"At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away." (Psalms 104:7)
Did not get that memo? Have you not heard? Well, it might be about time to listen. I heard a message from Pastor Jeff yesterday morning, and I was waiting for him to say something, but he totally took me into a whole new area of understanding. It has to do with an unmovable rock; that rock that God has told us to push, yet the harder we push, the more frustrated we become, and still that rock does not move. Till one day, we simply throw up our hands, and we cry out to God, saying, "I can't move this stupid rock, why would you ask me to do such a thing?" You know where I thought he was going, because I have shared on this before, about not asking God for help moving the rock; but that's not where he went, he took it to a whole new level. God never said for us to move the rock, only to push the rock; it is only God who can move the rock! We do not move mountains, it is God who will move the mountain, we are only able to pray that God will do it. But, we are still called upon to push! That was the thing that got me, how Jeff spoke about what God said back to the man who cried out for help, because it was all about training. It reminds me of Paul's use of training to win a race; yes, it's all about winning, but this race is not against one another; this race is about being fit enough to win! If and when you are called to sprint, can you be up for the challenge, will be able to endure, will you run like the wind? God simply told the man, "I did not ask you to move the rock, I asked you to push the rock." "Why would you ask me to push something that I could not move?" the man would say. God's reply, "Did not your arms get stronger? Did not your determination become greater? Keep pushing the rock!" Is there a rock in your life that God has told you to push? If it is something that you can do on your own, then it is not big enough to be that rock. God only moves the mountains, those things that we have no power to do on our own. Maybe it is that sin, the one that you have no power to stop yourself from doing? You know that is a lie, don't you? God has already given you the power to overcome, so that's not the rock God needs to move. Most likely the rock is not something that you can touch or see; but it is something that only God can deal with...
"As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's cross to the other side of the lake." So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, "Teacher, don't you care that we are going to drown?" When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Silence! Be still!" Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" The disciples were absolutely terrified. "Who is this man?" they asked each other. "Even the wind and the waves obey him!""
(Mark 4:35-41) NLT
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Monday, October 30, 2017
"How Deep"
"Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains." (Psalms 104:6)
As I was praying this morning, I was reminded how nothing is impossible for God; God can do all things, there is nothing that is too difficult for God to do, absolutely nothing! We had a pretty good message yesterday; I have not seen Pastor Bryan so fired up in quite some time. The message was about "The Pursuit of Abba Knows Best." Basically, the bottom line was the four things that David needed to do to get out of the darkness; four things which he needed to do, three that lead up to the forth, but if he did not do the forth, then the first three really did not count. It was based upon the portion of Scripture in 1 Samuel 30:1-10, yet the darkness began in 1 Samuel 27:1; that is where David bought into the lie within his own heart, "I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul." Have you ever been there? You know that God has a plan for your life, it has been spoken to your more than once; you might have even already received the anointing to be that which God has called you to be. But then there is opposition and maybe even a little persecution, and you believe in your heart that it's all over; whatever it was God had called you into, that door has closed and now you are shut out. David chose to go and live among the enemies of Israel, because the current leader of Israel was after his life. David forgot one very important thing, Saul was not the real leader of Israel, the real leader of Israel was God! The four things that David needed to do, were, first off to encourage himself in the Lord his God. This is where you stop thinking about that which is against you, no matter how many different directions, and you remember Who it is that is for you! The second thing that he did, was to desire fellowship with God; now that you know Who is for you, you need to draw closer and closer, to Him, and to all that know Him. The third thing that he did, was to inquire of the Lord; what is fellowship if there isn't any trust, if there isn't any discussion, if we do not make our request be known. After all, He is God, we can do nothing, He can do anything! The forth thing David did, was that he pursued! He asked God what he should do, God said, "Do it!", and David did! Whether or not that has anything to do with anything, it seems to fit into the conversation...
"Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, "What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created." They deliberately forget that God made the heavens by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. 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." (2 Peter 3:3-7) NLT
As I was praying this morning, I was reminded how nothing is impossible for God; God can do all things, there is nothing that is too difficult for God to do, absolutely nothing! We had a pretty good message yesterday; I have not seen Pastor Bryan so fired up in quite some time. The message was about "The Pursuit of Abba Knows Best." Basically, the bottom line was the four things that David needed to do to get out of the darkness; four things which he needed to do, three that lead up to the forth, but if he did not do the forth, then the first three really did not count. It was based upon the portion of Scripture in 1 Samuel 30:1-10, yet the darkness began in 1 Samuel 27:1; that is where David bought into the lie within his own heart, "I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul." Have you ever been there? You know that God has a plan for your life, it has been spoken to your more than once; you might have even already received the anointing to be that which God has called you to be. But then there is opposition and maybe even a little persecution, and you believe in your heart that it's all over; whatever it was God had called you into, that door has closed and now you are shut out. David chose to go and live among the enemies of Israel, because the current leader of Israel was after his life. David forgot one very important thing, Saul was not the real leader of Israel, the real leader of Israel was God! The four things that David needed to do, were, first off to encourage himself in the Lord his God. This is where you stop thinking about that which is against you, no matter how many different directions, and you remember Who it is that is for you! The second thing that he did, was to desire fellowship with God; now that you know Who is for you, you need to draw closer and closer, to Him, and to all that know Him. The third thing that he did, was to inquire of the Lord; what is fellowship if there isn't any trust, if there isn't any discussion, if we do not make our request be known. After all, He is God, we can do nothing, He can do anything! The forth thing David did, was that he pursued! He asked God what he should do, God said, "Do it!", and David did! Whether or not that has anything to do with anything, it seems to fit into the conversation...
"Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, "What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created." They deliberately forget that God made the heavens by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. 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." (2 Peter 3:3-7) NLT
Sunday, October 29, 2017
"Altogether Wonderful"
"Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire: who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever." (Psalms 104:4-5)
There are certain things that we cannot explain, no matter how hard we try to understand them; but the wonderfulness of God is not one of them! I am constantly amazed by God's detail to everything He does and that He has made; He seems to have every little thing working together to do something specific, something towards the purpose of what He, The Creator, intended for them to do. I do Termite Inspections, and unfortunately, I also do Termite Extermination. It's not that I don't like Termites, it's that my customers don't want then eating their homes or structures. But I love to have the chance to share how they are simply doing what God intended for them to do; they are helping in the breakdown of dead wood. God designed them for that particular purpose, and they are very good at what they were made to do. I do however hate flies; they totally annoy me and I go out of my way to find one that gets in my house, and eliminate it from bothering me or my wife. It's her I am mostly concerned about, because she cannot chew the fly away from her face, or her trach. If you knew what I know about the common housefly, then you would understand why it is so important that I seek and destroy them as I do. Yet, they too have a purpose and job to do; I just don't want them doing their business in my house! There are some important things that are being said between these two verses, beyond what might appear obvious. It is all about principle and intent. The thing that gives it away is the fact that this earth will be dissolved and rolled away like a scroll, but the foundations of it are for ever and ever! God does everything He does with a purpose in mind; He knows the end of the matter, so He has the ability to know everything else that needs to take place between the beginning and the end, to accomplish that which is the end. It's like a watchmaker, who designed the watch from beginning to end, he knows every step that needs to be taken to put those parts together and to make that watch do what he has designed it to do. God created heaven and earth for His glory! He did not create it for destruction; everything has a purpose, even that which appears not...
"And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said, "Let all of God's angels worship him." Regarding the angels, he says, "He sends his angels like the winds, his servants like flames of fire." But to the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice. You love justice and hate evil. Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else." He also says to the Son, "In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. They will perish, but you remain forever. They will wear out like old clothing. You will fold them up like a cloak and discard them like old clothing. But you are always the same; you will live forever."" (Hebrews 1:6-12) NLT
There are certain things that we cannot explain, no matter how hard we try to understand them; but the wonderfulness of God is not one of them! I am constantly amazed by God's detail to everything He does and that He has made; He seems to have every little thing working together to do something specific, something towards the purpose of what He, The Creator, intended for them to do. I do Termite Inspections, and unfortunately, I also do Termite Extermination. It's not that I don't like Termites, it's that my customers don't want then eating their homes or structures. But I love to have the chance to share how they are simply doing what God intended for them to do; they are helping in the breakdown of dead wood. God designed them for that particular purpose, and they are very good at what they were made to do. I do however hate flies; they totally annoy me and I go out of my way to find one that gets in my house, and eliminate it from bothering me or my wife. It's her I am mostly concerned about, because she cannot chew the fly away from her face, or her trach. If you knew what I know about the common housefly, then you would understand why it is so important that I seek and destroy them as I do. Yet, they too have a purpose and job to do; I just don't want them doing their business in my house! There are some important things that are being said between these two verses, beyond what might appear obvious. It is all about principle and intent. The thing that gives it away is the fact that this earth will be dissolved and rolled away like a scroll, but the foundations of it are for ever and ever! God does everything He does with a purpose in mind; He knows the end of the matter, so He has the ability to know everything else that needs to take place between the beginning and the end, to accomplish that which is the end. It's like a watchmaker, who designed the watch from beginning to end, he knows every step that needs to be taken to put those parts together and to make that watch do what he has designed it to do. God created heaven and earth for His glory! He did not create it for destruction; everything has a purpose, even that which appears not...
"And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said, "Let all of God's angels worship him." Regarding the angels, he says, "He sends his angels like the winds, his servants like flames of fire." But to the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice. You love justice and hate evil. Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else." He also says to the Son, "In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. They will perish, but you remain forever. They will wear out like old clothing. You will fold them up like a cloak and discard them like old clothing. But you are always the same; you will live forever."" (Hebrews 1:6-12) NLT
Saturday, October 28, 2017
"Altogether Worthy"
"Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:" (Psalms 104:3)
I know, I shouldn't be so hard on myself; but to be perfectly honest, most of the time I am not hard enough. It is almost as though I feel entitled to sin a little; as weird as that might sound, it is the only way I can think of to express the part of me that allows myself to sin. On the other hand, when I am doing all that I can to avoid it, there is so much peace and joy, I always wonder why or how I could ever allow it to even happen at all. If I had to pick something that was the cause of it, then it would have to be pride. Pride is probably the biggest cause of rebellion against God that their is; it brings down the biggest and the best, because they end up thinking that they are. It is pretty much a matter of perception; looking at the physical success or accomplishments, we think that there is certain room for us to lay claim to all that we are part of, as if it was our success or accomplishment. It is a very hard place to come back from; not without needing to be taken down a notch or two. Here is the thing that I see presented today, that all of these things are not physical; you cannot lay beams in water, you cannot ride a chariot in the clouds, and you cannot walk upon the wind. Our success is not measured in material or physical accomplishments; everything that we see is totally and completely temporal. In the case of the spiritual, it is easier to do those things listed above, than it is to put our trust in the worth of anything that we can see or touch, because everything that we see is being dissolved. If you want to concentrate on something to have success in, then you need to make it spiritual; try to see how big you feel in that arena! My guess is that you will feel like a snowflake waiting to land on a hot pavement. That reminds me, I heard something yesterday I thought I might share; it was something to do with gold and pavement. I did not hear it all, so I need to summarize what I know. Apparently, there was a guy that died and went to heaven, but when he got to the pearly gates, he proclaimed that there was something he needed to go back and get; so the angel allowed him to go get it. When he returned, he had a bag or gold; to which the angel asked, "Why did you need to go get this bag of asphalt?" Anywho, I thought it was relevant...
"He opened the heavens and came down; dark storm clouds were beneath his feet. Mounted on a mighty angelic being, he flew, soaring on the wings of the wind. He shrouded himself in darkness, veiling his approach with dark rain clouds. Thick clouds shielded the brightness around him and rained down hail and burning coals. The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded amid the hail and burning coals. He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; his lightning flashed, and they were greatly confused. Then at your command, O LORD, at the blast of your breath, the bottom of the sea could be seen, and the foundations of the earth were laid bare. He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of the deep waters." (Psalms 18:9-16) NLT
I know, I shouldn't be so hard on myself; but to be perfectly honest, most of the time I am not hard enough. It is almost as though I feel entitled to sin a little; as weird as that might sound, it is the only way I can think of to express the part of me that allows myself to sin. On the other hand, when I am doing all that I can to avoid it, there is so much peace and joy, I always wonder why or how I could ever allow it to even happen at all. If I had to pick something that was the cause of it, then it would have to be pride. Pride is probably the biggest cause of rebellion against God that their is; it brings down the biggest and the best, because they end up thinking that they are. It is pretty much a matter of perception; looking at the physical success or accomplishments, we think that there is certain room for us to lay claim to all that we are part of, as if it was our success or accomplishment. It is a very hard place to come back from; not without needing to be taken down a notch or two. Here is the thing that I see presented today, that all of these things are not physical; you cannot lay beams in water, you cannot ride a chariot in the clouds, and you cannot walk upon the wind. Our success is not measured in material or physical accomplishments; everything that we see is totally and completely temporal. In the case of the spiritual, it is easier to do those things listed above, than it is to put our trust in the worth of anything that we can see or touch, because everything that we see is being dissolved. If you want to concentrate on something to have success in, then you need to make it spiritual; try to see how big you feel in that arena! My guess is that you will feel like a snowflake waiting to land on a hot pavement. That reminds me, I heard something yesterday I thought I might share; it was something to do with gold and pavement. I did not hear it all, so I need to summarize what I know. Apparently, there was a guy that died and went to heaven, but when he got to the pearly gates, he proclaimed that there was something he needed to go back and get; so the angel allowed him to go get it. When he returned, he had a bag or gold; to which the angel asked, "Why did you need to go get this bag of asphalt?" Anywho, I thought it was relevant...
"He opened the heavens and came down; dark storm clouds were beneath his feet. Mounted on a mighty angelic being, he flew, soaring on the wings of the wind. He shrouded himself in darkness, veiling his approach with dark rain clouds. Thick clouds shielded the brightness around him and rained down hail and burning coals. The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded amid the hail and burning coals. He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; his lightning flashed, and they were greatly confused. Then at your command, O LORD, at the blast of your breath, the bottom of the sea could be seen, and the foundations of the earth were laid bare. He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of the deep waters." (Psalms 18:9-16) NLT
Friday, October 27, 2017
"Altogether Lovely"
"Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:"
(Psalms 104:2)
I guess you could say that love is greater than all of that other stuff, but without that stuff, love is hardly appreciated. There really are two separate thoughts with one drawn conclusion, that God is Holy, and God is Powerful; the conclusion is that He what He is, period! I was going to say that it is by choice, but then something inside me said that God does not have a choice, it is who He is. He does not decide to be Holy, He is Holy because He is Holy; He does not decide to be Powerful, He is just Powerful! Amazingly Powerful! That is one of the things that blows my mind most of all, that Jesus had everything at His disposal; He could have called fire to come down from heaven and devour every one of those that punished and tormented Him; He could have caused them to all go blind with just a look. As powerful as He was, He restrained Himself from doing anything that would disrupt the Father's plan; that is some kind of amazing power! That kind of power is the kind the becomes Holiness; having the ability to resist based upon knowing the right thing to do. I believe that God gives us that ability also, we just choose not to allow Him to do it. It is pretty obvious to us what our sins are; we know beforehand that what we do is sinful. Yet, we continue to do it anyway, without even asking for His help to overcome the temptation. That is not the case for all of our sins, only for the sins that we like and refuse to let go of. If only we could be as strong as Jesus; if only we could withstand being tempted. I don't care who you are, throw the right temptation your way, and you will leap at the chance to take it. Jesus had power to do things that could have made things so much more pleasant for Him here, but He chose to be humble and obedient to the Father. In that regard, He did clothe Himself in Light; it was what He wore because He chose to wear it. I guess the whole point to all of this is about loveliness. He is Altogether Lovely, and we should want the same for ourselves. If there is darkness in our lives, then it needs to come out; the darkness is not lovely, and it does not belong. Remember what you are, the spotless bride of the Lamb! He has made us that way, it is not what we have done to make it happen; but that does not mean that we get to throw mud on ourselves, whenever we feel like it. This is for me, and in my heart, I am placing my name in place of Timothy...
"But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all of these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses. And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault in you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. For at just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will. All honor and power to him forever! Amen."
(1 Timothy 6:11-16) NLT
(Psalms 104:2)
I guess you could say that love is greater than all of that other stuff, but without that stuff, love is hardly appreciated. There really are two separate thoughts with one drawn conclusion, that God is Holy, and God is Powerful; the conclusion is that He what He is, period! I was going to say that it is by choice, but then something inside me said that God does not have a choice, it is who He is. He does not decide to be Holy, He is Holy because He is Holy; He does not decide to be Powerful, He is just Powerful! Amazingly Powerful! That is one of the things that blows my mind most of all, that Jesus had everything at His disposal; He could have called fire to come down from heaven and devour every one of those that punished and tormented Him; He could have caused them to all go blind with just a look. As powerful as He was, He restrained Himself from doing anything that would disrupt the Father's plan; that is some kind of amazing power! That kind of power is the kind the becomes Holiness; having the ability to resist based upon knowing the right thing to do. I believe that God gives us that ability also, we just choose not to allow Him to do it. It is pretty obvious to us what our sins are; we know beforehand that what we do is sinful. Yet, we continue to do it anyway, without even asking for His help to overcome the temptation. That is not the case for all of our sins, only for the sins that we like and refuse to let go of. If only we could be as strong as Jesus; if only we could withstand being tempted. I don't care who you are, throw the right temptation your way, and you will leap at the chance to take it. Jesus had power to do things that could have made things so much more pleasant for Him here, but He chose to be humble and obedient to the Father. In that regard, He did clothe Himself in Light; it was what He wore because He chose to wear it. I guess the whole point to all of this is about loveliness. He is Altogether Lovely, and we should want the same for ourselves. If there is darkness in our lives, then it needs to come out; the darkness is not lovely, and it does not belong. Remember what you are, the spotless bride of the Lamb! He has made us that way, it is not what we have done to make it happen; but that does not mean that we get to throw mud on ourselves, whenever we feel like it. This is for me, and in my heart, I am placing my name in place of Timothy...
"But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all of these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses. And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault in you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. For at just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will. All honor and power to him forever! Amen."
(1 Timothy 6:11-16) NLT
Thursday, October 26, 2017
"God Is The Creator"
PSALMS 104
"Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty:" (Verse One)
It is believed that this Psalm is pretty much a continuation of the last, but with a slightly different tone. As it should be, in the way that we view God; yes, it's true and never changes, God is love, but He is also the Creator and Judge; we can never loose sight of that fact, we will all stand before Him and be held accountable for either the things we did, or for those that we did not do. It just so happens that I heard a message yesterday on this very subject, about how we need to make sure the truth be fully told. That is one of the biggest problems in the church today, the love of God is made know, but His judgment and the eternal punishment that awaits is left untold. It was Pastor Mike V., and he was sharing about the questions he will ask those who which to be baptized, especially children who have parents that want them to be baptized. The issue is, that though their hearts are well intended, the child may not know the full reason that they are doing what they are about to do. The parent will be sure, as well as the child, that their child knows that God loves them; and so it is based upon that fact, and that fact alone, that the child is going to be baptized. As Mike put it, he would ask to speak to the child alone, and then he would ask the child if they knew that they were saved; the common reaction that he got, was, "Saved from what?" Yes, that is the problem with many believers today; they are easily convinced on all the goodness and love, but without the greatness of a Savior, there is nothing really to keep them holding on when the going gets hard and life becomes what they don't understand. It reminds me of Ray Comfort's book, 'Hell's Best Kept Secret.' Because that's the story of Job, and the whole reason that the devil was allowed to torment Job in the first place. We have got to understand the bigger picture, that one day all the earth will be judged; those that are not in Christ will be judged for their sins; those who are in Christ will be judged for rewards. What a contrast in those two judgments! The way Pastor Mike put it might not match this order, because he said we need to hit them with the bad news, and then present the Gospel; which is much the same as Ray puts it in his book: "The plane is going to go down, you need to put on this parachute!" The way that David is presenting it, is to proclaim God's love, as unfailing and unconditional as it is, and then hit us with His honor and majesty. I don't know, I guess it all depends on which one grabs our attention the most. As for me, my hellion days were all about going to hell, so nothing really grabbed me about any of that; but finding out just how much God loved me, and how He sent His Son, who Himself was my Creator, to die for my sins and to save me from that hell; that pretty much did it...
""Look! The LORD'S anger bursts out like a storm, a whirlwind that swirls down on the heads of the wicked. The anger of the LORD will not be diminished until he has finished all he has planned. In the days to come you will understand all this very clearly. "I have not sent these prophets, yet they run around claiming to speak for me. I have given them no message, yet they go on prophesying. If they had stood before me and listened to me, they would have spoken my words, and they would have turned my people from their evil ways and deeds. Am I a God who is only close at hand?" says the LORD. "No, I am far away at the same time. Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?" says the LORD." (Jeremiah 23:19-24) NLT
"Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty:" (Verse One)
It is believed that this Psalm is pretty much a continuation of the last, but with a slightly different tone. As it should be, in the way that we view God; yes, it's true and never changes, God is love, but He is also the Creator and Judge; we can never loose sight of that fact, we will all stand before Him and be held accountable for either the things we did, or for those that we did not do. It just so happens that I heard a message yesterday on this very subject, about how we need to make sure the truth be fully told. That is one of the biggest problems in the church today, the love of God is made know, but His judgment and the eternal punishment that awaits is left untold. It was Pastor Mike V., and he was sharing about the questions he will ask those who which to be baptized, especially children who have parents that want them to be baptized. The issue is, that though their hearts are well intended, the child may not know the full reason that they are doing what they are about to do. The parent will be sure, as well as the child, that their child knows that God loves them; and so it is based upon that fact, and that fact alone, that the child is going to be baptized. As Mike put it, he would ask to speak to the child alone, and then he would ask the child if they knew that they were saved; the common reaction that he got, was, "Saved from what?" Yes, that is the problem with many believers today; they are easily convinced on all the goodness and love, but without the greatness of a Savior, there is nothing really to keep them holding on when the going gets hard and life becomes what they don't understand. It reminds me of Ray Comfort's book, 'Hell's Best Kept Secret.' Because that's the story of Job, and the whole reason that the devil was allowed to torment Job in the first place. We have got to understand the bigger picture, that one day all the earth will be judged; those that are not in Christ will be judged for their sins; those who are in Christ will be judged for rewards. What a contrast in those two judgments! The way Pastor Mike put it might not match this order, because he said we need to hit them with the bad news, and then present the Gospel; which is much the same as Ray puts it in his book: "The plane is going to go down, you need to put on this parachute!" The way that David is presenting it, is to proclaim God's love, as unfailing and unconditional as it is, and then hit us with His honor and majesty. I don't know, I guess it all depends on which one grabs our attention the most. As for me, my hellion days were all about going to hell, so nothing really grabbed me about any of that; but finding out just how much God loved me, and how He sent His Son, who Himself was my Creator, to die for my sins and to save me from that hell; that pretty much did it...
""Look! The LORD'S anger bursts out like a storm, a whirlwind that swirls down on the heads of the wicked. The anger of the LORD will not be diminished until he has finished all he has planned. In the days to come you will understand all this very clearly. "I have not sent these prophets, yet they run around claiming to speak for me. I have given them no message, yet they go on prophesying. If they had stood before me and listened to me, they would have spoken my words, and they would have turned my people from their evil ways and deeds. Am I a God who is only close at hand?" says the LORD. "No, I am far away at the same time. Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?" says the LORD." (Jeremiah 23:19-24) NLT
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
"Just Be Loved"
"Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul." (Psalms 103:22)
I know we seldom feel as though we deserve it, but God's love is really not about how we feel; it's not even about how we react, it's about the fact that He loves us, just as we are! Don't ask me why, because I have quit trying to figure that out a long time ago. All that I know, is that He loves us, each and every one of us, as His precious children; children with issues, with weaknesses, and even some with rebellious hearts. Maybe it is because He can look beyond all of these problems, seeing the way that we will become. There will be a day when all of these fleshly things will be dissolved and gone; I don't even think that they will be a memory, because the Bible says that He will wipe away every tear from our eyes. It is the way that I disrespect His love that causes me to cry the most, so He will obviously take away those terrible memories of all of my trespasses against Him. One thing is for certain, God's love for us cannot be denied; it might not be understood, but we can never deny that He loves us, not after all that He has done to free us from our sins. Jesus said, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." Being set free means so many different things to so many people. Some people are free, yet they feel trapped in there daily life; I know that I do, more often than I care to omit. It's not that I don't feel grateful for all the God has provided, because it's really not about having stuff or being cared for. I keep waiting for my wife to be healed, yet every day draws me closer to our departure. Who will go first? I hope that it will be her, because I know if I go first then she will be less taken care of after I am gone; but then again, I can't let go of her. But, what takes me away from all of that is just knowing I am loved by my Creator. The Creator of all heaven and earth loves me! He not only loves me, but He has given me a new name, one that only He alone knows, and one that describes who I am in Him. Thank You God for loving me! That's all that I can do, just be thankful that He loves me...
""Sing for joy, O heavens! Rejoice, O earth! Burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted his people and will have compassion on them in their suffering. Yet Jerusalem says, "The LORD has deserted us; the LORD has forgotten us." "Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem's walls in ruins."" (Isaiah 49:13-16) NLT
I know we seldom feel as though we deserve it, but God's love is really not about how we feel; it's not even about how we react, it's about the fact that He loves us, just as we are! Don't ask me why, because I have quit trying to figure that out a long time ago. All that I know, is that He loves us, each and every one of us, as His precious children; children with issues, with weaknesses, and even some with rebellious hearts. Maybe it is because He can look beyond all of these problems, seeing the way that we will become. There will be a day when all of these fleshly things will be dissolved and gone; I don't even think that they will be a memory, because the Bible says that He will wipe away every tear from our eyes. It is the way that I disrespect His love that causes me to cry the most, so He will obviously take away those terrible memories of all of my trespasses against Him. One thing is for certain, God's love for us cannot be denied; it might not be understood, but we can never deny that He loves us, not after all that He has done to free us from our sins. Jesus said, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." Being set free means so many different things to so many people. Some people are free, yet they feel trapped in there daily life; I know that I do, more often than I care to omit. It's not that I don't feel grateful for all the God has provided, because it's really not about having stuff or being cared for. I keep waiting for my wife to be healed, yet every day draws me closer to our departure. Who will go first? I hope that it will be her, because I know if I go first then she will be less taken care of after I am gone; but then again, I can't let go of her. But, what takes me away from all of that is just knowing I am loved by my Creator. The Creator of all heaven and earth loves me! He not only loves me, but He has given me a new name, one that only He alone knows, and one that describes who I am in Him. Thank You God for loving me! That's all that I can do, just be thankful that He loves me...
""Sing for joy, O heavens! Rejoice, O earth! Burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted his people and will have compassion on them in their suffering. Yet Jerusalem says, "The LORD has deserted us; the LORD has forgotten us." "Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. Always in my mind is a picture of Jerusalem's walls in ruins."" (Isaiah 49:13-16) NLT
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
"Be Comforted"
"Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure." (Psalms 103:21)
If there is a place that takes me away from worry and stress, it's in knowing that God is able to do something with whatever I make of anything. I don't think we get that, because we spend so much time being concerned about the what if's, as if my life would have been better if I had only done this or that. There is nothing more that we can do to change the past, the past is what it was; but the future, that is a whole other subject. Right now, right where we are, that is where God has us; this place we are in is where God would have us, it is where God would have us be changed. I think of Jacob, how he was at the end of his rope; all alone, expecting his brother, who was quickly approaching his camp, to come and take him out. He was thinking, 'If I had only not taken his birthright? If I had only not stolen his blessing?' What happens next? God shows up and changes him! He goes from Deceiver, to Governed by God, with just a touch from his Loving Father. All that he was worried about, it was all just in his mind; God had already cleared it all up! What about Peter? The disciple who swore that he would not abandon Jesus, even though Jesus told him it would happen anyway; did he have regrets? Or Paul, who persecuted the ones who followed Jesus; did he also regret having done what he did? Both of those men were ministers of the Gospel, and as such, the message they carried in their heart was louder than anything they could have done in the past. That is what the message is all about, changed lives! Whether or not we are still talking about angels, it is not that important; what is important is the fact that God can change every situation, every heart, and put each and every one of His ministers on a new destination. What we might think is lost, God can turn it around for good. What we look back upon as ruined, God can raise it up as a blessing. He can do this, not only because He is God, but because He is God, and He loves us...
"The word of the LORD holds true, and we can trust everything he does. He loves whatever is just and good; the unfailing love of the LORD fills the earth. The LORD merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs. Let the whole world fear the LORD, and let everyone stand in awe of him. For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command. The LORD frustrates the plans of nations and thwarts all their schemes. But the LORD'S plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken." (Psalms 33:4-11) NLT
If there is a place that takes me away from worry and stress, it's in knowing that God is able to do something with whatever I make of anything. I don't think we get that, because we spend so much time being concerned about the what if's, as if my life would have been better if I had only done this or that. There is nothing more that we can do to change the past, the past is what it was; but the future, that is a whole other subject. Right now, right where we are, that is where God has us; this place we are in is where God would have us, it is where God would have us be changed. I think of Jacob, how he was at the end of his rope; all alone, expecting his brother, who was quickly approaching his camp, to come and take him out. He was thinking, 'If I had only not taken his birthright? If I had only not stolen his blessing?' What happens next? God shows up and changes him! He goes from Deceiver, to Governed by God, with just a touch from his Loving Father. All that he was worried about, it was all just in his mind; God had already cleared it all up! What about Peter? The disciple who swore that he would not abandon Jesus, even though Jesus told him it would happen anyway; did he have regrets? Or Paul, who persecuted the ones who followed Jesus; did he also regret having done what he did? Both of those men were ministers of the Gospel, and as such, the message they carried in their heart was louder than anything they could have done in the past. That is what the message is all about, changed lives! Whether or not we are still talking about angels, it is not that important; what is important is the fact that God can change every situation, every heart, and put each and every one of His ministers on a new destination. What we might think is lost, God can turn it around for good. What we look back upon as ruined, God can raise it up as a blessing. He can do this, not only because He is God, but because He is God, and He loves us...
"The word of the LORD holds true, and we can trust everything he does. He loves whatever is just and good; the unfailing love of the LORD fills the earth. The LORD merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs. Let the whole world fear the LORD, and let everyone stand in awe of him. For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command. The LORD frustrates the plans of nations and thwarts all their schemes. But the LORD'S plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken." (Psalms 33:4-11) NLT
Monday, October 23, 2017
"Be Amazed"
"Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word." (Psalms 103:20)
Talk about out of the blue, it takes more than just happenstance for things to happen the way that they do. But we would never really know the extent of what goes on in the unseen world all around; every little adjustment to our lives affects something else, and something else causes another thing to take place, and so on, and so on. Pastor Rick was teaching yesterday, and he started out with a question that we all ask God at one time or another: "Father, do you really know best?" The Scripture was 1 Samuel 28:1-10, and was expressed in the form of a battle, how the battles we go through cause certain things to come out in us, some good and some bad. What was amazing through all of that, is that no matter what David or Saul were caused to do, it was all part of God's plan to take Saul off of the throne and put David on it. As dark as things might look in our lives, if we are God's children, it is always going to be okay; even when it looks as though any direction our life might go only leads in destruction, God always knows what's best! Are angels really doing things all around us? You bet they are! They are instruments of God's kingdom to cause His will to happen. One great disaster that might happen here, is something that causes something else to happen over there. If you don't think that it is so, then you need to better read your Bible. The acts of judgment that are poured out on the earth in the Book of Revelation, they are all performed by angels; some of which are some pretty big angels, like really big; big enough to have one foot on land and the other in the ocean. (Revelation 10:2) The bottom line to what I believe that God is saying, is that He always knows best; no matter how terrible the battle might appear that we are going through, He is in control, He has our back, and He knows what He is doing. I think that is the most encouraging thing that I can say, because in all of our stupid things that we do, even in the wrong direction, God all ready knows ahead of time, and He has a plan prepared in advance. I know it sounds crazy, and there are just so many different directions that life can take us; but you just need to be amazed and believe that it's so...
"The earth quakes as they advance, and the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon grow dark, and the stars no longer shine. The LORD is at the head of the column. He leads them with a shout. This is his army, and they follow his orders. The day of the LORD is an awesome, terrible thing. Who can possibly survive? That is why the LORD says, "Turn to me now, while there is still time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Don't tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead." Return to the LORD your God, for he is compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of a curse. Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine to the LORD your God as before." (Joel 2:10-14) NLT
Talk about out of the blue, it takes more than just happenstance for things to happen the way that they do. But we would never really know the extent of what goes on in the unseen world all around; every little adjustment to our lives affects something else, and something else causes another thing to take place, and so on, and so on. Pastor Rick was teaching yesterday, and he started out with a question that we all ask God at one time or another: "Father, do you really know best?" The Scripture was 1 Samuel 28:1-10, and was expressed in the form of a battle, how the battles we go through cause certain things to come out in us, some good and some bad. What was amazing through all of that, is that no matter what David or Saul were caused to do, it was all part of God's plan to take Saul off of the throne and put David on it. As dark as things might look in our lives, if we are God's children, it is always going to be okay; even when it looks as though any direction our life might go only leads in destruction, God always knows what's best! Are angels really doing things all around us? You bet they are! They are instruments of God's kingdom to cause His will to happen. One great disaster that might happen here, is something that causes something else to happen over there. If you don't think that it is so, then you need to better read your Bible. The acts of judgment that are poured out on the earth in the Book of Revelation, they are all performed by angels; some of which are some pretty big angels, like really big; big enough to have one foot on land and the other in the ocean. (Revelation 10:2) The bottom line to what I believe that God is saying, is that He always knows best; no matter how terrible the battle might appear that we are going through, He is in control, He has our back, and He knows what He is doing. I think that is the most encouraging thing that I can say, because in all of our stupid things that we do, even in the wrong direction, God all ready knows ahead of time, and He has a plan prepared in advance. I know it sounds crazy, and there are just so many different directions that life can take us; but you just need to be amazed and believe that it's so...
"The earth quakes as they advance, and the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon grow dark, and the stars no longer shine. The LORD is at the head of the column. He leads them with a shout. This is his army, and they follow his orders. The day of the LORD is an awesome, terrible thing. Who can possibly survive? That is why the LORD says, "Turn to me now, while there is still time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Don't tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead." Return to the LORD your God, for he is compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of a curse. Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine to the LORD your God as before." (Joel 2:10-14) NLT
Sunday, October 22, 2017
"One Love"
"The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all."
(Psalms103:19)
When it comes to keeping God's covenant, there is really only one way that we are able to do that, by abiding in Christ. If we are not in Christ, then keeping the covenant that God has established is out of the question. God's covenant is that we abide in His Son! If we are not in Christ, then we have not entered into the covenant; and if we have not entered into the covenant, then we are still guilty of sin and have not entered God's rest. There are so many churches today that have quit teaching the Word of God; they might share some Scriptures, very little at that, and then they go off teaching on earthly things as they relate to living in this world. These kind of churches are growing much faster than the ones which teach the Word; and it's only going to become more and more profound the closer we get to the Lord's return. How easy it is to get pulled away from sound doctrine; to be enticed by things that make us feel better about ourselves, when the Word is not taught completely. Instead, only the parts that make us feel good are taught, and even then, they are taken out of context. What ever you might believe or how ever you are being taught, there is really only one truth; it is God's way or nothing at all! That said, I would like to mention again the book by Watchman Nee, "Sit, Walk, Stand." For those who might not know the book, it is an inspiring look at the Book of Ephesians. The whole premise is one of abiding in Christ; much as someone that is unable to walk must sit in a wheelchair to get around, so we must be seated in Christ in order to walk out Christ in this fallen world. And, when called upon to stand, it is still only by being seated in Christ that we can stand against the enemy. We do not walk on our own! As much as the world will like to convince you otherwise, we are to remain in Christ till His Kingdom come! They make fun of Christians by saying that believing in Jesus Christ is a crutch; I say, believing in Jesus Christ is a gurney, one that we must remain in or fall, possibly even die. When it comes to our will to do anything, our will should be to love; to love God and to love one another. It is God's love that makes that happen, not our own; only God's love is sufficient enough to love unconditionally; only God's love can be obtained in Christ. In other words, if we are not in Christ, then we cannot love as God commands...
"I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else -not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete in Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself." (Ephesians 1:19-23) NLT
(Psalms103:19)
When it comes to keeping God's covenant, there is really only one way that we are able to do that, by abiding in Christ. If we are not in Christ, then keeping the covenant that God has established is out of the question. God's covenant is that we abide in His Son! If we are not in Christ, then we have not entered into the covenant; and if we have not entered into the covenant, then we are still guilty of sin and have not entered God's rest. There are so many churches today that have quit teaching the Word of God; they might share some Scriptures, very little at that, and then they go off teaching on earthly things as they relate to living in this world. These kind of churches are growing much faster than the ones which teach the Word; and it's only going to become more and more profound the closer we get to the Lord's return. How easy it is to get pulled away from sound doctrine; to be enticed by things that make us feel better about ourselves, when the Word is not taught completely. Instead, only the parts that make us feel good are taught, and even then, they are taken out of context. What ever you might believe or how ever you are being taught, there is really only one truth; it is God's way or nothing at all! That said, I would like to mention again the book by Watchman Nee, "Sit, Walk, Stand." For those who might not know the book, it is an inspiring look at the Book of Ephesians. The whole premise is one of abiding in Christ; much as someone that is unable to walk must sit in a wheelchair to get around, so we must be seated in Christ in order to walk out Christ in this fallen world. And, when called upon to stand, it is still only by being seated in Christ that we can stand against the enemy. We do not walk on our own! As much as the world will like to convince you otherwise, we are to remain in Christ till His Kingdom come! They make fun of Christians by saying that believing in Jesus Christ is a crutch; I say, believing in Jesus Christ is a gurney, one that we must remain in or fall, possibly even die. When it comes to our will to do anything, our will should be to love; to love God and to love one another. It is God's love that makes that happen, not our own; only God's love is sufficient enough to love unconditionally; only God's love can be obtained in Christ. In other words, if we are not in Christ, then we cannot love as God commands...
"I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else -not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete in Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself." (Ephesians 1:19-23) NLT
Saturday, October 21, 2017
"Will You!"
"To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them." (Psalms 103:18)
It's really not a question, as much as it is a statement of who we are in Christ. As for the "covenant," we could go on and on all day as to what is our part of that, because as far as I am concerned, it's pretty much a God thing that He has established, sanctified, and put His seal upon; we had nothing to do with signing or pledging our part of the covenant; it is 100% God's doing! Usually a covenant is something that is made between two or more people, much like a contract where each party promises to do this or that to keep their end of the agreement. God's covenant is all His responsibility, we just get to enter into it by faith, accepting the terms of the agreement. As to what those terms actually are, that's where we tend to start getting a little confused, at least on the surface. Personally, I think we all know deep down in our hearts what we are called to be and do, we just don't fulfill all that is required; nor do we feel that need to, at least not on the surface. If you recall the contract that God made with Abraham, it was Abraham that spread out the pieces of flesh, but it was God alone that signed the contract. Abraham slept while God passed between the pieces of flesh; dismembered animals that were spread out to show the seriousness of the deal. It was meant to illustrate the binding part of the contract, as in, 'I promise to keep my part, or let this and more happen to me and my animals.' I guess you know how God was able to sign both sides of the agreement: He established the rules and also paid the price for the rules being broken; the rules that we broke, not Him! There is a strange way of saying, "to do them," as if we remember what they are, but we seriously cannot do them. But that does not mean that we are not to try and do them, because this most certainly does. Paul made it abundantly clear, we do not cancel out the law, fill fulfill the law by being in Christ. The law is never canceled; God does not go back on His word, ever! But what the law lacked in providing for us to keep it, God richly provided for, Himself...
"The LORD is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray. He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way. The LORD leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all who keep his covenant and obey his demands. For the honor of your name, O LORD, forgive my many, many sins. Who are those who fear the LORD? He will show them the path they should choose. They will live in prosperity, and their children will inherit the land. The LORD is a friend to those who fear him. He teaches them his covenant." (Psalms 25:8-14) NLT
It's really not a question, as much as it is a statement of who we are in Christ. As for the "covenant," we could go on and on all day as to what is our part of that, because as far as I am concerned, it's pretty much a God thing that He has established, sanctified, and put His seal upon; we had nothing to do with signing or pledging our part of the covenant; it is 100% God's doing! Usually a covenant is something that is made between two or more people, much like a contract where each party promises to do this or that to keep their end of the agreement. God's covenant is all His responsibility, we just get to enter into it by faith, accepting the terms of the agreement. As to what those terms actually are, that's where we tend to start getting a little confused, at least on the surface. Personally, I think we all know deep down in our hearts what we are called to be and do, we just don't fulfill all that is required; nor do we feel that need to, at least not on the surface. If you recall the contract that God made with Abraham, it was Abraham that spread out the pieces of flesh, but it was God alone that signed the contract. Abraham slept while God passed between the pieces of flesh; dismembered animals that were spread out to show the seriousness of the deal. It was meant to illustrate the binding part of the contract, as in, 'I promise to keep my part, or let this and more happen to me and my animals.' I guess you know how God was able to sign both sides of the agreement: He established the rules and also paid the price for the rules being broken; the rules that we broke, not Him! There is a strange way of saying, "to do them," as if we remember what they are, but we seriously cannot do them. But that does not mean that we are not to try and do them, because this most certainly does. Paul made it abundantly clear, we do not cancel out the law, fill fulfill the law by being in Christ. The law is never canceled; God does not go back on His word, ever! But what the law lacked in providing for us to keep it, God richly provided for, Himself...
"The LORD is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray. He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way. The LORD leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all who keep his covenant and obey his demands. For the honor of your name, O LORD, forgive my many, many sins. Who are those who fear the LORD? He will show them the path they should choose. They will live in prosperity, and their children will inherit the land. The LORD is a friend to those who fear him. He teaches them his covenant." (Psalms 25:8-14) NLT
Friday, October 20, 2017
"Pick a Side!"
"But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;" (Psalms 103:17)
Talk about a sleepless night; I actually thought about doing this blog at 2 this morning. It may have been this title; although I do not remember what time of the night that it entered my mind, only that it just kept repeating over and over, and next thing I knew I was dreaming about 'will,' as in, the will to do this or that. Here is that word 'fear' again; just a gentle reminder that there is something more to this relationship than just trying to get along with God. After the last couple of days, I was starting to feel that I was seriously lacking in my effort to serve the Lord. When God speaks into our hearts, it is usually in regard to our own needs and failures, not just for someone else that might be listening. Here is the difference between what we are and what God is: Everything! We are weak, but He is strong; we are unholy, but He is Holy; we are lacking the love needed to love as we should, but God is Love! That was the kind of stuff that was going through my mind all night; the huge contrast between what God is and what we are, and the main reason we need to keep drawing closer and closer to Him. There is where I believe that fear takes a place in this relationship, in that it causes us to desire to be on the right side. It's not just about being afraid of something, because the fear we need requires that we draw closer and closer; if anything, we are afraid of being out of His protection and His will. There's that word again, 'will.' Will you do this for me? Do you have the will in you to do what is right? Can I will myself to do anything at all? God has given us free-will, which an ability to make a choice about what we should do, or not do. I don't think that it needs to be a negative thing, not unless we will not fear the LORD; if we don't fear the LORD, then free-will, will be devastating, to say the least. I might think that I fear God, but when I do some of things I do, even though I know that He is watching, how does that demonstrate fear? It does not! And then I realize how much I need His mercy; and it's a good thing that it's from everlasting to everlasting, otherwise I would have used it up long ago...
"But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus." (Romans 3:21-26) NLT
Talk about a sleepless night; I actually thought about doing this blog at 2 this morning. It may have been this title; although I do not remember what time of the night that it entered my mind, only that it just kept repeating over and over, and next thing I knew I was dreaming about 'will,' as in, the will to do this or that. Here is that word 'fear' again; just a gentle reminder that there is something more to this relationship than just trying to get along with God. After the last couple of days, I was starting to feel that I was seriously lacking in my effort to serve the Lord. When God speaks into our hearts, it is usually in regard to our own needs and failures, not just for someone else that might be listening. Here is the difference between what we are and what God is: Everything! We are weak, but He is strong; we are unholy, but He is Holy; we are lacking the love needed to love as we should, but God is Love! That was the kind of stuff that was going through my mind all night; the huge contrast between what God is and what we are, and the main reason we need to keep drawing closer and closer to Him. There is where I believe that fear takes a place in this relationship, in that it causes us to desire to be on the right side. It's not just about being afraid of something, because the fear we need requires that we draw closer and closer; if anything, we are afraid of being out of His protection and His will. There's that word again, 'will.' Will you do this for me? Do you have the will in you to do what is right? Can I will myself to do anything at all? God has given us free-will, which an ability to make a choice about what we should do, or not do. I don't think that it needs to be a negative thing, not unless we will not fear the LORD; if we don't fear the LORD, then free-will, will be devastating, to say the least. I might think that I fear God, but when I do some of things I do, even though I know that He is watching, how does that demonstrate fear? It does not! And then I realize how much I need His mercy; and it's a good thing that it's from everlasting to everlasting, otherwise I would have used it up long ago...
"But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus." (Romans 3:21-26) NLT
Thursday, October 19, 2017
"Out of the Blue"
"For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more." (Psalms 103:16)
I hope that spoke into someone's heart, because I believe there is always a reason that God speaks in a certain direction; it's not just without purpose, because God says, "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." As to the point I was making yesterday, wherever we might be at any given time, is exactly the place where God can use us; we just need to be expectant and willing to be used, that's all. In the ruins or in the wilderness, it really does not matter, because God is in the mess, as well as in the calm. It is pretty much about us being faithful in the little things, and if we are, then God will give us bigger things. What are your little things? Usually, for most of us, our little things are those whom God has placed around us. Wherever we are, those to whom God has placed in our lives, those are our little things. I heard a comment made the other day about Paul being chained to a Roman soldier, they said, "Paul was not chained to that soldier so that he could not get away, but so that the soldier could not get away from him." That is pretty much just as it was; any soldier chained to Paul was sure to get saved, especially after Paul used those chains to explain what it means to be set free. Be that as it may, there is still the question regarding today. We need to also be mindful of the day that we are living in, not only the place where God might have us. You know that song, "This is the day that the Lord hath made," which is actually taken from Psalms 118:24; a Psalm which happens to be about "Thanksgiving." Every day is a day that the Lord has made; we should not put off for tomorrow what God has given us today. In the context of what is being said, "place" is not just a place where you were, it actually means more about existence, like here today, gone tomorrow. In that context, place is more about time, then it is a certain destination. Of all the things which God has given us to utilize for serving Him, time is the most common thing we all have in common. Maybe not over all, because some of us obviously live longer than others; but as for today, this day is the same amount of minutes for each and everyone of us that survive it. We need to make the most of what we have been given. And if you are still waiting for God to give you something to work with, then you are wasting time...
"Listen! It's the voice of someone shouting, "Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God! Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and the hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places. Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all will see it together. The LORD has spoken!" A voice said, "Shout!" I asked, "What should I shout?" "Shout that people are like the grass. Their beauty fades as quickly as the flower in a field. The grass withers and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the LORD. And so it is with the people. The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever."" (Isaiah 40:3-8) NLT
I hope that spoke into someone's heart, because I believe there is always a reason that God speaks in a certain direction; it's not just without purpose, because God says, "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." As to the point I was making yesterday, wherever we might be at any given time, is exactly the place where God can use us; we just need to be expectant and willing to be used, that's all. In the ruins or in the wilderness, it really does not matter, because God is in the mess, as well as in the calm. It is pretty much about us being faithful in the little things, and if we are, then God will give us bigger things. What are your little things? Usually, for most of us, our little things are those whom God has placed around us. Wherever we are, those to whom God has placed in our lives, those are our little things. I heard a comment made the other day about Paul being chained to a Roman soldier, they said, "Paul was not chained to that soldier so that he could not get away, but so that the soldier could not get away from him." That is pretty much just as it was; any soldier chained to Paul was sure to get saved, especially after Paul used those chains to explain what it means to be set free. Be that as it may, there is still the question regarding today. We need to also be mindful of the day that we are living in, not only the place where God might have us. You know that song, "This is the day that the Lord hath made," which is actually taken from Psalms 118:24; a Psalm which happens to be about "Thanksgiving." Every day is a day that the Lord has made; we should not put off for tomorrow what God has given us today. In the context of what is being said, "place" is not just a place where you were, it actually means more about existence, like here today, gone tomorrow. In that context, place is more about time, then it is a certain destination. Of all the things which God has given us to utilize for serving Him, time is the most common thing we all have in common. Maybe not over all, because some of us obviously live longer than others; but as for today, this day is the same amount of minutes for each and everyone of us that survive it. We need to make the most of what we have been given. And if you are still waiting for God to give you something to work with, then you are wasting time...
"Listen! It's the voice of someone shouting, "Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God! Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and the hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places. Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all will see it together. The LORD has spoken!" A voice said, "Shout!" I asked, "What should I shout?" "Shout that people are like the grass. Their beauty fades as quickly as the flower in a field. The grass withers and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the LORD. And so it is with the people. The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever."" (Isaiah 40:3-8) NLT
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
"Home Grown"
"As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth." (Psalms 103:15)
I thought about numbering days, but there really is no point in doing that. And then I thought about planting a garden, but who would care for it? Finally, and without much effort at all, I figured out that it is neither about days or planting, but it is about being planted. At the first sign of trouble, we want to make something happen; it is just something that we do, it's like a reaction that happens within, as if our mind needs to figure out what is wrong and then try to correct the direction that our life is headed. Growing up, I loved to watch that cartoon with to turtle and the lizard. Every day, the turtle would come to the lizard, who happened to be a wizard, and he would choose some kind of work that he might like to try. Without fail, every new profession or adventure would end in a disaster; leaving the turtle no choice but to cry out, "Help! Mr. Wizard." That might sound unrelated to anything this verse might be talking about, but it really depends what side of life you are looking at and the direction of the days you are counting. If we are counting the days that are spent, they have been burned up and turned to ash; if we are counting the days ahead, how can they be counted, since we have no date to base them on? It does not need to be negative, not if you are planted by God! If you don't think that you are where God would have you, then make the very best of where you are at, and see where God will take you. We can serve God from anywhere or in any situation. Sometimes we miss out on serving Him altogether, because we look to serve Him somewhere else, other than where it is that God has placed us. If we lived our life like that "flower of the field," then we would surely know that it is because of where we are that we are able to flourish; if we were uprooted, then we would whither and no longer shine...
""Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance -all who seek the LORD! Consider the rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were mined. Yes, think about Abraham, your ancestor, and Sarah, who gave birth to a nation. Abraham was only one man when I called him. But when I blessed him, he became a great nation." The LORD will comfort Israel again and have pity on her ruins. Her desert will blossom like Eden, her barren wilderness like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found there. Songs of thanksgiving will fill the air." (Isaiah 51:1-3) NLT
I thought about numbering days, but there really is no point in doing that. And then I thought about planting a garden, but who would care for it? Finally, and without much effort at all, I figured out that it is neither about days or planting, but it is about being planted. At the first sign of trouble, we want to make something happen; it is just something that we do, it's like a reaction that happens within, as if our mind needs to figure out what is wrong and then try to correct the direction that our life is headed. Growing up, I loved to watch that cartoon with to turtle and the lizard. Every day, the turtle would come to the lizard, who happened to be a wizard, and he would choose some kind of work that he might like to try. Without fail, every new profession or adventure would end in a disaster; leaving the turtle no choice but to cry out, "Help! Mr. Wizard." That might sound unrelated to anything this verse might be talking about, but it really depends what side of life you are looking at and the direction of the days you are counting. If we are counting the days that are spent, they have been burned up and turned to ash; if we are counting the days ahead, how can they be counted, since we have no date to base them on? It does not need to be negative, not if you are planted by God! If you don't think that you are where God would have you, then make the very best of where you are at, and see where God will take you. We can serve God from anywhere or in any situation. Sometimes we miss out on serving Him altogether, because we look to serve Him somewhere else, other than where it is that God has placed us. If we lived our life like that "flower of the field," then we would surely know that it is because of where we are that we are able to flourish; if we were uprooted, then we would whither and no longer shine...
""Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance -all who seek the LORD! Consider the rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were mined. Yes, think about Abraham, your ancestor, and Sarah, who gave birth to a nation. Abraham was only one man when I called him. But when I blessed him, he became a great nation." The LORD will comfort Israel again and have pity on her ruins. Her desert will blossom like Eden, her barren wilderness like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found there. Songs of thanksgiving will fill the air." (Isaiah 51:1-3) NLT
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
"Substance"
"For he knoweth our frame, he remembereth that we are dust." (Psalms 103:14)
Most mornings I have something that I know God wants me to share, or at least a title that acts like a springboard into the conversation; this morning, I think it looks like I am winging it. Do you realize that God has called you out of the darkness? If you really want to get technical about it, if it were not for God's calling upon your life, you would still been stuck in the line of those destined for hell. I don't know why God chooses who He does, I am just glad that He chose me, for whatever reason it was. When God calls us to Himself, His purpose does not need to be discovered as much as it just needs to be lived out. That is the primary thing about walking in faith, you really don't know what it is that God is calling you for, but you know that He is going to use your life in one way or another. As long as there is breath in my lungs, I know that God can still use me; He can still use me, even after I am gone; after all, He is still using David! We might be dust, but we are His dust, to do with as He pleases, and to spread around as He sees fit. Whether you know it or not, you are special; if you have been chosen to be a part of this spectacular story, then you are God's precious possession. That makes me take notice of what is going on around me. Not just in a practical way, but in a way that means something to the Kingdom of God. As I was listening to Pastor Mike talk about how ministries turn into something of relics, I couldn't help but think of how our own personal walks have the same pattern. It pretty much happens when we start doing what we think God wants us to do, but not doing what God leads us into doing. Must of the time that God leads us into something, it's not going to make sense, it's not going to appear possible, and it's not going to be planned out in advance. When we do what we think God wants us to do, we start making plans on how it will work and how it all will make sense. That's when we stop moving in the Spirit and we are moving in the flesh; the flesh wants to see how it's all going to come together; the flesh wants to feel secure in a plan. Like Pastor Mike said yesterday, "the Spirit blows like the wind; you never know where it is going." I thought of using something like that, like, 'Dust In The Wind,' or something similar; but this kind of dust is very rarely used in that manor; this dust has purpose...
"Jesus replied, "I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don't be surprised when I say, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where comes from or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit."" (John 3:5-8) NLT
Most mornings I have something that I know God wants me to share, or at least a title that acts like a springboard into the conversation; this morning, I think it looks like I am winging it. Do you realize that God has called you out of the darkness? If you really want to get technical about it, if it were not for God's calling upon your life, you would still been stuck in the line of those destined for hell. I don't know why God chooses who He does, I am just glad that He chose me, for whatever reason it was. When God calls us to Himself, His purpose does not need to be discovered as much as it just needs to be lived out. That is the primary thing about walking in faith, you really don't know what it is that God is calling you for, but you know that He is going to use your life in one way or another. As long as there is breath in my lungs, I know that God can still use me; He can still use me, even after I am gone; after all, He is still using David! We might be dust, but we are His dust, to do with as He pleases, and to spread around as He sees fit. Whether you know it or not, you are special; if you have been chosen to be a part of this spectacular story, then you are God's precious possession. That makes me take notice of what is going on around me. Not just in a practical way, but in a way that means something to the Kingdom of God. As I was listening to Pastor Mike talk about how ministries turn into something of relics, I couldn't help but think of how our own personal walks have the same pattern. It pretty much happens when we start doing what we think God wants us to do, but not doing what God leads us into doing. Must of the time that God leads us into something, it's not going to make sense, it's not going to appear possible, and it's not going to be planned out in advance. When we do what we think God wants us to do, we start making plans on how it will work and how it all will make sense. That's when we stop moving in the Spirit and we are moving in the flesh; the flesh wants to see how it's all going to come together; the flesh wants to feel secure in a plan. Like Pastor Mike said yesterday, "the Spirit blows like the wind; you never know where it is going." I thought of using something like that, like, 'Dust In The Wind,' or something similar; but this kind of dust is very rarely used in that manor; this dust has purpose...
"Jesus replied, "I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don't be surprised when I say, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where comes from or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit."" (John 3:5-8) NLT
Monday, October 16, 2017
"The Love of God"
"Like a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him." (Psalms 103:13)
Not that it makes any difference, but we are not capable of loving God as He deserves to be loved. I know Jesus said for us to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength, but to be honest, we fall short in so many different ways of doing that, the first and greatest commandment. Heck, we can't even complete the second greatest command, to love one another as we love ourselves. As to whether or not it makes any difference, it really does not; God loved us first, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us! What that actually means, is that God loved us while we were sinners; He loved us so much, that He needed to save us from our sinful condition, because He knows the true condition of our hearts. If we could somehow save ourselves, then we would be boastful little brats and not have any respect for God's love at all. This fear thing that David keeps talking about is the kind of fear that makes us understand our real condition, that we are wicked sinners that need God to show mercy upon us, otherwise we would be toast. That is what John was getting across in those few verses, that we are sinners needing to be saved; and as soon as we think we don't need to be saved anymore, then we slip back into darkness and the truth is no longer governing our lives. We need to be needy of God mercy and grace, constantly, each and every waking moment of our lives. As soon as we think, for even a moment, that we have arrived to some sort of holy point of our journey, we have bought into the greatest lie of all time. As long as we are in this earthly state, we are corrupt; this body is corrupt, what makes us think that we can change it? It will be changed, but not here, not on this earth. Paul says, "For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:10) We have our strength in Christ; if we are not dependent upon Jesus for the power it takes to do what it takes, then we are worthless and not going to love as God would have us to love...
"The LORD of Heaven's Armies says, "The day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace. On that day the arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw. They will be consumed -roots, branches, and all. "But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. On the day when I act, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under your feet." says the LORD of Heaven's Armies." (Malachi 4:1-3) NLT
Not that it makes any difference, but we are not capable of loving God as He deserves to be loved. I know Jesus said for us to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength, but to be honest, we fall short in so many different ways of doing that, the first and greatest commandment. Heck, we can't even complete the second greatest command, to love one another as we love ourselves. As to whether or not it makes any difference, it really does not; God loved us first, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us! What that actually means, is that God loved us while we were sinners; He loved us so much, that He needed to save us from our sinful condition, because He knows the true condition of our hearts. If we could somehow save ourselves, then we would be boastful little brats and not have any respect for God's love at all. This fear thing that David keeps talking about is the kind of fear that makes us understand our real condition, that we are wicked sinners that need God to show mercy upon us, otherwise we would be toast. That is what John was getting across in those few verses, that we are sinners needing to be saved; and as soon as we think we don't need to be saved anymore, then we slip back into darkness and the truth is no longer governing our lives. We need to be needy of God mercy and grace, constantly, each and every waking moment of our lives. As soon as we think, for even a moment, that we have arrived to some sort of holy point of our journey, we have bought into the greatest lie of all time. As long as we are in this earthly state, we are corrupt; this body is corrupt, what makes us think that we can change it? It will be changed, but not here, not on this earth. Paul says, "For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:10) We have our strength in Christ; if we are not dependent upon Jesus for the power it takes to do what it takes, then we are worthless and not going to love as God would have us to love...
"The LORD of Heaven's Armies says, "The day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace. On that day the arrogant and the wicked will be burned up like straw. They will be consumed -roots, branches, and all. "But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. On the day when I act, you will tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under your feet." says the LORD of Heaven's Armies." (Malachi 4:1-3) NLT
Sunday, October 15, 2017
"Far Far Away" -2
"As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." (Psalms 103:12)
Now, let's connect some dots here, because I am beginning to think that this is a little more than you or I can mess with. First of all, these are transgressions that we are talking about here, not just sin or iniquities, as was mentioned in verse 10. Transgressions are willful acts of disobedience, where we don't just miss the mark or have guilt, we cross the line into doing what we know is wrong to do. It is one thing to miss the mark, at least you try to do right, you just can't do what is required; and as for our guilt, that is the depravity of our fallen nature, which is handed down from generation to generation. Transgression is the same as trespass, where you see a sign that says 'No Trespassing,' and you refuse to obey what the sign says, and trespass onto the property anyway, just because you feel like doing whatever it is that you want to do. Jesus, pleading for those who persecuted Him, said, "for they know not what they do," trespass is knowing what you do, that it is wrong, but you do it anyway. Well, is this really something that we are capable of, to do what we know is wrong? Let's see, can I think of anyone who might fit this type of trespass; how about Peter? You think that his denial of Jesus fits that kind of action? He knew that it was wrong, he even ignored that Jesus told him he would do it, saying how he was even willing to die for Jesus, so he surely would not deny Him. Yet, when the time had come, he did it anyway; three times, just as the Lord had said that he would. And this was something that he said he would not do; can anyone relate to that? Oh, Lord, I promise, I will not do that thing again; that's what we say, while we feel the Holy Spirit chuckle inside of us; at least I think it is the Holy Spirit that is doing it, maybe it's just me and my will to do what it is that I know is wrong. But here is the good news, that it is still something that God takes and hides away; something that is willfully done against Him, He is willing to remove it and put it somewhere far out of reach. You cannot go east and west at the same time, it is impossible to do; it is as impossible as it is to reach up into heaven; it's just not going to happen. When we ask Him to forgive us, even for the things that we know were willing sins against Him, He forgives, locks them away, and throws away the key. We just need to do His will, and walk in the Light. How do we get to that place where we walk in the Light? By stepping out of the darkness...
"This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim that we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts." (1 John 1:5-10) NLT
Now, let's connect some dots here, because I am beginning to think that this is a little more than you or I can mess with. First of all, these are transgressions that we are talking about here, not just sin or iniquities, as was mentioned in verse 10. Transgressions are willful acts of disobedience, where we don't just miss the mark or have guilt, we cross the line into doing what we know is wrong to do. It is one thing to miss the mark, at least you try to do right, you just can't do what is required; and as for our guilt, that is the depravity of our fallen nature, which is handed down from generation to generation. Transgression is the same as trespass, where you see a sign that says 'No Trespassing,' and you refuse to obey what the sign says, and trespass onto the property anyway, just because you feel like doing whatever it is that you want to do. Jesus, pleading for those who persecuted Him, said, "for they know not what they do," trespass is knowing what you do, that it is wrong, but you do it anyway. Well, is this really something that we are capable of, to do what we know is wrong? Let's see, can I think of anyone who might fit this type of trespass; how about Peter? You think that his denial of Jesus fits that kind of action? He knew that it was wrong, he even ignored that Jesus told him he would do it, saying how he was even willing to die for Jesus, so he surely would not deny Him. Yet, when the time had come, he did it anyway; three times, just as the Lord had said that he would. And this was something that he said he would not do; can anyone relate to that? Oh, Lord, I promise, I will not do that thing again; that's what we say, while we feel the Holy Spirit chuckle inside of us; at least I think it is the Holy Spirit that is doing it, maybe it's just me and my will to do what it is that I know is wrong. But here is the good news, that it is still something that God takes and hides away; something that is willfully done against Him, He is willing to remove it and put it somewhere far out of reach. You cannot go east and west at the same time, it is impossible to do; it is as impossible as it is to reach up into heaven; it's just not going to happen. When we ask Him to forgive us, even for the things that we know were willing sins against Him, He forgives, locks them away, and throws away the key. We just need to do His will, and walk in the Light. How do we get to that place where we walk in the Light? By stepping out of the darkness...
"This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim that we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts." (1 John 1:5-10) NLT
Saturday, October 14, 2017
"Far Far Away"
"As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." (Psalms 103:12)
Whether you can accept it or not, God does have the ability to blot out your sins. He has the ability to remember not; even though He is All-Knowing, He is also All-Merciful; add to that His ability to take away our sins, and you have been totally and completely cleansed, from head to toe! "White as snow," the Bible says! That means that every speck of sin is removed and is cast away, so far away that it can never be reached again. I know, there is always that question of turning back; you know, that notion of our walking west and the east is always behind us, until we turn and walk east again. But, if you are walking east, then you are always going east too; you just see more sunrises and less sunsets. Besides, the Bible says that His mercies are new every morning, so more sunrises are the direction you want to be going; that way you can have more chances to start over, day after day. Oh, you don't start over each day? I sorry, I guess I just assumed it was something that all of us did; to start each day asking for God's forgiveness, guidance, and protection, over everything we do or everywhere we go. I like to start my day by giving thanks for waking up; another day to try and make it right, another day to try to be a better person. I actually heard a message about that yesterday, that was about how we spend more time not listening to God than we spend listening to Him, and we disobey more often than we actually obey. If we are not doing God's will, then we are doing our own; and if we are doing our own will, then we are not listening to God for instruction. "Who then can be saved!" That's a quote from one of Jesus' disciples, in reference to the camel going through the eye of a needle. Don't ask me, I really don't know how He does it, I just know that He says that He can and He will; and that is good enough in my book! If God's says that He remembers our sins no more, then it is as promised, period! We, on the other hand do not have that ability; and it is probably for a good reason...
"The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared. But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God, "You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer. You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin. Then I said, 'Look, I have come to do your will, O God -as is written about me in the Scriptures.'"" (Hebrews 10:1-7) NLT
Whether you can accept it or not, God does have the ability to blot out your sins. He has the ability to remember not; even though He is All-Knowing, He is also All-Merciful; add to that His ability to take away our sins, and you have been totally and completely cleansed, from head to toe! "White as snow," the Bible says! That means that every speck of sin is removed and is cast away, so far away that it can never be reached again. I know, there is always that question of turning back; you know, that notion of our walking west and the east is always behind us, until we turn and walk east again. But, if you are walking east, then you are always going east too; you just see more sunrises and less sunsets. Besides, the Bible says that His mercies are new every morning, so more sunrises are the direction you want to be going; that way you can have more chances to start over, day after day. Oh, you don't start over each day? I sorry, I guess I just assumed it was something that all of us did; to start each day asking for God's forgiveness, guidance, and protection, over everything we do or everywhere we go. I like to start my day by giving thanks for waking up; another day to try and make it right, another day to try to be a better person. I actually heard a message about that yesterday, that was about how we spend more time not listening to God than we spend listening to Him, and we disobey more often than we actually obey. If we are not doing God's will, then we are doing our own; and if we are doing our own will, then we are not listening to God for instruction. "Who then can be saved!" That's a quote from one of Jesus' disciples, in reference to the camel going through the eye of a needle. Don't ask me, I really don't know how He does it, I just know that He says that He can and He will; and that is good enough in my book! If God's says that He remembers our sins no more, then it is as promised, period! We, on the other hand do not have that ability; and it is probably for a good reason...
"The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared. But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God, "You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer. You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin. Then I said, 'Look, I have come to do your will, O God -as is written about me in the Scriptures.'"" (Hebrews 10:1-7) NLT
Friday, October 13, 2017
"Can't Touch This!"
"For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him." (Psalms 103:11)
Not just a little Hammer, we are talking about something that started a very long time ago. You might remember me sharing about the one day that God did not say that His creation was good, the second day of His creation. All His other days, the Bible says that God said that it was good, but the day in which God caused the division between the waters, the firmament below, and the firmament above, the one above He called Heaven; it was that division that God really was not all that jazzed about. We really can't even imagine how high this place really is, this place we call Heaven. We look at the stars and imagine those twinkling objects represent Heaven, but they don't even come close to where God is. When I first started this blog, back in January 1st, 2010, I posted a picture of the universe and a picture of a brain cell; these pictures were very similar and the image it portrayed made me feel incredibly small. We can only imagine what Heaven might be like, or where Heaven might be; but Jesus knew what it was like and He knew exactly where it was; and it wasn't anywhere close to what we can see! As to the second day not being good, I am sure that God was pleased with what He made, He just did not like the separation; our God loves our fellowship, He loves us and loves to be near us. It was this love for us that caused Him to make a way that we could fellowship with Him, even though He is Holy and cannot have fellowship with unrighteousness. Another thing that I spoke about, almost right from the start, was, What is more powerful to get us to obey God, love or fear? Not that we don't need both, but there is always one greater than the other. If we really understood how Holy and Righteous God was, fear might be the strongest one of the two; but we cannot even come close to knowing His kind of holiness. Therefore, love is the greatest overall! It is His love that He has demonstrated to us, for all to see; His love was made manifested in the gift of His Son. The Bible tells us, "That while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." The Bible does not say, 'That when we feared God, Christ died for us,' because it was not what His gift was all about. We could not reach the level of fear, or love, required to earn His fellowship, or His love; it was something that He needed to provide for us...
"But when God found fault with the people, he said: "The day is coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them, says the LORD. But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the LORD: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, 'You should know the LORD.' For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already. And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins."" (Hebrews 8:8-12) NLT
Not just a little Hammer, we are talking about something that started a very long time ago. You might remember me sharing about the one day that God did not say that His creation was good, the second day of His creation. All His other days, the Bible says that God said that it was good, but the day in which God caused the division between the waters, the firmament below, and the firmament above, the one above He called Heaven; it was that division that God really was not all that jazzed about. We really can't even imagine how high this place really is, this place we call Heaven. We look at the stars and imagine those twinkling objects represent Heaven, but they don't even come close to where God is. When I first started this blog, back in January 1st, 2010, I posted a picture of the universe and a picture of a brain cell; these pictures were very similar and the image it portrayed made me feel incredibly small. We can only imagine what Heaven might be like, or where Heaven might be; but Jesus knew what it was like and He knew exactly where it was; and it wasn't anywhere close to what we can see! As to the second day not being good, I am sure that God was pleased with what He made, He just did not like the separation; our God loves our fellowship, He loves us and loves to be near us. It was this love for us that caused Him to make a way that we could fellowship with Him, even though He is Holy and cannot have fellowship with unrighteousness. Another thing that I spoke about, almost right from the start, was, What is more powerful to get us to obey God, love or fear? Not that we don't need both, but there is always one greater than the other. If we really understood how Holy and Righteous God was, fear might be the strongest one of the two; but we cannot even come close to knowing His kind of holiness. Therefore, love is the greatest overall! It is His love that He has demonstrated to us, for all to see; His love was made manifested in the gift of His Son. The Bible tells us, "That while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." The Bible does not say, 'That when we feared God, Christ died for us,' because it was not what His gift was all about. We could not reach the level of fear, or love, required to earn His fellowship, or His love; it was something that He needed to provide for us...
"But when God found fault with the people, he said: "The day is coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them, says the LORD. But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the LORD: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, 'You should know the LORD.' For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already. And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins."" (Hebrews 8:8-12) NLT
Thursday, October 12, 2017
"Far From Deserved"
"He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities." (Psalms 103:10)
This is just getting good, so stick around, if you are into a good punch in the gut. I heard a small portion of a message the other day, maybe it was last week; either way, I have saved it up for this day, the time when this verse might come before us. It was about this very verse, a small part of a message that dealt with the fact that we come nowhere close to getting what we deserve; and those that think that they don't deserve any punishment for sin at all, those are the ones who need it the most. But, as many of us might observed, they don't seem to receive it; as a matter of fact, they seem to skate through life with all the toys and all the pleasures laid out before them. Surprisingly, I don't think that those wonderful gifts are from God. I know the Bible says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights," but those who reject God's love and mercy and are blessed, they are blessed by the god of this world, within whom there is "variablenees, and shadow of turning." Amazing how that works, but James really had some pretty good insight into the spiritual wickedness, not only in us, but around us. Regardless of who you might be, or how good you might think that you are, compared to what you deserve for your sins, you have not received any part of it. If you can't quite see what I mean, then examine the punishment that Jesus took for our sins, and then try to justify your case as to whether or not you deserve any punishment yourself. He took it all, the humility, the beating, the pulling out of His beard; He even lived a simple life, not even having a home to call His own, at least not here on earth. All the power that He had at His disposal, yet He did not raise a hand against any one of His accusers; He did not even raise His voice, but as an innocent Lamb, He went to the alter willingly for you and for me. More than that, from the cross He asked His Father to forgive those that were crucifying Him, saying, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Imagine that, those that crucified the Son of God, the very ones that should have been worshipping Him, were having Him nailed upon a cross; and yet they did not even realize that they were sinning; as a matter of fact, they thought that they were doing righteousness and serving the God of their fathers, putting to death a man that they thought pretended to be God. Is it any wonder that we can feel justified in our sins? After all, if we have not murdered anyone or committed anything worthy of death, then we should be alright and deserve a fair trial, right? If that is what you think, then I have a word for you, that Jesus was pleading for you from that cross! Who do you think it is that draws us to Jesus? "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:44) The good and perfect gift that comes down from above, is that we can actually see our great need for Jesus Christ...
""Now we are being punished because of our wickedness and our great guilt. But we have actually been punished for less than we deserve, for you, our God, have allowed some of us to survive as a remnant. But even so, we are again breaking your commands and intermarrying with people who do these detestable things. Won't your anger be enough to destroy us, so that even this little remnant no longer survives? O LORD, God of Israel, you are just. We come before you in our guilt as nothing but an escaped remnant, though in such a condition none of us can stand in your presence.""
(Ezra 9:13-15) NLT
This is just getting good, so stick around, if you are into a good punch in the gut. I heard a small portion of a message the other day, maybe it was last week; either way, I have saved it up for this day, the time when this verse might come before us. It was about this very verse, a small part of a message that dealt with the fact that we come nowhere close to getting what we deserve; and those that think that they don't deserve any punishment for sin at all, those are the ones who need it the most. But, as many of us might observed, they don't seem to receive it; as a matter of fact, they seem to skate through life with all the toys and all the pleasures laid out before them. Surprisingly, I don't think that those wonderful gifts are from God. I know the Bible says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights," but those who reject God's love and mercy and are blessed, they are blessed by the god of this world, within whom there is "variablenees, and shadow of turning." Amazing how that works, but James really had some pretty good insight into the spiritual wickedness, not only in us, but around us. Regardless of who you might be, or how good you might think that you are, compared to what you deserve for your sins, you have not received any part of it. If you can't quite see what I mean, then examine the punishment that Jesus took for our sins, and then try to justify your case as to whether or not you deserve any punishment yourself. He took it all, the humility, the beating, the pulling out of His beard; He even lived a simple life, not even having a home to call His own, at least not here on earth. All the power that He had at His disposal, yet He did not raise a hand against any one of His accusers; He did not even raise His voice, but as an innocent Lamb, He went to the alter willingly for you and for me. More than that, from the cross He asked His Father to forgive those that were crucifying Him, saying, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Imagine that, those that crucified the Son of God, the very ones that should have been worshipping Him, were having Him nailed upon a cross; and yet they did not even realize that they were sinning; as a matter of fact, they thought that they were doing righteousness and serving the God of their fathers, putting to death a man that they thought pretended to be God. Is it any wonder that we can feel justified in our sins? After all, if we have not murdered anyone or committed anything worthy of death, then we should be alright and deserve a fair trial, right? If that is what you think, then I have a word for you, that Jesus was pleading for you from that cross! Who do you think it is that draws us to Jesus? "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:44) The good and perfect gift that comes down from above, is that we can actually see our great need for Jesus Christ...
""Now we are being punished because of our wickedness and our great guilt. But we have actually been punished for less than we deserve, for you, our God, have allowed some of us to survive as a remnant. But even so, we are again breaking your commands and intermarrying with people who do these detestable things. Won't your anger be enough to destroy us, so that even this little remnant no longer survives? O LORD, God of Israel, you are just. We come before you in our guilt as nothing but an escaped remnant, though in such a condition none of us can stand in your presence.""
(Ezra 9:13-15) NLT
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
"Anger Management"
"He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever." (Psalms 103:9)
When it comes to dark times, times of pain, and times of not knowing from where or why trials have come upon you, those are the times of rest and cleansing; those are the times when God can do some of His greatest work in us, because those are the times when we will stop to listen to what He says. This word "chide," it's not always about contention and striving; it is also about pleading and contending a cause. God's ways are not our ways, He knows that more than anyone; it is we who do not get it; it is we who can't figure out the what's and the why's of life. As soon as we think we have it all figured out, He will scramble up the puzzle pieces again, and we are right back where we started. Do you not think that God knows what is going on in your heart? We either trust Him or we don't; but we cannot hide the fact that we don't, from Him; He sees our heart and He knows how much we trust Him or not. There is another message that I heard the other day, one about God's ability to not snuff us out, even though we might deserve it. I believe it was from Pastor Jeff, as he was explaining how God destroyed 24,000 of the children of Israel when they rebelled against Him in the wilderness. He could have destroyed them all, but His hand was only partially applied to them; as it was, He took out the ones who were instigating the rebellion. Isn't that how He works in our own lives, almost like a surgeon with a scalpel, as He carves out the ugliness in our lives and hearts. We might deserve to be smashed like a bug, but He has mercy on us, and He holds back His hand against us. If Jesus was angry with Peter over his denial of Him, it was only because Peter did not believe what He had said. It was one of those, 'See, I told you so,' moments; like when your mom says, "Don't touch that, it will burn you," and then you touch it anyway. She might be angry with what you did, but she is even more angry about you not listening to what she said...
"Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love. Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean! You will show us your faithfulness and unfailing love as you promised to our ancestors Abraham and Jacob long ago." (Micah 7:18-20) NLT
When it comes to dark times, times of pain, and times of not knowing from where or why trials have come upon you, those are the times of rest and cleansing; those are the times when God can do some of His greatest work in us, because those are the times when we will stop to listen to what He says. This word "chide," it's not always about contention and striving; it is also about pleading and contending a cause. God's ways are not our ways, He knows that more than anyone; it is we who do not get it; it is we who can't figure out the what's and the why's of life. As soon as we think we have it all figured out, He will scramble up the puzzle pieces again, and we are right back where we started. Do you not think that God knows what is going on in your heart? We either trust Him or we don't; but we cannot hide the fact that we don't, from Him; He sees our heart and He knows how much we trust Him or not. There is another message that I heard the other day, one about God's ability to not snuff us out, even though we might deserve it. I believe it was from Pastor Jeff, as he was explaining how God destroyed 24,000 of the children of Israel when they rebelled against Him in the wilderness. He could have destroyed them all, but His hand was only partially applied to them; as it was, He took out the ones who were instigating the rebellion. Isn't that how He works in our own lives, almost like a surgeon with a scalpel, as He carves out the ugliness in our lives and hearts. We might deserve to be smashed like a bug, but He has mercy on us, and He holds back His hand against us. If Jesus was angry with Peter over his denial of Him, it was only because Peter did not believe what He had said. It was one of those, 'See, I told you so,' moments; like when your mom says, "Don't touch that, it will burn you," and then you touch it anyway. She might be angry with what you did, but she is even more angry about you not listening to what she said...
"Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love. Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean! You will show us your faithfulness and unfailing love as you promised to our ancestors Abraham and Jacob long ago." (Micah 7:18-20) NLT
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
"Knowing Our Father"
"The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy." (Psalms 103:8)
As much as it is to know who we are in Christ, I think it still requires that we totally understand how much our Heavenly Father loves us. The Bible shows us a God that wants to save and protect us, not to destroy and abandon us. He wants us to see Him as He is, merciful and gracious! That said, He will do whatever it takes to get our attention, and to make us know that He loves us. I heard a few messages yesterday that I really believe I needed to hear. I know that I seem so positive and sure of myself, but I struggle like anyone else with the security of my salvation. I know that I am saved, so don't get me wrong, but sometimes the mere fact that I still sin causes me to doubt the security that I have in Christ. The first message I heard was brief but powerful. I am not even quite sure who I was listening to, but he spoke with boldness and assurance. His message was about how we are given eternal life the moment we believe, and that eternal life we are given is forever, secured away in heaven, way out of reach from anyone, including ourselves. That is something that our Heavenly Father has arranged, and He has done so because He already knows that it is the only way we can keep it, if it is out of our hands! We give ourselves more credit than we deserve for messing up our lives; much like they want to try and blame mankind for destroying the planet; one volcano can do more damage than a thousand years of what man can do. Besides that, what happens to our bodies and in this flesh is temporary and does not destroy something as powerful and everlasting as the salvation we have been given in Christ; no way, no how can we even plot such a thing! Do you realize how long and hard our Heavenly Father has planned for you? Something that happened thousands of years ago, He made happen so that you would be born; and after that, He planned something else, way before you were even thought of, so that you would be born again into His Kingdom. How in the world do you think that you have any control over that! The second message that encouraged me, was from Pastor Matt. He was sharing about how God's mercies are new every morning; and then he added a comment about how he needed God's mercy every morning, over and over, each and every day. It's a good thing that He has plenty of mercy...
"For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and a new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. God's law was given so that people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
(Romans 6:17-21)NLT
As much as it is to know who we are in Christ, I think it still requires that we totally understand how much our Heavenly Father loves us. The Bible shows us a God that wants to save and protect us, not to destroy and abandon us. He wants us to see Him as He is, merciful and gracious! That said, He will do whatever it takes to get our attention, and to make us know that He loves us. I heard a few messages yesterday that I really believe I needed to hear. I know that I seem so positive and sure of myself, but I struggle like anyone else with the security of my salvation. I know that I am saved, so don't get me wrong, but sometimes the mere fact that I still sin causes me to doubt the security that I have in Christ. The first message I heard was brief but powerful. I am not even quite sure who I was listening to, but he spoke with boldness and assurance. His message was about how we are given eternal life the moment we believe, and that eternal life we are given is forever, secured away in heaven, way out of reach from anyone, including ourselves. That is something that our Heavenly Father has arranged, and He has done so because He already knows that it is the only way we can keep it, if it is out of our hands! We give ourselves more credit than we deserve for messing up our lives; much like they want to try and blame mankind for destroying the planet; one volcano can do more damage than a thousand years of what man can do. Besides that, what happens to our bodies and in this flesh is temporary and does not destroy something as powerful and everlasting as the salvation we have been given in Christ; no way, no how can we even plot such a thing! Do you realize how long and hard our Heavenly Father has planned for you? Something that happened thousands of years ago, He made happen so that you would be born; and after that, He planned something else, way before you were even thought of, so that you would be born again into His Kingdom. How in the world do you think that you have any control over that! The second message that encouraged me, was from Pastor Matt. He was sharing about how God's mercies are new every morning; and then he added a comment about how he needed God's mercy every morning, over and over, each and every day. It's a good thing that He has plenty of mercy...
"For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and a new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. God's law was given so that people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
(Romans 6:17-21)NLT
Monday, October 9, 2017
"Knowing What You Are"
"He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel." (Psalms 103:7)
So, as it might have happened, Pastor Bryan touched upon that same portion of Scripture yesterday morning, "and his train filled the temple." Thus, the title of today's blog, and the meaning of the vision that God had given me; it is about knowing what I am, and that I am in Christ! The message got a little dark, but it pretty much needed to be, as it was based upon David's encounter with Saul in a cave; the cave where David cut off the skirt of his robe. But then Pastor Bryan took it to another level, as he discussed why David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt. David knew that Saul was God's anointed; never mind that he wanted to kill David, because it didn't matter in David's eyes who the man was, but what matter to David was the position that the man was in. That might not sound all that important to everyone, but for those of us that are in Christ, it means more than anything else; more than who we pretend to be, or who we think we are, it is who we are, regardless of what we might appear to ourselves or anyone else. I can't stand myself sometimes; the stuff that comes out of my mouth sometimes, I wish there was a way to take words back. There was another thing that Pastor Bryan said that made me take notice, he said, "Pain lets you know you're not dead." It's okay to feel the way I feel when I say the things I say, that pain within my heart lets me know that I even have a heart. If we don't feel the pain of the things we do or do not do, then that would be a sign that there is no real life within us. Thus Paul's appeal in Romans 7:24, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" This body is failed, period! There is no saving this vessel, it is destined to die and it is not Kingdom Property. But, there is a new body that awaits me; one that is not corrupt, that does not fail, and lives forever! That body is in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior; who not only purchased our souls from hell, but He has provided for us a new dwelling place in heaven with Him. I am in Christ; no matter what others might say, what the devil might suggest, or what my mood might try and persuade me! That is what this verse today is telling me. We are loved by the Creator of all that there is, and that Creator has made us His...
"Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised want to look good to others. They don't want to be persecuted for teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save. And even those who advocate circumcision don't keep the whole law themselves. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast about it and claim you as their disciples. As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world's interest in me has also died. It doesn't matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. May God's peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God. From now on, don't let anyone trouble me with these things. For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus."
(Galatians 6:12-17) NLT
So, as it might have happened, Pastor Bryan touched upon that same portion of Scripture yesterday morning, "and his train filled the temple." Thus, the title of today's blog, and the meaning of the vision that God had given me; it is about knowing what I am, and that I am in Christ! The message got a little dark, but it pretty much needed to be, as it was based upon David's encounter with Saul in a cave; the cave where David cut off the skirt of his robe. But then Pastor Bryan took it to another level, as he discussed why David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt. David knew that Saul was God's anointed; never mind that he wanted to kill David, because it didn't matter in David's eyes who the man was, but what matter to David was the position that the man was in. That might not sound all that important to everyone, but for those of us that are in Christ, it means more than anything else; more than who we pretend to be, or who we think we are, it is who we are, regardless of what we might appear to ourselves or anyone else. I can't stand myself sometimes; the stuff that comes out of my mouth sometimes, I wish there was a way to take words back. There was another thing that Pastor Bryan said that made me take notice, he said, "Pain lets you know you're not dead." It's okay to feel the way I feel when I say the things I say, that pain within my heart lets me know that I even have a heart. If we don't feel the pain of the things we do or do not do, then that would be a sign that there is no real life within us. Thus Paul's appeal in Romans 7:24, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" This body is failed, period! There is no saving this vessel, it is destined to die and it is not Kingdom Property. But, there is a new body that awaits me; one that is not corrupt, that does not fail, and lives forever! That body is in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior; who not only purchased our souls from hell, but He has provided for us a new dwelling place in heaven with Him. I am in Christ; no matter what others might say, what the devil might suggest, or what my mood might try and persuade me! That is what this verse today is telling me. We are loved by the Creator of all that there is, and that Creator has made us His...
"Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised want to look good to others. They don't want to be persecuted for teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save. And even those who advocate circumcision don't keep the whole law themselves. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast about it and claim you as their disciples. As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world's interest in me has also died. It doesn't matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. May God's peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God. From now on, don't let anyone trouble me with these things. For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus."
(Galatians 6:12-17) NLT
Sunday, October 8, 2017
"Dress Maker"
"The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed." (Psalms 103:6)
Okay, so it sounds a little weird. Have you ever had one of those mornings when you just can't quite get out of bed? Well, it has been one of those mornings. After the night I had yesterday and needing to be at church for Men at the Cross, I thought I deserved a little more sleep. Pastor David was pretty much sharing on the same thing that I was talking about yesterday morning; sowing seeds was the primary point to the message, besides the message was about "What is a Parable?", he was trying to make his point about our need to produce fruit, taken from Jesus' statement in Matthew 13:23. At one point, David said that a child can so seeds just as well as an experienced farmer, and that it was just a matter of throwing out seeds upon the soil. That's the thing about farming, that the farmer really has no control over the harvest. He can make every effort and perform every function known to farming, but it is God that controls the harvest. I can remember the morning that God gave me a vision of a wedding dress in the Throne of God. I was praying and thinking about Isaiah 6:1, "and his train filled the temple," when all of the sudden I saw a very vivid picture of a wedding dress, and the train of the dress stretched from the Throne and all throughout the Temple. As I looked more carefully at the design of the train's fabric, I could see people woven into the fabric; and as I looked closer and closer, the person that I focused upon was me. Talk about weird; I still don't quite know how to interpret that vision. But the one thing that I do know, at least I am in the Temple! Actually I took the title from the meaning of "executeth," and the words dress and maker just so happened to be next to each other in the translation count. Dress shows up 13 times, and maker also shows up 13 times; the number one translation of the word, "asah," is the word 'do', which shows up 1,333 times; next in line is the word, 'make', which shows up 653 times. I am pretty sure that the bottom line to all of this, is that God is always doing stuff; as a matter of fact, I am pretty sure that He never does rest from doing stuff. If He is not busy doing, then He is busy maintaining; and if He's not maintaining, then He is busy dealing with our messes that we make, making beauty from ashes. Besides, the word "oppressed," is a pretty complex word that fits into a whole lot of meanings...
"Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. Your gold and silver has become worthless. The very wealth you are counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This treasure you have accumulated will stand as evidence against you on the day of judgment. For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The wages you held back cry out against you. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the LORD of Heaven's Armies. You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. You have condemned and killed innocent people, who do not resist you. Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord's return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near." (James 5:1-8) NLT
Okay, so it sounds a little weird. Have you ever had one of those mornings when you just can't quite get out of bed? Well, it has been one of those mornings. After the night I had yesterday and needing to be at church for Men at the Cross, I thought I deserved a little more sleep. Pastor David was pretty much sharing on the same thing that I was talking about yesterday morning; sowing seeds was the primary point to the message, besides the message was about "What is a Parable?", he was trying to make his point about our need to produce fruit, taken from Jesus' statement in Matthew 13:23. At one point, David said that a child can so seeds just as well as an experienced farmer, and that it was just a matter of throwing out seeds upon the soil. That's the thing about farming, that the farmer really has no control over the harvest. He can make every effort and perform every function known to farming, but it is God that controls the harvest. I can remember the morning that God gave me a vision of a wedding dress in the Throne of God. I was praying and thinking about Isaiah 6:1, "and his train filled the temple," when all of the sudden I saw a very vivid picture of a wedding dress, and the train of the dress stretched from the Throne and all throughout the Temple. As I looked more carefully at the design of the train's fabric, I could see people woven into the fabric; and as I looked closer and closer, the person that I focused upon was me. Talk about weird; I still don't quite know how to interpret that vision. But the one thing that I do know, at least I am in the Temple! Actually I took the title from the meaning of "executeth," and the words dress and maker just so happened to be next to each other in the translation count. Dress shows up 13 times, and maker also shows up 13 times; the number one translation of the word, "asah," is the word 'do', which shows up 1,333 times; next in line is the word, 'make', which shows up 653 times. I am pretty sure that the bottom line to all of this, is that God is always doing stuff; as a matter of fact, I am pretty sure that He never does rest from doing stuff. If He is not busy doing, then He is busy maintaining; and if He's not maintaining, then He is busy dealing with our messes that we make, making beauty from ashes. Besides, the word "oppressed," is a pretty complex word that fits into a whole lot of meanings...
"Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. Your gold and silver has become worthless. The very wealth you are counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This treasure you have accumulated will stand as evidence against you on the day of judgment. For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The wages you held back cry out against you. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the LORD of Heaven's Armies. You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. You have condemned and killed innocent people, who do not resist you. Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord's return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near." (James 5:1-8) NLT
Saturday, October 7, 2017
"Taste and See" -Too
"Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." (Psalms 103:5)
On the other hand, there appears to be something connected with the sharing of God's word and our being renewed that continues to reinforce our own personal belief. I know that we can sometimes waver, maybe even sometimes chew on the lie, if but for a single moment; but the simple sharing of God's word keeps us from growing weary and from getting settled into a worldly way of thinking. As it was for Paul, or any other disciple for that matter, sharing God's message of salvation is what kept giving them boldness and strength, even in the most threatening circumstances. I heard a message yesterday about how Paul was weary about his life being threatened; it was during his trip to Antioch when there was a great revival that had taken place. After he realized what had just happened, Paul felt weary about what might come next. The message was focused around, "No Pain, No Gain," but Pastor Jon changed the statement into, "Know gain, Know pain." It is a principle of the enemies of God stepping up their fight against those who seem to be doing the most work for the Lord. It is really something that should be expected; Paul surely expected that it would happen, because it had happened everywhere else he went. But this time, the Lord came to Paul at night and assured him that no one would harm him there. Paul ended up spending a year and half there. Our biggest threat to the ability to withstand growing weary, is our view of the world and our view of God. If our view of God far outweighs the view of the world, then any threat the world might give to us is greatly reduced. As simple as that might sound, it is something that must be put into action before it is realized to be true in our own lives. That you might refer to, as exercising your faith: No Pain, No Gain; that's pretty much the point...
"That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For out present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that far outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the trouble we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on the things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18) NLT
On the other hand, there appears to be something connected with the sharing of God's word and our being renewed that continues to reinforce our own personal belief. I know that we can sometimes waver, maybe even sometimes chew on the lie, if but for a single moment; but the simple sharing of God's word keeps us from growing weary and from getting settled into a worldly way of thinking. As it was for Paul, or any other disciple for that matter, sharing God's message of salvation is what kept giving them boldness and strength, even in the most threatening circumstances. I heard a message yesterday about how Paul was weary about his life being threatened; it was during his trip to Antioch when there was a great revival that had taken place. After he realized what had just happened, Paul felt weary about what might come next. The message was focused around, "No Pain, No Gain," but Pastor Jon changed the statement into, "Know gain, Know pain." It is a principle of the enemies of God stepping up their fight against those who seem to be doing the most work for the Lord. It is really something that should be expected; Paul surely expected that it would happen, because it had happened everywhere else he went. But this time, the Lord came to Paul at night and assured him that no one would harm him there. Paul ended up spending a year and half there. Our biggest threat to the ability to withstand growing weary, is our view of the world and our view of God. If our view of God far outweighs the view of the world, then any threat the world might give to us is greatly reduced. As simple as that might sound, it is something that must be put into action before it is realized to be true in our own lives. That you might refer to, as exercising your faith: No Pain, No Gain; that's pretty much the point...
"That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For out present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that far outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the trouble we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on the things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18) NLT
Friday, October 6, 2017
"Taste and See"
"Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." (Psalms 103:5)
This is not all that mysterious, not for those who have experienced all that the Lord can do in us, in a single moment. I know I have shared on this several times, but it goes to the point of what I believe that God is saying. When I first got saved, I could point to the Scriptures and share with someone about what the Scripture meant; I could flip in my Bible to the exact Scripture for the exact issue that we were in a discussion over, and then I would express how that Scripture was good for that issue and how it applied. I had been reading the New Testament almost all the time, from the time I entered the jail and was able to get hold of a copy, till the day that I had accepted Jesus into my heart; so I did kind of know my way around the New Testament. But what was happening to me when I shared the Lord with others, that was totally supernatural and beyond my abilities to know. I don't think that this is speaking about taking in God's word, this is speaking about speaking out God's word. It is much like the words Jesus spoke to His disciples when they wondered who feed Him, but He said to them, "I have meat to eat that ye know not of." (John 4:32) The renewal that takes place within us, while and after we share God's word, especially when it changes a unbeliever, is more than any food can satisfy us; it renews and refreshes our soul, and the Spirit is magnified within us. It refreshes and renews us so much, that it feels bad and empty when it changes back to the way it was before we shared God's word. That is the things that drives us to share more; they don't call to Living Water for nothing, because it needs to flow through us for us to feel the life that it gives. Moses wore the veil over his face, not to hide the luster from the children of Israel so that they would not see his glow, but to hide the glow so that they would not notice when it had passed. That's what happens when we are in fellowship with the Lord, He changes us; He changes us so much, that when we are not in fellowship, we can appear to be another person, altogether. Jesus continued to say, "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work." That is when we start getting old, when we think that His work is done in us...
"Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. But the people's minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses' writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord -who is the Spirit -makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image." (2 Corinthians 3:12-18) NLT
This is not all that mysterious, not for those who have experienced all that the Lord can do in us, in a single moment. I know I have shared on this several times, but it goes to the point of what I believe that God is saying. When I first got saved, I could point to the Scriptures and share with someone about what the Scripture meant; I could flip in my Bible to the exact Scripture for the exact issue that we were in a discussion over, and then I would express how that Scripture was good for that issue and how it applied. I had been reading the New Testament almost all the time, from the time I entered the jail and was able to get hold of a copy, till the day that I had accepted Jesus into my heart; so I did kind of know my way around the New Testament. But what was happening to me when I shared the Lord with others, that was totally supernatural and beyond my abilities to know. I don't think that this is speaking about taking in God's word, this is speaking about speaking out God's word. It is much like the words Jesus spoke to His disciples when they wondered who feed Him, but He said to them, "I have meat to eat that ye know not of." (John 4:32) The renewal that takes place within us, while and after we share God's word, especially when it changes a unbeliever, is more than any food can satisfy us; it renews and refreshes our soul, and the Spirit is magnified within us. It refreshes and renews us so much, that it feels bad and empty when it changes back to the way it was before we shared God's word. That is the things that drives us to share more; they don't call to Living Water for nothing, because it needs to flow through us for us to feel the life that it gives. Moses wore the veil over his face, not to hide the luster from the children of Israel so that they would not see his glow, but to hide the glow so that they would not notice when it had passed. That's what happens when we are in fellowship with the Lord, He changes us; He changes us so much, that when we are not in fellowship, we can appear to be another person, altogether. Jesus continued to say, "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work." That is when we start getting old, when we think that His work is done in us...
"Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. But the people's minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses' writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord -who is the Spirit -makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image." (2 Corinthians 3:12-18) NLT
Thursday, October 5, 2017
"Never Out of Reach"
"Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;" (Psalms 103:4)
I had this thought yesterday about how long God has kept me from destruction; and by destruction, I am talking about all the times when I could have been killed, but somehow I was not. I am talking about way back when I was a child, to the days when I was in the Navy; all those times when I did things which could have cost me my life, but I was somehow protected and kept secure. I don't even remember even ever being in a hospital overnight, except to be with someone who I was visiting or staying with. We are loved by God so much more than we realize. When they say that God cannot learn, I believe that it means about us also; God knew me even before I was conceived in my mother's womb! I just can't get over that, because it means that He has had His eye on me for a very long time; way before I had ever even given Him the time of day. Do we take that for granted? Yes, I believe that we do. I think we seem to just assume that is how it is, but never really give it much more thought. But when you think of the complexity of all that is involved, it is just mind blowing to try and figure it all out. As for that closing Scripture from yesterday, there was so much stuff hidden in those few verses, I could do three or four days of posting just on that. But I think the most important thing that was brought out, was that part about, "Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!" It's hard to imagine that there were people suffering from being bitten by a snake that refused to look upon that bronze snake which had been lifted up on that pole; but we know that there were. It's just the same for those of us who are suffering from being bitten by sin; even as we are heading for destruction, how often we refuse to look upon the Son of God lifted up upon that cross, so that we might receive redemption. I think back to all the times that I was offered to look upon Him and did not. And yet, there were times when I was very little, I remember crying out to God for help; looking up to the stars and asking God to do something in my life. Maybe, just maybe, He was always within reach, even when I was in rebellion and wanted nothing to do with Him. God was always my Heavenly Father, even before I was thought of my anyone else...
"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding." (Ephesians 1:3-8) NLT
I had this thought yesterday about how long God has kept me from destruction; and by destruction, I am talking about all the times when I could have been killed, but somehow I was not. I am talking about way back when I was a child, to the days when I was in the Navy; all those times when I did things which could have cost me my life, but I was somehow protected and kept secure. I don't even remember even ever being in a hospital overnight, except to be with someone who I was visiting or staying with. We are loved by God so much more than we realize. When they say that God cannot learn, I believe that it means about us also; God knew me even before I was conceived in my mother's womb! I just can't get over that, because it means that He has had His eye on me for a very long time; way before I had ever even given Him the time of day. Do we take that for granted? Yes, I believe that we do. I think we seem to just assume that is how it is, but never really give it much more thought. But when you think of the complexity of all that is involved, it is just mind blowing to try and figure it all out. As for that closing Scripture from yesterday, there was so much stuff hidden in those few verses, I could do three or four days of posting just on that. But I think the most important thing that was brought out, was that part about, "Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!" It's hard to imagine that there were people suffering from being bitten by a snake that refused to look upon that bronze snake which had been lifted up on that pole; but we know that there were. It's just the same for those of us who are suffering from being bitten by sin; even as we are heading for destruction, how often we refuse to look upon the Son of God lifted up upon that cross, so that we might receive redemption. I think back to all the times that I was offered to look upon Him and did not. And yet, there were times when I was very little, I remember crying out to God for help; looking up to the stars and asking God to do something in my life. Maybe, just maybe, He was always within reach, even when I was in rebellion and wanted nothing to do with Him. God was always my Heavenly Father, even before I was thought of my anyone else...
"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding." (Ephesians 1:3-8) NLT
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
"More Than We Need"
"Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;" (Psalms 103:3)
Maybe things are not perfect, and maybe this world can be really ugly sometimes; but that does not mean that God has somehow stepped away, or that God does not care. This world is what it is because of sin; sin grows and grows like a cancer upon the face of this world, and it destroys all that it touches. I know that might sound like something from a Frank Peretti novel, but Paul gives us a better view in Ephesians 6:12, saying, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Speaking of diseases, we could get healed of all sorts of diseases, but any such healing is only temporary and is not the real healing that we need. The first part of this verse is the real healing that we need, because it will last beyond this life. Whatever happens here stays here; you don't take any of your sickness and disease with you into heaven! I don't know if I mentioned it, but Pastor Bryan mentioned something else on Sunday, saying, "What we call cruel, God calls cleansing." That might sound pretty harsh and not very soothing, but every time that there is disaster or even death, there is spiritual cleansing that takes place to those in or around what ever has happened. There is something that really matters more than safety and security on this world, our eternal security! Our life here is but a flicker, but eternity is forever and ever. We really don't know how long we have left here, so we had better make it count towards our eternity. It is a lot like the parable Jesus gave in Luke 16:1-13, the steward that paid ahead for assurance that he might be well taken care of after being discharged by his current employer. It is much the same with us, as we are living and working in a place governed by Satan and his demons, called the rulers of this fallen world. The things that we do are very unpleasing to the rulers of this world, so to ensure are next life is as good as it can be, we do all that we can to ensure those we know can be released from the grip that the devil has upon them. Much along that same line, is how we reclaim the day; by taking all that is used for unrighteousness and evil, and turn it into a chance to minister righteousness and good. It's called, "Being about our Father's business," and it pays so much more than anything else...
"Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey, and they began to speak against God and Moses. "Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?" they complained. "There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!" So the LORD sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. Then the people came to Moses and cried out, "We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take away the snakes." So Moses prayed for the people. Then the LORD told him, "Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!" So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!" (Numbers 21:4-9) NLT
Maybe things are not perfect, and maybe this world can be really ugly sometimes; but that does not mean that God has somehow stepped away, or that God does not care. This world is what it is because of sin; sin grows and grows like a cancer upon the face of this world, and it destroys all that it touches. I know that might sound like something from a Frank Peretti novel, but Paul gives us a better view in Ephesians 6:12, saying, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Speaking of diseases, we could get healed of all sorts of diseases, but any such healing is only temporary and is not the real healing that we need. The first part of this verse is the real healing that we need, because it will last beyond this life. Whatever happens here stays here; you don't take any of your sickness and disease with you into heaven! I don't know if I mentioned it, but Pastor Bryan mentioned something else on Sunday, saying, "What we call cruel, God calls cleansing." That might sound pretty harsh and not very soothing, but every time that there is disaster or even death, there is spiritual cleansing that takes place to those in or around what ever has happened. There is something that really matters more than safety and security on this world, our eternal security! Our life here is but a flicker, but eternity is forever and ever. We really don't know how long we have left here, so we had better make it count towards our eternity. It is a lot like the parable Jesus gave in Luke 16:1-13, the steward that paid ahead for assurance that he might be well taken care of after being discharged by his current employer. It is much the same with us, as we are living and working in a place governed by Satan and his demons, called the rulers of this fallen world. The things that we do are very unpleasing to the rulers of this world, so to ensure are next life is as good as it can be, we do all that we can to ensure those we know can be released from the grip that the devil has upon them. Much along that same line, is how we reclaim the day; by taking all that is used for unrighteousness and evil, and turn it into a chance to minister righteousness and good. It's called, "Being about our Father's business," and it pays so much more than anything else...
"Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey, and they began to speak against God and Moses. "Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?" they complained. "There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!" So the LORD sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. Then the people came to Moses and cried out, "We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take away the snakes." So Moses prayed for the people. Then the LORD told him, "Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!" So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!" (Numbers 21:4-9) NLT
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
"All of That, and More"
"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:" (Psalms 103:1)
The greatest love that we can ever truly know is the love of God! He keeps on loving us, even when we don't deserve to be loved, even when we are unloving to Him. I don't know about you, but that just blows my mind. Actually, it makes my heart ache for all the stupid things that I do, and how easy it is sometimes to pretend that He does not see me or care about what I do. If God is not big enough to fear, then He can't be big enough to worship, not in our own hearts. Worship is more than just singing songs and lifting up our hands, worshiping God is a way of life. Much like Daniel and his three friends who were taken into the king's court; their stand to not eat the king's meat was actually worshipping God. It was them saying to the world that God was to be feared above all else. We tend to let certain things slide as we try to blend into the world around us, hoping to just get along and trying not to be too different. But we are different! We are called to "Come out from among them, and be separate." Sometimes it is hard to tell who is who; like, how can the ratio of divorce within the church be the same as that of the world? God's love is what needs to motivate our lives. If you are not feeling motivated by the love of God, then it is something that He needs to work in you, and you must ask Him to make it happen. (Speaking to myself!) The message from Sunday was about God taking things out of our lives so that we can see Him more clearly. It dealt with some issues that require us to stop and take a look at what God is trying to say, even though we might not have asked Him to speak into our lives. Pastor Bryan mentioned something several times during his message, that David never asked to be king. It is pretty interesting how God works, because before David actually became king, God made him into a king, without him even knowing what was going on. Why do you think that David's psalms have so many references to God changing him or making him this way or that way, because David knew what it takes, a humble heart. Of all the pain and grief we needlessly suffer through, you would think we could realize when and what it is that takes it all away: Worshipping God...
""Remember how the LORD your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. For all these forty years your clothes didn't wear out, and your feet didn't blister or swell.""
(Deuteronomy 8:2-4) NLT
The greatest love that we can ever truly know is the love of God! He keeps on loving us, even when we don't deserve to be loved, even when we are unloving to Him. I don't know about you, but that just blows my mind. Actually, it makes my heart ache for all the stupid things that I do, and how easy it is sometimes to pretend that He does not see me or care about what I do. If God is not big enough to fear, then He can't be big enough to worship, not in our own hearts. Worship is more than just singing songs and lifting up our hands, worshiping God is a way of life. Much like Daniel and his three friends who were taken into the king's court; their stand to not eat the king's meat was actually worshipping God. It was them saying to the world that God was to be feared above all else. We tend to let certain things slide as we try to blend into the world around us, hoping to just get along and trying not to be too different. But we are different! We are called to "Come out from among them, and be separate." Sometimes it is hard to tell who is who; like, how can the ratio of divorce within the church be the same as that of the world? God's love is what needs to motivate our lives. If you are not feeling motivated by the love of God, then it is something that He needs to work in you, and you must ask Him to make it happen. (Speaking to myself!) The message from Sunday was about God taking things out of our lives so that we can see Him more clearly. It dealt with some issues that require us to stop and take a look at what God is trying to say, even though we might not have asked Him to speak into our lives. Pastor Bryan mentioned something several times during his message, that David never asked to be king. It is pretty interesting how God works, because before David actually became king, God made him into a king, without him even knowing what was going on. Why do you think that David's psalms have so many references to God changing him or making him this way or that way, because David knew what it takes, a humble heart. Of all the pain and grief we needlessly suffer through, you would think we could realize when and what it is that takes it all away: Worshipping God...
""Remember how the LORD your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. For all these forty years your clothes didn't wear out, and your feet didn't blister or swell.""
(Deuteronomy 8:2-4) NLT
Monday, October 2, 2017
"All to Him I Owe"
"Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name." (Psalms 103:1)
As hard as it is to understand, God's love for us does not need to be explained, it does not need to be researched, and it absolutely does not need to be challenged; it only needs to be accepted as truth, believed for one's self, and held onto like you mean it. Abraham was far from being a saint, but for all the wrong things that he might have done, his trust that he did put in the LORD is what got him into the category of Righteous. Actually, the term used in the Bible, is the his righteousness was "accounted" to him. There is the big difference between those have righteousness and those that do not, is where does that righteousness come from? If it comes from anywhere else but God, then it does not account for anything! I cannot even keep up with the amount of times that I sin. I try and recall all the sin that I commit, in any given day, and all that I can ask for is for God to forgive me for my sins; I don't even try to be specific, for the chance that I might leave something out. What we might consider to be normal and good, God might consider it sin; little things, like not doing something nice, just might be the thing that you were meant to do, but did it not. The illustration the Jesus gave of the Sheep and the Goats, had nothing to do with doing wrong, but everything to do about doing right. We have a new life that is based upon a new set of rules, to love as we are loved. It's not easy, but it's not something that cannot be done; God never tells us to do anything that is impossible, because with Him, everything is possible. I don't know as much as I pretend to know, but I do know that God loves me; and because of that one simple fact, I can experience something that makes everything else pale in comparison. Absolutely nothing else on this earth compares to the love of God! I just want to park right here and never leave; unfortunately, I need to change my wife, start my work day, and live another day in this world. The best I can do is to ask God to go with me; to be my feet and hands, and let the words of my mouth bring Him glory. I think I owe Him at least that much...
"Since God chose you to be the holy people that he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its riches, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father." (Colossians 3:12-17) NLT
As hard as it is to understand, God's love for us does not need to be explained, it does not need to be researched, and it absolutely does not need to be challenged; it only needs to be accepted as truth, believed for one's self, and held onto like you mean it. Abraham was far from being a saint, but for all the wrong things that he might have done, his trust that he did put in the LORD is what got him into the category of Righteous. Actually, the term used in the Bible, is the his righteousness was "accounted" to him. There is the big difference between those have righteousness and those that do not, is where does that righteousness come from? If it comes from anywhere else but God, then it does not account for anything! I cannot even keep up with the amount of times that I sin. I try and recall all the sin that I commit, in any given day, and all that I can ask for is for God to forgive me for my sins; I don't even try to be specific, for the chance that I might leave something out. What we might consider to be normal and good, God might consider it sin; little things, like not doing something nice, just might be the thing that you were meant to do, but did it not. The illustration the Jesus gave of the Sheep and the Goats, had nothing to do with doing wrong, but everything to do about doing right. We have a new life that is based upon a new set of rules, to love as we are loved. It's not easy, but it's not something that cannot be done; God never tells us to do anything that is impossible, because with Him, everything is possible. I don't know as much as I pretend to know, but I do know that God loves me; and because of that one simple fact, I can experience something that makes everything else pale in comparison. Absolutely nothing else on this earth compares to the love of God! I just want to park right here and never leave; unfortunately, I need to change my wife, start my work day, and live another day in this world. The best I can do is to ask God to go with me; to be my feet and hands, and let the words of my mouth bring Him glory. I think I owe Him at least that much...
"Since God chose you to be the holy people that he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its riches, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father." (Colossians 3:12-17) NLT
Sunday, October 1, 2017
"God's Love"
PSALMS 103 [A Psalm of David.]
There are many different reasons that we can point to David's writing this Psalm, but the biggest one of all is that David knew God loved him. When or if you watch the movie Ragamuffin, there is one thing that Rich says several times, that when we get to heaven the Lord will ask us one thing, "Did you believe that I loved you?" Things can sure get better when we know that we are loved, especially when we are loved by our Creator, the Living God! Just the thought of knowing, in what ever situation we might find ourselves currently in, to just reflect upon the fact that God loves you, is sometimes all it takes to remove the hardship of whatever is going on around us, in us, or to us. I love my wife, but my love for her pales in the light of God's love; His love has no bounds, whatsoever! We can get so fickle over the strangest things, especially when it comes to how we think that we should be treated. As to the point being made in yesterday's post, the LORD knew all along that He would take the punishment for our sins; just the reality of death, massive death to all life that had breath, was such a heartbreaking thought, it grieved Him in His heart enough to remind Him of the death that He would suffer for all of us. I heard a message yesterday, it was only a brief moment, but I know what it was all about. It was the pastor saying something like this: "He took on flesh and died a horrific death; so He's not just up there in heaven saying, 'Sorry for all the pain and suffering, it will all be gone soon enough; so have a nice life." Unlike the attitude of the professor in the movie, "God's Not Dead," who said something very similar to that very statement; our attitude should always be one of gratitude and thanksgiving, even in the midst of something horrific. Next time someone says that God does not care, you can remind them of how much He actually does...
"Who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm? My servant grew up in the LORD'S presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected -a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all." (Isaiah 53:1-6) NLT
There are many different reasons that we can point to David's writing this Psalm, but the biggest one of all is that David knew God loved him. When or if you watch the movie Ragamuffin, there is one thing that Rich says several times, that when we get to heaven the Lord will ask us one thing, "Did you believe that I loved you?" Things can sure get better when we know that we are loved, especially when we are loved by our Creator, the Living God! Just the thought of knowing, in what ever situation we might find ourselves currently in, to just reflect upon the fact that God loves you, is sometimes all it takes to remove the hardship of whatever is going on around us, in us, or to us. I love my wife, but my love for her pales in the light of God's love; His love has no bounds, whatsoever! We can get so fickle over the strangest things, especially when it comes to how we think that we should be treated. As to the point being made in yesterday's post, the LORD knew all along that He would take the punishment for our sins; just the reality of death, massive death to all life that had breath, was such a heartbreaking thought, it grieved Him in His heart enough to remind Him of the death that He would suffer for all of us. I heard a message yesterday, it was only a brief moment, but I know what it was all about. It was the pastor saying something like this: "He took on flesh and died a horrific death; so He's not just up there in heaven saying, 'Sorry for all the pain and suffering, it will all be gone soon enough; so have a nice life." Unlike the attitude of the professor in the movie, "God's Not Dead," who said something very similar to that very statement; our attitude should always be one of gratitude and thanksgiving, even in the midst of something horrific. Next time someone says that God does not care, you can remind them of how much He actually does...
"Who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm? My servant grew up in the LORD'S presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected -a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all." (Isaiah 53:1-6) NLT
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