A Stronghold Or Ruin

Proverbs 10: 29

The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the upright, but ruin to the workers of iniquity. 

A stronghold is a well-fortified place, a fortress. 

When someone lives their everyday life according to the way of the Lord that He has shown us in His Word, then it is like we are surrounded by strong walls of protection. 

God has told us in Isaiah that no weapon that is formed to harm us will succeed. Every time someone falsely accuses us, we will refute their allegations and it will turn around to be against them:

Isaiah 54:17: No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication is from Me, declares the Lord. 

God will see to it that His servant who has done no wrong will be able to refute any accusation without having to defend himself. 

It's called "poetic justice," and you can see one way it worked out in the book of Esther, to Haman. 

So the Way of the Lord that is a stronghold to the upright will be the ruin of those who are trying to harm God's people. The Lord will turn it around, and it is a wondrus thing to behold how God uses our "free" choices to further His purposes. 

O my Father, You really are amazing! Your ways are astounding! Your intimate knowledge and Your intricate power to do the fine, meticulous things, as well as the huge, monumental things, just blows my mind! 

You weave together all the individual strands of our lives into the great pattern of history. When we open our eyes we can see how all the world happenings up to today accurately describe what You told Your prophets to write down so long ago. 

And Your Son Jesus, Your Christ for us, told us what to look for at the end of this Age, and we have seen these signs in the Earth and the World since He ascended. Now we see all the signs, all the events, all the geological and political and spiritual signs that are extant today: Jesus is returning soon. 

Father, I fully expect You to continue to do everything You said You would do. So I am watching to see Your servants vindicated and the workers of iniquity suffer the consequences they wished upon Your people. I'm watching to see all that You told us work out on this Earth, in our World, in the Nations, and in the events of our lives. 

Thank You, Father, for being our stronghold in this time of trouble and peril. You are so good to me, and to the others who belong in Your Family. 

My Lord God Almighty, I pray for all those who will turn to You in the perilous times that are coming and are even now upon us in some ways and in some places. Continue to vindicate the righteous; and pound on the workers of iniquity, that they may learn and confess the error of their ways. 

Continue to send out Your workers into the fields already so white to harvest. Continue to call out and draw to Yourself those who You have chosen, who have desired to know the Truth, that they will turn to You Who are Truth. Let them come to You into Your stronghold. 

And every eye will see, every knee will bow, every tongue confess that Jesus of Nazareth is Lord God Almighty, King over all kings and Lord over all lords. 

And You will receive all the credit, all the glory, all the honor for everything You are and do and accomplish and complete. 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Our Priorities

I Timothy 4: 15 (KJV, NASB, ASV)

Meditate on these things;
Take pains with these things;
Be diligent in these things;

Give thyself wholly to them;
Be absorbed in them;
Give your whole self to them;

That thy profiting may appear to all.
That your progress may be evident to all.
That your progress may be manifest unto all.

Paul wrote to his young protege to really concentrate on his Bible studies. As a pastor, Timothy needed to understand well what God was saying to him so he could faithfully teach his congregation how to live their lives to please the Lord. His studies were to mold him into a spiritual leader who would show them by example. 

We are all not pastors and teachers. We are all to study God's Word regularly and deeply. But if the only reason we do that is to be seen by others, then that would be our only reward. But we shouldn't hide our spirituality from others, because we are all His witnesses, and we need to be examples of how following God's rules benefits us.

He told Micah: He has told you, O Man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (6:8). 

And Jesus told us: You shall be My witnesses ... (Acts 1:8). 

So there is a balance here: we are to diligently study the Bible to get to know God better, to love Him more, and serve Him better; then our lives will show others how good He is, and encourage them to seek Him, too. That is the proper order. That is what God wants of us.

So our priorities are to be:

1) Our personal relationship and fellowship with God, resulting in our attitudes and daily lives being according to His righteousness in everything; 

2) Our life partner (husband/wife); 

3) Our family (and Our business, to support the family); then 

4) Our ministry.

Sometimes a full-time Christian minister, like a pastor or a missionary, will put their ministry in first place, and end up losing their family, and then their ministry, too. 

Those of us Christians who do not work full-time in ministry and need to support our families with a paycheck still need to find the time to do part-time ministry, starting with our example of a high moral standard and kindness at work. 

O my Father, I want to study and learn and live each day according to Your Word; not that my progress may be evident to all--to be seen of men! But to be found by You a worker who does not need to be ashamed. 

And if my progress is evident to others, then let it encourage them to also seek You! 

Please let me not glory in any accolaides of mere men, but seek only Your approval, Father. 

But let me not hide my good deeds, either! Teach me that balance, that I may not be lifted up in pride, nor deprive others of the inspiration to seek and follow You through my drawing closer to You. 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Christmas Morning

Luke 2: 1-20

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the World should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, each to his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the City of David, which is called Bethlehem (because he was of the house and lineage of David); to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and placed Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the Angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid. 

And the Angel said unto them, Fear not! for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. 

And this shall be a sign unto you: you shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 

And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the Heavenly Host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward Men.

And it came to pass as the Angels were gone away from them into Heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known to us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph and the Babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all who heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. 

This is the most-repeated Christmas story, in full. It gives the most detailed account of the Birth, probably from His mother's point of view, written by Doctor Luke, who researched everything thoroughly (1:1-4). 

Luke presents the story of Jesus as the Perfect Man (as compared with Matthew who presents Him as the King, Mark who gives us the Servant, and John, writing last, shows Jesus to be our Lord God Himself in human form). 

So Luke gives us Jesus' genealogy through His mother Mary, who descended from King David through Solomon's brother Nathan, and all the way back to the first human, Adam. 

This compares with Matthew's record of His genealogy through His legal father, Joseph, who is in the direct Regal line of David through Solomon and the other Kings of Judah. Joseph was not eligible to take the throne because the last sitting king of Judah, Jehoiachin, the son of Jehoiakim, and his father were so evil and rebellious that they were cursed in that none of his "seed" would ever again be able to claim the throne (Jeremiah 22:30). 

But, as His legal but not biological father, Joseph does give Jesus the right to claim the throne of David. 

As Lord God Jesus is the eternal Person Who can pay our eternal debt in time, that would take us forever to pay. And as genuine Man He qualifies to die a human death in the place of each one of us. That's why He is the only One Who can be our Savior. 

Each one of us is born to live. Jesus was born to die. He loves you and me that much! 

Merry Christmas!

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Christmas Eve Musings

Luke 1: 26-35

And in [Elizabeth's] sixth month the Angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

And the Angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blest art thou among women.

And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast about in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

And the Angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His Name JESUS.

He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David:

And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His Kingdom there shall be no end.

Then Mary said unto the Angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

And the Angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy child which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 

I find it interesting that Mary asked the same question, using the same words, as Zechariah had six months before (v. 18), but Gabriel's response was completely different.

Obviously Zechariah didn't believe it was possible, and doubted the Angel (vs. 19-20). Mary was not doubting, but asked, essentially, "Wow, How is He going to do this? It can't be the usual way, because I'm still a virgin!" 

So Gabriel told Mary that the power of God's Holy Spirit would overpower the usual physical process and directly implant God's own Seed into her womb (see Hebrews 10:5), so the Father of Mary's child is God the Father, and she became the mother of the Son of God (not the mother of God; God is Jesus' Father). 

Since the damaged part of our DNA that Scripture calls the sin-nature comes from our fathers through Adam (Romans 5:12, Through one man [not "woman" or "couple"), so His mother gave Him a genuine human nature, but without the sin-part, because Jesus didn't have a human father. 

Jesus is genuine God, because God is His Father, and He got His Father's Blood-type, which He shed on Calvary. And He is genuine Man from the human nature of His mother, Mary. 

This Christmas Eve, let's remember how Mary submitted to God's plan for her, even risking her reputation and even her life by stoning. Her trust was that strong. 

May we also trust God by submitting to what His plan is for each of us, even if it looks like a difficult road to walk. 

Merry Christmas.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

God's Holiness And Our Holiness

Ezekiel 44: 19; 46: 19-20

And when [the priests] go forth into the outer court, the outer court to the [common] people, they shall put off their [holy] garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, and they shall put on other garments--they shall not transmit holiness to the people with their garments.

After he brought me through the entry, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers of the priests, which looked toward the north: and, behold, there was a place on the two sides westward.
Then he said unto me, This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, where they shall bake the meal offering; that they not bear them out into the outer court, to transmit holiness to the people.

This is part of the vision God gave to Ezekiel of the future Temple. There is extreme detail given concerning the size, measurement, structure, and layout of this future place of worship, described in six whole chapters. 

What I am looking at is how God is so protective of His holiness that He will not permit the holy priests to transmit holiness to the common people. 

God's holiness is sacred. It is very clear and emphatic that His priests in that Day, who minister to God in His holiness, must take careful precautions to separate the holy garments and the holy sacrifices from any contact with the common people, that they may not transmit holiness to the people! 

There must be great danger concerning God's holiness upon common people. We must take the initiative to make ourselves holy; we would not be able to withstand God's holiness transmitted directly to us, any more than we can look directly into the Sun without destroying our eyes! 

Yes, we are to be holy as God is holy, but not by gift or transmittal, but by desire, seeking, obedience, and working in the power and enabling God provides through His Holy Spirit in us. 

We are still living in our mortal bodies, which are frail and very limited. We need to make the effort to care for our physical dwelling while we're here, even knowing that this mortal will put on immortality, in our Resurrection which will take place when Jesus returns and calls us out (called the Rapture, I Corinthians 15:53; see also I John 3:2). 

We will eventually be living in bodies of Light, shining like the Sun (Matthew 13:43). But until then, we cannot even look at God without being destroyed (Exodus 33:20). Right now our corruptible, mortal, frail eyes cannot see what is Light without shadows to define what we're looking at, and God is pure Light, without any shadow of turning (James 1:17; I John 1:5), that would glare out our vision. 

God's holiness is like that--we cannot withstand it directly. That's why we need to put forth the effort to be holy as I am holy. 

O my Father, You are a God Who is so far above and beyond anything I can even imagine, and yet You see me, You know me, and You still love me more than I can know. You are faithful and trustworthy to always keep Your Word. You have designed and shaped all Creation according to Your will and desires, and everything operates just as You made it to. 

And You have given us Your Manufacturer's Instructions to show us how to cooperate with how You made this Earth to work, to build our World upon it and love each other as You love us, in order to make our lives work as You designed them to. That's why all Your Law and Prophets have their foundation in Love (Matthew 22:37-40). 

Father, You are Love (I John 4:8), everything You do You do in Love, even the things we might consider harsh or cruel. But we don't see the whole picture, we don't know the whole story. Eventually we will see and understand how everything You do is Right and True and Loving. 

You alone are God. All Creation is Your imagination: If You were not thinking about us, we would not exist! So You will have all the thanks, all the praise, all the credit, all the glory, all the honor, all the worship for You have accomplished all Your purposes. 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

the Imperfect Made Perfect

Hebrews 4: 16

Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.

God is good and gracious, and wants us to approach Him with the confidence that we can trust Him fully to love us and do for us what He knows is the very best for us. 

Jesus bought us with His precious Blood poured out as His possession, and He redeemed us with His Blood sprinkled on the sides of His altar, the Cross. 

So I belong to Him at three levels: He is my Creator, my Maker; He is my Owner, my Judge; and He is my Savior and Redeemer. 

He is Creator and Owner of all Creation, everybody; and He is Messiah to those who have recognized His authority over them and took their place in death so He could give them His Life. 

So that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord of all (see Isaiah 45:22-24, Romans 14:10-12, Philippians 2:9-11, and Revelation 5:12-13). 

That is the Source of our confidence; we need have no doubt, no fear, no hesitation. Once God has given us Jesus to take our death, the greatest thing He could do, then He will not withhold any other, lesser good thing from those who love Him. 

We can trust Him fully and completely, the way He deserves. That is what He wants us to do, and what we must do to make Him Lord (Boss) in our lives. 

When we approach Him with confidence, then He will respond in mercy and grace to meet our every need, every time. 

O my Father, thank You so much for all You are and all You do. You planned, You devised, You designed, then You created, and You cared for and provided for what You made. Then You made the most wrenching decision to send Your own Son to redeem what had been lost, and gave Your Law to show us what He would do so we would recognize Him. 

Father, You have done everything You could to show us and teach us and convince us of Who You are. And yet, so many still refuse to see. 

But those of us who have turned to You have found You so much more! More than we could ever imagine. And what You have planned for us to reward us for submitting to You and letting You have Your way in us is so much better than we would be able to understand. 

Father, You will receive all the glory, all the honor, all the praise; because You have done all things perfectly, even using us, your imperfect creatures who You are making perfect. 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Know Your Business

Proverbs 27: 23-24

Know well the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds; for riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to all generations.

This tells us to take care of business, to stay tuned to our own wherewithal, our income and support. Then we will be free to focus on others' needs, also.

No one is concerned for your well-being as much as you are, and no one else is responsible for your happiness. We all have responsibility for ourselves first, to love ourselves properly, then love others as ourselves.

If we don't take care of our own business, how can we ever help anyone else?

O my Father, please help me to be aware of all You have blessed me with. Help  me to use the talents and abilities You have given me to be responsible for all I find in my hand. Teach me, Father, to be consistent with what I do, and use my efforts to bless others as well as meet my needs. 

You are so generous, Father; show me how I can be generous as You are. Let me see what I have to share, and release it from my grasp, so I won't hoard. 

I know I tend to be stingy, holding on to whatever comes into my purview. But You have shown me to hold what I have in an open hand, to be ready to release and share what I would otherwise grasp. Only then will Your blessings be broadcast afar. 

Continue working Your Plan, Father, to bring all Your Creation to the denouement that will climax the accomplishment of Your will; that will bring to the finish this whole Era of Man. 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!