Proverbs 16:1
The plans of the heart belong to Man, but the anwer of the tongue is from the Lord.
I am reminded of when my daughter had recently given birth to her second daughter, just a year after her first, and she told me that she had her older child in daycare even though she was not working.
I was driving to her house in a very negative frame of mind, critical of her putting her tiny toddler into daycare at such an impressionable age when she was home all day. So I prayed and asked the Lord to be with my mouth to not speak harshly to her.
When I got there, as we were conversing, I heard myself saying, "It's good that you're able to put {your older daughter} in daycare so that you can have one-on-one bonding with {your new baby}." I surprised myself with that sentiment. Obviously my Father took control of my words that day!
God really does answer our prayers in practical ways when we ask and expect Him to. And since He is concerned for even small things like this, then I know I can trust Him to answer my bigger and even impossible requests.
O my Father, thank You so much that You are God! You have all power to do everything You decide to do, no matter what it would take. You made everything that exists with just a Word! We are Your imagination--whatever you think about is our reality.
You can change my words to reflect a different heart attitude, and by that my heart attitude can be changed to what You had my words express. I don't know how You did that, but I am maleable in Your hand, my Lord; shape me, mold me, do with me whatever You choose, to make me into Your masterpiece.
And You will receive all the credit, all the honor, all the glory for everything You are doing to me, and in me, and through me to others. And I will praise Your Name forever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, March 17, 2018
Friday, March 16, 2018
So That All The Peoples
I Kings 8: 41-43, 60
Solomon's dedication prayer for the First Temple:
Concerning the foreigner who, comes and prays toward this House, to answer his prayer, in order that all the peoples of the Earth may know Thy Name, to fear Thee, as do Thy people Israel ...
So that all the peoples of the Earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no one else.
God's intent in choosing one Nation out of the Nations of the World to give them His Law and build Him a Temple was to draw all the Nations, all the peoples of the Earth to recognize Him as our Lord God, alone over the whole of Creation.
His purpose has always been to call to Himself people from every tribe, every family, every Nation, every language, so that there would eventually be only one flock with one Shepherd (John 10:16).
O my Father, Thank You for telling us all the stories of Your people's lives. Thank You that You have shown us both their good decisions and the beneficial results; and the foolish, disobedient choices they made, and the consequences of them, too. So we could learn how to do well, taking their experiences as our own, and realizing the outcomes in our own lives.
Father, help me to follow Your ways. Show me how to take to heart all of these ancient peoples' lives, and to learn from their mistakes and good choices. Grant me discernment to understand the good and evil, the right and the wrong. Give me Your words to tell and explain to others the practical lessons You are teaching me.
And use these words to draw many to Yourself, Lord Jesus, through Your obedience to Your Father and our Father, to be that Sacrifice offered once for all, and individually for each of us for Salvation.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Solomon's dedication prayer for the First Temple:
Concerning the foreigner who, comes and prays toward this House, to answer his prayer, in order that all the peoples of the Earth may know Thy Name, to fear Thee, as do Thy people Israel ...
So that all the peoples of the Earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no one else.
God's intent in choosing one Nation out of the Nations of the World to give them His Law and build Him a Temple was to draw all the Nations, all the peoples of the Earth to recognize Him as our Lord God, alone over the whole of Creation.
His purpose has always been to call to Himself people from every tribe, every family, every Nation, every language, so that there would eventually be only one flock with one Shepherd (John 10:16).
O my Father, Thank You for telling us all the stories of Your people's lives. Thank You that You have shown us both their good decisions and the beneficial results; and the foolish, disobedient choices they made, and the consequences of them, too. So we could learn how to do well, taking their experiences as our own, and realizing the outcomes in our own lives.
Father, help me to follow Your ways. Show me how to take to heart all of these ancient peoples' lives, and to learn from their mistakes and good choices. Grant me discernment to understand the good and evil, the right and the wrong. Give me Your words to tell and explain to others the practical lessons You are teaching me.
And use these words to draw many to Yourself, Lord Jesus, through Your obedience to Your Father and our Father, to be that Sacrifice offered once for all, and individually for each of us for Salvation.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, March 15, 2018
To Discern
I Kings 3: 3, 5 & 9
God is so generous! He offered Solomon a blank check: Ask what you wish me to give you (v. 5).
Since Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David (v. 3), he was concerned for his being able to govern this great people. So he asked for an understanding heart to judge Thy people to discern between good and evil (v. 9).
This pleased God, that his focus was on the people, rather than on himself and his own welfare. So God gave him unrivaled wisdom, and it resulted in great riches and honor and peace.
O my Father, I realize that financial wealth, an upstanding reputation and popularity, and heartfelt peace and happiness all are results, consequences of knowing You and following Your ways: how You determined this World to operate and function. When we listen to You and obey Your rules and regulations, realizing that this is how we love one another, then Your blessings of this World will flow into our lives.
And when we love You, in response to how You have loved us, then You will draw us to Yourself, teaching us Who You are, to the extent of our brain power to understand. And when we continue to seek You, then You extend and expand our capacity to know You in that personal, passionate, and intimate way You love us.
Father, thank You for showing us David's and Solomon's lives in order to teach us how they followed You, and the results that come of following Your ways. And also the consequences of not following Your laws, transgressing Your Law.
Help me, Father, to always consider You and Your ways, and Your love for me, in every decision, every choice I make every moment of every day. Help me to "practice the presence of God," as Brother Andrew learned.
And keep me in Your precious Hand, wrapped in Your warm embrace, Daddy, until You send Your Son, my Lord Jesus, to return to this broken World.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
God is so generous! He offered Solomon a blank check: Ask what you wish me to give you (v. 5).
Since Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David (v. 3), he was concerned for his being able to govern this great people. So he asked for an understanding heart to judge Thy people to discern between good and evil (v. 9).
This pleased God, that his focus was on the people, rather than on himself and his own welfare. So God gave him unrivaled wisdom, and it resulted in great riches and honor and peace.
O my Father, I realize that financial wealth, an upstanding reputation and popularity, and heartfelt peace and happiness all are results, consequences of knowing You and following Your ways: how You determined this World to operate and function. When we listen to You and obey Your rules and regulations, realizing that this is how we love one another, then Your blessings of this World will flow into our lives.
And when we love You, in response to how You have loved us, then You will draw us to Yourself, teaching us Who You are, to the extent of our brain power to understand. And when we continue to seek You, then You extend and expand our capacity to know You in that personal, passionate, and intimate way You love us.
Father, thank You for showing us David's and Solomon's lives in order to teach us how they followed You, and the results that come of following Your ways. And also the consequences of not following Your laws, transgressing Your Law.
Help me, Father, to always consider You and Your ways, and Your love for me, in every decision, every choice I make every moment of every day. Help me to "practice the presence of God," as Brother Andrew learned.
And keep me in Your precious Hand, wrapped in Your warm embrace, Daddy, until You send Your Son, my Lord Jesus, to return to this broken World.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
A Man Of Peace
I Kings 2
This chapter recounts how Solomon made his rule secure, after all the intrigue and controversy surrounding who would be David's successor.
Solomon dealt wisely with these people, and gave them every chance he could to make right the wrongs they had done.
His executioner was a military man, who he made his General over his army. So Solomon never killed any other man, there was no blood on his hands personally.
All he did was to ensure that justice had been done against these rebellious and scheming adversaries.
David had wanted to build God a magnificent Temple, instead of the tent of the Tabernacle, and God was pleased with his desire to honor Him this way.
But David was a man of war, who had killed many in battle, and God determined that a man of peace would build His Temple. Solomon was this man of peace.
O my Father, You are so good. You have planned out all our days, before even one of them has come to pass. You knew that Solomon would do this in Your honor, and You told David so before it came to pass.
O Father, I realize that everything that happens in this World always comes only to pass away, for the new to replace. Whether that means generations of people, or epochs of climate. But through it all, You are in control; and the Sun, Moon, and Stars, and the seasons and day and night will not cease until You have determined the end of Time as we know it on this Earth.
In the meantime, while we are here now, help us, Father, to seek Your face, to learn Your ways, and to love You and one another, as You have designed it all to work. Teach us how You want us to "occupy" until Jesus' Return.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
This chapter recounts how Solomon made his rule secure, after all the intrigue and controversy surrounding who would be David's successor.
Solomon dealt wisely with these people, and gave them every chance he could to make right the wrongs they had done.
His executioner was a military man, who he made his General over his army. So Solomon never killed any other man, there was no blood on his hands personally.
All he did was to ensure that justice had been done against these rebellious and scheming adversaries.
David had wanted to build God a magnificent Temple, instead of the tent of the Tabernacle, and God was pleased with his desire to honor Him this way.
But David was a man of war, who had killed many in battle, and God determined that a man of peace would build His Temple. Solomon was this man of peace.
O my Father, You are so good. You have planned out all our days, before even one of them has come to pass. You knew that Solomon would do this in Your honor, and You told David so before it came to pass.
O Father, I realize that everything that happens in this World always comes only to pass away, for the new to replace. Whether that means generations of people, or epochs of climate. But through it all, You are in control; and the Sun, Moon, and Stars, and the seasons and day and night will not cease until You have determined the end of Time as we know it on this Earth.
In the meantime, while we are here now, help us, Father, to seek Your face, to learn Your ways, and to love You and one another, as You have designed it all to work. Teach us how You want us to "occupy" until Jesus' Return.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Praise The Lord!
Psalm 149: 3
Let them praise His Name with dancing.
150: 4
Praise Him with timbrel and dancing.
Psalms 148-150 are songs of praise to God for all He has made, in all ways to express this homage.
The dancing they performed before the Lord was not what our society considers as dancing; not a romantic coming together of two people in a sensuous movement of embrace. No, it was the leaping and turning in joy for all the Lord is, what He has made, and all He has done.
We are to give praise to God in every manner we can find: with every instrument, from every created realm, with every faculty of humanity.
He deserves it all, and more, forever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Let them praise His Name with dancing.
150: 4
Praise Him with timbrel and dancing.
Psalms 148-150 are songs of praise to God for all He has made, in all ways to express this homage.
The dancing they performed before the Lord was not what our society considers as dancing; not a romantic coming together of two people in a sensuous movement of embrace. No, it was the leaping and turning in joy for all the Lord is, what He has made, and all He has done.
We are to give praise to God in every manner we can find: with every instrument, from every created realm, with every faculty of humanity.
He deserves it all, and more, forever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, March 12, 2018
Understanding Is Life
Psalm 119: 144, 160
Thy testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live.
God's rules govern all living and other things. Today we call some of them the Natural Laws, that govern how living things and elements interact and function.
The better I understand how all this works together, the healthier I can be and the better I can get along in my relationships.
And the closer I can align my attitudes and thinking processes with my Father's ways, then the closer fellowship I can experience with Him, too.
By His testimonies I can live.
The sum of Thy Word is Truth, and every one of Thy righteous ordinances is everlasting.
All truth is God's Truth. Whatever people believe that is not according to God's Word is a deceptive lie. God is true and His Truth will last forever, because He is eternal.
Psalm 139: 23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.
This familiar verse is one I have prayed for many years.
Now I am seeing it new, and it confirms that whatever is contrary to God's ways, anything that does not please Him (sin), is also hurtful, damaging to me. Damaging to my health, my relationships with others, and with my fellowship with God my Father. His ways are my life, in every sense.
O my Father, You are good, everything You do is good. Everything You think, everything You plan, everything You do all comes from Love. You are Love, and Your Love put the order into this Universe. Your Love runs all the machinery of how the stars and planets relate to one another. Your Love designed this Earth for us, and placed us here to manage it. Your Love chose one family to receive Your Law, the Instructions for living. You intended for this family to show the rest of the World how good You are, how much You love us all, so that they can also know You and follow Your ways.
Your Love sent Your own Son, the Lord God of the Old Testament, to fulfill the letter of all the Law You gave Moses at Sinai, and His death fulfilled all the sacrificial laws. Now the prophesies of Your putting Your Law in our hearts are fulfilled, with Your Holy Spirit in each of our spirits, giving us spiritual Life, and teaching us how to Love, the foundation and basis of all Your Law. How to love ourselves, how to love one another, and how to love You back.
Thank You, Father, for Your Love! You are Wonderful, and the impossible for me is Your reality for me. Thank You for doing everything possible to draw us to Yourself, to meet all our needs, to bless us and to teach us and to bring us to Yourself. Thank You for wanting me to spend Eternity with You where You are.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thy testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live.
God's rules govern all living and other things. Today we call some of them the Natural Laws, that govern how living things and elements interact and function.
The better I understand how all this works together, the healthier I can be and the better I can get along in my relationships.
And the closer I can align my attitudes and thinking processes with my Father's ways, then the closer fellowship I can experience with Him, too.
By His testimonies I can live.
The sum of Thy Word is Truth, and every one of Thy righteous ordinances is everlasting.
All truth is God's Truth. Whatever people believe that is not according to God's Word is a deceptive lie. God is true and His Truth will last forever, because He is eternal.
Psalm 139: 23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.
This familiar verse is one I have prayed for many years.
Now I am seeing it new, and it confirms that whatever is contrary to God's ways, anything that does not please Him (sin), is also hurtful, damaging to me. Damaging to my health, my relationships with others, and with my fellowship with God my Father. His ways are my life, in every sense.
O my Father, You are good, everything You do is good. Everything You think, everything You plan, everything You do all comes from Love. You are Love, and Your Love put the order into this Universe. Your Love runs all the machinery of how the stars and planets relate to one another. Your Love designed this Earth for us, and placed us here to manage it. Your Love chose one family to receive Your Law, the Instructions for living. You intended for this family to show the rest of the World how good You are, how much You love us all, so that they can also know You and follow Your ways.
Your Love sent Your own Son, the Lord God of the Old Testament, to fulfill the letter of all the Law You gave Moses at Sinai, and His death fulfilled all the sacrificial laws. Now the prophesies of Your putting Your Law in our hearts are fulfilled, with Your Holy Spirit in each of our spirits, giving us spiritual Life, and teaching us how to Love, the foundation and basis of all Your Law. How to love ourselves, how to love one another, and how to love You back.
Thank You, Father, for Your Love! You are Wonderful, and the impossible for me is Your reality for me. Thank You for doing everything possible to draw us to Yourself, to meet all our needs, to bless us and to teach us and to bring us to Yourself. Thank You for wanting me to spend Eternity with You where You are.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, March 11, 2018
Ask, Seek, Knock
Psalm 119: 7-11
Aleph: ...
I shall give thanks to Thee with uprightness of heart, When I learn Thy righteous judgments.
I shall keep Thy statutes; do not forsake me utterly!
Beth:
How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word.
With all my heart I have sought Thee; Do not let me wander from Thy commandments.
Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee.
Psalm 119 is all about how God blesses the one who pays attention to His rules, learns them, and lives his life according to them, thinking through every choice and decision in the light of what God has said about it.
This writer realizes how beneficial it is to value God's instructions, and follow them meticulously. God has shown us in His Word everything we need to know to see how what we say and do can coordinate with how He designed things to work. When we follow the Manufacturer's Instructions to run this World, then the Earth will respond with a favorable outcome. This is how God blesses those who obey His commandments.
When we study the whole Bible, then we can see how all 66 books tell one continuous story: the story of how God made us and provided for us and met all our needs. How He showed His people how to cooperate with Him, and what His Son will accomplish, which He did, and the wonderful future He has planned for those who are His own.
When God brought His people to the land He promised to give to Abraham, He made sure that they would know how to live there to gain the greatest benefit He wanted to give them; then other Nations would see how blessed they were and come to worship God, too, instead of their idols.
But the book of Judges shows us how whenever they did obey and were blessed, they started to congratulate themselves and forget God; then others took advantage of them and took all their benefits; then they would cry out to the Lord and He would rescue them, and they would be blessed again. Over and over we see this pattern repeated, because this is how our human nature responds.
When Satan confronted Eve, he convinced her that if she ate from that particular tree, then she wouldn't need God any more, she could make her own decisions and not bother Him.
Satan is still telling Mankind the same lie. If we just put forth the effort, and use our own intelligence, we can have anything we want without submitting to God and His rules. But the methods the World has found to gain benefits are God's rules, that's why they work.
We are to ask, to seek and to knock (Matthew 7:7-8, Luke 11:9-10). When we know what God wants to give us, and we ask Him, believing that He hears us and answers us, then our faith has brought about the good result we wanted and He gets the glory (see Matthew 9:22, 29: 17:20: 21:21: Mark 5:34: 10:32: Luke 5:30: 7:50: 8:48: 17:6, 19: 18:42).
Satan has taught the World this faith principle, but subtracted God out of it, and tells people to "ask the Universe." Then they can boast of their own abilities to gain the wealth they want: they rob God of the credit and glory He deserves.
But what profit will anyone gain to have an abundance in these few days of life on this Earth, but lose out on the forever eternity God wants us to have with Him? But if someone doesn't want to be with God, then He won't force them. He has given us a will that is free to choose or reject Him and His ways.
The writer of this Psalm understands the value and worth of studying and knowing the rules and instructions of Life, and following them, obeying God in his very thoughts and attitudes and words. And he knows that God will not forsake him, because He will answer. He knows that he can live his life in integrity and purity by following His statutes. And then he will guard against wandering away from that righteous path and missing the mark.
O my Father, help me to know what You want for me and ask You for it; to seek, to look for the ways to understand how to obtain what I'm asking You for; and to knock, to do what needs to be done, as Your hands and feet in this World, promoting Your Kingdom. Then I know that You will answer me, You will show me what to do and where to go, and You will enable me by giving me the strength to accomplish the dream You have given me to fulfill.
And I will give You all the credit, all the glory for what You are doing in and to and through me.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Aleph: ...
I shall give thanks to Thee with uprightness of heart, When I learn Thy righteous judgments.
I shall keep Thy statutes; do not forsake me utterly!
Beth:
How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word.
With all my heart I have sought Thee; Do not let me wander from Thy commandments.
Thy word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee.
Psalm 119 is all about how God blesses the one who pays attention to His rules, learns them, and lives his life according to them, thinking through every choice and decision in the light of what God has said about it.
This writer realizes how beneficial it is to value God's instructions, and follow them meticulously. God has shown us in His Word everything we need to know to see how what we say and do can coordinate with how He designed things to work. When we follow the Manufacturer's Instructions to run this World, then the Earth will respond with a favorable outcome. This is how God blesses those who obey His commandments.
When we study the whole Bible, then we can see how all 66 books tell one continuous story: the story of how God made us and provided for us and met all our needs. How He showed His people how to cooperate with Him, and what His Son will accomplish, which He did, and the wonderful future He has planned for those who are His own.
When God brought His people to the land He promised to give to Abraham, He made sure that they would know how to live there to gain the greatest benefit He wanted to give them; then other Nations would see how blessed they were and come to worship God, too, instead of their idols.
But the book of Judges shows us how whenever they did obey and were blessed, they started to congratulate themselves and forget God; then others took advantage of them and took all their benefits; then they would cry out to the Lord and He would rescue them, and they would be blessed again. Over and over we see this pattern repeated, because this is how our human nature responds.
When Satan confronted Eve, he convinced her that if she ate from that particular tree, then she wouldn't need God any more, she could make her own decisions and not bother Him.
Satan is still telling Mankind the same lie. If we just put forth the effort, and use our own intelligence, we can have anything we want without submitting to God and His rules. But the methods the World has found to gain benefits are God's rules, that's why they work.
We are to ask, to seek and to knock (Matthew 7:7-8, Luke 11:9-10). When we know what God wants to give us, and we ask Him, believing that He hears us and answers us, then our faith has brought about the good result we wanted and He gets the glory (see Matthew 9:22, 29: 17:20: 21:21: Mark 5:34: 10:32: Luke 5:30: 7:50: 8:48: 17:6, 19: 18:42).
Satan has taught the World this faith principle, but subtracted God out of it, and tells people to "ask the Universe." Then they can boast of their own abilities to gain the wealth they want: they rob God of the credit and glory He deserves.
But what profit will anyone gain to have an abundance in these few days of life on this Earth, but lose out on the forever eternity God wants us to have with Him? But if someone doesn't want to be with God, then He won't force them. He has given us a will that is free to choose or reject Him and His ways.
The writer of this Psalm understands the value and worth of studying and knowing the rules and instructions of Life, and following them, obeying God in his very thoughts and attitudes and words. And he knows that God will not forsake him, because He will answer. He knows that he can live his life in integrity and purity by following His statutes. And then he will guard against wandering away from that righteous path and missing the mark.
O my Father, help me to know what You want for me and ask You for it; to seek, to look for the ways to understand how to obtain what I'm asking You for; and to knock, to do what needs to be done, as Your hands and feet in this World, promoting Your Kingdom. Then I know that You will answer me, You will show me what to do and where to go, and You will enable me by giving me the strength to accomplish the dream You have given me to fulfill.
And I will give You all the credit, all the glory for what You are doing in and to and through me.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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