Acts 15: 28-29
For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: That you abstain
from things sacrificed to idols, and
from blood, and
from things strangled, and
from fornication.
If you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.
We do well to note from Scripture God's views on our human activities. All four of these things to abstain from deal with our bodies, what we put into them and how we use them.
"Things sacrificed to idols" means participating in idolatrous sacrifices by eating the meat of the animal sacrificed to them. This is more than dietary, it's also a matter of recognizing that only God is God.
"Blood" refers to eating the blood of any animal, because the life is in the blood, and it is to only be used on the altar in connection with forgiveness of sin.
"Things strangled" are animals that have died on their own, probably of some illness or injury. The safety of this meat is questionable.
And "fornication" refers to any kind of sexual encounter that is not pure, that is, between a husband and his wife. This would include any illicit or unnatural or perverted sexual acts.
Deuteronomy 27:15-26 lists the curses upon Israel on Mount Ebal, pronounced and declared at the time they were to enter the Land. And of the twelve curses pronounced, a full third of them (4) deal with sexual acts.
God is very concerned that our sex-lives be pure, as it represents the close intimacy He wants us to have with Him.
He wants us to live lives of purity, which includes chastity and modesty. Our bodies are His temple, so we are to treat them as holy to the Lord and take good care of our physical health, as well as our emotional and spiritual health.
When we are where we need to be then we will be in a position to help our brother or sister. On an airplane, we're always to apply our own oxygen mask first, before helping our seat-mate.
O my Father, thank You for Your good, sensible rules. Thank You for loving us so much that You want us to live with You where You are, and have already taken care of all our needs: You made this Earth for us & put into it great abundance for all of us; You gave us all the information we need to cooperate with You in operating our World on this Earth to access and enjoy the bounty You bless us with; You have sent Your own Son to be our Lamb, sacrificed for each of us, to wash away every stain and spot, making us pristine, white as snow; and You have planned out every path each of us is to walk, overseeing every circumstance and situation, keeping us safe and secure through all of it as we trust in You.
Strengthen us and help us to form our attitudes to live our lives in purity and compassion, as You finish the work You began in each of us on that Day of the Glorious Appearing.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, August 31, 2018
Thursday, August 30, 2018
God -- Humbled -- Even Death
Philippians 2: 6, 8
Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped ... He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Jesus knew before He came that He would have to die. That's the only way anyone is able to get out of this World.
Before this Earth was created, the Triune Godhead decided what He would do when Mankind sinned.
"Then Elohim said, Let us make Man in Our image, after Our likeness..." (Genesis 1:26).
Then the Second Person of the Godhead reached down, got a handful of dirt, and ...
"And the LORD God formed Man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7).
So the LORD God assumed full responsibility for Mankind, knowing that we would sin, and He would only be able to take us to live with Him where He is by coming to us as one of us, in order to cleanse us, so that we would be fit to live with Him where He is.
By becoming the Lamb of God, the personal Sacrifice that we each would need to wash away our sins with His Blood, He would cleanse us of every stain and spot, making us blameless to dwell with Him in Heaven.
This is the only way we can go to Heaven. Jesus knew this. In His humanity, he didn't want to have to go through with it, and prayed in the Garden that if there was any other way, to not make Him do it (Matthew 26:39; Mark 14:36). But He knew there was no other way, and submitted to the Father's will, that He had agreed to before the beginning.
Jesus had to face death in order to conquer it, and He was Resurrected with a new kind of life, no longer subject to death.
Now He can call us, who have accepted His sacrifice as our own, to that same Resurrection life, our bodies changed to be like His, either from the grave or without having to die, if we live to that Day of His Glorious Appearing. Then we also will no longer be subject to death, and we will live with our Lord, face-to-face, forever.
That's why He came. And He is coming again. Soon.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped ... He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Jesus knew before He came that He would have to die. That's the only way anyone is able to get out of this World.
Before this Earth was created, the Triune Godhead decided what He would do when Mankind sinned.
"Then Elohim said, Let us make Man in Our image, after Our likeness..." (Genesis 1:26).
Then the Second Person of the Godhead reached down, got a handful of dirt, and ...
"And the LORD God formed Man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7).
So the LORD God assumed full responsibility for Mankind, knowing that we would sin, and He would only be able to take us to live with Him where He is by coming to us as one of us, in order to cleanse us, so that we would be fit to live with Him where He is.
By becoming the Lamb of God, the personal Sacrifice that we each would need to wash away our sins with His Blood, He would cleanse us of every stain and spot, making us blameless to dwell with Him in Heaven.
This is the only way we can go to Heaven. Jesus knew this. In His humanity, he didn't want to have to go through with it, and prayed in the Garden that if there was any other way, to not make Him do it (Matthew 26:39; Mark 14:36). But He knew there was no other way, and submitted to the Father's will, that He had agreed to before the beginning.
Jesus had to face death in order to conquer it, and He was Resurrected with a new kind of life, no longer subject to death.
Now He can call us, who have accepted His sacrifice as our own, to that same Resurrection life, our bodies changed to be like His, either from the grave or without having to die, if we live to that Day of His Glorious Appearing. Then we also will no longer be subject to death, and we will live with our Lord, face-to-face, forever.
That's why He came. And He is coming again. Soon.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
"Never Again"?
Deuteronomy 19: 19-20
... Thus you shall purge the evil from among you. And the rest will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such an evil thing among you.
God is such a good Father to us. He has laid out His laws and statutes and regulations, and He has provided enforcement so that there would be accountability and consequences for not obeying Him.
All so that the rest will hear and obey, and God would then be able to bless them.
We prevent God from being able to bless us by our own sin--our own stubbornness and rebellion. But when consequences are dramatic and immediate, then we gain the fear and respect and awe of God to impel us to obey. Then we can receive good things from His hand again.
O my Father, show us how to promote Your righteousness in our society, so that we will be able to receive Your good in our government and in our Nation, live in peace and freedom; and You will receive the glory!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
... Thus you shall purge the evil from among you. And the rest will hear and be afraid, and will never again do such an evil thing among you.
God is such a good Father to us. He has laid out His laws and statutes and regulations, and He has provided enforcement so that there would be accountability and consequences for not obeying Him.
All so that the rest will hear and obey, and God would then be able to bless them.
We prevent God from being able to bless us by our own sin--our own stubbornness and rebellion. But when consequences are dramatic and immediate, then we gain the fear and respect and awe of God to impel us to obey. Then we can receive good things from His hand again.
O my Father, show us how to promote Your righteousness in our society, so that we will be able to receive Your good in our government and in our Nation, live in peace and freedom; and You will receive the glory!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Be Careful
Deuteronomy 16: 12
... And you shall be careful to observe these statutes.
Proverbs 1: 7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
O my Father, You are the Source and Fountainhead of all Truth, all true knowledge, in every category.
Only a right relationship with You can open our minds and hearts to receive and accept Your Truth.
Even when You grant us Your knowledge and an understanding of Your ways, we still need to "be careful" in order to actually live, doing what You have told us.
We never just fall into doing what is right, we always need to pay attention to what we're doing, what we're saying, and how we're allowing our thought processes to flow.
We constantly need Your Spirit, Father, to fill us and direct our steps, so that we will be able to stay straight on that path You have set our feet upon, not turning to the right-hand nor to the left.
Help me, Father, to walk with You, my Lord and my Guide, not wandering off or pulling away. Hold my hand tightly, that I not be drawn away by the crowds of the World pressing in.
And may You receive all the credit, all the glory, for what Your are doing in and through me, throughout all the World, and into Your glorious Kingdom.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
... And you shall be careful to observe these statutes.
Proverbs 1: 7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
O my Father, You are the Source and Fountainhead of all Truth, all true knowledge, in every category.
Only a right relationship with You can open our minds and hearts to receive and accept Your Truth.
Even when You grant us Your knowledge and an understanding of Your ways, we still need to "be careful" in order to actually live, doing what You have told us.
We never just fall into doing what is right, we always need to pay attention to what we're doing, what we're saying, and how we're allowing our thought processes to flow.
We constantly need Your Spirit, Father, to fill us and direct our steps, so that we will be able to stay straight on that path You have set our feet upon, not turning to the right-hand nor to the left.
Help me, Father, to walk with You, my Lord and my Guide, not wandering off or pulling away. Hold my hand tightly, that I not be drawn away by the crowds of the World pressing in.
And may You receive all the credit, all the glory, for what Your are doing in and through me, throughout all the World, and into Your glorious Kingdom.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, August 27, 2018
So That God May Bless You
Deuteronomy 13: 6-11; 14: 29
If [anyone, even] your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or your wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, ... do not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity. Do not spare him or shield him. You must certainly put him to death. ... Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such an evil thing again.
...So that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
God left no doubt or ambiguity as to what His laws were, and He required that they be enforced with a strong hand. Why?
God instituted Capital Punishment for Capital offences. When sentences are carried out in a timely fashion, then the rest of society will know where the boundaries are and the consequences for overstepping them, and will comply. That brings order to the society. And He can give us His abundant blessings.
When we are in tune with God and His ways, then we are available to receive from His hand all the good He wants to give us. When we rebel against Him and chase after other, worldly pursuits, we cut off that connection to God, and can receive nothing from Him.
That's why our Nations have such troubles: We have turned away from God as a Nation, and are therefore under His curse!
You must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. Destroy it completely, both its people and its livestock. Gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It is to remain a ruin forever, never to be rebuilt (13: 15-16).
God is deadly serious in what He says. When we listen to what He says, believe that He means it, and obey Him in following His ways; then He shows Himself to be very kind and generous and showers upon us abundant blessings.
But if we decide we know better, or have a better idea than His command, that shows that we have listened to the lies of the enemy and been deceived, to our own destruction.
O my Father, Thank You for Your faithfulness to Your Word. Thank You that we can depend on You to do exactly what You have said You would do, for good and also for bad.
You have given us a free choice to decide what we want, but we don't have a choice when it comes to the consequences of our decisions. Father, lead us, teach us Your wisdom to research the consequences of our possible choices and decide on what You would have us do, to get the very best outcome. And then we will get the benefits and You will get the glory.
And Father, protect Your own. Bring us out of the "city" that is ready to be destroyed, that we not be partakers of her sins or receive any of her plagues (Revelation 18:4).
Bring us out and bring us in, Father, into Your glorious Kingdom.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
If [anyone, even] your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or your wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, ... do not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity. Do not spare him or shield him. You must certainly put him to death. ... Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such an evil thing again.
...So that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
God left no doubt or ambiguity as to what His laws were, and He required that they be enforced with a strong hand. Why?
God instituted Capital Punishment for Capital offences. When sentences are carried out in a timely fashion, then the rest of society will know where the boundaries are and the consequences for overstepping them, and will comply. That brings order to the society. And He can give us His abundant blessings.
When we are in tune with God and His ways, then we are available to receive from His hand all the good He wants to give us. When we rebel against Him and chase after other, worldly pursuits, we cut off that connection to God, and can receive nothing from Him.
That's why our Nations have such troubles: We have turned away from God as a Nation, and are therefore under His curse!
You must certainly put to the sword all who live in that town. Destroy it completely, both its people and its livestock. Gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It is to remain a ruin forever, never to be rebuilt (13: 15-16).
God is deadly serious in what He says. When we listen to what He says, believe that He means it, and obey Him in following His ways; then He shows Himself to be very kind and generous and showers upon us abundant blessings.
But if we decide we know better, or have a better idea than His command, that shows that we have listened to the lies of the enemy and been deceived, to our own destruction.
O my Father, Thank You for Your faithfulness to Your Word. Thank You that we can depend on You to do exactly what You have said You would do, for good and also for bad.
You have given us a free choice to decide what we want, but we don't have a choice when it comes to the consequences of our decisions. Father, lead us, teach us Your wisdom to research the consequences of our possible choices and decide on what You would have us do, to get the very best outcome. And then we will get the benefits and You will get the glory.
And Father, protect Your own. Bring us out of the "city" that is ready to be destroyed, that we not be partakers of her sins or receive any of her plagues (Revelation 18:4).
Bring us out and bring us in, Father, into Your glorious Kingdom.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, August 26, 2018
Do Not Add Or Take Away
Deuteronomy 12: 32
Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.
Proverbs 30: 6
Do not add to His Words lest He reprove you, and you be proved a liar.
Revelation 22: 18-19
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the Tree of Life, and in the Holy City, which are described in this book.
God is serious about what He wrote to us. He told us everything we need to know to live our lives in this World in a godly and righteous way, and we need every word. He didn't put in anything superfluous, and He means every word.
The principles we learn in studying His Word apply to every circumstance we may face, every situation we could ever encounter in life.
We get into trouble whenever we either add something He didn't intend, or deny and leave out something He said or commanded.
O my Father, thank You for giving us Your written Word. Thank You that it is complete and finished. Father, strengthen us to be very careful to do everything You have told us to do, and not just talk about it, living our lives according to Your ways in everything we do.
Help us, Father, to be very careful, purposeful, and intentional to obey You. Let us not naturally fall and slip into error, into sin. Teach us to be very careful to do Your will, Your way.
Father, continue to wake us up to what is going on in the World around us, teach us how to promote Your righteousness in our society, and to build toward Your Kingdom.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.
Proverbs 30: 6
Do not add to His Words lest He reprove you, and you be proved a liar.
Revelation 22: 18-19
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the Tree of Life, and in the Holy City, which are described in this book.
God is serious about what He wrote to us. He told us everything we need to know to live our lives in this World in a godly and righteous way, and we need every word. He didn't put in anything superfluous, and He means every word.
The principles we learn in studying His Word apply to every circumstance we may face, every situation we could ever encounter in life.
We get into trouble whenever we either add something He didn't intend, or deny and leave out something He said or commanded.
O my Father, thank You for giving us Your written Word. Thank You that it is complete and finished. Father, strengthen us to be very careful to do everything You have told us to do, and not just talk about it, living our lives according to Your ways in everything we do.
Help us, Father, to be very careful, purposeful, and intentional to obey You. Let us not naturally fall and slip into error, into sin. Teach us to be very careful to do Your will, Your way.
Father, continue to wake us up to what is going on in the World around us, teach us how to promote Your righteousness in our society, and to build toward Your Kingdom.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, August 25, 2018
What Does God Require?
Deuteronomy 10: 12-13
And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord's commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your own good?
For our own good! God wants to bless us with good. He has designed into this Earth everything everybody will ever need to enjoy an abundance of prosperity, if only we would respect God as God and obey what He tells us to do.
No one who buys a new car has a problem with obeying what the book in the glove-box says to do, concerning care of the vehicle. It only makes sense to follow the manufacturer's instructions so that this automobile will give you good service for the life of the vehicle.
Our Manufacturer has also given us His instructions to follow. And when we live our lives according to His ways, the result will also be that our lives will give us many years of good living.
But this World around us, our enemy the devil, and our own flesh all contrive to deceive us into thinking contrary to God's ways (Ephesians 2:1-3). Even our own hearts lie to us (Jeremiah 17:9). So I can't even trust my own thinking or logic.
I must consult my Maker's Book for instructions on how to live. I must let Him love me with His unmatched, eternal, unlimited, and unconditional Love; I must believe what He says about me so I can love myself; I must love Him back above all else; and I must display His love in all my relationships and dealings with others.
Then I will be obeying all the laws He gave us to guide us (Matthew 22:37-40).
This is everything God wants of us. Just to recognize Who He is, to know Him, to love Him back, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
Simple, but not easy.
To live above with saints we love,
O won't that be glory!
But to live below with saints we know,
Well, that's a different story!
So we need God's Holy Spirit living in us, making our dead spirit alive, and teaching us God's Truth as we read and study His Word. So we can relate to those we are related to, and to deal with those we have dealings with, in Love.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord's commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your own good?
For our own good! God wants to bless us with good. He has designed into this Earth everything everybody will ever need to enjoy an abundance of prosperity, if only we would respect God as God and obey what He tells us to do.
No one who buys a new car has a problem with obeying what the book in the glove-box says to do, concerning care of the vehicle. It only makes sense to follow the manufacturer's instructions so that this automobile will give you good service for the life of the vehicle.
Our Manufacturer has also given us His instructions to follow. And when we live our lives according to His ways, the result will also be that our lives will give us many years of good living.
But this World around us, our enemy the devil, and our own flesh all contrive to deceive us into thinking contrary to God's ways (Ephesians 2:1-3). Even our own hearts lie to us (Jeremiah 17:9). So I can't even trust my own thinking or logic.
I must consult my Maker's Book for instructions on how to live. I must let Him love me with His unmatched, eternal, unlimited, and unconditional Love; I must believe what He says about me so I can love myself; I must love Him back above all else; and I must display His love in all my relationships and dealings with others.
Then I will be obeying all the laws He gave us to guide us (Matthew 22:37-40).
This is everything God wants of us. Just to recognize Who He is, to know Him, to love Him back, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
Simple, but not easy.
To live above with saints we love,
O won't that be glory!
But to live below with saints we know,
Well, that's a different story!
So we need God's Holy Spirit living in us, making our dead spirit alive, and teaching us God's Truth as we read and study His Word. So we can relate to those we are related to, and to deal with those we have dealings with, in Love.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, August 24, 2018
Power To Make Wealth
Deuteronomy 8: 17-18
You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me."
But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He Who is giving you power to make wealth,
in order to confirm His covenant which He swore to your forefathers, and as it is today.
When it comes to financial matters, God has given us so many practical principles to observe and follow, many of which don't even seem to relate to money.
Yet when we set out to know His ways and His attitudes, and we determine to obey His commandments, laws, and rules, then we naturally prosper as the result.
Even when people do not acknowledge God at all follow His ways in loving one another, they also prosper, because that is how He designed our World to work.
Wealth is not static, not a set sum, that for some to have they must deprive others. No, wealth is made, it grows with the integrity of those who follow God's ways, and is to be enjoyed by all the people.
But even if some could manage to acquire ownership of all the World's resources for their own use, what would it profit them, if they only have it the few days of this life, and lose out on the eternal forever ahead of us all?
O Father, wake up Your Church! Continue to wake up Your Church! Wake us up to follow Your ways to love You and our neighbor as You love us, and to prosper to finance the coming of Your Kingdom.
Father, You know that our enemy is funding His minions to promote all kinds of perversions and twisting of Your beautiful Truth, making it into disgusting and despicable immitations to deceive and destroy the masses.
What You have told us to expect in the Last Days is all coming to pass right now. Please protect Your children, Father; so that even though a thousand perish at our side, and ten thousand on our right hand, it will not come near or touch us at all (Psalm 91:7-8).
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me."
But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He Who is giving you power to make wealth,
in order to confirm His covenant which He swore to your forefathers, and as it is today.
When it comes to financial matters, God has given us so many practical principles to observe and follow, many of which don't even seem to relate to money.
Yet when we set out to know His ways and His attitudes, and we determine to obey His commandments, laws, and rules, then we naturally prosper as the result.
Even when people do not acknowledge God at all follow His ways in loving one another, they also prosper, because that is how He designed our World to work.
Wealth is not static, not a set sum, that for some to have they must deprive others. No, wealth is made, it grows with the integrity of those who follow God's ways, and is to be enjoyed by all the people.
But even if some could manage to acquire ownership of all the World's resources for their own use, what would it profit them, if they only have it the few days of this life, and lose out on the eternal forever ahead of us all?
O Father, wake up Your Church! Continue to wake up Your Church! Wake us up to follow Your ways to love You and our neighbor as You love us, and to prosper to finance the coming of Your Kingdom.
Father, You know that our enemy is funding His minions to promote all kinds of perversions and twisting of Your beautiful Truth, making it into disgusting and despicable immitations to deceive and destroy the masses.
What You have told us to expect in the Last Days is all coming to pass right now. Please protect Your children, Father; so that even though a thousand perish at our side, and ten thousand on our right hand, it will not come near or touch us at all (Psalm 91:7-8).
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, August 23, 2018
Respect For Parents
Deuteronomy 5: 16, 33, 29
Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
Walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.
O that their hearts would be inclined to fear Me and keep My commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!
This is the only commandment of the ten that has a promise attached to it. It's also the only command God gives to children. If a person learns as a child to always honor and obey the parents God gave them to, then as they grow older they will also be able to obey the others God gives authority over them; grandparents, teachers, policemen, etc. Then they will not be as likely to get into trouble, and their life will go more smoothly.
And they will also be able to obey God's rules, that puts order into the Universe and our societies and our own lives.
When children grow up with no respect for their parents, then they also will not respect other authorities, either.
And may end up in prison.
O my Father, I pray for my adult children who do not know You yet. Please show Yourself to them, draw them to Yourself, and teach them Your ways. They all grew up in a good Church, but two of the three have left Your beautiful Truth!
Please remove the demon of "cut-off" from my children, that has plagued my family for at least several generations.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
Walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.
O that their hearts would be inclined to fear Me and keep My commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!
This is the only commandment of the ten that has a promise attached to it. It's also the only command God gives to children. If a person learns as a child to always honor and obey the parents God gave them to, then as they grow older they will also be able to obey the others God gives authority over them; grandparents, teachers, policemen, etc. Then they will not be as likely to get into trouble, and their life will go more smoothly.
And they will also be able to obey God's rules, that puts order into the Universe and our societies and our own lives.
When children grow up with no respect for their parents, then they also will not respect other authorities, either.
And may end up in prison.
O my Father, I pray for my adult children who do not know You yet. Please show Yourself to them, draw them to Yourself, and teach them Your ways. They all grew up in a good Church, but two of the three have left Your beautiful Truth!
Please remove the demon of "cut-off" from my children, that has plagued my family for at least several generations.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
Songs To A Troubled Heart
Proverbs 25: 20
Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on soda, is he who sings songs to a troubled heart.
Oh my, have I been guilty of singing songs to a troubled heart, instead of weeping with those who weep?
I know that I do rejoice with those who rejoice; but I also want to commiserate with the miserable, not condoning (or accusing of) the sin that brought on the misery, but encouraging the troubled heart to trust in God.
God's Word created, and our words also have great power: a soft tongue can break a bone (v. 15). Our words can build up and encourage, or they can tear down and destroy.
O my Father, please grant me the discretion and discernment, in Your wisdom, to tread lightly, thinking and considering my words before I open my mouth or approach my keyboard.
Father, keep me mindful of my words, that I may see with Your eyes, hear with Your ears, understand according to Your ways, filling my heart with Your love that will overflow my mouth to speak Your words: to commiserate, to encourage, to teach, to admonish, to reprove--to be Your hands and feet and mouth to accomplish Your purposes.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on soda, is he who sings songs to a troubled heart.
Oh my, have I been guilty of singing songs to a troubled heart, instead of weeping with those who weep?
I know that I do rejoice with those who rejoice; but I also want to commiserate with the miserable, not condoning (or accusing of) the sin that brought on the misery, but encouraging the troubled heart to trust in God.
God's Word created, and our words also have great power: a soft tongue can break a bone (v. 15). Our words can build up and encourage, or they can tear down and destroy.
O my Father, please grant me the discretion and discernment, in Your wisdom, to tread lightly, thinking and considering my words before I open my mouth or approach my keyboard.
Father, keep me mindful of my words, that I may see with Your eyes, hear with Your ears, understand according to Your ways, filling my heart with Your love that will overflow my mouth to speak Your words: to commiserate, to encourage, to teach, to admonish, to reprove--to be Your hands and feet and mouth to accomplish Your purposes.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Given To Change?
Proverbs 24: 21-22
My son, fear the Lord and the king; do not associate with those who are given to change; for their calamity will rise suddenly, and who knows the ruin that comes from both of them?
In America we don't have a "king:" our king is our Constitution, because we are not a Nation of Rulers, but a Nation ruled by our laws.
We had a man who wanted to be our Emperor, who promoted "Change;" and he barely succeeded, gaming the system to gather the Electoral votes needed. And everything he did divided and tore down this great Nation.
I believe that God allowed him this window of power in order to show us how detrimental his reign was, to overwhelmingly (geographically, look at the map) elect our present President.
And the "spirit of antichrist" is still working (I John 2:18), and will continue to deceive those of the World.
But, dear friends, we are not of the World, if so be that God has called you to faith to put your trust in our Lord as your Lamb of God.
Pray with me:
Dear Father, Thank You so much for loving us so much, in spite of our sin. Thank You for washing us in Jesus' Blood, cleansing us to be as white as snow, without spot or wrinkle; fit to live with You in Your Glory.
Father, thank You for Your power, Your goodness, Your wisdom! Thank You for giving us everything we need, and even so much of what we just want.
Help us, dear Father, to listen to You as Your Spirit whispers into our own spirits. Strengthen us to follow Your directions, walking each step in the path You have placed our feet upon, obeying every rule for our own benefit and Your glory.
Protect all who are working to return Your Righteousness to the governments of the World, to permit the peoples of the Nations to enjoy the benefits, the prosperity You have put in this Earth for our use.
Help us in America to reverse all the changes that pulled us away from Your goodness for us, and return our respect for the principles of our National Supreme Law, our Constitution, that acknowledges You as our Lawgiver, our National Motto being: We Trust In God.
And help us, O Lord, to continually seek Your Face, conforming our thoughts and attitudes to Your ways, being transformed by the renewing of our minds. Then we will be able to test and approve what Your will is--Your good, pleasing, and perfect will for each of us (Romans 12:2).
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
My son, fear the Lord and the king; do not associate with those who are given to change; for their calamity will rise suddenly, and who knows the ruin that comes from both of them?
In America we don't have a "king:" our king is our Constitution, because we are not a Nation of Rulers, but a Nation ruled by our laws.
We had a man who wanted to be our Emperor, who promoted "Change;" and he barely succeeded, gaming the system to gather the Electoral votes needed. And everything he did divided and tore down this great Nation.
I believe that God allowed him this window of power in order to show us how detrimental his reign was, to overwhelmingly (geographically, look at the map) elect our present President.
And the "spirit of antichrist" is still working (I John 2:18), and will continue to deceive those of the World.
But, dear friends, we are not of the World, if so be that God has called you to faith to put your trust in our Lord as your Lamb of God.
Pray with me:
Dear Father, Thank You so much for loving us so much, in spite of our sin. Thank You for washing us in Jesus' Blood, cleansing us to be as white as snow, without spot or wrinkle; fit to live with You in Your Glory.
Father, thank You for Your power, Your goodness, Your wisdom! Thank You for giving us everything we need, and even so much of what we just want.
Help us, dear Father, to listen to You as Your Spirit whispers into our own spirits. Strengthen us to follow Your directions, walking each step in the path You have placed our feet upon, obeying every rule for our own benefit and Your glory.
Protect all who are working to return Your Righteousness to the governments of the World, to permit the peoples of the Nations to enjoy the benefits, the prosperity You have put in this Earth for our use.
Help us in America to reverse all the changes that pulled us away from Your goodness for us, and return our respect for the principles of our National Supreme Law, our Constitution, that acknowledges You as our Lawgiver, our National Motto being: We Trust In God.
And help us, O Lord, to continually seek Your Face, conforming our thoughts and attitudes to Your ways, being transformed by the renewing of our minds. Then we will be able to test and approve what Your will is--Your good, pleasing, and perfect will for each of us (Romans 12:2).
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, August 20, 2018
Who Inherits The Kingdom Of Heaven?
I Corinthians 15: 50
Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
Paul follows this statement with revealing a mystery that was not known until now: that the Church will be "raptured" and we will all receive our Resurrection bodies, those "spiritual bodies" that will envelope our "natural bodies," and be able to live with God where He is.
I wondered who would enter Jesus' 1000-year reign to repopulate the Earth, and be gathered at the end of that 1000 years to surround the Holy City (Revelation 20:7-9). They will need to have "natural" bodies, but in the Resurrection we will be like the Angels, not marrying or having children (Luke 20:35-36).
I was fine without knowing, since I know that God knows what He's doing.
Since then, I've been continuing to study, muse, and connect more dots in God's Plan of the Ages.
So I think that all over the World, those people who have not received the "Mark of 666" to worship the statue and have escaped the extreme persecution, along with the Hebrew people who have survived, will all see the Return of Christ Jesus, and beholding Him will realize that He really is Messiah and King (Revelation 1:7; Romans 11:26), and enter His millennial Reign in their natural bodies.
Then by the end of that 1000 years, the whole Earth will be repopulated, under the rule of King Jesus the whole time: our Golden Age. Since those who have been born during that time will have never known any other government; when Satan is released, he will be able to deceive them into believing that King Jesus is too stern, too rigid, too whatever, and gather them in rebellion.
That's when the Earth will explode, the Universe will implode, and God will re-make the whole Universe with a New Heaven and New Earth (II Peter 3:10-11; Revelation 20:11, 21:1). That will be the Kingdom of Heaven. King Jesus' rule has begun in our hearts, will continue in His World-wide reign, and last forever on the New Earth.
O my Father, You are Great; You are Good; You are Love, and in Your loving wisdom You have planned out everything You will do. And You have graciously given us the whole Story of Man in Your written Word, from before the beginning to after the end.
Your power over all Creation is absolute. The "free will" that You have granted every person is limited to being able to only choose what will further Your Plan.
If someone refuses to do something pivotal in Your Plan, You will have someone else do it, and the first person will lose out on the blessing (Esther 4:14).
Please, Father, strengthen me to do whatever it is You would have me do to further Your Plan and promote Your Kingdom.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
Paul follows this statement with revealing a mystery that was not known until now: that the Church will be "raptured" and we will all receive our Resurrection bodies, those "spiritual bodies" that will envelope our "natural bodies," and be able to live with God where He is.
I wondered who would enter Jesus' 1000-year reign to repopulate the Earth, and be gathered at the end of that 1000 years to surround the Holy City (Revelation 20:7-9). They will need to have "natural" bodies, but in the Resurrection we will be like the Angels, not marrying or having children (Luke 20:35-36).
I was fine without knowing, since I know that God knows what He's doing.
Since then, I've been continuing to study, muse, and connect more dots in God's Plan of the Ages.
So I think that all over the World, those people who have not received the "Mark of 666" to worship the statue and have escaped the extreme persecution, along with the Hebrew people who have survived, will all see the Return of Christ Jesus, and beholding Him will realize that He really is Messiah and King (Revelation 1:7; Romans 11:26), and enter His millennial Reign in their natural bodies.
Then by the end of that 1000 years, the whole Earth will be repopulated, under the rule of King Jesus the whole time: our Golden Age. Since those who have been born during that time will have never known any other government; when Satan is released, he will be able to deceive them into believing that King Jesus is too stern, too rigid, too whatever, and gather them in rebellion.
That's when the Earth will explode, the Universe will implode, and God will re-make the whole Universe with a New Heaven and New Earth (II Peter 3:10-11; Revelation 20:11, 21:1). That will be the Kingdom of Heaven. King Jesus' rule has begun in our hearts, will continue in His World-wide reign, and last forever on the New Earth.
O my Father, You are Great; You are Good; You are Love, and in Your loving wisdom You have planned out everything You will do. And You have graciously given us the whole Story of Man in Your written Word, from before the beginning to after the end.
Your power over all Creation is absolute. The "free will" that You have granted every person is limited to being able to only choose what will further Your Plan.
If someone refuses to do something pivotal in Your Plan, You will have someone else do it, and the first person will lose out on the blessing (Esther 4:14).
Please, Father, strengthen me to do whatever it is You would have me do to further Your Plan and promote Your Kingdom.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, August 19, 2018
Polluted Lands
Numbers 35: 33
You shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it.
God is very clear on what He says. When innocents are killed, that blood pollutes the land. There are so many who are responsible and will have to give account for all the innocent blood that has been shed all over the World.
And God's people who are doing nothing about this when they have opportunity to speak out and to rescue the perishing will also give account.
One person can't do everything, but each person can do something. Some are able to do more, and others less, but we all can find something we can do to help the innocents that are being sacrificed to the gods of convenience and avoiding consequences of poor choices.
There is coming and now is, when God's people will be slaughtered for not worshiping false gods. If you ever read Foxe's Book of Martyrs, or just heard about it, there are more martyrs dying and being tortured today than at any other time in History. (Subscribe to The Voice of the Martyrs to learn what's going on now.) This is also innocent blood.
When Jesus fulfills the Feast of Trumpets (I believe that will be the Rapture of the Church), and immediately after (nine days) will cleanse the whole Earth of all that pollutes and destroys it in fulfilment of the Day of Atonement; that is when Jesus will cleanse the land with the blood of those who are responsible for shedding all the innocent blood, in the Battle of Armegeddon (Revelation 16:16; 19:19-21).
The World-wide mega-Earthquake (the Sixth Seal, the Seventh Trumpet, and the Seventh Bowl) will have destroyed all the cities of the World (the Seventh Bowl) and levelled all the mountains, and the subsequent Tsunamis will have overflowed all the islands by then (the sixth Seal and the Seventh Bowl). So the World will need to be rebuilt, and we who are going into the Kingdom will need to live in temporary housing while we rebuild, fulfilling the Feast of Tabernacles (four days after the Day of Atonement).
O my Father, Thank You so much for your Love for all You have created! Your Love put the Order in the Universe. Your Love put a bit of Your Light into our Light-Holder, the Sun, to make this Earth a paradise for us.
Then Your Love was grieved to see all the violence Mankind inflicted on one another, and You started over with Noah. Then You gave Your Law to Moses, so that Your people would be able to follow Your ways and be prosperous, drawing the other Nations to also worship You.
But we couldn't consistently obey Your rules until You sent Your Son to fulfill the Law, so that You could give Your own Holy Spirit to us to live in us, giving us the power and ability to do Your good will for us.
Now, Father, continue to lead us along the path You've put our feet on for each of us; give us the unity of thought and belief and purpose that Jesus prayed for (in John 17:21). And continue to send Your workers into Your fields that are ready for harvest (Matthew 9:37-38).
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
You shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it.
God is very clear on what He says. When innocents are killed, that blood pollutes the land. There are so many who are responsible and will have to give account for all the innocent blood that has been shed all over the World.
And God's people who are doing nothing about this when they have opportunity to speak out and to rescue the perishing will also give account.
One person can't do everything, but each person can do something. Some are able to do more, and others less, but we all can find something we can do to help the innocents that are being sacrificed to the gods of convenience and avoiding consequences of poor choices.
There is coming and now is, when God's people will be slaughtered for not worshiping false gods. If you ever read Foxe's Book of Martyrs, or just heard about it, there are more martyrs dying and being tortured today than at any other time in History. (Subscribe to The Voice of the Martyrs to learn what's going on now.) This is also innocent blood.
When Jesus fulfills the Feast of Trumpets (I believe that will be the Rapture of the Church), and immediately after (nine days) will cleanse the whole Earth of all that pollutes and destroys it in fulfilment of the Day of Atonement; that is when Jesus will cleanse the land with the blood of those who are responsible for shedding all the innocent blood, in the Battle of Armegeddon (Revelation 16:16; 19:19-21).
The World-wide mega-Earthquake (the Sixth Seal, the Seventh Trumpet, and the Seventh Bowl) will have destroyed all the cities of the World (the Seventh Bowl) and levelled all the mountains, and the subsequent Tsunamis will have overflowed all the islands by then (the sixth Seal and the Seventh Bowl). So the World will need to be rebuilt, and we who are going into the Kingdom will need to live in temporary housing while we rebuild, fulfilling the Feast of Tabernacles (four days after the Day of Atonement).
O my Father, Thank You so much for your Love for all You have created! Your Love put the Order in the Universe. Your Love put a bit of Your Light into our Light-Holder, the Sun, to make this Earth a paradise for us.
Then Your Love was grieved to see all the violence Mankind inflicted on one another, and You started over with Noah. Then You gave Your Law to Moses, so that Your people would be able to follow Your ways and be prosperous, drawing the other Nations to also worship You.
But we couldn't consistently obey Your rules until You sent Your Son to fulfill the Law, so that You could give Your own Holy Spirit to us to live in us, giving us the power and ability to do Your good will for us.
Now, Father, continue to lead us along the path You've put our feet on for each of us; give us the unity of thought and belief and purpose that Jesus prayed for (in John 17:21). And continue to send Your workers into Your fields that are ready for harvest (Matthew 9:37-38).
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, August 18, 2018
The Personal Sacrifice
I Chronicles 1
Jesus fulfilled this for each of us. God saves us one-by-one.
Tell the Israelites: if any one of you bring a sacrifice to the Lord, you must offer an animal from your own cattle, sheep, or goats.
When you bring a burnt offering, ... you must offer a male that has no defects.
Jesus is God's Lamb, with no defects.
Offer it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting so that the Lord will accept you.
Don't go inside, while your sin is still on you. Stop at the door.
Place your hand on the animal's head.
To identify with the animal.
The burnt animal will be accepted to make peace with the Lord.
As your substitute.
Then [the priest will] slaughter the [animal] in the Lord's presence.
Because we are all born "in sin" with that Original Sin we inherited from Adam (the "sin-nature"), which entices us to make wrong choices; and the paycheck sin earns for us is the debt of death (Romans 6:23); so the animal dies instead of the person.
Showing how Jesus would take our place, individually, in death.
Aaron's sons, the priests, will offer the blood. They will throw it against all sides of the Altar that is at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
Without the blood shed on our behalf, there is no forgiveness for sin (Hebrews 9:22). This animal blood was splattered on the sides of the Altar to cover the sins of the penitent, so he could be forgiven; but animal blood can only cover, not take away, sins (Hebrews 10:4).
Jesus' Blood was splattered on the sides of His Altar, the Cross, and God's own Blood has unlimited value and power to wash away every trace of sin from each of us. Enough to save every person who ever lived, if they would only accept it (John 3:16-17).
The rest of this chapter goes into all the technical details of how this sacrifice was to be performed.
The tribe of Levi was scattered throughout all the other Tribes (Genesis 49:7), for the Levites were the teachers of God's Law to all the people. This was given by God to Moses to have the Levites teach this as the first sacrifice each person was to offer, before any other. We need to first be right with God before we can go on and walk with Him.
God's holiness is absolute. Anything that is not in agreement with His perfection would detract from the goodness of His Presence. That's why Jesus came. He came to live among us as one of us, so that He could cleanse us and make us fit to live with Him where He is. The whole Law was given to show us what Jesus would accomplish. He said that He would not destroy the Law, but fulfill it (Matthew 5:17), because the Law is only a "shadow" of the reality (Hebrews 10:1).
With His life, Jesus fulfilled all the civil and moral Law. And by His death, He fulfilled all the sacrificial Law. Beginning with the first one, the personal sacrifice each individual person was to offer first.
We must be clean for God to accept us and hear our prayers. He cannot accept anything that is dirty or wrong, or polluted by sin. When we admit to Him that we deserve death, and let Jesus take our death for us, as though we're the only one, individually; then God accepts that payment putting our sin on His side, and puts Jesus' righteousness on our side of His ledger. That's the only way to balance His book on us. He's the only One Who could pay our debt.
Any other view makes it not worth His leaving His Glory in Heaven to live as a human in this vale of tears and die a painful and humiliating death.
He considers you and me worth all that. His desire is for us to live with Him where He lives (John 17:24). So He suffered all that for you, and for me, and for each one of us who will accept His payment, receive Him as Lord (Boss) over our life, and follow in His footsteps into righteousness and Love.
He did all the work. We only need to change our thinking to realize He did it all, and just let Him do it. Then we will respond by loving Him back, and loving who He loves.
May we all who know Him tell everyone we know how much God loves us to do this for us. Find all His lost sheep, to draw them into the safety of His fold.
And He will reward us for what He is doing through us. He is so generous! We only need to be available for His use. He only requires of us faithfulness to Him and His ways.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Jesus fulfilled this for each of us. God saves us one-by-one.
Tell the Israelites: if any one of you bring a sacrifice to the Lord, you must offer an animal from your own cattle, sheep, or goats.
When you bring a burnt offering, ... you must offer a male that has no defects.
Jesus is God's Lamb, with no defects.
Offer it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting so that the Lord will accept you.
Don't go inside, while your sin is still on you. Stop at the door.
Place your hand on the animal's head.
To identify with the animal.
The burnt animal will be accepted to make peace with the Lord.
As your substitute.
Then [the priest will] slaughter the [animal] in the Lord's presence.
Because we are all born "in sin" with that Original Sin we inherited from Adam (the "sin-nature"), which entices us to make wrong choices; and the paycheck sin earns for us is the debt of death (Romans 6:23); so the animal dies instead of the person.
Showing how Jesus would take our place, individually, in death.
Aaron's sons, the priests, will offer the blood. They will throw it against all sides of the Altar that is at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
Without the blood shed on our behalf, there is no forgiveness for sin (Hebrews 9:22). This animal blood was splattered on the sides of the Altar to cover the sins of the penitent, so he could be forgiven; but animal blood can only cover, not take away, sins (Hebrews 10:4).
Jesus' Blood was splattered on the sides of His Altar, the Cross, and God's own Blood has unlimited value and power to wash away every trace of sin from each of us. Enough to save every person who ever lived, if they would only accept it (John 3:16-17).
The rest of this chapter goes into all the technical details of how this sacrifice was to be performed.
The tribe of Levi was scattered throughout all the other Tribes (Genesis 49:7), for the Levites were the teachers of God's Law to all the people. This was given by God to Moses to have the Levites teach this as the first sacrifice each person was to offer, before any other. We need to first be right with God before we can go on and walk with Him.
God's holiness is absolute. Anything that is not in agreement with His perfection would detract from the goodness of His Presence. That's why Jesus came. He came to live among us as one of us, so that He could cleanse us and make us fit to live with Him where He is. The whole Law was given to show us what Jesus would accomplish. He said that He would not destroy the Law, but fulfill it (Matthew 5:17), because the Law is only a "shadow" of the reality (Hebrews 10:1).
With His life, Jesus fulfilled all the civil and moral Law. And by His death, He fulfilled all the sacrificial Law. Beginning with the first one, the personal sacrifice each individual person was to offer first.
We must be clean for God to accept us and hear our prayers. He cannot accept anything that is dirty or wrong, or polluted by sin. When we admit to Him that we deserve death, and let Jesus take our death for us, as though we're the only one, individually; then God accepts that payment putting our sin on His side, and puts Jesus' righteousness on our side of His ledger. That's the only way to balance His book on us. He's the only One Who could pay our debt.
Any other view makes it not worth His leaving His Glory in Heaven to live as a human in this vale of tears and die a painful and humiliating death.
He considers you and me worth all that. His desire is for us to live with Him where He lives (John 17:24). So He suffered all that for you, and for me, and for each one of us who will accept His payment, receive Him as Lord (Boss) over our life, and follow in His footsteps into righteousness and Love.
He did all the work. We only need to change our thinking to realize He did it all, and just let Him do it. Then we will respond by loving Him back, and loving who He loves.
May we all who know Him tell everyone we know how much God loves us to do this for us. Find all His lost sheep, to draw them into the safety of His fold.
And He will reward us for what He is doing through us. He is so generous! We only need to be available for His use. He only requires of us faithfulness to Him and His ways.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, August 17, 2018
The King's Heart
Proverbs 21: 1
The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.
God is Lord of all. He holds all Creation in His hand, and He directs all the "kings" of the Earth, to fulfill His Plan of the Ages. He even set up Obama to (I believe) prepare the way for President Trump to be elected, by an overwhelming majority of the geography of this Nation.
I pray for our Nation every day, that our gracious Father would protect President Trump, his family, and his staff and supporters; that he would be used of God to return safety and righteousness to us as a Nation.
And I pray that God would continue to wake up His true Church, to flood this Earth with His wonderful Truth and bring home all His lost sheep to His One Fold and One Shepherd.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.
God is Lord of all. He holds all Creation in His hand, and He directs all the "kings" of the Earth, to fulfill His Plan of the Ages. He even set up Obama to (I believe) prepare the way for President Trump to be elected, by an overwhelming majority of the geography of this Nation.
I pray for our Nation every day, that our gracious Father would protect President Trump, his family, and his staff and supporters; that he would be used of God to return safety and righteousness to us as a Nation.
And I pray that God would continue to wake up His true Church, to flood this Earth with His wonderful Truth and bring home all His lost sheep to His One Fold and One Shepherd.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, August 16, 2018
Who Considered?
Isaiah 53: 8
Who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due?
Our Father told us ahead of time so clearly and detailed what He is going to do. But our understanding is dull, and we do not see what is right before our eyes. Only after He has accomplished His Word are we able to comprehend what was laid out so succinctly before us.
Even those who were the experts in the Law, who had spent their lives studying what He revealed, did not mix their knowledge with faith to trust God, so did not recognize when Jesus fulfilled every detail of what Isaiah wrote in this chapter, and other Scriptures.
The disciples and apostles could perceive what they personally witnessed only after God's Holy Spirit opened their eyes and understanding.
Father, please open our eyes today to see Your Truth, and teach us how to share with others who need to know these things, so that we all will be preparing for what is ahead, and be ready to greet our Sovereign King, Lord Jesus, when He appears in His glory!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due?
Our Father told us ahead of time so clearly and detailed what He is going to do. But our understanding is dull, and we do not see what is right before our eyes. Only after He has accomplished His Word are we able to comprehend what was laid out so succinctly before us.
Even those who were the experts in the Law, who had spent their lives studying what He revealed, did not mix their knowledge with faith to trust God, so did not recognize when Jesus fulfilled every detail of what Isaiah wrote in this chapter, and other Scriptures.
The disciples and apostles could perceive what they personally witnessed only after God's Holy Spirit opened their eyes and understanding.
Father, please open our eyes today to see Your Truth, and teach us how to share with others who need to know these things, so that we all will be preparing for what is ahead, and be ready to greet our Sovereign King, Lord Jesus, when He appears in His glory!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Don't Be In A Hurry
Proverbs 19: 2, 8
It is not good for a person to be without knowledge, and he who makes haste with his feet errs.
He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who keeps understanding will find good.
O my Father, I found these words and took them to heart back in 2009, when I was preparing to move. But You did not see fit to bring me a buyer until 2018. For 15 years I wanted to sell that property. I felt it was holding me hostage, that I couldn't leave it until I could sell it, to be able to move on.
But I didn't want to be hasty. I knew that You would bring the right people in Your time, not mine. And I wouldn't turn that corner until You knew I was ready. I did not "make haste with my feet," and waited for You to first show me what needed to be done, what I needed to learn and put into practice in my life.
I had no idea what would be around that blind corner, but I knew I could trust You. Now I have sold that place and moved out.
I didn't know then where I would move to, or if I would begin to travel right away, or what You had planned for me in this interim. But I knew that it would be good, because You are good, Father.
Now You have rewarded my patience with a beautiful little house, perfect for me. Show me, Father, how You would have me care for this abode while I dwell here, as I continue to prepare to be Your witness in all the World.
Help me, Father, to take each step confidently, straight on Your path for me, not wandering off to the right hand or to the left, and not pulling away in my own pride and rebellion. Lead me on, one step at a time, one moment at a time, one day at a time, incrementally progressing toward Your goal, Your destination for me, ultimately into Glory, at the Glorious Appearing of Your beloved Son, my Lord, my King, my Sovereign, and my betrothed Husband.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
It is not good for a person to be without knowledge, and he who makes haste with his feet errs.
He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who keeps understanding will find good.
O my Father, I found these words and took them to heart back in 2009, when I was preparing to move. But You did not see fit to bring me a buyer until 2018. For 15 years I wanted to sell that property. I felt it was holding me hostage, that I couldn't leave it until I could sell it, to be able to move on.
But I didn't want to be hasty. I knew that You would bring the right people in Your time, not mine. And I wouldn't turn that corner until You knew I was ready. I did not "make haste with my feet," and waited for You to first show me what needed to be done, what I needed to learn and put into practice in my life.
I had no idea what would be around that blind corner, but I knew I could trust You. Now I have sold that place and moved out.
I didn't know then where I would move to, or if I would begin to travel right away, or what You had planned for me in this interim. But I knew that it would be good, because You are good, Father.
Now You have rewarded my patience with a beautiful little house, perfect for me. Show me, Father, how You would have me care for this abode while I dwell here, as I continue to prepare to be Your witness in all the World.
Help me, Father, to take each step confidently, straight on Your path for me, not wandering off to the right hand or to the left, and not pulling away in my own pride and rebellion. Lead me on, one step at a time, one moment at a time, one day at a time, incrementally progressing toward Your goal, Your destination for me, ultimately into Glory, at the Glorious Appearing of Your beloved Son, my Lord, my King, my Sovereign, and my betrothed Husband.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
God's Love In Us
John 17: 20, 26
I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who [will] believe in Me through their word. ... And I have made Thy Name known to them, and will make it known; that the love wherewith Thou didst love Me may be in them, and I in them.
This chapter has been called Jesus' High Priestly Prayer.
Jesus prayed for His friends, and He also prayed for us, even today, as we who believe have been taught by their words written in Scripture.
And He has given even us His Love, the same Love that the Father loves Jesus with. I find this incredible: That I am loved as much as the Father loves His Son. And that I can give this Love to others, without diminishing it in me.
O my Father, the Righteous One, I pray that this request be done in me; that Your love whrewith You loved Your own Son Jesus be in me, and He living in me, taking over my life to live His life in me, loving others through me.
O Father, so many years ago I gave my life to You, and You took over my life that same hour. You have done so much for me and in me and to me and even through me to bless others!
But I have, in so many ways, taken back parts and areas of my life to try to control them myself--I now release these faults, these sins, back to You again. Please take over my every thought, every desire, every dream, every motive, every goal, every purpose; that I may be all Yours, speak only Your words, do only Your actions, to accomplish Your purposes in my life, for Your glory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who [will] believe in Me through their word. ... And I have made Thy Name known to them, and will make it known; that the love wherewith Thou didst love Me may be in them, and I in them.
This chapter has been called Jesus' High Priestly Prayer.
Jesus prayed for His friends, and He also prayed for us, even today, as we who believe have been taught by their words written in Scripture.
And He has given even us His Love, the same Love that the Father loves Jesus with. I find this incredible: That I am loved as much as the Father loves His Son. And that I can give this Love to others, without diminishing it in me.
O my Father, the Righteous One, I pray that this request be done in me; that Your love whrewith You loved Your own Son Jesus be in me, and He living in me, taking over my life to live His life in me, loving others through me.
O Father, so many years ago I gave my life to You, and You took over my life that same hour. You have done so much for me and in me and to me and even through me to bless others!
But I have, in so many ways, taken back parts and areas of my life to try to control them myself--I now release these faults, these sins, back to You again. Please take over my every thought, every desire, every dream, every motive, every goal, every purpose; that I may be all Yours, speak only Your words, do only Your actions, to accomplish Your purposes in my life, for Your glory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, August 13, 2018
A Cool Spirit
Proverbs 17: 27-28
He who restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is counted prudent.
This is good advice. Keeping our cool is the best way to go, as a hot-head talks his way into trouble.
If you don't know what to say, just keep quiet. This is something Peter had to learn: "not knowing what to say, he said..."(Luke 9:33).
O my Father, thank You for being with me, for putting Your guard on my mouth and tongue. I ask that You use what I have said to prick hearts, and show Yourself to those who don't know You yet.
Father, help me to continue to seek Your face and Your ways. Keep me humble, so that I may not be lifted up in pride in seeing what You do through me, in answer to my prayers. I know I am not someone who is great--You are great, my El Shaddai, God Almighty. I am but dust, a clay pot that You are shaping. Keep me maleable in Your hands.
Help me, Father, to say only Your words, in Your timing, to the people You have brought across my path. Keep me aware of my surroundings, and who is listening, so that You will be lifted up, not me.
Let others see what good works I am able to do in Your power, and give the credit, the praise to You. That You may be magnified, Your Name be exhalted, and Your Kingdom come.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
He who restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is counted prudent.
This is good advice. Keeping our cool is the best way to go, as a hot-head talks his way into trouble.
If you don't know what to say, just keep quiet. This is something Peter had to learn: "not knowing what to say, he said..."(Luke 9:33).
O my Father, thank You for being with me, for putting Your guard on my mouth and tongue. I ask that You use what I have said to prick hearts, and show Yourself to those who don't know You yet.
Father, help me to continue to seek Your face and Your ways. Keep me humble, so that I may not be lifted up in pride in seeing what You do through me, in answer to my prayers. I know I am not someone who is great--You are great, my El Shaddai, God Almighty. I am but dust, a clay pot that You are shaping. Keep me maleable in Your hands.
Help me, Father, to say only Your words, in Your timing, to the people You have brought across my path. Keep me aware of my surroundings, and who is listening, so that You will be lifted up, not me.
Let others see what good works I am able to do in Your power, and give the credit, the praise to You. That You may be magnified, Your Name be exhalted, and Your Kingdom come.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, August 12, 2018
All Men Will Know
John 13: 35
By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
Love is the embodiment of all of the Law: to love God and to love one another. It is the basis and foundation to all the laws in the Universe. God's love put order into the stars and contellations, into the solar systems and our own relationship on Earth to the Sun and Moon and other planets. All the Heavenly bodies love God by obeying the laws He gave for them.
And we are to display to the World His love for us by loving one another as He has loved us: unconditionally and responsibly.
O my Father, please, I pray, that You would continue to wake up Your church! Please wake us up to the sins we are denying, hiding from ourselves; that we may confess them and forsake them. Cleanse us, purify us, that we might love one another as You love us, forgiving one another and "washing one another's feet."
Let those who are not Yours depart from Your churches, and let us not fight and bicker and complain. Please teach us to love one another, as You have said, so that others will be able to see our love, and be drawn to You.
O Father, so often those who are of this World seem to display more love than Your own children! Please display the hidden things, make plain the obscure things, broadcast from the mountaintops what has been whispered in secret--let the Truth be known of who are Yours and who are not, that all people will see our love for one another and Your Truth will be made known; and all Your lost sheep will be found from every tribe, every nation, every tongue; and there will be one fold and one Shepherd!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
Love is the embodiment of all of the Law: to love God and to love one another. It is the basis and foundation to all the laws in the Universe. God's love put order into the stars and contellations, into the solar systems and our own relationship on Earth to the Sun and Moon and other planets. All the Heavenly bodies love God by obeying the laws He gave for them.
And we are to display to the World His love for us by loving one another as He has loved us: unconditionally and responsibly.
O my Father, please, I pray, that You would continue to wake up Your church! Please wake us up to the sins we are denying, hiding from ourselves; that we may confess them and forsake them. Cleanse us, purify us, that we might love one another as You love us, forgiving one another and "washing one another's feet."
Let those who are not Yours depart from Your churches, and let us not fight and bicker and complain. Please teach us to love one another, as You have said, so that others will be able to see our love, and be drawn to You.
O Father, so often those who are of this World seem to display more love than Your own children! Please display the hidden things, make plain the obscure things, broadcast from the mountaintops what has been whispered in secret--let the Truth be known of who are Yours and who are not, that all people will see our love for one another and Your Truth will be made known; and all Your lost sheep will be found from every tribe, every nation, every tongue; and there will be one fold and one Shepherd!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, August 11, 2018
Our Passions
Proverbs 14: 30
A tranquil heart is life to the body, but passion [envy, jealousy; runaway emotions] is rottenness to the bones [like bone cancer].
Our God is very passionate, jealous of His glory, because He alone is worthy of worship. And He has placed strong, passionate emotions in us, also.
Here we are cautioned to have control over our hearts, to not let our lives be run on emotions, but to temper them with reason and our knowledge of God.
O my Father, help me to recognize the emotions I am experiencing, to be able to name them and thereby have power over them. Help me to control my response to whatever I am feeling with discernment and discretion, with prudence and understanding.
Teach me to live my life in Your righteousness, and to promote Your righteousness in my family and in the society I live in.
May Your guard be on my mouth--my thoughts and attitudes--to see with Your eyes and hear with Your ears, and so speak only Your words; so that the sweet fragrance of Your Spirit would be upon me, that those I see and interact with would be drawn to You, not be impressed with me.
And may my life, every day of my life, be a journey along Your path for my feet, with my hand in Yours, conversing with You continually along the way, promoting Your Kingdom.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
A tranquil heart is life to the body, but passion [envy, jealousy; runaway emotions] is rottenness to the bones [like bone cancer].
Our God is very passionate, jealous of His glory, because He alone is worthy of worship. And He has placed strong, passionate emotions in us, also.
Here we are cautioned to have control over our hearts, to not let our lives be run on emotions, but to temper them with reason and our knowledge of God.
O my Father, help me to recognize the emotions I am experiencing, to be able to name them and thereby have power over them. Help me to control my response to whatever I am feeling with discernment and discretion, with prudence and understanding.
Teach me to live my life in Your righteousness, and to promote Your righteousness in my family and in the society I live in.
May Your guard be on my mouth--my thoughts and attitudes--to see with Your eyes and hear with Your ears, and so speak only Your words; so that the sweet fragrance of Your Spirit would be upon me, that those I see and interact with would be drawn to You, not be impressed with me.
And may my life, every day of my life, be a journey along Your path for my feet, with my hand in Yours, conversing with You continually along the way, promoting Your Kingdom.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, August 10, 2018
Equal Before The Law
Numbers 15: 14-16
Suppose foreigners are visiting you or living among you in future generations. If they bring an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to the Lord, they must do as you do.
There is one law for the whole assembly: for you and foreigners who are living with you. It is a permanent law for future generations. As far as the Lord is concerned, you and foreigners are the same.
The instructions and rules are the same for you as well as foreigners who are living with you.
God's intention from the very beginning was to bring to Himself people from all Nations, not just Israelites. God chose Israel to be the ones through whom His Law, His Word would be delivered to the rest of the World: "To the Jew first, and also to the gentile."
God established the order of authority, those who were responsible to teach and care for others: Moses and Aaron, then the Priesthood, then the Levites, the heads of the rest of the tribes of Israel, then the Nations of the World.
When Korah, with Dathan and Abiram and On and 250 leaders of the congregation tried to usurp the authority of the priests and Moses and Aaron, defying the order of authority that God had established, they paid with their lives--an example for the rest (Numbers 16:1-40).
O my Father, You are serious; You must be taken seriously. Those who disrespect You by taking You lightly and disregarding Your Word and ways will not escape judgment.
Yet You offer Redemption to all equally. "The ground is level at the foot of the Cross." We are all born into sin, and we all commit sins, so we all deserve death. That's why You sent Your Son, that's why Jesus came: to fulfill those Laws carved in stone and written on parchment--to take our death upon Himself for each one of us, so that He can give us His own life, the Holy Spirit, and be cleansed to live with You where You are, forever.
Thank You, Father, for Your Love and Your faithfulness and Your beauty. Thank You for Your compassion and mercy, as well as Your Justice and righteousness.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Suppose foreigners are visiting you or living among you in future generations. If they bring an offering by fire, a soothing aroma to the Lord, they must do as you do.
There is one law for the whole assembly: for you and foreigners who are living with you. It is a permanent law for future generations. As far as the Lord is concerned, you and foreigners are the same.
The instructions and rules are the same for you as well as foreigners who are living with you.
God's intention from the very beginning was to bring to Himself people from all Nations, not just Israelites. God chose Israel to be the ones through whom His Law, His Word would be delivered to the rest of the World: "To the Jew first, and also to the gentile."
God established the order of authority, those who were responsible to teach and care for others: Moses and Aaron, then the Priesthood, then the Levites, the heads of the rest of the tribes of Israel, then the Nations of the World.
When Korah, with Dathan and Abiram and On and 250 leaders of the congregation tried to usurp the authority of the priests and Moses and Aaron, defying the order of authority that God had established, they paid with their lives--an example for the rest (Numbers 16:1-40).
O my Father, You are serious; You must be taken seriously. Those who disrespect You by taking You lightly and disregarding Your Word and ways will not escape judgment.
Yet You offer Redemption to all equally. "The ground is level at the foot of the Cross." We are all born into sin, and we all commit sins, so we all deserve death. That's why You sent Your Son, that's why Jesus came: to fulfill those Laws carved in stone and written on parchment--to take our death upon Himself for each one of us, so that He can give us His own life, the Holy Spirit, and be cleansed to live with You where You are, forever.
Thank You, Father, for Your Love and Your faithfulness and Your beauty. Thank You for Your compassion and mercy, as well as Your Justice and righteousness.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, August 9, 2018
Daniel's Prayer
Daniel 9: 19
"O Lord hear! O Lord forgive! O Lord listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your Name."
This is the end of the long prayer Daniel offered when he was reading Jeremiah and realized that the 70 years he had predicted was at its end--it had been about 70 years since that was written.
His prayer covers this chapter from verse 3 to verse 19, and in it Daniel identifies himself with Israel 32 times. He approaches God on the basis of His loyal Love, in His covenant with Israel, confesses their sins, acknowledges their deserved judgment, and askes God for mercy.
Not because of any merits on our part, but simply based on His great compassion.
And he asks God to defend His own reputation, that has been maligned all these 70 years.
God will always defend His reputation. Every prayer in Scripture that asks God to defend His own reputation has been answered abundantly and in a timely manner.
God wants us to know Him, to know the Truth about Him, not our own ideas. When His people don't live the way He wants us to, for our own good, then His enemy tells the World lies about God, and maligns His reputation, to draw people away from Him.
O my Father, I pray that You would strengthen me to closely follow You in the path You've set my feet on. Help me, Father, to understand Your ways, and to display Your character in my life. Let my attitudes and words draw people to You, not me. And may Your Name be lifted up and magnified.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
"O Lord hear! O Lord forgive! O Lord listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your Name."
This is the end of the long prayer Daniel offered when he was reading Jeremiah and realized that the 70 years he had predicted was at its end--it had been about 70 years since that was written.
His prayer covers this chapter from verse 3 to verse 19, and in it Daniel identifies himself with Israel 32 times. He approaches God on the basis of His loyal Love, in His covenant with Israel, confesses their sins, acknowledges their deserved judgment, and askes God for mercy.
Not because of any merits on our part, but simply based on His great compassion.
And he asks God to defend His own reputation, that has been maligned all these 70 years.
God will always defend His reputation. Every prayer in Scripture that asks God to defend His own reputation has been answered abundantly and in a timely manner.
God wants us to know Him, to know the Truth about Him, not our own ideas. When His people don't live the way He wants us to, for our own good, then His enemy tells the World lies about God, and maligns His reputation, to draw people away from Him.
O my Father, I pray that You would strengthen me to closely follow You in the path You've set my feet on. Help me, Father, to understand Your ways, and to display Your character in my life. Let my attitudes and words draw people to You, not me. And may Your Name be lifted up and magnified.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
King Cyrus
Isaiah 44: 28 to 45: 1-6, 15
He says of Cyrus, "He is My shepherd. He will do everything I want him to do:" he says about Jerusalem, "It shall be rebuilt," and he says about the Temple, "Your foundation will be laid."
This is what the Lord says about Cyrus, His annointed one:
"I have held him by his right hand so he could conquer the nations ahead of him, strip kings of their power, and open doors ahead of him so that the gates would not be shut.
"I will go ahead of you, Cyrus, and smooth out the rough places. I will break down the bronze doors and cut through the iron bars. I will give you treasures from dark places and hidden stockpiles.
"Then you will know that I, the Lord God of Israel, have called you by name.
"For the sake of My servant Jacob, Israel, My chosen one, I have called you by name. I have given you a title of honor, although you don't know Me.
"I am the Lord, and there is no other. There is no other god besides Me. I will strengthen you, although you don't know Me.
"So that from the East to the West people will know that there is no god except Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other."
"I prepared Cyrus for My righteous purpose. I will make all his roads straight. He will build My city and let My exiles go free without any payment or any reward," says the Lord of Armies.
It is amazing that God would tell Isaiah to write about this king by name. Isaiah lived and wrote from 740 to 680 B.C., and Ezra and Nehemiah, who recorded the fulfillment of this prophecy, wrote from 456 to 425 B.C.; so Isaiah wrote about Cyrus about 200 years before he was born.
This is proof that God is God, and He moves Nations and kingdoms to do His will in fulfilling His Plan of the Ages; even kings and leaders of Nations who don't even recognize Him as the only Supreme God of the Universe! He sets up and puts down, and He causes these people to do what He planned out ahead of time, even when they think it's all their own idea.
And Cyrus did all these things, and succeeded just as God said He would.
God has not changed, or changed His tactics. He knows all things (He is omniscient) because He designed all of Creation and planned out the whole progression of Time from before the beginning to after the end. And He's laid it all out for us in the 66 books of the Bible, the written Word of God.
We think we're having all our own ideas and thoughts, and making all our own decisions and choices freely. And we do have choices. And we do make our decisions freely. Within His parameters. We are free to choose what we want to do, but we are not free to choose what consequences will result from our decisions.
We can choose to do what is according to His plan for others' benefit--or if we choose not to expose ourselves to what we think will be detrimental to ourselves, God will use someone else who chooses His way to benefit the others He wanted to bless. (See Esther 4:14.)
And He still has all the Nations' leaders--all the kings and prime ministers and presidents and dictators and sheiks--in His hand, and He directs them in whatever role He puts them in. He knows who will do good, and He knows who has rejected Him and will do evil against their people.
He is setting up the World system even now, to be prepared and ready for when Jesus returns. All according to how He has told us, in His Word. Everything He has said will happen, will happen. And everyone He calls to Salvation will hear and respond, until all His sheep will be gathered into one fold, as He said (John 10:16). Then the end will come (Matthew 24:14).
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
He says of Cyrus, "He is My shepherd. He will do everything I want him to do:" he says about Jerusalem, "It shall be rebuilt," and he says about the Temple, "Your foundation will be laid."
This is what the Lord says about Cyrus, His annointed one:
"I have held him by his right hand so he could conquer the nations ahead of him, strip kings of their power, and open doors ahead of him so that the gates would not be shut.
"I will go ahead of you, Cyrus, and smooth out the rough places. I will break down the bronze doors and cut through the iron bars. I will give you treasures from dark places and hidden stockpiles.
"Then you will know that I, the Lord God of Israel, have called you by name.
"For the sake of My servant Jacob, Israel, My chosen one, I have called you by name. I have given you a title of honor, although you don't know Me.
"I am the Lord, and there is no other. There is no other god besides Me. I will strengthen you, although you don't know Me.
"So that from the East to the West people will know that there is no god except Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other."
"I prepared Cyrus for My righteous purpose. I will make all his roads straight. He will build My city and let My exiles go free without any payment or any reward," says the Lord of Armies.
It is amazing that God would tell Isaiah to write about this king by name. Isaiah lived and wrote from 740 to 680 B.C., and Ezra and Nehemiah, who recorded the fulfillment of this prophecy, wrote from 456 to 425 B.C.; so Isaiah wrote about Cyrus about 200 years before he was born.
This is proof that God is God, and He moves Nations and kingdoms to do His will in fulfilling His Plan of the Ages; even kings and leaders of Nations who don't even recognize Him as the only Supreme God of the Universe! He sets up and puts down, and He causes these people to do what He planned out ahead of time, even when they think it's all their own idea.
And Cyrus did all these things, and succeeded just as God said He would.
God has not changed, or changed His tactics. He knows all things (He is omniscient) because He designed all of Creation and planned out the whole progression of Time from before the beginning to after the end. And He's laid it all out for us in the 66 books of the Bible, the written Word of God.
We think we're having all our own ideas and thoughts, and making all our own decisions and choices freely. And we do have choices. And we do make our decisions freely. Within His parameters. We are free to choose what we want to do, but we are not free to choose what consequences will result from our decisions.
We can choose to do what is according to His plan for others' benefit--or if we choose not to expose ourselves to what we think will be detrimental to ourselves, God will use someone else who chooses His way to benefit the others He wanted to bless. (See Esther 4:14.)
And He still has all the Nations' leaders--all the kings and prime ministers and presidents and dictators and sheiks--in His hand, and He directs them in whatever role He puts them in. He knows who will do good, and He knows who has rejected Him and will do evil against their people.
He is setting up the World system even now, to be prepared and ready for when Jesus returns. All according to how He has told us, in His Word. Everything He has said will happen, will happen. And everyone He calls to Salvation will hear and respond, until all His sheep will be gathered into one fold, as He said (John 10:16). Then the end will come (Matthew 24:14).
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Focus
Nehemiah 6: 1-9, 15
When they had rebuilt the whole wall except for the gates, Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of their enemies tried to lure Nehemiah out to kill him, but he didn't fall for it.
Then they made up some hog wash about them rebelling and making Nehemiah their king, but he replied, exposing their slander.
And they finished the whole wall in only 52 days!
In spite of all the problems and delays and attacks, they were totally focused on the work, and they got it done in record time!
God was with them. And He is also with me. I need to focus.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
When they had rebuilt the whole wall except for the gates, Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of their enemies tried to lure Nehemiah out to kill him, but he didn't fall for it.
Then they made up some hog wash about them rebelling and making Nehemiah their king, but he replied, exposing their slander.
And they finished the whole wall in only 52 days!
In spite of all the problems and delays and attacks, they were totally focused on the work, and they got it done in record time!
God was with them. And He is also with me. I need to focus.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, August 6, 2018
The Lions' Den
Daniel 5: 31- 6: 28
Darius the Mede took over the kingdom in Babylon at the age of 62.
So now Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar are both gone, and a new king arises in this ancient land where the Jews are in exile.
Darius decided it would be good to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom.
This is a smart move, as one man wouldn't be able to manage this extensive realm by himself.
Over these satraps were three officials. Daniel was one of these officials. The satraps were to report to these three officials so that the king wouldn't be cheated.
These must have been three men who were either well-known to Darius or had impeccably high recommendation and reputation. It was up to them to make sure that these 120 governors were honest.
This man, Daniel, distinguished himself among the other officials and satraps because there was an extraordinary spirit in him. The king thought about putting him in charge of the whole kingdom.
Daniel had lived his entire adult life in this foreign land, and had served in the government virtually all that time, until he was retired after Nebuchadnezzar's reign, then was called upon again on Belshazzar's last night. Now this new king has recognized Daniel's integrity and skills, and is considering him for promotion.
So the other officials and satraps tried to find something to accuse Daniel of in his duties for the kingdom. But they couldn't find anything wrong because he was trustworthy. No error or fault could be found.
These other guys were envious of Daniel, and wanted to get rid of him to promote themselves. But he was honestly and meticulously doing everything he was supposed to be doing, and they couldn't find anything to accuse him of.
These men said, "We won't find anything to accuse this man, Daniel, unless we find it in his religious practices."
They knew that he worshiped only God, not any of the idols everyone else honored.
So these officials and satraps went to the king as a group. They said to him, "May King Darius live forever! All the officials, governors, satraps, advisors, and mayors agree that the king should make a statute and enforce a decree. The decree should state that for the next 30 days whoever asks for anything from any god or person except you, your Majesty, will be thrown into a lions' den. Your Majesty, issue this decree, and sign it. According to the law of the Medes and Persians no one could change it or repeal it."
So Darius signed the written decree.
This is honoring King Darius as a god, appealing to his ego.
When Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went to his house. An upper room in his house had windows that opened in the direction of Jerusalem. Three times each day he got down on his knees and prayed to his God. He had always praised God this way.
This was his usual custom. He didn't change his daily routine even knowing about this new law.
One of those times the men came in as a group and found Daniel praying and pleading to his God.
They were stalking him, to catch him at prayer.
Then they went and spoke to the king about his decree.
Didn't you? ...
Yes, I did. ...
Well, this Daniel ... Na na na na na nah!
"Your Majesty, Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, refuses to obey your order or the decree that you signed. He prays three times each day."
Ha! We got you now, you Jew!
The king was very displeased when he heard this. He tried every way he could think of to save Daniel. Until sundown he did everything he could to rescue him.
Then Daniel's accusers gathered in front of the king. They said to him, "Remember, your Majesty, the Medes and Persians have a law that no decree or statute the king makes can be changed."
They were forcing his hand.
So the king gave the order, and Daniel was brought to him and thrown into the lions' den. The king told Daniel, "May your God, Whom you always worship, save you!"
Darius is recognizing that Daniel's trust in his God is real, but isn't really showing that Darius is trusting in God.
They closed the opening of the den with a stone, and sealed it with the king's ring, so he wouldn't be able to get out.
Then the king went to his palace and spent the night without any food or company, and he couldn't sleep, either. At the first light of dawn, the king got up quickly and went to the lions' den. As soon as he came near it, he called to Daniel with anguish in his voice, "Daniel, servant of the living God, was God Whom you always worship, able to save you from the lions?"
Daniel said to the king, "Your Majesty, may you live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths so that they couldn't hurt me. He did this because He considered me innocent. Your Majesty, I haven't committed any crime."
The king was overjoyed and had Daniel taken out of the den. When Daniel came out of the den, everyone saw that he was completely unharmed because he trusted his God.
The king ordered those men who brought charges against Daniel to be brought to him, and they suffered the fate they wished upon Daniel, and the lions ate them.
The king sure didn't appreciate these guys tricking him like that.
Then King Darius wrote to the people of every province, nation, and language all over the world:
"I wish you peace and prosperity.
I decree that in every part of my kingdom people should tremble with terror in front of Daniel's God, the living God Who continues forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed. His power lasts to the end of time. He saves, rescues, and does miraculous signs and amazing things in Heaven and on Earth. He saved Daniel from the lions."
This man, Daniel, prospered during the reign of Darius the Mede and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
So Daniel, even in his old age, continued to serve the different kings as they came and went, and was never fired or forced to resign as the administrations changed hands.
Daniel obviously got along well in this foreign society by obeying all the laws there, even helping to administer these alien ideas, but he never betrayed his trust in God. This takes wisdom and discretion.
And his witness and trust in God showed this whole succession of kings Who God is, and they all had opportunity to believe Him and trust Him, too.
This story also shows us the valid basis for civil disobedience. Only when the civil law forbids what God commands us to do, or decrees that we do what God forbids, can we ligitimately disobey, but we must do it with respect and humility. Only then will God take care of whatever consequences follow.
O Father, Lead me wherever You would have me go, and teach me Your ways, that I will be able to have wisdom and discretion to get along in other cultures with respect and humility. And may my life and my testimony also show others Who You are, as Daniel did so long ago.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Darius the Mede took over the kingdom in Babylon at the age of 62.
So now Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar are both gone, and a new king arises in this ancient land where the Jews are in exile.
Darius decided it would be good to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom.
This is a smart move, as one man wouldn't be able to manage this extensive realm by himself.
Over these satraps were three officials. Daniel was one of these officials. The satraps were to report to these three officials so that the king wouldn't be cheated.
These must have been three men who were either well-known to Darius or had impeccably high recommendation and reputation. It was up to them to make sure that these 120 governors were honest.
This man, Daniel, distinguished himself among the other officials and satraps because there was an extraordinary spirit in him. The king thought about putting him in charge of the whole kingdom.
Daniel had lived his entire adult life in this foreign land, and had served in the government virtually all that time, until he was retired after Nebuchadnezzar's reign, then was called upon again on Belshazzar's last night. Now this new king has recognized Daniel's integrity and skills, and is considering him for promotion.
So the other officials and satraps tried to find something to accuse Daniel of in his duties for the kingdom. But they couldn't find anything wrong because he was trustworthy. No error or fault could be found.
These other guys were envious of Daniel, and wanted to get rid of him to promote themselves. But he was honestly and meticulously doing everything he was supposed to be doing, and they couldn't find anything to accuse him of.
These men said, "We won't find anything to accuse this man, Daniel, unless we find it in his religious practices."
They knew that he worshiped only God, not any of the idols everyone else honored.
So these officials and satraps went to the king as a group. They said to him, "May King Darius live forever! All the officials, governors, satraps, advisors, and mayors agree that the king should make a statute and enforce a decree. The decree should state that for the next 30 days whoever asks for anything from any god or person except you, your Majesty, will be thrown into a lions' den. Your Majesty, issue this decree, and sign it. According to the law of the Medes and Persians no one could change it or repeal it."
So Darius signed the written decree.
This is honoring King Darius as a god, appealing to his ego.
When Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went to his house. An upper room in his house had windows that opened in the direction of Jerusalem. Three times each day he got down on his knees and prayed to his God. He had always praised God this way.
This was his usual custom. He didn't change his daily routine even knowing about this new law.
One of those times the men came in as a group and found Daniel praying and pleading to his God.
They were stalking him, to catch him at prayer.
Then they went and spoke to the king about his decree.
Didn't you? ...
Yes, I did. ...
Well, this Daniel ... Na na na na na nah!
"Your Majesty, Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, refuses to obey your order or the decree that you signed. He prays three times each day."
Ha! We got you now, you Jew!
The king was very displeased when he heard this. He tried every way he could think of to save Daniel. Until sundown he did everything he could to rescue him.
Then Daniel's accusers gathered in front of the king. They said to him, "Remember, your Majesty, the Medes and Persians have a law that no decree or statute the king makes can be changed."
They were forcing his hand.
So the king gave the order, and Daniel was brought to him and thrown into the lions' den. The king told Daniel, "May your God, Whom you always worship, save you!"
Darius is recognizing that Daniel's trust in his God is real, but isn't really showing that Darius is trusting in God.
They closed the opening of the den with a stone, and sealed it with the king's ring, so he wouldn't be able to get out.
Then the king went to his palace and spent the night without any food or company, and he couldn't sleep, either. At the first light of dawn, the king got up quickly and went to the lions' den. As soon as he came near it, he called to Daniel with anguish in his voice, "Daniel, servant of the living God, was God Whom you always worship, able to save you from the lions?"
Daniel said to the king, "Your Majesty, may you live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths so that they couldn't hurt me. He did this because He considered me innocent. Your Majesty, I haven't committed any crime."
The king was overjoyed and had Daniel taken out of the den. When Daniel came out of the den, everyone saw that he was completely unharmed because he trusted his God.
The king ordered those men who brought charges against Daniel to be brought to him, and they suffered the fate they wished upon Daniel, and the lions ate them.
The king sure didn't appreciate these guys tricking him like that.
Then King Darius wrote to the people of every province, nation, and language all over the world:
"I wish you peace and prosperity.
I decree that in every part of my kingdom people should tremble with terror in front of Daniel's God, the living God Who continues forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed. His power lasts to the end of time. He saves, rescues, and does miraculous signs and amazing things in Heaven and on Earth. He saved Daniel from the lions."
This man, Daniel, prospered during the reign of Darius the Mede and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
So Daniel, even in his old age, continued to serve the different kings as they came and went, and was never fired or forced to resign as the administrations changed hands.
Daniel obviously got along well in this foreign society by obeying all the laws there, even helping to administer these alien ideas, but he never betrayed his trust in God. This takes wisdom and discretion.
And his witness and trust in God showed this whole succession of kings Who God is, and they all had opportunity to believe Him and trust Him, too.
This story also shows us the valid basis for civil disobedience. Only when the civil law forbids what God commands us to do, or decrees that we do what God forbids, can we ligitimately disobey, but we must do it with respect and humility. Only then will God take care of whatever consequences follow.
O Father, Lead me wherever You would have me go, and teach me Your ways, that I will be able to have wisdom and discretion to get along in other cultures with respect and humility. And may my life and my testimony also show others Who You are, as Daniel did so long ago.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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