"The Basics"

"Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed;" (Psalms 132:3)


  Okay, so here is the thing that begins the process, if you are indeed determined to start counting the cost and making time to make a difference: The biggest problem that we have in keeping our promise is that of laziness; if you can see the indication of what is being put forth. I try and make it my plan to get up each morning and be prepared to pray. Before you settle in, you must settle this: I am going to get up by 4:00 in the morning and pray! Does it work every day? Most days are easy; but every once in a while, my body aches and my eyes get heavy; thus the indication is being spelled out, if I make it about me, then I will sometimes put myself first. What are my needs? If my body aches, I feel the need to stay in bed. Does that ever happen? You bet! I am only human; and if I feel overwhelmed by life, there are certain things that can cause my to focus more upon what my body needs than what my spirit needs. I find that rest is overrated. The more I rest, the more I get tired and want more rest. Most nights, I would guess that I sleep for about four hours; some nights, it might be closer to two. I try and get six hours of sleep each night, but that very seldom happens. This is pretty much about a frame of mind and the desire to follow through. Besides that, I said it before, and I will say it again: God will help you; you are not on your own! I remember brother Ray telling me, as we were riding our bikes from his house to church, that he tried to sleep in one morning; actually planned on it when he went to bed; but at exactly 4:00 in the morning, his bed collapsed, and he was forced out of bed. If you are counting on the Lord to help you, whatever it is you are trying to do, He will not let you down! (No pun intended.) Besides, I would gather to think that the Lord is the one that keeps me getting up each morning, by His Spirit within me. Because if I am being perfectly honest, the times when I tend to sleep in or feel lazy, are the times when I think I can do it on my own. It is not about me! Sure, the Lord ministers into my heart almost every single morning; but I am not still here on this earth to feel more spiritual and have small talk with God; not when the real experience is yet to come! We are here to be salt and light; whatever that means for you, you are the one that ends up needed to make a plan. He puts that desire in you, you are the one that steps out...

""But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the tomorrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."" (Matthew 6:33-34)

"Believe Me When I Say"

"How he sware unto the LORD, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob;" (Psalms 132:2)

  You have got to believe me, this practice is anything but made perfect! Are there mornings when I don't feel like saying anything at all; you bet there are, but that stops me not! Why then do I even still? Quoting from a movie that I have watched at least twenty times: "Because I said that I would!" There is something about this verse that should cause us to wonder, because there is something about the way Solomon is trying to express his father's determination and drive, that it was not something personal, it was something Spiritual. If this was written prior to or at the time of the dedication, then Solomon has already been given wisdom, as God told him He would; so there is the question of whether he is quoting his father, or is he expressing his father's heart. Well, to be certain, the desire in David's heart to build the Temple came about ten years before Solomon was even born. (2 Samuel 7:2) We have got to understand how this works: If we make it personal, then it because something that we control; but if it is Spiritual, it becomes something that God controls; even if we forget about it and the desire fades, God , by the power of His Spirit will keep reminding us. Besides that, there is another point to this, the point of who it is that you are doing this for, and the point of self-sacrifice. To get the picture of what I am trying to say, I will take you back to something I have described before, a couple of different times. Abraham never really accepted what God promised as a sure thing, until God made him fall in love with his descendants. It went from being personal, to being about someone else! (Genesis 15:13-16) I know that there is someone that is monitoring and maybe even limiting my exposure, but it is not about any of that: this is something that I have made between me and the Lord: If He continues to speak, I will continue to show up! The thing that keeps on blowing my mind, is that He never has let me down; even when I don't feel like speaking, even when I cannot think of a single thing to say, He speaks! Nobody else might understand what I am trying to say, but that's okay, because this is about showing up! If I get to wake up, then I get to show up! Another thing about that promise God made to Abraham, he showed up to make a covenant with God, but he never signed it; God signed it for the both of them...

"And now, behold I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." (Acts 20:22-24)

"Cross-Fit"

"LORD, remember David, and all his afflictions:" (Psalms 132:1)

  They say, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," there is some truth to that, if you are in the frame of mind to let it happen. In David's case, he was determined to serve the LORD; even in his lowest point in life, once he realized what he had done, his heart was broken, as he said, "I have sinned against the LORD." (2 Samuel 12:13) It was a sincere acknowledgement of what he had done, and it was a moment when his heart was truly broken. You could compare David's reaction to the realization of being found out, to Cain's reaction; David's was pure and he knew that it was God he had sinned against, while Cain was in denial, and did not feel his punishment fit the crime. David, on the other hand, did not complain about the seriousness of his punishment; the public spectacle that would await him, even the death of the child that Bathsheba would soon give birth to. He grieved, prayed, and fasted for the child's life, but he never complained; he only pleaded that the life be spared, and when it was not, he dusted himself off and worshipped the LORD. That is the main point that we must be focused upon, both in learning about how others react to afflictions, and while learning to be determined to react the same: What God thinks matters most! It is useless to try and figure out what God is thinking, that is not the point; the point is how our actions are towards God and not to ourselves or to please man. First and foremost, we must worship the LORD! Worship is not just showing up to church or having a private time alone with God; we worship Him by the way we react to afflictions and trials. Is it well with our soul, when trials come our way? Do we actually stand by what we say, when we say that, In God We Trust? This is something that must be thought out and determined. What will you do when all is stripped away? Will you still praise Him, even when life hurts? There is nothing that can come against you, if you know where your hope is founded in, so you must believe it with all you've got. I believe that is something that we must determine in our hearts to do! For certain, we need to learn to listen to the voice of God, which takes practice...

""If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?"" (Luke 14:26-28)

"God's Temple"

PSALMS 132 [A Song of degrees.]

  Not to change the subject, but how amazing is God's grace, that even those who try and run from Him are somehow taken back and strengthened, becoming pillars within the church for His service. This Psalms is considered to have been written by Solomon, and he dedicated it to his father, David. I don't know how you might think his life ended; but I am willing to bet that he ended it with a prayer. As many of you should know, our bodies are considered to be a Temple for God; this is said to be so because the Holy Spirit lives within us; as we shall see, the Temple was a place where the presence of God dwelt. There is no denying the presence of God; when He is living within us, it is pretty hard to hide His presence, especially in places where we do not belong. Not only do the people around you know that there is something about you, but you know that they know, and it feels incredibly awkward, to say the least. I was wondering why the word 'degrees' is not capitalized; in every single one of these 15 Psalms, not a single one has degrees capitalized; it is treated just like the of that comes before it or after it. I could speculate that the reason has something in common with the word of, or to, or a, as if the word leads to or points to something else; but if you are trying to measure your progress on this journey, good luck with that! It is my experience with trying to gage my position or my success in living a holy life, as soon as I think I am making some progress, I get bitten by my pride. The one thing about God's Temple that sets it off from everything else, is that there is no room for pride or arrogance. Isaiah realized his sinfulness, even though he had not felt all that sinful before; but being in the presence of God was all it took, and his sin became as clear as day. The one thing about His Temple that is there for us to realize the more our sins are revealed, is that His mercy is what we need more than anything else. Matthew Henry likens each of these Psalms with singing, as in, to sing them with a special subject in mind; this one is, "to have a concern for the gospel church as the temple of God, and a dependance upon Christ as David our King, in whom the mercies of God are sure mercies." Amen...

"This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:5-9)

"Trust Like a Child"

"Let Israel hope in the LORD from henceforth and for ever." (Psalms 131:3)

  As for the promise spoken by Jesus in the closing Scripture, I hope each and everyone of us have accepted that promise to be ours, because I believe that it was intended to be for anyone that puts their faith in Christ Jesus as the Captain of their soul. We must consider God's word to be meant for us, individually and personally. Let's take this simple little verse, as an example; anyone that might think, "Israel," does not include them, they are making a grave mistake. Paul clearly states otherwise, saying, "And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jew only, but also of the Gentiles? As he saith also in Hosea, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved." (Romans 9:23-25) We are the "beloved" of God, there is a grafting in, as we are all the children of Abraham, each and everyone of us that are children of God; as we are all children of the promise! Do you see the difference? A child that believes what they have been promised, is a child that has hope in what they are going to get. Growing up as a child, I was put through many disappointing moments of being let down. Promised this and that, while experiencing something altogether different. "It will be different tomorrow, you'll see," turned out disappointing and the same as it was before. Life is full of disappointments; but with God, there is something that we can all take hold of and put all of our hope in, regardless of anything disappointing that this world might dish out; I have a home that is waiting somewhere else! This too was that point that Jesus was continually making to His disciples, that this was not His home. His desire to be used of the Father was founded in the place of the Father, where He longed to be, back where He belonged...

"This is what the LORD says: "Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the LORD. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land. "But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit."" (Jeremiah 17:5-8) NLT

"Altogether Lovely"

"Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child." (Psalms 131:2)

  Sometimes it is really hard to put into words the small glimpses that I see, but to be perfectly honest, it is more about learning and growing, one step at a time. Thinking about that title above this Psalm, "Childlike Trust," I was reminded of something else Jesus said, something a little more personal and a lot more revealing: "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done." (Luke 22:42) This is about trust, but more than that, this is about a trust that is based upon the knowledge of, "Father Knows Best!" We can never expect to show our love for God if we do not trust Him and know that He is doing all things good, even when good looks so ugly and hurts so much. This is the kind of stuff that is so hard to comprehend; we think, how can God allow this to happen, and build up barriers within our hearts to embrace Him unfettered. Jesus said it best, "Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3) Notice that He did not say, 'As children,' but said, "Little children;" because there is a difference between the two. The title of today's post is taken from a verse in The Song of Solomon, otherwise known as, THE SONG OF SONGS. If you have ever studied the chapter, you might have discovered that it is a beautiful picture of the relationship between the Lord Jesus Christ and His Bride, which is us, the Church. Going back to one of thoughts from yesterday, that Jesus showed great restraint by remaining quiet and being obedient to the will of the Father: was it eve restraint at all? Maybe there was a part of Him that felt hesitation; but in His heart, the greatest thing He could do was that which the Father wanted. As a matter of fact, just His motivation to do all that the Father wanted, it was the thing that gave Him more power to complete all that He was put here to do; every last bit of it! We can get a small taste of what this might have been like, by looking at His reply, when His disciples wondered who had fed Him, because He said, "I have meat to eat that ye know not of," and then He replied: "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work." (John 4:34) This word, "weaned," is a word that speaks about dealing fully with, as in to repay something with something else; as thou to say, "Thou hast done good to me," as a matter of speaking to the way someone might be treated or repaid for their service, or for just being alive...

""Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."" (John 14:1-3)

"Extraordinary"

"LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me." (Psalms 131:1)

  Putting all of the other reasons aside, just the thought of how Jesus restrained Himself, especially in those final hours upon that cross, you have got to realize what kind of power was displayed in His resistance and humility. I am sure that His disciples looked back on some of the things He did, wondering where some of the power went: calming the raging sea, sending a legion of demons into the swine, raising the dead; on and on, the amazing things that He did had to be crying out for justice; yet He remained quite! Isaiah spoke of this, with clarity, saying, "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth." (Isaiah 53:7) Isn't it amazing how much power was displayed in His humility? The greatest power that there ever was, was on display, the Love of God; the love between the Father and the Son, how much power His love for His Father produced restraint and humility, and yet He could have called for it all to end, if He so desired. The last portion of this verse is the key; although it might seem to say one thing, it actually means something far more important. "Things too high for me," is a challenging argument for the Son of God, except for the fact that He had the greatest respect and love for His Heavenly Father. It might be hard for us to imagine what that was like, having no clue what the Father even looks like; but He was well aware of what was at stake, had He not chosen to be humble to the very end. That request He made in the garden said it all, "Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee." (John 17:1) It really does not take a lot of thought to figure out how powerful that kind of love was, considering the craziness of the punishment He was about to go through...

"O the depth of his riches both of wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For in him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen." (Romans 11:33-36)

"Childlike Trust"

PSALMS 131 [A Song of degrees of David.]

  As you probably know, there are reasons that I believe the Bible has got to be looked at as the Word of God; besides the fact that it is true, the way we look at it as His Word is important to the ways that we will cherish every single word that is written, even the stuff that might seem as though it does not make any sense. There is so much to gleam from every single verse; something that has absolutely no impact upon your life one day, can be life-changing the next; this is because His Word is alive! The Holy Spirit that lives inside of each and everyone of us that believe, He brings the Word to life in us and causes even the most simple passage to cause change and grow us up in the Lord. This Psalm might be short, and there might be some that feel a little awkward reciting it; but this is the heart of God, straight to the point of His redeeming love and the sacrifice of humility. You might not have seen that coming, as well as myself; but these are all the things we might long for in our own hearts, and always fall short of achieving them. "Childlike Trust" is the title written above this Psalm in my Bible, as you should have figured out; but it is something we hardly ever put into practice, primarily because we think it is beneath us, and as adults, we should pick ourselves up and walk like a man; if you understand my meaning. That whole, no fear, mentality, where we try to act as though we have it all figured out and that there is nothing that can throw us off our game. That is pretty much the opposite of what we are talking about, because this about humility and learning. If there is one thing that we should get from Job's conversation with God, it is that Job needed to be schooled about some of the things he thought he understood, but seriously lacked understanding in. You might have heard that saying, "Children should be seen and not heard," well, more times then not, that is the way that I feel. Regardless, until this no longer feels as though it is important, I will continue to show up to be schooled. Childlike trust is more about listening than it is about speaking out; after all, what is it that we can tell Him to do...

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rages: and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. But now, O LORD, thou art our Father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand." (Isaiah 64:6-8)

"The Big Point To!"

"And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities." (Psalms 130:8)

  As much as I would like to take some credit, every time I think there is something to brag or boast about, I remember just how terrible I am at being faithful and holy. I actually have "Norrup Family" written in-between the lines of verse 6 and 7, with arrows pointing to "Israel." This is something that is written for you and me, a promise that we can take upon ourselves and own it! I heard a pastor speaking about God's promises the other day, saying that there are promises intended for certain people, and then there are the promises intended for everyone. I really don't know if I am willing to except that or not, because God uses every last bit of His word for each and every one of us, in one way or another. Take God's call upon Abraham and His promises to Abraham; sure, you could say that there is no way those promises could be transferred to any of us, if you take them to be strictly about what they were meant to mean for Abraham; but there are likenesses for every single thing that Abraham went through, to everything you and I must go through also. You could start by looking at the very first thing that Abraham was told to do that had promise, seen in Genesis 12:1-3; there is not a single thing God spoke to Abraham in that portion of Scripture that cannot be applied to our lives, whether it is, Getting out of our lifestyle and away from those that make us comfortable, to us being a blessing to the world. I have a couple things written in those margins also: Between verse 1 and 2, I have written, "God's presence always comes before place or position," and between verse 3 and 4, I have written, "Half way with God is no way!" In other words, if you want the blessings that are promised, you must do what God tells you to do, plain and simple...

"So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God's grace." (Romans 6:11-14) NLT

"The Big Point"

"Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption." (Psalms 130:7)

  This is pointing at me and my family; the people around me, the church where I call home, and those that I continually pray for, each and every day. Redemption is real; it is realized when we make it personal and expect to see God work it out in our lives. That might be the biggest point, that we must want it personally; like that very simple song, "Change my heart, O God, Make it ever true; Change my heart, O God, May I be like you." What is Redemption? and what does it look like? Two words can explain it very well: Abundant Life! Jesus made that so perfectly clear: "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10) Paul uses the term, "conversation," saying, "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ." (Philippians 3:20) It is a word that occurs one time, in this one verse, and it speaks about the state or commonwealth; the administration or state of affairs; basically, it is the equivalent to the term, 'get your affairs in order,' but with the focus upon the affairs towards Heaven! James ends his Epistle by saying, "Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." It is that mind-set we are looking for, that abundant life is life that makes a difference and takes more lives into consideration; the more, the better! Like that other song, "I've got a river of life flowing out of me!" Basically, the big point is that redemption looks like, Redeeming the Time, because with God there is plenteous redemption...

"Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." (Psalms 103:1-5)

"The Mark of Hope"

"My soul waiteth for the LORD more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning." (Psalms 130:6)

  Talk about entering in, this is really bigger than just entering in, this is more about being ushered in; almost as though it is our destiny, just as the morning comes, regardless! Let's try and understand something about what this actually means, because there is something here that is a cause for celebration. God is offering redemption to each and every person everywhere, without exception! There is only one condition for anyone that wants redemption, that they reach out and take hold of it, embracing it and owning it as their own. I know that everyone will not understand that, it is just the way that it works; there will always be those that will try to figure out a way to try and earn it, but it cannot be earned, it is freely given. Who brings the morning, faithfully, each and every day? Can anyone add to or take away from the manifestation of the morning? It is 100% God's doing! He made the morning, and He keeps it showing up! Go ahead, tell me that I have lost it and that I am reading too much into this; but it is really not that hard to comprehend, because God's promises are more sure than even the mornings! Matthew Henry says it like this: "Well-assured that the morning will come; and so am I that God will return in mercy to me, according to his promise; for God's covenant is more firm than the ordinances of day and night, for they shall come to and end, but that is everlasting." If we believe it, it is the mark of hope! Nothing can persuade us otherwise; no one can change our mind! The whole point of the, "whosoever believeth," is those that point to Jesus as the source of their salvation. It is a mystery to try and figure it out, but it is very simple to enter in. I can't quite put my finger on it, but the word, "watch," is the same word as, "mark," that was in verse 3; no pun intended...

""No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God's one and only Son."" (John 3:13-18) NLT

"Substance of Hope"

"I will wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope." (Psalms 130:5)

  No matter what you might think of my foolish thoughts and the way I express things, "I might not know very much, but I am passionate about the little I do know". That was a quote I heard this morning on Fox and Friends, and I just needed to share it. But, you really should consider what that means, because none of us are experts in the things of God; we can only gleam little bits and pieces of what we read, and then we add to that what we think; but God's word is the bottom line of what the truth is, no matter what we might think. When it comes to the hope for redemption, the very act of redeeming us is 100% God! I know that there is the part where we must ask, but asking is not the redemption; asking for forgiveness is our acknowledgement of the need to be redeemed, which, by the way, He puts 'that' in us too, that we can see our need! Thinking back to that day when I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart, I really didn't need to be asked if I wanted to raise my hand, because I was waiting for some kind of opportunity to do something, whether that be kneeling down, jumping up, or anything else to express the need I had to be redeemed from the body of sin I felt trapped in. When that pastor said, "Raise your hand," I raised both hands as high as I could; and I didn't even wait to hear the rest of what he was trying to say, I was just ready to meet Jesus! I know that I have shared this before, but it is important that I share it again. Prior to that morning, I had spent the last several months reading a little pocket New Testament Bible, over and over again. I would read it when I woke, while I stood in lines, in the yard, when I was going to bed; everywhere and anywhere I was, I had it on me and was reading it any chance I could get; I even slept with it under my pillow at night. Whether you can believe it or not, what that act of dedication was all about, was me putting my hope in the word of God. What I was expecting to get from that, I really had no idea; except for the fact that I was thinking that I would have to serve weekends only, but ended up showing up to jail on a Friday afternoon and staying for six months. Best six months ever! No, seriously; if not for being there, I don't know if it ever would have happened. Unlike some, I believe that the 100% of redemption is all God, but we must still make the choice to grab onto it...

"Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek." (Hebrews 6:16-20) NLT

"Hope's Desire"

"But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared." (Psalms 130:4)

  Just to be clear, hope is not without proof or substance; to put your hope in something or someone, there has got to be something or someone worthy enough to satisfy what you hope for. Who has the power enough to forgive? I think you see where this is going. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1) He puts this desire within us; this great desire and need for forgiveness. The whole point of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, it is that of the great need for redemption; if we do not know we have broken the law, then we do not feel the need for forgiveness. Where is the evidence of God's forgiveness? As I said, Adam named his wife, Eve, after the fall; Eve basically means, Mother of all living, not the dead. The most proof that we have of God's forgiveness is His love: "For God so loved the world," is the proof of His forgiveness! If you were falling from the sky, that parachute that is strapped to your back is the only proof you have that there is hope you will not die; yet, that proof will only prove itself worthy if it works! If it does not work, it is too late to reach out for anything else, you are going to die; kasplat! This is what faith typically looks like, without the splatter! The reason that this says, "that thou mayest be feared," is exactly for that reason, that there is no splatter! There is the desire of our hope, God's willingness to forgive us is evident by His love. If we did not believe that He loved us, then why would we ask to be forgiven? Not without the hope for redemption! For Adam, it was unclear; sin was revealed and all that Adam knew was his nakedness and shame. So what was Adam to do, but cover up; even then, he still needed to hide, because he could not cover the shame. Forgiveness did not seem to be the option, only denial: It wasn't me! That is the point of the substance...

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18)

"Hope Secured"

"If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?" (Psalms 130:3)

  I was reminded of something yesterday, twice actually, that Eve was deceived, but Adam knew full well what he did, and yet, he did it anyways. I seriously doubt that many people actually realize the gravity of what that means, or how much God's love cancels out the rebellion within man's heart. Here we have a God that know only knows what is in our heart, but He knows what we are going to do, before we even think about doing it; and yet, He loves us still! This verse has so much to say about God's powerful grace; grace that gives us what we do not deserve, even knowing full well how much we don't deserve it. The word, "mark," is not just about keeping track of something, it speaks more to the shepherding action, or that of tilling a garden. How can I describe what that actually means? Imagine if you were raising your children, knowing each and every thing they would do against you and your wishes, before they would actually do them; how would you raise them, and what kind of treatment would they get from you? That is the point of this, that He already knows, yet He does not count what He knows towards the way that He raises us. Those that lived before were not the only ones looking forward to the cross of Christ; the Bible says, "Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you," Peter speaking of Jesus Christ and the powerful washing of His blood. (1 Peter 1:20) All along God knew, but also, all along God had redemption available! It looks a little different when you can see the things through a different shade of glasses! The point is that of foreknowledge, not that of things that we have already done. Whether we can see it or not, Adam made a choice to sin, but God already knew beforehand that he was going to do it. Did that stop God from loving Adam? One of the questions that was raised yesterday, was that of Adam eating after Eve because he loved her so much; as if, his love for Eve was greater than his respect for God. Not quite sure how that figures into his blaming God for giving her to him; but he did name her Eve after the fall...

"So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst." (John 8:7-9)

"Deeper Still"

"Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications." (Psalms 130:2)

  If there was one thing that I don't think I have ever worried about, it is that God does not listen to my prayers. I might be a little worried sometimes how He will respond to them, but I don't think I ever thought that He was not listening; even before I became a Christian, I believed there was a God that created us; I just did not know who that God was, or how much He loved me, till I saw that it was Him who was nailed upon that cross. That shattered my stoney heart! That said, there are things we have in our lives that challenge our sense of hope; nothing is about whether or not God changes, because the Scriptures clearly say that He does not. But, I don't know about you, this heart of mine can change in a moment, and that is a pretty scary thought. There absolutely must be something else that I can rely on that keeps me from insanity; because, if I am living based upon how I feel or even how I might live day to day, as Solomon says, "Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity." Keep your eyes on Jesus! There is where that, "Rock," is found where our feet must go; where our goings are established; because if we are looking at ourselves, we end up all over the place and standing on sinking sand. What I think we are looking at, is the reality of pretty much everyone that challenges where they stand with God. God never changes, so the need to ask Him to listen is not based upon His ability to hear, but whether or not we are in His graces: Am I worthy enough for Him to listen; does iniquity in my life prevent Him from hearing my voice! Another great point that Paul was trying to make, because there are so many people that think they need to do something or act a certain way in order for them to get God's attention. Abiding in Christ is all that is required! If we might feel a little strange or indifferent, that goes with the territory, because we are a little strange; heck, if I start feeling normal, I begin to get a little worried about living! I absolutely need to feel the need, the need to get right with God! That is the whole point of this request, not that God cannot hear us, but will He listen...

"Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: but when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." (Galatians 4:1-7)

"A Deep Subject"

"Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD." (Psalms 130:1)

  I guess it all comes down to the matter, as in, what matters the most, loving God or loving this world; because this world is going to pass away; and guess what, so are we! What is your deep? Where is it that you need to be, where nothing else matters but crying out to the LORD? If I had to face execution for my faith in Christ, would I consider that my deep? Maybe I would; but nothing I hope for would change, it would just feel more tangible and real. There are many ways to express where it is that you place your faith, but none can be more meaningful than the choice of living or dying for what you believe. In that regard, there is one of the most important testimonies to the truth of Jesus being risen, that those who followed Him were willing to die for that truth; and it was because He had risen that they were confident that they would rise also; that death was not the end, but the new beginning! As to the closing Scripture yesterday, the point was not that of the law, and the whether or not we should keep it. Much like all the things Josiah did to undo many things that were offensive to God, those things would just come back anyways; some would even become more prevalent and more ugly. You can try all you want to change what people do, but the real thing that needs to happen is that they change their hearts; and there is only one way that the heart can be changed, and that is for God to change it! If you really want to know what Paul was trying to say, it was not about keeping the law or not keeping it, it was about surrendering to the finished work of Christ! All things come and go, everything passes away; but only one thing is never going to change! When Jesus said, "It is finished," that is exactly what He meant! It really doesn't matter where your deep is, His love is deeper! And that same power that raised Jesus from the grave, can lift us up from any deep, including death...

"I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD." (Psalms 40:1-3)

"Hoping for Redemption"

PSALMS 130 [A Song of degrees.]

  Maybe I forgot to mention this before, but these are steps; like stepping from one stepping stone to another, we are learning how each step relates to life, to our relationship with one another, and how we should relate with a Holy and Just God. This Psalm is one of those Psalms that leads us to examine where we stand with God; more importantly, we get to examine how God stands with us! We can try over and over to try and figure out why He loves us so much, and time and time again we come up with the same answer: Because He loves us so much! That's it; no rhyme or reason, other than the fact that He loves us! Yesterday Pastor Rick gave us a taste of what Revival looks like, trying to show how true revival is much like a free-fall, where nothing else matters but what God wants; even if the end result hurts! Amazingly, the end is not the end! I remember hearing the story about how Pastor Chuck decided to devote his whole life to the ministry, that it was a quote from a famous poem: "Only one life, 'twill soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last." This is one of those Psalms that expresses the hope for the soul, that which is beyond the great unknown, the by-and by, the Life Ever After. As with every great Revival, the power behind the movement is not based upon the movement, or even the people within the movement; the power behind it, is God's love! Getting lost in His love, where nothing else matters but pleasing Him, because He loves you more than you could ever know! That is what happens to make a person what God the most, is they discover that God loves them the most! Nothing or no-one could ever love us like God loves us; so why waste any time on anything else but pleasing Him? It is a little unfortunate that we don't get to keep that desire going; but it is a really good start...

"You and I are Jews by birth, not 'sinners' like the Gentiles. Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law" But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law -I stopped trying to meet all its requirements -so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die." (Galatians 2:15-21) NLT

"Passing Over"

"Neither do they which go by say: The blessing of the LORD be upon you: we bless you in the name of the LORD." (Psalms 129:8)

  If there is one thing that is really starting to get me seriously concerned about this Country, it is the people that are Lawmakers are encouraging Lawbreakers; where does that leave the Law Enforcers? If you don't know what I am talking about, it's okay, because even though I love this crazy Country, I love the hope to be in Heaven more! I get the point of what is being said, because when those that hate Israel are encouraged they become emboldened, and when they become emboldened; well let's just say they feel blessed by what they stand for, and they are even more encouraged by it. It is hard to imagine being a part of the crowd that was yelling, "Crucify Him!", but those that were caught up in the excitement and the atmosphere, most likely were just that, caught up in moment. Isn't that the majority of the mindset in any movement? The majority don't even want to use any self-control or even think about any truth, it's all about how it feels; If it feels good, do it! There is even a quote from one of the main characters, saying something like, "The accuracy of what I am saying doesn't really matter, if my heart is in the right place." Really! Since when does truth not matter? Basically, that is the point of what is being said here, that we don't give it a pass! If they are wrong and against that which is good, we don't bless them anyways for their effort to be evil. Crazy as this might appear, the crowd that cried out, "Crucify Him!", was actually partaking in God's will; as evil as it was for them to condemn an innocent man, a man that did nothing but good for others, they were doing exactly what the Father had planned. And if that wasn't something extraordinary, the One on the cross was also allowing it to happen to Himself! He could have done anything that He wanted to save Himself, but He remained silent and humble, taking the blame upon Himself. Amazing how that all played out. The King of the Jews, the Representation of Israel on a cross, for all to mock and curse; while in His own heart He was saying what they refused to say for Him...

"For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God-speed: for he that biddeth him God-speed is partaker in his evil deeds." (2 John:7-11)

"Accomplished"

"Wherewith the mower filleth not his hand: nor he that bindeth sheaves his bosom." (Psalms 129:7)

  I know, it appears to be saying just the opposite; but I guess it depends on who's side you are on and what it is that you are trying to accomplish. Getting back to the title written over this Psalm in my Bible, "A Prayer Against the Enemies Of Israel," prayer needs to be directed into specific matters of the heart; it's not just a blanket prayer that is just thrown out there to try and stop something or someone, this is like the Word of God being used, the Sword of the Spirit; which, in case you might not know, is not a sword that is swung aimlessly, but is a dagger that is used precisely and accurately. The Lord's Prayer is often referred to as the prayer Jesus gave His disciples as an example in Matthew 6:9-13; but the actual Lord's prayer is found in John 17, which was His prayer before He was arrested in the Garden. Much is the same between the two prayers, except the example prayer was abbreviated and short, while the actual prayer was more precise and accurately directed to the people involved, including you and I. To be perfectly clear, the enemies of Israel are the enemies of God and His redeeming work of mankind; which, in case you might have missed the memo, includes anyone that calls upon the name of Jesus Christ for salvation! The Jews that were instrumental in having Jesus arrested and crucified, may not have realized what they were doing, but they were acting in a dual capacity; on the one hand, they were enemies of Israel without knowing it, and they were doing the work of God by fulfilling all that He had planned. I guess what it is that is being said, has a lot to do about God's will, with or without our help, His will is going to be done; the only difference is the effect that it might have on individuals, and even then, it is all according to His will. Go figure out how that works; because when I try to figure it out, I just get mesmerized...

"For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up." (Hosea 8:7)

"Quickly Perishing"

"Let them be as the grass upon the housetops, which withereth afore it groweth up:" (Psalms 129:6)

  Be strong and know what you believe, that is the message I feel that the Lord is speaking into my heart this morning; because this is only going to get harder and harder as we draw closer to the glorious day of the Lord. "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling," is what Paul tells the church in Philippi. This is something that we must understand about our individual responsibility to know what God has done for us and what our responsibility is to do with what He has done for us. You might have heard that famous term, "Use it, or loose it," because it pretty much is the point that I believe we are dealing with, and why salvation is only good when it is put to work. That does not mean you must go into ministry or even start actively sharing your faith; that will sure go a long way to ensure you are working, but it is really not about work, as in setting out to perform a function. This is about believing what Christ has done for you and actively living it out in your life. If you have not yet had a chance to read the book, "The Normal Christian Life," it is a really good book to expound upon Paul's teaching in Romans. One of the great examples given is that of Paul's use of slaves, and why it is so very important that we understand that we are no longer slaves under the law, but we are slaves of God. Having no experience in what it feels like to live as a slave, we might not understand the principle of being owned by someone else; and how it is hard to adjust to the feeling of being set free, because you have no other identity to adjust to, other than what you previously lived by. Jesus taught on this simple illustration, using the parable of the sower. There must be something besides ourselves that we are planted into; something else besides these crazy moods and feelings that we have, day in and day out. That is my point I was trying to make about the Bible; it must be 100% true to you! It is the Word of God! If you cannot make that determination within your own heart, then you need to seriously get your heart changed; because it is vital to your salvation...

"And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, "Behold, a sower went out to sow; and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: and when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: but others fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."" (Matthew 13:3-9)

"Just Beyond"

"Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion." (Psalms 129:5)

  I have got to be a little open this morning about some things I see happening in this country that are really not right: the fact that someone can even remain in office, whether it is in Washington or in a State Office, and refuse to represent this Country, respect our flag, and believe in the founding principles on this Nation, is beyond anything I have ever thought I would see happening in my lifetime. You might have heard the saying, 'Rome was conquered not by barbarian invasion from without, but by barbarian multiplication within.' It goes to show how much can happen when you let your guard down, whether we are taking about a nation, a church, or even a family unit; when you fail to protect the borders of your principles and your beliefs, then things get a little ugly on the inside, while you are still focusing on the the outside. I was listening to something on 'To Every Man an Answer, ' and Leo was sharing about something that he posted a video of on their Facebook page; it was an encounter that Elizabeth Warren had with two supposably Jewish women, asking if she was elected president, would she help push Israel back out of the Gaza Strip and West Bank, and she said that she would. Zion is the representation of the City of David, the Holy Mountain, the Temple Mount, the place that the Holy One of Israel has established and is sacred to Him. If you will, Zion is that which represents the anointing of God upon the people of Israel; the word Zion means 'parched place,' but because God has established it for His people to worship there, it is a fortress, a sunny place, a sunny mountain. The main point I guess that I am trying to get at, is the fact of what and why something is established in the first place. Take this Nation for example, "In Order to form a more perfect union," is part of the preamble of the U.S. Constitution; and if the precept of, what was formed and why, is no longer an issue or no longer respected, then the whole thing is totally worthless. It is a lot like the beginning of the Bible: If you cannot get past the Fact that God created Heaven and Earth in the time that the Bible says He did, then there is really no reason to believe anything else that is written after that! The Scripture clearly says, repeatedly, "the evening and the morning were the day," so what part of the day is so hard to understand? I really like Gabriel's statement in Luke 1:37, "For with God nothing shall be impossible." I am pretty sure that nothing means, Not A Thing...

"If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema, Maranatha." (1 Corinthians 16:22)

"Beyond Just" -2

"The LORD is righteous: he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked." (Psalms 129:4)

  Secondly, and most importantly, it is all His work, every last part of it; from the making of this new man, it the very finish; He has found me, saved me, put His protection upon me, and has secured my place in Heaven for all eternity. And, guess what else I believe, since we are talking about keeping some sort of measurement: He does not keep track of all my stupid failures and disappointments! Just like that closing Scripture from yesterday, I can take so much comfort in understanding how that works: just give yourselves over to His love for you, knowing how much He loves and resting in His love. It does not matter what you have done or how far you have fallen, if the God that judges you is the same God that loves you, where else do you go and what else can you do, but run into His loving arms! Think about this situation with Jacob and the Lord, as they wrestled together all night, and what the Lord said, "Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed." (Genesis 32:28) No matter what you think this looks like, if you want a fight that you cannot loose, then you need to fight with God, the God that loves you no matter what! Let me try and break this down, because I feel that the real meaning gets lost in the conversation. This is considered to be, "A Prayer Against the Enemies Of Israel," and as such, one of the key ingredients to the power of prayer is faith. James makes this abundantly clear, saying, "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering: For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." (James 1:6) The enemies of Israel can come in all shapes and sizes; they can even reside within our own hearts and mind: thoughts that doubt God's calling, render ourselves to be without hope, and give in to the distractions of the real enemy, the father of all lies. We look to the power we might have, instead of understanding, when we are weak, He is strong! If we do not fight with God, we do not win the battle! No matter what kind of battle you think you are in, just a little touch from God and that battle is done! But more importantly, if you think that you have lost, you have actually won; because He is righteous, and He is on your side; no pun intended...

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For our weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)

"Beyond Just"

"The LORD is righteous: he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked." (Psalms 129:4)

  As we might pretend to be not keeping track, there are some real advantages to seeing the progress we have made in dealing with things in our lives; first of which, is we can actually take back some of the ground that might have been lost to the enemy. You know what I am talking about, so don't act like you don't. I have shared this before, but when I first set out to have family devotions, when my son was about nine or ten, it was hard to get things going; either he was not interested, or my wife was preoccupied with dinner; something seemed to always be distracting us from getting together to pray and read God's word as a family. But, once it was put in motion, there was only one way that it could be stopped: I was the one that changed the rules! I can see that in many other areas of my life. You would be surprised how many people our watching you; and you hardly even know it till you give up doing something good, then you notice some others around you do the same. They are just following your example, even if it might not be the right one. This is part of the battle, the part we can be sure to understand, as spiritual warfare! This is how spiritual warfare works: the enemy looks for an opportunity to get in, and when you leave the door open, he rushes in and take captive the hearts and minds of the unsuspecting. What happens next might surprise you, because the battle is fought and lost on the spiritual battlefield, but in the physical world around you, your actions most surely make a difference! First of all, the love we have for those we care about must be stronger than the love we have for ourselves; if that is even possible, it is only possible in Christ. Paul uses the need for those around him and in his life to express this, saying, "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13) The point of which he makes is regarding any state, whether it be cold or hungry, warm or filled, that he continue as someone dependent upon Christ for strength; regardless of the need or lack thereof for strength, because without Christ we can do nothing! How that works out in our lives is as much as the previous example of measuring our success is in giving us a feeling of entitlement to sin. The way that might look in real life, is that we become dependent upon our ability, instead of living in our inability and depending upon Christ. If you are wondering what in the world this might have to do with anything, then I would point to the whole point of who Israel is and what it represents, because it also means, "to fight with God," which represents who is on our side...

"And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD: remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:18-23)

"To Be Measured"

"The plowers plowed upon my back: they made long their furrows." (Psalms 129:3)

  Be all that you can be; that is the slogan for a certain military service; at least I think it still is. Being your best, in the hard times as well as the good times, requires that you are keeping your guard up and you are living governed by God. Isn't that one of the meanings of the name of Israel, "Governed by God"? Matthew Henry points out that Jesus gave His back to those that smote Him; in this verse, it is not clear whether or not the back spoken of was given or taken by force, but what is clear, is that it was taken advantage of and the "plowers" did as much as they could do. Interesting enough, Pastor Rick was sharing yesterday about Hezekiah and his pleading for God to give him more time upon this earth. One of the points made was about how Hezekiah felt entitled to be given his request, because, after all, he had done some really good things for God. I think this is something that is always an issue with many people that serve God and are in ministry; maybe not the thought of dying, but the thought of being entitled to enjoy a little bit of the world: 'Just a little touch of what I have been missing, after all, I have been so good, I think I have earned it.' This might have been the thing that was in David's heart and why he felt entitled to stay back from the war. There is a real slippery slope that we get on when we start to feel entitled to anything, because nothing could be further from the truth. Which causes me to remind myself why Jesus was beaten so badly before they crucified Him. If I ever think that I am entitled to sin, even just a little, I need to remember why they had to beat my Lord the way that they did: because sin is ugly and tears up so many lives! Any time we think we are entitled to a little worldly pleasure, we are giving in to something that is going all the way back to the very first lie, "Ye shall not surely die." Something about that word, "die," because it was the same word that Eve and the serpent spoke about, that Isaiah spoke to Hezekiah, saying, "Set thy house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live." I couldn't help think about when Jesus wept, it was regarding the fact that death is so much a part of sin, and that sin takes away life; especially the abundant life we have in fellowship with God. What was on Hezekiah's mind, and why did he not want to go? The entitlement we think we have coming to us should be measured against the strips Jesus took for our sins; if you actually want to measure...

"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid of him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:4-6)

"To Be Able"

"Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth: yet they have not prevailed against me." (Psalms 129:2)

  The more you study the Bible, the more you realize how little you think you know about how God works. After watching the movie, "Run the Race," it became very aware to me how much we fail to see God's work in and through all of our difficult times; mostly because our focus is upon our issues and not the issues of those around us. A great deal of misery that we suffer through is because we are focused upon our own feelings and how things are going to turn out for us; instead, we should be more aware of what is happening around us, making the real issue the feelings of others and how things are going to turn out for them. It might be hard to see this point being made here, but if you are able, you might be surprised to see that the reason the affliction did not count, has more to do with the group, and less to do with the me. The point is that of a people, not of a person; me is not I, me is us! How much more powerful is a message when it contains a multitude? How much more powerful is a sacrifice when it is for someone else? Jesus said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) The point of this is really quite simple, that no love is without sacrifice, whether it involves laying down your life or giving up what you would rather do for the sake of others. Paul had some wonderful things to say about what love really looks like, even if it requires laying down your life; if it is not done for others, it really does not count as love. Love is all about others first, something we are so easily distracted from; mostly because we love ourselves way too much to give up the things we love to do. The great lie is the part we can't get around, because it is in our DNA to sin, which involves pleasing ourselves first and foremost; what is in it for me, is the motivation of our hearts; when it should be about being able to serve others, first, and let the foremost take care of itself...

""These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."" (John 16:33)

"To Be Called"

"Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now say:" (Psalms 129:1)

  What gives you the right? Probably the thing that sets people off the most, the thought of being less important and substandard. A really good example is that of Cain and Able; if you want to start at the very beginning, then that is a good place to start. Able did nothing wrong towards his brother, yet his brother was very offended by Able's sacrifice being honored by God and his sacrifice being rejected. Even when God spoke to Cain, Cain's heart was not changed but was made harder. His anger was, if you will, rooted in God's favoritism towards his brother. If he could only realize the goodness that could have come out of that, by simply becoming humble and being Second! Obviously it involves more than just that, but having to be second of two, the competition level is a little more intense. We could take the illustration a little further into the Book, say the way Joseph was treated by his brothers. Yes, they were upset that Joseph felt that he was better than them; but in reality, the anger they felt was also rooted in God's call upon their brother; just the thought that Joseph was chosen over any other of them. And Joseph never tried to do anything to purposely offend them, he was simply sharing the call that he felt upon his life. Who of any of them was willing to be Second? Do you see the pattern here and the reason Israel is hated so much? What is so bad about being Second? Isn't there any honor in being seen as Second? I can understand if you are curious where this is going, because the major character in this illustration is yet to be revealed. If you must know the secret to being really really important, it is actually to be the one that is considered Second; you cannot be called unless there is someone more important than you, to actually call you out...

"Then what's the advantage of being a Jew? Is there any value in the ceremony of circumcision? Yes, there are great benefits! First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God. True, some of them are unfaithful; but just because they were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful? Of course not! Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him, "You will be proved right in what you say, and you will win your case in court."" (Romans 3:1-4) NLT

"A Prayer Against the Enemies Of Israel"

PSALMS 129 [A Song of degrees.]


  As we draw closer to the day when the Lord comes back for the church, there is something important we need to understand about how Israel comes to play in that unknown time period. Besides the fact that they are hated by the majority of the world, there are a few other things that are important to the establishment of what takes place after the church is taken out of the way. Why there are some within the church that think God has finished with Israel, just baffles my mind; we are a people that are blessed because God has not given up on Israel. In the larger picture, God has made them to be the example of His love for us; unconditional love that is established by God and for His glory; we, just like they, get to bathe in His goodness and mercy! Whether you know this or not, but those that are the enemies of Israel are also the enemies of God. There is just no other way to say it; God has clearly said it over and over again, so why would anyone think it differently? Now that we have established that, there is another major fly in the ointment, the pressing of the church. I am one that is totally convinced that the church is snatched up from this earth prior to the Great Tribulation. The Tribulation is God's time of doing two very important things: pouring His wrath out on a world that has rejected Him, and turning Israel to the Truth. That said, there are a multitude of people from every nation that will be saved during the Tribulation, and with great sacrifice! Israel too will face great tribulation; but the church, those that are taken up prior, will be with the Lord preparing to ride the ride of our lives, His triumphant return...

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean." (Revelation 19:11-14)

"More and More"

"Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel." (Psalms 128:6)

  To get anywhere you don't know how to find, you need a road map to show you the way; the Bible is that map we need to know how to find God; to know all that we need to know about Him, and to especially find our way home whenever we are lost. Yes, I have hope in my heart, without a doubt my wife will be healed and made whole; it may not happen here, in this life, at least not as I would wish, but it will happen on the way to Heaven! Paul shows us this, as he speaks about our bodies being transformed from corruptible to incorruptible, in the air, as we meet up with those that have went before us. The bottom line in this Psalm is pretty much all that we need to know and have comfort in, that no matter what things might appear, or how impossible things look to be corrected, God will have His way and all things will be new! Talk about reverence, what else can you say, but, "Your Will Be Done!" There is nothing that can be done to change what He has established; every knee will bow before Him, both the saved and the unsaved; all the host of Heaven and earth will submit and call Him LORD! I sure hope and pray that you believe this is so, because that is what the Bible tells us it will be; therefore, it is settled and it will be so! That is pretty much what I am getting out of this verse, Watch and See! Oddly enough, there are six different variations of the definition for 'see,' and they all seem to progress to the glorious day when we will see each other and the Lord, face to face...

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." (1 John 3:1-3)

"Breaking it Down" -2

"The LORD shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life." (Psalms 128:5)

  There is something that I could not overlook in this, which has so very much to do and say about a real reverence for God: this word "bless", although it has so many wonderful positive attributes, it is also associated with humility and reverence. Basically, 'the primary notion lies in breaking, breaking down'. When we realize all that has done for us, and when we understand all that He is still going to do, much of which is too glorious to comprehend; what else is there to do, but to break down and fall on our knees! That is the quote within the Gesenius, "O come let us kneel down before Jehovah our Maker." As I said before, it is really hard to put into words, but the Holy Spirit has a way to communicate these things into our hearts. Whether we can interpret them into any sort of language, that is a whole other subject; a subject that is only between us and our Creator, one on one, up close and personal. Today is Marianne's birthday and I am hoping to try and somehow make it special. As many of you know, that is not an easy task, at least the it comes getting any sort of reaction out of her. What is fascinating in all of that, is how much that is not why I do it. Once upon a time it was; the more I did, the more I expected to see some kind of reaction or appreciation; at least a little gratitude for the effort. That is no longer a problem I am faced with, which was my own problem of loving to get some sort of reward. Don't get me wrong, it was not my intention, it's just how things go; we tend to gravitate towards self, and then settle in somewhere between what is in it for me and where can I improve how much I do for them. This is more than just a blessing, it is something I feel that God wants to show me, something about what love is really all about. O how He loves us...

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." (1 John 4:10-11)

"Breaking it Down"

"The LORD shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life." (Psalms 128:5)

  There are simply no words to describe what the Holy Spirit is saying when it comes to the power of being transformed and delivered out of this world. We just continue on with our lives, sometimes as if there is nothing going on around us, or even within us; but God is not done with us yet! There are two very important factors within this verse; on the one hand we have, "Zion," which is the mountain upon which Jerusalem was built; one the other, we have, "Jerusalem," the place and people of peace. If I were to put it in terms that are relative to families and living out our natural lives, Zion would equal the actual birth, the mother from which we are deliverer from, and that to which we would point back to as an origin; while Jerusalem would be the family unit that we were born into, and a very good one at that. Not too many of us get to be born into a dynasty or royalty; but figuratively speaking, that is exactly what this represents. I am a son of the KING! This is no little thing that we can just ignore or sweep under the carpet; this is a legacy to grow by, to celebrate and live up to. But the best part of all, is the good, that which is the kindness of God; His grace bestowed upon us, that makes us who we are in Christ Jesus, our KING! I know it is not celebrated enough; most likely because so many people simply don't understand it or see the transformation at work in their lives. But if there is one thing that I have learned though all my years serving in ministry, that the biggest part of seeing God do anything through you or in you, is simply showing up! Take the word, "see," as seen in the verse above; it is a word that means so much more than just looking at something; it is about finding out, giving attention to, being a part of, a privilege and an honor to gaze into the face of God! This is what we are become, what we will be, and what He has established. So yes, if it still all about families, then there you have it: "see" also means to appear, present oneself, to be seen, to be visible; so let your light shine a little, why don't you...

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." (Ephesians 1:3-6)

"Thus and Thus"

"Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD." (Psalms 128:4)

  I know that I can get a little weird, but you have to admit, there is something to be said for being creative and having a little imagination. You can call it making lemonade from lemons, if you want; but this is what it is, till the Lord takes us home or until He returns; which, by the way, should be very very close! If you want to be totally accurate about what this verse is trying to say, it is what it is, a fact! We look at other people, admiring their lives and success, thinking that what they have is some kind of blessing; but are they truly happy? There are only a very few people that I know that are very well off and happy; most are married to a life of constant consumption. It is a little like the Rivers of Living Water that flow through us, the believers, but theirs are rivers of constant give and take, with no guarantee that it is going to last. The whole point about storing up treasures in heaven, is that it is totally and completely safe and secure. Save a life, cover a multitude of sin! (James 5:20) If you think about what is being said, it is not based upon our forgiven sins, it is for our confidence and sincerity. Say what you will, but there is something powerful that takes place when a sinner turns from death to life; just to be a part of that is enough to make anyone feel blessed. What could even compare? Talk about peace; there is nothing better than the peace felt doing something that is going to last for all eternity. What could give Paul the confidence to say, "For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh." (Romans 9:3) Would you call that fearing God? I guess it depends on how you look at God's judgment and fairness; because in the end, God is all about reconciliation, I reckon...

"Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he used our foolish preaching to save those who believe." (1 Corinthians 1:21) NLT