"Place of Protection"

"The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly." (Psalms 118:15)

 It never fails, the more I feel God speaking into my life, the more I feel like giving up and quitting this daily post. I can't tell up how many times I have woke up and just wanted to skip posting; but I have made it my challenge to keep doing this, at least as long as Marianne is with us; or until the powers to be shut me down. This morning I woke up and turned on Fox & Friends at 4:00; then I laid there next to Marianne and watched it for about 45 minutes. We are living in some pretty interesting time. I truly believe that our county is at a crossroad; and whatever happens, it is ultimately in God's hand, because He is on the Throne! As I was reading this verse, I couldn't help but think of Paul's command in Philippians 4:4, where he admonishes those serving in the church to, "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice." It was not really a suggestion, but as an elder and a pastor, it was given as a command. As he works up to that commend, he speaks about how our hearts and minds are to be fixed upon Heaven, saying, "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ." There are a whole lot of disputes and divisions among believers that would be eliminated, if we all had our "conversation in heaven." That word "conversation," is a word that actually means 'commonwealth,' 'a state of, or a form of government.' It is might be best to associate it to the Constitution; whereas we are governed by a set of laws that make our rights and responsibilities fit the place where we call home, which is Heaven. It might be better illustrated by the, "What Would Jesus Do," way of thinking, where we base each decision upon the question of how the Lord would choose to do this or that. With regards to our choice to rejoice or not, it is taken to a whole new level of consideration if we base that choice on Heaven. There is really nothing that can take away from rejoicing if we have the reason to rejoice out of reach. If I can't reach, no one else can either! That is why Paul continues to press the point of why we must rejoice...

"Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all that he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:5-7) NLT