Leviticus 18: 1-5; 19:2
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, I am the Lord your God.
You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you are not to walk in their statutes.
You are to perform My judgments, and be careful to keep My statutes, to live in accord with them; I am the Lord your God.
So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the Lord.
...You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.
God is instructing Moses to teach all the people to not pay attention to any of the peoples that live around them. Not where they came from nor where they are going.
These other people don't know God, so they are unaware of His ways. God is the Source of everything we need for life: Water, Air, Food, and Light. And we now know that Life itself is spiritual. And Jesus is the Living Water, the Breath of Life, the Bread of Life, and the Light of the World.
Over and over I read in Scripture that I am to "be careful" and to "pay attention" to what God says. He is my Teacher, and His Holy Spirit in me is my Guide Who manifests His Truth to my understanding.
We become like those we hang out with, spend time with. And Who or what we worship. Look at the character and moral values of those you call your friends. Hang out with God every day in His Word. Worship with your spiritual brothers and sisters each week. Become aware of God's presence with you every moment of every day, and hang with Him.
Brother Andrew had the right idea, he called it, "practicing the presence of God."
O my Father, I do want to hang out with You. I want to to become like You. You are holy--separate from everything else. I want to be different from those who are of this World, even though I live in this World.
Father, help me to recognize all the nuances of the differences between being in the World and being of the World. My primary citizenship is in Your Kingdom, and my National citizenship is secondary to it.
Give me Your strength to stand up against the unrighteousness that wants to take over my Nation, with the gentleness and kindness You have shown me.
Your Power and Authority is paramount in Your Universe that You put our Earth into, yet You rule over it all with compassion and patience, waiting for us to choose Your ways and accept Your bountiful gifts.
One Day that patience will give way to Your Authority to rule. Your Son, our Lord God, will return to this Earth to conquer His enemies and set up His Throne as King; and every eye will behold Him, and every knee will bow to Him, and every tongue will admit that He is Lord (Boss) over all the Universe (Isaiah 45:23-24, Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10, Revelation 5:13).
Until that Day arrives, Father, strengthen me to keep on keeping on, to "occupy" until my Lord returns, as He taught in the parable in Luke 19:11-27. Show me how to do my work that You have given me to do to proclaim Your Word and Your ways to the World, spreading the Seed of the Gospel of Salvation and the Kingdom among the Nations of peoples who are desperate for help, the help only You can provide.
Bring into the fold all Your lost sheep, my Shepherd; climb the mountains and reach into the crags to draw them out of the darkness of deception and lies into the glorious Light of Your Truth. Use me and the words You give me to share with them in this honorable work. And increase my stamina to never quit. Keep me keeping on, until the last moment before Your Glorious Appearing.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, May 6, 2018
Saturday, May 5, 2018
A Long War
II Samuel 3:1
There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David grew steadily stronger but the house of Saul grew weaker continually.
Back in that day, when there was a change in administration (a new king), the usual process was the complete elimination of all of the former king's relatives and supporters. But David would not do that.
Even after Saul and Jonathan had died, their supporters still fought against David. God was with David, so he grew steadily stronger.
I look at the political reality today, with the change of administrations.
In the past the outgoing administration accepted the election of the new President and worked with him to enact his new policies.
What has happened this time is that the former administration's people who are still there still want to promote their own agenda, and seem to be working against the duly elected head of state; so we also have a "war" between two "houses."
May the Lord Who strengthened David also strengthen His choice who He has caused to be lawfully elected, and allow the previous "house" to grow weaker continually.
May the Lord continue to look upon this Nation with favor, as we turn our eyes upon Him and elect His choices to continually strengthen the righteousness that is growing back into our political life, little by little.
May we all become informed voters, becoming aware of who the people are who want to represent us in all the elected offices our political system provides. May we all examine their characters and the morality of their lives and their views, so we will recognize the most appropriate candidate to vote for.
When we are granted a voice in our own government, we would do well to consider that responsibility, and realize how powerful our voices are at the ballot box. Every vote counts, just like every person God saves is valuable and part of God's family.
Is any member of your own family not important to you? Of course not. We value our own family members, individually, as our Heavenly Father does.
And the same way, every vote counts, as it is added to every other vote, to raise up into office the specific person who could best do that particular job with integrity and passion.
God is working out His great Plan of the Ages through our choices. Every day is another day closer to the completion of His Plan, when He will manifest to the World His own righteous King.
O my Father, thank You for allowing us to each have a say in our own government. Help us to discharge our responsibilities in a manner pleasing to You, and work in Your strength to return Your righteousness to this Nation.
I pray, Father, that Your children all over the World would see where You have given them Your power to bring Your ways into their own Nations, to influence their own Leaders to follow Your ways.
And may You continue to work out Your great Plan of the Ages, drawing us all closer each day to that final Day of the Lord.
And help me to "occupy" until the return of my King.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David grew steadily stronger but the house of Saul grew weaker continually.
Back in that day, when there was a change in administration (a new king), the usual process was the complete elimination of all of the former king's relatives and supporters. But David would not do that.
Even after Saul and Jonathan had died, their supporters still fought against David. God was with David, so he grew steadily stronger.
I look at the political reality today, with the change of administrations.
In the past the outgoing administration accepted the election of the new President and worked with him to enact his new policies.
What has happened this time is that the former administration's people who are still there still want to promote their own agenda, and seem to be working against the duly elected head of state; so we also have a "war" between two "houses."
May the Lord Who strengthened David also strengthen His choice who He has caused to be lawfully elected, and allow the previous "house" to grow weaker continually.
May the Lord continue to look upon this Nation with favor, as we turn our eyes upon Him and elect His choices to continually strengthen the righteousness that is growing back into our political life, little by little.
May we all become informed voters, becoming aware of who the people are who want to represent us in all the elected offices our political system provides. May we all examine their characters and the morality of their lives and their views, so we will recognize the most appropriate candidate to vote for.
When we are granted a voice in our own government, we would do well to consider that responsibility, and realize how powerful our voices are at the ballot box. Every vote counts, just like every person God saves is valuable and part of God's family.
Is any member of your own family not important to you? Of course not. We value our own family members, individually, as our Heavenly Father does.
And the same way, every vote counts, as it is added to every other vote, to raise up into office the specific person who could best do that particular job with integrity and passion.
God is working out His great Plan of the Ages through our choices. Every day is another day closer to the completion of His Plan, when He will manifest to the World His own righteous King.
O my Father, thank You for allowing us to each have a say in our own government. Help us to discharge our responsibilities in a manner pleasing to You, and work in Your strength to return Your righteousness to this Nation.
I pray, Father, that Your children all over the World would see where You have given them Your power to bring Your ways into their own Nations, to influence their own Leaders to follow Your ways.
And may You continue to work out Your great Plan of the Ages, drawing us all closer each day to that final Day of the Lord.
And help me to "occupy" until the return of my King.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, May 4, 2018
Pleasures Forever
Psalm 16: 11
(NIV) You have made known to me the path of life;
You will fill me with joy in Your presence,
With eternal pleasures at Your right hand.
(GWT) You make the path of Life known to me.
Complete joy is in Your presence.
Pleasures are by Your side forever.
God's goal for us is to be like Christ; to have His Life, His purity and wholesomeness, His beauty and glory, His authority under Him to rule over all Creation, and to enjoy all the pleasures and advantages that brings.
People who don't understand this can think that God is vindictive, looking for where He can whack us up the side of the head for every little infraction.
Not at all!
God is Love. Everything He does comes from that Love.
Love means He will bless us as much as we can stand.
Love also means He will not force Himself on anyone who rejects His offer, and let them have their own will--to spend eternity in the absence of all God is.
This is not what He wants, He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, because all their chances to choose Him are gone.
God told Ezekiel to tell the Israelites who were exiled to Babylon to turn around (repent) and turn back to the Lord God. He said, Rid yourselves of all the offences you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the sovereign Lord. Repent and live! (18:31-32).
And Ezekiel says again, As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel? (33:11).
God is good. He is our standard for discerning what is good and what is evil. The better we know God and learn His ways and follow them, the more He can bless us, both in this life and in the life to come.
But those who reject Good, deciding "for themselves" what they think they want, expecting that things will turn out "all right," tend to find themselves in the midst of trials and troubles, and even addicted to the pleasures of this World. Anything this World provides is never the end--only a means to an eternal end, whether good or bad.
How much better it is all around to submit to God, admit that He is Sovereign Lord, and seek His Truth.
When we seek Him honestly and sincerely, with an open mind to receive whatever He would give, even if it's not what I thought it would be; and trust Him no matter what; then even if troubles come in the meantime, we can still know that it will all come out right, and submit ourselves to His loving hand.
This life is our school. We are to learn during the few days of life that we have here. Schooling includes testing, as well as rewards.
And our final rewards will be beyond anything we can even imagine.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
(NIV) You have made known to me the path of life;
You will fill me with joy in Your presence,
With eternal pleasures at Your right hand.
(GWT) You make the path of Life known to me.
Complete joy is in Your presence.
Pleasures are by Your side forever.
God's goal for us is to be like Christ; to have His Life, His purity and wholesomeness, His beauty and glory, His authority under Him to rule over all Creation, and to enjoy all the pleasures and advantages that brings.
People who don't understand this can think that God is vindictive, looking for where He can whack us up the side of the head for every little infraction.
Not at all!
God is Love. Everything He does comes from that Love.
Love means He will bless us as much as we can stand.
Love also means He will not force Himself on anyone who rejects His offer, and let them have their own will--to spend eternity in the absence of all God is.
This is not what He wants, He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, because all their chances to choose Him are gone.
God told Ezekiel to tell the Israelites who were exiled to Babylon to turn around (repent) and turn back to the Lord God. He said, Rid yourselves of all the offences you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the sovereign Lord. Repent and live! (18:31-32).
And Ezekiel says again, As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel? (33:11).
God is good. He is our standard for discerning what is good and what is evil. The better we know God and learn His ways and follow them, the more He can bless us, both in this life and in the life to come.
But those who reject Good, deciding "for themselves" what they think they want, expecting that things will turn out "all right," tend to find themselves in the midst of trials and troubles, and even addicted to the pleasures of this World. Anything this World provides is never the end--only a means to an eternal end, whether good or bad.
How much better it is all around to submit to God, admit that He is Sovereign Lord, and seek His Truth.
When we seek Him honestly and sincerely, with an open mind to receive whatever He would give, even if it's not what I thought it would be; and trust Him no matter what; then even if troubles come in the meantime, we can still know that it will all come out right, and submit ourselves to His loving hand.
This life is our school. We are to learn during the few days of life that we have here. Schooling includes testing, as well as rewards.
And our final rewards will be beyond anything we can even imagine.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, May 3, 2018
To Understand
Nehemiah 8: 1-8
V. 3 From daybreak until noon [Ezra] read from [the Book of Moses] in the courtyard in front of Water Gate to the men, women and children who could understand it. All the people listened to the Book of Moses' Teachings.
Vs. 7-8 The Levites (they are all named, 14 of them) explained the Teachings to the people while they were standing there. They read the Book of God's Teachings clearly and explained the meaning so that the people could understand what was read.
When the Israelites were given permission to return home to Jerusalem, many of them left Babylon and came back to the Promised Land, to rebuild the Temple and the wall around the city.
They had been in exile for 70 years, so they hadn't been able to access the Scriptures during that time of slavery. That's why they asked Ezra to read them the written record of all they were to do to worship the Lord God.
Ezra the Priest stood on a raised wooden platform made for this occasion, standing above everyone else, so they could all hear him.
And the Levites that were there spread themselves out in front of all the people to make sure the listeners could clearly understand all the technnical aspects and details of all the precepts and regulations so that they would be able to perform all the sacrifices with a proper intent.
We might say that God wrote the Bible in a kind of code that takes the guidance of His Holy Spirit to decode. Many "scholars" who don't have God's Spirit have tried to understand, but have missed the whole point of it all.
My efforts with this blog is to share what I believe God's Spirit has been teaching me as I study His Word.
I want people to know what God is saying, and to understand why He says what He says, and why He tells us these things. He has spoken plainly, always in the recipients' spoken tongue (Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic), because He wants all of us to realize how close He is to each one of us.
And the Bible as been translated into countless (I don't have that number handy) languages, the heart-tongues of peoples all over the World. Our God speaks all languages, God gave language to Mankind because words have great power.
Our words have power to build up or destroy one another. God's Word has the power to give Life to each one of us who seek Him.
May God bless each reader of this blog, my humble effort to offer Life to each one of you. May these words give you a clear understanding of what God wants us all to know; to receive that Life He offers through His Son; and to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
V. 3 From daybreak until noon [Ezra] read from [the Book of Moses] in the courtyard in front of Water Gate to the men, women and children who could understand it. All the people listened to the Book of Moses' Teachings.
Vs. 7-8 The Levites (they are all named, 14 of them) explained the Teachings to the people while they were standing there. They read the Book of God's Teachings clearly and explained the meaning so that the people could understand what was read.
When the Israelites were given permission to return home to Jerusalem, many of them left Babylon and came back to the Promised Land, to rebuild the Temple and the wall around the city.
They had been in exile for 70 years, so they hadn't been able to access the Scriptures during that time of slavery. That's why they asked Ezra to read them the written record of all they were to do to worship the Lord God.
Ezra the Priest stood on a raised wooden platform made for this occasion, standing above everyone else, so they could all hear him.
And the Levites that were there spread themselves out in front of all the people to make sure the listeners could clearly understand all the technnical aspects and details of all the precepts and regulations so that they would be able to perform all the sacrifices with a proper intent.
We might say that God wrote the Bible in a kind of code that takes the guidance of His Holy Spirit to decode. Many "scholars" who don't have God's Spirit have tried to understand, but have missed the whole point of it all.
My efforts with this blog is to share what I believe God's Spirit has been teaching me as I study His Word.
I want people to know what God is saying, and to understand why He says what He says, and why He tells us these things. He has spoken plainly, always in the recipients' spoken tongue (Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic), because He wants all of us to realize how close He is to each one of us.
And the Bible as been translated into countless (I don't have that number handy) languages, the heart-tongues of peoples all over the World. Our God speaks all languages, God gave language to Mankind because words have great power.
Our words have power to build up or destroy one another. God's Word has the power to give Life to each one of us who seek Him.
May God bless each reader of this blog, my humble effort to offer Life to each one of you. May these words give you a clear understanding of what God wants us all to know; to receive that Life He offers through His Son; and to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Wisdom Versus Foolishness
Proverbs 1: 7 (GWT)
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
Stubborn fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Proverbs 3: 5-7
Trust the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths smooth.
Do not consider yourself wise.
Fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
Whenever we consider ourselves to be wise, we are relying on our own understanding of the situation at hand, and seeing only what appears. This is usually deceptive, because we don't know the whole story.
God is our Maker. He knows us and our situations inside-out. He is the only One Who sees the whole picture, and can lead us into the right ways. So we are to invite Him to join us in our journey, and listen to His directions. Then we will avoid all the pitfalls and potholes and stumbling stones, and walk that smooth path in life.
If we are stubborn, not wanting to listen or be open to learning something new, then we will miss the right way to go about whatever situation is facing us, and end up worse.
When Proverbs talks about foolishness, or a fool, it is referring to someone who refuses to listen to God, and goes the wrong way, doing the thing that seems expedient at the moment, but ends up to be damaging. This is evil. It goes against good.
God is good, and He wants us to do good, so He has provided for us everything we need in His Word and in this Earth.
People who twist His Word, or mess with what He has provided naturally, then they're going against His good that He wants for us, and are playing into the hand of our enemy who wants to destroy us.
When we listen to God, take to heart what He has said, and use this Earth as He intended, then we will experience the good He has planned for us--
V. 8
Then you body will be healed, and your bones will have nourishment.
Then we won't get sick, whatever malady we're suffering will be healed, and our bones, the foundation of our bodies, will get the nourishment, the raw materials it needs to build strong, healthy organs to sustain our physical life.
This book of Proverbs is our roadmap to how to live and relate to one another here in this life on this Earth. It's mostly horozontal in its view, in how to get along down here.
So it doesn't proclaim the Gospel that saves our souls, that has a vertical view (I Corinthians 15:3-4).
But Proverbs still looks upward to God for the wisdom and knowledge of how to use this roadmap.
It is foolish to deny God's Person and His workings. It's evil. And its end is no good.
The beginning of wisdom is having that reverential awe of God in recognizing His Power and Authority and Sovereignty over all He has made, all of us.
O my Father, You are awesome! You are so good to us all! You have laid out the roadmap for us, and given Your Spirit to guide us, and done everything possible and impossible to show us how much You love us, and want us to love You back. You designed this Earth for us, then made us of it, and provided everything we need to live here, right here.
Please help us to understand the way You have laid out for each of us, to follow You and Your ways, just as Jesus' disciples followed Him and listened to His teachings as He walked the Promised Land.
Lead us, Father, by Your Spirit, to always do what our hands find to do, go where our feet (and cars and planes and trains) take us, to speak to the people whose path crosses ours, and propagate and promote Your Good News to all who are willing to hear.
So that the Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the World to every Nation, every people, every language, every tribe, every family; until every creature has heard, and our King will appear to set up His Kingdom.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
Stubborn fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Proverbs 3: 5-7
Trust the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths smooth.
Do not consider yourself wise.
Fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
Whenever we consider ourselves to be wise, we are relying on our own understanding of the situation at hand, and seeing only what appears. This is usually deceptive, because we don't know the whole story.
God is our Maker. He knows us and our situations inside-out. He is the only One Who sees the whole picture, and can lead us into the right ways. So we are to invite Him to join us in our journey, and listen to His directions. Then we will avoid all the pitfalls and potholes and stumbling stones, and walk that smooth path in life.
If we are stubborn, not wanting to listen or be open to learning something new, then we will miss the right way to go about whatever situation is facing us, and end up worse.
When Proverbs talks about foolishness, or a fool, it is referring to someone who refuses to listen to God, and goes the wrong way, doing the thing that seems expedient at the moment, but ends up to be damaging. This is evil. It goes against good.
God is good, and He wants us to do good, so He has provided for us everything we need in His Word and in this Earth.
People who twist His Word, or mess with what He has provided naturally, then they're going against His good that He wants for us, and are playing into the hand of our enemy who wants to destroy us.
When we listen to God, take to heart what He has said, and use this Earth as He intended, then we will experience the good He has planned for us--
V. 8
Then you body will be healed, and your bones will have nourishment.
Then we won't get sick, whatever malady we're suffering will be healed, and our bones, the foundation of our bodies, will get the nourishment, the raw materials it needs to build strong, healthy organs to sustain our physical life.
This book of Proverbs is our roadmap to how to live and relate to one another here in this life on this Earth. It's mostly horozontal in its view, in how to get along down here.
So it doesn't proclaim the Gospel that saves our souls, that has a vertical view (I Corinthians 15:3-4).
But Proverbs still looks upward to God for the wisdom and knowledge of how to use this roadmap.
It is foolish to deny God's Person and His workings. It's evil. And its end is no good.
The beginning of wisdom is having that reverential awe of God in recognizing His Power and Authority and Sovereignty over all He has made, all of us.
O my Father, You are awesome! You are so good to us all! You have laid out the roadmap for us, and given Your Spirit to guide us, and done everything possible and impossible to show us how much You love us, and want us to love You back. You designed this Earth for us, then made us of it, and provided everything we need to live here, right here.
Please help us to understand the way You have laid out for each of us, to follow You and Your ways, just as Jesus' disciples followed Him and listened to His teachings as He walked the Promised Land.
Lead us, Father, by Your Spirit, to always do what our hands find to do, go where our feet (and cars and planes and trains) take us, to speak to the people whose path crosses ours, and propagate and promote Your Good News to all who are willing to hear.
So that the Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the World to every Nation, every people, every language, every tribe, every family; until every creature has heard, and our King will appear to set up His Kingdom.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
To Search, Hunt, Reach For, And Ask Aloud
Proverbs 2 (GWT)
My son, if you take my words to heart and treasure my commands within you,
If you pay close attention to wisdom, and let your mind reach for understanding,
If indeed you call out for insight, if you ask aloud for understanding,
If you search for wisdom as if it were money and hunt for it as if it were hidden treasure,
Then you will understand the fear of the Lord and you will find the knowledge of God.
Solomon is teaching his children how to have a good life, and avoid the kinds of problems people face when they don't understand the right way to live.
He says to want this understanding so much that you call out loud for it, and search for it with the energy you would put into building financial wealth, then you will profit much more than with just money.
You will learn to understand how the Creator designed this World to operate, and be able to align your lifestyle with the ways that work.
The Lord gives wisdom. From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
He has reserved priceless wisdom for decent people. He is a shield for those who walk in integrity
In order to guard those on paths of justice and to watch over the way of His godly ones.
Then you will understand what is right and just and fair--every good course in life.
This is our goal in this life, to understand what is best not only for ourself, but for our business dealings and our personal relationships. In every part of our life.
Wisdom will come into your heart. Knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
Foresight will protect you. Understanding will guard you.
Wisdom will save you from the way of evil, from the person who speaks devious things,
When we understand the workings of how things fit together to form a greater thing, to benefit us and those in our lives, then we will recognize whatever is contrary to that good.
Just like Federal agents study the Dollar Bill, becoming familiar with all the details of the genuine article; then whatever doesn't conform to that model is counterfeit.
That's how our godly wisdom protects us from the mistakes of others.
[Wisdom will save you] from those who abandon the paths of righteousness to walk the ways of darkness,
From those who enjoy doing evil, from those who find joy in the deviousness of evil.
Their paths are crooked. Their ways are devious.
God's light of understanding in us will light up the darkness to reveal all the potholes and stumbling stones.
Those without this understanding think that they're very clever in turning the way into interesting and different directions. I used to be there in my thinking, when I was walking in darkness. The World's wisdom perverts the good God wants us to have, and those who enjoy this "frowardness" have no idea that they are on the path to destruction.
Wisdom will also save you from an adulterous woman, from a loose woman with smoth talk,
Who leaves her husband, the closest friend of her youth, and forgets her marriage vows to God.
Her house sinks down to death. Her ways lead to the the souls of the dead.
None who have [relations] with her come back. Nor do they ever reach the paths of life.
This "strange woman" is one who is outside of our proper relationships, she leads men away from their loving wives to have a "fling" with her, and destroys what is most precious to them.
Anyone, man or woman, who thinks along these lines will never find fulfillment or satisfaction in life, if they don't turn around their thinking (repent) and turn to the Lord and His ways.
Decent people will live in the land. People of integrity will remain in it.
But wicked people will be cut off from the land and treacherous people will be torn from it.
People who pay attention to God and His ways will discover the right way to live their lives, to cooperate with how He made this Earth, and they will be able to enjoy all the benefits, the prosperity that this World has to give.
But the people who disregard what God has said, who think they know better and want to make their own decisions, will be deceived by the World, the Devil and their own flesh, to follow foolish ways. That is what God calls evil, because it works against what is good.
We all think we're making "our own" decisions, but they're all based on what someone else has said. And what we give ourselves to, to obey, becomes our Master--whether to the Lord God, our Good Shepherd Who cares for us; or the perversity of evil that seems fun in the short run, but becomes an addiction (John 8:34).
So the "decent people" with integrity will have life. A full, satisfying, fulfilling life in this World enjoying the prosperity and loving relationships we were made for.
The others who refuse to accept what God says, will not have "life," but only a "living death" while they dwell on this Earth, and lose their whole Eternity.
God does not force Himself on those who don't want Him. He lets them choose the Eternity without Him: without Light, without Love, without Goodness, without Justice, without pleasure, without anything God provides as the Source.
O my Father, thank You so much for choosing me. Thank You for putting that desire, that compulsion in me to seek Truth, which brought me to You.
I was the idolater, the adulterous strange woman, the one who took pleasure in the perversity of twisting the wholesome into grotesque forms, leading others into destruction.
I know that Paul took for himself the title, "chief of sinners," but I consider myself right up there (down there?) alongside him.
Father, I know that I deserve death, I deserve all the suffering and agony. And You put my whole debt on Jesus on the Cross, in my place. He is my personal Sacrifice, whose Blood does not just cover, but washes away all the stains of sins and rebellions and perversity that polluted my soul. Now I am clean before You, pristine and glowing with Your Light in me.
I sought Truth to lead me out of the darkness I was in, and it didn't matter to me what that Truth would be, just so I could know and believe, and not be deceived.
Father, You honored that, just as You have said here, to "take to heart" and "treasure," to "let [my] mind reach for understanding" and "call out for insight" and "understanding;" to "search for wisdom (more than) money" and "hunt for it as if it were hidden treasure" (because it is treasure beyond any other); and You did give me Your wisdom, Your Word taught me knowledge and understanding, and Your priceless wisdom has been a shield for me to guard me against all the deviousness that had previously ensnared me.
You set me free from the traps I was caught in, and gave me the good sense to recognize what is not genuine, what is deceptive.
You are protecting me from the way of evil, and all those who are speaking devious things, wrapping their deception in the "truth" of the World.
O my Father, draw Your lost sheep into the fold, bring all those You have chosen to seek Your Face and Your ways. Bring them to learn of You and how much You love them, to provide Your Lamb of God to be their personal Sacrifice.
O Father, You still are the God of Miracles, changing people, turning them around, and causing them to come alive spiritually, from the death of being without You, bringing them into family relationship with You, forgiving their sins and granting Your Spirit into our spirit, giving us Life, making us alive.
It's a miracle every time You save a person, birthing them into sonship (and daughtership) in Your own family, with Your Son as our Big Brother, our Bridegroom and our King forever.
Even so, come. Lord Jesus!
My son, if you take my words to heart and treasure my commands within you,
If you pay close attention to wisdom, and let your mind reach for understanding,
If indeed you call out for insight, if you ask aloud for understanding,
If you search for wisdom as if it were money and hunt for it as if it were hidden treasure,
Then you will understand the fear of the Lord and you will find the knowledge of God.
Solomon is teaching his children how to have a good life, and avoid the kinds of problems people face when they don't understand the right way to live.
He says to want this understanding so much that you call out loud for it, and search for it with the energy you would put into building financial wealth, then you will profit much more than with just money.
You will learn to understand how the Creator designed this World to operate, and be able to align your lifestyle with the ways that work.
The Lord gives wisdom. From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
He has reserved priceless wisdom for decent people. He is a shield for those who walk in integrity
In order to guard those on paths of justice and to watch over the way of His godly ones.
Then you will understand what is right and just and fair--every good course in life.
This is our goal in this life, to understand what is best not only for ourself, but for our business dealings and our personal relationships. In every part of our life.
Wisdom will come into your heart. Knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
Foresight will protect you. Understanding will guard you.
Wisdom will save you from the way of evil, from the person who speaks devious things,
When we understand the workings of how things fit together to form a greater thing, to benefit us and those in our lives, then we will recognize whatever is contrary to that good.
Just like Federal agents study the Dollar Bill, becoming familiar with all the details of the genuine article; then whatever doesn't conform to that model is counterfeit.
That's how our godly wisdom protects us from the mistakes of others.
[Wisdom will save you] from those who abandon the paths of righteousness to walk the ways of darkness,
From those who enjoy doing evil, from those who find joy in the deviousness of evil.
Their paths are crooked. Their ways are devious.
God's light of understanding in us will light up the darkness to reveal all the potholes and stumbling stones.
Those without this understanding think that they're very clever in turning the way into interesting and different directions. I used to be there in my thinking, when I was walking in darkness. The World's wisdom perverts the good God wants us to have, and those who enjoy this "frowardness" have no idea that they are on the path to destruction.
Wisdom will also save you from an adulterous woman, from a loose woman with smoth talk,
Who leaves her husband, the closest friend of her youth, and forgets her marriage vows to God.
Her house sinks down to death. Her ways lead to the the souls of the dead.
None who have [relations] with her come back. Nor do they ever reach the paths of life.
This "strange woman" is one who is outside of our proper relationships, she leads men away from their loving wives to have a "fling" with her, and destroys what is most precious to them.
Anyone, man or woman, who thinks along these lines will never find fulfillment or satisfaction in life, if they don't turn around their thinking (repent) and turn to the Lord and His ways.
Decent people will live in the land. People of integrity will remain in it.
But wicked people will be cut off from the land and treacherous people will be torn from it.
People who pay attention to God and His ways will discover the right way to live their lives, to cooperate with how He made this Earth, and they will be able to enjoy all the benefits, the prosperity that this World has to give.
But the people who disregard what God has said, who think they know better and want to make their own decisions, will be deceived by the World, the Devil and their own flesh, to follow foolish ways. That is what God calls evil, because it works against what is good.
We all think we're making "our own" decisions, but they're all based on what someone else has said. And what we give ourselves to, to obey, becomes our Master--whether to the Lord God, our Good Shepherd Who cares for us; or the perversity of evil that seems fun in the short run, but becomes an addiction (John 8:34).
So the "decent people" with integrity will have life. A full, satisfying, fulfilling life in this World enjoying the prosperity and loving relationships we were made for.
The others who refuse to accept what God says, will not have "life," but only a "living death" while they dwell on this Earth, and lose their whole Eternity.
God does not force Himself on those who don't want Him. He lets them choose the Eternity without Him: without Light, without Love, without Goodness, without Justice, without pleasure, without anything God provides as the Source.
O my Father, thank You so much for choosing me. Thank You for putting that desire, that compulsion in me to seek Truth, which brought me to You.
I was the idolater, the adulterous strange woman, the one who took pleasure in the perversity of twisting the wholesome into grotesque forms, leading others into destruction.
I know that Paul took for himself the title, "chief of sinners," but I consider myself right up there (down there?) alongside him.
Father, I know that I deserve death, I deserve all the suffering and agony. And You put my whole debt on Jesus on the Cross, in my place. He is my personal Sacrifice, whose Blood does not just cover, but washes away all the stains of sins and rebellions and perversity that polluted my soul. Now I am clean before You, pristine and glowing with Your Light in me.
I sought Truth to lead me out of the darkness I was in, and it didn't matter to me what that Truth would be, just so I could know and believe, and not be deceived.
Father, You honored that, just as You have said here, to "take to heart" and "treasure," to "let [my] mind reach for understanding" and "call out for insight" and "understanding;" to "search for wisdom (more than) money" and "hunt for it as if it were hidden treasure" (because it is treasure beyond any other); and You did give me Your wisdom, Your Word taught me knowledge and understanding, and Your priceless wisdom has been a shield for me to guard me against all the deviousness that had previously ensnared me.
You set me free from the traps I was caught in, and gave me the good sense to recognize what is not genuine, what is deceptive.
You are protecting me from the way of evil, and all those who are speaking devious things, wrapping their deception in the "truth" of the World.
O my Father, draw Your lost sheep into the fold, bring all those You have chosen to seek Your Face and Your ways. Bring them to learn of You and how much You love them, to provide Your Lamb of God to be their personal Sacrifice.
O Father, You still are the God of Miracles, changing people, turning them around, and causing them to come alive spiritually, from the death of being without You, bringing them into family relationship with You, forgiving their sins and granting Your Spirit into our spirit, giving us Life, making us alive.
It's a miracle every time You save a person, birthing them into sonship (and daughtership) in Your own family, with Your Son as our Big Brother, our Bridegroom and our King forever.
Even so, come. Lord Jesus!
Monday, April 30, 2018
Crucifixion Almost 1000 Years Earlier
Psalm 22
This Psalm describes Jesus' Crucifixion, long before that form of torturous execution was devised by the Romans.
V. 1
My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?
Spoken by Jesus from the Cross (Matthew 27:46).
Vs. 6-8
But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.
All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads:
"He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue him, since He delights in him."
Exactly what His mockers said as He suffered on the Cross (Matthew 27:41-44).
Vs. 12-13
Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me.
These were the Jewish leaders who tried Him in their Sanhedrin, three illegal nighttime trials to condemn Him (Matthew 26:67; Mark 14:65; John 18:12-14, 19-24, 28).
Vs. 14-17
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; You lay me in the dust of death.
Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.
I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me.
This is how He felt as His hands and feet were nailed to that Cross. The dogs were the Romans who carried out the execution.
V. 8
They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.
What the Roman soldiers did, they divided up His clothes and rolled dice for His seamless inner garment, so they wouldn't have to tear it (John 19: 23-24).
How did David know all this, to describe in detail something that wouldn't be invented for hundreds of years?
He didn't. But God did, and He inspired David to write these words.
The Lord God Who created us, Who took responsibility within the Godhead for us and agreed before Creation what He would do for us, knew the end from the beginning, and let His people know to write out for posterity what He was planning to do. And what He plans to do, He does, and accomplishes everything He wants to do.
When Jesus was in the Garden of Olives on the night before His death, when He prayed, "If possible, let this pass from me," He knew there was no other way for us to be with Him in Heaven (John 17:24). So it was not possible for Him to not go through with this. So He prayed, "Not My will, but Yours be done" (Matthew 26:39, 42), and I think that, actually in His human body, when it came down to doing it, He dreaded it.
It was the only time in all Eternity from past to future, that the will of the Son was not in complete agreement with the will of the Father.
Just that one, brief moment.
Proving that the Son and the Father are distinct Persons from each other.
But One God.
O my Father, You are God. Jesus, You are the Lord God. Holy Spirit, You are the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Jesus. All three, distinct Persons, yet only one God.
If I could comprehend and understand this, then I would be equal to You, which I will never be. There is no other. You alone are God. You are my God, I am Your servant.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
This Psalm describes Jesus' Crucifixion, long before that form of torturous execution was devised by the Romans.
V. 1
My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?
Spoken by Jesus from the Cross (Matthew 27:46).
Vs. 6-8
But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.
All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads:
"He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue him, since He delights in him."
Exactly what His mockers said as He suffered on the Cross (Matthew 27:41-44).
Vs. 12-13
Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me.
These were the Jewish leaders who tried Him in their Sanhedrin, three illegal nighttime trials to condemn Him (Matthew 26:67; Mark 14:65; John 18:12-14, 19-24, 28).
Vs. 14-17
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; You lay me in the dust of death.
Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.
I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me.
This is how He felt as His hands and feet were nailed to that Cross. The dogs were the Romans who carried out the execution.
V. 8
They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.
What the Roman soldiers did, they divided up His clothes and rolled dice for His seamless inner garment, so they wouldn't have to tear it (John 19: 23-24).
How did David know all this, to describe in detail something that wouldn't be invented for hundreds of years?
He didn't. But God did, and He inspired David to write these words.
The Lord God Who created us, Who took responsibility within the Godhead for us and agreed before Creation what He would do for us, knew the end from the beginning, and let His people know to write out for posterity what He was planning to do. And what He plans to do, He does, and accomplishes everything He wants to do.
When Jesus was in the Garden of Olives on the night before His death, when He prayed, "If possible, let this pass from me," He knew there was no other way for us to be with Him in Heaven (John 17:24). So it was not possible for Him to not go through with this. So He prayed, "Not My will, but Yours be done" (Matthew 26:39, 42), and I think that, actually in His human body, when it came down to doing it, He dreaded it.
It was the only time in all Eternity from past to future, that the will of the Son was not in complete agreement with the will of the Father.
Just that one, brief moment.
Proving that the Son and the Father are distinct Persons from each other.
But One God.
O my Father, You are God. Jesus, You are the Lord God. Holy Spirit, You are the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Jesus. All three, distinct Persons, yet only one God.
If I could comprehend and understand this, then I would be equal to You, which I will never be. There is no other. You alone are God. You are my God, I am Your servant.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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