"Leading The Way Too"

"For Thou hast maintained my right and my cause; Thou satest in the throne judging right." (Psalms 9:4) Regardless of how little we know or don't know about what it really means to be justified in Christ, we are given something those who do not know the Lord need: HOPE! I look at this world today, and I see something that has become worse today than yesterday, which is a hope in man's future. Everyone seems to be speaking about things getting darker instead of lighter; for this is actually what shall be in the last days, and should tell us that Jesus is returning very soon. God is still on the throne! He is still judging right!!! Therefore, we are more accountable then ever before to share the Hope that is within us!!! There is something very important that David is saying here within this verse, something that Jesus tried to tell His disciples over and over again; which sadly, we tend forget, more often that not! It has to do with a question of who we are, and for what purpose that we have been chosen! In John 15:16, Jesus speaking to His disciples, says, "Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you". This thing about our "fruit should remain" has to do with our lives declaring the hope that is within us! In other words; we cannot just tell people about Jesus, we need to show people the way to Jesus; and the only way to do that, is by living out the hope within us! When Jesus spoke about making disciples of men, He was talking about living out that hope that is within us so that others would see it; the opposite of this hope looks like living for today, of which there is no hope, for these days are darkened! Okay; here is what David is saying, when he says, "For Thou hast maintained my right and my cause"; it is God who has placed him where he is; therefore, he been established in God! The word "maintained" is a word that means fashioned, or to do; to accomplish a work in us! This is not only our hope, but this is our privilege and our calling; that we who have been washed in the blood of Jesus Christ should live out what it means to be sanctified in Christ. Disciples can only be made by us living out what has been performed within us! If we look at the word "right" that David uses, it means judgement or justice; which speaks about a sentence, as in a decision of judgement. What we have within us is the right to be called worthy to declare God's justice! It is that we have within us, because we have been made free from judgement by the blood of Christ; therefore, we given the liberty to express that freedom. Furthermore, the word "cause" is a word that speaks of judgement in another way, as to a dispute or plea; a cause which is judged. To which, we are going to be held accountable for how we hold the hope that is within us...

"Leading The Way"

"When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at Thy presence." (Psalms 9:3) "HE IS RISEN!" While we are still on the subject of being glad and rejoicing, let us not forget the mighty power demonstrated by Jesus Christ rising up from that grave! I can only imagine the applause in heaven, as the host of heaven rejoiced; I can also imagine the horrified demons, as they saw Him roll away that stone, and step out of the tomb; they realized right then and there that their days were numbered! Jesus had told His disciples in a variety of ways that He was going to rise again on the third day; telling them so plainly, that even His enemies understood what He was saying; but for some reason, His followers, just did not get it. Matthew 27:62-66, shows how much those that were against Jesus understood what He had said, as they came to Pilate saying, "Sir, we remember that the deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worst than the first". There was no doubt in the mind of the Pharisees that Jesus had said He would rise again; they surely did not believe Him, but they believed that His disciples would try to show that He did; which was so far from the truth, because His disciples had forgotten that He even said that He would!!! In John chapter Twenty, we see this account, and we can see how little they understood what Jesus had told them; but in verse nine, John writes, speaking of Peter and himself, "For as yet they knew not the scripture, that He must rise again from the dead". It was not that they did not believe Him, but rather that they did not understand the power of His words, or the context of His words, that He had spoken to them. The word "knew" is a word that means to perceive with the eyes, or senses; it speaks about observing something, and paying attention with understanding; clearly something that they did not do, because they lacked experience in such matters. Really, if you think about this, we all have the same problem when it comes to justification; for that is something we really do not have experience in! We have hope in that which we have been told, and we have faith in that which Jesus Christ has done for us; but seeing ourselves justified before God is something that we shall not fully understand until that day when we shall stand face to face with Jesus Christ. Paul speaks about this in 1 Corinthians 13:12, as he says, "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known". What this is speaking about is how God sees us now in Christ; washed by His blood, we are made clean as the driven snow; which means that we are pure white; as a virgin has never been defiled, so too are we undefiled by sin in God's eye! When David is speaking about "mine enemies are turned back", he is speaking of repentance; it is as though there is something which is dissolved when he says, "they shall fall and perish at Thy presence". That is what our sin has become in the sight of the Father: dissolved by the blood of Jesus Christ!!!

"Making It Known"

"I will be glad and rejoice in Thee: I will sing praise to Thy name, O Thou Most High." (Psalms 9:2) Yes, there was much sadness in that day when Jesus was nailed upon that cross; but there was a place where people did rejoice; and not for gladness that He was slain, but for gladness that His kingdom was at hand! Think about all those that were waiting for Jesus to show up in Hades, or Hell to some, and to set them as captives free!!! Abraham, David, John the Baptist; the list was endless of those disembodied spirits who were waiting for Jesus to show up and show them what soon was to come. To hear Jesus describe this place, He makes it perfectly clear that there are two separate chambers or dwelling places; one that is set in comfort, while the other is less desirable, and is full of torment. If we look at this account given in Luke 16:19-31, which is titled in my Bible as "The Rich Man and Lazarus", we see that there was depicted to be a large gulf between the two areas; one which did not allow for crossing from one side to the other; yet in this account the Rich Man was able to see Lazarus afar off, in Abraham's bosom; being also able to cry out to him for water. Jesus tells us within this portion of Scripture about something rather important, and that is often overlooked, and it has to do with the living; those that are alive and have the ability to touch others with the message of deliverance! In verse 27-31, as The Rich Man, who is really not that rich anymore, cries out to Abraham for Lazarus to be sent back to his father's house, saying, "For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment". To which Abraham replies, "They have moses and the prophets; let them hear them". In other words, Abraham is speaking about the written word of God that was available to them, that they might be taught what was right and wrong. But the Rich Man knew his brothers would not search out the Scriptures, much as he did not; so he then asked again for Lazarus to be sent, this time saying, "Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent". He said this thinking that someone from the dead would be able to persuade them to what was right; yet Abraham clearly says, "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead". But what would have made a difference in these brother's life? The Rich Man sadly regretted not knowing what he now knew; for if he had known sooner, then he could have went to his brothers, and tried to convince them himself. We are gifted with something that is far greater than riches and money; we are gifted with the Word's that lead others to eternal life! After I had shared at church last night, I thought about so much more that I could have shared; which is not unusual, because anytime I share Jesus with somebody, I always wish I had said more. But I shared about the need for us to tell others what we know; that it was not only something that needed to be said, but was something that had to be said! You can not say that you love someone, and yet, not tell them what they need to know! If we have someone in our life that does not know Jesus, they need to be persuaded; and words alone are not what they need, they need to see Jesus; and there is only one way that they are going to be able to see Jesus, and that is to see Him lived out in our life!!! We must live out Christ; and we do that with LOVE!!! If we look again to Psalms 9:2, David is making something abundantly clear in his opening words: "I will be glad and rejoice in Thee". I thought about the different ways that gladness looks, and hate never came to mind; neither did shame, or guilt, or blame; only love and thanksgiving came to mind, as I thought about what gladness actually looked like. "If your happy and you know it, then your life will surely show it"...

"High and Lifted Up"

"I will praise Thee, O LORD, with all my heart; I will show forth all Thy marvelous works." (Psalms 9:1) Seeing how this is Good Friday, I thought that I would use that prism example that I gave yesterday and apply this verse to what Jesus did on the cross; with a slight twist that shows what our response is to look like. The first thing that I would like to bring to remembrance that is special about today, is the fact that today is the day that we celebrate Jesus being crucified on the cross for our sins. We can celebrate that glorious day, because Jesus rose from the tomb, thereby defeating the death that He suffered; if Jesus had not rose, then we would really have nothing to celebrate. When Jesus was crucified, no one who loved Him was celebrating His death; nor did anyone who witnessed His death celebrate, save maybe one lowly individual that was close at hand. It was a very dark day in the eyes of all that witnessed it; literally, the Bible says that the sky became darkened in the hours before Jesus died. Luke, who was most likely not there to witness it, worked like a journalist putting together many different aspects of what happened; as one that was searching for the truth, and then writing the truth into a very comprehensive, logical and orderly manner, Luke is known to be the only Gentile writer in the New Testament; and his writings are geared to express Jesus as having a special kindness to those that are outcasts and weak, or suffering in different ways. This may have been in part, because he was known to be a physician and also because he was known to paint portraits of people; two things that cause someone to take special note to the expressions on a persons face, and to read something into that. Anyway; in Luke 23:44-46, he gives that account of those three hours as such, "And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, He said, Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, He gave up the ghost". It surely must have been a sight to behold, and many that stood by were taken back by the things that they witnessed. As a matter of fact, Luke goes on to say in the next two verses, "Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man. And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned". In other words, there was a great realization in the hearts of all those who witnessed the death of Jesus, that this was no ordinary man that they had just put to death; and their response was one of remorse for what they had done. In this first verse of Psalm Nine, David is saying, "I will praise Thee, O LORD, with all my heart", and in that, he is speaking about a response in his heart to God's marvelous works. In other words; there is something that must happen in our hearts as we realize what God has done for us; and within that response, is an action that takes place on our part; something which can be seen as an act of believing. David puts this action as showing forth all of His marvelous works; of which David did within all his songs and teachings as he would hold services within his court. But what if someone thinks that they have no way to put into action what has happened inside of them? In James 2:17, the apostle and half-brother of Jesus says, Faith without works is dead; so what then, if you have no time to share what God has done? Works are an outward showing of an inward response to God's working in our lives; which require something that shows that we believe what we believe. What better way to show this reaction, then that of the 'thief on the cross'; for he had nothing more than hours, if not minutes, to show forth the works in his life; and yet he did just that! All it took was a simple realization of who it was that hung next to him, and a rebuke to the other thief that mocked Jesus; and then a simple request: "Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom". If you were to compare this to the parable of the 'talents', you could say that this 'thief on the cross' most likely only had one; one chance to express what he felt inside; one chance to declare God's marvelous work! He could have buried that 'talent', and just kept in his heart what he was thinking; not rebuking his fellow malefactor; not asking Jesus to remember him; but he did not bury it, but used it, and used it well! How many lives have been saved over the years by the testimony of this one encounter? How many hearts have been assured of their salvation in the sample of this man's obedience? It only took belief, of which he demonstrated that he believed Jesus to be his Saviour; after which he acted upon that belief ,by showing forth his belief in the only way that he could; and the rest is history; and there was at least one that was rejoicing that day!!!

"Dead Man Walking"

"To the chief Musician upon Muthlabben, A Psalm of David." I love these introductions; they really get the brain juices flowing! Here we have yet another unknown word, "Muthlabben"; although with this word, there is a meaning, it's just that no one knows what that meaning really applies to. The meaning of the word is death; which could refer to the death of Goliath, or to that of Absalom; or maybe to the death and destruction of all the enemies listed within this Psalm. But; I like to dance around the edges, so for me, I will attribute the meaning towards that which I feel David was feeling as he wrote this Psalm; and I am going to go with 'Dead Man Walking'. If you have ever been around someone who is about to be put to death, especially if that person is a Christian, then you can relate to what I am talking about. There is really nothing that you can do or say to that person which will upset them, because they have mentally prepared themselves to be dead already; therefore, anything which is stirred up in their life prior to that actual death, is nothing more than noise between them and the destination. As I was reading this Psalm, I got a sense of David giving thanks for God's justice in advance of the actual justice being given; although David has listed instances where God has provided justice, these are but examples of what God has done; thereby giving reference of God's working things out in previous situations; making giving thanks something that is based upon knowledge of God's mighty hand in such matters. In the context of what I believe this Psalm is about, that word "Muthlabben" might be better translated as unto death; a translation that some have said does not fit the context; yet, there are always more ways than one to view God's Holy Word. I look at God's Word as a prism, where the actual meanings of what is being said depend on the application, and the Light of His Word is reflected in many different directions, depending on how it is being looked upon, and the application that is being used. With that; what this word "Muthlabben" could represent, is an illustration of what we are in the world around us; as in, that we are dead to the world. David saw Jesus coming; therefore, his view of what was to be given was based upon the hope of that which was to come; other than that, he never really lacked any of the things that we look back upon: the sacrifice given, the victory won, the risen King; all of which David had foreknowledge into, and believed to be the hope of his salvation. Paul gives us this illustration within Colossians 3:1-3, whereby he says, "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on the things above, not on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." Therefore, if you really think about it, there is nothing that this world can do to us, seeing that we really are dead already to the things of this world; and the only way that we can let it have any affect upon us, is if our affection is on the things of this world, and not on the things above. Much like the one who is about to die; who has his affection set on what is ahead, and if he is looking forward to being with Christ, then there is peace and joy within his heart; yet, as soon as he places his affection upon the things of this world, then there is a longing for the things which will be missed...

"The Righteous Judge"

Coming to Psalms Nine, we celebrate the righteousness of God's judgement with thanksgiving; thus the title of this Psalm, if you have one shown in your Bible, is "Thanksgiving for God's Justice". This justice that David is referring to is that of God's judgement upon the affairs of men, as well as His final judgement in the hereafter. This is something that we can tend to overlook when we are facing persecution from our enemies, or in certain situations where we are being treated unfairly. Much like when Michael the archangel, while contending with the devil, and disputing with him over the body of Moses, did not bring a railing accusation against him, but simply said, the Lord rebuke you. (Jude 1:9) In other words, he had no reason to accuse Satan of anything, nor to judge him, for he knew that Satan's day would soon be coming, and that God would be the judge on the day! So to, we are to be reserved in our treatment of others, whether because they are wrongfully treating us, or because they are just wrong; we should know our place, and that it is not our place to cast judgement, but God's: Who alone is worthy to judge, and by Whom, all righteous judgement is given! Knowing this, and then actually living it out whenever we are facing such a circumstance, allows us to be at peace; peace that comes from knowing that God is in control; even in the midst of persecution, we can have this peace, that is, if we are not overstepping our ground, and are assured in our hearts that God's judgements are righteous, and He will righteously judge our cause; whether it be now, or in the final day of judgement, we will be vindicated. Basically, what I am talking about, is having joy in every situation, even during those times when we are being persecuted; however, when we take on being the judge of those that come against us, we let them rob us of that joy, by taking it upon ourselves to judge, thus creating within our own heart a vengeful spirit, from which joy is lost. The easiest way to put this, is that we are to remain humble; and in so doing, we are able to experience peace in knowing that God is in control, and joy in knowing that He is our Righteous Judge; because our joy comes from knowing our destination, not the fate of others!!! A good example of what I am talking about is found in Luke 10:1-20. Jesus had sent out seventy, two by two, and had given them power to evangelize, minister, and cast out demons in His name; and when they returned, they came to Him rejoicing on how the devils were subject to them in His name; to which Jesus replied, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven". The point that Jesus was making in this statement, is that our joy must be in knowing that our names are written in the Book of Life, not based upon the working of the ministry, nor the power that has been given us, nor even the power that Jesus has over those that come against us; but in our destination, and in knowing that we are secure in Him: this is how our joy is fulfilled, in knowing where we shall end up...

"Alpha and Omega"

"O LORD our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth!" (Psalms 8:9) The first and the last: the last verse ends as the first verse started; and for good reason, for the first verse called attention to what was being said, while the last verse summed it up! All will know without question who Jesus was and is; sadly, for many it shall be to late. Looking again at the Book of Revelation, this time in the first chapter, we see Jesus give a description unto John of who He is; as if to say, Tell them I AM hath sent you. For many who have had a chance to read this account, there is no way that anyone can deny that Jesus is the first and the last, since He declares that multiple times. Yet in verse eight, Jesus introduces Himself plainly as God Almighty, for He says, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which was, and which is to come, the Almighty". This word "Almighty" means he who has sway over all things; ruler of all; almighty: God. Without getting to far off into interpreting what this actually means, it is easy to understand that the reference is that of God; not just a god, but Thee God! And if that is not good enough to satisfy those that might doubt the power given unto Him, in verse eighteen, He says, "I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death". Now why would anyone wish to question such power? Someone who has the power to not only raise Himself from the dead, but to raise us up also!!! Really; what more can you want than to be raised up unto eternal life? I am a little concerned about some that question why it is that God would have to come and die for us, seeing that it was the only way that man could be saved; for the sacrifice that needed to be given had to be perfect; and there is none perfect but God! Jesus declared this, in His own humble way, by saying onto the Young Rich Ruler that called Him good master, "Why callest me good, for there is none good, but God". It was not that Jesus denied who He was, but that He was clarifying that only God is good; and when speaking of good, He was referring to renown, or a good reputation. This is also the point to what David is declaring yet again in this last verse; as if to say, Yes indeed, You are good, O LORD our Lord! For really, what's in a name? When Moses asked, Whom shall I say that sent me? The Lord replied, "Tell them, I AM hath sent you"; in other words, The Eternal One! For the word "name" as used here, and repeated again by David, is a word that means stigma, or sign; which refers to a mark with which anyone is marked; and in the case of our Lord Jesus Christ, His markings are Life unto us...

"Lord Jesus"

"Thou madest Him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under His feet: all the sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas." (Psalms 8:6-8) Besides the fact that He rode upon a donkey colt that had never been ridden before, there is nothing that Jesus shall not have under His feet. I like how David says, "and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas", for if you recall, Jesus, when asked about paying taxes, instructed one of His disciples to open the mouth of a fish, and behold, there was a coin with Cesar's face upon it. I have always wondered what heaven will be like, and whether or not all the animals shall be there also; yet, whatever there shall be, whether it be life or light, Jesus shall be the one who shall rule over it, and all things will be perfect! No more sorrow; no more pain; no more death; Revelation 21:4, says, "for the former things are passed away"; which means that death shall no longer be a part of life, including death of the animals also, for the lion shall no longer hunt the lamb! Think about what that will look like, and how life will be lived in His new kingdom. Now then; regarding that Holy Winepress which I spoke of during the introduction to this Psalm; if we look in Revelation 19:11-16, we see Jesus returning to earth, this time not on a colt of a donkey, but on a great white horse. And in verse 15, it says, "And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God". That triumphant entry into the city was His setting up to the judgement upon Himself for the sins of the world; sin which He was not guilty of, nor had He taken part in; yet, as a spotless Lamb, He was sacrificed for the sins of the world. However; His return upon that white horse, shall be the sitting up to His judgement upon the earth; His vengeance upon those that refused to receive Him as their Lord and Saviour, shall be swift and righteous. And as we look at that judgement, given in Revelation 20:11-15, we see that books are opened by which people are judged; but it says that another book was open, which is the Book of Life; the Lamb's Book of Life, of which are written the names of all those who have been covered in His blood and who have been given eternal life. This judgement will be given on two different levels, as those that are not written in the Book of Life shall be judged by their works, of which shall be based upon their own merit, and of which there shall be no justification from sin; while at the same time, they shall be judged for not being written in the Lamb's Book of Life! And in verse 20:15, it says, "And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire". There was something else about that triumphant entry into the city, which He rode upon that colt, and we see this in Mark 11:4, which is where His disciples found that colt; for it says, "and they found the colt tied by a door without in a place where two ways met". In this, Jesus would show that He came to direct us into the right way; for we have two ways that we should go, and many are in danger of taking the wrong way...

"King Jesus"

"Thou madest Him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under His feet:" (Psalms 8:6) I don't know about you, but I am excited for this time of the year. Today is Psalm Sunday; which was the day Jesus made His entry into the Holy City, and all the people sang out, "Hosanna; Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord: Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest", as they spread their garments and palm branches on the ground before Him. To many of that day, they were caught up in the emotion of something for which they had no control over; it was as if God's Spirit had been poured out, and they were proclaiming Jesus as king, not because they wanted to, but because they had to, that the Scripture must be fulfilled. Many of these same people would be yelling "crucify him", just less than a week later. Hebrews 2:9 & 10 declares, "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." To really understand what this means, there needs to be an eternal timeline established in our minds; one that understands who Jesus was before He stepped down from glory, who He was upon this earth, and who He is placed back in glory. When we consider what is meant by, "to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings", it is not as though Jesus Christ was not already perfect in all His ways, but that through His sufferings He would bring everything completely under His feet; which included all things, or everything within all of creation; some of which shall not even been seen until that final day when we shall all stand with Him in heaven! If we go back to the beginning of creation, there was something that was not perfect in the Garden that man was placed into; although all might have seemed perfect, there was placed in the center of that Garden something that was forbidden unto man, the tree of knowledge of good and evil. It was not as though life was perfect for man, because God had provided all that man needed in a beautiful paradise; yet within this paradise was placed something by which man could be tempted; something which would end up as causing man to sin. It is this, by which man was tempted in that Jesus was made perfect; as coming in the form of sinful flesh, Jesus withstood all temptation; being tempted just as you and I are, He willfully submitted to being obedient, even to the point of death; thereby destroying even that which would cause man to stumble. There will be no tree of knowledge of good and evil in heaven, for He has taken it out of the way...

"God's Splendor" -2

"For Thou hast made Him a little lower that the angels, and hast crowned Him with glory and honour." (Psalms 8:5) I'm not quite through with this verse yet! In making our Lord become as one of us; this is how He could be classified as "a little lower than the angels"; not that He was not God in the flesh, but that He humbled Himself to become flesh, making Him a lower class than that of the angels, for just that short period that He dwelt in the flesh. And yet, for those days in which He dwelt among us, He demonstrated power beyond that of mortal man; yet restricted Himself to be humbled in the form which He dwelt in. A good example of what I am talking about, would be when Jesus was tempted by the devil after He fasted for forty days in the wilderness. In that tempting, Satan asked, If you are the Son of God, then cast yourself off this cliff, or turn these stones to bread; with which Jesus replied by quoting Scripture which was meant for man to walk in obedience unto God; thereby giving a written reason as to why He should not do what Satan had asked Him to do. It was not that He could not do those things, because He demonstrated by turning water to wine and by walking on water that He could, but rather, He remained humble to that which He came as, and to that which He came to do. He showed forth His power on many occasions; giving us proof of who He was and the power that He had over nature, demons, the sick, the blind, the deaf, the lame, and even the dead. He also knew what was in men's heart, as He confronted them on many different issues. But when it came to His death upon the cross, and even to the suffering that He took from those that crucified Him, He humbled Himself to that shame and torture, even though He could have stopped it at any time that He would have wanted to! The way I see it, He demonstrated more power in His humility, then He did in His strength; because, in so doing, He showed us the power of His love for the Father, and for that which needed to be done on our behalf!!! Even though He had the power to stop all of the punishment at anytime, He endured the harshness of the beatings, the humiliation of the mockery, and the torturous death; which took far more strength to resist stopping it, because He defiantly had the power to do any of a number of things which would have caused them to stop. It was in this manner of His actions, which Paul wrote in Philippians, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:5-11)

"God's Splendor"

"For Thou hast made Him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned Him with glory and honour." (Psalms 8:5) When we talk about the greatness of God, we have to consider all that was done to establish the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The birth alone was simply amazing; how God orchestrated every little detail, from the virgin that would bare Him, to the stable that He was to be born in; all the things that needed to take place for those things to happen, just as they happened, and just as they were said they would happen. You could simply spend hours, if not days, looking up all the prophecies and hints of His coming. I like one thing that I heard J. Vernon McGee say one day, in that he said the children of Israel were made to form in a particular formation as they marched through the wilderness; placing the tribe of Levy in the center, God instructed Moses to arrange the tribes at the east, west, north and south, in that it produced the formation of a cross as they marched through the wilderness. But we can go back even further, as we look at the curse given upon man, woman and the serpent, specifically between the serpent and Eve; whereas, God said, "And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Genesis 3:14 & 15) Notice how God did not refer to man as He spoke of the seed of the woman; it was "her seed", being that the woman who would bring forth Jesus Christ was to be a virgin! And that the child to be born, would bruise the head of the serpent, yet the serpent would but bruise his heal; in other words, the serpent's head would be bruised, is a reference to the crushing that would take place of Satan's dominion and rule; yet the heel of Jesus being bruised, speaks of but a footprint, which signifies but a moment in time or stature. Looking at the life of Jesus, all thirty three years of His life was that of an underclass, in comparison to that which should be the life of a king: born of a virgin, which lead to being classified as a bastard by many; born in a stable, showing His humble introduction unto the world that He created; the flight to Egypt, giving Him the life of a fugitive from birth; being raised in Nazareth, a place of low reputation and honor; these things are just a few among hundreds of the ways that God orchestrated the very life that His Son would be brought into, suffer through, and die within. One thing that really gives me a chuckle, is the borrowed tomb; how it was that they needed to place Him in a borrowed tomb, and how it was, that He really only needed to use a tomb for only three days!!!

"God's Ordained"

"What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the Son of man, that Thou visiteth Him?" (Psalms 8:4) Not that we need to revisit this verse again, but that it has a double meaning; for God's purpose in this verse involves mankind on two different levels: one of which we have already discussed, the other involving His Son, whom it is that has visited us! We saw what it was that God needed to do for man, in that He needed to draw man close to His heart; yet, in this, we shall see what He needed to do for His Son!!! But you might say, Now wait a minute, I thought it was about what He did to His Son on our behalf; do you mean that Jesus was also the benefactor in the Father's plan? OH YES INDEED!!! First of all; Jesus Christ came not just to die for and to save us from our sins, but to purchase us unto Himself in the process! You see, that is something that many fail to understand; in that, His death upon the cross was only part of the equation; because, it did not end there on the cross!!! The word "visiteth" is a word that speaks of more than visiting; although, that word in and of itself means came and went, as in to pay a visit; whereby, He did not just come to die, but He came and left again! What that word also means is to be appointed over, or to be made overseer, or ruler over; in other words, He did not just die for those that would believe to be saved, but He paid the price for all of mankind, including those that would deny Him! Now why do you think that should be? For those that believe upon Him, this may not matter all that much, that is until the day of the Lamb takes possession of the Book of the Seven Seals (Revelation 6:10); but to those that do not, this goes back to the second verse, and that of "ordaining strength over His enemies". In other words; the judgement of them would also involve the Gift of God for which they rejected; they would be judged not just by the law, but also by the mercy which was offered to them; that by which they could have been taken out from under the judgement of the law, will also condemn them: it is a doubled edge sword! And if you are familiar with the way a doubled edge sword works, then you know that it cuts both ways! The writer of Hebrews, who quotes this Psalm in chapter two of Hebrews, says in verse two, "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation", which has several different meanings, for both the saved and the unsaved; but for the sake of this text, we shall say that it means, there is no escape from judgement; because, what the law could not accomplish in condemning those who could not keep it anyways, the very act of God's salvation being offered, does!!! In this, Jesus was made both deliverer and the executioner, all wrapped up in one; not by Him condemning those that would reject Him, because they were condemned already; but that rejecting what He did for them, those that reject such an act, are condemned again by their rejection of God's Love. Therefore; upon the day of their judgement, they shall be judged by Two who sit upon the throne, the Father and the Son: "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)

"God's Anointing"

"What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him? (Psalms 8:4) Really; what is man, that God would be mindful of us? Do you ever wonder what God wants from your life, or how God is willing to use you? There are two ways to view this passage of Scripture; one is from man's point of view, the other is from God's. From our point of view, we wait with anticipation for God to do something spectacular in our lives; thinking, God how can I be of service to you? From God's point of view; well, let's just say, His is all about love, and His desire to get us close to His heart! There are other things about this Scripture that we will be looking at, and other views, which take on whole new meanings; but for now, let's focus on the man; who is it that God is mindful of? I am amazed by the way God has established the earth; and in reading the account of creation, we find several different roles that God specifically appointed unto man. The first of which was to have dominion over the earth; which means that man was to rule over those things which God had placed upon the earth, and he was to have power over them. Okay; not such a big deal, you might be saying; because man is far superior than the animals anyways; right? Yes, but God's purpose for man was to rule over these lower creatures; not to just be more superior, but to have power over them; and in so doing, there was an example of submission being lived out in this arrangement. Secondly; God had man to name all of the animals, and to all other living things; a task for which knowledge of that thing being named was acquired. In other words; the task of giving a name to something involved a study of it, in order to name it based upon it's characteristic. What's the point? Right? Well; God was giving us His nature; His natural ability to create, to know what it was that we are all about, and to have an interest in our lives; these things were being passed upon man, that we might be mindful of our relationship with Him, as our creator, as our Father, and as the One who has dominion over our lives. These attributes did not remain in the garden when Adam and Eve were removed from it; eternal life was left there, but not our familiarity with the God who created us in His image. Yes, there was a separation from God because of sin; but there was no separating Who it was that we were fashioned after! So; what is man, that God is mindful of him? We are His children!!! Created in His image; He made us to be close to Him; just like you want your children to be close to you, God desires us to draw close to Him! Now then; what is it that is required for us to draw close to Him? Likeness!!!! We have the familiarity, now we need His likeness; which is only brought about by the power of Jesus Christ, His Son! It is the blood of Jesus that cleanses us, and makes us as white as snow; purified by the blood of Christ, we are able to approach our Heavenly Father, and be close to Him; which is where He wants us to be! In this, we also look at the second part of this verse, which says, "and the son of man, that Thou visiteth him?"; because this applies to us! Yes, that is right! You and I; descendants of those whom God originally placed in the garden; He has visited us with His Spirit, to draw us close to Him! I don't know about you, but if it was not for the Holy Spirit prompting me, I would still be lost in sin! And with that; I am drawn towards the first question again, asking, "what is man, that Thou art mindful of him?"; in other words, Lord, why have you chosen me? After I admire the handiwork of His creation, considering all that He has made; what could He possibly want with my life? Companionship!!! Companionship is established by experiencing Him, which only comes from knowing Him; Who He is, how much He loves us, what He wants for our lives, and He provides for us to get there; all these things and more, are what He is mindful of towards us. It was His desire for us that caused Him to send His Son to die for us; and as we shall see, it was His love for us that made Jesus obedient to the cross; in that Jesus loved the Father so much, He was obedient to do the Father's will...

"God's Handiwork"

"When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained;" (Psalms 8:3) You know, you really do not need to go out under the stars at night to see God's handiwork; you can just meditate upon it, and be brought right into it! It is amazing to me how God can open up our minds to His splendor; if we just take the time to be with Him. I was going to do this verse and the next one together, but after looking at all the nuggets in this verse, I decided I would work on this one first. You must realize something very important about this verse: David had a lot of experience gazing up into the heavens; as a young man, he most likely spent most of his time worshiping God, out under the stars at night, and early in the mornings. Secondly, I can only imagine how much David played out in his mind the creative workings of God; as he would demonstrate God's hand, index finger extended, speaking stars into existence. And yet, for whom did God make the heavens? For who's benefit did God place the heavens above? When we look at the meaning to the word "ordained", we find some pretty interesting things that establish God's intent. The word is 'kuwn', and it primarily means to be firm, be stable, be established; to confirm; to direct. To put this in a way that makes better sense, we could look at what God has placed in the heavens as His way of saying "I AM HERE"; in other words, He makes Himself known to us in His creations! There is absolutely no denying that there is a Creator, once you really start considering the handiwork of all that He has made. Scientists may try and avoid their hearts reaction to discoveries of new frontiers, but there is no denying that something grand and wise has put things in motion! If we take a moment and think about what David is saying here; he is expressing God's pleasure in creating something which will be gazed upon by His children; in other words, God's finger is pointing things into existence, and saying, This ones for you, and for you, and for that one, and the ones to come; and oh ya, least I forget, those wise ones will love this! It is God's direction towards His creation for a certain purpose; for something to be gazed upon by generations of His children, that can wonder with awe, What was He thinking when He made that one? or that one? or that one over there? Was He thinking of me? Did He see me gazing up there and asking these questions? Is He smiling now, as I wonder upon His marvelous works? Is this part of what fellowship with God is all about? I believe that it is!!! Especially when we consider His Son; how He sent Him to die for us; Him who had a hand in all this creation, came to die for that which He created! He shows us His awesome handiwork in all of His splendor; yet, He shows us His love by sending His Son; ordained from the beginning of time, The Lamb of God! And yet, as we look to the Book of Revelation, it is The Lamb of God which is the only one worthy to open the Book; for He alone is worthy, having bought this world with His life; and having redeemed it with His sacrifice, He is also worthy to judge it, and judge it He shall! Are you ready to be judged? Pray that you are...

"God's Way!"

"Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast Thou ordained strength because of Thine enemies, that Thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger." (Psalms 8:2) When we try to consider how it is that God does things, it is almost laughable at times; who says that God does not have a sense of humor? But there is one reason that He chooses to do it so: that He might receive the Glory! From the walls of Jericho, to every knee shall bow; from the fiery furnace, to being free of the bondage of sin; from the parting of the Red Sea, to the empty tomb; from stone gods that bow down before Him, to the Son of God lifted up before men; from the manna from heaven, to the Bread of Life; from a talking donkey, to fishers of men: God's ways always get results; and they always give Him glory! If we study the verse above carefully, we see something that is key to what is being said, which are the words, "because of Thine enemies". The reason that this is key, is because this is why God does the things He does, the way that He does them: that those that appose Him might be confounded. He astounds them with the way He uses the foolish things to confound the wise, and the weak things to confound the mighty. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:25, "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men". The other important part of this verse, is "that Thou mightest still the enemy, and the avenger"; because in this, God causes them to cease in their plans, by confounding them in their own devices. A good example of this would be that of the devil, and his plot to destroy man with sin; so what does God do? He takes sin out of the equation! He stomped all over the devil's plot, literally, by stomping on his head! It is out of the mouth of babes that God brings forth strength; which means that He uses the weak and the feeble to proclaim His victory. Another way to look at this, would be to examine how Jesus, in the form of a man, was able to die upon a cross and give life to a dying world. That God would use flesh and blood to destroy the powers of darkness, for all eternity! And when you really think about it, sin might have started here in the garden for man, but the devil is the father of it; for it was he that first convinced many other angels to rebel against God; and it was he, who in the form of a serpent, deceived Eve in the garden. Therefore; I have to wonder, what was God's intention for man? and how is it that we matter so much to Him? Is it that we were created in His image? And, even though we are created in the image of Him, yet we have free will: we have the ability to sin, of which He is not capable of, because in Him is no darkness at all! If hell was created for the devil, and if hell is in the center of this earth; then what did He make this earth for? This is something that has puzzled me for decades; because, if for some unknown reason, the weakness of God, if there is such a thing, needed to manifest in a way, to take down the powers of darkness; and if this is true, and I am sure we will find out soon enough, then God's plan of redemption was bigger then just you and I, but involved all of His creation; we being the central part of His plan... (Never mind me, I might be having a flashback!)

"Most Excellent Glory"

"O LORD our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth! Who hast set Thy glory above the heavens." (Psalms 8:1) Just in case you do not know what the image is, that is the image that the Hubble Space Telescope has sent back to us, of the Black Hole in the center of the M51 Whirlpool Galaxy, only 31 million light years away! Now; as to what God's way of doing things and our ways differ in; you tell me, How great is our God!!! I can only imagine what David was thinking as he wrote this Psalm. But you must realize something about David; coming from his background as a shepherd, David had no doubt spent many nights gazing up into the heavens, and admiring God's glorious creations; although, he most likely was not able to view this image, at least not the one in this galaxy; he did however see Jesus upon the cross! As David describes the Lord, using, "how excellent is Thy name in all the earth!", he is making mention of God's magnificent, illustrious, glorious renown, in and to all the earth! In other words; God's glory is declared in all of His creation! From the least of the smallest particles, to the greatest mass that has been found; God's glory is brought forth in everything that He has created. And, just in case you did not know, the largest star that we have found thus far, is called, Alpha Canis Majoris, or other wise known as, The Big Dog Star; which they figure has a circumference that is as big as ten times the size of the earth's orbit around the sun; that is pretty big! So, when we wonder how big our God is; well let's just say, God is really Big!!! Furthermore; as David proclaims, "Who hast set Thy glory above the heavens", he is making mention of God's glory that exceeds all that we can see in the sky; in other words, we have seen nothing yet!!! Imagine what glorious images we will be gazing upon once we get to heaven; and if you look at the images that are visible on the Hubble website, you will see things that are beyond description; yet, these do not compare to the glory of Who God is! And yet, God has set His eye upon us; each and every one of us, are precious in His sight! It is hard to imagine how this is even possible, yet He has declared it over and over in His 'Love Letter' to us! Beyond that; He has declared it by sending His Son to suffer and die for us on the cross! Paul says, in Galatians 6:14, "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world". In other words; the cross has set us free from the world of sin, and has made us free from sin; of which God has ordained since the beginning of time...

"A Holy Wine Press"

"To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David." (Introduction to Psalm Eight) This word Gittith is used in the introduction of three Psalms, 8, 81 and 84. Looking this word up, you end up with something rather interesting; because it simply says, Gittith = "a wine-press"; and then within the one definition, it says, a musical instrument? from Gath? and used in three Psalm titles - 8, 81, 84; a song title used for the Feast of Booths. The Lexicon gives us a little more help, in that it says, a Gittite, and then shows the reference for 2 Samuel 6:10; but then it goes on to say, a kind of musical instrument, either used by the people of Gath, or as it were, as used in the vintage with the songs of the wine-dressers and press-treaders. Okay, so be it! Let's start out with 2 Samuel 6:10 and see where that takes us; because in that verse, David is dumping the Ark off at the house of Odem-edom the Gittite. Oddly enough, a Gittite is from the land of Gath, which is also the land where Goliath was from, in the land of the Philistines. If you know the story, David had tried to move the Ark to Zion, after he had captured that city and made it his chief city; however, they placed the Ark upon a cart, and he was upset that Uzzah was killed by putting forth his hand to stabilize the Ark, as the cart wheel had went into a ditch. Therefore, David left the Ark at the closest piece of land, which happened to be that of Odem-edom; and it stayed there for three months, of which time, God blessed Odem-edom and all that he had; which caused David to reconsider, and bring the Ark into into Zion; but this time, they did it right, and used staves which were meant to carry the Ark, and Levites to bare the staves. Okay; so maybe we could consider this story as the means for God to press into David the holiness and reverence to which God must be approached, including that which He has ordained to represent Him, as the ideal example of 'A Holy Wine Press'; it just might work. However, there is another Gittite to be considered, and that is none other than Goliath, the giant that spewed vile words unto God, causing the armies of Israel to stand in fear. Yet, along comes a young Shepherd boy; as a choice grape, that has been growing on the 'vine of God'; who hears those vile words, and is quick to notice that the giant was challenging God; the God of all creation was being challenged by a mortal man; a big man, no doubt, but mortal through and through. In this, David realized that God could use him, a simple shepherd boy, to take down this vile creature; because greater was He that was in him, then anyone who was in the world, no matter how big he might be! Could it have been that David remembered this as God blessed the house of a Philistine? That God is Holy and mighty to save, yet His ways are not to be defiled; which means, that God's way, although sometimes seeming impractical to follow, are the ways that get results...

"Above All Creatures"

As we come to the beginning of Psalms Eight, we are brought to the place where Psalms Seven has left off: being placed in a relationship with a Holy God; not by any doing of our own, but by the doing of Jesus Christ! If you have a title listed above this Psalm in your Bible, then you will note what it says: "God's Glory and Man's Honour". The general meaning of this title speaks to the position that we have been placed; one that speaks of several different levels of God's creation, yet shows how His love for us is by far the greatest in all of His creation. It is hard to imagine what this actually means; and it is exceedingly hard to imagine how much we mean to Him. This Psalm is the second Psalm which declares the image of His Son; yet, unlike the first one, which was Psalms Two, that showed Jesus as the servant sacrifice, this one proclaims Him as LORD of all; giving Him the glory that He deserves, as the redeemer of our souls! It is not to hard to see how precious we are in His sight, if we can understand the measure to which He went to save us. Yet, many cannot understand this, and carry on throughout their lives as if they do not matter much to Him; only because they do not see the individual love that He has for each and every one of us, as His children. Instead, many see themselves as masses, that are not unique in His eye; as if we are grouped into some kind of collective pools of people, by which He views us as a crowd of people who are just like we are. This is so far from the truth!!! For He does know us individually; moreover, He counts the number of the very hairs on our heads! And if you can try and imagine what is involved to do such a thing: it definitely involves knowing us a whole lot better than we know ourselves!!! As I was praying this morning, I was praising God for the mightiness of His power; power that we cannot even begin to imagine! In the process of praising Him, I saw a rather odd vision; one which involved the heavens and the earth, all being rolled up like a scroll; much like you would roll up a tapestry, or a painting. And then, there was a new tapestry that appeared, but it was not rolled out, it just was; as if it had already been there, yet not visible, due to the old tapestry which was removed. We really don't understand how unimportant this world is to us; yet, we continue to hold onto it, as if it shall be our dwelling place forever. It will pass away, just as our flesh is dying, so to will this earth; for God has created a much better place for us to dwell... "And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows." (Luke 12:4-7)

"The Charming Song"

"I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high." (Psalms 7:17) I am more than sure that God wonders why we are not more willing to receive His love for us; how much more could He have done to offer forgiveness? As we progressed through this Psalm, I do hope that I did not stray to far from the main point; but as I said before, the Lord was speaking to me about a certain subject, and therefore, I needed to move in that direction. Ultimately, we have the capacity to accept His forgiveness; just like we also have the ability to forgive others; we just need to want it! Much the same as the desire not to sin, must be just that: a desire not to sin! The word that formed in my mind all night long, was the word 'PURITY'; it is a word that means to be free from foreign matter; cleanness; innocence; guiltlessness. All of which we are given, and meant to be, as children of God; His children are pure, for He is pure! The final verse of Psalms Seven, is what I would call, the Charming Song; which is placed at the end of a wandering journey towards finding true forgiveness. I know that forgiveness comes the moment that we receive Jesus Christ into our hearts; but, forgiveness is not truly realized until we can see what He has done, and know the power of His love for us! Yes, power of His Love! There is nothing more powerful than His Love! I was thinking this morning about what a virgin must think about as they continually commit to holding out for their one true love. What is it that motivates their desire to stay pure? Love? I think the answer is yes! They may not even know who it is that they shall love; yet they are committed to be pure, for whom ever that might be. We, one the other hand, know Him; and we know that soon He will be returning; therefore, we must remain pure for His return! How do we remain pure? The blood of Jesus Christ washes away all of our sins; and if we have sin in our lives, then we must confess that sin, be cleansed from that sin, and sin no more! However; if we happen to sin again, then we confess that sin; and He is faithful and just to forgive us of that sin, and to cleanse us of all of our unrighteousness. Our biggest problem is accepting that forgiveness as the end of our sin; instead, we hold onto a portion of that sin; whether that be the scare of the sin, or the memory, or whatever else can be attached to it; and we really don't consider it removed, until we remove it. You think God doesn't know your struggle? Why do you think He did all that He could do, to not only remove our sins, but to remove all punishment as well? All punishment, means that which we place upon ourselves also! When God removes our sins, the stain is gone also!!! When we have been set free from sin, we have been set free from sin's curse, and all of it's judgements! This is made possible, not by what we have done, nor by anything that we can possibly do; but it is only possible by God's righteousness being poured upon us! When we can truly see that, and as we stand there covered in His precious blood, now think about anyone that you have not forgiven; think if their sin against you is not covered also, and that your unforgiveness is like your hand extended out from the covering; and the only way to draw it in, is with the hand of those that you have not forgiven being placed within your hand... We truly are forgiven!!!

"The Crown of Thorns"

"His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealings shall come down upon his own pate." (Psalms 7:16) Odd title for today's verse; you think? Yes; but there is a mystery to the crown of thorns that was placed upon the head of Jesus; those Roman soldiers had plaited it upon His head, thinking that they were making Him a mock-king; however, everything that happened to Jesus, happen for a reason; everything! What that crown represented was a special part of God's redemption; something which man was burdened with before the very curse was pronounced by God in the Garden! Let me try to explain; but please bare with me; it's a little complicated! We are talking about man being able to accept God's forgiveness; something which has been a problem from the very start of creation: why do you think man blamed the woman, and the woman blamed the serpent! Because they could not accept that God would forgive them for what they had done? or that they did not even know what forgiveness meant? Sin was so very new to them; so much so, that they were ashamed to be naked, and covered their bodies with leaves. Could it have been that forgiveness was not offered yet? Possibly? But, let's look at this verse of David's 'wandering, or charming song', and see what it has to say. The first word that I would like to look at, is the word "mischief", as in "His mischief shall return upon his own head". The word has at it's root a meaning of toil, as in to labor; trouble, sorrow, misery, grievance; heavy, wearisome labor; the sorrow or anguish of the soul. We then must look at the meaning of the word "head", which could apply to just the man's head; however, what is the man's head? Because it also speaks about chief, as in the chiefest, choicest, or best; whatever is highest and supreme! So, with that: Where do you place your head? Okay; you might have let that one slip by; because the misery of our suffering shall return upon our own head; that is unless Christ is our head!!! No, wait a minute; "and his violent dealings" are those things that are cruel, wrong, and damaging; which paints a perfect picture of man's curse of this earth; and the "plat" is meant for the crown of the head, or top of the head. If we look back to the curse, which is given in Genesis 3:14-21, one part of man's curse was that of the ground, and that it would bring forth thorns and thistles, thereby causing man to labor hard to supply bread for his household. The general meaning for these thorns and thistles was that of anguish in providing, and resistance on the part of the provisions. However, the crown of thorns which were placed upon the head of Jesus, were a symbol of His taking upon Himself the curse of our soul's labor in penitence, or punishment for sin. The toil that would anguish man's soul, was placed upon the head of Jesus, and was to symbolize that the punishment was no more a curse upon man's soul. In addition to man's toiling the ground, was also the curse of death, in which God said, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and dust shalt thou return." (Genesis 3:19) Therefore; the crown of thorns which Jesus bore upon His head also represented His new kingdom established for us, which is not of this earth; and in such a representation, He removed the curse of death which was placed upon man in the Garden; and these old dusty bodies that we have been given, will be replaced with new glorified bodies, that shall withstand the test of time; a long long time! Okay; now we try again to ask the question: Where do you place your head? If you place your head as the thing which has been installed above your shoulders, then your head might as well be lopped off; which is precisely what happened to Saul's head. However; if Jesus Christ is your head, then you have placed Him above all else; which then allows you to not only accept God's forgiveness, but you can actually see His forgiveness! And that crown of thorns means that we do not have to toil any more... "O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"... JESUS!!!