"Unquestionable"

"And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off." (Psalms 94:23)
After all of this, we are faced with one simple question God will ask: "Do you believe that I loved you?" Not all that complicated of a question; or so it might seem. But there are plenty of people who doubt it can be so; those who gather together the evidence of wickedness, and then somehow blame all the bad stuff on God; as if God could somehow be responsible for all the death and sickness that happens all over the world. I seriously doubt we really can even begin to understand how wrong that kind of thinking can possibly be! To try and put the blame upon God, is no different than what Adam did, when he tied to blame God for making Eve, the woman who gave him the fruit to eat. Seriously! God does something good, and we throw it back in His face, saying, "How could you do this to me?" When in reality, it was really our own doing, not God's that caused the bad things to happen. I think we fail to see the reasons God says "Don't," as if the purpose behind His suggestion is to keep us at bay, or take some of our fun away. No, it will turn out that it was all because He loved us, much more than we could even begin to understand. When we think that thought, no matter how small of a thought it might be, we seriously need to push any such thing out of our heart and mind; it must not even be part of our conversation! We cannot even consider such a thing possible! The world might not understand, but that gives us no license to even consider the possibility that God does not love us; not after we have been shown how much He does! If you don't think it's that big of deal, please think again; because it makes all the difference in the world, every last bit of difference in what you truly believe. Do you believe that God loves you? If your life was cut off today, would you still believe that He loves you? If you lost everything you have, would you still believe that God loves you? This is not a test, it's a question of what you believe and why you believe it. There is really only one thing that the Lord has promised us, eternal life; and eternal life is something that this world does not offer...
""They rejected my advice and paid no attention when I corrected them. Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way, choking on their own schemes. For simpletons turn away from me -to death. Fools are destroyed by their own complacency. But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by the fear of harm."" (Proverbs 1:30-33) NLT

"Unprecedented"

"But the LORD is my defense; and my God is the rock of my refuge." (Psalms 94:22)
Say what you will about what God's grace is really all about, it really does not count for you until you make it your own! I'm not even so sure that you really even need to totally understand how it works; the devil surely does not get it, so we don't need to fully understand how it all came about; we just need to believe and claim it for our own; let God worry about how it all works out! That is the meaning of Isaiah 53:1 in a nutshell, because it makes no sense at all to the average man's understanding. How is it that God, the Creator of heaven and earth, would humble Himself and become human flesh, only to sacrifice that flesh for the human beings that He created? There are all kinds of things we could assume could be the reason; but there is only one that really matters enough to make it truly count: Because He loved us that much! How much was that, we might ask; and then He spread His arms out wide, and He let them nail His hands to the cross! Don't think for a moment that they forced Him down onto that cross; because with just a word He could have called all the mighty angels of heaven to His defense. With just a whisper from His lips, He could have slain every single enemy that He had; but that was not what He came to do, He came to give His life on our behalf. Does it make sense? There are a lot of things that don't make sense; but only one that has been truly defined by the Truth! Just let it sink in, and then make sure you tell someone what you know...
"Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up. We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don't try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this. If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. You see, we don't go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining 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." (2 Corinthians 4:1-7) NLT

"Holy War"

"They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood." (Psalms 94:21)
Besides this complex and totally misunderstood grace that we have been given, there is the reality that every single one of us will be judged; one way or another, there will be justice on that last day. I love that God gives us mercy; we ask Him for forgiveness, and He faithfully forgives us and cleanses us from all of our unrighteousness; that is want Jesus did for us on that cross, paid the price for our sins. Grace, on the other hand, grace has freely been given, but it comes with a price. That might not sound right; how can something be free and yet come with a price? One day we will be asked, "What did you do with the grace you were given?" When a slave is given mercy and set free from bondage, they are free to do whatever they want with their life; but when that same slave is adopted into the Master's wealthy family, then they must take on the role as one of the heirs. That's pretty much where we find ourselves as one of God's children; we have been adopted into His Kingdom, and now we must take on the role of one of the heirs to that Kingdom. That said, there are many forces working against us to stop us from assuming the role that we have so graciously been given. Besides our own inadequacies, which really don't matter to God, we have those around us who either hold us back or we hold back because of them. And then, we have our real enemy, none other than the devil, who is constantly telling us that we are not worthy, unfit, or unforgiven. About that bowl of soup; I know it was a little weird to illustrate God's will that way, but just because we make wrong choices and God can still work with that wrong choice, does not mean we don't suffer for the wrong choices we make. I just needed to make myself clear on that, just in case you thought wrong choices were good choices. God can make anything work towards the good for His purposes; it might cost us our life, but even so, He's all about saving souls, because this life is expendable. We must be about our Father's business...
"He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that everyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him." (2 Corinthians 5:15-18) NLT

"Tug of War" -2

"Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law." (Psalms 94:20)
Now that you know how strange my mind works, let me try and explain what went down. Those Jewish leaders were so worried about being defiled by going into a pagan place, worried that they would not be able to participate in the Passover, yet they were trying to get that same pagan governor to execute the real Passover Lamb. Talk about mischief, that is some really twisted stuff! It's a good thing that Jesus asked for the Father to forgive them, because they were working overtime on that twisted band of mischief; if they had not gotten the crowds worked up, it might not have been so easy to pull it off; except for the fact that it was God's will it be done! Crazy, yes, call me crazy if you like; but I have seen crazy stuff happen, and I have read it happened in the Bible too. Something else I forgot to mention was Elimelech's mistake to leave Bethlehem for Moab; it might have cost him his life, as well as the lives of his two sons, but was it God's will being worked out in his mistake? Or did God use his mistake to work into His perfect will? It's like Israel's request for a king; God's will was for Israel to have Him be their King; but had they not asked for the king, then they would not have had David rule over them. So, what is this craziness I am getting at? And what is the meaning of this stupid title, "Tug of War," and why is it anything to do with this verse? Honestly, I did not know. I just typed what spoke the loudest into my heart; several different titles were yelling out, but this one spoke the loudest. The way I see it, God's will is in the middle, like a big bowl of soup, God's fabulous recipe for His perfect will. Our choices we make are on either side of the bowl, and no matter what side gets pulled in, it gets added to His fabulous wonderful soup. Crazy, right? You ask any Pastor who has studied the Bible well enough to know, and they will tell you the one thing a Christian should not say, is, "I wish that had never happened." Romans 8:28 is always used to express consolations to the bad things we suffer through; things like losing a job or a home, as if doing so will actually mean that God's giving you a better job or a bigger home. That's not how it works! We are not called into our purposes, we are called into God's purpose; not our will, but God's will. And God's will is going to be done no matter what side of the bowl you fall in from...
"Don't be surprised if you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and if justice is being miscarried throughout the land. For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy. Even the king milks the land for his own profit! Those who have money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth -except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers! People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich seldom get a good night's sleep. There is another serious problem I have seen under the sun. Hoarding riches harms the saver. Money is put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one's children. We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can't take our riches with us." (Ecclesiastes 5:8-15) NLT

"Tug of War"

"Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?" (Psalms 94:20)
There are some mornings when I just want to stay in bed, this was one of them. Do you think it really matters how we ask God to forgive us? What are we guilty of when we sin? Is it that we have broken a law, or is it that we have been guilty of mischief? I forgot about sharing something about running red lights; not that I do it all the time, but from time to time, if I am sitting at a light all by myself, and there are no cars anywhere else in sight, then I will go; just because it's seems stupid to sit there are wait. Did I break the law in doing what I did? We might not get this right off the start, but it will eventually catch up with us. The word "mischief" is one that might take you by surprise, because it is not what you think. In the beginning, Adam and Eve disobeyed God's instruction before the law was actually given; the law was given through Moses, something like 2,500 years after the fall in the Garden. But that does not mean there was not a law, because the law was naturally established in the hearts of Adam and Eve. When they disobeyed God, they naturally felt ashamed and naked; thus, they hid themselves from God. This was something that took place in their own hearts, God had nothing whatsoever to do with it, because He had done nothing wrong. As a matter of fact, God had done nothing but good to them both; giving them everything that they could ever need. The problem with them, was that they wanted what God said that they could not have. That is what "mischief" is all about, toil and labor, trouble and weariness, sorrow and pain. It takes more effort to disobey God's instruction than it does to just obey what He says; we are not fighting God by our disobedience, we end up fighting ourselves. Don't you think that God's mercy is based more upon pity, and less upon something we have done against Him? What have we done to God by our disobedience? Have we brought harm upon Him, or is it that we have put harm upon ourselves? It's not like God does not know, so what He does not know won't hurt Him, does not work with Him. It's like running that red light, was I the only one who saw what I did? If no one else was around to see me do it, God saw it; for all I know, God may have been the one who wanted me to wait there and be patient. Think about that for a moment; because it took much more effort for me to go, when I if would have just relaxed and sit there waiting for the green light...
"Jesus' trial before Caiaphas ended in the early hours of the morning. Then he was taken to the headquarters of the Roman governor. His accusers didn't go inside because it would defile them, and they wouldn't be allowed to celebrate the Passover. So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, "What is your charge against this man?" "We wouldn't have handed him over to you if he weren't a criminal!" they retorted. "Then take him away and judge him by your own law," Pilate told them. "Only the Romans are permitted to execute someone," the Jewish leaders replied." (John 18:28-31) NLT

"Time To Know"

"In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul." (Psalms 94:19)
If you don't think that God has a sense of humor, think again. I love how He can take me from one extreme to the other, just because He loves to remind me how awesome He really is. Can you imagine what it might have been like for Adam to name all the animals? No, this is not a test, it's just my way of working around the obvious real question. Think about what might have went into the choice of names; what the animal looked like, it's feeding habits, maybe even the noise it made when it called out to a mate. I have got to wonder if Adam considered the animals Creator in the selection of a name, like maybe, What was God thinking when He made this strange looking thing? How about, Elephant? Do you get my point? Being in the type of business that I am in, you learn to appreciate the way God designed certain things to work out certain tasks; all the way down to the smallest little insect, everything seems to have a purpose, even the Ant. My primary target are Termites; not because I don't like Termites, because I do; it is just that my customers don't want Termites in their homes. If I could somehow instruct the Termites to not eat the houses, I would prefer to allow them to live; but that's not possible, because they have one purpose, to eat dead wood, and as long as people build houses with dead wood, they have no other choice than to do what they do. So, what's bugging you? Seriously, what makes you feel uneasy, and what gives you comfort? It might not seem a very reasonable thing to bring up, but it is the thing I believe God has put on my heart. Of all the things we think about, our jobs, our habits, our hardships; what is it that causes you to forget about all else and to experience something you cannot obtain through anything else? Yes, that is right! There is nothing better and more fulfilling than to experience God's mercy and love! It's like when you know how temporary your life really is, and then you realize that it's really not so; all because you are safe and secure in Christ! There really is nothing else that compares to that feeling! The word "comforts," although it might speak to pity and mercy, it mostly speaks to consolations. That might not mean much to someone who has never lost something near and dear, but it means something to me. Sometimes this life just takes and takes, and keeps on taking; so it's such a delight to know that there is a consolation round for those of us who have lost...
"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort. Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is steadfast knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation."
(2 Corinthians 1:3-7) KJV

"Time To Grow" -Too

"When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up." (Psalms 94:18)
It makes more sense when you try and actually live out the things your heart is telling you to do; there is a Helper inside to assist you, but you have got to yield your life to His instruction. I might not say everything well enough to justify the things I hear God speaking, but they are well enough for me to understand, so I will just leave it at that. The thing that I think matters the most in our relationship with our Heavenly Father, is to understand how much He wants us to want Him. He will not ever turn us away, not when we are asking Him to forgive us and have mercy upon us. What could possibly prevent us from asking for mercy? Shame might be part of the reason; but I think there is more to it than just that. If I had to put a label on it, let's say give it a name, it would be vanity. Vanity is not easy to detect, not when it's your own; we just don't want to admit it, so we can't even see it. James puts it into a pretty good perspective, saying, "But be ye doers of the word, and not just hearers only, deceiving your own selves." How do we deceive our own selves; by not doing what it is that we know God has spoken into our hearts. Plain and simple! If we really want to grow in the Lord, then we need to start doing all that He instructs us to do; even those things that might disrupt your way of living. If we are serious about being God's servant, then the real servant of God needs to grow up! Just so you know, this is me talking to myself, so don't think I am picking on anyone else, but the guy in the mirror. I am not getting any younger, that's for sure; so why do I keep thinking that there is plenty of time to get it together. That's a scary thought, now that I think of it. I don't think I want to be that servant who says, "My lord delayeth his coming." But, it might be something that comes with vanity, so I had better check into that a little more closely. No matter what might be the issue, I know that God is on my side! We can be assured of that on thing, that God is always willing to take you in, it's just us that must cry out for help...
"But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it." (James 1:22-25) NLT

"Time to Grow"

"When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up." (Psalms 94:18)
Getting back to why being as a child is important, here is one really good reason it pays to become small, there is always room to grow. It is also very important to keep our eyes wide open for any sign of being pulled into the world, if you get my drift. The odds are, we can find ourselves being taken off the path more than being on the path, only because there are so many ways to be stumbled. One thing is for sure, the more we trust in the Lord for direction, the more we will be ready for correction. If there is anything that I want to be surprised by, it's God doing something I never expected Him to do, not me finding myself somewhere I do not belong. Have you ever been there? It is really not that hard to do, you just need to feel the need, and before you know it you are there. The way I see it, God loves to demonstrate His ability to change our situation; we just need to give Him the opportunity by admitting we cannot do it on our own. We tend to think that it is our duty to clean ourselves up, as if God has required that we start removing things from our lives, one stupid idol at a time. Did you ever experience what it was like to clean out your closet as a kid? It was really hard to decide which toys to keep and which ones to get rid of; they all just seemed so important to certain areas of fun. It is God that cleans up our lives, not us. We have a part, it's called surrender and obedience; other than that, it is God that changes the heart of man! Something simple to do does not mean that it's easy, because most of the time it is not; but it is very simple. The key is to get out of God's way and let Him do what He wants to do; after all, He is the Potter, we are the clay. To understand what I am getting at, the word "mercy" has the greatest way of showing it. The most important thing that it speaks to is pity, as in having loving kindness towards the misfortunate or the weak. There is where God does some of His greatest work, when we are weak, and we know it. If we think we can handle things on our own, we are going to find ourselves in a very difficult spot. If we think that we know everything, God will show us how little we know. It is best just to remain humble and ready to learn. That is where we are the safest; that is where we find mercy...
""But as for you, Israel my servant, Jacob my chosen one, descended from Abraham my friend, I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, 'You are my servant.' For I have chosen you and I will not throw you away. Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand."" (Isaiah 41:8-10) NLT

"Living Proof "

"Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence." (Psalms 94:17)
Before you jump to any conclusion, let me be perfectly clear about one thing I have come to know and understand: God always gets His way, one way or another! It's really not a mystery how things happen, because they always happen for a reason; His reasons are not always obvious, but they are complete. You have no doubt heard the term, "Need to know basis," well, I'm not sure God's way of doing things is based upon that principle; His way is more like, "No need to know, just trust!" If we demand to know what and why, we will usually just be in for a bigger surprise than we otherwise would have experienced. That said, God gives us certain areas of interest and concerns, areas which may or may not be the final product of what we are looking for or expecting. One thing is for sure, what we are expecting is usually not what ends up happening; and what we hope to achieve is not always what God had in mind to happen. When we yield our lives to God's instruction, things seem to always fall into place; even the things which seem so out of place, are His way of letting us know that He is in control. Does that mean we never really have a choice? No, we always have a choice to do right and wrong, to turn left or right, to stay or go; but the funny thing is, our choices are only little variables in God's over all plan. Some people don't think that they really have a testimony worth telling, but that's not true; if we are governed by God, we need to open our eyes and count our many blessings. Once we can do that, we will see a testimony come to life, something to get excited about, maybe even something to shout about. You look for miracles to be shown, look inside your heart for the greatest miracle of all, God is in there waiting for you to experience His love...
"We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety. We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended upon God's grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially towards you." (2 Corinthians 1:8-12) NLT

"Out of Reach"

"Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?" (Psalms 94:16)
As I was praying over this mornings post, I could not help but think of David's inability to keep his own house in order. If you know the story, it would appear that his sin with Bathsheba had hindered either his judgment or his resolve; either way, he lacked the will to call out injustice within his own household. On the one hand, it ended up costing him the life of two sons, but on the other hand, it was pretty much the curse he had inherited. We often wonder how it is that God can allow bad things to happen to good people, as if there are really any of us that are actually good. Jesus was approached by someone, saying, "Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" But Jesus answered, "Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." (Matthew 19:16-17) Obviously the man thought he had kept all the commandments because he answered that he had; but Jesus did not get into a discussion over that, he simply cut right to the point, that the man loved money above all else, even eternal life. How is it possible for a camel to go through the eye of a needle? I mean, if it were possible, how could it be done? Either it would need to be a very large needle, or a very small camel; but either way, Jesus summed it up by saying, "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26) In reality, God just needs us to show up and be available; everything else is all up to Him. If anyone lacks what it takes to make a difference for God, it's not because God does not want to use your life, it's because you really don't think you are worthy enough to be used, or you don't really want to be. What could possibly be holding you back? Fear of giving up what you have is the primary reason; it was for the rich man who asked Jesus what good thing he should do for eternal life; he could not imagine what his life might be without all of his wealth. I can't begin to tell you how many times I have turned down the ministry to pursue building a business or because work was more important. When questioned, I always had an answer, as I still do now, saying, "I must care for my wife," and then I quote Paul's words from 1 Corinthians 7:32-33. Okay, I see that there is really none of us that are out of reach from God. If God would have us minister for Him, then He makes us His ministers, whether we like it or not; one way or another, you are going to get used for His Kingdom; whether your a brick in the wall, or the mortar, you are never really out of reach...
""Anyone who isn't with me opposes me, and anyone who isn't working with me is actually working against me. "So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven -except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come. "A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you."" (Matthew 12:30-37) NLT

"Radar Love"

"But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it." (Psalms 94:15)
Not your average castaway, that is for sure! A true castaway is someone who is dependent upon someone finding them and being found; but not us, because we were never really lost. Our situation is more about having not asked! James says, "yet ye have not, because ye ask not." (James 4:2b) Our loving Father is in the business of restoration and redemption; He loves to forgive us of our sins and trespasses. More than that, He loves make something good out of something that is bad, something alive out of something dead, something righteous out of something that is horribly wicked. That's what grace is really all about: it is God's way of making us righteous, which means that we have been given a right standing with Him. We hear people quote Paul's famous two verses from his letter to Ephesus, the ones which say, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast;" but it does not stop there. In the very next verse, Paul continues the narrative in total agreement with what James says in his letter, another famous verse, "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2:26) Although James way of saying things cuts right to the point, Paul has more of a spiritual way of saying things, and he makes it all seem more God ordained than practical. Observe: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." In other words, Paul is saying that the works we should be walking in, are those things that have been preordained to bring Him glory. It's not about us doing to complete our salvation, or even to show forth righteousness; it's all about bringing glory to God through the lives we have been given in Christ. Now about that title: it might appear outdated, but the general idea is still the same; we are to be governed by love and reconciliation, the two things that bring us back to God and make our hearts break for those that are separated from God. It might not be a radar that does it, but it is the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit is what guides us, not only back to the Father, but to those who need reconciliation. Those are the preordained works that God has in store for us, to be about His business; whether that is planting, watering, or bring in the harvest; it's all about bringing glory to Him! If we are a castaway and feel alone and worthless, it's only a matter of asking to be taken off your island and to be used as you were meant to be used...
"Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.") No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow -not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below -indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35-39) NLT

"The Castaway"

"For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance." (Psalms 94:14)
I have not seen this coming, so please forgive me if I must say something bold and out of line. The Lord has said, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you," so why then do we get to a point now and then when we might feel alone? As I was thinking of that, I was reminded of what it was like as a child, those times when I felt alone, even though my parents were in the very next room. Yes, you have figured it out, right? It was those times when I felt ashamed over something that I had done. Maybe it was something that I had said, like saying, "I hate you," or "I wish I was never born." The kind of stuff that is hard to take back, and is usually not something a spanking will be used to erase; although, at the time, I think I had wished a spanking could have been administered, at least then I might not have felt so ashamed and alone; because the silence in the other room was killing me! Thinking back to it now, I believe the thing needed was for me to say that I was sorry and to ask for their forgiveness. No, more then that, I needed to plead for their forgiveness! That might not sound as though it relates to this verse, but from the vision the Lord has given me, it not only relates, it is the perfect picture for why we feel alone sometimes, as if the Lord has forsaken us. He has not, and will not forsake us! He said that He would not, so you can count on it being true. If we might feel alone and forsaken, then it's because we have somehow forsaken Him. There are many different ways that we could have done such a thing, and the easiest way is usually the hardest to admit. Maybe it was not even our fault, but merely a freak circumstance where we failed to speak up when we know that we should have spoken; or a chance encounter which we insisted to walk away from. Those are the kind of things we can hardly take back, because they usually don't happen again, at least not as it would in that moment. And yet, here we find ourselves, a castaway on some deserted island, as it were; as if the tide washed us there, or maybe we were shipwrecked, or went to sleep only to find ourselves washed up somewhere where we are alone and afraid. You know where this is going, I know that you do! You remember the original Willy Wonka movie, with the part where they were in the boat, all freaking out by the images and things that were being said; and all of the sudden, they were safe and secure, docked to the shore. Well, that can be our reality, with something said! Our mistakes are God's opportunities; we do not have to remain a castaway, because He is our refuge and strength, and He is only a pray away...
"What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one -for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one -for Jesus Christ died for us and was raised to life for us, and is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us." (Romans 8:31-34) NLT

"Lighter Side of Life"

"That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked."
(Psalms 94:13)
Some people actually like adversity, because it causes them to drawn closer to God, and it keeps them from slipping into being comfortable with this life; almost too comfortable, if you get what I am talking about. I might be leaning in that direction, only because I know how all to well how easy it is to go from just dwelling on this world, to actually becoming a world dweller. There is a difference between the two; and the most dangerous place for us to be, is the place where we don't realize the difference. Whether it be trial or chastisement, it is all temporal; no matter how hard it might hurt, or how difficult things might become, this tiny little space of time comes nowhere close to comparing with the eternity that awaits us in heaven. It's just a little blip on the radar screen, we wont even realize it was there; especially not the suffering and the heartache felt in this life, because God will remove every tear and every horrible experience that we ever knew. I think Paul was that kind of a person who liked adversity, not that he enjoyed getting beat or stoned or thrown in jail, but being the one who was hated by the religious and the worldly, meant that he was on the right side; he was serving the Lord and not aliened with the world. I think he considered it an honor to be at odds with those who hated to hear the name of Jesus. One thing is for sure, he knew what he was up against; and no one needed to remind him of how important it was to stand his ground. If there was any way to describe the "rest" being spoken of in the verse above, the ability to live like Paul lived would come very close to that description. In the simplest terms, it would mean to be undisturbed. If you have ever been disturbed by something you have felt is out of your control, then you might have some slight understanding of what it might have felt like to have been undisturbed during that event, especially now that the event has passed. We can really get pretty worked up over some of life's trial and circumstances; but imagine how much easier they would all be if you could have peace in the midst of every one, by knowing full well it's all in God's hands. Isn't that interesting how easy that is to make it work? It's like flipping on a switch! I can make it my problem, or I can give it to God...
"Yes we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you. But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, "I believed in God, so I spoke." We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. All of this is for your benefit. And as God's grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things that we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." (2 Corinthians 4:11-18) NLT

"Hands On Relationship"

"Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law;" (Psalms 94:12)
I thought about not breaking 12 & 13 up, but after reading this verse in the NLT, I decided it would need special treatment. Having been walking with the LORD for going on 36 years, I have had enough experience with what discipline and trials look like; but the one thing that they have in common, is that you are never really out of God's control and care. Trials are usually things that are brought on by adversity and attacks from the enemy; which, whether we know it or not, those trials are allowed by God. He might not wish them upon us; no parent would ever wish that their child would have to suffer through anything that brings pain and suffering; and our God is a loving Father who does not allow anything to happen that He does not feel we can be strengthened by. That said, it has been my experience, after having been in leadership in the church for twenty years, that those who do not come out of a trial better than they went into one, are usually people that were not right to begin with; they usually were those who were trusting in God for the wrong reasons, whether that be for blessings in their business, or with their family, or maybe just wanting to be a better person. Those are nice things to look forward to, but they are not why we are called to give our lives to the Lord. We have given our lives to the Lord, primarily because God loves us, gave Himself for us, and has given us eternal life, in that order; putting all things aside, it is His love for us that matters the most, that is what He has demonstrated by sending His Son to die on that cross. Discipline is all God's doing, and He does it because He wants to teach us instruction! I heard a message yesterday by Pastor Alistair, in which he spoke about all those counties in the world today where it is illegal to discipline your children; and we here in the United States are not quite there yet, but we are very close. Meantime, you have children that talk back to their parents, boss their parents around, and some even physically hurt or kill their parents if they don't get what they want. It all comes down to a simple thing called fear in the form of reverence; if there is no discipline, then there is no reverence for instruction; it's all just gripping and complaining without reason. When I was growing up there was a reason we did not do what we were told not to do, and it usually came in the form of a spanking...
"And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, "My child, don't make light of the LORD'S discipline, and don't give up when he corrects you. For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child." As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn't discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all." (Hebrews 12:5-8) NLT

"Outside and Inward"

"The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity." (Psalms 94:11)
I wish I could say that I have it all together, but that would be a lie. If I could, I would do so many things over again; but that's not how life works. That said, God is such a Great Redeemer! If we have failed and messed up our lives, God is the one we need to undo the mess! Taking a look at what this word "vanity" means, it a little hard to put it into words; or anything else, for that matter, mostly because there is no way of holding onto it. If you really stop and think about it, it's a lot like how the Holy Spirit might work in our lives, He is not stored up within us, He is poured out and into us. That might explain why we get so weak after experiencing something great and powerful of God; we tend to count on that experience to carry us onward and through another challenge or trial; but that was for then and there, not for here and now. There is really only one way that we can be ready in season and out of season, and that is to be totally dependent upon God's Spirit to be at work in us. If we are going to try and store up some of that power for another day, we are going to be quite disappointed by the result of our ability to overcome or have success. "Not by power, nor by might, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts." (Zechariah 4:6) We can never try and bottle up the Spirit of God; we can never depend upon the strength we think that we might have within us, because the strength comes not from within, but from without; without, meaning that it is not by any power or strength that we might think that we have been given, but totally and completely dependent upon God. As soon as we think we have got it within us to do this or that, we are setting ourselves up for something that is going to hurt us; maybe not physically hurt, but it sure will teach us a lesson. Hopefully the lesson will be one that we receive and learn by; but base upon my experience, our stubbornness will bring us to another lesson, again and again. Ultimately, to love God and others the way that we should, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit, continually! I can never come to the point where I have somehow now been enlightened or I am now somehow at a point where I can love God and others as I should; it just does not work that way. I do a lot of driving, and I wish I could fill my tank up and go further than my car says that I can go, but it usually ends up being less. As a matter of fact, once it get down to around 50 miles or so, it seems after 20 my car wants me to stop for gas. I am constantly thinking to myself that I should be able to go another 30, but I am also thinking that I might soon run out. To try and put it another way: It is only by God's Spirit that we are going to make it work; whether it is loving others and God, or it is preaching a message, the power and strength needed to do anything God wants to us to do, must come from God, it is not of our own...
"The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. As the Scriptures say, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent." So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world's brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it's all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God's weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength." (1 Corinthians 1:18-25) NLT

"Inside Out" -Too

"He that chastiseth the heathen, shall he not correct? He that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?" (Psalms 94:10)
Maybe you might have been thinking that yesterday's post was nothing to do with this verse, and that it does not speak to the closing verse, that one from John 6:45, especially? Well let's clarify a couple of things that either you failed to witness or I failed to make clear; first and foremost, this verse is one that speaks to each and every one of God's children, that includes you and me! Inside Out is not a title that talks just about our personal issues, it speaks of the whole congregation as a whole, and then presents exposure to the individual child that we are or are not, based upon the way we see our relationship with the Lord. I wish that I could claim that I was innocent of such things, but I am so guilty, I can't even imagine how many times I have judged someone without knowing anything about them. Don't pretend you don't know what I am talking about, because we all do it in some form or fashion; no pun intended. Imagine what you were at your worst, and then judge yourself the same way you might judge someone else. Is that the way that you want God to view you? Is that what you want others to see when they look at you? Of course not! We want to be seen for the goodness that might be within us; which is exactly what God sees when He looks at His children. You know I have said this before, but I will say it again; my mother never said anything bad about me when she spoke of me as her son, never! Even after all the terrible things I did, all the ways that I disappointed her and totally disrespected her love for me, she always only spoke of the good things that I did. Frankly, I was always ashamed at her doing so; but I was also reminded of the things I could be capable of doing well. "Heathen," as used in this application, is speaking of people as a whole, much like you might speak of a nation or the world at large. Whether you realize this or not, we are all on this earth together; some of us dwell on the earth, and some of us are earth dwellers. Either way, we are all judged by the same God! Long story short; If God is going to judge a nation, the good along with the bad, how much more will He judge the actions of His children? If God is going to give you the knowledge of where you are in relationship with Him, how much more will He know how you judge the relationship others have with Him? It's really a pretty small planet that we live on, if you really stop and think about it. If God can see the hearts of every single person on this earth, He can surely see every intention of our heart...
""In this way, I will demonstrate my glory to the nations. Everyone will see the punishment I have inflicted on them and the power of my fist when I strike. And from that time on the people of Israel will know that I am the LORD their God. The nations will then know why Israel was sent away to exile -it was punishment for sin, for they were unfaithful to their God. Therefore, I turned away from them and let their enemies destroy them. I turned my face away and punished them because of their defilement and their sins."" (Ezekiel 39:21-24) NLT

"Inside Out"

"He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? He that teacheth man knowledge, shall he not know?" (Psalms 94:10)
If I offended anyone, it was not my intention, it was only to wake you up; only if you truly are a believer, but have reservations in your heart about God's ability to see and hear you. Just so you know, the message went very well, and my best parts were the ones that were unscripted. Those were the moments when I let the Holy Spirit take over, and I could actually hear gasping in the audience. Not sure if they were gasping at my composure or my message, because there were moments when I was getting quite emotional. At one point, I needed to cover my face and quietly say, "God, please help me!" I could feel a ton of emotion building up inside of me; so much so, that I could actually feel the message forming within my heart, and it had to come out! When I finished, most of the church stood up and clapped; not quite sure if that meant they like it, or that they were happy it was over. I did go about ten or so minutes over, so I am sure they were relieved. The only thing that I regret is that no one came forward; because if I would have been in their place, I know that I would have been one of the first. Maybe that's it; maybe I should have put my own self down on the floor, begging for God's forgiveness; maybe then it might have given permission to those holding back. It was more than just an alter call, it was about Redemption; the kind of Redemption where you can actually trust God with every single part of your life, even the parts that don't make sense, the parts that might have been terribly ugly, and the parts where you feel you made your biggest mistakes. There were two major things I took away from those unscripted moments; the first was trying to impart a little taste of Ruth's love for her mother-in-law. I gave the example of when Abraham first truly believed God was going to give him a son through Sarah; God did that by giving Abraham the vision of his descendants being held in captivity. Once his heart broke for those children, those children became a reality in his heart; they were no longer a distant dream or a hope, they were now part of him and what he cared for. The other; well, let's just say, it is still sinking in. I started out the message by saying how wrong it was for Elimelech to leave God's house for the land of the ungodly, and how we all have made such similar mistakes. But I finished by saying, "Our mistakes, are God's opportunities!" Sure, there are consequences for the mistakes that we make, but God takes our stupid mistakes and turns them into His wonderful plans. We cannot plan our lives better than God can; we cannot recover our loses better than God replaces them; and we surely cannot know what is best for ourselves, better than God knows what is best for our eternity...
"But Jesus replied, "Stop complaining about what I said. For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. As it is written in the Scriptures, 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.) "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. Yes, I am the bread of life! Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh."" (John 6:43-51) NLT

"Hear Me, See Me"

"He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? He that formed the eye, shall he not see?" (Psalms 94:9)
I know, it's a little corny; at least here at the start, but I promise, it gets better. Here is something I find very interesting about how this all plays out, not that it hasn't been interesting so far, but the more I think about my childhood, the more I realize how believable things were to me. Things like the stork that delivered babies, or the old man under a bridge the stole children; okay, maybe that one was true, but I think you get my point. My granny once told me not to rock a rocking chair without anyone in it, or that I would be rocking a ghost; and I believed it! How about the one where you sneeze, you know, the whole demon entering your soul thing; that's why I was told we say, Bless You, whenever anyone sneezes. One thing is for sure, there is no playing Hide-And Seek with God; there is no whispering soft enough where He cannot hear you. We might think He cannot see or hear us, but not only are we wrong, we are dead wrong! No, literally; if you do not think that He sees you or hears you, then you are still dead in your sins, period! There is no argument that you can come up with to counter what I just said; I don't care what you've been told or how often you've heard it, if you actually think that God does not see your every waking or sleeping moment, and that He does not hear every breath that comes out from your mouth, then you seriously do not have everlasting life, and you are still dead in your sins. How can I say that, you might wonder? Where's the proof of what I just said? Romans 10 is a good place to start, if you are really interested in finding out. How can we confess our sins to a God that cannot hear? Why would we have felt ashamed before a God that cannot see us? Maybe the Bogeyman is real, because he's hiding in your closet! You cannot hide from God, nor can you speak anything that He does not hear! If you think that you can, then you don't know the God that can save your soul! And I'm not sorry to have said that, because you have got to know that it's true. That's typically what becoming like a child might be for you, to believe what the Bible tells you, no matter what the grownups might say, or the older school kids, for that matter. It's called putting your faith in a God that is big enough and powerful enough to actually save you, even if you let go of that root...
""Am I a God who is only close at hand?, says the LORD. "No, I am far away at the same time. Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all heaven and earth?" says the LORD." (Jeremiah 23:23-24) NLT  

"Combustible" -2

"Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?" (Psalms 94:8)
It is actually a good thing to think ourselves inadequate to keep God's law; at least that way we can begin to approach God with a right attitude. The "fools" are just that, foolish! Some might call them silly, some might call them simpletons; while others might call them down right stupid. All in all, a fool is someone who is just too arrogant to learn, no matter how many times they keep repeating the same mistakes, they believe their way is the easiest way, so that's the way they will get it done. The thing about God's way, is that God's way is usually going to be the hardest; not because it is actually hard, as in labor-intensive, but it requires letting go of our ways and letting God do the heavy lifting. It's a lot like that guy who is hanging from that root on the side of the cliff; the one in a conversation with God. He asked, "Can you help me?" and God says, "Yes." Then he asked, "Will you help me?" and God says, "Yes." Then he says, "What must I do?" and God says, "Let go of that root!" To which the man answers, "Is anyone else up there!" As I am preparing for the message tomorrow, I feel God speaking to me about the things we choose to place in our lives that get in the way of God's ways. If there is one particular portion of Scripture that I believe God is speaking through, it is Ruth 1:16-17. That is where I believe we see the beginning of wisdom, complete and honest surrender; the kind that literally says, 'No matter what happens, even if I die, I will not leave your side!' It might not be the easiest choice to make, but it is the choice that best demonstrates the love God is looking for in His children. And strangely enough, that kind of love is not easily offended or easily quenched. It is not, because that love is placed in a Redeeming God, a God that can actually turn things around, and a God that can actually bring the dead back to life; if that's what it takes, He's the one who can do it! For Ruth, she could have taken the easy way, as did Orpah; because Naomi did make a pretty strong case why they should not go back to Bethlehem with her. For one, the people of Moab were enemies with Israel, and for another, they would be leaving the land where they could be loved and cared for. But Ruth would have nothing to do with it; she was determined to go with Naomi, even if it meant her life would be threatened, or worse, she had her trust put in the God of Israel, the LORD! When that takes place in our lives, we are no longer combustible, not even in a fiery furnace...
"Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. But -"When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life."" (Titus 3:3-7) NLT

"Combustible"

"Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?" (Psalms 94:8)
We really cannot make anyone see where they are headed, it's only by the power of the Holy Spirit that anyone can truly understand the truth. This is where I believe that our prayers matter most, in the area of spiritual warfare, and to intercede on behalf of those who have their hearts blinded. There is nothing new for be to be stubborn; I have been that way all of my life, I doubt that I will change now. But I truly believe God can use my stubbornness for His glory, just as long as I am stubborn in His ways and in His judgments. Here is where we need to take some accurate accounting, in the area of judgment, God's judgment! Did anyone miss the part about being judged? We will all be judged, even those that have been given eternal life in Christ. We might not be judged along with the dead, but we will be judged by Christ; not for the things that we did, but for the things we did not do. Oddly enough, those who served Jesus did so without really keeping account of their service; while those that did not, really thought they served Him well. It's really quite interesting how the heart works; we can think we are serving the Lord faithfully, but if it's being counted and kept track of, as in, notches in our belts or ribbons on our mantel, then it's really all for nothing. Funny thing about love, besides never keeping a record of being wronged, it also never keeps a record of doing right; it is right because it is the right thing to do. The word "brutish" has some very interesting characteristics, like to burn, be kindled, consumed; things like what it means to we waste, as in worth not much at all. It's a lot like that salt Jesus spoke of that has no flavor, it's not even worth being used in rubbish. In the parable of the "Talents," the wicked servant was the one who buried the talent, instead of, at the very least, he should have shared it; because we can only keep what we give away. That is what God's economy is all about! If you want to gain your life, then give your life away...
""Jeremiah, say to the people, "This is what the LORD says: "'When people fall down, don't they get up again? When they discover they're on the wrong road, don't they turn back? Then why do these people stay on their self-destructive path? Why do the people of Jerusalem refuse to turn back? They cling tightly to their lies and will not turn around. I listen to their conversations and don't hear a word of truth. Is anyone sorry for doing wrong? Does anyone say, "What a terrible thing I have done"? No! All are running down the path of sin as swiftly as a horse galloping into battle! Even the stork that flies across the sky knows the time of her migration, as do the turtledove, the swallow, and the crane. They all return at the proper time each year. But not my people! They do not know the LORD'S laws.'"" (Jeremiah 8:4-7) NLT

"Inconcievable" -Too

"Yet they say, The LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it." (Psalms 94:7)
As far as that controversial Scripture goes, what makes it controversial is that the man appears to be cheating his master in order to gain favor with his master's debtors. I often wondered at what point the man knew he was getting let go, until I realized that the parable involved two separate worlds, two separate masters. Our old nature is to be reckoned dead in Christ, so if we are still having some serious issue with sinning, we should reckon there is something missing in our ability to reckon the old man has died. Otherwise, it is just a matter of us stopping from serving that old master, the one we somehow think we owe something to, and get on serving our new Master and start storing up treasure in heaven! Anywho, it is totally inconceivable that we can have any power at all, if we do not believe that God is All-Powerful and All-Knowing. Better yet, I will take this to a greater level than that, by saying, It is inconceivable that we can really love God if we do not believe that He personally loves us; which, by the way, means that He is watching and caring for us personally and with great expectation. It has got to be personal! Here is something very interesting, and I am not quite sure to make of it; but the NLT has the verse above saying, "and besides, the God of Israel doesn't care." In the footnotes it say, "Hebrew of Jacob. See note on 44:4." I am not sure that I am in agreement with that, because the way I understand the writings, Jacob is more that just another name, it represents the Redemption on so many different levels. Jacob was the name of a swindler and of a heal catcher; one who was a deceiver, one who was second but would be counted as first; one who was dependent upon Another to make it into the Kingdom. That pretty much sums up who we really are and why we need to be called Israel, governed by God! We can only truly be governed by God if we believe that God is watching and caring over our lives, personally! If we are speaking about a nation, then it's one thing; but God is calling us individually, and as such, we are responsible for what we do on our own. I guess you could say, if we are not phased by the leadership not thinking God is watching or caring what they do, then we have some serious issues with what we believe God can do, not only in our church, but in our own lives. Now, regarding that parable: There is one thing and one thing only that matters in the Kingdom of God, getting people saved. Now let me ask you this, What does getting saved have to do with releasing of debts? When you really get right down to it, we are still in debt, but the debt that we owe now is not our own; our debts have been paid, and at such a great price; but there are so many more people that need some debt relief. I guess you could say, that is what it means to be about our Father's business...
"One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. "There was a judge in a certain city," he said, "who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly saying, 'Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.' The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, 'I don't fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I'm going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!'" Then the Lord said, "Learn a lesson from the unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don't you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he on the earth who have faith?"" (Luke 18:1-8) NLT  

"Inconceivable"

"Yet they say, The LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it." (Psalms 94:7)
If there is one thing that I have harped on again and again, it is the power we can not walk in because we do not live according to belief. There really is no secret about our ability to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit being based upon our yielding to the power of the Spirit in our lives. If we don't yield to the Spirit, we don't experience the power that He gives us, in so many areas of our lives. Here is a really good example: if you want to be able to perform miracles, such as laying hands on someone and assisting in the healing of that person, then you must be a miracle! In other words, you are not going to receive the gifts of the Spirit if you have not yielded to and have been transformed by the Spirit. It's one thing to have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, it's something altogether more powerful to be walking in the Spirit and yielding to the power of the Holy Spirit. Personally, I believe this verse is key to what causes us to not yield to the Spirit, and to loose out on so much of what the Lord wants to do in and through us. Here is the way I have come to understand how this works. If we are to walk in faith, faith is only as powerful as what we put our faith in. If our faith is in a God who does not see, nor does He really have any regard for what we do, then that same faith is going to be the basis of how we feel about His protection and promises over our lives. It might seem a little scary, but I really do believe that there is some merit to how it works. There is a lesson in something Jesus shared about a very controversial parable, in Luke 16:1-13; the main point of that message I would like to focus upon is verses 10 and 13, where Jesus speaks about being faithful in the little things, and then He concludes with, "No servant can serve two masters." I truly do believe that there is a process involved with our ability to overcome the sin in our lives; especially that sin that so easily causes us to stumble. That process begins by yielding to the Holy Spirit! It's really quite simple, it's just hard to make it a habit; especially when we have gone so long not doing what we should. It's really not a question of trying to not do the things that we should not be doing; it's really just about yielding to the Holy Spirit, and then we find ourselves no longer wanting to do the things we should not do, and it becomes easier and easier the more that we yield our lives to Him. Pretty soon, miracles are no longer out of the question, because now you do not question the power of God in your life...
"Then he brought me to the door of the Temple courtyard, where I could see a hole in the wall. He said to me, "Now, son of man, dig into the wall." So I dug into the wall and found a hidden doorway. "Go in," he said, "and see the wicked and detestable sins they are committing in there!" So I went in and saw the walls engraved with all kinds of crawling animals and detestable creatures. I also saw the various idols worshipped by the people of Israel. Seventy leaders of Israel were standing there with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan in the center. Each of them held an incense burner, from which a cloud of incense rose above their heads. Then the LORD said to me, "Son of man, have you seen what the leaders of Israel are doing with their idols in dark rooms? They are saying, 'The LORD doesn't see us; he has deserted our land.'" (Ezekiel 8:7-12) NLT

"Broken Lives"

"They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless." (Psalms 94:6)
It might not be what you were expecting; but neither was I, at least not like this. We sometimes do more harm than good, but it's not really up to us to change someone's heart; all we can do is it be available for God to use in any given situation. A friend of mine will be teaching at his home church this Sunday, and he's going to be teaching about when Elijah stayed with the widow whom God had commanded to sustain him. I am sure that God has placed a very powerful message within the context of that story, after all, any portion of Scripture has the Gospel message threaded within it, somehow and someway. Anywho, about today's verse. As I was trying to get this message figured out, I was reminded about the little hiccup back in verse three, "the wicked" repeated in such an unusual way, almost as if to ponder the degree of wickedness and if it relates too close to home. I seem to recall a similar message delivered in a garden late at night, one that might be familiar to each of us on so many different levels. Don't ask me why I believe it was in a garden that this took place, I just assumed that this was where Jesus loved to hang out at night, praying to the Father; but wherever it was, it was very close to the Temple. After all, wasn't in a garden where the fall of man took place? It seems only fitting that Jesus would prefer a garden to anywhere else to meet and fellowship with the Father. But, here you have a situation where someone who thinks he has it all together, only to find out, he is nowhere close to where he needs to be spiritually. I am talking about Nicodemus, a man of the Pharisees, a ruler of the Jews. Here we see a man that has spent his whole life serving God, but has no clue who God really is, or what it takes to actually be in fellowship with God. Not that we have never been in that situation ourselves, because every one of us where prior to being born again. But this man was somewhat different, being a religious man that he was; it is those who feel that they have it all together that are the hardest to reach with the Gospel Message; it is those that believe they have the answers that cannot see the truth. Do you know why Jesus spoke in parables? Those that do not think they are sick, do not seek a Physician; and those that do not feel that they are broken, do not look to be healed. Those who are looking for the answer for their real spiritual needs, will usually find it; especially if they are looking in the right direction...
""Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to the Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies. "But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes. He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifice to the LORD. Then once more the LORD will accept the offerings brought to him by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as he did in the past. "At that time I will put you on trial. I am eager to witness against all sorcerers and adulterers and liars. I will speak against those who cheat employees of their wages, who oppress widows and orphans, or who deprive the foreigners living among you of justice, for this people do not fear me," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies." (Malachi 3:1-5) NLT

"Broken Promises" -To

"They break in pieces thy people, O LORD, and afflict thine heritage." (Psalms 94:5)
There is really nothing worse than accepting the lie regarding God's ability to forgive us regardless of how many times we have let Him down. Of all the many tricks the devil would like to pull on us, this one is the one that causes more and more saints to leave the church in search of something to get lost in; whether that might be the world or some sort of religion, it causes them to leave the basic Gospel Message because it just did not work for them. It's a pretty sad day when that happens, because the message of the Gospel is not based upon our performance in any promise we might have made to God. Who told us we were to make promises that we cannot keep? You want to promise your wife that you will do this or that, that's one thing; but telling God you are not going to sin anymore, that might just cause God to chuckle, but it sits us up for some major disappointment in ourselves. Here is the deal with the way this Covenant works: God makes the promise to us, we just need to accept His promise, believing with all of heart that His promise is true and for us, personally! You know that saying, "He's so heavenly minded, he's no earthly good," well that's the ticket a perfect relationship with God. When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, He was at His weakest, yet He did not give in to temptation because He was heavenly minded; in other words, nothing the devil had to offer Him mattered because it did not compare to the glory of heaven. Besides that, He had a relationship with the Father that could not be compromised, He knew full well that the devil just needed Him to make one mistake, just one. I hope you see the picture that paints for you and me, because we do not have the honor of being in that position. Nor does God expect us to even pretend that we are, because we are sinners saved by grace, not saved by grace so that we won't be sinners; we are going to sin, it's just a matter of when, but it's going to happen as long as we are in these bodies of flesh and bones. We are not perfect, but Jesus was! He who had no sin, died so that we could be counted sinless before God! That was the promise God made, that He would take away our sins; which included all of our sins, those we committed yesterday, today, and even tomorrow. In the light of all of that, we have an obligation, to be God's possession! That is what being a child of God is all about, we are His "heritage," His possession, inherited into His kingdom for ever and ever, based upon His promise, not our own...
"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 hearts 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 toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:1-10) NLT 

"Broken Promises"

"They break in pieces thy people, O LORD, and afflict thine heritage." (Psalms 94:5)
Yes, this is the part where we discover how weak we really are; and it's not because we make the wrong choices, at least not on the surface; it's because we have not yet learned how to say no to the wrong choices. You know that old slogan from the 80's, Just Say No; well, that's pretty much the issue of our heart, saying no means not doing something that we still want to do! It really only comes down to that one simple choice, not a big long list of choices. We can make it out to be something that it's really not meant to be, because the only real choice that we have been given, is to just obey. That's all that Adam had been given, one simple choice, "Don't eat from that one tree!" Every other tree in the garden was okay to eat, just don't eat from the one God said not to eat from. That is simple enough, Right? Okay, so maybe it's really harder than we think; after all, we are pretty much like sheep when it comes to making the right choices, we go astray and like to wonder off into greener pastures. Joshua made a promise, it happened to be in his farewell address, but it was still just one simple promise: "As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." He did not really get into the details of how he was going to make that work; but he didn't really need to, because soon after that, he died. There really is no secret formula for success to following the Lord, except to purpose in our heart not to follow anything else! But it really is not that easy, because there are going to be days when we forget about the purpose; days when we purpose to be a fool; days when we forget God is watching every intention of our heart. When it comes right down to it, we seldom just fall by mistake. No, it's more like we sit ourselves up to fall by not sticking to the simple command to follow Jesus. Whether it's by sitting this one out, or it's by turning aside, if not just for a moment; a moment is all that it takes to get a taste of disobedience, and it's all downhill from there. This verse screams the devil, because this is what the devil is all about. He loves to break in pieces the Body of Christ; and he does so by causing division and strife; division caused by compromise and strife brought on by unforgiveness and hardened hearts. Here is what James was talking about in chapter 4 of his message to the church; and he summed up the cure with this simple solution: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Unfortunately, he keeps coming back, so we need to keep ourselves on guard; but it all starts with our submitting to God...
""Look, O mighty mountain, destroyer of the earth! I am your enemy," says the LORD. "I will raise my fist against you, to knock you down from the heights. When I am finished, you will be nothing but a heap of burnt rubble. You will be desolate forever. Even your stones will never again be used for building. You will be completely wiped out," says the LORD." (Jeremiah 51:25-26) NLT

"Between The Lines" -2

"How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?"
(Psalms 94:4)
It's really not just a matter of humility, but there must be a good amount of passion, otherwise we just become used up without a purpose. I want to believe that God does have a purpose for my life, and it is that belief that encourages me to stand, even though I might feel like sitting down, or just stay seated. Maybe I am speaking to the choir, but not without speaking to my own heart in the process. Here is another way that God works, in that He allows us to see our own mistakes as we seemingly help others through theirs. We really need to keep our eyes wide open, because none of us have it all under control; and as soon as we think that we do, we set ourselves up for a major defeat, and maybe even some hard lessons in humility. To keep with the message that I believe God is speaking, there are two main points to this verse; one is the way that someone speaks, while the other is the reason they think they can speak that way. Sure, we could look at this with the view of wicked people putting down people that belong to God, and people who think they are better than those who count on God for guidance; but in the area of what it takes to become as a child, there needs to be a little respect for being, not just a child, but a child of God. This is where I believe the passion comes from, from the fact that we are His child, we are given boldness; but it's not boldness just to be bold and outspoken, but it's boldness to have compassion and purpose. When it says, "all the workers of iniquity boast themselves," it is speaking about those who boast themselves being workers of iniquity. In other words, if you are going to boast yourself, then that is your reward, to boast yourself; but in the process of doing so, you snub your nose at God, thinking that you have strength and power on your own. The ax cannot chop on its own, and the saw will not saw on its own; neither will a child of God do the things of God on his own. Whether that is loving others, overcoming temptations, or just being the vessel you have been called to be, you are totally dependent upon God! That is all that I want to be, His child; needing Him for everything! Today, I pray for all those who will be attending the Men's Conference, including myself: God, speak into our hearts. Give us passion that has compassion for others and a boldness that has purpose for your Kingdom, as a child of that Kingdom. Amen...
"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) NLT

"Between The Lines"

"How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?"
(Psalms 94:4)
You might not understand some of the crazy things that I come up with, but you're not alone; I can hardly understand them myself, half the time. I just type what I am given; isn't that what God does, He gives things to do that don't quite make sense, because we need to witness His work, not our own. To the point of what I believe God is speaking into my heart this morning, it's pretty much about us becoming as humble as we can possibly be. I am not talking about being little cowards, or making ourselves out to be weak and afraid of our own shadows. No, this is more about being a 'subject.' In case you don't quite understand that, or why subject is even part of anything we are meant to be about, it's because we are meant to be about our Father's business, not our own. Isn't that really what it's all about? When we pick up our cross and follow Jesus, it's not to lift ourselves up onto a cross, as if we are meant for people to look upon, saying, "Wow, look at that guy, he sure is giving it all for Jesus." We are meant to be about our Father's business! Nothing that we do is to bring glory to ourselves, its all about bringing glory to God. Watching the movie, The Resurrection of Gavin Stone, for the second time, I noticed that there was something being said about becoming humble, not just for the sake of being humble, but for the purpose of being used by God. God cannot fully use your life if you are still trying to control the outcome. When God says, "I know the plans I have for you," His point being made in that, is that we are the subject of His plan, not our own plans. Part of me wants to only have notes for the first part of my message, a message titled, Meet David's Great-Grandparents. I feel God is telling me to start out with just a simple story of Ruth and Boaz, and then change things up to making the message about God's amazing redemption over a life given over to Him. Instead of having notes with the second part of my message, I thought I would just have Scriptures presented on the overhead, and one by one, let God speak through me. Sound's suicidal I know, but I feel it's what God is asking me to do. I am praying about it, because I truly don't want to let my friend down by messing things up; but I don't want to let God down either, by getting in the way of something that He wants to do. I keep thinking about what Pastor Jack said a few weeks ago, "You really don't want to hear God say, 'Okay, do it your way.'" Why wouldn't we want God's way? The main reason for that is because it's out of our control, and if there is one thing we want, it's to have a little control...
"After the Lord used the king of Assyria to accomplish his purpose on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, he will turn against the king of Assyria and punish him -for he is proud and arrogant. He boasts, "By my own powerful arm I have done this. With my own shrewd wisdom I planned it. I have broken down the defenses of nations and carried off their treasures. I have knocked down their kings like a bull. I have robbed their nests of riches and gathered up kingdoms as a farmer gathers eggs. No one can even flap a wing against me or utter a peep of protest." But can the ax boast greater power than the person who uses it? Is the saw greater than the person who saws? Can a rod strike unless a hand moves it? Can a wooden cane walk by itself? Therefore, the Lord, the LORD of Heaven's Armies, will send a plague among Assyria's proud troops, and a flaming fire will consume its glory. The LORD, the Light of Israel, will be a fire; the Holy One will be a flame. He will devour the thorns and briers with fire, burning up the enemy in a single night. The LORD will consume Assyria's glory like a fire consumes a forest in a fruitful land; it will waste away like sick people in a plague. Of all the glorious forest, only a few trees will survive -so few that a child could count them!" (Isaiah 10:12-19)NLT

"Not Long!"

"LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?" (Psalms 94:3)
At first, I thought it might have been a mistake; maybe a double-take, or possibly a stutter. But, if you think about it long enough, it turns out to be a pause; a slight pause, but pause enough to consider what is being asked, and just how far the question might be reaching. Okay, I will not toy with you any longer; because the primary fact of the matter is, we all can be just as wicked as the next guy, so it really comes down to, Who are the wicked? Basically, the wicked are those who are guilty of sin or the unrighteous; the two words are the same, there are just different degrees of wickedness. For some, the wickedness they might display is against man, as would be the case of those that would hate or try to destroy Israel. For others, it might be the wickedness they display against God, as is the case in every single person on this earth, at one time or another. Pretty much, that's it in a nutshell; we all fall short of being righteous in one way or another; if anyone could pull off righteousness, then Jesus would not have had to do what He did on that cross. But God, who knew beforehand that we would all fall short, had fashioned a way for mankind to become righteous; even though they did not have it in them to actually be righteous, God designed a way to make it happen, anyway! I was thinking of that verse from Psalms 103, Verse 12; you know, the one that says, "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." We could continue the debate, is it taking about distance or direction? Or, we could conclude that it's both! I would relate it to a 'U' that has two ends and a way traveled. The two ends represent a beginning and an end, both of which are at the same distance; the space between the two ends represent the direction, down and up. It's like this: when I got saved, back in 1981, I was saved completely; in other words, there was nothing more that needed to be done to assure that my salvation was complete. From that time until the day I leave this earth, I am being saved, God is working out my salvation within me. That does not mean my initial salvation is in doubt, because that salvation is not based upon what I did, doing, or will do, it's based completely on what Jesus did for me. The other end, my friends, represents my completion, which is no further away from the top than the day that I first began. Amen to that...
"But thank God! He made us his captives and continues to lead us in Christ's triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this? You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ's authority, knowing the God is watching us." (2 Corinthians 2:14-17) NLT

"God's Gaze"

"Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud." (Psalms 94:2)
Just in case you thought I was wrong, it turns out that humility is actually a real commodity in God's economy. If you are looking for a way to score points, then humility is going to be a trait you will need to develop; if you don't, then prepare to be humiliated. That's what I see happening here; not that it's not already evident within the text. However, when we take what is being said and apply it to the lesson being learned, there is something about our being a child that makes being humble so much more interesting. I'm not talking about blind faith, not really; God is never blind to what is going on; we on the other hand might be, but that's what makes it so fun, almost laughable. It's like, I can't wait to see what God's going to do next! What's He going to do with this trail? How's He going to work this one out towards the good? The blind part in all of that, is that sometimes we don't get to see the result of what God is doing, we can only trust He has it all worked out. In chapter 14 of Luke's Gospel, Jesus gives a teaching on humility; there are about five different areas that He deals with, but they all point to the same basic idea, having a servant's heart. The first one takes on the idea of putting life over tradition, as Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath day. It might not appear to be a teaching on humility, but it surely is the act that sparks the conversation. The basic point is that of putting the needs of others above your own, even if that might involve some kind of prosecution or inconvenience to our own lives or traditions. The second was that of not lifting yourself up, but choosing the lower seat that others might offer you a higher one. In God's economy, that means to not think of yourself as having something above anyone else, especially when it comes to spiritual values. Only God truly knows what's in a man's heart; and just because someone might remain silent does not mean that they don't know the answer; and just because a man does not shut up, does not mean that he has all the answers. It works the same for the seating at the wedding banquet, in that the one who either wants all the attention or thinks he deserves it, it that guy who takes the chief seat. The third was the parable of the Great Banquet, the one where a certain man made a great supper, but all those that he invited all made excuses why they could not show up. It does not take a whole lot of digging to see the lack of humility in that; as if whatever I have planned is for more important that what you have to offer. Matthew's Gospel bumps that parable up a notch, including the part about the "Wedding Garment." The way I have come to understand, the wedding garments were made available at the door for all the guest who entered, but the king saw someone within the banquet who did not have a wedding garment on; apparently, he did not feel as though he needed one, like maybe what he was wearing was good enough. The fourth one is about loving Jesus more than yourself. Not quite sure that I need to explain that, except to say that this where Jesus talks about "Counting the Cost." The fifth one is one that comes with a bite; it's short and sweet, but it packs a powerful punch...
""So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own. "Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand."" (Luke 14:33-35) NLT

"A Glimpse of God" -Too

"O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, show thyself." (Psalms 94:1)
I don't think that we want to be in that place of judgment, not unless we are willing to be judged ourselves. At least that's what I believe God is trying to say; if not for anyone listening, it is for me, and the way I think I have a right to judge anyone. I heard and interesting twist on killing yesterday, and because of when the message was delivered, I think it was quite fitting. It was J. Vernon McGee, and he was speaking about the Ten Commandments, and giving a description of the command, "Thou Shalt Not Kill." To hear him say it, it would appear that the message was given during the Vietnam War, because he spoke about the tension in our nation over being involved in something that we should not be participating in; let alone, drafting our sons to send them where they did not want to go. The main point of his message was about what the word "kill" actually means within the command; because the way he put it, it meant to take it personal, as in to kill because you have a personal hatred for someone or some people. It pretty much is in line with what Jesus said in Matthew 5:21-26, and if you can understand how important it is that God loves you, then you will cherish the ability we have been given to love our enemies. Basically, we are to be all about redemption; because we have been Redeemed, we should be representing our Redeemer, Christ Jesus. If you really want to make a change for the better, then you had better learn to love your enemies; never mind about loving each other, that should come naturally with the gift of the Holy Spirit. It's when we feel as though we have been wronged, that's when it matters the most, that's when the love of God needs to be made visible. We seriously do not want to be responsible for causing a future brother or sister to not see the love of God, not when it's our duty to be a good steward of the love we have been shown. It's more important than you might think; but it requires a little self-sacrifice in order to pull it off. If you want to know what Jesus meant when He said, "Take up your cross, and follow me," it was more about humility than it was about hang-ups. Which is pretty much in line with what Paul said, because it does not matter if you are hung right-side-up or up-side-down, if you don't have love, then it was all for nothing...
"If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:1-3) NLT 

"A Glimpse of God"

"O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, show thyself." (Psalms 94:1)
To be perfectly clear, no one can actually see God, and no one ever has, except Jesus Christ, who came down from heaven. Don't ask me how or why, because my way of thinking things out is not the answer that you seek. Besides, we should never take what anyone says as truth, not without checking the facts on our own to back them up. Yesterday I accepted a request to give a Mother's Day message at a local church, and on the one hand I am excited about it, but on the other, it kind of scares me to think about messing it up. I know what it is that God wants me to say, I just have not figured out how He wants me to say it. My message is going to be on the Book of Ruth. I thought I would start simply by making it out to be the story of the meeting of David's great-grandparents; and then turn it to the story of Redemption. And it's not just a story of Redemption of just Ruth and Naomi; it's the story of Redemption of a civilization, a wayward life, a way of life, and the entire world. God can redeem anyone that He wants to, provided they actually are willing to be Redeemed. One thing is for sure, when God redeems a life, that life is going to be Redeemed; every single bit of it! Paul wrote this simple little promise, in Philippians 1:6, saying, "Being confident of this one thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." Sometimes we might not realize that God is working in our lives, and sometimes we might feel as though He has given up on us altogether; but you can count on this, God never gives up on His children! God has said it Himself through His prophet Jeremiah, saying, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." (Jeremiah 29:11) I like the NLT version of that verse, because it gives the verse more purpose and delivery: "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." You know, Abraham doubted that God would fulfill His promise, that was until God put the future of his descendants within his heart and mind. It was after God had signed the covenant with Abraham, when He gave Abraham a glimpse of the children of Israel held captive in Egypt for four hundred years. Sometimes it just takes a little glimpse of what the future will hold, in order to get us to put our full faith in God; just a little glimpse...
"Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken away from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever. So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised." (Hebrews 10"32-36) NLT