Hebrews 12: 1-2
Therefore,
When we see a "therefore" we need to ask what it's there for. Here, we've just gone through God's Hall of Heroes, all the saints that came before us who lived their lives and accomplished great feats, "by faith."
since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses
Here we're told that all these saints are surrounding us, watching us.
to the life of faith,
They're watching us to see how we are living our lives by faith.
let us strip off every weight that slows us down,
Whatever is keeping us from running freely the course set before us.
especially the sin that so easily trips us up.
All the little distractions that tangle our feet, dangerously trying to bring us down.
And let us run
We need to run freely, not walk or saunter lazily, through life.
with endurance
There are many things that we need to learn to endure; many trials, troubles, terrors, weariness and griefs.
the race God has set before us.
This life is a race, so we need to be running. It is a relay race, so we are to prepare the next generation to take the baton of faith after us.
We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus,
Jesus is our example. He never did slow down His ministry, nor was He ever in a hurry. He always relied only on His Father, never His own initiative, in everything He did. So we follow Jesus as Jesus followed His Father.
the Author and Finisher of our faith;
He, along with His Father and the Holy Spirit, devised this whole plan, designed our whole Universe including our Earth, and decided before He ever started to create, what He would do to redeem us. And He concluded that part of His Plan of the Ages--we now put our faith in His sacrifice, rather than an animal, to complete our salvation from sin and our redemption from this broken environment of our World System.
Who for the joy that was set before Him
That joy was knowing that we could spend Eternity with Him, in His glory (see John 17:24).
He endured the Cross, despising the shame,
He did not relish the Cross, He had to endure it. He had to hang there unclothed, in full view of the populace, as a condemned criminal--the very opposite of Who He is. And even separated from His Father for the first time in all Eternity! Something I cannot even fathom. It was this joy that gave Him the strength to do it. He loves you and me that much.
and is set down at the right hand of the Throne of God.
Now, today, Jesus has died, risen, and ascended back into Heaven, again enjoying the glory He shared with the Father from eternity past. Now that He has accomplished everything we need to be right with God--born into His own Family, cleansed and forgiven--He will complete the rest of His plan to redeem every person who turns to Him in faith, and to redeem this Earth that has been plundered by ungodly men; before He "makes everything new." That will conclude His whole Plan of the Ages, our ages.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
False Prophets
Lamentations 2: 14
Your prophets have said so many foolish things, false to the core. They did not save you from exile by pointing out your sins. Instead, they painted false pictures, filling you with false hope.
Who are you listening to? How is your pastor preaching? What are the televised and online preachers saying? Are they promoting God's majesty, holiness and purity? Or are they giving you encouragement in your worldly attitudes, your common-sense plans?
God is not willing to condone any variance from His own character. Even the slightest closeness to perfect is not perfect. Every member of Mankind has inherited the DNA defects of our father, Adam. The church has traditionally called this, "original sin," and more recently, "the sin-nature." This handicap leads us into making foolish choices, that lead us away from God and His ways.
There is nothing that we can do in our humanity that God can accept, as even our best intentions and our most helpful philanthropies are no better than filthy, uncleanable menstrual rags (Isaiah 64:6). So we can't help ourselves.
That's why God sent His only Son, the Lord God of the Old Testament, who we now know as Jesus of Nazareth. He alone was born fully human from His mother, but without that defect, because His Father was not Adam, but God Himself. Isaiah tells us that the child would be born, but the Son would be given, the One Who has been the Son from eternity past (Isaiah 9:6-7).
It is Jesus Who is God's Christ, His Anointed, for us. He it is Who has been anointed to be our Perfect Lamb, sacrificed to take our death, Whose Blood does not only cover, but fully washes away our sinfulness--all our sins as well as that DNA defect. He said that He will make all things new (Revelation 21:5), because He is the Creator who made all things in the first place, so He can always decide to rearrange all the molecules into new bodies, a new Earth and a new Heaven; just like my son could dismantle and re-build his Lego castles and cities.
So if any of your teachers is telling you that you can do anything, without relying fully on God, dump them. Find honest, godly teachers who will inform you of what you really do need, to be remade. Who will tell you straight out that you are a sinner, born under wrath, and Jesus took your wrath on the Cross, in your place. Then God will work His miracle in you, cleansing you of all that is contrary to His holiness, and placing His own Holy Spirit in you to live in you, making your dead spirit alive. And He will teach you how to hear His still, small voice that you will hear as a sure knowing deep in your spirit. He also speaks to us in His Word the Bible, in circumstances, and through His other sons and daughters.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Your prophets have said so many foolish things, false to the core. They did not save you from exile by pointing out your sins. Instead, they painted false pictures, filling you with false hope.
Who are you listening to? How is your pastor preaching? What are the televised and online preachers saying? Are they promoting God's majesty, holiness and purity? Or are they giving you encouragement in your worldly attitudes, your common-sense plans?
God is not willing to condone any variance from His own character. Even the slightest closeness to perfect is not perfect. Every member of Mankind has inherited the DNA defects of our father, Adam. The church has traditionally called this, "original sin," and more recently, "the sin-nature." This handicap leads us into making foolish choices, that lead us away from God and His ways.
There is nothing that we can do in our humanity that God can accept, as even our best intentions and our most helpful philanthropies are no better than filthy, uncleanable menstrual rags (Isaiah 64:6). So we can't help ourselves.
That's why God sent His only Son, the Lord God of the Old Testament, who we now know as Jesus of Nazareth. He alone was born fully human from His mother, but without that defect, because His Father was not Adam, but God Himself. Isaiah tells us that the child would be born, but the Son would be given, the One Who has been the Son from eternity past (Isaiah 9:6-7).
It is Jesus Who is God's Christ, His Anointed, for us. He it is Who has been anointed to be our Perfect Lamb, sacrificed to take our death, Whose Blood does not only cover, but fully washes away our sinfulness--all our sins as well as that DNA defect. He said that He will make all things new (Revelation 21:5), because He is the Creator who made all things in the first place, so He can always decide to rearrange all the molecules into new bodies, a new Earth and a new Heaven; just like my son could dismantle and re-build his Lego castles and cities.
So if any of your teachers is telling you that you can do anything, without relying fully on God, dump them. Find honest, godly teachers who will inform you of what you really do need, to be remade. Who will tell you straight out that you are a sinner, born under wrath, and Jesus took your wrath on the Cross, in your place. Then God will work His miracle in you, cleansing you of all that is contrary to His holiness, and placing His own Holy Spirit in you to live in you, making your dead spirit alive. And He will teach you how to hear His still, small voice that you will hear as a sure knowing deep in your spirit. He also speaks to us in His Word the Bible, in circumstances, and through His other sons and daughters.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, May 29, 2017
Promises To Israel
Jeremiah 32: 42, 44
This is what the Lord says: "Just as I have brought all these calamities on them, so I will do all the good I have promised them. ... For someday I will restore prosperity to them. I, the Lord, have spoken."
God had Jeremiah buy that field from his cousin, and seal the deed in a jar so that it would last a long time, as though Jeremiah himself would be with those who would return, to claim his property. And Jeremiah trusted what God said, so he did it, and he fully expected to still be alive to return.
Today they are back in the Land God gave their ancestors, and they've even been a Nation among the Nations of the World for almost 70 years now, yet they have not returned to God. How can they claim that God gave them this land without claiming God?! They are a secular nation, surrounded by enemies whose hatred for them is so strong and passionate that they seek to wipe them completely off the face of the Earth.
This Nation Israel has been attacked repeatedly through the millennia, but has never been destroyed: Conquered and scattered throughout the world for a thousand years, gathered and destroyed in concentration camps, and still scattered into every Nation on Earth. But they have never been destroyed, because God has yet to fulfill His promises to them.
When Jesus, the Lord God of the Old Testament, returns again to rule the World, that will be the Day that all Israel will be saved, when they see Him Whom they have pierced, and I believe it will be they who will repopulate all the Nations of the World during the 1000 years Jesus will rule from His Throne in Jerusalem. Then all the promises He made to them will be fulfilled, to the letter.
O my Father, please help all of Your children, Your church, to wake up and seek Your Face; and support Your people Israel, even before they turn to You. Show us each how we can do good to the people of Israel, both in the Nation and throughout the Earth.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
This is what the Lord says: "Just as I have brought all these calamities on them, so I will do all the good I have promised them. ... For someday I will restore prosperity to them. I, the Lord, have spoken."
God had Jeremiah buy that field from his cousin, and seal the deed in a jar so that it would last a long time, as though Jeremiah himself would be with those who would return, to claim his property. And Jeremiah trusted what God said, so he did it, and he fully expected to still be alive to return.
Today they are back in the Land God gave their ancestors, and they've even been a Nation among the Nations of the World for almost 70 years now, yet they have not returned to God. How can they claim that God gave them this land without claiming God?! They are a secular nation, surrounded by enemies whose hatred for them is so strong and passionate that they seek to wipe them completely off the face of the Earth.
This Nation Israel has been attacked repeatedly through the millennia, but has never been destroyed: Conquered and scattered throughout the world for a thousand years, gathered and destroyed in concentration camps, and still scattered into every Nation on Earth. But they have never been destroyed, because God has yet to fulfill His promises to them.
When Jesus, the Lord God of the Old Testament, returns again to rule the World, that will be the Day that all Israel will be saved, when they see Him Whom they have pierced, and I believe it will be they who will repopulate all the Nations of the World during the 1000 years Jesus will rule from His Throne in Jerusalem. Then all the promises He made to them will be fulfilled, to the letter.
O my Father, please help all of Your children, Your church, to wake up and seek Your Face; and support Your people Israel, even before they turn to You. Show us each how we can do good to the people of Israel, both in the Nation and throughout the Earth.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, May 28, 2017
City On A Hill
Jeremiah 33: 9
Then this city will bring Me joy, glory and honor before all the Nations of the Earth! The people of the World will see all the good I do for My people, and they will tremble with awe at the peace and prosperity I provide for them.
This was God's plan for His people Israel. This is why He chose them out of all the Nations of the World, to give them His Law, and have them follow it. If they had only taken Him seriously, and done all the proscriptions the Law demanded, then they would have experienced all the good God wanted to do for them, and provide the peace and prosperity we all want.
But Israel never did fully implement all the provisions the Law described. They picked and chose the ones they thought were "reasonable" and ignored the rest. For instance, they never did let all the fields lie fallow every seven years, or celebrate the Jubilee in the fiftieth year. So God took them from the land, into exile far away for 70 years, all the Jubilee years they didn't observe during the 490 years they were in the land.
God wanted Israel to be the City on a Hill that would draw all the other Nations to the knowledge of the Lord. That was their advantage, that they had the Law, all the rules to follow to cooperate with how God made this Earth to operate, and enjoy all the benefits God designed it to provide. But they were drawn away by their own pride, and thought they knew better. So they were enticed and seduced by all the idols of the peoples around them. They refused to submit to God, so were deceived, and they suffered the consequences.
Many years later, our Founding Fathers based our Nation, America, on God's eternal principles as laid out in His Word, and God honored that and blessed us with peace and prosperity. And all the Nations of the Earth beheld us as a great city on a hill, because all the peoples saw all the good God did for us, and they came to America to begin new lives. Others did tremble with awe, and plotted against us in envy.
And we, also, in our pride, thought we knew better, and have been drawn away from God's pure, righteous ways, and decided that good is evil, darkness is light, and we twisted the pure ways into unrighteous, unhealthy acts. And we are experiencing the moral, ethical, physical, relational and financial repercussions of our ways.
We have turned against God in our prosperity, deciding that we got our wealth of ourselves. And in our foolishness we have opened the door to our enemies to come in and destroy us. And they will destroy us, if we don't turn back to God and His ways.
O my Father, please grant this Nation repentance! Wake up Your church, bring us great revival. Turn our faces away from all the idols we have set up. Cast down all their shrines and altars, and bring Your righteousness back, so that we can again be that shining city on a hill, to draw others to You and Your ways, to Your glory!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Then this city will bring Me joy, glory and honor before all the Nations of the Earth! The people of the World will see all the good I do for My people, and they will tremble with awe at the peace and prosperity I provide for them.
This was God's plan for His people Israel. This is why He chose them out of all the Nations of the World, to give them His Law, and have them follow it. If they had only taken Him seriously, and done all the proscriptions the Law demanded, then they would have experienced all the good God wanted to do for them, and provide the peace and prosperity we all want.
But Israel never did fully implement all the provisions the Law described. They picked and chose the ones they thought were "reasonable" and ignored the rest. For instance, they never did let all the fields lie fallow every seven years, or celebrate the Jubilee in the fiftieth year. So God took them from the land, into exile far away for 70 years, all the Jubilee years they didn't observe during the 490 years they were in the land.
God wanted Israel to be the City on a Hill that would draw all the other Nations to the knowledge of the Lord. That was their advantage, that they had the Law, all the rules to follow to cooperate with how God made this Earth to operate, and enjoy all the benefits God designed it to provide. But they were drawn away by their own pride, and thought they knew better. So they were enticed and seduced by all the idols of the peoples around them. They refused to submit to God, so were deceived, and they suffered the consequences.
Many years later, our Founding Fathers based our Nation, America, on God's eternal principles as laid out in His Word, and God honored that and blessed us with peace and prosperity. And all the Nations of the Earth beheld us as a great city on a hill, because all the peoples saw all the good God did for us, and they came to America to begin new lives. Others did tremble with awe, and plotted against us in envy.
And we, also, in our pride, thought we knew better, and have been drawn away from God's pure, righteous ways, and decided that good is evil, darkness is light, and we twisted the pure ways into unrighteous, unhealthy acts. And we are experiencing the moral, ethical, physical, relational and financial repercussions of our ways.
We have turned against God in our prosperity, deciding that we got our wealth of ourselves. And in our foolishness we have opened the door to our enemies to come in and destroy us. And they will destroy us, if we don't turn back to God and His ways.
O my Father, please grant this Nation repentance! Wake up Your church, bring us great revival. Turn our faces away from all the idols we have set up. Cast down all their shrines and altars, and bring Your righteousness back, so that we can again be that shining city on a hill, to draw others to You and Your ways, to Your glory!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, May 27, 2017
The Heavenly City
Hebrews 11: 13-16
All these faithful ones died without receiving what God had promised them, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed the promises of God. They agreed that they were no more than foreigners and nomads here on Earth. And obviously people who talk like that are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had meant the country they came from they would have found a way to go back. But they were looking for a better place, a Heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a Heavenly city for them.
This chapter is called God's Hall of Fame, all the earlier saints who put their trust in God in spite of horrendous circumstances. They were looking forward to the Sacrifice that would take their sins away, as we can now look back at the Sacrifice of the Lamb of God, that actually takes away all our sins.
As they each put their hand on their lamb, to be sacrificed on the altar in their place in death, and the blood splashed on the sides of the altar to cover their sins; when Jesus died, His Blood splashed the sides of His altar, the Cross, and all these Old Testament saints' covered sins were washed away, and they could now enter Heaven, from the Paradise side of Sheol where they had been waiting. And we can now enter Heaven directly, Jesus being our personal Lamb that takes our place in death.
All these Old Testament saints believed God, and believed what God said. They put their full trust in Him. Even though they didn't receive what was promised in their lifetimes, they still trusted God to do what He said He would, and He will.
God knew that they could not have been complete without us with them, and He has prepared a City that will come down from Heaven to this Earth, made new. And we will all live and reign with Him in that wonderful, glorious City that He is even now preparing a place for us in.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
All these faithful ones died without receiving what God had promised them, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed the promises of God. They agreed that they were no more than foreigners and nomads here on Earth. And obviously people who talk like that are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had meant the country they came from they would have found a way to go back. But they were looking for a better place, a Heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a Heavenly city for them.
This chapter is called God's Hall of Fame, all the earlier saints who put their trust in God in spite of horrendous circumstances. They were looking forward to the Sacrifice that would take their sins away, as we can now look back at the Sacrifice of the Lamb of God, that actually takes away all our sins.
As they each put their hand on their lamb, to be sacrificed on the altar in their place in death, and the blood splashed on the sides of the altar to cover their sins; when Jesus died, His Blood splashed the sides of His altar, the Cross, and all these Old Testament saints' covered sins were washed away, and they could now enter Heaven, from the Paradise side of Sheol where they had been waiting. And we can now enter Heaven directly, Jesus being our personal Lamb that takes our place in death.
All these Old Testament saints believed God, and believed what God said. They put their full trust in Him. Even though they didn't receive what was promised in their lifetimes, they still trusted God to do what He said He would, and He will.
God knew that they could not have been complete without us with them, and He has prepared a City that will come down from Heaven to this Earth, made new. And we will all live and reign with Him in that wonderful, glorious City that He is even now preparing a place for us in.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, May 26, 2017
The Order Of Melchizedek
Hebrews 6:19-20 - 7:1-21
The inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a High Priest forever, in the Order of Melchizedek.
This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything (Genesis 14:18-20). First, his name means "king of righteousness"; then also, "king of Salem" means "king of Peace." Without father or mother (recorded anywhere), without genealogy (recorded anywhere), without beginning of days or end of life (recorded anywhere), like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.
If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the Law was given to the people), why was there still need for another Priest to come--One in the Order of Melchizedek, not in the Order of Aaron? For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the Law. He of Whom these things are said [Jesus] belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. For it is clear that our Lord [physically] descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.
And what we have said is even more clear if another Priest like Melchizedek appears, One Who has become a Priest not on the basis of a regulation as to His ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. For it is said:
"You are a Priest forever, in the Order of Melchizedek" (Psalm 110:4).
The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the Law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.
So Jesus is our High Priest, not from the Old Testament Law, but in a completely different way. This man Melchizedek was the king of Salem (Jerusalem), and he was also priest of the Most High God. There is nowhere recorded anything else about this man, no birth or death records, no parental or genealogical records at all. So he is presented as having an eternal throne and priesthood, as no one is ever recorded anywhere who succeeded him in either of these offices.
That is why Jesus is said to be our Priest in the Order of Melchizedek, having no successor, but holding the offices of Priest and King forever.
The Levitical priesthood had to be handed over from father to son, every generation, so it was weak in that the sacrifices had to all be made over and over again, nothing was ever final.
But as Jesus has entered "beyond the veil" in the Heavenly Temple on our behalf with His own Blood as the Sacrifice, He is our High Priest, the only one ever permitted in the Holiest of Holies, and only once each year. Jesus only needed to enter once for all, for all people and for all time. This is how He saves us "completely" or "forever," because He will live forever to make intercession for us (v. 25).
Whenever I do something wrong, Satan confronts God and says, "She deserves to die!" Then Jesus steps up, and says, "Yes, she does. I took her death and paid her debt in full." And God says,"Yes, the debt is paid, she's free."
So the Old Covenant has become obsolete, because the New Covenant has taken its place. The Law is no longer on tablets or parchments, it is written in our hearts, as we understand the principle of Love that the Law was based on. When we love God, and we love our neighbor, then we will not transgress any of the laws that had been laid down before, and we will go further into putting God absolutely First, and will harbor no ill will toward our fellow man to even think any thoughts against them.
We will not only not commit adultery, but we will insure that our thoughts are pure. We will not only not commit murder, but we will permit no thoughts of competition with or envy of our neighbor. We will not only not covet what belongs to another, but will be glad that they can have such fine things. And so for all the laws. We won't steal or slander, we won't argue and fight, we won't even think any destructive thought against anyone else, but only want the best for each of all of us, no matter what it costs us. This is Love, and this is the Law of Love that God has written on our hearts. This is the New Covenant.
Jesus fulfilled all the Old Testament sacrifices with His Sacrifice as the Lamb of God, and He has also fulfilled all the letter of all the other laws in that system. So He has not destroyed them, but fulfilled them, as He said in Matthew 5:17.
Even so, come Lord Jesus!
The inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a High Priest forever, in the Order of Melchizedek.
This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything (Genesis 14:18-20). First, his name means "king of righteousness"; then also, "king of Salem" means "king of Peace." Without father or mother (recorded anywhere), without genealogy (recorded anywhere), without beginning of days or end of life (recorded anywhere), like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.
If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the Law was given to the people), why was there still need for another Priest to come--One in the Order of Melchizedek, not in the Order of Aaron? For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the Law. He of Whom these things are said [Jesus] belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. For it is clear that our Lord [physically] descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.
And what we have said is even more clear if another Priest like Melchizedek appears, One Who has become a Priest not on the basis of a regulation as to His ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. For it is said:
"You are a Priest forever, in the Order of Melchizedek" (Psalm 110:4).
The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the Law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.
So Jesus is our High Priest, not from the Old Testament Law, but in a completely different way. This man Melchizedek was the king of Salem (Jerusalem), and he was also priest of the Most High God. There is nowhere recorded anything else about this man, no birth or death records, no parental or genealogical records at all. So he is presented as having an eternal throne and priesthood, as no one is ever recorded anywhere who succeeded him in either of these offices.
That is why Jesus is said to be our Priest in the Order of Melchizedek, having no successor, but holding the offices of Priest and King forever.
The Levitical priesthood had to be handed over from father to son, every generation, so it was weak in that the sacrifices had to all be made over and over again, nothing was ever final.
But as Jesus has entered "beyond the veil" in the Heavenly Temple on our behalf with His own Blood as the Sacrifice, He is our High Priest, the only one ever permitted in the Holiest of Holies, and only once each year. Jesus only needed to enter once for all, for all people and for all time. This is how He saves us "completely" or "forever," because He will live forever to make intercession for us (v. 25).
Whenever I do something wrong, Satan confronts God and says, "She deserves to die!" Then Jesus steps up, and says, "Yes, she does. I took her death and paid her debt in full." And God says,"Yes, the debt is paid, she's free."
So the Old Covenant has become obsolete, because the New Covenant has taken its place. The Law is no longer on tablets or parchments, it is written in our hearts, as we understand the principle of Love that the Law was based on. When we love God, and we love our neighbor, then we will not transgress any of the laws that had been laid down before, and we will go further into putting God absolutely First, and will harbor no ill will toward our fellow man to even think any thoughts against them.
We will not only not commit adultery, but we will insure that our thoughts are pure. We will not only not commit murder, but we will permit no thoughts of competition with or envy of our neighbor. We will not only not covet what belongs to another, but will be glad that they can have such fine things. And so for all the laws. We won't steal or slander, we won't argue and fight, we won't even think any destructive thought against anyone else, but only want the best for each of all of us, no matter what it costs us. This is Love, and this is the Law of Love that God has written on our hearts. This is the New Covenant.
Jesus fulfilled all the Old Testament sacrifices with His Sacrifice as the Lamb of God, and He has also fulfilled all the letter of all the other laws in that system. So He has not destroyed them, but fulfilled them, as He said in Matthew 5:17.
Even so, come Lord Jesus!
Thursday, May 25, 2017
God's Plan
Hebrews 7: 16-17
Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. And the Psalmist pointed this out when he prophesied, "You are a Priest forever in the order of Melchizedek." (Psalm 110:4.)
O my Father, You are so wise! Your Plan is so intricate and mysterious, yet it is also so simple and straightforward. You are laying out before us the unfolding of Your Plan, which You told us about beforehand.
O my Father, please strengthen me, continue to mold me into the image of Your dear Son; continue to teach me Your ways, and shape my character according to Your righteousness and love.
Grant me that kindness will rule my tongue, and help me to guard against any words or thoughts that would be contrary to Your love and kindness. Lead and guide me to do Your works; I am Your hands and feet, use me to accomplish Your will. And may I soon behold that Glorious Appearing of my King!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. And the Psalmist pointed this out when he prophesied, "You are a Priest forever in the order of Melchizedek." (Psalm 110:4.)
O my Father, You are so wise! Your Plan is so intricate and mysterious, yet it is also so simple and straightforward. You are laying out before us the unfolding of Your Plan, which You told us about beforehand.
O my Father, please strengthen me, continue to mold me into the image of Your dear Son; continue to teach me Your ways, and shape my character according to Your righteousness and love.
Grant me that kindness will rule my tongue, and help me to guard against any words or thoughts that would be contrary to Your love and kindness. Lead and guide me to do Your works; I am Your hands and feet, use me to accomplish Your will. And may I soon behold that Glorious Appearing of my King!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
My Own Heart First
James 3:17
But the wisdom that comes from Heaven is first of all pure. It is also peace-loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere.
Ezekiel 2:10-11
Then He added, "Son of man, let all My words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself.
"Then go to your people in exile and say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says.' Do this whether they listen to you or not."
O my Father, help me to let Your words sink deep into my own heart first. Open my ears and my understanding to listen to them carefully, to apply them to my own thoughts, attitudes and actions.
Then, Father, grant me Your sweet wisdom, to share with my people by both my example and my words what You are building into my life, for my benefit and Your glory, and for their benefit also.
Strengthen me in Your wisdom that I may be pure in all I do. Then peace-loving in my attitudes, not stirring up strife, even if they do not listen to me.
Keep me gentle, Father, willing to yield to others when appropriate without compromise. Teach me Your mercy, without partiality and in complete sincerity in all the good deeds my hands find to do. Then all the glory will be Yours.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
But the wisdom that comes from Heaven is first of all pure. It is also peace-loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere.
Ezekiel 2:10-11
Then He added, "Son of man, let all My words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself.
"Then go to your people in exile and say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says.' Do this whether they listen to you or not."
O my Father, help me to let Your words sink deep into my own heart first. Open my ears and my understanding to listen to them carefully, to apply them to my own thoughts, attitudes and actions.
Then, Father, grant me Your sweet wisdom, to share with my people by both my example and my words what You are building into my life, for my benefit and Your glory, and for their benefit also.
Strengthen me in Your wisdom that I may be pure in all I do. Then peace-loving in my attitudes, not stirring up strife, even if they do not listen to me.
Keep me gentle, Father, willing to yield to others when appropriate without compromise. Teach me Your mercy, without partiality and in complete sincerity in all the good deeds my hands find to do. Then all the glory will be Yours.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Gently Instruct
II Timothy 2: 25-26
Gently instruct those who oppose the Truth. Perhaps God will change those people's hearts and they will learn the Truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil's trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.
O my Father, when I read these verses I think of those I love, who do not know You yet. They have been caught by the enemy and are imprisoned in his trap, held captive by him to do what he wants. They think they're making their own choices.
O Father, please give me opportunity to say Your words to them, words of grace and Truth, words that would be hard for them to hear, but clothed in velvet. Words that will grab hold on them and draw them out of the devil's trap, back to You. Help me, Father, to "snatch them out of the flames" so they can live, not die. So their lives can be filled with Your vibrant Life, not the deadness the enemy wants to inflict on them.
Grant me Your grace for them, Your understanding, gentleness, compassion and attraction; Your beauty, Father, reflected through me to them, to draw them back to You.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Gently instruct those who oppose the Truth. Perhaps God will change those people's hearts and they will learn the Truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil's trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.
O my Father, when I read these verses I think of those I love, who do not know You yet. They have been caught by the enemy and are imprisoned in his trap, held captive by him to do what he wants. They think they're making their own choices.
O Father, please give me opportunity to say Your words to them, words of grace and Truth, words that would be hard for them to hear, but clothed in velvet. Words that will grab hold on them and draw them out of the devil's trap, back to You. Help me, Father, to "snatch them out of the flames" so they can live, not die. So their lives can be filled with Your vibrant Life, not the deadness the enemy wants to inflict on them.
Grant me Your grace for them, Your understanding, gentleness, compassion and attraction; Your beauty, Father, reflected through me to them, to draw them back to You.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, May 22, 2017
I Trust His Constancy
II Timothy 1: 12
I am not ashamed ... for I know the One in Whom I trust and I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until the Day of His return.
O my Father, thank You so much for Your wonderful promises; thank You for being a good God Who is faithful and will always do what You have said. Thank You for Your constancy, for never changing, for always being the good, strong, faithful, compassionate God that You are.
Thank You for Your love for me, Your love that pulled me out of the pit I had dug for myself, and placed my feet on that solid Rock that will never be moved. Thank You for loving me so much that You sent Your only Son to take upon Himself my debt of sin, and His willingness to do it.
Thank You for making me Your own, and for that wonderful work that You started in me. Thank You that You will never let me go, but will finish what You began in me on that day; and I will be seen as a glorious trophy of Your grace!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
I am not ashamed ... for I know the One in Whom I trust and I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until the Day of His return.
O my Father, thank You so much for Your wonderful promises; thank You for being a good God Who is faithful and will always do what You have said. Thank You for Your constancy, for never changing, for always being the good, strong, faithful, compassionate God that You are.
Thank You for Your love for me, Your love that pulled me out of the pit I had dug for myself, and placed my feet on that solid Rock that will never be moved. Thank You for loving me so much that You sent Your only Son to take upon Himself my debt of sin, and His willingness to do it.
Thank You for making me Your own, and for that wonderful work that You started in me. Thank You that You will never let me go, but will finish what You began in me on that day; and I will be seen as a glorious trophy of Your grace!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, May 21, 2017
Don't Be Afraid To Surrender
Jeremiah 38:17-19
Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "This is what the Lord God of Heavens Armies, the God of Israel, says: 'If you surrender to the Babylonian officers, you and your family will live, and the city will not be burned down. But if you refuse to surrender, you will not escape! This city will be handed over to the Babylonians, and they will burn it to the ground.'"
"But I am afraid to surrender," the king said.
II Chronicles 36:13
Zedekiah was a hard and stubborn man, refusing to turn to the Lord, the God of Israel.
King Zedekiah, we are told, "was a hard and stubborn man," refusing to submit to his God. But he also refused to submit to Nebuchadnezzar, to whom he had pledged a loyalty oath.
Even though he had sought out Jeremiah and promised to not allow him to be killed, he was too afraid to submit to what Jeremiah told him. He really didn't believe that he couldn't escape and decided to "take his chances" anyway.
So King Zedekiah was captured, forced to witness his sons' executions, then had his eyes gouged out. How much better things would have been for him if he would only have allowed his heart to be softened toward God!
O my dear Father God, You are good, kind, forgiving; a merciful Potentate to those who submit to You. And You are not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance. But, like Zedekiah, many are too hard, proud, and stubborn to want to submit to Your love. They have bought the enemy's lies and allowed themselves to be deceived into thinking that they "know better," like Zedekiah did. And their end will be no better than his.
Please, Father, show Yourself strong to my loved ones who do not yet know You; soften their hard hearts, and draw them to Yourself, no matter what it takes.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "This is what the Lord God of Heavens Armies, the God of Israel, says: 'If you surrender to the Babylonian officers, you and your family will live, and the city will not be burned down. But if you refuse to surrender, you will not escape! This city will be handed over to the Babylonians, and they will burn it to the ground.'"
"But I am afraid to surrender," the king said.
II Chronicles 36:13
Zedekiah was a hard and stubborn man, refusing to turn to the Lord, the God of Israel.
King Zedekiah, we are told, "was a hard and stubborn man," refusing to submit to his God. But he also refused to submit to Nebuchadnezzar, to whom he had pledged a loyalty oath.
Even though he had sought out Jeremiah and promised to not allow him to be killed, he was too afraid to submit to what Jeremiah told him. He really didn't believe that he couldn't escape and decided to "take his chances" anyway.
So King Zedekiah was captured, forced to witness his sons' executions, then had his eyes gouged out. How much better things would have been for him if he would only have allowed his heart to be softened toward God!
O my dear Father God, You are good, kind, forgiving; a merciful Potentate to those who submit to You. And You are not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance. But, like Zedekiah, many are too hard, proud, and stubborn to want to submit to Your love. They have bought the enemy's lies and allowed themselves to be deceived into thinking that they "know better," like Zedekiah did. And their end will be no better than his.
Please, Father, show Yourself strong to my loved ones who do not yet know You; soften their hard hearts, and draw them to Yourself, no matter what it takes.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, May 20, 2017
Families Who Love The Lord
Jeremiah 35:18-19
Then Jeremiah turned to the Recabites and said, "This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says: 'You have obeyed your ancestor Jehonadab in every respect, following all his instructions.' Therefore, this is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says; 'Jehonadab son of Recab will always have descendants who serve me.'"
This is a wonderful promise to the Recabites, to know that they would always have family who serve the Lord, however far their neighbors stray. Even in the midst of a wayward and perverse nation, there would be those who remain strong in the Lord.
O my Father, please grant me and my late husband, who loved you dearly and followed you closely, this same blessing, that our children and grandchildren and their children after them would know and serve You.
Teach me to obey all that You have commanded me; to love You with all my heart and soul and mind and strength, and to love others as I love myself. Father, I have loved myself with a very self-centered and self-serving love--now teach me to love others with this same focus, to be other-centered and other-serving, regardless of the cost to myself.
And continue to draw all my children and grandchildren and their children after them to yourself, that they all may know, love and serve only You.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Then Jeremiah turned to the Recabites and said, "This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says: 'You have obeyed your ancestor Jehonadab in every respect, following all his instructions.' Therefore, this is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says; 'Jehonadab son of Recab will always have descendants who serve me.'"
This is a wonderful promise to the Recabites, to know that they would always have family who serve the Lord, however far their neighbors stray. Even in the midst of a wayward and perverse nation, there would be those who remain strong in the Lord.
O my Father, please grant me and my late husband, who loved you dearly and followed you closely, this same blessing, that our children and grandchildren and their children after them would know and serve You.
Teach me to obey all that You have commanded me; to love You with all my heart and soul and mind and strength, and to love others as I love myself. Father, I have loved myself with a very self-centered and self-serving love--now teach me to love others with this same focus, to be other-centered and other-serving, regardless of the cost to myself.
And continue to draw all my children and grandchildren and their children after them to yourself, that they all may know, love and serve only You.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, May 19, 2017
Not My Own Selfish Self
Psalm 86: 11-12
Teach me Your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to Your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor You. With all my heart I will praise You, O Lord my God. I will give glory to Your Name forever.
O my Father, thank You so much for Your unfailing love, Your mercy, Your compassion. Your grace is so great to me. Your Truth, O God, is what I seek, for I desire to know You. You are my Lord, O God of my salvation.
You have rescued me from the quicksand of my own indulgent desires and placed my feet upon the Rock; and I will never be moved, for that Rock is unmovable. Strengthen me, O Lord, to live according to Your Truth.
Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor You. Allow the thoughts of my heart and the words of my mouth and the works of my hands to be only of You, my Lord, not of my own selfish self. Empty me of me, O Lord, that I may be filled with You.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Teach me Your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to Your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor You. With all my heart I will praise You, O Lord my God. I will give glory to Your Name forever.
O my Father, thank You so much for Your unfailing love, Your mercy, Your compassion. Your grace is so great to me. Your Truth, O God, is what I seek, for I desire to know You. You are my Lord, O God of my salvation.
You have rescued me from the quicksand of my own indulgent desires and placed my feet upon the Rock; and I will never be moved, for that Rock is unmovable. Strengthen me, O Lord, to live according to Your Truth.
Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor You. Allow the thoughts of my heart and the words of my mouth and the works of my hands to be only of You, my Lord, not of my own selfish self. Empty me of me, O Lord, that I may be filled with You.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
The Final Culmination
Psalm 87: 4-7
I will count Rahab (Egypt) and Babylon among those who know Me--also Philistia and Tyre, and even distant Cush (Ethiopia). They all have become citizens of Jerusalem! Regarding Zion it will be said, "Everyone enjoys the rights of citizenship there." And the Most High will personally bless this city. When the Lord registers the Nations, He will say, "They have all become citizens of Jerusalem." The people will dance and sing, "The source of my life springs from Jerusalem."
O my Father, Your Plan is glorious! Your Plan to bless Your own, including those of Yours from every Nation, every Tongue, every Tribe, is wonderful! Thank You, Father, for what You are going to do, and for what You have done, and for what You are doing even now. You are seeing to it that Your whole Plan will be perfectly fulfilled, every detail fitting into its place in the Grand Scheme. You have told us so much, so many of the details, so long before they came about; and I have read the last chapter, the final culmination of all we can know in this world. And You will receive all the glory, for You have done it all!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
I will count Rahab (Egypt) and Babylon among those who know Me--also Philistia and Tyre, and even distant Cush (Ethiopia). They all have become citizens of Jerusalem! Regarding Zion it will be said, "Everyone enjoys the rights of citizenship there." And the Most High will personally bless this city. When the Lord registers the Nations, He will say, "They have all become citizens of Jerusalem." The people will dance and sing, "The source of my life springs from Jerusalem."
O my Father, Your Plan is glorious! Your Plan to bless Your own, including those of Yours from every Nation, every Tongue, every Tribe, is wonderful! Thank You, Father, for what You are going to do, and for what You have done, and for what You are doing even now. You are seeing to it that Your whole Plan will be perfectly fulfilled, every detail fitting into its place in the Grand Scheme. You have told us so much, so many of the details, so long before they came about; and I have read the last chapter, the final culmination of all we can know in this world. And You will receive all the glory, for You have done it all!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Law? Or Grace?
Romans Chapter 3
What advantage, then, is there in being of the tribes of Israel? What value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.
So what if some did not believe? Would their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? Of course not! So God is True even if every man is a liar.
As Psalm 51:4 says, "So that You may be proved right when You speak and prevail when You judge."
So God gave His Law to Israel, so they could demonstrate to the World how good life can be when His rules are followed. But, being human, they never did fully implement the kind of society God showed them in the Law, and they all ended up carried away into slavery. But He's not given up on them.
So we know that whatever the Law says, it says to those who are under the Law,
God's rules apply to all of His Creation: the Natural Laws and the Moral Laws.
so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole World held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the Law; through the Law we become conscious of sin.
No one has ever yet been able to obey all of God's rules for living, either in the moral, financial, emotional or natural realms; we have all fallen short at one time or another, some more, some less. That is why "the ground is level at the foot of the Cross."
There is no difference, for all have sinned, and fall short of the Glory of God, and are justified freely by His Grace through the Redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
God presented Him as the Sacrifice of Atonement (full and absolute payment), through faith in His Blood. He did this to demonstrate His justice, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished--
Because all the animal sacrifices could only cover the sins, not pay off the debt to take them away.
--He did it to demonstrate His justice at the present time, so as to be Just and the One Who Justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Although Jesus' Blood can pay off the debt of everyone who ever lived, not everyone wants to come to Him. Only those who "seek Him with all their heart," will find Him. Those who choose any other way will not find Him.
There is nothing we can do that will make God choose us, nothing we can do to convince Him that we deserve Heaven. Everything we do is contaminated by our sin-nature. (Isaiah 64:6 says that "all our righteousnesses are as filthy, uncleanable menstrual rags" in God's sight.)
All we can do is to believe that He already loves us more than we can imagine, and has already done all the "work" that needs to be done for our Salvation from our sins and our Redemption out of this painful, sorrowful World System. He can never love us more than He already does, and nothing can ever diminish His love for us. While we were still His enemies, Jesus Christ died in our place, that's how God loves us (Romans 5:8).
So stop trying to get God to notice you. Give it up, and let Jesus take your sins, your death, on the Cross. Die to yourself. Then He will give you that New Life, in addition to the one you already have, and you will know that you are forgiven and cleansed, and see with New Eyes, know with New Understanding, and fall on your own knees to willingly give Him all the praise and glory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
What advantage, then, is there in being of the tribes of Israel? What value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.
So what if some did not believe? Would their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? Of course not! So God is True even if every man is a liar.
As Psalm 51:4 says, "So that You may be proved right when You speak and prevail when You judge."
So God gave His Law to Israel, so they could demonstrate to the World how good life can be when His rules are followed. But, being human, they never did fully implement the kind of society God showed them in the Law, and they all ended up carried away into slavery. But He's not given up on them.
So we know that whatever the Law says, it says to those who are under the Law,
God's rules apply to all of His Creation: the Natural Laws and the Moral Laws.
so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole World held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the Law; through the Law we become conscious of sin.
No one has ever yet been able to obey all of God's rules for living, either in the moral, financial, emotional or natural realms; we have all fallen short at one time or another, some more, some less. That is why "the ground is level at the foot of the Cross."
There is no difference, for all have sinned, and fall short of the Glory of God, and are justified freely by His Grace through the Redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
God presented Him as the Sacrifice of Atonement (full and absolute payment), through faith in His Blood. He did this to demonstrate His justice, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished--
Because all the animal sacrifices could only cover the sins, not pay off the debt to take them away.
--He did it to demonstrate His justice at the present time, so as to be Just and the One Who Justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Although Jesus' Blood can pay off the debt of everyone who ever lived, not everyone wants to come to Him. Only those who "seek Him with all their heart," will find Him. Those who choose any other way will not find Him.
There is nothing we can do that will make God choose us, nothing we can do to convince Him that we deserve Heaven. Everything we do is contaminated by our sin-nature. (Isaiah 64:6 says that "all our righteousnesses are as filthy, uncleanable menstrual rags" in God's sight.)
All we can do is to believe that He already loves us more than we can imagine, and has already done all the "work" that needs to be done for our Salvation from our sins and our Redemption out of this painful, sorrowful World System. He can never love us more than He already does, and nothing can ever diminish His love for us. While we were still His enemies, Jesus Christ died in our place, that's how God loves us (Romans 5:8).
So stop trying to get God to notice you. Give it up, and let Jesus take your sins, your death, on the Cross. Die to yourself. Then He will give you that New Life, in addition to the one you already have, and you will know that you are forgiven and cleansed, and see with New Eyes, know with New Understanding, and fall on your own knees to willingly give Him all the praise and glory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, May 15, 2017
My Story
When God began to draw me to Himself, He put in my heart a desire to know the Truth. I knew that there were many "truth systems" in this World, but they all contradicted one another. So which one was True? What could I rely on, without being tricked into believing something that wasn't True?
I had heard that the Bible was God's Word, so I bought a Bible and started to read it. When I read a book, I start at the beginning and read it through to the end, not skipping any part. So I found myself reading about all these "Bible stories" I had grown up learning. But soon I got into a section of "begats." I knew that "begat" means "was the father of," but I didn't understand why there was such a long list, chapter after chapter, of all these names that meant nothing to me. I didn't know what this was all about, so I put down the Bible and began to investigate other "faiths" that were drawing me.
I looked into seances, hauntings, poltergeists, and such. I even read about a man named Edgar Cayce, who read the Bible through each year and went into trances, diagnosing people's diseases like Cancer to be the result of some unforgiveness in their lives. But he also promoted the idea of regressing back into "past lives" for reasons for problems as "karma." This is not Truth.
All these "truth systems" were interesting, but none of them convinced me.
Finally I ended up back home, with my Mother and younger sister. I realized that I was at the "hub of the wheel" and could go out in any direction I choose. This was very freeing, but which way do I want to go? What would make me happy? Had I ever been happy? Well, when I was in High School, I told the counsellor that I was contented, so what did I have then? I had religion. But religion hadn't been my answer, so maybe it had something to do with God?
Okay, when I started to think about God, He reminded me of something I had read in the Life Magazine at work. This was during the 60's when students were burning their campuses. This cover story was on the anomaly, students who were happy, singing and riding on one another's shoulders. So I read the article, and one kid was quoted as saying, "All you need is Jesus!"
So God repeated to me over and over, "All you need is Jesus!" over and over. Okay, God, I'll think about Jesus. I'd always known all about Him: Born of a virgin, lived a perfect, sinless life, died for the sins of the World, rose from the dead, and ascended back into Heaven. But as I thought on Him, one thing was different.
I'd always considered how many people there are in the World, and every person has a whole lifetime of sins, so that's why He had to suffer so much when He died on the Cross, a little for each. But that had me comparing and contrasting with others on how much it would be for each.
Then God showed me Jesus on the Cross, and I knew that He didn't deserve any of it because I deserved all of it! He took MY PLACE there, the death I deserve! And I had been living my life totally against what I knew were His ways, but THAT'S how much He loved me anyway! That's what broke my heart!
But I still didn't know "what to do with my life." which was the question that started all this. Since God was right there with me in that room, I talked to Him for the first time. I said, "Since You're God, and You made this life I have, and gave it to me to live, You know why You made it, I don't. Every time I try to live it, I mess it up, so I don't even want to try any more--if You want this life You gave me to be lived, You'll have to live it, because I refuse to!"
I half-way expected lighting to strike me at that moment, talking to God in that way! But God took over my life, from that moment on!
I walked out of that room floating, because, as I learned later, God took the weight of all my sins off my shoulders and placed it on Jesus on the Cross at that point in Time.
And all those truth-systems I'd been looking into? Now I could see why they hadn't convinced me--each one had some kind of deception mixed in.
Everything around me changed, though nothing around me changed. I saw everything with new eyes, like I had been seeing in Black-and White and now I could see in Full Living Technicolor! (Like when Dorothy stepped from Kansas into the Land of Oz, but much better!).
My boyfriend came over that night, and I told him we could be just friends. He was not pleased, to say the least! I told him I didn't have to do those things any more, and he said I never had to, I chose to. So I agreed with him that I had chosen to do what I did, but now I have a new choice I didn't seem to have before, I could chose to do what was right, and not do what I knew was wrong. And I had the power to make that choice!
I found that I didn't need a boyfriend any more. One day I was reading on my Mother's couch, when her boyfriend and his friend arrived. They left, and the friend stayed, to talk with me. So I thought I'd freak this guy out & got out my Ouija Board, it hadn't worked for me since I "gave myself to God." But it didn't freak him out, and after that he stopped by every night after work.
Long story short, that is the man who became my husband of 30 years, who died 16 years ago.
This is the core of my story, how God drew me to Himself in spite of my doing my best to do myself in. God started a good work in me that day, and He continues to work in me, on me, and, I hope, through me. All for His glory, because He is the One Who is doing everything.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
I had heard that the Bible was God's Word, so I bought a Bible and started to read it. When I read a book, I start at the beginning and read it through to the end, not skipping any part. So I found myself reading about all these "Bible stories" I had grown up learning. But soon I got into a section of "begats." I knew that "begat" means "was the father of," but I didn't understand why there was such a long list, chapter after chapter, of all these names that meant nothing to me. I didn't know what this was all about, so I put down the Bible and began to investigate other "faiths" that were drawing me.
I looked into seances, hauntings, poltergeists, and such. I even read about a man named Edgar Cayce, who read the Bible through each year and went into trances, diagnosing people's diseases like Cancer to be the result of some unforgiveness in their lives. But he also promoted the idea of regressing back into "past lives" for reasons for problems as "karma." This is not Truth.
All these "truth systems" were interesting, but none of them convinced me.
Finally I ended up back home, with my Mother and younger sister. I realized that I was at the "hub of the wheel" and could go out in any direction I choose. This was very freeing, but which way do I want to go? What would make me happy? Had I ever been happy? Well, when I was in High School, I told the counsellor that I was contented, so what did I have then? I had religion. But religion hadn't been my answer, so maybe it had something to do with God?
Okay, when I started to think about God, He reminded me of something I had read in the Life Magazine at work. This was during the 60's when students were burning their campuses. This cover story was on the anomaly, students who were happy, singing and riding on one another's shoulders. So I read the article, and one kid was quoted as saying, "All you need is Jesus!"
So God repeated to me over and over, "All you need is Jesus!" over and over. Okay, God, I'll think about Jesus. I'd always known all about Him: Born of a virgin, lived a perfect, sinless life, died for the sins of the World, rose from the dead, and ascended back into Heaven. But as I thought on Him, one thing was different.
I'd always considered how many people there are in the World, and every person has a whole lifetime of sins, so that's why He had to suffer so much when He died on the Cross, a little for each. But that had me comparing and contrasting with others on how much it would be for each.
Then God showed me Jesus on the Cross, and I knew that He didn't deserve any of it because I deserved all of it! He took MY PLACE there, the death I deserve! And I had been living my life totally against what I knew were His ways, but THAT'S how much He loved me anyway! That's what broke my heart!
But I still didn't know "what to do with my life." which was the question that started all this. Since God was right there with me in that room, I talked to Him for the first time. I said, "Since You're God, and You made this life I have, and gave it to me to live, You know why You made it, I don't. Every time I try to live it, I mess it up, so I don't even want to try any more--if You want this life You gave me to be lived, You'll have to live it, because I refuse to!"
I half-way expected lighting to strike me at that moment, talking to God in that way! But God took over my life, from that moment on!
I walked out of that room floating, because, as I learned later, God took the weight of all my sins off my shoulders and placed it on Jesus on the Cross at that point in Time.
And all those truth-systems I'd been looking into? Now I could see why they hadn't convinced me--each one had some kind of deception mixed in.
Everything around me changed, though nothing around me changed. I saw everything with new eyes, like I had been seeing in Black-and White and now I could see in Full Living Technicolor! (Like when Dorothy stepped from Kansas into the Land of Oz, but much better!).
My boyfriend came over that night, and I told him we could be just friends. He was not pleased, to say the least! I told him I didn't have to do those things any more, and he said I never had to, I chose to. So I agreed with him that I had chosen to do what I did, but now I have a new choice I didn't seem to have before, I could chose to do what was right, and not do what I knew was wrong. And I had the power to make that choice!
I found that I didn't need a boyfriend any more. One day I was reading on my Mother's couch, when her boyfriend and his friend arrived. They left, and the friend stayed, to talk with me. So I thought I'd freak this guy out & got out my Ouija Board, it hadn't worked for me since I "gave myself to God." But it didn't freak him out, and after that he stopped by every night after work.
Long story short, that is the man who became my husband of 30 years, who died 16 years ago.
This is the core of my story, how God drew me to Himself in spite of my doing my best to do myself in. God started a good work in me that day, and He continues to work in me, on me, and, I hope, through me. All for His glory, because He is the One Who is doing everything.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, May 14, 2017
God Chose
I Thessalonians 5: 9-10
For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out His anger on us. Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when He returns, we can live with Him forever.
O my Father, You chose to pour out Your wrath on Your own Son, so that I could be saved. The wrath I deserve, You put on Christ on the Cross, so He died in my place; now I can live. And my life that I live now is powered by Your own Holy Spirit, the same Power that raised Jesus from the dead. And the Resurrection life that He lives now is at work in me, so that I can be and am being and will be continually changed into the very image, the character, of my Lord Jesus Christ. And when He returns I will be like Him, for I will see Him as He is, and will remain with Him and reign with Him on His Throne. Thank You, Father, so much!
And every one who realizes that God has called them into this same faith to believe that, will also receive this new life, as, "God is not wanting anyone to perish, but for everyone to come to repentance" (II Peter 3:9)
Because the paycheck we earn by sin is death (Romans 6:23); and we have all sinned, not even one of us is righteous (Romans 3:10-12, 18, 23). As a matter of fact, we are all born as creatures deserving God's wrath, having inherited from Adam that "original sin" that pollutes our DNA, making us defective in a moral sense (Ephesians 2:3).
That's why we all, without exception, have made poor choices in our reasoning, deciding on what turns out to be hurtful or harmful to ourselves or others. This is the "falling short" of God's perfect goodness, the archery term we know as "sin." We have also transgressed His rules for living in not loving one another with real Love, thinking that our natural affections will suffice. And we have neglected to do what is required to bring the good God has planned into His Creation and enjoy life here.
So we are broken, our families and neighborhoods are broken, our World is broken, our societies and our civilization are all broken, as we see every day in the News.
Jesus is our Lamb of God, the perfect Sacrifice that fulfills all the animal sacrifices; He shed God's own blood on that altar, the Cross, with enough value and worth to pay the sin-debt of every person who ever lived; and has purchased all of Creation, making Him the rightful Judge of all.
So God has shown Himself Just in pouring out all the wrath we are due on Christ; and Merciful, saving us out of this perilous World, protecting us from the enemy who hates us and his slaves he has deceived. Everyone who sincerely wants to know the Truth, who honestly desires the Light, regardless of whether its what they would "want" to hear or not: they will find real Life. Those who refuse to accept what they don't "want" to hear, but allow themselves to be deceived, will never find the Light because they love the darkness.
"You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord," (Jeremiah 29:12-13). All your heart means regardless of the consequences. When God began to draw me, He put into my heart the desire to know the Truth. It did not matter to me whether this Truth would be what I had always been previously taught to believe, or if it would be something completely different and contrary to those teachings, or something in between. It didn't matter to me. So I began to search.
Tomorrow I will tell you all about my search, if you care to read it. I love to hear other's stories of how God drew them into Saving Faith, so I will share my story with you.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out His anger on us. Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when He returns, we can live with Him forever.
O my Father, You chose to pour out Your wrath on Your own Son, so that I could be saved. The wrath I deserve, You put on Christ on the Cross, so He died in my place; now I can live. And my life that I live now is powered by Your own Holy Spirit, the same Power that raised Jesus from the dead. And the Resurrection life that He lives now is at work in me, so that I can be and am being and will be continually changed into the very image, the character, of my Lord Jesus Christ. And when He returns I will be like Him, for I will see Him as He is, and will remain with Him and reign with Him on His Throne. Thank You, Father, so much!
And every one who realizes that God has called them into this same faith to believe that, will also receive this new life, as, "God is not wanting anyone to perish, but for everyone to come to repentance" (II Peter 3:9)
Because the paycheck we earn by sin is death (Romans 6:23); and we have all sinned, not even one of us is righteous (Romans 3:10-12, 18, 23). As a matter of fact, we are all born as creatures deserving God's wrath, having inherited from Adam that "original sin" that pollutes our DNA, making us defective in a moral sense (Ephesians 2:3).
That's why we all, without exception, have made poor choices in our reasoning, deciding on what turns out to be hurtful or harmful to ourselves or others. This is the "falling short" of God's perfect goodness, the archery term we know as "sin." We have also transgressed His rules for living in not loving one another with real Love, thinking that our natural affections will suffice. And we have neglected to do what is required to bring the good God has planned into His Creation and enjoy life here.
So we are broken, our families and neighborhoods are broken, our World is broken, our societies and our civilization are all broken, as we see every day in the News.
Jesus is our Lamb of God, the perfect Sacrifice that fulfills all the animal sacrifices; He shed God's own blood on that altar, the Cross, with enough value and worth to pay the sin-debt of every person who ever lived; and has purchased all of Creation, making Him the rightful Judge of all.
So God has shown Himself Just in pouring out all the wrath we are due on Christ; and Merciful, saving us out of this perilous World, protecting us from the enemy who hates us and his slaves he has deceived. Everyone who sincerely wants to know the Truth, who honestly desires the Light, regardless of whether its what they would "want" to hear or not: they will find real Life. Those who refuse to accept what they don't "want" to hear, but allow themselves to be deceived, will never find the Light because they love the darkness.
"You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord," (Jeremiah 29:12-13). All your heart means regardless of the consequences. When God began to draw me, He put into my heart the desire to know the Truth. It did not matter to me whether this Truth would be what I had always been previously taught to believe, or if it would be something completely different and contrary to those teachings, or something in between. It didn't matter to me. So I began to search.
Tomorrow I will tell you all about my search, if you care to read it. I love to hear other's stories of how God drew them into Saving Faith, so I will share my story with you.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Persecution?
Jeremiah 18: 19-20
Lord, hear me and help me! Listen to what my enemies are saying. Should they repay evil for good? They have dug a pit to kill me, though I pleaded for them and tried to protect them from Your anger.
Jeremiah was faithful to God and concerned for his people, and in return they plotted to kill him. And people in some areas of the world today who turn to God are pursued by their own families, who refuse to believe. And even in my own family, I have adult children who do not follow God's ways and have even made me their enemy, believing lies about me.
Jesus said that a person's enemies will be those of his own household (in Matthew 10:36). And Timothy tells us that, "Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (II Tim. 3:12).
May God strengthen us and grant us the courage to stand, to deal with those who oppose us with compassion and grace, with great wisdom and thoughtfulness toward them. To keep His guard on our thoughts and tongues, to say what will benefit, never harm them. And protect us from their schemes to destroy us (Isaiah 54:17), that we may continue to live to praise our God and work His plans for us all to bring His Kingdom into this realm to rule with Him.
Then every created being will bow down to Him, singing His praises (see Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10-11, and Revelation 5:13).
Until then, we must hold on to the One Who has taken hold of us, and will never let go; Christ Jesus, our Lord, our King and our Sovereign God.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Lord, hear me and help me! Listen to what my enemies are saying. Should they repay evil for good? They have dug a pit to kill me, though I pleaded for them and tried to protect them from Your anger.
Jeremiah was faithful to God and concerned for his people, and in return they plotted to kill him. And people in some areas of the world today who turn to God are pursued by their own families, who refuse to believe. And even in my own family, I have adult children who do not follow God's ways and have even made me their enemy, believing lies about me.
Jesus said that a person's enemies will be those of his own household (in Matthew 10:36). And Timothy tells us that, "Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (II Tim. 3:12).
May God strengthen us and grant us the courage to stand, to deal with those who oppose us with compassion and grace, with great wisdom and thoughtfulness toward them. To keep His guard on our thoughts and tongues, to say what will benefit, never harm them. And protect us from their schemes to destroy us (Isaiah 54:17), that we may continue to live to praise our God and work His plans for us all to bring His Kingdom into this realm to rule with Him.
Then every created being will bow down to Him, singing His praises (see Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10-11, and Revelation 5:13).
Until then, we must hold on to the One Who has taken hold of us, and will never let go; Christ Jesus, our Lord, our King and our Sovereign God.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, May 12, 2017
Do You Long For Heaven?
Psalm 84: 1-2, 10
How lovely is Your dwelling-place, O Lord of Heaven's armies. I long, yes I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being; body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God.
A single day in Your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.
God Himself is the One I long for. His dwelling-place is glorious because He is full of Glory. He has placed His beauty into everything He has made, and given it all to us to enjoy: the sunrises and sunsets, the flowers of the fields, the beauties of the desert and the mountains. Every terrain has its own beauty, different from every other. And even every star and planet and asteroid is different from every other.
How much more beautiful and pleasant is His own Home. He gives us a taste of His Goodness on this planet, Earth, to whet our appetites for the glories of His Heaven, to which He invites us.
God is so good, so perfect, so pure that He cannot allow any impaired being to live with Him in His Heaven. Since each one of us is born as a "creature of wrath by nature" (Ephesians 2:3), God had to make the supreme sacrifice to send His own Son to remedy this problem. He gave all the sacrifices in the First Covenant (The Law) to show us what His Son would accomplish, because the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin (Hebrews 10:4), just cover it. So those who put their hand on the head of the lamb, which then was sacrificed, dying for the person's sin instead of the person, and its blood splashed onto the sides of the altar (Leviticus Chapter 1), could be forgiven, but could not enter Heaven, but went to Sheol, the place of the dead.
Jesus gave us a picture of this place, as having two sides, the paradise side and the fiery side we call Hell (Luke 16:19-31, the Rich Man and Lazarus).
Jesus told us that He didn't come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17), so when we look at all the precepts in the Law, we can trust that Jesus fulfilled the letter of each one of these rules. Including that first sacrifice, the personal one, that each individual needed in order to even begin a relationship with God. Jesus is the Lamb of God, the perfect Sacrifice, whose blood is God's own Blood, shed on His altar, the Cross, to not only cover sins, but actually wash them all away!
So when we figuratively place our hand on the head of this Lamb, conferring our sins onto Him, admitting that we deserve the death He suffered; then His precious Blood washes away our sins, and makes us pure to be fitted to live with God in His Heaven. This is how much He loves each one of us. He is not willing that any of humankind should perish, but that every one of us would come to the place of repentance and let Jesus take our place in death (II Peter 3:9). When we have died with Him, then we will also live with Him (II Timothy 2:11), in His Resurrection life.
And then we will be clothed in appropriate clothing for God's perfect Heaven (Revelation 19:7-8), instead of the filthy sin-rags we have worn on this Earth (Isaiah 64:6).
If you have not come to the place of being able to admit that your personal sins earn you the paycheck of death (Romans 6:23), and let Jesus take your death as the perfect Sacrifice on His altar the Cross, then pray to God to grant you the gift of faith to believe in His Grace to receive the free gift of Salvation (Ephesians 2:8).
Then you, too, can long for that perfect, wonderful Heaven God has prepared for us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
How lovely is Your dwelling-place, O Lord of Heaven's armies. I long, yes I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being; body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God.
A single day in Your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.
God Himself is the One I long for. His dwelling-place is glorious because He is full of Glory. He has placed His beauty into everything He has made, and given it all to us to enjoy: the sunrises and sunsets, the flowers of the fields, the beauties of the desert and the mountains. Every terrain has its own beauty, different from every other. And even every star and planet and asteroid is different from every other.
How much more beautiful and pleasant is His own Home. He gives us a taste of His Goodness on this planet, Earth, to whet our appetites for the glories of His Heaven, to which He invites us.
God is so good, so perfect, so pure that He cannot allow any impaired being to live with Him in His Heaven. Since each one of us is born as a "creature of wrath by nature" (Ephesians 2:3), God had to make the supreme sacrifice to send His own Son to remedy this problem. He gave all the sacrifices in the First Covenant (The Law) to show us what His Son would accomplish, because the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin (Hebrews 10:4), just cover it. So those who put their hand on the head of the lamb, which then was sacrificed, dying for the person's sin instead of the person, and its blood splashed onto the sides of the altar (Leviticus Chapter 1), could be forgiven, but could not enter Heaven, but went to Sheol, the place of the dead.
Jesus gave us a picture of this place, as having two sides, the paradise side and the fiery side we call Hell (Luke 16:19-31, the Rich Man and Lazarus).
Jesus told us that He didn't come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17), so when we look at all the precepts in the Law, we can trust that Jesus fulfilled the letter of each one of these rules. Including that first sacrifice, the personal one, that each individual needed in order to even begin a relationship with God. Jesus is the Lamb of God, the perfect Sacrifice, whose blood is God's own Blood, shed on His altar, the Cross, to not only cover sins, but actually wash them all away!
So when we figuratively place our hand on the head of this Lamb, conferring our sins onto Him, admitting that we deserve the death He suffered; then His precious Blood washes away our sins, and makes us pure to be fitted to live with God in His Heaven. This is how much He loves each one of us. He is not willing that any of humankind should perish, but that every one of us would come to the place of repentance and let Jesus take our place in death (II Peter 3:9). When we have died with Him, then we will also live with Him (II Timothy 2:11), in His Resurrection life.
And then we will be clothed in appropriate clothing for God's perfect Heaven (Revelation 19:7-8), instead of the filthy sin-rags we have worn on this Earth (Isaiah 64:6).
If you have not come to the place of being able to admit that your personal sins earn you the paycheck of death (Romans 6:23), and let Jesus take your death as the perfect Sacrifice on His altar the Cross, then pray to God to grant you the gift of faith to believe in His Grace to receive the free gift of Salvation (Ephesians 2:8).
Then you, too, can long for that perfect, wonderful Heaven God has prepared for us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Silver And The King's Court
Proverbs 25: 4-5
Remove the impurities from silver, and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith. Remove the wicked from the king's court, and his reign will be made secure by justice.
O Righteous Father, please protect Your people You have raised to positions of power and leadership. Surround them with people they can trust to be true to You and Your ways, removing all those who feign loyalty to do their own thing.
Lead, guide and protect Your godly men and women who have a say in the ruling of the Nations; draw them ever closer to Yourself and teach them how to implement Your righteous ways in all their governance.
Thank You for working out Your plans in all the Nations, and for saving out of every Nation and People and Tribe and Language a people for Your own Name. Protect Your people, especially those who live among Your enemies.
And bring Your righteousness back to this Nation, Father, before the end.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Remove the impurities from silver, and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith. Remove the wicked from the king's court, and his reign will be made secure by justice.
O Righteous Father, please protect Your people You have raised to positions of power and leadership. Surround them with people they can trust to be true to You and Your ways, removing all those who feign loyalty to do their own thing.
Lead, guide and protect Your godly men and women who have a say in the ruling of the Nations; draw them ever closer to Yourself and teach them how to implement Your righteous ways in all their governance.
Thank You for working out Your plans in all the Nations, and for saving out of every Nation and People and Tribe and Language a people for Your own Name. Protect Your people, especially those who live among Your enemies.
And bring Your righteousness back to this Nation, Father, before the end.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Our Adult Children
I Thessalonians 2: 11-12
And you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children. We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For He called you to share in His Kingdom and Glory.
This is how to relate to our grown children. As kids we have already taught them as well as we could of God and His ways. Now they are adults, choosing for themselves the lives they live. So now we aren't their teachers any more, but instead, we are to plead with them in the areas they know are wrong, encourage them in the ways they are honoring the Lord, and remind them that God is Who they will give account to, and wants to reward them, sharing His Kingdom and close presence with.
We are never to nag, or repeat our admonitions; telling them once is enough, then pray for them. Keep encouraging them whenever you can, and never stop bringing them before the Throne of Glory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
And you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children. We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For He called you to share in His Kingdom and Glory.
This is how to relate to our grown children. As kids we have already taught them as well as we could of God and His ways. Now they are adults, choosing for themselves the lives they live. So now we aren't their teachers any more, but instead, we are to plead with them in the areas they know are wrong, encourage them in the ways they are honoring the Lord, and remind them that God is Who they will give account to, and wants to reward them, sharing His Kingdom and close presence with.
We are never to nag, or repeat our admonitions; telling them once is enough, then pray for them. Keep encouraging them whenever you can, and never stop bringing them before the Throne of Glory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Wrath And Persecution
Jeremiah 15: 19-21
This is how the Lord responds: "If you return to Me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve Me. If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be My spokesman. You must influence them; do not let them influence you!
They will fight against you like an attacking army, but I will make you as secure as a fortified wall of bronze. They will not conquer you, for I am with you to protect and rescue you. I, the Lord, have spoken! Yes, I will certainly keep you safe from these wicked men. I will rescue you from their cruel hands."
If you have read the book of Revelation, then you are aware of the cataclysmic events God has planned for this Earth. He will judge this World for all the wicked and evil things that evil and wicked people have perpetrated upon it. And we who are God's people must be strong in the Lord to maintain our witness for Him.
His wrath that we deserve has already been poured out on Jesus at Calvary, so we will see "a thousand fall at [our] side, ten thousand on [our] right hand" (Psalm 91:7), when God pours out His wrath on the rest of Mankind who have refused to acknowledge Him. But these evil people will not be restrained from attacking and persecuting us; many thousands of saints will be martyred, as has begun already in certain places in the World. (see Revelation 6:9 and 7:9.)
We are God's hands and feet in the World today, and our enemy is filled with fury because he knows that he has only a short time (Revelation 12:12), and he has already made great inroads into debasing the morality of the people of the world, and even in the Church; his "doctrines of demons" have been disseminated throughout the population in the schools, universities and church denominations. They are pervasive and accepted as "truth" in both the sciences and religions. They are many and varied, and very seductive in drawing us away from the love of God.
So we need God's strength, His discernment, His compassion, great depth of knowledge of His Word, and His protection to be His light in the midst of all this darkness around us.
I hope this body of writing is being used of God for your spiritual growth and strengthening.
And all the credit, all the glory will redound to the God Who began it all and will finish it in completeness.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
This is how the Lord responds: "If you return to Me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve Me. If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be My spokesman. You must influence them; do not let them influence you!
They will fight against you like an attacking army, but I will make you as secure as a fortified wall of bronze. They will not conquer you, for I am with you to protect and rescue you. I, the Lord, have spoken! Yes, I will certainly keep you safe from these wicked men. I will rescue you from their cruel hands."
If you have read the book of Revelation, then you are aware of the cataclysmic events God has planned for this Earth. He will judge this World for all the wicked and evil things that evil and wicked people have perpetrated upon it. And we who are God's people must be strong in the Lord to maintain our witness for Him.
His wrath that we deserve has already been poured out on Jesus at Calvary, so we will see "a thousand fall at [our] side, ten thousand on [our] right hand" (Psalm 91:7), when God pours out His wrath on the rest of Mankind who have refused to acknowledge Him. But these evil people will not be restrained from attacking and persecuting us; many thousands of saints will be martyred, as has begun already in certain places in the World. (see Revelation 6:9 and 7:9.)
We are God's hands and feet in the World today, and our enemy is filled with fury because he knows that he has only a short time (Revelation 12:12), and he has already made great inroads into debasing the morality of the people of the world, and even in the Church; his "doctrines of demons" have been disseminated throughout the population in the schools, universities and church denominations. They are pervasive and accepted as "truth" in both the sciences and religions. They are many and varied, and very seductive in drawing us away from the love of God.
So we need God's strength, His discernment, His compassion, great depth of knowledge of His Word, and His protection to be His light in the midst of all this darkness around us.
I hope this body of writing is being used of God for your spiritual growth and strengthening.
And all the credit, all the glory will redound to the God Who began it all and will finish it in completeness.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, May 8, 2017
Turned Away Again And Again
Psalm 79: 9
Help us, O God of our salvation! Help us for the glory of Your Name. Save us and forgive our sins for the honor of Your Name.
Jeremiah 14: 7, 10
The people say, "Our wickedness has caught up with us, Lord, but help us for the sake of Your own reputation. We have turned away from You and sinned against You again and again."
So this is what the Lord says to His people: "You love to wander far from Me and do not restrain yourselves. Therefore, I will no longer accept you as My people. Now I will remember all your wickedness and will punish you for your sins."
In America we share the distinction of being the only other Nation founded on God's rules and principles and ways. As such, we are known among the Nations of the World as a Christian Nation.
But, like our sister Israel, we have turned from God and gone our own way, chasing after the same disgusting and detestable idols that ensnared her.
O Father God Almighty, get a hold of these evil people who have drawn us astray and show them Your Majesty! Show them Your righteous Power and Authority to judge, and draw them to turn back to You! And if they still refuse to acknowledge You, then pour out Your holy vengeance on them in full view of the populace, so they will all see Who You are.
And rescue us whose own hearts have led us astray but are returning to You. Vindicate Your Name, Your reputation, in us, and bring Your righteousness back among Your people before the End of all things.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Help us, O God of our salvation! Help us for the glory of Your Name. Save us and forgive our sins for the honor of Your Name.
Jeremiah 14: 7, 10
The people say, "Our wickedness has caught up with us, Lord, but help us for the sake of Your own reputation. We have turned away from You and sinned against You again and again."
So this is what the Lord says to His people: "You love to wander far from Me and do not restrain yourselves. Therefore, I will no longer accept you as My people. Now I will remember all your wickedness and will punish you for your sins."
In America we share the distinction of being the only other Nation founded on God's rules and principles and ways. As such, we are known among the Nations of the World as a Christian Nation.
But, like our sister Israel, we have turned from God and gone our own way, chasing after the same disgusting and detestable idols that ensnared her.
O Father God Almighty, get a hold of these evil people who have drawn us astray and show them Your Majesty! Show them Your righteous Power and Authority to judge, and draw them to turn back to You! And if they still refuse to acknowledge You, then pour out Your holy vengeance on them in full view of the populace, so they will all see Who You are.
And rescue us whose own hearts have led us astray but are returning to You. Vindicate Your Name, Your reputation, in us, and bring Your righteousness back among Your people before the End of all things.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, May 7, 2017
To Be Gracious And Attractive
Colossians 4: 5-6
Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.
I see wisdom as knowing how to apply the knowledge I have acquired. That is what will enable us to be gracious to those who do not yet have the faith to believe God. This graciousness will make our words and actions attractive to those who are seeking the Truth. So that they will have the right response? No, we can't control their response.
But whatever they say or do, we need to have the right come-back, that is gentle and full of grace. To answer in a quiet tone that tends to dissipate anger or argument. That way we can make the most of every opportunity to interact with others with the amazing grace of our awesome God.
O my Father, You are so great! and so good! Your love and righteousness are complete and perfect. Your justice and vengeance are true and appropriate.
O Father, help us to always season all our conversations with Your salt, so that our words, whether spoken or written, will be gracious and attractive, as You have shown Yourself to be with us. Mold us and shape us into the very image of Your dear Son, our Savior, our Lord, our King.
Strengthen us with Your strength in our weaknesses; make us wise in Your wisdom; help us to think clearly. Empty us of all that does not conform to Your desires for us; and fill us with Your presence, Your graciousness, Your Spirit.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.
I see wisdom as knowing how to apply the knowledge I have acquired. That is what will enable us to be gracious to those who do not yet have the faith to believe God. This graciousness will make our words and actions attractive to those who are seeking the Truth. So that they will have the right response? No, we can't control their response.
But whatever they say or do, we need to have the right come-back, that is gentle and full of grace. To answer in a quiet tone that tends to dissipate anger or argument. That way we can make the most of every opportunity to interact with others with the amazing grace of our awesome God.
O my Father, You are so great! and so good! Your love and righteousness are complete and perfect. Your justice and vengeance are true and appropriate.
O Father, help us to always season all our conversations with Your salt, so that our words, whether spoken or written, will be gracious and attractive, as You have shown Yourself to be with us. Mold us and shape us into the very image of Your dear Son, our Savior, our Lord, our King.
Strengthen us with Your strength in our weaknesses; make us wise in Your wisdom; help us to think clearly. Empty us of all that does not conform to Your desires for us; and fill us with Your presence, Your graciousness, Your Spirit.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, May 6, 2017
Utterly Amazing!
Colossians 1: 27
... And this is the secret: Christ lives in you.
O my Father, the mystery of Your Plan, hidden from all past ages, only hinted at in the former Covenant, now revealed to us! That I, a woman of Western European heritage, should share in the wonderful benefits of Your own Chosen People--this is truly a very shocking and amazing thing--that You would take the heathen and the Greek, the whore and the aristocrat, and make us all equal to the "apple of Your eye"--this must be the most fantastic thing You have done! Who could have imagined that You would make the ground so level at the Cross that no one would have either an advantage or a disadvantage: all are declared sinners and in the same need, of the same Savior!
O Father, to be such a good Father to me, and to place me in Christ, making me acceptable and accepted, granting me worth far above even Your angels! Thank you, Father! Thank You Lord Jesus! Thank You for Your Spirit to dwell in me, in the same Power that raised Christ from the dead, working in me! Utterly amazing!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
... And this is the secret: Christ lives in you.
O my Father, the mystery of Your Plan, hidden from all past ages, only hinted at in the former Covenant, now revealed to us! That I, a woman of Western European heritage, should share in the wonderful benefits of Your own Chosen People--this is truly a very shocking and amazing thing--that You would take the heathen and the Greek, the whore and the aristocrat, and make us all equal to the "apple of Your eye"--this must be the most fantastic thing You have done! Who could have imagined that You would make the ground so level at the Cross that no one would have either an advantage or a disadvantage: all are declared sinners and in the same need, of the same Savior!
O Father, to be such a good Father to me, and to place me in Christ, making me acceptable and accepted, granting me worth far above even Your angels! Thank you, Father! Thank You Lord Jesus! Thank You for Your Spirit to dwell in me, in the same Power that raised Christ from the dead, working in me! Utterly amazing!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, May 5, 2017
God's Plan Of The Ages
Ephesians 3: 16, 21
I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will give you mighty inner strength through His Holy Spirit. ... By His mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we could ever ask for, or even be able to imagine.
God will perform all of His good plans that He devised before He created anything. He has sent His own Son to be our individual Sacrifice (see Leviticus 1) as well as the corporate, national Sacrifice (the Day of Atonement, Leviticus 23:27). The animals that were sacrificed then showed what Jesus would complete as Messiah, and more: Jesus poured out God's own Blood at Calvary; infinitely valuable, more than enough to pay the sin-debt of every person who ever lived (but not all are willing to accept His sacrifice as their own), and He purchased the whole World and the Universe.
So we all belong to Him by both creation and purchase; and those who have accepted His payment for them, by Redemption, also. The same Power that raised Jesus from the dead is His Holy Spirit that has taken up residence in our spirits, making our dead human spirits alive. So this mighty power (dynamite) that is at work in us is how God accomplishes His will in and through us.
God's resources are unlimited. His Goodness is our standard for Rightness (His Righteousness), and His Love is Who He is ("God is love," I John 4:8). Everything God does comes from His Love--both blessings and vengeance, equally passionate and righteous.
His Love blesses us, gives us His work to do, gives us success in everything He accomplishes in and through us; and also judges His enemies, frustrating all their plans and schemes, causing them to be caught in their own traps set for the innocent (Esther 7:9-10 is a good example of this).
What I have learned about God's great Plan of the Ages for the portion of His creation we know about, is for Him to show His power and authority over it all by allowing sin to enter, causing chaos, misery and death; then Himself providing the remedy for sin by removing it with His own Blood, and calling out for Himself a people of every tribe, nation and language to be His own Family forever. He will wrap up all the details at the end of His 1000-year Reign in this World when the whole Earth explodes (II Peter 3:10) and the Universe implodes (see Science). Then He will "make all things new" by creating a new Heaven (Universe) and a new Earth, all based on a "new order" of being.
The First Law of Thermodynamics (the basis of all Science) is Conservation of Matter, which is that what is, is, no more can be made and none can be annihilated, only change form. This is Creation. What God has made, is.
The Second Law of Thermodynamics is Entropy, that all matter proceeds from Order to Chaos. This is the curse that sin brought to God's creation. Now everything winds down, wears out and dies.
When our Lord makes all things new, the new creation will not be subject to sin, death will have been destroyed, and all those who have rebelled against our good God will be consigned to the Lake of Fire, which is outside our Universe.
And He has determined that we would be His hands and feet to do His work in His power, and He will even reward us for it! Amazing!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will give you mighty inner strength through His Holy Spirit. ... By His mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we could ever ask for, or even be able to imagine.
God will perform all of His good plans that He devised before He created anything. He has sent His own Son to be our individual Sacrifice (see Leviticus 1) as well as the corporate, national Sacrifice (the Day of Atonement, Leviticus 23:27). The animals that were sacrificed then showed what Jesus would complete as Messiah, and more: Jesus poured out God's own Blood at Calvary; infinitely valuable, more than enough to pay the sin-debt of every person who ever lived (but not all are willing to accept His sacrifice as their own), and He purchased the whole World and the Universe.
So we all belong to Him by both creation and purchase; and those who have accepted His payment for them, by Redemption, also. The same Power that raised Jesus from the dead is His Holy Spirit that has taken up residence in our spirits, making our dead human spirits alive. So this mighty power (dynamite) that is at work in us is how God accomplishes His will in and through us.
God's resources are unlimited. His Goodness is our standard for Rightness (His Righteousness), and His Love is Who He is ("God is love," I John 4:8). Everything God does comes from His Love--both blessings and vengeance, equally passionate and righteous.
His Love blesses us, gives us His work to do, gives us success in everything He accomplishes in and through us; and also judges His enemies, frustrating all their plans and schemes, causing them to be caught in their own traps set for the innocent (Esther 7:9-10 is a good example of this).
What I have learned about God's great Plan of the Ages for the portion of His creation we know about, is for Him to show His power and authority over it all by allowing sin to enter, causing chaos, misery and death; then Himself providing the remedy for sin by removing it with His own Blood, and calling out for Himself a people of every tribe, nation and language to be His own Family forever. He will wrap up all the details at the end of His 1000-year Reign in this World when the whole Earth explodes (II Peter 3:10) and the Universe implodes (see Science). Then He will "make all things new" by creating a new Heaven (Universe) and a new Earth, all based on a "new order" of being.
The First Law of Thermodynamics (the basis of all Science) is Conservation of Matter, which is that what is, is, no more can be made and none can be annihilated, only change form. This is Creation. What God has made, is.
The Second Law of Thermodynamics is Entropy, that all matter proceeds from Order to Chaos. This is the curse that sin brought to God's creation. Now everything winds down, wears out and dies.
When our Lord makes all things new, the new creation will not be subject to sin, death will have been destroyed, and all those who have rebelled against our good God will be consigned to the Lake of Fire, which is outside our Universe.
And He has determined that we would be His hands and feet to do His work in His power, and He will even reward us for it! Amazing!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, May 4, 2017
God's Peace
Philippians 4: 6-7
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
When we worry, we're not trusting God to be in control. Or we're not trusting Him to be Good. We're taking things into our own, feeble hands, instead of letting His strong hands hold us.
Instead, we are to talk to God about it. Talk to God about everything. Don't keep anything from Him, just let it all out. He can take it, even when we vent all our anger and rage on Him. He is God, we are not. We can trust Him to be God in everything in our lives. He is concerned for us, for every detail of our being and living.
When we remember all the good He has already done for us, and for His people in times past, then we will know that He will continue to be Himself, He will be faithful to His every Promise, and He wants the very best for us, to grow our character into the sterling character of Christ.
Then, when we do trust Him fully, then we won't have a worry in the world. We will know that He "has this" in His hand. Then our hearts and minds will rest in Him, peacefully rest in His Sovereign control over every aspect of our lives, and release all the stress that our worry inflicted on us.
Praise God for His Greatness, His Goodness, and His immeasurable Love for each one of us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
When we worry, we're not trusting God to be in control. Or we're not trusting Him to be Good. We're taking things into our own, feeble hands, instead of letting His strong hands hold us.
Instead, we are to talk to God about it. Talk to God about everything. Don't keep anything from Him, just let it all out. He can take it, even when we vent all our anger and rage on Him. He is God, we are not. We can trust Him to be God in everything in our lives. He is concerned for us, for every detail of our being and living.
When we remember all the good He has already done for us, and for His people in times past, then we will know that He will continue to be Himself, He will be faithful to His every Promise, and He wants the very best for us, to grow our character into the sterling character of Christ.
Then, when we do trust Him fully, then we won't have a worry in the world. We will know that He "has this" in His hand. Then our hearts and minds will rest in Him, peacefully rest in His Sovereign control over every aspect of our lives, and release all the stress that our worry inflicted on us.
Praise God for His Greatness, His Goodness, and His immeasurable Love for each one of us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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