"God Is the Judge of Everyone"

PSALMS 94

As we move into this next Psalm, there is something that must be recognized about the pattern of these ten psalms, 91-100; besides the fact they the author is unknown, they have been arranged in a way that communicates a call for His children to be just that, children. Jesus said, "Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3) It's really not about acting like children, playing and being silly; it's about needing to be cared for and the need for instruction. Besides the fact that God is our Provider, He is also our Judge, our King, and our Lord. There is another thing a child might have to adhere to which we also need to become familiar with, they must live in their parents house; His house, His rules, there is just no other way around that. If you are familiar with the little booklet, "My Heart, Christ's Home," then you might recall the ending of the story, because at the end of it all, the house was totally given over to the Lord, and the Lord was no longer the guest, but the Owner. The previous owner of the house, now becomes the guest in Christ's Home! That's what it means to become like a child, children don't own anything; what they have is given to them by their parents, and whatever they have can be taken away just the same. Now, regarding the closing statement from yesterday; it's totally true that we have been given the mind of Christ right from the very start of our conversion, it might not have been made perfectly clear, but it was pointed in the right direction. The problem we have to deal with is our fleshly desires, how our flesh can sometimes overrule our new Christ-like way of thinking. Over a period of time, if this goes on and on, we can get in a habit of thinking more worldly than we should; and before you know it, we can no longer be separated from the world; in other words, no one can tell the difference between how we act as children of God, compared to those that are of the world. Call it what you will, backslidden, or whatever; but the main issue becomes that you quite being a child of God, and you became your own person; a person of independence and a person self-sufficient. That's a pretty scary place to be, especially when faced with something that you can no longer have any control over, like cancer, financial ruin, or the loss of someone you love. If there is one thing that I have been made aware of over these last few months, it is that I need to become more child-like when it comes to my relationship with God. I am not quite sure when it happened, but there are many areas of my life where I have somehow taken ownership of, as if this or that were mine. Everything belongs to God! Even our very lives; even our life ever-after...
"Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, "I will take revenge; I will pay back," says the LORD. Instead, "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads." Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good." (Romans 12:19-21) NLT

"God's Majesty" -2

"The LORD reigneth, he is clothed in majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved. Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting. The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea. Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever." (Psalms 93)
You could say that God's Majesty sums up all that He is, but that would end up being a drastic understatement. Better yet, His majesty is all that we need, because God's Majesty is all of His glory and splendor! Yes, it's true, it's all about God's Glory; everything is done for His glory, we just get to be part of it, and we get to be in it, for ever and ever! When we do get to heaven, there will be no way whatsoever that we can take claim to having arrived there without the blood of Jesus Christ having removed all of our sins. We see these silly pictures and videos of arriving to a golden gate in the clouds, but I seriously doubt the scene will be that dull and ordinary; in fact, I am think that there is nothing we could imagine being further from the truth of what will amaze us all. They say that hearing is our strongest sense; yet in Paul's description of heaven, he uses hearing as the object of his illustration; almost as if, seeing could never describe what he witnessed, because there are no words we could listen to that can give it the glory it is due. The bottom line, from my perspective, is that God has established everything according to His plans and His will; we can do whatever it is that we want, but no matter what we do, we can never alter God's eternal plans. Our plans really don't matter! What we do might affect us and cause us some terrible future, but God's plans are never affected by anything that we could ever do. I don't really know if we get that or not; or if we really still think that it's all about us. Yes, we matter to God, that's absolutely for sure; He proved that by sending His Son to die for our sins; He proved that in His word, over and over. So it's not a question of who matters to God, it's more about where we fit in the whole picture; because we are all the same in the eyes of God, there is nothing we can do to make God love us more or less. More importantly, at least within our time here on earth, there is nothing more God needs to do in order to make us be more spiritual, or to walk in holiness; if we are failing in that regard, it is totally our own faults. We can't even blame it on our parents, our surroundings, our spouse, or preacher; we can't even blame it on the devil. If we lack anything at all, it's because we have not seriously asked for it. Truly, it is the sins that we like that are the sins which keep us sinning, so maybe it's best to ask for the mind of Christ; that way we can maybe start not liking things that displease God, and only liking the things that please God; but we must be serious about it for it to work (James 1:2-8)...
""Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. "Come now, let's settle this," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. If you only obey me, you will have plenty to eat. But if you turn away and refuse to listen, you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies. I, the LORD, have spoken!"" (Isaiah 1:16-20) NLT

"...To God's Majestic Name" -3

"Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever." (Psalms 93:5)
As short as this Psalm might be, it comes with great promise and majesty; and when I say majesty, I am talking about something that we become a part of, for ever! I know that I have said this before, but it warrants repeating: The Garden of Eden was not perfect before Adam and Eve fell and broke God's commandment. There was something in the Garden that was not right, besides the serpent, there was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. That tree was not just in the Garden, in was within the middle of the Garden, not on the border, and not in some obscure location; it was right there in plain sight, where it was almost never avoidable to look upon. Now you might not think that could be such a big deal, after all, Adam and Eve were walking in God's Light, or so many believe; it was the Light of God that caused them to not notice that they were naked, but as soon as they sinned, that Light was removed and they were ashamed of their nakedness. Not to be critical of anyone, but if someone continues to walk in sin, maybe that might cause them to feel as though they need to work off some of their sinfulness. Anywho, as I was saying, there was really never total satisfaction being experienced by Adam and Eve, so long as they had that Tree always tempting them to partake of it. The Good News about that, is that Tree will no longer be present in heaven; the Tree of Life will be there, but not the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Something else will be there also, the Light of God! There will be no need for the sun, because God will be all the Light that will be needed. And best of all, we will always and forever dwell in the Light! Right now we have God's Light dwelling in us, but in heaven we will be dwelling in the Light. That's a far cry from where we are now, having to walk in darkness, to deal with the darkness all around us, and to be subject to the temptation of all that the darkness represents. To the point made the other day, the one about the blade of grass and the fire, when we are cleansed from all unrighteousness, we become like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the Fiery Furnace; the flames no longer are harmful to us, yet they are hot enough to burn off all that binds us; that's the holiness of God...
"Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without question that oath is binding. God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek."  (Hebrews 6:16-20) NLT

"...To God's Majestic Name" -2

"Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever." (Psalms 93:5)
Maybe there are some people that need to be convinced, just like there were people who once thought the earth was flat; but I seriously can't imagine how anyone can buy that they evolved from nothing, let alone from a monkey. The one thing that might lend to wanting it to be true, is to be out from under any form of judgment; like that's really going to make a difference once your dead! There are some big surprises waiting for those who think they can just wish away judgment, because all will be judged, but not all will be found guilty of sin! Do you realize that your sins have been removed? It is a term commonly referred to as 'Justification,' and it basically means, Just as if I had never sinned! So, basically, for those who are looking for a way out, there is a Way, but it requires not only for a person to believe in God, but they must also accept His plan of redemption. You cannot add to or take away any part of God's plan of redemption; anyone who tries to do so will be judged accordingly, and it will not be good for them. I think that might be part of what happens to those over educated Bible Scholars, the ones who seem to be taken off course towards the end of their lives, looking for some way to contribute to God's redemptive plan. It is absolutely natural for a man to assume he must work to gain favor with God, that's the whole problem with the Gospel Message, it is not based upon works, but putting our faith in the finished work of God. I have heard of some very heavy hitters who have jumped ship or taken up strange doctrine, and it might just be because there is guilt remaining in their heart that they feel requires them to work it off; as if there is something they must do to help pay for the price of their sins. It may also contribute to the reason some believe they will be going through the Tribulation, that they must somehow pay a penalty for there sin, and that's how God will settle their debt. Whacky! Absolutely whacky! Stop adding anything to Redemption! Jesus paid the full price for your sins, every last one of them; those you committed yesterday, today, and even tomorrow; they have all been paid in full by His blood on the cross; there is nothing else due, not one single penny. It was a debt you could never have paid, ever; so why do you think you need to contribute? If we think that we need to contribute, then we have not actually accepted God's free gift of Salvation. Don't think for a moment that you have it, if you still think you need to earn it...
"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 them 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 hope in him. I and the children the LORD has given me serve as signs and warnings to Israel from the LORD of Heaven's Armies who dwells in his Temple on Mount Zion. Someone may say to you, "Let's ask the mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead. With their whisperings and mutterings, they will tell us what to do." But shouldn't people ask God for guidance? Should the living seek guidance from the dead? Look to God's instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark. They will go from one place to another, weary and hungry. And because they are hungry, they will rage and curse their king and their God. They will look up to heaven and down to earth, but wherever they look, there will be trouble and anguish and dark despair. They will be thrown out into the darkness."
(Isaiah 8:11-22) NLT

"...To God's Majestic Name"

"Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever." (Psalms 93:5)
When it comes to proving God does exist, there are certain things which must be remembered when we are confronted with the challenge; the most important one of all is, we don't need to prove that He does exist! If anyone has chosen to believe that God does not exist, it is because they have made that choice in their own heart, with much effort I might add; it does not just happen naturally, they must refuse to accept the fact that they are created, and they must deny what their heart tells them about there being a Creator. It's really plan and simple: all creation knows that it is part of something majestic and that it has been created, it's the natural way everything works and does what God has made it to do. If a man or woman chooses to deny that there is a Creator, they have denied what they know to be the truth in their hearts. We are not talking about understanding who God is, but just the simple fact that there is a God; we pick and choose what God might be based upon life experiences and what we have been told; but to deny God's existence altogether takes effort and the ability to deny the truth. Now let's bump that up a level, and let's talk about the heart that denies Jesus. I can recall singing songs to church when I was a little boy, maybe age five or six; I can recall seeing the picture of Jesus standing at the door, knocking; but I cannot recall when I decided not to accept Him as who He was and is. It must have been when I was more like ten or eleven. I never stopped believing in God; I even challenged my teacher in fifth grade, as we came into the classroom to see a poster on the wall which showed the evolution of man from a monkey to a man. Therefore, I must conclude in my heart and mind, that believing in God and knowing God are two totally different matters. We are not born knowing God, not until we are actually born again! (John 3:3) We are born into this world spiritually separated from God; born in sin, we are separated by our sinful natures. God's Holiness does not allow Him to have fellowship with sinful man; like a fire will consume a blade of grass, there is no way that the two can be together. This is where we discover our need for our Savior, by our ability to stand in Holiness, or our lack thereof...
"Since we believe human testimony, surely we can believe the greater testimony that comes from God. And God has testified about his Son. All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don't believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don't believe what God has testified about his Son. And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God's Son does not have life. I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life." (1 John 5:9-13) NLT

"...To God's Sure Word" -2

"The LORD is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea."
(Psalms 93:4)
Now, I don't know what you have been told, but when Jesus says we are going to go to the other side, we are going to go to the other side. It's really not a question how we get there, as much as we would like to think it is; it's all about Jesus having said that we were going to the other side, period! There are days when I let my inabilities get in the way of my security in Christ. It's not because I don't have faith enough to rise above it, it's because life can be such a distraction from where I need to keep my focus. That might be why some men and women join a Monastery, to stay focused. I really do cherish these first few hours of each morning, but I only wish what I feel could keep with me all throughout the day. Usually by about noon time, I am to busy trying to catch up with work, I don't even realize my focus has been put back on the world. If there is one thing that I have learned over these last seven years, it's that God's word is sure; if you want to find something that does not change, something you can go to and not need to worry that it will disappoint your desire to be comforted, no matter what you are facing or going through, God's word is sure! Please don't misunderstand me, I am not trying to say that just reading God's word will cure all of your discomfort and fears; because you have got to have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you in order to complete the package. Without the Holy Spirit what you are reading is just words, pages upon pages of printed words; although they might bring some temporary comfort, without the Holy Spirit they do not take root into your life; and if they don't take root in your life, then there is nothing there to grow by. At the first sign of a storm, your life will be focused back on your surroundings and taken off of God's promises. God's promises are more sure than anything that this world might dish out, including death! Now about that mighty crashing wave, the one that was imagined from yesterday. Jesus defeated sin on the cross; He defeated it by taking all the sins of the world upon Himself and dying for those sins, once and for all. We have no excuse whatsoever for holding on to any sin, because they have all been dealt with on the cross and Jesus has finished every work required to satisfy the penalty of our sins. I don't know what that might mean for you, but for me, it means I am going to the other side...
"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united in Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins." (Ephesians 1:3-7) NLT

"...To God's Sure Word"

"The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea." (Psalms 93:4)
There is something you need to realize about what happen in the Garden, the only ones who were surprised by what went down were Adam, Eve, and the serpent; God knew all along everything that was going to happen. My mom would always make strong demands of me, things like, "Stay out of my room while I am at the store!" And for whatever reason, I just had to at least try to see what was the big deal; like, maybe there was something in there that she didn't want me to see, or some hidden secret gift she was going to spring on us later. It never failed, if I went into her room, she always knew; and she never asked why first, she always asked if I did, saying, "Did you go into my room after I told you not to?" I am pretty sure that's what happened. God never had to ask why, He already knew. He knows our heart; He knows what we are going to do before we even know it ourselves, before we can even think it. God is never surprised by our actions; disappointed maybe, but never surprised. You might wonder how that works; how it is that God can be disappointed yet not surprised. We always have a choice, and God, being the Loving Father that He is, always holds out for us to make the right choice, even if He knows we are going to make the wrong one. That's the "whomsoever" in the whole predestination thing that we just don't understand. We can't wrap our heads around, but we had better not push it out of hearts! God never says no to redemption! If we ask Him to forgive us, He is always willing and able to do so; always! Take a moment and enjoy what forgiveness is all about. Think back to all the sins you could ever imagine having done and relate that to the "noise of many waters." Now imagine that noise rising up like "mighty waves" which are far to powerful for you to overcome. That my friend is our state prior to forgiveness; there is absolutely nothing that we can do to stop the crushing mighty waves, absolutely nothing! But God, like a Strong Mighty Fortress that He is, can make those mighty waves disappear with just a Word, and we only need to ask. Don't be afraid, just ask...
"As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's cross over to the other side of the lake." So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, "Teacher, don't you care that we're going to drown?" When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Silence! Be still!" Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" The disciples were absolutely terrified. "Who is this man?" they asked each other. "Even the wind and waves obey him?"" (Mark 4:35-41) NLT

"...To God's Awesome Strength" -2

"The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves." (Psalms 93:3)
Now then, if you wanted to rephrase the question, let's say, 'Can I make a rock so big that I can't pick it up?' then it's something that happens all the time! God will say, "I need you to get rid of this issue or idol that's in your life," and then when I try, it seems way to heavy for me to lift it out of my life. You can try and make it something that it's not, people do it all the time. By the way, that reminds of a question I heard presented on To Every Man an Answer, I believe it was on Tuesday. The question was pretty simple, Will we see Adam and Eve in heaven? There appeared to be some confusion in the answer; something about the skins God made to cover their nakedness, or to that effect. If it was a question to their confession, they failed miserably at first, and for good reason; God had said, "In the day that you eat of the fruit, you will die!" That's pretty much enough reason to try and blame your sin on anyone else, because there was no other option but to try and make the reason anyone's fault but your own. The way I see it, the Gospel Message was presented to them both, and they believed that their sins had been forgiven; that's all that matters in God's point of view. I get a kick out of how God's mind works and how He puts things together. We might not even realize what He is doing; heck, we don't even realize what we are doing; but somehow God brings it all together in a single verse, or a single action or reaction. The clue that gives it all away is found in Genesis 3:20; and you don't even need to look up the definition, because it is explained in the same verse: "And Adan called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living." I can't imagine how long Adam had spent naming animals, maybe decades; and the first name he gave to Eve was "Woman," which he called her because "she was taken out of man." Oddly enough, Adams excuse was, "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." That's right, blame it on God; that will go over pretty good with the Creator of all things, NOT! Whether you can accept it or not, the skins God made for covering their nakedness was not for God's benefit, but it was for theirs. The sacrifices of old, those which were given in the Temple, were not for God's benefit, they were for the people, that they would feel as though they had been cleansed. It was a temporary cleansing, but it all pointed to the final sacrifice, Jesus! Adam and Eve were presented the Good News, and they believed God would do it. So there you go: Rock handled...
""My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. "The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up. These events will bring great honor to the LORD'S name; and they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love."" (Isaiah 55:8-13) NLT

"...To God's Awesome Strength"

"The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves." (Psalms 93:3)
I do not need to tell what an Awesome God we serve, but sometimes we need a little reminder to the Unlimited Power that He has over the creation He has created. You know that saying, "Can God make a rock so big, that He can't even pick it up?" No such chance of that, God is All Powerful! If you would, I can break that down for you, because it basically means, God is more powerful than All! All means everything, every thing living, every thing dead, every universe, every sun, no matter the size; God is bigger and more powerful than the Big Dog Star! If He can create it, then He can control it, subdue it, or even make it go away. Now, compare everything that I have just said to our ability to do any of it, and ask yourself, What side of power meter do I want to hang out on? Do I want to hang out on the side of creation, or do I want to hang out with the Creator? These are things for myself to consider also, so don't feel offended by my questions. I believe that God will never instruct us or ask us to do anything that is outside of the realm of ability for us to do; it might take Him to make it all possible, but that is His preference, that we do everything in His strength and not our own. I am not sure that I have ever really totally surrendered to letting Him; maybe for short times now and again, but never enough to make any lasting difference in the battle against the flesh or the ability to move mighty mountains. Besides, those things are reserved for the spiritual giants, the ones who spend all day serving the Lord. Right? No, not right! The same God gives strength to the giants that gives strength to the small; the strong and the weak are the same when empowered by the same God; it's just a matter of how much of His power do you want? Do you want enough to stay in the fight, or do you want enough to live out Christ? It's really our choice when it comes to submission! Am I going to reckon that old man dead, or do I reckon that I just need to deal with him? I can't imagine walking around with a dead corpse strapped to my back, but that's what happens, time and time again. Maybe it's time to really put that dude in the tomb where he belongs, wouldn't you say? Anywho, that's just my issue, so don't you worry about anything, because I'm sure all of you are doing just fine. The floods are every single thing that comes against us, whether it be inside or outside; anything that causes up to take our eyes off of Christ Jesus and His finished work, not only what He did on the cross, but what He did after the cross; because Jesus handled death like a Boss...
"Then at last the people will look to their Creator and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel. They will no longer look to their idols for help or worship what their own hands have made. They will never again bow down to their Asherah poles or worship at the pagan shrines they have built. Their largest cities will be like a deserted forest, like the land the Hivites and Amorites abandoned when Israelites came here so long ago. It will be utterly desolate. Why? Because you have turned from the God who can save you. You have forgotten the Rock who can hide you. So you may plant the finest grapevines and import the most expensive seedlings. They may sprout on the day you set them out; yes, they may blossom on the very morning you plant them, but you will never pick them. Your only harvest will be a load of grief and unrelieved pain. Listen! The armies of many nations roar like the roaring of the sea. Hear the thunder of the mighty forces as they rush forward like thundering waves. But though they thunder like breakers on a beach, God will silence them, and they will run away. They will flee like chaff scattered by the wind, like a tumbleweed whirling before a storm. In the evening Israel waits in terror, but by dawn its enemies are dead. This is the just reward of those who plunder us, a fitting end for those who destroy us." (Isaiah 17:7-14) NLT

"...To Everlasting Life"

"Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting." (Psalms 93:2)
So, I had a rather interesting conversation with a dear sister yesterday, someone I have known since the late 90's and who I worked with in the local Republican Party headquarters. She told me that she had a very terminal brain disorder, one that was specifically determined to be fatal in all cases. Obviously, her case is not yet determined, because she is still here running her Christian Bookstore, pretty much all be herself. She informed me that she had not died yet, which was pretty obvious, but it was the way that she said it caught my attention; it sounded so fatal, almost as if she were holding on to something that was all there was to hold on to. I instantly ensured her that she was never going to die, ever! Her body might die, but her soul will continue on for ever and ever. Here is the thing about this life, something we must always remember: this is temporary; everything we see, every single thing that is upon this earth is either dead or dying; this is a fallen world, and it is going to pass away, every single bit of it is going to be replaced. But, the glorious good news in that, is that there is another place, one that will not pass away, ever! And don't ask me how, but in some way or fashion, we are already there! I'm not so certain that we ever left, but one thing is for sure, we are all going to meet there, and it is going to seem as if we were always there. How's that? (You might wonder.) The Bible gives us many clues as to what it will be like, this verse above being one of them; combine that with 1 John 3:2, and you have the answer to what it is like to be eternal, everything is new! And when I say new, I mean that nothing grows old! No more sickness, no more death; no more sorrow, and no more pain. It's really not a question of buying into something, it's really all about being born into everlasting life; if you have the Holy Spirit in you, then you are alive and will never die; if you don't, then you are spiritually dead and going to die. Unfortunately, your death will not end at the grave, because there is another thing which must to dealt with, your soul belongs to God. One way or another, you are going to be dealing with your sins; I recommend that you deal with them now, why you are still able to have them removed. Just do it! Step on over to eternal life...
"So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them 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 my 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

"Settled In..."

"The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved." (Psalms 93:1)
No, I am not stuck; this is just the beginning of a very interesting time, spent on a very important verse. I saw a quick little headline on my homepage this morning, it asked the question, "Was there time before the Big Bang?" I had a little chuckle, because that's exactly leaning towards what God has put upon my heart this morning. How about we settle this right here and now! Before there was time, there was God! I had a very arrogant painting contractor come to my home yesterday, as I am getting some bids on getting the house painted. I happened to mention the ordeal I had with my son last year, and then concluded that he was in a much better place. To which, the painter answered, "Yay, if there is such a place." Instantly, my mother-in-law shot back, "Oh, there is, believe me!" And the painter replied, "Believe you?" If you have not settled this in your hearts by now, then you need to, and like right away! It needs to be more than just a hope that it's right, it needs to be real, more real than life itself. All that I can say, is to have no doubt, whatsoever! How in the world do I do that, you might ask? With His WORD! Look, here is the thing that matters more than everything else: God loves you, and He never changes! All this other stuff is going to change; you, yourself are going to change; but God, He is always the same, and He never changes. If you want something that you can hold onto for dear life and never let go, then there is only One! More importantly than that, He wants you to want Him! He wants you to reach up to Him! What more could He do to prove His love and desire for you? The Father gave His Son, the Son gave His life, and the Holy Spirit lives within us; there is nothing else He could have given us, but His very Word; which by the way, He has also done, written down over thousands of years, and never contradicting itself, ever. There is your proof! If you want to challenge it's authenticity, then be my quest; take it apart, verse by verse; examine the prophecies to see if they were right or wrong; line them all up, and measure the odds. You might just fine yourself having settled all your questions, including the question of your own salvation...
"Long ago God spoke many times and in many different ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. The Son radiates God own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names. For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus: "You are my son. Today I have become your Father." God also said, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son." And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said, "Let all of God's angels worship him." Regarding the angels, he says, "He sends his angels like the winds, his servants like flames of fire." But to the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice. You love justice and hate evil. Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than anyone else." He also says to the Son, "In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and made heavens with your hands. They will perish, but you remain forever. They will wear out like old clothing. You will fold them up like a cloak and discard them like old clothing. But you are always the same; you will live forever.""
(Hebrews 1:1-12) NLT

"Lift Up Your Arms!"

"The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved." (Psalms 93:1)
It's like the clip in 'Dr. Strange,' the one where he keeps getting killed over and over again, until that evil monster says, "Make it stop!" Seriously, make it stop! I heard something rather interesting about how Jesus walked yesterday, it made me realize how much we take for granted that He overcame all the temptation we are told to flee from. It was really not that He could not sin, it is more like He would not sin! Yes, He was 100% God, and He was 100% man, but He had a relationship with the Father and He knew how to rely on the Holy Spirit to give Him the strength He needed to overcome. Just like He really could not know all things that the Father knew, because He chose not to; He would not challenge the position that He was sent here to be, not even at His death. Don't you think it is a little interesting that there are all Three mentioned in the Bible for raising Him from the dead? You have Jesus saying that He would raise Himself, you have it said that the Father raised Him from the tomb, and you have the Holy Spirit given credit for it; is there some kind of contradiction? No! There was unity and completeness! They were all working together as one. It is very similar to the record of man's creation, recorded in Genesis 1:26: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." All Three working together to make man; and all Three were working together to provide man's salvation! There really is nothing left for us to do, but to simply surrender our lives to God; all the heavy lifting has been done! I will try very hard to get this right, but the message has got to remain focused on Jesus Christ. If anyone could have done anything that He wanted to, it was Christ; which is exactly why the devil tempted in the wilderness the way that he did. He could have just said the word, and that tempter would have vanished; He could have just breathed upon him, and he would have slithered away in the dust. But He chose not to exalt Himself beyond what He was led to do; He remained humble all the way to the very end, even though He we mocked, spit upon, beaten, humiliated, and nailed to a cross; wow, how hard can it be not to sin...
"Wake up, wake up, O Zion! Clothe yourself with strength. Put on your beautiful clothes, O holy city of Jerusalem, for unclean and godless people will enter your gates no longer. Rise from the dust, O Jerusalem. Sit in a place of honor. Remove the chains of slavery from around your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. For this is what the LORD says: "When I sold you into exile, I received no payment. Now I can redeem you without having to pay for you." This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "Long ago my people chose to live in Egypt. Now they are oppressed by Assyria. What is this?" asks the LORD. "Why are my people enslaved again? Those who rule them shout in exultation. My name is blasphemed all day long. But I will reveal my name to my people, and they will come to know its power. Then at last they will recognize that I am the one who speaks to them." How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the good news that the God of Israel reigns!" (Isaiah 52:1-7) NLT

"Up In Arms"

"The LORD reigneth, he is clothed in majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved." (Psalms 93:1)
I just want to be teachable, that's all; let me forget about what it is that I think I understand, and let my heart be ready to know the truth. There was one small point overlooked; it's really not all that important, because everyone is guilty of sin; but the mess we have been born into was really not our fault, it was all because of Adam's sin. I see something in that which can create in us two different points of view; one that feels justified, and the other that feels totally and completely lost. I think that I can sum this up with the way I feel about my wife's D.N.R. orders. I know it might be strange to talk about, but believe me, I have put much prayer and thought into what my attitude and standing should be on this matter. I absolutely refuse to take her life, no matter what anyone might try and convince me, it's not going to happen; not after seeing the ordeal that happened with Terri, which I believe God allowed me to witness, way back when this trial first began, in order to have the stand that I have. The way I see it, my wife is either going to expire peacefully on her own, or someone is going to make a mistake in caring for her; but I will not allow anyone to take her life from her. And if she does have an incident, whatever that might be, no extraordinary procedures are ordered beyond her normal care abilities. No one is calling 911; no one is going to try and perform CPR. She is here for as long as God wants her to be here, not a moment less, or a moment more; it's all totally up to God. I basically feel the same about myself, which is why I refuse to have myself screened or checked out by a doctor. I will be here as long as God will have me to be here, because it's really all up to God. You might feel differently about how that all works, and that is totally up to you; but really it's not, it's up to God! When I first started this blog, over seven years ago, I began with two simple points of view: the first of which was about love and fear, and which one best motivates us to draw close to God; and the second was about God's perfect will, and whether or not our mistakes can change His perfect will. There were two points I used in this debate, one was Israel's request for a king, the other was Hezekiah's request for more of this life. Both of those seemed to be outside of God's perfect will; but were they? I think we sometimes put our attention on the wrong battles, way more often then we should...
"We growl like hungry bears; we moan like mournful doves. We look for justice, but it never comes. We look for rescue, but it is far away from us. For our sins are piled up before God and testify against us. Yes, we know what sinners we are. We know we have rebelled and have denied the LORD. We have turned our backs on our God. We know how unfair and oppressive we have been, carefully planning our deceitful lies. Our courts oppose the righteous, and justice is nowhere to be found. Truth stumbles in the streets, and honesty has been outlawed. Yes, truth is gone, and anyone who renounces evil is attacked. The LORD looked and was displeased to find there was no justice. He was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed. So he himself stepped in to save them with his strong arm, and his justice sustained him. He put on righteousness as his body armor and placed the helmet of salvation on his head. He clothed himself with a robe of vengeance and wrapped himself in a cloak of divine passion." (Isaiah 59:11-17) NLT

"God's Majesty"

PSALMS 93
"The LORD reingeth, he is clothed in majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved." (Verse One)
I am sorry if I was a little excited yesterday, especially there at the end; but you have got to realize that while typing those closing verses, my eyes were very blurred by my tears of happiness. As I arrived in church yesterday morning, there were baskets of torn up craft paper sitting on a table as you walked in the door. I had no clue what they were for, but I grabbed about 5 of them and gave two to my neighbors. It turns out, they were for writing down how God has blessed us, long story short. Pastor Bryan was wrapping up the Book of Ruth; which was really a very fitting Easter Message, I might add. The title of the day's message was, Life In Color; a message about going from black and white, which is life without a Redeemer, to living a life of color with a Redeemer. There were a couple of bullet points in the message that not only summarized the Book of Ruth, but also spelt out the complete Gospel Message. The very first point is the fact that we need a Redeemer; lost and totally without the ability to pay for our own salvation, we absolutely need a Redeemer! The second bullet point is that our Redeemer must be our Near Kinsman; which is very interesting, to say the least. It just so happens, God made sure to make that happen perfectly, in several different ways. The third bullet point was that our Redeemer needed to be able to pay the price. I don't think I need to explain that one; but if you are wanting a clue, it was summed up in the last Verse of Psalms 92. The fourth bullet point was that our Redeemer must be willing to be our Redeemer; it just so happens that Jesus Christ fit that description perfectly: He willingly went to the cross to die for our sins! And the last bullet point, the one that sums up the message from yesterday's post, is that He will never force Himself on anyone! You have got to want to be redeemed by Him! Ruth was maybe forty or fifty years younger than Boaz, so she could have said no; after all, she was probably quite charming and looked pretty good, seeing how Boaz took interest in her right on first sight. Here is something that Pastor Bryan closed with before the closing prayer: "If you can be talked into accepting Jesus, then there will be at least five people who can talk you out of it, before the day is done." The reason that is so vitally important, is because of what we witnessed in yesterday's post: You are not going to meet your Redeemer until He knocks upon your heart; but when He does, you must decide to agree with the Holy Spirit that softens your heart with understanding, and say, Yes Lord, Yes, Yes, LORD...
"Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil -the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the heart of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God's anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness towards us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:1-7) NLT

"Inspirationally"

"To show that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him."
(Psalms 92:15)
It really does not matter what anyone says or thinks, God is so good! His goodness cannot be taken away, it can only be ignored and refused; and even then, it is still presented over and over and over again. Does this title speak of being inspired? I guess you could look at it that way, if you are looking for something that will cause you to achieve happiness and give you peace; but I was not exactly going in that direction, because those two things come from faith and hope, but this is something that is totally on a different level. No my friends, this is about being "fat and flourishing" in the Goodness of God! You can never outdo Him, ever!!! And if you have your heart given over to Him, you can never undo the knot He has tied to you, ever!!! The way I see it, it's really rather simple; it might seem like a complex wormhole that goes round and round, but it's just our perspective on something that is far above our ability to reason the reason. When God calls you and you answer Him, He gives you a choice; if you really accept the choice He gives you, then the deal is sealed, there is no going back. Okay, if you must know, it is predicated upon the parable of 'The Sower and the Seed,' found in Mathew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8. Between that, and Jesus saying why He used parables, I guess you could say that it is all in the eye of the beholder; or, based upon the understanding eye! No, I'm not getting mystical on you; I am only trying to put it in the right perspective. In the parable of the Sower, Jesus gives us a hint of something that is far beyond our ability to control. The Seed is the word of God, but more than that, it's the Good News that is woven in and out of every single page, all summed up in a single moment of understanding, the moment that you believe. All other surfaces for the Seed to fall upon are all the wrong perceptions, or if you will, the wrong understanding. These wrong understandings cause people to receive the Good News based upon the wrong idea of why they have made that choice and why they have chosen to follow Jesus. But the Seed that falls upon the right place, is the seed that falls on the right understanding; which, by the way, makes it's growth totally dependent upon God. From the point of that seed being planted in Good soil, it's a done deal! You have moved from being, not just called, but chosen! Now that's inspirational! Oh, and by the way, HE IS RISEN... 
"The people surrounded him and asked, "How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." Jesus replied, "I have already told you, and you don't believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father's name. But you don't believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father's hand. The Father and I are one."" (John 10:24-30) NLT

"To Grow Dependently"

"They shall bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;" (Psalms 92:14)
I was thinking of putting these two together; but this is about us and that is about Him, more or less. If it's okay, I would like to address something that I has mentioned the other day about plowing in the trench that the Lord has already plowed for us; and this to is very much in line with the message for today. To understand this better, it might be a good idea to look at a statement made by Jesus in John 14:12, where He says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my Father." How is it that we can do greater works than Jesus? Is that even possible? It would depend upon what greater works might imply, whether it means to perform miracles or if it means the Great Commission. The way I see it, it means the Great Commission, to go into the world a preach the Gospel. Basically that is really what it's all about, to spread the message that Jesus came and delivered to us all; not just for those who might be called to preach, but for every single one of us within whom He abides, and those that abide in Him. We really cannot have one without the other, that's not how it works. In other words, if you abide in Christ, it is because He abides in you; and you cannot abide in Christ if He is not abiding in you. That said, the work we have before us is made greater because it is being done through us, us being just jars of clay; clay jars that are fragile and easily broken, but nonetheless, able to perform extraordinary things. Do you know why this is made possible? Because Jesus has already plowed the trench that we are plowing in! We can never really do anything that is outside of Christ; if we tried, then it would not meet the Standard which He has set. Not only is Jesus the Foundation of our faith, He has also set the groundwork and established the principles by which we live out every single thing that is built upon the Foundation. Anything short of that, is like building upon another foundation, which would ultimately fail the test of Truth. And what is Truth? Truth is Jesus Christ risen from the dead, the First Fruit of the resurrection! So if you really want to see what the trench you are plowing in might look like, then there it is, right dead straight ahead of you! The way I see it, the closer we get towards the grave, the closer we should be getting to the Lord; "fat and flourishing" with a little "be" added right before it...
""I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the massage I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing."" (John 15:1-5) NLT

"Planted to Grow"

"Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of God." (Psalms 92:13)
Maybe I was too hasty and blew through some points that I should have dwelt on a little longer; but the way I see it, I am just gleaming around the edges, if you want to go deeper, then you need to dig deeper on your own. It's not so much that we need to constantly ask God for the filling of His Spirit just for the sake of asking, we need to ask for the sake of being filled with His Spirit, always, and in every situation. The main point in having that awareness within our relationship with God, is that we must realize what we are and how much we need Him to empower us on a daily basis; even on a minute by minute basis! He wants us to want Him, to need Him, and to never try and do anything on our own! As soon as we think we are capable of walking on our own, we are going to fall. How hard do you want to fall is totally dependent upon how strong you think you are without asking Him to empower you with His Spirit. With Him you will be strong and successful in whatever challenge is put before you; without Him, not so much! As a matter of fact, things could get pretty ugly anytime we try to challenge anything, especially temptations, without the Holy Spirit to strengthen us. Am I trying to say that the Holy Spirit comes and goes out of our lives? No, I do not believe that, not even for a minute. Once we have been born again, we are born into the family of God and we our given His Spirit forevermore. What we do with the Holy Spirit within us, that's where the power comes into consideration; we can count on Him more, or we can count on Him less. Which one would you like? It is totally dependent upon us how much God will use us; how much of God's Spirit is poured into our lives is dependent upon how much of His Spirit that you want. Do you want enough of His Spirit to take on that sin in your life, then ask Him to make it happen, and He will! Otherwise, you are just playing hide and seek with yourself. If you don't get what that means, then figure it out. In the "house of the LORD" we dwell, plain and simple. It's not just a place where you go to on Sunday, it's a dwelling place where our hearts are planted; it's where we belong to be, always, not just in our devotional times, not just when we go to church. And, "the courts of God" are where things happen; life happens, trials happen, interaction with the world takes place, and you really get to test your roots, how well you hold up in the storms of life; heck, in the basic task of living! I think the key word that we need to focus upon is the word "be," as in be planted...
"What shall we say then? Shall we continue to sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him be baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him." (Romans 6:1-9) KJV

"Kept on Growing"

"The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon." (Psalms 92:12)
Okay, so maybe that one from yesterday was a little tough for some of you; it requires having the right perspective in order to have everything flow together; and one simple sentence for summing things up, it is really not adequate enough to bring it all together. I guess that the main point I was getting to was that we need to be on the same page with God. God wants all men and women to come to the cross; all the 'whosoevers' of the world, includes everyone! Therefore, if we have an enemy, no matter how wicked that enemy might be, they are still listed as the 'whosoever' spoken of by God. We might not agree; we might not even care; but God sent His Son to pay a horrible price for them, so it really does not matter what we think or what we desire for them; what matters is what God's desire is, and His desire is that they would come to the cross! I heard something from Pastor Jack the other day and I had to share it. It really is a pretty simple concept of what it means to let God be the one who is in charge of our lives. The question of "who" do you want to be in charge, can be summed up by thinking of a very simple statement that you really never want to hear from God: "Okay, I will let you do it your way." If you think it's not even possible for it to happen, just ask Jonah, he will tell you what it's like to do things your own way; sooner or later your going to surrender to God's way, and you might not look so pretty at that point in your life. Yesterday I heard a message that showed me another way to look at Luke 11:9-13, the famous, "Ask, Seek, and Knock" passage of Scripture. Don't worry, it is totally relevant to the message; in fact, I will give the message first, and then sum it up by showing the way. First part of the message is based upon "The righteous," and who those might be: they are those who are exactly where God wants them to be, dependent upon Him! What are the two things that these two trees have in common, the palm tree, and the cedar?  Stature and usefulness! Besides being totally dependent upon their character and habitat, they are very useful and they both grow to enormous height. Now, regarding Luke 11:9-13, after Jesus says the "Ask, Seek and Knock" thing that we are to keep on doing, He uses the example of food to illustrate His point, such as "bread, fish and egg." Prior to yesterday, and based upon the parable Jesus shared in verses 5-8, I was always under the assumption that "keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking," had to do with doing it till you receive it. But here's the thing that brings it to the next level: we will need it again! And again! And again! We will always be hungry; we will always need nutrition; we will always need to be filled with the Holy Spirit! That is why we must keep on asking! And in doing so, we become like the "palm tree and the cedar." If you want to grow up good and strong, ask, seek, and knock, continually; and really want to do it God's way...
"This is what the LORD says: "You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you," says the LORD. "I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land."" (Jeremiah 29:10-14) NLT 

"No Conflict of Interest"

""Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me." (Psalms 92:11)
Obviously this must be some kind of a mistake; this cannot mean what I think it means; at least not in the terms which are felt upon the human heart. If this were speaking of Christ, then maybe I could see this playing out, because those that rise up against Him will fall before Him and be made His footstool; but from the cross, He did ask the Father to forgive them all. So which is it? Does He want them destroyed, or does He want them forgiven? This is where we must put off our thinking caps and really guard our hearts; because God's goodness is not partial. I know that might seem like the most stupid thing that could be said, because God did choose Jacob over Esau; so maybe there is some partiality when it comes to nation building, or to making a bloodline. But when it comes to God's goodness, God's grace and mercy falls on each and everyone the same, it's is up to us to make the choice as to whether or not we will accept it. When it comes to judging others, it is not our place to condemn anyone or to point a finger as to judge someone; not from our position, and not with this human heart. Sure, God has given us a changed heart, but it's still within this fleshly temple, and it still tries to seek it's own desires from time to time. I don't care how strong you think that you might be, if someone pushes the right button, you're going to get in the flesh. I see this playing out several different ways; one has to do with our own personal reactions, the other has to do with passion and forgiveness. Reaction is not just limited to how we respond to our enemies or the wicked; it is more about how we respond to what they represent. In other words, are we concerned more about the sinner, or are we more concerned about the sin? What's the difference? (In case you asked.) People can change, unlike what the world might believe. Sin, on the other hand, will always be sin; it might look different from many different angles, but any sin is still just that, it is sin. Sin does one particular thing to each and every person, on the same spiritual level, it separates each and everyone of us from God! Let me try and put this in another light, otherwise I could be here all day. When it comes to dealing with confrontation, we have got to not think about it! Stop playing with fire! Guard your heart and be compassionate and be willing to look the other way. The more you think about what others might be up to or thinking, the more you going to grow resentful and filled with hatefulness. There is only one goal, that all should come to a personal loving relationship with Christ Jesus; so make that your focus, if you really want to dwell on something about anyone...
"God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, "God is tempting me." God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. So don't be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all of creation, became his prize possession." (James 1:12-18) NLT

"No Resistance"

"But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of a unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil." (Psalms 92:10)
If you have not figure it out by now, then maybe you've not yet seen real testing, the kind that will actually cause you to let go of everything; some might call it, Learning to drown. I feel the Lord is speaking to me about His point in the statement, "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." There is a really easy way that this is understood, which when you get right down to it, it makes perfect sense. When we focus upon protecting and securing earthly treasures, especially when they might be threatened or hard to keep hold of, the battle to do so can be extremely burdensome; it can really wear us down, and might even put us in the hospital over a period of time. However, if those things are no longer what motivates you and what controls your life, then you have the ability to put your focus somewhere else, say like, on serving the Lord, or being a part of something bigger than yourself. The vision the Lord gave me was that of a sailboat, and how the wind will fill the sails to push to boat in certain directions. When we fight the Lord in where He is leading our lives, it can really seem as though we are wearing ourselves out and like there is so much resistance, we can hardly catch a break. God is so good! You have got to get that by now, because it's all a matter of the direction in which you are headed. Some of the most peaceful and most enjoyable days that I have ever experience, were days that I have just rested in the Lord; days when nothing else really mattered but just pleasing Him and wanting to draw closer and closer to His heart. That is where real peace is found, in not have worries about the things you really have no control over, and just focusing on the thing that He wants you to control, your walk with Him. It's like the Lord's statement, "No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." We can take that to mean that we are the ones who are plowing the trench that is before us, but in reality, the trench has already been dug, we are just cleaning it out as we go. Maybe you don't see it quite that way, but the way I see it, that's the whole point of following Jesus...
"You may be asking why I changed my plan. Do you think I make my plans carelessly? Do you think I am like people of the world who say "Yes" when they really mean "No." For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between "Yes" and "No." He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God's ultimate "Yes," he always does what he says. For all of God's promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding "Yes!" And through Christ, our "Amen" (which means "Yes") ascends to God for his glory. It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us." (2 Corinthians 1:17-22) NLT

"No Pressure"

"For lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered." (Psalms 92:9)
I really can't make this up; but one thing I know for sure, is that Jesus loves me! Do you get where I'm coming from? Here is the thing I believe makes true believers separate from those that pretend that they believe, is when it comes right down to it, are you going to stand or our you going to run? Simply put, if you are really committed to following Jesus, then you are not going to be persuaded not to follow Him, even if it means giving up your livelihood or even your life. Oh, you don't see it? Come on! What is the one thing that we have that they do not? Eternal Life! We do not perish! Do you see how good it is to follow Jesus Christ? Though all is swept away, we can still praise Him! If we have been given eternal life in Christ, then there is nothing on the face of this earth that can take that life away, absolutely nothing! Now we might not understand the in's and out's of why certain things happen, or why God answers some request for something and does not answer others; but if we are going to take God at His word, then we need to take Him at His word, all of it, including the parts that we don't understand or the parts that might seem uncomfortable. I know it might seem to be a little more complicated than that, but it's really not all that complicated, at all. I try very hard to pay my bills on time; I actually like paying my bills, I like that God blesses me to be able to pay them. But every once in awhile I get into a bind, and when I say a bind, I mean things get pretty ugly and out of control. When it gets to a point where I no longer have any control, it's time to let go of the wheel and stop trying to control it! All that I have is really not mine; God has blessed me with people and things which I care for, but technically, everything belongs to Him. It's like if you are a Pastor of a church, if there is something wrong and your church is going through something, it's really not your church, it's the Lord's church. You can pray for guidance, you can ask God to right the ship, but other than that, you just need to keep your eyes on Jesus and hold on. As long as it's not anything to do with you, it's God's property and He knows what He is doing with it, not you. It's pretty much the same in our personal lives, on a much smaller scale. We just need to keep our eyes on Jesus and try and enjoy the ride by praising Him and knowing that He's in control...
"We now have this light shinning in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies." (2 Corinthians 4:7-10) NLT

"Kept Coming Back" -Too

"When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever: but thou, LORD, art most high for evermore." (Psalms 92:7-8)
Attaching these verses to the previous verse, Verse 6, which was itself attached to Verses 4-5, we can begin to understand the pattern set forth in our living the normal Christian life. Maybe not all of us, but I would bet most of us, we have these little cycles that we keep finding ourselves living in. We get on fire, walking in and out of victories; then we settle into something worldly, whether it be work, or exercise, or a new hobby or project, or maybe even a new relationship; then we are taken off the path for a while, sometimes it can be a very long while. Matthew Henry gives a very interesting description for "the workers of iniquity do flourish," as he says, "The sheep that are designed for the slaughter are put into the fattest pasture." Isn't that so true? But, here is the thing that brings it all together: Jesus said, "Lo, I am with you always," and He meant it! We might think that we have walked away, or we might think that we have given up, but He never leaves us, and He never gives up on us. Sooner or later, we are in for some kind of an awakening; something that triggers the truth that is stamped upon our hearts, and we will realize that we are in the "fattest pasture." I know it seems like it might not make any sense, but the thing about living for the world, and all it has to offer, is that having it is not the only way that we are trapped by it, wanting it also can keep us trapped. Do you want to know why I have not missed a single day posting this blog? No, I am not crazy. It is because I know how my heart works; if I miss a day, then it's okay to miss another one, and so on; until one day, I don't even post at all. It's the same with sinning, as we commit to not do this or that anymore, but as soon as we do it once, it makes it okay to do it again. The way I look at it, all of you hold me accountable. If I set out to read my Bible every morning, it the same pattern; I miss one morning, then the next one is easier to miss, until one day I notice my dusty Bible just sitting there, that hasn't been read for months. Anywho, the Lord has us in His grip; whether we are outside looking in, or inside looking out, once we are His, we are His for evermore...
""My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father's hand. The Father and I are one."" (John 10:27-30) NLT

"Kept Coming Back"

"When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever: but thou, LORD, art most high for evermore." (Psalms 92:7-8)
Yes, I know, I forgot to make my point; or did I? The "fool" part of that message I know so well; it's like robbing God of the power in our own lives, when we pretend that He does not see us; and it's like a slap in the face to Jesus, when we do it when we think He is watching. But more than that, what does that count for our respect of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us? Jesus said, "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commended you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen." (Matthew 28:20) Having been stricken with a cold, I laid back down this morning in my bed and started to pray. Usually whenever that happens I fall back to sleep, except my nose is so clogged up, sleep did not happen. But I was able to catch a dream or a vision, which was Jesus asking Peter, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest me more than these?" (John 21:15) We tend to think that Jesus was testing Peter's loyalty or his resolve after having let the Lord down the night of His crucifixion. I'm not even certain that Jesus was testing Peter's love for Himself; at least not in the way that we might think. In the vision that I saw, Jesus was looking past Peter; His gaze was directly into Peter's eyes, but His focus was on a crowd of people who looked confused and shameful; kind of like that woman who brought to Jesus after having been caught in the act of adultery. Peter saw the reflection of the crowd in Jesus' eyes, and he turned to acknowledge what "These" could have been. Instantly, his mind was drawn to that night, the shame that he felt, and the stare Jesus had given from across the courtyard. When he turned back around, Jesus had that stare again in His eyes; but this time, since Jesus was right there in front of him, the stare was nothing close to judgment; it wasn't even a stare of discouragement. It was a stare of unconditional love! Peter would get it later on, but Jesus was making Peter understand who he was in the ministry that was set before him; but more than that, Jesus was letting him know who are His followers. Did Jesus mean for Peter to literally feed them food? No. Was Jesus even referring to the word of God? In a way, yes; but the real feeding Jesus spoke about was encouragement; to encourage those who might feel ashamed in the ministry that was ahead. Those who too might deny Jesus; those who might not feel worthy enough to call upon the Lord; those who might have even have contributed to His crucifixion...
"You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all of your heart. 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 1:22-25) NLT

"Kept In God's Goodness"

"A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this." (Psalms 92:6)
I did not make a mistake, all of those Scriptures were kept, even the ones I did not use! You know, I cannot understand how anyone who has tasted God's goodness, can somehow slip away and then not want to be in fellowship any longer. I am not a perfect man, nor have I ever tried to make myself out to be one. But I love the Lord, I love my wife, and I try very hard to be charitable with everyone I know. Other than that, I try to stay close to God; this blog helps me to do that, because it keeps me committed to a daily devotional time; whether I feel like it or not, so far I haven't missed a day. And believe you me, there are mornings when I don't feel like getting up at 4:00, and there are some mornings that I have no clue whatsoever what I am going to say. Take this morning for instance: I leaped up out of bed, began to pray, sat down and began to read, and then felt empty; all of the sudden I felt like I had nothing to say. This verse was not helping, nor was I feeing inspired by what it had to say. Then all of the sudden God spoke into my heart and here we are, "Kept In God's Goodness" became the title! Based upon those last two verses, this is why, incase you were asking. It's not that we don't know about God's love, nor that we don't understand how good God is towards us; it's more about not wanting to be controlled, or under the full control of God. We can better understand what this speaks about when we look at Jesus speaking about "Serving Two Masters." The way that works in our real world, is much like wearing two hats; with one hat you serve the Lord, and then with the other hat you serve the world, yourself, and ultimately, you are serving the devil. Not that anyone sits out to serve the devil, but he is actually the god of the world; meaning that he is the one who rules the darkness that is all around us. The "brutish man" spoken of above is much like a fool, but is spoken of more like cattle, stupid in the sense that they are not really led, but that they must be driven. The difference between being led and driven, in case you didn't know, is that when you are driven you really don't know where you are headed; you might think that you know, but you are too stupid to actually realize where you are being driven to. The "fool" spoken of has a little more of a complex meaning, one that involves reverence for God, or lack thereof. This is one that I can relate to easily, because I find myself, or should I say, I catch myself doing this; where I somehow think that I can separate myself from God, just long enough to do something that I know He does not want me to do; as if God is in the constellations and I am here, so it really does not matter what I do when He's not looking. Well, let me try again and tell you what that does for your foolish hearts and minds; myself included. For one, not being led means that you really are not following the Lord; you might think that you are, but you are like a stupid cow that does not known which way it is going. Bobbing your head from side to side and not knowing exactly which path you should take. What that means for a child of God, is that you are driven hard! Is that what you want to experience? The world is pulling you in several directions, but God keep pushing you forward. It's like Jesus telling Paul, "It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks." The other is the lack of reverence for who God is: He is All Powerful, All Knowing, All the Time! Fortunately for fools like me, He has patience and is All Loving towards me! And for that, I know that I am kept in His goodness...
"That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those that love him." But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets. No one can know a person's thoughts except that person's own spirit, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. And we have received God's Spirit (not the world's spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit's words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. For, "Who can know the LORD'S thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?" But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ."
(1 Corinthians 2:9-16) NLT

"Searching God's Goodness"

"O LORD, how great are thy works! And thy thoughts are very deep." (Psalms 92:5)
Yes, that was a pretty emotional experience yesterday; you don't realize this, but there was quite a pause between my exclamation and that final sentence; I could not even see the screen of my computer. I believe the greatest mystery we can try and experience is to understand why God created man with free will. He could have made us to automatically fall in love with Him; but what would be the point of that, we would just be like puppies, wagging our tails and chasing balls all day. But God wants us to love Him because He loves us, and He wants us to discover that love and to fall in love with Him. This is the reason we have been given His written word, that we might know Him, that we might experience the depth of His love for us, and that we might know without a doubt it is true. I would be willing to bet, if you could take someone, anyone, and have them read through and study God's word, by the time they were done, they too would be a believer in Christ Jesus. I had read the Bible before I was saved, but I never really studied the Bible. The closest I came to studying the Bible was when my family would study with our J.W. home group; but that was more about studying books written by the Organization, and then looking up Scriptures to verify what was being taught in those books. No, what I am talking about is to study the Bible on it's own, without any guide or without any commentaries; to read it from cover to cover, taking notes, and going back to familiar Passages for referencing what God was trying to say. Even if that persons intent was to discredit the Bible or to prove that it was full of mistakes; if they studied deep enough and really took it apart, then they would have a totally changed heart; I could almost guarantee it. One of the first things that I did when I was saved, was to make a cross-word puzzle with all the squares spelling out the name "JESUS" up and down the whole page. And all the questions were based on Scriptures that point out that Jesus was God, or made reference to Jesus being the Savior. We are talking about all the way through the Bible; I had so many questions, I needed to choose which ones to use and which to keep. We might not be able to know all that there is to know about God, but we can know enough to know that He loves us; and once we discover that love, it grows and grows...
"He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the LORD. Oh, the joys of those who trust in the LORD, who have no confidence in the proud or in those that worship idols. O LORD my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them. You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings. Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand -you don't require burnt offerings or sin offerings. Then I said, "Look, I have come. As is written about me in the Scriptures: I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.""
(Psalms 40:3-8) NLT

"Knowing God's Goodness"

"For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the work of thy hands."
(Psalms 92:4)
Yesterday I actually heard two messages that shared on very similar topics, which had to do with God's promise to Abraham, which took place long before the law was given to Moses. The first one was fairly simple to understand, in that the pastor spoke about starting out his family by making sure that his wife and him had a Will, and in that Will, all of the assets were given to their children. As there children were growing up, they received blessings and curses based upon their performance; if they were good, then they received an allowance for doing as they were told, but if they disobeyed what they were told to do, then they did not get their allowance and might have even been punished. But the inheritance that was promised them from the very beginning was never taken away, because that inheritance was not determined by their actions, it was based upon a promise given unconditionally. We get so caught up with keeping track of the curses, we forget about all the blessings; but regardless of whatever comes and goes, our inheritance will always be right where it is, totally safe from any stupid thing that we could ever think of doing in this life. You might not agree with that, and that's something you are entitled to believe. Does it meet the merit of doctrine that might cost you your salvation? Maybe not; but you have got to believe that God loves you unconditionally, and if I am not mistaken, you're pushing the envelope of belief when you start attaching conditions. I think the Lord made that pretty clear with the parable of the Prodigal Son; that being the second message that I heard, with a little slightly more complexity. In this message, the son had asked his Father for his inheritance, instead of waiting to receive it when it should have been given. We sometimes miss some pretty important messages by shutting out those things which we don't think apply to our lives; or maybe even when apply the message to someone else, not thinking that God is speaking to us. Yes, well, I think we all can take a little something away from this one. The son had everything he could have ever wanted by living in his father's house, and under his father's rule; but he did not want to live under his father's rule, which meant that he needed to move out of his father's house; so he asked for his inheritance so that he could go live a life of his own. God is so GOOD! The son might have been stupid and not in his right frame of mind; he might have also been very bad and not have really cared what his father thought of his actions; but no matter, he never stopped being his father's son...
"I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ. In the same way, "Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith." The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. What's more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, "All nations will be blessed through you." So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith." (Galatians 3:5-9) NLT 

"Like You Mean It"

"Upon the instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound."
(Psalms 92:3)
I get it that we want to be a little reserved and not create a distraction, but since when did it become a crime to praise the Lord? You actually get that reaction in church, but how often do you hear it out in public, even as a response to something great; not enough, that's for sure. We have become so politically correct, we don't want to offend someone or seem overly excessive in our beliefs; but in doing so, we might have painted ourselves into a corner, our own little corner. The J.W.'s get away with it because they seek persecution; it's as if they get to call it a day as soon as someone gives them some sort of verbal or physical harm. I know, because I went door to door with my parents for a while as a kid; having someone spray us with their water hose meant that we got to go home. It really does not matter what kind of instruments are being played, or really how they are played; what matters is to Whom they are played! If we are playing or singing to entertain people, we miss the point of worship; and if we are doing it to gain favor with God, then we really don't understand what praise is meant to be. We do it because it is "good" to praise Him because He has been so good to us! If you don't feel like praising Him, then maybe you need to count your blessings; and if you don't think you have any blessing to count, then maybe you need to get your priorities right and figure out where or what you are dwelling on. Setting our heart on the things of the world will only make us feel like we have not been blessed when they don't materialize; but setting our hearts on heaven, that will give us hope in something that can never disappoint and is always right before us. That is why Paul could declare with certainty, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21) I know where I am going, so I can feel certain that I have been blessed beyond compare; in other words, there is nothing here on this earth that compares to the blessing I have in Jesus Christ; absolutely nothing...
"Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand." (Philippians 4:4-5) KJV

"To Be Overwhelmed"

"To show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night," (Psalms 92:2)
It might take a moment to make my point, but if I don't, it's just because I overslept and did not get enough reading in this morning. I was blown away yesterday watching the LPGA first Master; seeing what happened to Lexi Thompson was painful to watch; it really made me want to quit watching the game altogether. I am not blaming oversleeping on that, I was just sharing my thoughts; I overslept because the last several nights I only slept a few hours. I guess I was making up for lost sleep. This verse is actually a continuation of the first, and the next is a continuation of this one; I choose to break them up for obvious reasons, the first of which is that there is too much to say. We have been given something extraordinary, and as such, we need to express it to everyone that we know. I'm not preaching here, so don't worry; if anything, I am reminding myself of the awesome love God has poured out on me, and examining how little I get excited about it anymore. Last night I was watching the tournament in a restaurant here in the hotel, and after Lexi caught back up again after receiving a four stoke penalty from something that happened the day before, I wanted to shout out, You go Lexi! I obviously did not; there was really no one else there that seemed all the interested. But it made me stop and think about something when it comes to me expressing God's love, my experience with His awesome way of touching my life, and just the sheer blessing it is to know that whatever happens in this life, tomorrow will always be better. It was not always like this; when I first became a Christian I was so on fire, some people felt embarrassed to be around me. I guess you can say that I have adjusted over the years, making my statement more about living out God's love, more than expressing God's love with joy and enthusiasm. I try really hard to rejoice in every trial and every situation; as a matter of fact, those are the times when it seems easy to do. It's more about expressing how much I am loved; more than that, it's about letting other truly know how much it means to me, that the God who created us loves us so much. I guess that's how you might get others to become interested in what makes you so happy, you let it be known...
"A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into the prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn't escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to it's foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners he escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul shouted to him, "Stop! Don't kill yourself! We are all here!" The jailer called for the lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"" (Acts 16:22-30) NLT

"Our Obligations"

"It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High:"
(Psalms 92:1)
If I remember right, it was Cain's manner of sacrifice that caused God to be displeased, not exactly his sacrifice itself; there are actually grain sacrifices that are part of worship within the old covenant way of doing things, so it really was not the actual offering; although, if it's an offering for sin or trespass, then it needed to be a blood offering. We can debate the issue if you want, but when it comes right down to it, Cain was offering his works to God; and we know what works are to God, they are filthy rags! Works are needed to produce fruit, so it's not as if we don't want works to be part of our lives; we need works to express our love and thankfulness to the God who saved us; but our works are never meant to be a form of payment for what God has done; we could never ever pay that amount off, not in a thousand years! I want to reheat a message that I posted on years ago; can you believe it's been more than seven years; man, the time is zooming by. The message was about the parable of forgiving others, which is found in Matthew 18:21-35. If you remember the message, it contained three important lessons that we need to remember when it comes to forgiveness; the most important one of all, is the enormous dealt that we have been forgiven, one that continues to be added to, but yet is totally removed. The second lesson is that we need to forgive others, just as God has forgiven us; this is really important, especially because of the continuing dealt; which is our recurring sin and the ripple effect of our past sins. The third lesson was one of our obligations to the One who has given us freedom from the dealt; and when I say obligations, I don't mean that it is any type of repayment or compensation for what He has done; it is our duty, just as slave who is set free, but then chooses to stay with his master, we know where we belong to be, and we know what a wonderful Master we serve. We can get a better understanding of the word "good" as it appears in the verse above, if we remember these lessons; it's not just because it is what God requires, it is what is expected of us because of all that He has done...
"We have an alter from which the priests in the Tabernacle have no right to eat. Under the old system, the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, and the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp. So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy be means of his own blood. So let us go out to him, outside the camp, and bear the disgrace he bore. For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come. Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. And don't forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God." (Hebrews 13:10-16) NLT

"God's Goodness"

PSALMS 92 [A Psalm or Song for the sabbath day.]
As I was preparing for this post, I was reading through this Psalm to get a sense of what might be ahead; then I heard a voice within me, maybe my own, saying, Preparing for what is ahead is utterly useless. It really is, if you stop and think about it. Don't get me wrong, the Lord tells us to prepare for what's ahead, but in all honesty, the only thing that really matters is to be with the Lord in heaven. So if we are going to prepare anything, then it had better be our hearts; beyond that, we should just prepare to be amazed! As you should have guessed, "God's Goodness" is the title above this Psalm in my Bible. In reading this Psalm, there seems to be a contrast mentioned, several times actually, concerning the difference between those that are for God and those that are against God. When it comes right down to it, God's goodness really only matters to those who accept it; those that reject God and His free offer of Salvation, for them nothing good is waiting at the end of the road. In other words, you could say that God's goodness only counts for those who are good; and when I say good, I mean that we are good, as in good to go: our bags are packed and we have our tickets punched and are ready to meet our Maker! The Sabbath Day was meant to be a day of rest, a day to reflect upon all of God's goodness; to worship Him for all that He has done, and to just rest from the routine work and labor that living requires. Oddly enough, my Bible has Sabbath Day just as I typed it above, in lower-case spelling. My curiosity had me going, so I had to check it out in the NLT, and sure enough, it had the words in upper-case. Was it a mistake? Which one has it right? Well, according to the spelling in the Blue Letter Bible, the King James Version has it in lower-case; and as many should know, the King James Version is the only one that gets the Blue Letters, which are actually a Letter with numbers. With all that is specified within the Psalm, the tile being considered, and the fact that lower-case letters are being use, I can only reach the conclusion that the Sabbath Day being spoken for is a day for man's benefit and not actually the holy day, as in the Sabbath. Which reminds me of something very important when it comes to our salvation, in that we can never work for it, ever! Our salvation is never gained by working for it, which also means that are rest is never ever based upon something that we have obtained or made to happen on our own. We, God's people, enter His rest; it is what God has provided for us, that is where real rest is found...
"So God's rest is there for people to enter, but those who first heard this good news failed to enter because they disobeyed God. So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted: "Today when you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts." Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come. So there is a special day still waiting for the people of God. For all that have entered God's rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall. For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable." (Hebrews 4:6-13) NLT