"Unrelenting"

"The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee." (Psalms 102:28)
I closing, there is much to be said about being overwhelmed and pouring out a complaint to God; if anything, it is refreshing and causes us to start counting our blessings. The goodness of God far outweighs the bad of this life, we just need the right perspective; maybe even a little more light on the situation, and the darkness tends to be less visible. We might have something to complain about; it's really not that uncommon for children to complain; most newborn babies will naturally do it by crying as soon as they do not feel satisfied or comfortable. Even the children of Israel complained about everything, even the manna; there seemed to be no way to satisfy their desire for the comforts of Egypt. That said, God's goodness is still unrelenting; even though we complain, God is still filled with passion and love; He will still do whatever it takes to get us through to the other side; if for no other reason, than because He said that He would! There is nothing more sacred and true than the Word of God; Psalms 138:2 says, "for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." When you study the first 18 verses of John, you will discover that John was focused upon the Word of God; he started out with the Word, and he ended with the Word, the Word being all that creation came from, from the beginning to the end. No wonder the earth could not contain all the books! That was my main thing of overwhelming when I first became a Christian, that Jesus was the Word, and the Word was God! I could not get over the revelation of who Jesus really was, and that because He was the Word of God, all things were made by Him; everything from the very beginning. I heard part of message yesterday, only a very small part; but it was enough for me to know what was being said and why it was being said. The part that I heard, said, "There was no plan B; it was all plan A from the beginning." It takes me back to the verse in Genesis 6:6, the verse that says, "And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart." God's heart is a very big heart; His love for His creation is unending and is overwhelmed with pity and longsuffering for the messes we make; but He is still unrelenting when it comes to His Word. His Word is always Right and True, above all else...
"All of us, like sheep, have stayed away, We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man's grave. But it was the LORD'S good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD'S good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels." (Isaiah 53:6-12) NLT

"Unchanging"

"But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end." (Psalms 102:27)
You did realize that this verse is the second part of the last, right? Whatever we lack, whatever we need to be complete, Jesus more than makes up for! Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith; Jesus said of Himself in Revelation 1:8, "I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending." It could not be any clearer than that! If you need something to fix your eyes on for security and peace, then look no further, because Christ Jesus is the same, yesterday, today, and forever more! I am changing all the time; I change so frequently that I can't even keep up. One minute I am fine, the next, I think I need a vacation. If it weren't for this blog, I might have not even gotten out of bed today, and I hate sleeping in; I can't stand to not get up before the sun rises, it just throws my whole day off. If you need "Blessed Assurance," then you need to look no further than to our Blessed Savior, Jesus Christ; who not only paid the price for your sins, but has guaranteed that you have a place waiting for you in heaven; it's won and done! We really need to stop fighting a battle that is already won; instead we need to be focused upon the prize, a prize that has already been awarded unto us. That is what Paul was trying to say throughout the many letters that he wrote, especially the letter to Rome, saying, "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin." (Romans 6:6) We can't keep carrying around this dead body chained to our back and expect to not smell the stench. I know that I have some things I need to get worked out, but I also know that Christ has worked everything out of me in advance. As crazy as that might sound, it is true. I can do nothing more to gain the salvation that Christ has given me; and I can do nothing to take away from that very same salvation. If we can't earn it, then we can't give it away! Once you have obtained it, you are stuck, there is no going back! Say what you will, but I will stick with what I know. Besides, John made it pretty clear in his first letter to the church, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be manifest that they were not all of us." (1 John 2:19) It really could not be any clearer than that...
"So don't be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession." (James 1:16-18) NLT 

"Changed" -Too

"They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:" (Psalms 102:26)
As many of us should know by now, this thing we call being a Christian is not all about no worries, no suffering, and no hard times; this life is the same as everyone else, and even sometimes more filled with trials than those who hate God. But, the big difference is that we have something that is greater than this life to look forward to. Besides that, we have a power available to us, the likes of which the world knows nothing about; we have the Spirit of the Living God within us! I don't think that we forget what we have, we just fail to many times to let Him guide our lives the way that we should. If we are going to count it all joy, then we need to be prepared for the trials that will come our way; not that we live in fear of them, but we fear them not; they must be dealt with ahead of time, as if we have made up our minds, "I will not be afraid!" Maybe it was easier to do that back then, when I first got saved. I seemed so carefree and bold, almost as if I could withstand anything and everything that the world could throw at me. It is a lot like the children of Israel being delivered from Egypt; God could take them out of Egypt, but could not take Egypt out of them. I think it is going to be okay. We really do not need to worry that we have some issues with living the perfect life, because we are not perfect people; not yet, but we will be, soon enough! Instead, we just need to be the best that we can possibly be; knowing that it is the Holy Spirit who lives within us that makes us what we ought to be. Maybe it matters more than we think to mark our victories; to establish some sort of mark or symbol to remind us of the victories that God has given us along the journey. We sure don't have any problem remembering the defeats, they seem to haunt us forever; but the victories are all short lived, and seem to pass as easy as a passing day. That is one of the lessons I see with the children of Israel in the wilderness; they constantly forgot about God's great power to deliver them, and completely recalled all of the trials and hardships. Their favorite answer to every situation, was, "Were there not enough graves in Egypt!" Maybe they weren't meant to be buried in Egypt...
"Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God's righteousness. And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight." (2 Peter 3:11-14) NLT

"Changed"

"They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:" (Psalms 102:26)
If you think that you are good enough, then you might need to think again; none of us are good enough to do what is required to earn salvation, it is never earned. I have so many times tried to figure it out, but without faith, there is really no other way that it works. God has said, "Believe and be saved." It is just that simple; why do we continue to find ways to make it complicated? Looking at this verse we have before us today, in context with the last verse, it is speaking of the heavens and the earth; which we know from Scriptures, will be dissolved, totally remade, rolled up like a scroll; what ever way you want to look at it, there will be change on a level that we cannot even imagine. However, if we step back into the context of the whole Psalm, it is more about us, we are the ones that will be changed. Even starting at verse 19, we see God looking down upon earth; verse 20, He hears the groaning of His people; verse 21, He has the plan; verse 22, He sees the result; verse 23, He changes our way of life; verse 24, our life as we know it has changed; verse 25, we give into the change; today, it's out of our hands! Paul has declared, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6)
Again, "Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it." (1 Thessalonians 5:24) I am sorry, but it is just not our choice anymore; maybe it never was in the first place. I mean, I know that I made a choice; around the third Sunday in August 1981, I said yes to accepting Jesus Christ as my personal Savior; but maybe that choice I made was not up to me, it was all God's doing right from the start. Something outside of me changed my heart that day. I was content to stay in bed, until I heard a voice call me elsewhere. I was prepared to hear a message, but something changed my heart to listen. I cried out because I saw my need for a Savior, but I did not expect the change that came over me. I merely thought that I was going to be forgiven of my sins, I did not expect that He was going to change my life; that He was going to give me a new heart, an expectant heart...
"And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed. But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment." (2 Peter 3:7-10) NLT

"From Here to Eternity"

"Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands." (Psalms 102:25)
If you were to ask the average Christian what eternal life means to them, they might give you an answer that is based upon something far reaching or distant, beyond this current existence. That is technically our real home, but eternal life begins for the believer at the time they are born again. We were once dead, but now we are alive in Christ, never to die again. I need to catch myself over and over, saying, 'My son died last year,' when I should be saying, 'My son passed on last year, and went home to be with the Lord.' But when you loose someone, they are gone and you can not get them back. Instead, we can only look forward to going to be with them, because that is where we shall all be, we who have been washed in the blood of Christ Jesus. There is a red star next to this verse in my Bible, which represents that this verse is one that speaks of Jesus. I don't know why, but there is only red stars next to this verse, 27, and 28; 26 does not have one next to it, and I cannot figure out why. As crazy as it might sound, there are a lot of things that we don't know and can't figure out within the Bible, but it's okay. If you read John's final words in his Gospel Message, the world could not contain all the books written about all that Jesus has done, so what makes us think that we can know all there is to know about the Bible? This much I know about eternal life, that we who have obtained it, will never die! We move on, but we never perish! I don't know how many ways that I can say it, but we skip the grave! Our body might be put in the ground, but our soul goes to be with the Lord, within a blink of an eye; now you see me, now you don't! Actually, this verse is closely related to one of the verses that was shared to me when I first realized who Jesus really was, which was Hebrews 1:10, "And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heaven are the works of thine hands." That was the one thing that I remember the most about the day of my salvation, my fear of death was taken away; for once in my life, I had a peace that my life was never going to end, something that can't really be explained, because it cannot be felt without knowing it. If I could put it into words, then it would it would be something like, "Once I was dead, but now I am alive; alive for ever more!" Don't you love it? Oh death, where is thy sting...
""And so, my children, listen to me, for all who follow my ways are joyful. Listen to my instruction and be wise. Don't ignore it. Joyful are those who listen to me, watching for me daily at my gates, waiting for me outside my home! For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the LORD. But those who miss me injure themselves. All who hate me love death."" (Proverbs 8:32-36) NLT

"Caught in the Middle"

"I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations." (Psalms 102:24)
Yes, it's abundantly true, we will fail desirably every time we try to do anything spiritual or holy in our own strength. But seriously, the Lord is not only willing to help us do the things that we must do, He is so very pleased when we ask Him to help us, even in the littlest things, like prayer and reading our Bibles. We might not realize all the times we miss out on fellowship with the Lord, not if we are not keeping track; but try keeping track one of these days. Just use a little calendar next to your bed, or even on your desk in your office; mark in each day a little check mark, black or blue for the days when you prayed and read your Bible, and a red check mark for the days that you missed. You will either stop doing the calendar thing all together, or you will get it together. The more we spend time in prayer, the more we begin to start praying for the people we love. The more we spend time in God's word, the more the Word governs our lives and guides our path. It is just the way that it works. Our speaker on Saturday night gave us a list of ten things that we needed to do in order to get real in this thing called Christianity. If we really want to make something really happen, then we need to do something to make it happen. Moses needed to go see what that Burning Bush was all about, so he climbed up the mountain to see what it was. It really does take some effort on our part to make it happen. God will call out, but we need to go towards Him, we need to answer the call, and we need to obey what He tells us to do. Sounds simple enough, right? It is very simple, but it's hard. It is hard because we lack the faith sometimes to listen. We might hear what God says, but our hearts will soon play on the words that were spoken; and before we know it, the meaning is not what it meant the time it was spoken. That is what James was getting across in James 1:22-25, because we must act upon what God says, not putting it off, but doing it straight away. Because if we don't, then it becomes less and less important. About that list of ten things, it is really not all that important what that list is, but that it's a list of ten things. If you need a list, then make a list; make a list that you know you can follow, and then follow it. After you get that list down, make a new list, but harder to follow. We can plan our vacations and our big purchases in life, we should really consider planning our walk a little better than we do...
"Hear my prayer, O LORD! Listen to my cries for help! For I am your guest -a traveler passing through, as my ancestors were before me. Leave me alone so I can smile again before I am gone and exist no more." (Psalms 39:12-13) NLT

"Put it to Rest"

"He weakened my strength in the way; he shortened my days." (Psalms 102:23)
Of all the issues we might have in this life, being mortal is really the least of them that gets in the way of our salvation. Honestly, it is because of our weakness that God has made it so easy! You think that it's the opposite? That somehow you are made stronger and less dependent upon God once you get saved? Sorry to say this, but you are more and more dependent upon God the deeper you get into this journey; the further you go, the more you need Him to carry you through. We keep hoping for the day when it will all be easy, thinking that our days of being a Christian somehow make us stronger and stronger the longer we remain; when in reality, the best that we can hope for is that we have gained some wisdom, because the more we rely on the victories we have had to guide us, the weaker we become. You need to study your Bible, if that's what you think! 'Oh, I have crossed this bridge before, I have this one in the bag.' Oh, really? God does not like to have His glory taken away, so you need to realize something about the battle: "The battle belongs to the LORD!" If the battle is going to be easy, then it will be easy because God is fighting the battle for you. Does that mean that we do nothing? No way! We pray, we move, we do whatever it is that God says to do; but whatever we do, we do it by trusting and waiting on the Lord to guide us; especially when it comes to overcoming the sin that seems to be the hardest to overcome. What ever that might be for you, you will not defeat that thing unless it is given over to God. That's is one of our biggest issues with the sins that we like, we do not give them over completely to God. We might give Him some of it, like maybe the parts that seem obvious and out in the open; but we need to give Him all of it, especially the parts we think that we can keep to our selves. Here is the thing I believe that God is saying: that the further we get into this relationship with God, the more of us we need to give Him. The more of us that we give Him, the weaker we become in the flesh; after all, it is the flesh that we are constantly fighting, so it is our flesh that needs to be weakened. As for the shortening of days, we are to keep our eyes upon the prize, not upon the needs and desires of the flesh. The longer we live, the shorter the distance to the prize. That way the desires of the flesh will seem less and less important...
"What sorrow awaits those who try to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their evil deeds in the dark! "The LORD can't see us," they say. "He doesn't know what's going on!" How foolish can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay! Should the created thing say to the one who made it, "He didn't make me"? Does the jar ever say, "The potter who made me is stupid"? Soon -and it will not be long -the forests of Lebanon will become a fertile field, and the fertile field will yield bountiful crops." (Isaiah 29:15-17) NLT

"Man's Great Pleasure"

"When the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD." (Psalms 102:22)
No matter what you might think about heaven, heaven will be a place where God is worshipped and where we are one with our Creator, once and for all. Even those, who, whatever it looks like, are outside of the inner court, will all be one with everyone else, both those who serve God and those who serve others, it will all somehow together. Put it this way, no one is going to be disappointed by where they are or where they end up; no one in heaven that is! There will be those who are eternally sent into hell; do not let anyone kid you on that. Hell is for real, so if someone tries to tell you that it's not, you need to study your Bible and prove it yourself. At least then you can truly know where you stand. Talking about standing, during the teaching last night, Pastor Pete mentioned that Jesus was standing at the well with the Samaritan Woman, between two mountains, one was called Blessing, and the other was called Cursing. I had never heard that before, but it is exactly where we all stand when we are presented the Gospel Message. There will be a decision made, where ever we are presented with the Gospel, one the one side will be blessing, and on the other the curse. Actually, the curse is the side that we are already on; it's the blessing side that we need to come over to. You probably don't realize what a miracle you really are, and how blessed you are to be on the Blessing side. If God had not softened your heart, and if God had not presented you with the truth, and if God had not given you exactly what you needed to know, when you needed to know it, you would still be on the curse side of that well. This is why we will all be not disappointed by where we end up in heaven; it will be a miracle that we have even made it; and it will be our great pleasure to serve the Lord, for all eternity...
"And the LORD said, "Name him Lo-ammi -'Not my people' -for Israel is not my people, and I am not their God. Yet the time will come when Israel's people will be like the sands on the seashore -too many to count! Then, at the place where they were told, 'You are not my people,' it will be said, 'You are children of the living God.'" (Hosea 1:9-10) NLT

"Man's Basic Purpose"

"To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem;" (Psalms 102:21)
As much as I would like to take some of the credit, it's really something that surprises me as much as it might anyone else; I just follow the flow, if you know what I mean. Although we might lack what it takes to obey God's Word in the here and now, that will not be the case once we are all gathered together in heaven. God will seal His Word upon us, and we will be naturally obedient. I know that this is very touchy, but as I have said before, the garden of Eden was not a perfect place before the fall. Sure it was good, and it was a place for man to enjoy all the great things that God had created; but with that one tree in the midst of the garden, it lacked total freedom; there was always that one thing which was always tugging at Adam's desire, "Should I, or shouldn't I?" Not quite sure how long it was before Eve was created from Adam; but it was long enough for Adam to name all the animals. There is many different ways that it could have played out, but I am pretty sure that Eve was played by both Adam and the Serpent. Regardless, I still stick by the fact that God was not surprised by the whole ordeal; in fact, I am pretty sure that God's reaction with a question was not for His benefit, but it was for Adam's. That is the basic message I am getting from this verse, in a twisted sort of way. It is pretty much about what was and what is to come; we were this, but we will be that; things once were not perfect, but one day all will be perfect! I heard a statement from Pastor Mike the other day about what made Satan jealous of man, that it was not what man was created like, but what man would become in the end; man was created a little lower than the angels, but he would be elevated above the angels. Maybe the devil misunderstood the whole reason that this would all take place; because if he actually knew, then the death of Jesus on the cross would have scared him to death. Hey, there is the ticket; the cross is another way to describe what a twisted sort of message this has become; because the horror of the death of Jesus upon the cross, was beautiful in God's sight; as twisted as that might sound. I guess if it was the plan from the beginning, then it all looks different from God's perspective. I bet this big mess looks different also. Maybe to God, it's really not such a big mess, but it is just part of the transformation. Just saying...
"I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning. God's purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord. Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God's presence." (Ephesians 3:9-12) NLT  

"Man's Basic Need"

"To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;" (Psalms 102:20)
Every once in awhile, it hits me real hard, and yesterday was one of those days. Just so happens, the very first words I heard on the radio yesterday morning, at about 8:45, were, "It was God's plan all along. Do you think God said, 'Opps! Didn't see that coming!'" We have got to understand that God has everything under control. We see things breaking, and falling apart; lives being taken, hearts being broken, and death overwhelming, even the strongest of saints. But God, He sees the end, the beautiful end! Sure there is always an opportunity for someone to say, How could God allow this or that? But we have needs far greater than this or that! This is nothing but a very short lived journey; that is only a flesh wound compared to real death. God did not lie about death when He told Adam that he would die; it was the devil who lied about death not happening. That might be the biggest problem that we have, is not believing that our sin will do what God says that it will do. Instead we try and justify it, minimize it, and live in the moment. When Jesus was talking about cutting off an arm or plucking out an eye, it was more about the reality of what sin will do; about the short lived pleasures of sin being seriously outweighed by the results of what sin can do. I can't help but think of the "groaning" that all creation does; not just mankind, but the entire earth. The earthquakes, the storms, the devastating fires and floods; it is all the earth groaning because of the fall of mankind. So, if you really wanted to get technical, then maybe man is responsible for the climate changing. If the scientist really want something to blame on mankind, they haven't seen anything yet! According to the Book of Revelation, things are going to get a whole lot worse than anything the world has ever seen. According to Revelation 16, God is punishing sin when He pours out the "seven vials of the wrath of God upon the earth." And according to Romans 5:12, "by one man sin entered the world," so I guess you could blame it all on man. Who needs science; just read your Bible, it has all the answers that you are looking for; after all, it is the need for man to adhere to God's Word, that is our basic need...
"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the LORD'S favor has come, and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory." (Isaiah 61:1-3) NLT

"God's Plan All Along"

"For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth;" (Psalms 102:19)
There is one thing the Pastor Mike keeps repeating, almost every day, "that God cannot learn." It all comes down to the fact that God knows everything beforehand, and there is nothing the God does not know; so therefore, there is nothing that God needs to be taught, and there is nothing that He needs to find the answer for, because He already knows everything. God can and will complete what He has started in you! That much you can count on, because He chose you, you did not choose Him! Here is a really good test, if you need to test your salvation: Does your heart break when you sin? That's not really hard to examine within you own life; it's pretty easy to see whether or not your disobedience causes you grief and makes your heart ache. To be perfectly honest, it is most likely the Holy Spirit that is grieving within you, so don't give yourself more credit than you deserve. But the test is really simple, if we look within and see if what upsets God also upsets us. If we are not upset over the sins that we commit, then chances are that we have a serious problem; and if we seldom give it a second thought, then we need to get right or get left! There is nothing that God is not willing to forgive us for; and the only sin which cannot be forgive is refusing His unfailing forgiveness. The Bible clearly says, "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love." (Ephesians 1:4) There is really only one way that we can be holy and without blame, and that is to be washed in the blood of His Son! You cannot do anything on your own to achieve holiness; and you surely can't do anything to take away your blame. Talk about blame, it was our sins that put Jesus upon that cross; it was for my sins that Jesus suffered and died, so I am to blame, right from the start. But God! Oh my goodness! I wonder what came first, the thought of me or the thought of my redemption. We really could be blameless, in His sight...
"And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as "foreigners in the land." For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days." (1 Peter 1:17-20) NLT

"Coming Attractions"

"This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD." (Psalms 102:18)
There are so many different things that we can take from this, one that came into my mind right off the bat, was the way that the Lord has created a new creature in me; one that loves to praise Him and looks forward to the day when I can praise Him personally, face to face. I heard Pastor Mike say something the other day, it was that people who don't like to praise Him now are surely not going to like heaven, because that is what heaven is going to be all about, praising God. I might not agree with everything he says, but most everything is pretty spot on. He did say something about the Prodigal Son that I must take issue with, that if he had died in the pig-pen, then he would have stayed in the pig-pen. I know it has some very contrasting opinions, and we are all entitled to pick the one that best suites our own way of thinking, but I tend to agree more with J. Vernon McGee's depiction of the son who wasted his inheritance, that he never stopped being the son! We have been created anew; each and every one of us that have been reborn into the Kingdom of God have been given a new life in Christ. Some of us are fully dedicated to serving the Lord, and some are not; some of us have gifts that make us seem special, and some of us do not even know what our gifts are; some of us live for Jesus, and some of us just barely live from day to day; but we are all God's children, each and every one that has been born again into the family of God. There is a place in heaven for those that choose to serve themselves, I truly believe that will be the case; but it is something totally and completely up to God; but one way or another, we all will be praising the Lord when we get into His presence. There are some verses coming up that proclaim Jesus Christ; and if I am not mistaken, this should also be included with them. We serve a God full of grace and mercy, who's number one pleasure is that we believe in His Son. I don't care what you might be right now, or what bad choices you might have made with your life, if you made that one choice, then you cannot go far enough that He cannot still hold onto you...
"But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness towards us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you be 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 created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:4-10) NLT

"The Real Prayer"

"He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer." (Psalms 102:17)
Something we really need to understand about our Heavenly Father, is that He is a Father; not only a Father, but He is your Father and He is my Father. He is not just some distant figure that we hope understands our prayer, or that we hope is paying attention when we cry out for help; He is touched by our cries for help, and He knows exactly what we need before we even ask for it. I think if we just could assure ourselves in this truth, then we might spend more time in prayer than we actually do. I would guess that the average Christian might spend about 30 minutes in prayer each day, if they make praying a routine part of the daily activities. I hate to say it, but there are probably a whole lot of people who claim to be Christian but seldom pray at all. My prayer life has not been what it should be, but I truly do pray every day; but I can sure tell the difference between a prayer that is offered up to God and a prayer that is one where I am communicating with my Heavenly Father. This word for "destitute" is only used twice in the Hebrew text; here in this verse and again in Jeremiah 17:6. It basically means, naked, poor, and helpless. These are the things that we need spiritually in this fallen world in which we live, and only our Heavenly Father can assist us with these needs. Jesus spoke on these things when teaching His disciples who to pray to and how we are to pray. I don't care how successful you are or how much money that you have or how well situated you might think that you are, in the spiritual sense, you are naked, poor, and helpless without God! When we pray, our prayer needs to be directed to our Heavenly Father, just as if we were a child speaking to their earthly father. It is not as if we casually speak, but that we make our request and petition known, as we know that He is listening and cares what we ask for. The only prayer that God will despise is the prayer that is not needy; a prayer that is made as if to say, 'I have everything under control, so thank you anyway.' We can never ever begin to imagine we have it all under control, because it is only by God's grace and mercy that the world keeps on spinning...
"This is what the LORD says: "You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you," says the LORD. "I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land."" (Jeremiah 29:10-14) NLT

"The Real Subject"

"When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory." (Psalms 102:16)
I know it might not seem like much, but believe me, it is the complete story. You might have heard of six minute abs of steel, but now we are talking about the complete story of the Bible in three minutes. Is it even possible? I guess it depends where the focus is, because if it's all about Jesus, then it is a great possibility. Yes, it is true, there is a version of the Bible presented in just three minutes; it can be found on the website for CSN International. Although you might have to go to their Facebook page to see the presentation, and in that case I will not be viewing it. I will let someone I know go check it out and let me know how it is. I am not a fan of Facebook; even though I still have a page, which people who don't know or realize I don't go, still to post it; I would take it down if I could, but then I would have to log on and go to it. Even then, I don't think they would let me totally remove it from their records. The number of people I know who have grown obsessed with Facebook; it's the first thing they go to when they wake up, and it's the last that they look at before they go to sleep; never mind the constant scrolling and messaging all throughout the day, I just don't like the way that it grabs people into it and does not let go. I have thought about this blog, and whether or not it is the same; it might be to some, but I am only posting on it once a day. Besides, I like the way it keeps me in the Word; I have not missed a day picking up my Bible and reading in it for quite a long time. I am getting excited for Men's Camp that is coming up this next weekend. I am taking my wife, that way I don't need to worry about her while I am away. Don't worry, she will remain in the RV for most of the weekend; but just the thought of her being there with me, it will be a pleasant change. I truly believe that the Lord is coming very soon. It is not really about the actual day or the hour anymore, it is really about our hearts being ready and expectant. I don't know how, but I am going to try and not be apart from my wife as much as I have been during the snow season. It will mean a lot more RV trips, but so be it. Jesus is coming soon, so we need to get ready. Ready means that we have our bags packed and they have been put in the car, technically speaking. Whether or not you can teach the Bible in a three minute video, it surely can't cover all of the adventures and the thrills that we get out of learning how we get to and stay in the moment. The Lord will appear in less than a flash, but what led up to that flash is the glory of God, in the flesh...
"The LORD says, "Come away! Flee from Babylon in the land of the north, for I have scattered you to the four winds. Come away, people of Zion, you who are exiled in Babylon!" After a period of glory, the LORD of Heaven's Armies sent me against the nations who plundered you. For he said, "Anyone who harms you harms my most precious possession. I will raise my fist to crush them, and their own slaves will plunder them." Then you will know that the LORD of Heaven's Armies has sent me. The LORD says, "Shout and rejoice, O beautiful Jerusalem, for I am coming to live among you. Many nations will join themselves to the LORD on that day, and they too, will be my people. I will live among you, and you will know that the LORD of Heaven's Armies sent me to you. The land of Judah will be the LORD'S special possession in the holy land, and he will once again choose Jerusalem to be his own city. Be silent before the LORD, all humanity, for he is springing into action from his holy dwelling."" (Zechariah 2:6-13) NLT  

"Subject to Fear"

"So the heathen shall fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth thy glory." (Psalms 102:15)
Maybe I should have made myself clear on the subject, because there is a difference between royal and loyal. Basically there are only two categories of people, there are those that are children of God and there are those that are not; if you are a child of God, then you are part of His Kingdom, if you are not a child of God, then you are not. As to the degree of loyalty, those that are not His children are still slaves to sin, their loyalty is to obey the desires of their flesh and the passions of their hearts. We, on the other hand, we are now slaves to righteousness, and our loyalty is to our Righteous King; some do loyalty well, and some do not; but we are all part of Royalty, forever more! None of us are the way that we should be, not in the sense of our actions; but we are washed in the blood of Christ, so as far as the Father is concerned, we are perfect and complete, even though we might not act as though we are right now. When I am walking in my flesh, or when I have sin in my life, this life is scary and I feel very vulnerable to all that I should not fear. It's just common sense, whatever you are closest to is the object that you will fear the most. If you are closer to God than you are to the world, you will fear the Lord more than you do the world; but if you are closer to the world, then the world will be a greater fear to you than God. All of the things that might cause you fear, loss of money, loosing your job, sickness and health, loosing your mate; whatever it is that could cause you to stay awake at night with worry, those things will seem more real to you than the strength of the Lord. It is then, when this life seems to have the upper hand, that is when we must evaluate our hearts and seek God's forgiveness. Personally, I never want it to get that stage; but unfortunately, we seldom see it coming. The verse we have before us today, is a verse that is much like that, only opposite. You see, the world will look at the church, scoffing and putting down all that they represent; but the real deep dark secret in their hearts, is that they really live in fear; fear of what might happen, fear of the unknown, fear of who they are or what they might become. Once upon a time, we too had such fears; although they are long lost memories. But now we have a Shelter, a Refuge, and a Strong Tower to run to; those kind of fears have no place in our lives anymore because our Foundation is sure. Even the very least in the Kingdom of God is greater than the very most in the world... 
""This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies says: People from nations and cities around the world will travel to Jerusalem. The people of one city will say to the people of another, 'Come with us to Jerusalem to ask the LORD to bless us. Let's worship the LORD of Heaven's Armies. I'm determined to go.' Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the LORD of Heaven's Armies and to ask for his blessings. "This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies says: In those days ten men from different nations and languages of the world will clutch at the sleeve of one Jew. And they will say, 'Please let us walk with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'"" (Zechariah 8:20-23) NLT

"Royal Subject"

"For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof." (Psalms 102:14)
This is a verse that takes me back quite a few years; maybe it was back to the very first Men's Retreat that I went to, back in about 1986 or 1987. If I remember right, the topic of the retreat was about David and Goliath; but more specifically, it was about walking in the Spirit. I can remember a couple special parts of the weekend's messages, so don't be disappointed if I leave something out. One of the main points that I remember was the part about David's attention being drawn to Goliath, and how it could be that this giant of a man would dare to even think about challenging the Creator, the God of Israel. Sure, the guy was big, but compared to God, he was nothing at all. If I remember correctly, the point was about our perspective, with or without the Holy Spirit guiding our lives. With the Holy Spirit guiding us, our view of opposition and worldly matters are less than they otherwise would be; with the Holy Spirit guiding us, things that upset God will be things that upset us, things that make God happy will make us happy also. We tend to forget, David had already been anointed king by Samuel; it was privately done, but none the less, the Spirit of the LORD had come upon David. (1 Samuel 16:13) What a difference a little right perspective can make on any situation! The second thing that I remember, was about the subject the stones verses mortar; stones being those that are the ones who continually walk in the Spirit, mortar being those that continually walk in the flesh. I think it was a question as to whether or not Saul will wind up in heaven, seeing how he disobeyed God. It is really not a question of if we disobey God or not, because none of us are perfect, none of us can honestly say that we have never sinned. It's more about the question of if we were ever really one of God's children; because if we were, then we are assured that there is a place for us in heaven. That blessed assurance is not based upon our performance or our obedience, but upon the obedience and performance of Christ Jesus. Jesus paid the price for our inability to be perfect; Jesus took the penalty for our disobedience. If I remember correctly, the stones are those that shine in the Temple. They are left whole and made for all to see. The mortar, although stones themselves, are those that have been ground into powder; not so important as the stones, but the mortar still is needed for the building of the Temple. It might paint a grim picture, at least for those that can't quite get it together. But, one way or another, we make it into the House of God...
""O Lord our God, you brought lasting honor to your name by rescuing your people from Egypt in a great display of power. But we have sinned and are full of wickedness. In view of all your faithful mercies, Lord, please turn your furious anger away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. All the neighboring nations mock Jerusalem and your people because of our sins and the sins of our ancestors. "O our God, hear your servant's prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary. "O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open your eyes and see our despair. See how your city -the city that bears your name -lies in ruins. We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy. "O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your city bear your name."" (Daniel 9:15-19) NLT

"Purpose Driven"

"Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come." (Psalms 102:13)
If there is one thing that I have learned about God, it's that He is always faithful to complete what He has started, in His time. That is another amazing thing about the Bible, the Bible can only be the inspired Word of God, because of all that the Bible says will happen, has happened, or is to come. To fulfill all that without God making it all happen, is almost as likely as the theory of evolution being true. Do you known how many Christians actually believe in evolution more than they believe all that is written in the Bible? I think the actually count of them would be staggering. I have spoken to a few of them over the years, and they are very firm in what they believe. I have even had conversations with people who say that they are Christian, yet they believe that God has created many earths; we are just one of many inhabited planets throughout the universe. Whatever, if it's not in the Bible, then it's not true; that's what I have to say about it. But I will say this: God has created man with the ability to create; some to the glory of God, and some, not so much. I heard a message the other day about this; maybe it was yesterday, these last couple of days have been such a blur. But the pastor was speaking about how God had placed man in the garden to groom it and care for it; then using man's creative mind, God had Adam name all the animals. Think what you want, but a mind is a terrible thing to waste, so God put Adam's mind to work. It was God who first named man, but it was Adam who named woman; naming her such, because she came forth from man, and bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh. (Genesis 2:23) Zion is actually Jerusalem, they are one of the same. That said, they actually do have separate meanings, much as Jacob is Israel, yet the names mean different things. Without getting into the long, drawn-out story, let's just pretend that we are all on the same page, and just leave it at that. The way I see it, God has a way of getting His people to worship Him; it might take some kind of miracle to make it happen, but regardless, He has a way. Don't think for a minute that Israel has somehow fallen away from God's graces, because God will never go back on his Word, ever! And, if you want some kind of proof, you only need to take a very brief study of the New Jerusalem that is spoken of in Revelation 21; it is all about God's promises and purposes for Israel...
"Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had. They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set. And that's the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic principles of this world. But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father." Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir." (Galatians 4:1-7) NLT 

"More of The Eternal God"

"But thou, O LORD, shalt endure for ever; thy remembrance unto all generations." (Psalms 102:12)
When we get before the Eternal God, there really is nothing within this temporal world that can move us or cause us fear. It is pretty amazing how that works; and yet, it only takes a blink or so of an eye, and we can find ourselves spooked and feeling alone again. We might feel ashamed by those kind of feelings, but we really should not be too hard on ourselves, because it's only human. After all, when you start fellowshipping with God on a level that reaches something beyond your natural existence, it really does not take much to bring you back into our normal surroundings. This God that we serve is beyond anything that we could ever hope for or imagine, so it is really not so hard to understand how we can be close enough to feel His presence, yet far enough away to forget what He feels like. Within this verse is the reason why the Word of God is the most important part of knowing Him; not that the Holy Spirit is not equally important, but the Holy Spirit is with us to magnify the Word. If you were to research history and try to find the times people have tried to remove God's word from existence, it would totally amaze you how God turns every effort into something just the opposite. It is the same with the church, as there have been numerous times where the church has been under heavy persecution, yet instead of causing the church to dwindle, the opposite result had occurred. It will always work like that, because faith gets stronger when it is tested. When we are weak, He is strong! God has given us His Word so that we might get to know Him. We can get to know Him by feelings, but feelings can come and go so easily, yet His Word endures for ever. It is God's Word that makes us sure; miracles and wonders are brief and soon overlooked, but His Word will always minister to and show us the way. Is it any wonder how many churches have neglected to teach the Word of God? Oh, they might open the service with a verse, but then it becomes more about human nature and less about the Eternal God. Jesus, speaking to the woman at the well, said, "Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on the mountain or is Jerusalem." (John 4:21 NLT) We seem to forget sometimes how to worship, because real worship is not about us, it's about God and His Truth...
" But LORD, you remain the same forever! Your throne continues from generation to generation." (Lamentations 5:19 NLT)  "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:8 NLT)

"Less of Me..."

"My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass." (Psalms 102:11)
We have finally reached the turning point of this complaint; thank goodness! But this is a good point in a life of someone who is going through it, to actually realize the frailness and shortness of their physical life. This is the point when God matters more than we matter; when you know that your days are numbered, and that there is a point when this clock will run out, a lot sooner than you think. If we are counting weekends, then ten to twenty weekends fly by before you can even keep track of them; if we are counting days, don't even bother. Personally, I like the counting weekends; I can always look forward to the next: one more Saturday to rest and relax: one more Sunday to get blessed in church. Pretty soon, it will be another Sunday afternoon to head off to the mountain and snowboard on Monday. Anywho, this verse reminds me of the fact that what we do for God matters the most! I work pretty hard throughout the week; actually, I work harder than I would really want to work. My work day usually starts around 6:30 to 7:00 each morning, and I usually try to wrap it up by 8:00 each night. I don't want to complain about working so much, but it does hinder my chances of getting to enjoy some of the evening services at church. I could sneak off to church anyways, and many nights I really want to, but leaving Marianne alone stops me from enjoying the fellowship the way that I should. The most important thing that we should strive for in this life is to improve our relationship with the Lord. It is critical for our declining years that our lives draw closer and closer to what matters the most. Whatever that might mean for you, it is something that you need to make happen; it's not going to happen unless you determine in your heart to make it so. The Bible says, "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." (James 4:8a) It is really a matter of our hearts, that we would make the effort to draw closer and closer to Him; it should actually be the desire of our heart that it should happen; and if it's not, we need to pray that it would be. Psalms 63:1 says, "O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water." (NLT) We are not going to get any spiritual thirst quenched anywhere else but by God; He is our source for what we need to satisfy our weary souls. And without a doubt, the closer will draw to Him, the less all of the weariness appears...
"Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there's no use arguing with God about your destiny. The more words you speak, the less they mean. So what good are they? In the few days of our meaningless lives, who knows how our days can best be spent? Our lives are like a shadow. Who can tell what will happen on this earth after we are gone?" (Ecclesiastes 6:10-12) NLT

"Give and Take Away"

"Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down." (Psalms 102:10)
Ultimately, God calls the shots; it would serve us well to understand that and to let that guide our lives. I know that there are more and more people who might not believe that's the case, but sooner or later it will be made abundantly clear. That word "indignation" is pretty much anger, because God is angry at sin. Just because God is love, does not mean that He does not hate, because God hates sin. He hates what sin does; He hates that sin destroys and kills, and that it separates Him from His children. Indignation also means punishment sent from God. You can think of it any way that you like, but sin will be punished, one way or another. For those of us that are washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, our sin was punished upon the cross; so as far as we are concerned, the punishment for our sins has been dealt with, once and for all. Now, if you really want to explore your options, you could consider what it was like for the Father, as He poured out His punishment of sin upon His only begotten Son; consider how it was for Him to allow such brutality and anguish to be put upon His Son, and then how little He will tolerate anyone that refuses to receive the free gift that His sacrifice provided. You want to talk about give and take away; the life that was freely given, gives God the right to take away the life of all who refuse His loving offer. So, if you might have any kind of notion that God, who is all about love and mercy, will not judge sin by sending people to hell, then you might want to think again. Yesterday at church we had a guest who led us in worship. She was apparently there for the Woman's Conference on Saturday, but she stuck around to do worship on Sunday. There was this one song that she shared with us, it was about Jesus saying, "Not my will, but thine, be done." That is pretty much what it all comes down to, that we seek to do the will of the Father; and the Father's primary will for all of us, is that we believe in the Son. When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, the Father declared from heaven, "Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." If you would, that was the Father lifting up the Son; Him casting down the Son was for the punishment of sin; which actually was the lifting up of the Son again...
""How are these things possible?" Nicodemus asked. Jesus replied, "You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don't understand these things? I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won't believe our testimony. But if you don't believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life."" (John 3:9-15) NLT

"Not So Bright"

"For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping." (Psalms 102:9)
Before we get to celebrate or get carried away by feeling that it is not our problem but someone else, there still is this little issue about trust that needs to be addressed. Job had a touch of it; although he tried not to admit it, except to his wife, his public display pretty much gave it away. Whether we choose to accept it or not, God has complete control over the outcome of every situation. I know that things may not always appear so, not during the storms and the trials, but every storm and trial ends with victory and beauty, whether we realize it or not. It might be hard to convince someone who is going through something that it's all going to be alright, but it will be just as God has promised us in His word, because God cannot and will not lie. I heard part of a message yesterday that was just the right word for such a time as this; it was based upon the sin of Achan, from Joshua chapter 7. In the message the pastor went through all of the sifting that took place through all of the tribes of Israel; one by one tribe, clan by clan, family by family, until the guilty party was discovered. Yet, all the while, Achan refused to admit his sin and repent for what he had done. He held out refusing to give in and to give it to God, not until it was too late. If we continue in our sin after God has called us out on it, we risk putting our whole household into the midst our ordeal. God just wants us to be the kind of person that seeks His forgiveness; not the kind of person that tries to hid what he has done. As soon as we know or realize we have sinned against God, it must be something that we know we must deal with, one way or another. The best thing that we can do is to acknowledge that God is fair and just, giving Him full control over the situation, and surrendering completely to His mercy and grace. That might sound easy enough, and we might even make it our plan for such a situation; but although it is simple, it is not easy to do. If you were looking for a easy way to find an answer, the best way is to be humble before the Lord; acknowledge your weakness and your faults, without trying to blame it on anyone else, and simply surrender your life to Him, completely. Once we can do that, nothing else will matter. Whether this or that, it won't really matter, because God is the one who will have complete control over the outcome, no matter the situation. It might be simple, but it's not easy...
"He has filled me with bitterness and given me a bitter cup of sorrow to drink. He has made me chew on gravel. He has rolled me in the dust. Peace has been stripped away, and I have forgotten what prosperity is. I cry out, "My splendor is gone! Everything I hoped for from the LORD is lost!" The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!"" (Lamentations 3:15-24) NLT

"Not So Unusual"

"Mine Enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me." (Psalms 102:8)
Besides dealing with what we are meant to be doing, we must also deal with the darker elements of this world, those that make it their business to take us out and cause us to fail. I have a sneaking feeling that the church has somehow let this one go unnoticed and have instead been looking at the battle from a personal standpoint instead of the spiritual. The personal battle does not take into consideration the spiritual ramifications, which is the ripple effect that takes place outside of their doors. There is a very real battle being waged all around us, and what we allow to slip by, not only causes us harm personally, but it moves outside of our own personal battle and into the spiritual one. Our little battle is just part of a much larger one; one that is waged against the church; and when I say the church, I mean the body of Christ, which is the church as a whole. We would like to think this little thing we have going on within us is just all about us; my little problem is only effecting my life, and it really isn't hurting anyone else. But if we are truly a member of the body of Christ, then that little problem is not so little anymore. And the more members that are dealing with little problems, the more the body of Christ is being effected. The other part of having our eyes wide open, is to be diligently aware of the battle waging around us; which requires spiritual discernment and the understanding that our battles are not our own. This verse could easily apply to Christ, as He was taunted daily and continually by the powers all around, both spiritual and physical. But the thing He realized and tried to make aware to those who followed Him, was that they were all connected; the Jews which were sworn against Him were being driven by the power of the devil. They might not have even had a clue of what was motivating them to take His life; but they were blinded by their own personal interest and ambitions, so it never even dawned on them to look outside themselves. On that note; if we are being driven to do anything against another member of the body of Christ, then we seriously need to stop and take a spiritual evaluation of what we are doing; even if what is taking place is coming through someone else. This is especially important when it comes to going against the leadership of the church. The devil loves to cause division and he is very good at what he does. This is an area where I truly believe that we need to stay diligent and ready; this is really not just a complaint, this is being aware of what is going on: the enemy is sworn against us...
"We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not please ourselves. We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord. For even Christ didn't live to please himself. As the Scriptures say, "The insults of those who insult you, O God, have fallen upon me." Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God's promises to be fulfilled. May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as it is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together in one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 15:1-6) NLT

"Eyes Wide Open"

"I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the housetop." (Psalms 102:7)
It's really not all about money; it is about being totally dependent upon God, in all things, and at all times. We might think that while things are good and plenty that we don't need to rely on God as much as when things are lean and bad; but there is nothing different between those two areas of life, not when it comes to our vulnerability. God is with us through it all, the good and the bad, the lean and the plenty; we are never really all alone, because Jesus has promised that He would be with us always. You see it happening all the time, people are taken in the most unsuspecting time or place. They can be having the time of their lives, living the dream, and raking in the money, hand over fist; and just like that, they are gone, without even a warning. So it's really not about having this or that, it's about being in the hand of the One who holds onto to everything, including your life. I truly do believe that God does not mind it when we complain, not when our complaint is to Him. There is the picture that I see being given within this verse. There really is a huge difference between being alone with God and voicing our complaint to Him, and complaining about God to others or in public. Besides, not every complaint needs to be about God or about how we might feel treated by Him. God is all about love and mercy and grace, so why wouldn't we want to complain to Him about life and the way the world might be treating us? That is the big difference between the two directions; one is us complaining to God about the world, the other is us complaining to God about His protection and His provision. Oh, you never do that? I am sorry, I guess I am all alone on that one. It just seemed so normal to me that I would allow myself to question God's motives while I am going through something that seems totally and completely against anything that looks like I am being cared for; like when I can't pay my bills, or my checks bounce and I feel like a criminal. I might not come right out and say it, but sometimes in my heart I feel a little let down. It's only temporary and in desperation, so don't think that I walk around feeling abandoned by God. But I do hang my head and mutter something pitiful and pathetic, if only for a brief moment. Not all the time or every time it might happen, because there are many times I remember just praising Him, saying, "It's all Yours anyway, so do with it what You want!" Maybe there might have been a little sarcasm in the way I said it, and maybe not; maybe I might have said it laughingly and expecting God to be laughing with me. But the point to all of this is, is that God is always there, regardless of the situation...
"Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us." (Romans 8:18-23) NLT

"It's All About Choice"

"I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the dessert." (Psalms 102:6)
Interesting choice of locations for some interesting creatures. If there is one thing that I believe God wants us to understand, it is the ability that He has to make everything and anything work out to His purpose. I was reminded about the Genesis 1:1 principle yesterday; which simply says, "If you can believe what Genesis 1:1 says in the Bible, then everything else is easy to believe also." To make something into a belief requires choice, as in, I choose to believe that it is so. It is really not that hard to accept something as truth, once you make up your mind to believe that it is so. I believe that God actually helps us to believe in Him, He does not just wait for us to come around, He prompts us by the Holy Spirit making truth known and opening the eyes of our heart. It is in that moment, when prompted by the Holy Spirit, that is our moment of choice, that is when we must choose to believe. As I have shared many times before, my choice moment came when I was in jail. Of all places to be when I had to make a choice, it was in a place where guilty people serve out a sentence for crimes they have committed. No one needed to convince me that I was a sinner; my failure to obey the law had already been determined. Half of the issue of my heart had already been decided; it was the other half, the part of needing a Savior, that was the part of heart that still needed to be worked out. When Nicodemus came to Jesus at night, I seriously doubt he lacked the understanding of having broken the law; any intelligent person who studied the law, had to realize that they had already broken it. So there never was a question of being guilty or not guilty; it was the being born again thing that Nic was having issue with, as in needing to have a Spiritual birth. Jesus said, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God." When the Holy Spirit prompts us to see our need for a Savior, that is Him showing us our personal need to be born into the Kingdom. Once we accept the invitation, our Spiritual eyes are opened, and things that we previously did not understand become clear and understandable. Then it is still about choice, as in which man I am going to feed and nurture, the physical man or the Spiritual man? If I was going to try to paint a picture of these two locations and creatures, it would be that they both are not in the environment where they are suited for getting food. The pelican needs a body of water where it can swoop down and scoop up its food in a beak full of water; while the owl needs to cover of trees to use its silent flight to catch its food. Sure, we can make this all about being a fish out of water, but God is able to provide us anything that we need, no matter where we might find ourselves, and in all situations...
"Remember this -a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. "For God loves a person who gives cheerfully." And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say, "They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their goods deeds will be remembered forever." For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you." (2 Corinthians 9:6-10) NLT

"Yonder Sonder"

"By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin." (Psalms 102:5)
Sometimes it is the simple things in life that cause us to wonder why God puts up with some of what we do; simple meaning those things that we understand to be right and wrong, or the things which we do not need to ask God's guidance on, but we do the opposite of what we know is the right thing to do. Take for instance saving a life. It's not every day that someone might get a chance to save someone's life; but if that instance might take place, there usually isn't enough time to pray about what to do, you just act and do whatever is required. As I have mentioned before, it's not against the law to not save someone that you know is in danger of dying. You can turn and walk away; or you can just choose to do absolutely nothing. If it's something that might put your own life in danger, you do have the right to just say no and save yourself. There is a very fine line to what is right and wrong. Although the world would like us to blur that line, it's really more about the difference between good and right; good does not always mean right. Pastor Bryan is teaching out of 1 Samuel, and Sunday he mentioned how Saul was a good king, but David was the right king. Based of chapter 15, Saul was determined to be a bad king, yet he was still a good choice for the moment. Whoever it is that has written this Psalm, they are someone who has been displaced from the place that they are yearning to be. If it was David, then his hiding outside of Jerusalem during Absalom's revolt would surely fit. If it was Daniel, then his wanting to be back in Jerusalem and not in Babylon would fit also. If it were us, by reason of wanting to do something over, as if that were even possible, then it would also fit quite nicely. And we may not be able to do something over, but our God is surely a God of second chances! That is what is so amazing to me, that God has a reset button that never quits! If you think that you have crossed that line, as long as you have breath enough to ask His forgiveness, God is faithful to forgive you. Not only will He forgive you, but He will dust you off and use you again...
"O LORD, don't rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage. Have compassion on me, LORD, for I am weak. Heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony. I am sick at heart. How long, O LORD, until you restore me? Return, O LORD, and rescue me. Save me because of your unfailing love. For the dead do not remember you. Who can praise you from the grave? I am worn out from sobbing. All night I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears. My vision is blurred by grief; my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies. Go away, all you who do evil, for the LORD has heard my weeping. The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD will answer my prayer. May all my enemies be disgraced and terrified. May the suddenly turn back in shame." (Psalms 6) NLT

"Just Outside of Reach"

"My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forgot to eat my bread." (Psalms 102:4)
The other speculation of the writer, is that it was Daniel while in captivity in Babylon. It is very possible, based upon the references to Zion in a few of the verses ahead. Fasting while praying is sometimes not the plan, it just happens to be what you do while being focused upon a certain task or situation. That first day after my wife's incident in the hospital, eating was the last thing on my mind. I would like to relate it to the title, where you know in your heart that God can do anything, even that which seems totally out of the question, but you have nothing you can do but pray for it to happen. The question then becomes, How much and how long do I continue to pray? In that regard I have to think of Daniel as he had continued in prayer, while the messenger, Gabriel, was being detained by the Prince of Persia. It also reminds me of the time when Pastor Burt had all the users pass out acorns at the beginning of that Sunday morning church service. I had committed in my heart to write a $250.00 tithe check every Sunday, which was based upon the budgeted tithe amount of ten percent of the money I would need my new business to generate in order to make our obligations. I mean, what else was I to do? We moved here from Southern California to start a business, totally from scratch, and I needed to have something to base my covenant with God upon. I could have just tithed all that I received, but we did not start out not having financial obligations, so that just did not seem right to me. Our monthly bills and expenses where around $10,000.00 a month, so I needed our income to get to that point, or else we needed to downsize our living conditions. Anywho, it was almost about a year, and our savings was beginning to dwindle away; it started to cut into our food budget and the choice of food we could eat. So that specific Sunday morning, instead of writing a check for $250.00, I wrote a check for $100.00 instead. That's when it happened, the whole acorn thing! I will never forget that morning and the words Pastor Burt said: "Sometimes we come one prayer short, one tithe check short, of all the blessings that God has for us." As you can imagine, my heart dropped down to my feet. I was totally and utterly overwhelmed; and I knew that I had made a great mistake. That was the last time that I robbed from God, at least by not writing the right amount on the tithe check. The Bible tells us to make our covenant with God when it comes to giving, and then stick to it, cheerfully! Even if the odds of you paying other things seems overwhelming against you, you stick to your commitment to God. This is the one area in our lives where God commands us to test Him; and believe you me, it is not a half-hearted commitment! God wants us to believe that He is our Provider; it's not a question of how, it's a question of will we trust Him to do what He says, no matter how things might appear on paper. That is what you call, Stretching your faith...
""Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! "But you ask, 'What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?' "You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before that are ripe," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies." (Malachi 3:8-11) NLT

"The Wrong Side of Time"

"For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as a hearth." (Psalms 102:3)
Wouldn't it be nice to have all the answers to all of life's problems? We can't pretend to know all that there is, although some people try, and even make things up along the way. Take evolution for instance; if not one of the biggest lies that you can ever imagine, yet it is taught to our children as though it were actually proven, as though it were fact. They don't even call it a theory anymore; since it has been spoken of and written about so many times, it has become fact and is not even challenged by the truth anymore. If you don't believe that it is fact, then you are considered a nut or someone who is uneducated. I don't pretend to know all the answers, but I know someone who does, and that is good enough to satisfy all of my issues. Sometimes that is the really the only answer, Because God says so! Let's just leave it at that and move on with dealing with life. There are a couple Scriptures that come to mind when I read this verse, none more strong as James 4:14. We really do not have any control over our lives; at least not in a way that guarantees everything will be fine and dandy. That said, we do have a Father that knows best; He knows our rising and our falls, way before they are even set in motion. We make plans and plan our lives, but God has already a plan for our lives. I truly think that it's when we are not living out God's plan, that is when life gets hard and time seems to be against us. I seriously do not know what God's plan is for my life, so I can't really give you an example of what that might look like. I really don't think many of us actually do truly know; we can speculate and imagine, but most of the time it is looking back where you see God's plan clearly; other than that, it's all just a great big blur up ahead. I do know what His plan is for me today; today I will take care of my wife and visit with family; and even then, the day is not certain. Other than that, I am just expecting that God will show up and join us in our conversations. If you ever want to be on the right side of time, then there is where you will need to be, expecting God to guide your life...
"Look here, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit." How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like a morning fog -it's here a little while, then it's gone. What you ought to say is, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that." Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil. Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it." (James 4:13-17) NLT

"Basic Instinct"

"Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily." (Psalms 102:2)
Many mornings when I get a flashy title, I will search the title to see what might appear; I guess you can figure out what appeared with this title, it was all about sex. Not exactly what I was thinking of when the title came to mind, but then again, the world wants to make everything about sex, everything! Here is the typical place many of us find ourselves when confronting God on anything that might seem overwhelming and beyond our ability to control: Will He answer our call for help? and if He does, I need that answer right away! Some times with God the answer is silence. I know that we don't want to hear that, but it is something God does some times to get us to slow down and listen. Think about when Elijah fled to Mount Horeb, as he wanted to hear from God in a time when he felt very vulnerable and just wanted to die. If you study the account, you will note several times that God had spoken, but each time was not the word Elijah was looking for to satisfy his complaint. The most interesting part of that to me, is that God asked him twice, saying, "What doest thou here, Elijah?" The first time it was asked of him was when he had first arrived in the cave; the second time it was asked, it happened in a "still small voice." If there is one thing that I have learned over these last thirty-five years of walking with the Lord, is that He does not always answer as quick as we might want Him to answer. Part of the reason He might do that, is that His answer will not always agree with the answer we immediately want to hear. But after a while, maybe even after a few encounters with trying to find answers on our own, the answer we were looking for was really there all along, we just needed to be in the right frame of mind to listen. I believe God's way of doing things, although they might not always make sense, they are always to give Him the glory. In other words, we don't have the answers for God, so we should not assume that the way we might see the answer to our problem is the way that God will answer; because more likely than not, His answer will not be the one that we were looking for. It is the times like those where we just need to trust and wait. I know it's hard; I know it might hurt a little; but God is always working in the background to complete your request, even though the answer might not match your initial request. Actually, to be more perfectly spoken: His answer will not match your initial request, because our ways are temporal, but His are eternal...
"When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Three things will last forever -faith, hope, and love -and the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:11-13) NLT

"A Wonderful Way to Start"

"Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee." (Psalms 102:1)
Seriously, if you are going to complain to God, you need make sure that He is listening! I know, to complain to God about anything seems a little dangerous, to say the least; but I really don't think that He minds to hear our complaints. He knows whatever it is that we are going to ask before we even can form the words in our mouth, because He sees our heart, so we already know that He listens. No, this is an act of submission; it's all about being humble and knowing who it is that is in charge, who it is that has the ability and the means to fix whatever it is that is causing our suffering. You know, our suffering is sometimes just in our minds. Don't get me wrong, I know that there are some very serious issues in many peoples lives, and suffering through something is not pleasant, especially when it involves life and death issues. But what I am trying to say involves a perspective, as in, which is the direction that we focus our attention, is it towards heaven, or is it focused upon the things of earth. If it's focused upon heaven, then things which would usually cause us to suffer, things like death and misery, would still have an impact upon our lives, but their impact would seem so much less threatening. However, if we focus upon the things of earth, even the little things that cause us to suffer can seem overwhelming and uncontrollable. No, I am talking about how easy it is to be subject to the harshness of life, things that cause us to feel as though God is either punishing us, or God has taken His hand off of our lives. First of all, I am not sure that God will punish us; He might discipline us, which is something that is done for correction; but to just punish us for the sake of causing us pain, that is not who God is or what He is about. So, if we are going to complain over something that we might think is punishment over something that we have done, then that sort of complaint needs to be directed elsewhere, like maybe towards ourselves. That is what James was talking about within that closing Scripture, James 4:5-10; that we need to have real sorrow over what our sins do and how they cause death and misery. That is why Jesus wept; He did not weep for His friend Lazarus; nor did He weep for those that mourned; He wept for what breaks the Father's heart, that His children are afflicted and die because of their sins. That is really what it's all about! Suffering is the result of a fallen world; if not for the fall of man, there would never be suffering and death. I am completely certain that God wants to hear our complaints! Just as a good doctor always ask, "Where does it hurt?" our Heavenly Father does the same, because He cares for our pain...
"Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by. I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me." (Psalms 57:1-3) NLT

"A Weary Sufferer's Prayer"

PSALMS 102 [A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD.]
It might not seem like the right thing to some, but it was right when it was arranged this way, and so it shall remain. Matthew Henry briefly suggest that this might have been penned by David during Absalom's revolt; which, if that be the case, then it seems to reflect what I had mentioned at the very beginning of the last Psalm opening statements. The main reason this fits for David, is that those promises that David spoke of in the that last Psalm were seriously broken by him; he did not behave himself wisely, he did set a wicked thing before him, and let it cleave to him; he took his eye off of the faithful, and he who walked in a perfect way, he destroyed; he worked deceit and lied, holding it within his heart for almost a year; and he became the one who brought wickedness into the city of the LORD. All of these things he did when he sinned against the LORD with Bathsheba, then having her husband murdered to cover up his sin. The problem with that, as many of us should know, is that sin does not get covered up from God; at least not by anything that we can plot or try to do. Only by the blood of Jesus Christ can our sins be covered; and that is only between us and God, we will still have to suffer the consequences for the sins that we commit, especially those that were as terrible as what David did. I actually heard a small portion of a message yesterday, I believe it was Pastor Matt; where he asked the congregation, "Who here has ever committed adultery, who here has committed murder? No, don't raise your hands!" And then he went on to explain how David did what he did, and then went almost a year without repenting and getting right with the Lord. It is rather interesting that sometimes fail the most at what we try the hardest to perfect. Maybe it has something to do with trying to make it happen within our own strength instead of counting on God's strength to help us make it happen. It is pretty obvious that we need God's help to love Him with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength; we could never love Him as He deserves to be loved, not within our own strength. We can't even love each other the way that we should, and each other we live and die with; so what makes us think we can faithfully love a God that we cannot see? To put it in the light of reason, our love is distracted by whatever shines the brightest in our lives at any given moment. For David, who was referred to be God, as, "A man after my own heart," the light of obsession out shinned the light of God in his heart; if only for a moment, but that moment was all that it took. That is why it is so critical for us to destroy any wicked thoughts of our hearts early; as soon as they appear, cut them off...
"What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy? But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, "God opposes the proud but favors the humble." So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and he will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor." (James 4:5-10) NLT