is actually straight, but just appears to wind in many different directions. I guess that would depend upon who's point of view you are using! This Psalm really does not indicate who the writer is, but many believe it is Moses; although Matthew Henry believes it to be David, particularly at the time of pestilence after David had taken a Census. (2 Samuel 24) As I look to this opening verse, I can't help but wonder about how little we really understand, not just about the spiritual world that is all around us, but about ourselves and the road on which we have been placed. God knows every single thing about us; He knows where we have been, but more than that, He knows where we are going. From God's perspective, the road is straight and narrow; but from our perspective the road is as crooked as it gets, with pits and potholes, and all sorts of obstructions and distractions; most of the time, we don't even know if we are even on the right road, or if the road we are on is going to get us to where we want to go. But one thing is for certain, if we are dwelling in the secret place of the Most High, then whatever road we are on is straight, even though it might not appear that way. Oddly enough, God is also in the pestilence...
"The LORD has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said, "Don't call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don't live in dread of what frightens them. Make the LORD of Heaven's Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. He will keep you safe. But to Israel and Judah he will be a stone that makes people stumble, a rock that makes people fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. Many will stumble and fall, never to rise again. They will be snared and captured." Preserve the teaching of God; entrust his instructions to those who follow me. I will wait for the LORD, who has turned away from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my trust in him." (Isaiah 8:11-17) NLT

"Turn It In" -Too

"And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it." (Psalms 90:17)
I'm sorry, but I could not just leave it off there, not without making clarification for the direction and distance remark. Yes, it is true that God forgives us of our sins when we confess them to Him, that is made perfectly clear by His word; but that is a privilege given to those that are in Christ, and it is only the blood of Jesus that can wash away all of our sins. You see, there is something that happens in the heart of a believer, it's called a New Heart! When Jesus comes into our heart, He changes it and makes it His home; He abides in our heart, and we abide in Him; and so it will be for eternity! That is our new direction; that is the Way, as so many refer to it; it is a whole new way of thinking, of living; it's not a religion, as some might call it, it's a relationship, a personal relationship with the Living God, the Creator of heaven and earth! If there is something wrong with your work, meaning the way that you are living out Christ in your life, then it's a heart issue that needs to be changed. Your spiritual issue has already been resolved, now it's a matter of getting your heart changed, completely changed! That must be the issue we come to terms with, letting Christ have complete control of our lives; not holding back, but letting Him be Lord of every single part of our life! This verse is not just a conclusion, it's the making of the previous verse, "Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children." One could almost replace "And let," with the words, "By letting," and make the two all one verse; but then you would need to change the tense of the whole verse. I guess what it is that God is putting upon my heart, is the point of remaining sinless, and that being the direction we are meant for; the distance that our sins are removed is God's thing, but the direction is up to us, we must confess our sins. Now the real question we must determine in our hearts, is, what are our sins? James 4:17 says, "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." Now, there are a couple different ways to look at that, but the result is still the same, sin is still sin. If Christ is wanting you to let Him change you, and you are not letting Him do it, then that too is sin, and it too needs to be confessed and repented of; otherwise your heart gets hardened. You really don't want to let that happen, you can ask Moses how that turns out, out...
"See how much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don't recognize that we are God's children because they don't know him. Dear friends, we are already God's children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure." (1 John 3:1-3) NLT

"Turn It In"

"And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it." (Psalms 90:17)
Here is something to ponder, it's a little something that I would like to call 'ownership' and it requires that we accept our mistakes, failures, and all the bad stupid stuff we continually do, as our own; but we commit all the good, wonderful, beautiful, and all the things that seem to just fall into place, as God's grace and mercy, giving Him the glory for letting us just be part of His fabulous work. What do you say? How about this little quote, "It's better to give God the glory, then it is to take the blame." Does that mean that we can blame God if it doesn't work out? I think I know someone who tried to blame God, his name was Adam; I don't think that quite worked out the way that he planned. No, I don't think it quite works to say, 'If God gets the glory, then He also gets the blame,' because the Bible shows us a picture of a God who makes no mistakes, absolutely none! The mistakes are all made by someone else, and God just fixes stuff that others break, continually! We can try to blame God, but in the end, there will be no one to blame but ourselves. No, I am pretty sure that we just need to hide in His shadow, hoping that some of what He is, is what we become; and that will only happen when He is doing the work in us. This is about us saying, 'It's all about You, Lord! It's all about You.' I cannot change myself, let alone anyone else; it's all about God doing His work in us, or in anyone else that we care about. Why do we waste our breath trying to persuade someone that they need Jesus? or why do we spend endless time trying to clean up our own lives? These are spiritual issues, and they require spiritual answers! You know that very famous verse, Psalms 103:12; the one that says, "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us;" well, it's pretty much all about direction, and not so much about distance...
"Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. But the people's minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses' writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord -who is the Spirit -makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image."
(2 Corinthians 3:12-18) NLT

"Turning Out"

"Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children." (Psalms 90:16)
Actually, I might call it commitment; a little like this blog, which sometimes seems like I'm beating the air, but I keep on doing it anyways. And do you know why I am so committed; it's because God keeps on showing up! That's all I need to do is ask Him, "Lord, surprise me today; let Your Holy Spirit move me and draw me closer and closer to Your heart." And guess what; He does! It's the same thing that happens caring for my wife; dying to yourself causes you to feel things that you would not otherwise feel, to see things that you would not otherwise see, and to know what real love feels like. This is what I feel God speaking into my heart about; because it's not just one day at a time, it's for every day that God gives you, no matter what! Looking at this verse, that's what I see, commitment! It's not about them anymore, it's about God's work and getting their children into the promised land. Really, if we were going to pray for something substantial to cause us to press forward, then catching the vision and having a purpose in making it happen, might just be enough to keep us in the game. I know you have heard this before, but sometimes the most important part of ministry is just showing up. It's all about making ourselves available, and then seeing what God will do in us and through us. It's all His doing that matters anyways! I mean, we can do work all day long, but if God's not in the midst of what you are doing, then it's not going to stand the test of fire. So it really is about His work, not ours; we are meant to be His servants, He does not serve us. But isn't that what we always seem to make it? 'Lord, help me do this', 'Lord, help me minister to this person.' You see my point? How about, 'Lord, what can I do to assist you in this?' Maybe, 'Lord, help me to get out of the way so you can be glorified!' If our fruit is going to stand the test of fire, then it's going to need to give the glory to God! Anything that gives glory to us is going to be burnt up, if it even makes it through the test of time. Besides that, what kind of a servant would want to take glory from his Master? Instead, we need to become less and less noticeable, and Jesus needs to be more and more visible in our lives...
"I have heard all about you, LORD. I am filled with awe by your amazing works. In this time of our deep need, help us again as you did in years gone by. And in your anger, remember your mercy. I see God moving across the deserts from Edom, the Holy One coming from Mount Paran. His brilliant splendor fills the heavens, and the earth is filled with his praise. His coming is as brilliant as the sunrise. Rays of light flash from his hands, where his awesome power is hidden. Pestilence marches before him; plague follows close behind. When he stops, the earth shakes. When he looks, the nations tremble. He shatters the everlasting mountains and levels the eternal hills. He is the Eternal One! I see the people of Cushan in distress, and the nation of Midian trembling in terror. Was it in anger, LORD, that you struck the rivers and parted the sea? Were you displeased with them? No, you were sending your chariots of salvation!" (Habakkuk 3:2-8) NLT

"Overcomers"

"Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil." (Psalms 90:15)
Not that it makes much difference, but Moses himself was not allowed in; he could look at it, but then he died on the mountaintop. I was thinking about Adam and Eve, how their life would have been after having been booted out of the garden. Was it hard on them? Did they live their life in shame over what they had done? I seriously doubt it. No, I think they worshipped God the best way that they could, and tried to raise their children to do the same; being thankful for the life God had given them. As hard as this life might be at times, it is still what we make of it. You know what I am talking about; it's like the saying, "I complained I had no shoes, until I meet a man that had no feet." Going to sleep last night, I had a title in mind for this morning, "Just Deal With It." I figured that might seem a little to harsh, especially for those that really might feel they have been given something way beyond what they can stand or deal with; which would be like Cain's reaction to God's judgment for him killing his brother Able. You know, the reaction where he says, "My punishment is greater than I can bear." But in truth, God will never give us over to more than we can bear or withstand, as long as we are still waiting and counting on Him for protection and security. It's like that point I made earlier, 'With Him, Without Him,' what a difference there is between those two positions. Even like the "Footprints In The Sand," He never really leaves us; it is the times where we feel as though we are walking alone and cannot stand any longer, those are the times when He is carrying us; those are the times when only one set of footprints are seen in the sand. I had taken my nephew and his family up to the snow this last weekend, and the reaction of his kids over their failure to overcome the challenge of leaning how to ski and snowboard; well, let's just say that it brought shame upon their father; they literally cried, saying things like, "This is the worse day of my life!" But, even though they had not accomplished what we had in mind for them to do, they did seem to move past the suffering and anguish of being forced into something new. Really, that's all there is to overcome. People tell me all the time, 'Rich, I just don't know how you do it.' I use to say, 'Just one day at a time,' but after over thirteen years, that just seems inadequate...
""I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will be turned into wonderful joy. It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When the child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world. So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy."" (John 16:20-22) NLT

"Prepare Our Hearts"

"O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days." (Psalms 90:14)
Yes, it's true, if we have no hope within us, it is not God's fault, it's our own. There is absolutely nothing more that God can do to make us rejoice; everything that is connected to this life is only temporary, so it wouldn't matter what He did to change our situation. No, the change needs to take place within our own hearts. Mercy is a wonderful place to start, if you wanted to make the adjustment correctly; that's where mercy was revealed, at the foot of the cross, so going back to the place where mercy was found, that might be where we get reconnected. Understanding who it is we are listening to and why this makes all the difference in the world. This is a prayer for the children of Israel that will be perishing in the wilderness; those that have been told ahead of time that they will not be entering the promised land, that land which was promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. What more is it that they have to look forward to, if it was not heaven? The promised land was only just another place on this fallen earth; a place, where if rest was going to be found, it would only be found for a season. God's mercy, is us not getting what we deserve, which was established on the cross of Christ; something that was looked forward to by those who perished in the wilderness, and is looked back upon, for those of us who perish now, wherever it is that we might find ourselves in this world. So it is, whether we are in the wilderness or on the mountaintop; whether we are living the dream or living in poverty; whether we are as healthy as a horse or dying of cancer; whatever and wherever, it really makes no difference whatsoever, if we have been given mercy, we need to rejoice! Really, that is where it starts! Before anything else, whether you are considering where you are going to live or how you are going to get there, before you take another step, rest in God's mercy! It's not that hard; you accept the mercy, you feel 😊 the gladness...
"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again -rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:4-7) NLT

"Get Ready"

"Return, O LORD, how long? And let it repent thee concerning thy servants." (Psalms 90:13)
I can remember the day when people had a little more hope than they do today. I'm not talking about the church, I'm talking about the world in general; but that also includes the church, sadly. Between the uncertain living conditions and health issues, to the condition of the world and climate scares, there are just way too many people that don't seem to have hope in something better and brighter. Be that as it may, there really is hope to be found in Jesus! Regardless of your current situation, or the circumstance you might be currently facing or going through, our hope is found in Christ, not this world. You see, that's where the devil loves to trick people up, by giving then the illusion and the sense of comfort in a hope for a better tomorrow here, on this planet, and based upon what the world can give to them. That was one on the great mistakes the children of Israel kept making, not just in the wilderness, but throughout the entire Bible; looking for the world to be the proof and the standard of God's blessing and strength upon His people. Maybe it was something that He said which gave them that idea, but I seriously doubt it; I think it was more about what they think that they heard, and the fact that they were just sinful people, like everyone else. If I am not mistaken, God tried over and over to tell them that He was their blessing and strength, and how they were not to put their trust in anything else. Isn't strange how things just seem to repeat themselves, over and over? That might be what Solomon meant when he said, "There is nothing new under the sun." Sure, we might have new gadgets and technology, but we are the same broken people, just with more things to break! There is one thing that can never be broken, and that is God promise! Just believe in His word and the promise of His coming, and everything will be perfectly fine; on that you can rest, and in His rest there is always hope...
"That is why the LORD says, "Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Don't tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead." Return to the LORD your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish." (Joel 2:12-13) NLT

"Get Smart"

"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." (Psalms 90:12)
I just love how God works all things out for good, whether they seem good at the time or not, He is such a good Father! The message yesterday in church was simple, almost too simple, it seemed to not have any substance or meat to it; but it was more about commonsense more than revelation. You could say that it was a lot like God saying, "Come now, and let us reason together." The text was Acts 21, which is focused upon Paul's journey to Jerusalem and his arrest once he got there. His mind was pretty much already made up, if they were going to arrest him, so be it, he was ready and willing to let it be so. As a matter of fact, at one point in his journey, a prophet came up to him and grab his belt from him, bound his own hands, and said, "Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles." After this was done, all those who had been traveling with Paul, along with all those of the place they were at, tried to convince Paul that he should not go to Jerusalem. I can only imagine what kind of sight this must have been; a small crowd of people, seemingly filled with love and caring for their friend, their pastor, their brother in the Lord; yet all the while, much like Peter who rebuked Jesus over His statement of dying on the cross, they neglected to come to terms with Paul's servanthood. Yet Paul was well aware of his calling; and as of yet, he had not yet taken the Gospel Message before kings and rulers; so he was ready, indebted, and not ashamed to be used of God. I know it might not seem as much, but it's what this journey is meant to be about; laying down our lives means that we are ready, indebted, and not ashamed; that's what the heart of a servant is all about. Basically, those three things are needed to be already worked out in our hearts and minds. I am ready to serve my Master in whatever and wherever He leads me; and in the process of opposition and difficulty, I am indebted to serve my Master through everything; and in the midst of persecution and ridicule, I am not ashamed of being my Master's servant. I guess if you don't consider yourself to be a debtor, then it wouldn't make so much sense. But just in case you do, then it is music to your ears; more than that, it is something to celebrate with gladness...
"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unsettled in everything they do." (James 1:2-8) NLT

"Be Persuaded"

"Who knoweth the power of thine anger? Even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath." (Psalms 90:11)
It is actually a very interesting question. My mom always use a similar saying, although not in the form of a question, more like a statement, it still required you to think about what you were doing, "Don't press your luck!" I was listening to a discussion yesterday between Jan and someone else, someone who has been very familiar with the author of the book, 'The Shack.' Apparently the point of the discussion was about the new movie that has just been released with the same name, which is based upon the book; and it speaks to the fact that God is all love and no anger. Actually it goes way beyond that, to imply that God will forgive everyone, even Satan and his fallen angels. But there was one point to the discussion that really grabbed my attention, in that somewhere in or throughout the movie, the character which represents God welcomes all the religions except Christians, because they are so judgmental and reject the other religions as valid. I seriously don't doubt that for a moment. We have come to the point in society where good is bad and bad is good; where living a lifestyle that is contrary to God's word is not only accepted, but is now offered positions of leadership within the church; where people who profess to be Christian prefer entertainment above sound doctrine and the study of God's word. So, I am really not surprised by the notion how everyone has acceptance except those who restrict access to God, or so it is thought of them. The funny thing is, is that the one who restricts access is actually God Himself; it's not those of us called by His name, we are only the messengers that share His truths; it just so happens that His truth dictates the requirement to enter heaven, not the messengers. There is going to some serious things that many will need to answer for in the last day, most of which will involve persuading others to refuse or reject the truth. Don't forget why judgment is not until the last day, because you're not done with your sin until then! Isn't that enough to cause us to wonder? It's enough to make me want to be forgiven, and to make sure that I stay forgiven! Basically it comes down to the fact that sin will be accounted for; it just so happens, that those who have their names written in the Lamb's Book of Life are not found guilty of their sin; in fact, I kind of doubt whether our sins appear in the other books, even though it does not specifically say that, it just says that "the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works;" however, we are not counted among the dead...
"Jesus told her, "Your brother will rise again." "Yes," Martha said, "he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day." Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this Martha?" "Yes, Lord," she told him. "I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God."" (John 11:23-27) NLT

"Christian Evolution"

"The days of our years are threescore and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away." (Psalms 90:10)
I have this theory, and it involves a process whereby we evolve into something that is closer and closer to God. As a matter of fact, I have a shirt which has the title above written on it, and then it shows a man standing and walking upright, but little by little he progresses downward, until he is finally bowing down before God. It really comes down to our understanding of who we are, and that God really does love us. Say what you will, but in the end, that's what it will all come down to, Jesus saying, "Did you believe that I loved you?" To be more accurate about this theory, I would like to examine the conversation Jesus had with Peter when He asked him three times, "Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me?" It might be somewhat of a stretch, but I believe the question was meant to get Peter to realize how much that Jesus loved him, not the other way around. It might make more sense by looking a little further to the point when Peter noticed John was following them and listening to the conversation; at which point Peter says, "And what shall this man do?" Questioning the reasons for certain things that happen, or will happen, is a slippery slope, because most of the time we really do not have the answers. "Ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do and die." (Charge of the Light Brigade.) As soon as we start trying to reason why, we start considering how God might have favorites, or that, because of this or that, God has allowed this to happen to me. It was pretty much common knowledge between the Disciples that John was known for being the one that Jesus loved, even if it was John who made it known. Add to that, the fact that Peter publicly denied Jesus, not just once, but three times, and you can see where Peter's question was headed. So then, what is the real evolution of a Christian? It is to lay down your life! Plain and simple! It's like the more I progress in the this life, the least I really matter to the world, and the less this world matters to me. I'm not talking about relationships, I'm talking about my getting closer and closer to my real home, heaven. This is a result of something remarkable that takes place in my heart; it's not that I love Jesus more and more as time goes on, it's that I realize how much He loves me, more and more, the closer I get to Him...
"Dear brother and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other's burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct."
(Galatians 6:1-5) NLT

"Zoom - Zoom"

"For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told." (Psalms 90:9)
Obviously this is not a tale that we want told throughout the ages; not unless there is something grand waiting in the end. But isn't that what is waiting, a grand conclusion to a wonderful tale? As I was going to bed last night, I literally had no clue what to make of this verse. As a matter of fact, I didn't even want to try and think about, because I actually did want to go to sleep. Thinking of the children of Israel and their journey, I could not help but place this particular verses as a banner over the ones who passed away in the wilderness. Does that passing mean they did not receive the prize? A big fat No is my answer! Sure, they may not have made it into the promised land, but that does not mean that they didn't make it into Paradise. Who do you think trained up the next generation? It was the ones who knew that they blew it, and now they needed to make sure that their children did not. That's the wonderful thing about this life, whether it is a blessing or a curse, it's what is going to happen after that really matters! Do you notice the dash between those two words in my title, that's meant to be a representation of our lives; we are brought in quickly, and our departure is even quicker, but the dash in between is the tale that is told. Who do you think shared all the miracles the God performed to deliver them from Egypt; it was the parents who were not going in, that raised their children knowing all the wonderful things God had done. To be perfectly honest, our lives are mostly patterned around this same concept. Maybe you aren't wandering around in the wilderness, but if you are living in this fallen world, you are still under the curse; and I know if you are reading this, then you're still under that curse. What does it matter where you die, in the wilderness or on the other side of the Jordan, it is all the same life, and it does not even come close to the life to come, neither one! What is waiting to be revealed cannot be compared to anything in this life. From the very first day of my new life in Christ, I have never looked for this life to be the prize, it's always been heaven. Sure, I might have taken my eyes off the prize from time to time; but when pressed or smitten, the prize was always the first thing that kept me going. Isn't that how Jesus told us it would be? "Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that." It's pretty much the same concept. No matter what we might go through in this life, none of that will matter or change the outcome...
"So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong. Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal. You know that afterward, when he wanted his father's blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears." (Hebrews 12:12-17) NLT

"Undone Before Thee"

"Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance." (Psalms 90:8)
As I was saying, before we can actually be reconciled to the Father, there are some things that need to be rectified within us. It never ceases to amaze me how many people can be involved in ministry, and yet not really totally sold on the fact that Jesus is the only way to the Father. Just because a person is doing work seemingly for the Lord, does not actually guarantee that they are gaining access into heaven. There is only one way to the Father, and that is through Jesus Christ; and there is only one way into heaven, and that's by getting to the Father; reconciled to God! When I was speaking about meeting God halfway, I am talking about our realization of our guiltiness before Him. We are kidding ourselves if we think that we can be dishonest about anything with God, so why not just lay it all out there and be done with it. That's all that He really wants from us; that's all that ever wanted from Adam, or Cain, or King Saul; just be honest and admit that you messed up and need His forgiveness! When God showed up in the garden, where did Adam go? He hid in the bushes! Come on! Really! Does anyone actually think that they can honestly hide from God? If you do, then your outlook on God's power and might is pretty low; as a matter of fact, I think you've confused God with someone or something else; because the God I know from the Bible sees all, knows all, and is everywhere at all times; there is nothing hidden from God, absolutely nothing! The other part about meeting God halfway, is that of His "countenance." The opposite of trying to hide, is to want to be exposed in His presence. Trying to explain what I see, is like trying to look at my reflection in a Funhouse mirror; if you get my point, it's complex and distorted. An easy comparison is that of God's holiness and our sinfulness, there is no comparison between to two, except that something needs to be rectified in order for there to any sort of fellowship established in our relationship with a Holy God. That's where Jesus enters into the picture! We are able to have fellowship with the Father because Jesus closes the gap between us and the Father. All of the sudden, holiness meets holiness, because we have been made holy by the blood of Jesus Christ; and it all starts with us being honest before God...
"Meanwhile, the crowds grew until thousands were milling about and stepping on each other. Jesus turned first to his disciples and warned them, "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees -their hypocrisy. The time is coming when everything that is covered up will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear! "Dear friends, don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more after that. But I'll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he's the one to fear. "What is the price of five sparrows -two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. "I tell you the truth, everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, the Son of Man will acknowledge in the presence of God's angels. But anyone who denies me here on earth will be denied before God's angels. Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven."" (Luke 12:1-10) NLT

"The Meeting Place"

"For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled." (Psalms 90:7)
Some mornings I seem a little off; but it is usually those kind of mornings when I get blindsided by something I did not expect. I heard something the other day that has really made me think about the spiritual battle that takes place around us; you know, the one that happens in the unseen world. The message was about the time Jesus got in the boat with His disciples, and He said, "Let's go over to the other side," and then He went to sleep. While He was sleeping, a fierce storm overtook them, fierce enough to make experienced fishermen fear that they were going to perish. The Sea of Galilee is really more like a big lake, which is only 13 miles long and 8 miles wide; but that does not mean it can't produce some pretty good size storms. This particular storm could have had some assistance from some pretty dark forces; as it turned out, there was some major spiritual cleansing waiting to happen on the other side of the lake, and someone may have been a little upset that was going to happen. If there is one thing that I have learned over the last 35 plus years, it's that we don't let "I don't feel like going" get in our way; because it is more than likely the enemy of your soul trying to stop you from a special meeting with the Creator of your soul! As they arrived at the other side, there appeared a man who just so happened to be naked and lived in the tombs. According to Luke, the man came up to Jesus, falling down before Him, crying out, "What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not." It just so happened that this particular man had a 'Legion' of demons inside of him, who were more than happy to get out and be cast into some pigs; anything to escape being thrown into the Abyss. Let me get to the point of what I believe God is trying to say. The children of Israel that perished in the wilderness, did not perish because they had sinned, they perished because they did not have faith that God could save them; in other words, they did not believe God was strong enough and big enough, even after all the miracles they had already witnessed. It might not totally make sense sometimes, but God is never surprised by our foolishness; He is however, very disappointed in our lack of faith. I think He would just appreciate it if we at least were to meet Him halfway; you know, let Him show up, and then throw yourself at His feet...
"Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still "today," so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. Remember what it says: "Today when you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled." And who was it that rebelled against God, even though they heard his voice? Wasn't it the people that Moses led out of Egypt? And who made God angry for forty years? Wasn't it the people who sinned, whose corpses lay in the wilderness? And to whom was God speaking when he took an oath that they would never enter his rest? Wasn't it the people who disobeyed him? So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest."
 (Hebrews 3:12-19) NLT 

"The Beat Goes On"

"In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth." (Psalms 90:6)
It's really not that bad; after all, it's all going to be consumed by fire one day, so why make it such a big concern. I heard something the other day, whether or not it's true, I am not really sure; but it was said that 150 people die every second on the earth; which at first seemed like a lot, until I considered how many people that there are. As I consider death, which we all might one day face, I can't help but think of my beginning. Don't ask me why, but as soon as I start thinking of the end of my life, the childhood memories start coming into focus; almost as if it were some sort of review, or maybe a desire to rewind back to the start. What is so amazing to me is how much detail God has put into everything He created; all the way down to the most common element, there is nothing common or basic in design, even that which is only here for a very short while, like a snowflake; which could disappear as soon as it hits the ground. You can't tell me that God does not care what happens here, because life itself shouts out otherwise; even the most fragile thing that there is, is made to glorify its Creator, whether it's here for centuries or for a flash, it's glorious. Psalms 139:14 says, "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." And that was spoken before the creation of telescopes or microscopes, image that! Look at all that has been discovered over the last four hundred years; deeper and deeper we look into inner and outer space. Now imagine how amazing heaven is going to be compared to this. Imagine how much more spectacular God's eternal creation compares to this temporal creation; it's going to blow our minds! As to my statement above about death; we all might not face death, not in the way we associate death with dying. I truly believe that the Rapture could happen at any time, and when it does, there will be a sort of death that will take place with all those who are taken up. Paul uses the word "caught up" to describe the Rapture of the church, but while doing so, he makes sure to mention that the dead will be caught up first, and then we which are alive will meet them in the air. Now don't get me wrong, but I think that this will require a sort of transformation; figuratively speaking, we will be putting off this mortal body as we are caught up. So technically, there will be a sort of death that will take place; and for those we leave behind, it will not have made a difference, they will mourn for us as if we had died. Basically, there is always God's view and man's; they are worlds apart...
""And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown in the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? "So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today."" (Matthew 6:30-34) NLT

"Can't Stop the Clock"

"Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up." (Psalms 90:5)
I think I figured it out: I keep waking up at 3:00 because my wife wakes me up! This time I caught her, as I pretended to still be asleep, she was making these smacking sounds with her lips; but as soon as I raised up, she stopped. I decided to give her some anti-acid, just in case she was having an issue with acid reflux. She had previously been on a Nexium regiment for about 12 years, but for some reason Medi-Cal decided she didn't need it anymore, so they cut her off. The only way we can get the type of medication she needs is with a prescription, so I have to buy the capsules and then mix their contents with a tablespoon of baby food, like applesauce. Anywho, about this verse; I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have thought about this, almost my whole life, but our lives are like rivers, just rolling on by. I remember as a child, maybe I was about eleven; I was out late for some reason, maybe it was because I had run away from home; I'm not sure, but I think I was on the roof of a local grocery store. It was really dark out that night because there really wasn't a moon, and the stars were shinning brightly. And I started to sing the song about sitting on the dock of the bay; you know, the one that says, "Watching the time roll away." Of all the things that the Lord gives us, time is the one thing that we all have in common. We might have more or less time here on this earth, but we all have the same amount of time in eternity. That can be a pretty scary thought, if your eternity is headed for hell; don't you think? I can't even imagine what that would feel like; and I don't want to even try to consider it a possibility. As for this life, each and every day seems to pass quicker the closer we get towards the grave; it's really hard to keep up with the pace, once you start the decent. With every day, hour, or minute, we all have the same amount of seconds in every minute; but those seconds seem to somehow be connected to gravity, and we cannot stop gravity from the affect to has on an object to fall to earth, nor can we stop the clock. Oh, and by the way, my wife is on a feeding tube; which some people consider to be a form of Life-Support. Funny thing is, that we all are technically on some form of Life-Support; just watch what will happen to us if we were to stop breathing or if our heart stops beating; or better yet, if the world stopped turning or the earth fell towards the sun. I'm sorry, but if not for the hand of God holding everything and everyone together; well, let's just say, Time would not matter...
"For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. As the Scriptures say, "People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever." And that word is the Good News that was preached to you." (1 Peter 1:23-25) NLT 

"Yesterday is Yesterday"

"For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night."  (Psalms 90:4)
I did not mention this yesterday, but it was the day of the Men's Conference, and it was all about, "A Man After God's Own Heart." The bottom line, at least from what I gathered, is that we need to be 'after' the heart of God, as in, to pursue a heart of God, just like that song, "Change My Heart, O God." That was the big difference between Saul and David; Saul could not be honest before God, and David could not lie to God. More than that, David would not lie to God, because he understood that God knew what was in his heart. Besides that, David knew that God could and would forgive him, if he would just ask Him to! You know, I am pretty sure that "watch in the night" is not speaking about a watch like you might wear on your wrist, but if it were, it would simplify the description. So, for the sake of time, let's imagine that it speaks about the clock on your nightstand; you know, the one that you look at just before you go to sleep, and then look at again right when you wake up. Several hours might have passed, but it only seems like seconds; you close your eyes at 10:00, and before you know it, it's 4:00 and time to get up. Actually, for the last several weeks, I have woke up almost an hour earlier than my phone goes off, so I see the clock closer to 3:00; and then I cuddle my wife for the next hour until the alarm actually goes off. See how easy it is to get off track; not that it matters, but I loose track most days of how often it happens. You know what I mean, we are committed to do good, and to be ready in season and out of season, and then something happens to pull us off track. The only difference between Word and World in the letter 'L', which stands for lie! Constantly we must battle the lies of this world; constantly we are faced with temptations from the enemy of our souls, and his practice is to lie in order to get us to fail. It just so happens, one of the biggest lies that the devil will use against us, is that of forgiveness; mostly the fact of our guilt being evidence that we are not really forgiven. I have spent many years as a Christian thinking that I must forgive myself, as if, part of the act of forgiveness is me being able to forgive myself. Lie! I can't forgive myself; only God can forgive me for my sins! It's really okay to feel conviction for the sins that we have done, especially those sins which have been committed against our brothers and sisters. The big issue is not our conviction, it's condemnation! My heart might convict me, but my God does not condemn me...
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won't become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin." (Hebrews 12:1-4) NLT 

"What Drives You"

"Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return ye children of men." (Psalms 90:3)
It might not be what I was expecting, but it works. And it's not a question, it's more of a quest or an ambition; as in, What makes me tick, is what I live for! This is pretty simple at it's core; basically, you don't need to be fixed if you are not broken; but if you are so badly broken that there is no hope, then you need a miracle, and miracles are what God is all about! I heard Dr. Jeffers say something the other day, and at first I didn't know what to think about it. He has that way about him, of saying things that are just straight as an arrow in your face, so much so, you have to wonder about the authenticity of what was just said. Basically he said something like this: "God will never do what you can do, and you can never do what God can do." Yea, I know, it's one of those things you really need to stop and think about. It's a little like something I heard Pastor Matt say when speaking about his first message at his church; although there was only a hand full of people there, after he finished, he did not expect any to return. He thought his message was terrible and he didn't even understand the point of what was said; but after the message, many there said that his message really spoke to them. Then he realized, it's not about him, it's about God! God is the one who changes a man's heart, not man, or anything that man can say. If God does not speak into their hearts, nothing you say will even matter; but if God speaks, anything you say will matter much. I can recall a Men's Conference that I went to years ago; and I am sorry if I shared this before; but I was at Calvary Chapel San Jose, and I had prayed for God to really speak into my heart. The very first message, no more than two words into reading the Text, I was shaken to my core. That's the kind of stuff I am talking about. We see the destruction; we live the destruction, over and over, experiencing death after death, until it's finally our own. But there is hope! Thank God! There is Hope! And do you want to know the most wonderful news of all: It is our Eternal Father in heaven that speaks that Hope! That's what makes me tick, to hear Him speak, because Hope is where it's at...
"Don't let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, "Life is not pleasant anymore." Remember him before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is dim to your old eyes, and rain clouds continually darken your sky. Remember him before your legs -the guards of your house -start to tremble; and before your shoulders -the strong men -stoop. Remember him before your teeth -your few remaining servants -stop grinding; and before your eyes -the women looking through the windows -see dimly. Remember him before the door to life's opportunities is closed and the sound of work fades. Now you rise at the first chirping of the birds, but then all their sounds will fade. Remember him before you become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets; before your hair turns white like an almond tree in bloom, and you drag along without energy like a dying grasshopper, and the caperberry no longer inspires sexual desire. Remember him before you near the grave, your everlasting home, when the mourners will weep at your funeral. Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don't wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it." (Ecclesiastes 12:1-7) NLT

"Our Eternal God"

"Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." (Psalms 90:2)
There is just something about eternity that makes it more interesting and causes us to explore every little word with an expectation of being moved. God's word is alive; and with the help of the Holy Spirit, the Living Word sparks life into our very soul. This is why we must be passionate for His word, not just because it is cool, not even because it is right, but because it is Life! Eternal Life, to be more accurate! Peter says, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." (1 Peter 2:2) If there is one thing that a new born baby knows, it's the need for food; after having been continually fed for the last nine months, just a few hours of nothing can feel like starving. More than that, we are new to this eternal thing, so we must grow into the position in which we have been reborn. We are totally new born babes, all the way till we actually arrive in heaven, we never stop growing and needing nutrition, "the sincere milk of the word." Once we are in heaven, God will be placing His word within us, so there will no longer be a need for a Bible; but for now, this Book is our daily bread, and if we don't eat of it, we will starve! Imagine having all the knowledge there is to know; imagine what that might be like to even process everything, and how long that might take. John makes a statement about Jesus at the end of his Gospel, saying, "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen." That's a lot of stuff to write down about the things one person has done! However, if the One we are talking about is eternal, then I suppose John is right...
"God says, "Rebuild the road! Clear away the rocks and stones so my people can return from captivity." The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: "I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts. For I will not fight against you forever; I will not always by angry. If I were, all people would pass away -all the souls I have made. I was angry, so I punished these greedy people. I withdrew from them, but they kept going on their own stubborn way. I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead them. I will comfort those who mourn, bringing words of praise to their lips. May they have abundant peace, both near and far," says the LORD, who heals them. "But those who still reject me are like the restless sea, which is never still but continually churns up mud and dirt. There is no peace for the wicked," says my God." (Isaiah 57:14-21) NLT

"Moses' Psalm"

PSALMS 90 [A Prayer of Moses the man of God.] "LORD, thou hast been our dwelling place in all our generations." (Verse 1)
Before there was any earth for man to dwell upon, God had already established the plan of redeeming mankind. It might be hard for us to accept it, but God knows the beginning and the end, because He is the Beginning and the End. Today's title was rather easy, it's the title above this Psalm in my Bible; but, I was wondering why it was that this title did not say, Moses' Prayer, instead of Psalm. I will choose not to dwell on that any longer than I should, at least for today. Not to change the subject, but I could not help but share something I watched last night on Tucker's show. He had the man on who is a champion for getting kids back into working. Apparently, I am not the only one who was concerned when they took vocational training out of the public schools, because this guy is fired up about it. According to him, there is about fifty million vocational jobs not filled in this country; that means that there is fifty million jobs waiting to be filled, but there is not fifty million people the least bit interested in filling them. Instead, they are holding out for the more glamorous jobs, like being a CEO of a large company, or managing some sort of finance company. What ever happened to getting a job working with your hands, and then working your way up? Somehow, our newer generation of workers are not into work, they would rather go to college to try and learn how to get out of work. Do you not know that Jesus was a carpenter before He began His public ministry? Maybe not one of the more noble professions, but it is one of the jobs where you bring dead things to life. If you don't quite get that, it's okay; if you have ever made anything from wood, like furniture or a home, then you would understand the concept. Now, regarding this verse; whether it's a Psalm or a Prayer, truth be told, our current generation of youth are missing a small little element of their relationship with God. Not all, but many, do not appear to be interested in the study of God's word. I am talking about really getting a hunger for His word, hungry enough to desire it, to take it in, and to let it add meat to their bones. For some reason, it's like being hungry for the Word is not cool; kind of like that man who was on with Tucker, he commented how this current generation does not think work is cool. Cool seems like such a flippant word, as if work was something you could take or leave, like hanging out in the mall, or hanging out in church. I learned something quite a long time ago about work, if you want to be good at something, then you need to love it. If you don't love what you do, then you will never enjoy doing it and it will not be something that excites your curiosity and your passion to excel in that job. I believe the same is true about God's word; if you don't love to study His word, then it just becomes a task or a requirement, not something that makes you passionate and curious...
"So Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they are the manna) but will live forever."" (John 6:53-58) NLT

"Representation"

BOOK IV
Okay, so this might be a little different; or so it may seem. How do we determine where we stand with God? The previous Psalm was most likely written during Israel's captivity in Babylon, while this one was written during the children of Israel's wandering in the wilderness; most likely right after they were cut off from entering into the promised land, which would be about 38 years prior to the next generation entering in. I guess if we were to try and put some sort of pattern to this, we might try to examine our motives and our liberty in Christ. It might not seem right, but who's to say that it's wrong? We do! That's 100% right; we determine in our own hearts what is right and what is wrong; we know good and well what God wants from us, because He has placed His Spirit within us, we know how we are to live and what it is that we must touch or not touch. For forty years the children of Israel were led around by God in the wilderness, all the while Moses was God's spokesman to tell them what they must or must not do. Trying to teach them, that if they were to want, then want to please God; otherwise, want nothing at all. That might seem a little harsh, but look at the reality of where everything comes from; it is God who gives and takes away, so who do you want to be trying to please? The Book of Romans is a good book to make this comparison with, because Paul uses the grace that God has given us to show how it's not about canceling the law, it's about fulfilling the law. By God's grace we fulfill the requirements of the law, which is righteousness and holiness; but it's not by our doing, it's by what Christ has done for us; He has made us to be righteous and holy, if we abide in Him. As to the divisions of the Psalms into five separate books, I really don't know if that matters so much; it could just be based upon a certain calendar, or maybe the different Feasts and Celebrations that Israel must honor. As far as we are concerned, God's word is alive and can speak to us in many different ways and on many different occasions; so we should not try and make it about any certain time or any certain place, it's all about Jesus and God's salvation for fallen man. Which reminds me of something I heard the other day, that I had never really thought about before. It was about man's fall, and when it had taken place. I had always assumed that Adam and Eve sinned almost immediately, but it could have been hundreds of years from the time of creation to the time of the fall. Go figure! Did God's grace appear before mercy was needed? When did they loose their liberty? This could get interesting...
"When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. Still, everyone died -from the time of Adam to the time of Moses -even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. But there is a great difference between Adam's sin and God's gracious gift. For the sin of one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin. For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but God's free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins." (Romans 5:12-16) NLT