"Well Deserved Thanks"

"O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever." (Psalms 118:1)

 Some mornings are surely better than others; but regardless, there is almost always something that God speaks into my heart. This morning He is speaking about how much He is for me; as a child, in need of teaching and in need of correcting, He is for me being all that He has created me to be. And believe you me, I am so very thankful for His abundant mercy! There are so many things that I need His mercy for; for the things I do, as well as for all the things I fail to do. Reading this verse, I can not help but think of that song, "Good, Good Father." This is what I am, I am loved by Him! Tell that to someone today; just tell them, 'God loves you,' and see what their reaction is when they hear you say it out loud and to their face. All those things that Paul listed in those verses from yesterday, they are all the regardless things; those things that would usually cause unbelievers to quite and give up, but not us who put our trust in God. We always have hope; hope that is based upon a God that is real and that cares for us; cares enough to have given all that He had to save us and redeem us from destruction. He did this even though we rejected Him, sometimes, multiple times, and without any regard for His love being poured out for us. Not only were we lost in our sins, but we were enjoying being lost, and had no desire to be found. Even through all of that, He did not give up, He did not quit loving us. There is really no greater love! And guess what! We get to rest in that love! Do you realize what that means? It means that He loves me, even when I throw mud in His face, even when I do the exact opposite of what He tells me to do, He still loves me and cares for me, regardless of my blatant misbehavior. Do you see why I use the word rest? There is no other place I would rather be, than in the loving arms of my Heavenly Father. No matter who you are or what you might have done, God loves you, and it is never too late for you to jump into His loving arms, because they are always wide open and waiting for you...

""This is what the LORD says: You have said, 'This is a desolate land where people and animals have all disappeared.' Yet in the empty streets of Jerusalem and Judah's other towns, there will be heard once more the sounds of joy and laughter. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will be heard again, along with joyous songs of people bringing thanksgiving offerings to the LORD. They will sing, 'Give thanks to the LORD of Heaven's Armies, for the LORD is good. His faithful love endures forever!' For I will restore the prosperity of this land to what it was in the past, says the LORD.""
(Jeremiah 33:10-11) NLT

"Thanksgiving"

PSALMS 118

 I know it might seem a little off, but I feel God is leading me to this today; besides, it is the next Psalm and I believe it is not so much about the date as much as it is about the time. In this Psalm there is one of my favorite questions, or statements, depending what your situation might be; the verse is found several times in the Bible, this one is verse six. Not to get too wrapped up in the numbers thing, but if six is the number of man, than this one is the one that I will claim for myself and for any situation or circumstance I might find myself in. This Psalm surely is a continuation of the last, in that it expresses all the reasons that we need to praise the LORD, regardless of whatever might be going on, whether it is in our lives or in our nations: God is on the Throne! Sure, the enemy might get to mess up some things here and there, but nothing is going to happen that God does not allow or already know about. That said, I do believe that there are things that are dependent upon prayer and intersection; whether those are predestined or overridden, I have no idea; only God knows what is what. We are only called to pray for those in power and to be ready to give an answer to the truth within us; beyond that, it is all going on in realms we can hardly ever see or know about. I believe Paul was enlightened by the Holy Spirit, so he could determine a little of what they were; but he did not hesitate saying how much a mystery that they were, but still making known there existence. It is no doubt that there are spiritual powers working against, not only the church, put the whole concept of God and what He represents. It is happening in every level of our societies and cultures; all the way up from the very first grade of school for our children, to the ending years of our elderly. We once took care of our own, instructing them in the truth, and ensuring they finished out there lives in dignity. Now, we seem to have entrusted the care of those we love to someone else; all to free up our own lives to do this or that; things that are mostly felt to be necessary for survival. One thing is for sure, the more control we give to the government, the more the government will control our lives. But I am beginning to think that more and more people are okay with that. The reason is easy to see, because more and more people do not believe in God, and they surely don't think He is in control...

"We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. We faithfully preach the truth. God's power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attacks and the left hand for defense. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us imposters. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We are beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything."
(2 Corinthians 6:6-10) NLT

"Mercy and Truth"

"For his merciful kindness is great towards us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD." (Psalms 117:2)

 The more I study His word, the more I discover how little I comprehend how great His love is towards us. I get all the parts that are easy to understand, the cross of Christ, our need for being redeemed and reconciled back to God; but to see the reason that He loves me, that is where my weakness takes me to an edge, that I just cannot get past my own failures to deserve His love and affection. In the movie about the life of Rich Mullins, he makes a statement about the real question Jesus will ask us, when we get to heaven: "Did you believe that I loved you?" Interesting enough, it is the love of God that establishes His consistency throughout the entire Bible. If all of humanity were looked at as if they were all one, we would truly see the significant pattern of His love, and His one true purpose is to create fellowship between Himself and the children that He loves. The one thing that brings everything together into a perfect picture is the cross of Christ. In that one illustration we can witness God's love on display for all of humanity, every single issue, every sin, every broken heart that has ever searched for an answer; it was all displayed in that single event. That the God of all creation would go so far as to give His only Son, the only One of His kind, to be sacrificed upon that cross for our sins; all because there was absolutely no other way to make us perfect. That my friend is why His love is so hard to comprehend...

""Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father's home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going." "No, we don't know Lord," Thomas said. "We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.""
(John 14:1-7) NLT

"One Big Family" -Too

"O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people." (Psalms 117:1)

 Whether or not you believe it, it is our faith in God that makes us righteous. There are many people that want to make it about anything else, whether that be predestination, works, or the luck of the draw; among many other strange and off the wall explanations. If you do not believe what God has said and put all of your faith in His word, you cannot be accounted righteous! Do you know why that is the way that it is? Simply put, because God is Righteous and Holy, and He does not lie! So, in the bigger picture, it really does not matter where you came from or what kind of life you grew up in, if you take God at His word and believe in His plan of redemption, then you are one of the Family of God; one of the "whosoever" that put their faith in the redemptive power of the Lord Jesus Christ! I am sorry if I feel a little riled up today, but there are some things that make intimidation less of a thing, and make us more a family than the devil would like us to be. Take a stand for what is right and what is worth speaking out against! That is all I will say about that...

"Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou art holy: for all the nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgements are made manifest." (Revelation 15:4) KJV

"One Big Family"

"O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people." (Psalms 117:1)

 You know, for this being the shortest Psalm of the bunch, it really does speak about some pretty big stuff; I really don't think we realize the size of this family that we all are part of, and what a large celebration we will one day all be enjoying in together. They said that the stadium full of people during the world cup were so loud and excited that it caused an earthquake in the region; just imagine what it will be like when all of us together praise the LORD in heaven. I remember being at a couple of Promise Keeper events in Oakland, as 50,000 men shouted and praised the Lord in the Oakland Stadium; it was really loud and you could actually feel the words that we being sung. One thing for sure, there will be celebration like no one has ever seen or heard before; if you think you can sing now, you haven't seen anything yet. Back in the late 80's, I was part of a men's retreat at Hosanna Chapel in Bellflower; Pastor Gary was so impressed by how loud we sang, he had us come up and sing at the beginning of the next Sunday service. We were still pretty loud, but I don't think it was quite the same as it was when we were at the retreat. I think that might be because of intimidation, which is the one thing that causes us to hold back and not be as loud as we should; to not have the voice that we should, speaking out against so many things and standing up for what we believe in as a church. The world can speak out so much louder than the church; it is really a shame that it is like that; but then again, this is really not our home, so why should we defend it and be excited about keeping it the way that we want it to be...

"Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors. He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote: "For this, I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing praises to your name." And in another place it is written, "Rejoice with his people, you Gentiles." And yet again, "Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles. Praise him, all you people of the earth." And in another place Isaiah said, "The heir to David's throne will come, and he will rule over the Gentiles. They will place their hope in him." I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:7-13) NLT

"Praise the Lord"

PSALMS 117

  Coming to terms with what it means to be not only called, but chosen by God, we need to reflect upon His mercy towards us; especially when it comes to how little we actually deserve it. As I was praying about what to say this morning, I was reminded of a message I heard from Pastor Jon a while back, a message about the righteousness of God. We are not righteous! God informs us of that fact in His word, many times. That said, we are capable of doing good, as well as bad; we have choices that we need to make, and being righteous is not one of them. We become righteous when God accounts us righteous, and that is it. We cannot work to be righteous, because there is none righteous except Jesus Christ. There are all sorts of fables that will try to distort the fact that Jesus was perfect; I grew up thinking that His cleansing of the Temple was a sign that He was not perfect, because anger is not living a righteous life. If we only could realize just how righteous God really is, then maybe we can see how far off we are to getting there on our own; it is impossible! There is no other way that we can be made righteous other than being washed by the blood of Jesus Christ. That is why we Praise the Lord! He has done more than just rescue us from death; He has made us righteous and made it possible that we might have fellowship with a Holy God; all of us, from every nation...

"Sing a new song to the LORD! Sing his praises from the ends of the earth! Sing, all you who sail the seas, all you who live in distant coastlands. Join in the chorus, you desert towns; let the villages of Kedar rejoice! Let the people of Sela sing for joy; shout praises from the mountaintops! Let the whole world glorify the LORD; let it sing his praise." (Isaiah 42:10-12) NLT

"Recommitment" -2

"I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the LORD'S house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD." (Psalms 116:18-19)

 In case you might be wondering, any recommitment that involves God and His working in our lives, does not involve remodeling or any strategy on our parts; it involves listening and obeying the voice of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Anything less than that is not going to count as real recommitment. We cannot have it both ways, to obey the Lord and also do whatever we want; the two are totally opposite directions. As far as the dedication of Solomon, he totally understood that it was all God's doing. We don't make things happen, we allow God to work things out by obeying what He tells us to do. It is not really a matter of just listening, because if it were, we would have not needed Jesus to die on the cross on our behalf. We need to put effort into what we hear God tell us to do; what ever it is, either to do or not to do, we cannot ignore the voice of the Holy Spirit. It starts by us obeying His voice, if we cannot or will not, He does not force us to listen, but there will be consequences if we don't. Not that it really matters, but just because God knows beforehand what you will do, does not give us the liberty to do whatever we want. We have no idea what we are meant to do or not do; only God knows the end of the matter...

""Everything is meaningless," says the Teacher, "Completely meaningless." Keep this in mind: The Teacher was considered wise, and he taught the people everything he knew. He listened carefully to many proverbs, studying and classifying them. The Teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly. The words of the wise are like cattle prods -painful but helpful. Their collected sayings are like a nail-studded stick with which a shepherd drives the sheep. But, my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out. That's the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone's duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad." (ECCLESIASTES 12:8-14) NLT

"Recommitment"

"I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the LORD'S house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD." (Psalms 116:18-19)

 Having something to recommit our lives to is not just important, it is necessary. I recall a time when I seriously felt like throwing in the towel on my business. I kept a small red rag in my office, usually in my top drawer of my desk. Every time I felt fed up with my business, I would wear that red rag hanging out of my back left pocket, to illustrate how much I wish that I was just pumping gas at a service station, and not being overburdened by trying to run a business. Marianne always knew what it represented, but most of the employees did not. She usually would try to encourage me and figure out a way for me to get my heart back into the game; but this one time, she did not. As a matter of fact, she did just the opposite, telling me that I needed to fire everyone and do it all by myself. Remind you of anything? If you are familiar with Israel's wilderness journey, there was a point during the journey when God told Moses to step aside, let Him destroy these complainer's, and that He would start a new nation through him. It was a point in Moses' ministry when he fell in love with those people who had been complaining to him, and for the first time he realized that they were like children needing to be cared for and taught; they were his family! As for me, that point in time was a small turning point in my business; as I moved my office to another place in the building, from that of the administrative area, to the area where my salesmen and crew were located. I also hired a Human Resource company to administer all of my payroll and benefits packages; making my wife and I like one of the employees instead of the owners. I believe God was all over that change, because less than two years later my wife had her surgery, and had it not been for that, she would not have received her disability insurance and would have not been on a medical plan. God does watch over us; and He always knows what is best...

"And the king turned his face, and blessed the whole congregation of Israel: and all the congregation of Israel stood. And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who hath with his hands fulfilled that which he spake with his mouth to my father David, saying, Since the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt I chose no city among all the tribes of Israel to build an house in, that my name might be there; neither chose I any man to be a ruler over my people Israel: but I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there; and have chosen David to be over my people Israel."
(2 Chronicles 6:3-6) KJV

"Attitude of Gratitude" -2

"I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD." (Psalms 116:17)

 Before we can totally comprehend the magnitude of God's perfect love, we must understand what grace is and why it must be something we have not earned or are entitled to have received. Grace is us getting that which do not deserve; we cannot earn it, no matter how hard we try or how good we are at working for it, it is freely given by God that we might walk it out in our lives. I know what you might be thinking, that if this is all about being rescued from death, then what does grace have to do with that, isn't that all about mercy? That is the beauty of God's great love towards us, in that He does not just rescue us from death, but He gives us life, abundantly, above and beyond anything that we could have ever asked for. For me, that is what the second portion of the verse above represents; the whole point about us calling upon the name of the LORD is to respond to His great love. It is us doing that which He has called us to, with a sacrifice of thanksgiving. We do not serve Him to earn anything, everything that He has to give for us has already been given! This is all about us spending all that has been place in our account; but with one amazing difference, that it never gets spent! The more we spend of it, the greater the quantity of the gift gets added. It is a lot like love, because the more love we pure out through our lives, the more of God's love gets poured into us...

""Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink- even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk -it's all free! Why spend money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food.""
(Isaiah 55:1-2) NLT

"Attitude of Gratitude"

"I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD." (Psalms 116:17)

 It is really not a matter of just being thankful, because the thanksgiving should come naturally; but it is more a matter of feeling obligated to show thankfulness, which is what gratitude actually means. The point is that of being in a readiness to show our appreciation for what He has done. Life is so unexpected sometimes, to be ready sometimes requires discipline and an little effort. I fail almost every time that I am tested! Seriously, I lack the patience it takes to just relax and take whatever it is that might disrupt my day. I am not talking about big issues, because those things are automatically given to the Lord, almost immediately, as soon as they show up. But it is the little things, the things that are annoying or contrary to my specific plans. This is really where I need some heavy duty help; and I always know what I need to do, I just hardly ever actually do it in the moment. That is what I feel God is speaking into my heart about this morning, to be ready to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving; making it the plan of action, as if my day were designed to offer the sacrifice, and I am just waiting for the chance to offer by calling upon the name of the LORD. Not to call out for Him to make something happen, but for Him to give me patience and the ability to be humble. The problem I see happening in my life, is that of not being prepared to offer a sacrifice; when the moment comes, I have not prepared for it, so I fail the test. Then I need to ask forgiveness for my failure and feel really bad for not being humble in the first place. But that's just me...

"Under the old system, the high priests brought the blood of animals unto the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, and the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp. So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood. So let us go out to him, outside the camp and bear the disgrace he bore. For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come. Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. And don't forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God." (Hebrews 13:11-16) NLT

"Bonds of Glory" -2

"O LORD, truly I an thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thy handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds." (Psalms 116:16)

 It takes a little bit of testing in order for us to truly understand what it means to be a servant; you don't just get there without a little taste of what the Master expects of you to do. Not that I have figured it out, but I think being a slave requires that we submit to the will of the Master. A real slave is one that has humility and does what he or she is told to do, usually, without question. In this case, David is not only acknowledging the he is God's servant, but he is committing himself to be that servant. There might be several ways to look at the term, "the son of thy handmaid," but for some reason I get the feeling to speaks about history and those that have gone before him; much like the term from Hebrews 12:1, "so great a cloud of witnesses." There is something that must be said for those that have served before us, as we look to them as not only fellow servants, but those that have graduated to something much higher and esteemed; each having finished the race, giving us a little bit of patience with our own. The "bonds" which David is speaking about are the bonds of death; which again, is what this Psalms is all about, being "Rescued From Death." There is really no other way to explain what the Master expects of us, without first having experienced what it feels like to be loosed from the bonds of death. This is something that is felt through trials and circumstances of being totally and completely unafraid of death; as if there nothing here than can hurt you, because this is not the end and death is only the beginning. Not that I have totally understood or lived it out myself, but I have reached that conclusion through my own circumstance. Death is being free from hurt and pain. It is the beginning of our eternity with Jesus, in the home He has been preparing for us all. Why am I His servant? I get to live in that Mansion in the Sky; that's where I go, when I die...

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne." (Hebrews 12:1-2) NLT

"Bonds of Glory"

"O LORD, truly I am your servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thy handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds." (Psalms 116:16)

 Maybe again, it is really all about dying to self! Reckon the old man is dead, is another way of saying, I do not serve that master anymore; I have a new Master, and Him will I serve! As I was praying about this verse, I saw an illustration of a man, most likely myself, being chained to the earth. It was almost as if that person was molded from the waist down as part of the soil and vegetation, almost as if he were part of the earth and his chains kept him fastened to the ground. This is not a very good rendition to my vision, so excuse me if I lack the talent to explain myself well enough. The point I believe it was illustrating was that of an 'Earth Dweller', or someone that is attached to this earth, physically and spiritually attached. Of all the things Pastor Bryan was trying to get out this last Sunday, the point about God being three Persons and man being three, body, soul, and spirit, was more about what should motivate us, then I think many people in the church really understood. This body that we have is only one third of our existence; the other two thirds are our soul and spirit. If that has anything similar to God's existence, then the body part is no greater than either of the other two, and the other two together are greater than the one; or something like that. My point is about what Jesus was going through the night He was arrested; how it was that He gained the strength to deny His will and lay His life down, He was out-numbered! The Father and the Holy Spirit gave precedence over the Son. I know it sounds a little strange, and the whole "All Three in One" thing is really hard to grasp; but Jesus was also a Man, which meant that He was manifested in a temporary body, just like you and I have our temporary bodies. These bodies we move around in are attached to this earth, just like the illustration given above; but our soul and spirit, they are not; they should have precedence over all of the choices we make, just as it was with Jesus and His choices...

"Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:19-23) NLT

"Glory Bound"

"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints." (Psalms 116:15)

 Nothing can quite compare to this illustration of God's desire for our fellowship. I tried to think of something in this life that might come close, and there was nothing that came to mind. We look at death as something dark and dreary; depressing, to say the least. If you have ever been to a funeral of someone that did not believe in God, it is totally and completely hopeless feeling, as in, there is no hope felt in that room at all. I will never forget what it was like at my son's funeral, how four or five of those that loved him were gathered around his open casket sharing about memories and filled with joy. It was a pretty awesome sight to see. I only hope it will be the same for me, that there will be a celebration for where I am, not a time of pity over my death. There is really only one thing that my heart wants to stay here for, and that is caring for my wife. No one is capable of caring for her like I can; no one I know is trustworthy enough to give her the love and affection she deserves. That is my pray, that she departs first; then I will feel totally free to leave. This is the point I think matters the most, is for us who love the Lord to desire to be in His presence. It is not just a reservation, it is a passion! Paul puts it this way, saying, "I'm torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live." (Philippians 1:23-24 NLT) What can possibly harm me, if my desire is to be with the Lord! Absolutely nothing...

"Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, "For your sakes we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.") No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us."
(Romans 8:35-37) NLT

"Unfettered" -2

"I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people." (Psalms 116:14)

 As far as getting busy goes towards getting better, better has nothing to with righteousness, it has everything to do with confidence and effectiveness in the ministry of reconciliation. Whether you believe it or not, you are not anymore saved today than you were the hour you first believed, no matter how hard you work and serve for the Lord. It is not what we do that saves us, but what Jesus has done for us; we don't get to take the credit for anything, but we do get to share in the blame. Isn't that what makes us the more relevant? Anyone who might think they are above anyone else, even if they have several different ministries, they are missing the bigger picture. It is not about them, it is about others and how God can use them to minister to others. If we make it about us, then we are slipping back into bondage of the flesh; self sacrifice is something that puts self below others, not above others. This is the second part of this message, that of sacrifice, and what that might actually look like when it is put into practice. "Now" is a word that speaks to the present, meaning that it is not when I feel like it, but it is when I am called or prompted to move. "All" is a word that means everyone, regardless of who I might want to minister to or how I might feel about someone. "Unfettered" is what we are when we give ourselves for the service of others; there is nothing holding us back or taking priority over what God is calling us to do. The more you free yourself up to serve Him, the more free you become to serve Him more...

""I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O LORD my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! As my life was slipping away, I remembered the LORD. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God's mercies. But I offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the LORD alone.""
(Jonah 2:5-9) NLT

"Unfettered"

"I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people." (Psalms 116:14)

 I probably should update our photo, seeing how I have aged significantly since that photo was taken. Oddly enough, Marianne still looks the same; at least that is how I see her, she has not aged at all, she has only become more beautiful and precious in my sight. I seriously hope that is how I look in God's sight; the closer I get to being with Him, the more precious I am in His sight. The strange thing about that, is that He already sees me like I will become, so there is no changing in the way that He sees me. I hope that there is someone out there that understands what I am trying to say, because the message is right at the tip of my tongue. If you dice up the verse above into three sections, say by putting a comma between 'LORD', 'now', and 'in', I believe it will make better sense to anyone that gets what I am trying to say. You see, we are not now the way that we will become, but we can be the way that we should be, right now, if we would only let God have His way in us. I am being totally serious right now. Our basic problem with being used by God, is that we want to feel complete in order for Him to work in us. We do not feel adequate enough, so we are waiting for Him to finish working things out of our lives in order for us to be good enough or more qualified. If that is what you are waiting for, then it is never going to happen! Right now is the acceptable time of the LORD! This amazing and glorious salvation that we have been given shines the brightest in the darkness; with all of your dirt and grime, you are an earthen vessel filled with a glorious message. The title for today's message might have seemed weird when I first wrote it, but I can see now why God spoke it into my heart. My chains are gone, I have been set free; I am no longer a servant to sin, but I am a servant of God! Right now, is just a way of saying, "Just as I am!" Oddly enough, you seriously don't get any better, without first getting busy...

"I praise God for what he has promised; yes, I praise the LORD for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me? I will fulfill my vows to you, O God, and will offer a sacrifice of thanks for your help. For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light."
(Psalms 56:10-13) NLT

"Unmatched" -Too

"I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD." (Psalms 116:13)

 You know, it has been said that what killed Jesus on the cross, was a broken heart. The other two men that were hanging with Him died of suffocation; but Jesus was already dead when they went to break His legs; and the fluid that came out of Him when they stabbed His side was water mixed with blood. So those that have analyzed what that represents have said it shows that He died of a ruptured heart. That makes the statement, "Break my heart for what breaks Yours," speak volume into what it is all about, and how being separated from the Father is the worst thing that can happen to anyone, especially the Son! As for the second part of this verse, there is something to think about when it comes to calling upon the name of the LORD, especially when have have a broken heart. My heart breaks more times than I care to mention; but each time it happens, I can feel God's hand touching me upon my shoulder, assuring me and letting me know it will all be okay. There is no way I can actually explain what that does for me, except to say that it turns my sadness into gladness, almost instantly. Regardless of what it is that you are going through, no matter the pain or the degree of suffering, when you call upon the name of the LORD, your circumstance changes. You go from being focused upon where you are at or what is going on in your life, and you put your focus upon God and all of His glory, majesty, honor, and love. When that happens in your heart, there is really only one thing that matters, your salvation...

"In that day you will sing: "I will praise you, O LORD! You were angry with me, but not any more. Now you comfort me. See, God has come to save me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. The LORD God is my strength and my song; he has given me victory." With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation! In that wonderful day you will sing: "Thank you LORD! Praise his name! Tell the nations what he has done. Let them know how mighty he is! Sing to the LORD, for he has done wonderful things. Make known his praise around the world. Let all the people of Jerusalem shout with joy! For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among you."" (Isaiah 12) NLT

"Unmatched"

"I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD." (Psalms 116:13)

 Nothing we can do could ever compare to the 'cup' that Jesus was given; we just cannot imagine the amount of suffering Jesus went through, not just His physical suffering, but His spiritual suffering as He was separated from the Father, having taken upon Himself the sins of the entire world. We are blessed beyond measure when we are given a particular cup to bare. I can tell you from my own experience, there is nothing I can think of doing that could bring more emotions and experience in feelings of the heart, than what I get to experience by taking care of my wife. Sure, there is hurt and suffering; not only mine, if it were just my own it would be easier to live with; but her's also, as I go on every day wondering what she is feeling inside and how it must feel to be trapped in that condition. Don't think I don't struggle with the pain of seeing her in the state she is in, because I hurt for her so much, some days I cannot stand to go on. But God is so gracious, reminding me of the love I get to feel in caring for her, the experience of that far outweighs the suffering; there is nothing else that could even come close! Maybe that is one way to express how love is brought to life, is by suffering; if it does not hurt, then it is not real love...

"If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but I didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." (1 Corinthians 13:1-7) NLT

"Unprecedented"

"What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?" (Psalms 116:12)

 When it comes to our salvation, there is really nothing else that even comes close to the value and the benefits of what comes with being saved. As for the fact that anyone who says they don't need to be saved, are liars, it is absolutely true; because we are all born into this world separated from God by sin, and each and everyone of us need to be reconciled back to God. I am totally convinced that we all know that to be true; whether or not we want to admit it, that is a totally different matter. As a teenager, I knew where it was that I was headed, that hell was the road I was heading towards. It was almost celebrated and bragged about among friends, as we all were living the party life and feeling free to do whatever we wanted to do. So no one can try to tell me that they do not need to be saved, because we are all born in sin, and we are all born with a sinful nature. That said, when it comes to being saved from going to hell, there is really nothing we can do to purchase that ticket; there is not enough money in the world that will pay that price; and there is nothing we can do to earn our way to heaven. So you tell me: What shall we render unto the LORD for all His benefits? Whatever He wants! That is the equivalent measure of the pearls we have been given; that the benefits of being saved cannot be measured by anything or anyone else, no way, no how! No matter how badly we might be treated or how hard we are persecuted for our testimony, none of that can even begin to scratch the surface of what our salvation is worth...

"Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart. If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. Either way, Christ's love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them." (2 Corinthians 5:11-15) NLT

"Let God Be True"

"I said in my haste, All men are liars." (Psalms 116:11)

 As you probably already know, this verse is actually meant to be part of the previous verse; a result of David being afflicted, his response was this, that all men are liars. Actually I think this is a pretty good observation, especially the it comes to the truth of God's word and how we should respond to opposition in declaring His truth. As I have shared before, when I first was saved, I was in a jail facility and I was eager to share Jesus with anyone that I felt needed to be saved. Not everyone was as eager to receive my message, and I did have a few confrontations with some of the more hardened inmates. We had a group of about four of us that prayed and studied the Scriptures together, and one day one of the group pulled me aside and told me, "Do not cast your pearls among the swine." He said this in response to my rejection, for about the third time, from this one inmate that I had been praying would listen to what I had to say. For about the third day in a row I had tried to witness to him, and for the third time, he had threatened to knock me out. My brother and I finally agreed to disagree, but I was convinced that I was right in thinking that Jesus meant that we should not be offended by bing rejected, not that we should give up witnessing to someone that has rejected our testimony. For me, it was by experience that I knew I was right, because I had someone give up on me when I was younger. Apparently I had offended them after a couple times they asked to share Jesus with me, and they quit asking; but deep down inside, I did not want them to quit. That was about three years prior to my salvation, when I was serving in the Navy. What I believe, is that we cast our pearls among the swine when we leave what we have been given, the truth, at the feet of those who offend us; not that we do not try to witness to those that reject what we have to say. There is nobody who is not worthy of hearing the Gospel; there is nobody that God cannot save, even if they do not want saving. Anyone who says that they do not need saving, is a liar...

"What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because unto them were committed the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged." (Romans 3:1-4) KJV

"Seriously Taken"

"I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:" (Psalms 116:10)

 To be perfectly honest, this verse kind of puzzled me, until I realized how true it actually is. I don't think that there is a man or woman of God that has ever really not had a moment of doubt, a time in their life when they did not feel as though they were alone in the fight, or a lapse of faith after having experienced the greatness of God's power and strength. I cannot help but think of two very important figures in the Bible, John the Baptist and Elijah; both of which had a powerful ministry, yet in a single instant were seriously in doubt. These were men that were proven to be anointed and called by God; anyone that witnessed their lives, could not deny that God's hand was guiding and directing them. And when it came to expressing their belief, both of them were afflicted and persecuted for expressing what was in their hearts. It really comes down to what Jesus said to Nicodemus about how people react to the light, that men love the darkness and hate the light. Even when you think that you might have finally broken through, and you have given the message that finally brought everyone to the alter seeking forgiveness, it will be somehow taken wrong by the evil in the hearts of those that refuse to change. No matter how right you are, if people do not want to change, your message will not be received, and it will be twisted. We are living in a very interesting time, one where the world is somehow becoming darker, and the Light is becoming more and more offensive. The reality of 2 Timothy 4:3-4 is setting in, and there is more and more of the churches that are becoming more like the world. With that said, this verse is the reality of what we should expect! You know, Abraham did exactly what was required, he fell on his face! That is the only affliction we should really receive...

"We have the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believe, and therefore I have spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many rebound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though the outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affection, which is but for a moment, worketh in us a far more exceedingly and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:13-18) KJV

"Taken Seriously" -2

"I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living." (Psalms 116:9)

 Just so you know, the moment in time that this took place when God spoke to Abram was about 15 years after Ishmael was born; a child born practically, not supernaturally!  Sometimes I dod't think we really totally understand the foundation of the covenant, because it is surely not about what we can do  or not do. Not too long before Abram went unto Hagar, at Sarai's request, God made that famous covenant agreement with Abram; the one where He had Abram lay out all the pieces of the animals, so that they could walk among them and sign the contract; a contract that said, 'Let this and more happen to me if I fail to fulfill my end of this agreement'. Interesting enough, God caused Abram to fall asleep, and He signed the contract all by Himself. In a nutshell, God fulfilled both sides of the contract and provided the finished deal for Abram to walk in; which is pretty much the same thing that Jesus did on the cross. What was it that made Abram righteous? It surely was not that he did not lie and doubt God, because he most surely did lie, and Ishmael is proof of his doubt in God. What made him righteous was that he believed God's word. As strange as that may appear, we can still believe God's word but doubt His seriousness to certain details. When God says He will do anything, He usually does not require our help to get it done! If God needs something done, then He will tell us what to do and we do it; that is how it is meant to work, we don't make plans for Him, He makes the plans for us to walk in. Anything that we do that is different from that is called the flesh doing it's thing, which is opposite of walking in the Spirit. The contrast between Ishmael and Isaac was just that, the flesh and the Spirit. But wait, it does not end there, because this account in Genesis 17 is also where God changes Abram's name to Abraham; new name is like new life...

"And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name anymore be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee."" (Genesis 17:3-5) KJV

"Taken Seriously"

"I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living." (Psalms 116:9)

 If there was one thing that I think we need to take stock of, it is the importance the God's word be taken seriously, each and every word. There is no wiggle-room for our own interpretation to what God is saying; each and everyone of us are responsible for the message that God speaks into our lives and what we do with what He tells us to do. If anyone is guilty of neglecting to do this, it is me. I have ignored so many things that I know God has spoken into my life; and if I haven't ignored them, I half-heartedly performed them. This blog is probably the only thing that I have totally committed to; and even then, some mornings I wonder if it is actually doing anything, besides causing me to stay committed to a daily devotion and prayer. One thing is for sure, it is a lot harder to get away with sin. Prior to doing this, if I wanted to lay low, I would just take some time off from reading my Bible. Now, it is harder and harder to have a little me time; at least for more than a few hours at a time. I am sorry if anyone might feel offended by anything I just shared, I am just being honest. But seriously, this is what I feel God is speaking into my heart today, that it is all about being open and honest to the Lord and walking before Him as if we are walking right beside Him. He is alive, therefore I am alive with Him! That old man has been crucified with Christ; and the new man is alive with Christ, in the land of the living! Oddly enough, that land includes the land we are currently living in; even if we are just pilgrims and looking for our home to be in Heaven. While we are here, this place is to be made a place of God's work to be done; in our own lives and in the lives around us. He has us here for a reason, and if we are not willing to be used of God, then why are we here? Matthew Henry puts it like this: "If God has delivered our soul from death, we must walk before him. A new life must be a new life indeed." We have two separate lives going on all around us, those that are alive in Christ and those that are dead in their sins. We need to be walking before the LORD in the land of the living; which means that we need to come out from among the dead and separate ourselves unto God...

"When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am El-Shaddai -'God Almighty'. Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants."" (Genesis 17:1-2) NLT

"Taking Stock"

"For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling." (Psalms 116:8)

 Every once in awhile, we seriously need to remember what it is that the Lord has done for us. Not so much the material things, such as a home, and all the things we consider as blessings; but the things that matter most, the things that are part of our eternal inheritance in Christ Jesus. We have each and every one of these three things as our eternal inheritance. The first is the one that matters the most, that God has snatched us up out of the fire; whether we chose to be or not, really is not the issue, but that He chose us, that is the main thing we need to focus upon. We can feel discouraged by the way that we walk, or by the commitment we have to prayer, devotions, or sharing the Good News; but when it is all said and done, it is God that chose us to be part of His family, we did not choose Him. It is that truth that gives us joy beyond understanding; we don't understand why He chose us, but just knowing that He did gives us joy and takes away all of our tears of sadness, replacing them with tears of joy and gladness. The third thing is the one that gets me all choked up. There are so many things I do that I know do not please the Lord; things that I am sorry for doing, because the Holy Spirit has convicted my heart and made me feel ashamed for doing them. It is not that I could stop from doing everything displeasing to God, because I know that in my flesh, it is not going to happen; but that He convicts me and corrects me, those are the ways that He keeps my feet from falling. It is our faith in the finished work of Christ that keeps us from falling. I like to illustrate it by those inflatable punching toys that I had as a kid, like Bozo Bop Bag. You hit it, it falls down, but it gets right back up...

"He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign LORD will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever the insults and mockery against his land and people. The LORD has spoken! In that day the people will proclaim, "This is our God! We trusted in him, and he saved us! This is the LORD, in whom we trusted. Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!"" (Isaiah 25:8-9) NLT

"A Perfect Place" 2

"Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee." (Psalms 116:7)

 So much for the practical side of rest, because God's rest is not practical, it is supernatural! We don't get there by putting it into practice; we cannot experience it by thinking of it as reality. How many times I have settled into a place where I thought it was His rest, only to find my life upside down and rest being the furthest thing from my mind. We can witness this lesson my studying the children of Israel during their journey through the wilderness. Each and every time they were faced with a problem or circumstance, they immediately challenged God's love and protection; as if God just wanted to snuff them out, and there was not enough graves in Egypt for them all to be buried in. I am under the belief that God's rest is only realized by putting all of our trust in Him. The more fierce the trial or adventure becomes, the more we must trust, no matter what circumstances may arise! Each and every part of the journey is about us putting our trust in God, no matter what! That is so far from practical, it can only happen by surrendering our lives up to the Lord. It is us saying, Here I am Lord, take my life; do with it what you will! The word "bountifully," it does not just mean doing good to, or giving lots of gifts; it means to deal fully, as in weaning a child, or ripening fruit; in other words, God is not going to just bless you and then send you out on your own, He is going to complete the work that He has begun in you, and He will bring you through to the other side, whole...

"Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come. So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God's rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall. For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edge sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all of creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable." (Hebrews 4:8-13) NLT

"A Perfect Place"

"Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee." (Psalms 116:7)

 Regardless of what of you might think of your condition, you might just be exactly where God would have you to be. In my younger days trying to learn how to raise a family and manage my time well enough to enjoy doing so, I was listening to motivational tapes by Zig Ziglar and reading his book, Confessions of a Happy Christian. One of the greatest things that I took away from that, was to enjoy the moment. It was a simple concept about not thinking about whatever it was that you could be doing, but to focus upon what you are doing, and make it enjoyable. Zig gave an example that I sometimes forget to put into practice. He shared about a flight that he showed up to board, and was informed that there was a problem and that he needed to wait for another flight. Instead of getting upset and making a scene, he simply accepted it as God's will and told the person how happy he was to avoid a problem, and then thanking them for giving him another flight. Not exactly the normal reaction for most; most of us would cause a scene and demand to be on the flight we paid for. But we forget that God's hand is upon our life; at least that is what we should be expecting and believing is the case. With that in mind, we can look at every situation as another adventure; whether we planed it or not, God is in control, and God has something in store for us to experience. Another aspect is that of rest; if we are constantly thinking of something else we should be doing, then we are never able to rest because we are always traveling in our mind to be somewhere else. It is all about living in the moment, wherever and whatever you are doing, you do it as unto the Lord. I sure wish I put that into practice more often; but instead, I seem to be rushing from one place to the next, always trying to keep up and never really taking the time to enjoy the moment. When it comes to our spiritual life and wherever that might be, I would like to think that God has His hand upon that also. If there is something I am dealing with, some kind of spiritual battle, then He has allowed it to happen and I need to take notice of what He is trying to get me to learn; what kind of lesson is God showing me or what is the good in this or that. Instead of worrying about what or where I should be, let God deal with me where I am at...

"Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."" (Matthew 11:28-30) NLT

"Treasured Up"

"The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me." (Psalms 116:6)

 You might wonder where the idea of God showing off His mercy came from; but in case you are, it is throughout the entire Scriptures. It started off with the cherubim and the flaming sword placed at the east of Eden, meant to keep man away from the tree of life. This was God's way of preventing man from living forever in a fallen state. It continued with Cain, as God marked him, so that anyone who might kill him should have vengeance taken on him sevenfold. Then there was Noah and the ark; which, whether you realize it or not, is the story of God's mercy, through and through. Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses, each one of which was selected by God above others for the sole purpose of God showing off His mercy. As the passover demonstrated God's mercy, it too was a sign of showing the way to what Jesus would come and do upon the cross. Even the children wondering around in the wilderness for forty years, it too was God showing off His mercy, as He had them arranged in the form of a cross. Over and over, throughout the Scriptures, God demonstrated and proclaims mercy, for all that will accept it; with the only condition being that of asking! It is ours for the asking, if we only realize our need and ask Him to save us...

"But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:4-7) NLT

"Meet the Meat"

"Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful." (Psalms 116:5)

 Obviously Arby's has nothing on this! This is the reason I can continue from day to day, and the reason I don't give up, even when I might feel like my life is over, because God is on my side! That's right, God is for us! He does not not give up on us, and He is always working His will out in our lives; even when we think He is doing nothing. Last night was long and hard; I think I might have slept two hours straight, if that. It happens sometimes when I get a title in my head that makes me think; this title was the one that came to me at about 11:48; and from then on, I was totally restless. I moved Marianne over to me and tried to cuddle, but when I finally fell asleep, I was awaken by the strangest dream I have ever had. I can't even begin to explain what it was, except that it was not human. The point to the title has to do with milk verses meat; a concept in the Bible that refers to our ability to digest certain things easily, and those things which we are not quite ready for, mostly because they are to hard to digest. It is a lot like when Jesus was speaking to His followers about eating His body and drinking His blood; many people quit following Him, because they just could not swallow what He was saying. Another point to this would be a concept that we are too unlikely to understand or realize the power we have been given; say like when we are thrown into a trial and it is way too soon in our Christian life to experience such an experience. There are just some things that are not meant for young believers to go through, but they can still happen, and they do. The main point is that trust in God requires that we totally believe these three things are meant for us; and above all, that He is merciful, because He loves us and wants to show off His mercy...

"But -"When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life." This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone." (Titus 3:4-8) NLT

"Right Side Up"

"Then call I upon the name of the LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul." (Psalms 116:4)

 If there was a way to describe it, I think surrender sums it up pretty well. We have our will, and then there is God's will; surrender is saying no to our will and yes to God's. Pretty much, that is all there is to it. If it worked for Jesus, then it can work for you and me! Think about that for a moment, because when we get in a jamb and there is no way out, we are seriously stuck and have no power to do anything about our situation; but Jesus had the power to do anything He wanted to do; He could have called a thousand angels to His defense. But He gave up those powers, humbled Himself to the will of the Father, and He gave up His life for our sake and to serve the will of the Father. Notice the supplication in the verse above, that it deals with the most important part of our lives, our soul. There are many situations and trials we can find ourselves in, whether it is physical or financial, or maybe even a relationship, like our marriage, which there can be worldly solutions and help for correction; but when it comes to saving our soul, there is nowhere else to turn but to God, period! It really does not get more personal than that, because no one else can save our soul but God, and there is no help available for that kind of help on this earth; it is just us and God, one on one, and the discussion is about our soul...

"One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, "So you're the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself -as us, too, while you're at it!" But the other criminal protested, "Don't you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn't done anything wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom." And Jesus replied, "I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise."" (Luke 23:39-43) NLT

"Life Happens" -2

"The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow." (Psalms 116:3)

 As I was praying about the connection between what Jesus was going through and what we might have to go through ourselves, I was reminded how Jesus was a man, as much as He was God. He felt pain and sorrow, just as you and I do; He even became hungry, thirsty, and tired, just as you and I do. So it is no surprise that He would dread the terrible ordeal that awaited, seeing how He would feel every bit of the experience, just as any one of us would. In the connection, we have something that is revealed in what Christ went through, which carries over to us in our suffering. What He suffered and died for was the will of the Father, and because it was the Father's will that was being done, then it was made glorious and perfect. As crazy as it might sound, without His suffering and death, life would not happen! Each and every one of us, from Adam to you and I, would still be dead in our sins and condemned to eternal suffering in hell. "If there be another way," was not the answer, and Jesus knew that, for He was here on this earth for that specific reason. Anytime that we become overcome with something that might cause us to feel sorrow and pain, we have an opportunity to be glorious and perfect works of the Father. People that know who we are and how much we love the Lord, they will see our suffering, but they will sense our love and commitment to the Lord. That is when it happens! The life that we have been given is evident in the life that we hold onto...

"While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. Even though Jesus was God's Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source to eternal salvation for all those who obey him. And God designated him to be a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek." (Hebrews 5:7-10) NLT

"Life Happens"

"The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow." (Psalms 116:3)

 This is pretty typical for almost every believer to experience, at least once during their walk upon this fallen world, they find trouble and sorrow. I use to think of it as trouble and sorrow finding me; as if it were some kind of curse or a force of nature that randomly moved around the planet casting dark clouds over people. Maybe it was something I picked up from a cartoon or a movie. But in reality, it is something that is triggered in us, for whatever reason, whether spiritual or physical, we get thrown off guard or take our eyes off Jesus or forget who and what we are in Christ, and we get depressed. It might even really be about nothing, we just all of the sudden feel totally and completely a mess. A little hint of reason for anyone that might be facing in that direction: it is a direction! Turn and face the other way! Seriously, this is proven over and over again in the Bible. We do not need to feel any part of the sorrows of death or the pains of hell, because those things do not pertain to us! We have been delivered from death and hell; and no matter what we might be feeling, whether it is brought on by something really big, or nothing at all, it is just that, a feeling; and feelings can change in an instant, just like that! So, I guess what it is that I am trying to say, that if you do find that kind of trouble and sorrow, then you need to let it go, because it does not belong to you...

"They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, "Sit here while I go and pray." He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. He told them, "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." He went on a little further and fell on the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. "Abba, Father," he cried out, "everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine."" (Mark 14:32-36) NLT