Psalm 51:6
Behold, thou dost desire truth in the innermost being.
Our own hearts deceive us, and we lie to ourselves. There will always, in this life, be dark pockets in our hearts where we don't want to go, desires and attitudes that we don't want to face. David knew this, and he asked God to:
Create in me a clean heart, O God, (v. 10)
to dispose of all the dark places hiding there.
(Vs. 16-17) For Thou dost not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; Thou art not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.
There is nothing we can do to turn God's favor toward us, even the most precious thing we have, the most expensive sacrifice, or the hardest thing for us to do.
In the New Testament we learn that:
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
This repeats what David said in the Old Testament, showing that God does not change.
For He is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance (II Peter 3:9)
When we confess, agree with God of the sinfulness of our sins, and turn around our attitudes about it because we regret the evil and unrest and turmoil that comes from our disobedience to the ways God made this world to operate; then God will be faithful to His promise to forgive our sins we've just admitted, and just because Jesus has already paid our debt; and He will also cleanse us of all the rest of the unrighteousness in our hearts we're not aware of yet.
I want God's Truth to saturate my life, even down to the inmost part of my being. Then I will be able to face myself, and to avoid temptation, and to resist the devil in the power of the Holy Spirit, and to show forth in my life God's love for others. And He will receive all the credit, all the glory, because it's all His plan, His program, His purposes and His power.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
His Banner Over Me Is Love
The Song of Solomon 2:4, 2:16, 4:9, 6:3
His banner over me is love,
My Beloved is mine and I am His,
You have stolen My heart, My sister, My bride; you have stolen My heart with one glance of your eyes,
I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine.
This book tells us of the joys of marriage. It also illustrates how our God loves us. Israel is called God's wife, and the church is the Bride of Christ. He loves us passionately, as a bridegroom is enamored with his new bride.
God's heart goes out to us from that first repentant look toward Him to save us. Now we are His much loved wife and He has given us Himself, courting us into His love; and He belongs to us as we belong to Him: we are to be one with Him as He is one with the Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
His banner over me is love,
My Beloved is mine and I am His,
You have stolen My heart, My sister, My bride; you have stolen My heart with one glance of your eyes,
I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine.
This book tells us of the joys of marriage. It also illustrates how our God loves us. Israel is called God's wife, and the church is the Bride of Christ. He loves us passionately, as a bridegroom is enamored with his new bride.
God's heart goes out to us from that first repentant look toward Him to save us. Now we are His much loved wife and He has given us Himself, courting us into His love; and He belongs to us as we belong to Him: we are to be one with Him as He is one with the Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Deceptive Food
Proverbs 23:3
...For that food is deceptive.
When this was written, the writer was probably thinking about the meal an unrighteous ruler would provide, to deceive you into promoting him or supporting his program.
Today we can also see this phrase, "deceptive food," in a completely different light. There is "food" today that is not nourishing, some that has no nutritional value at all, but will chemically induce the brain's pleasure and flavor areas to deceive you into thinking it's worth eating.
There are other "foods" being produced today that contain their own insecticides, as part of the plant, you can't wash it off, so you're eating the poison, too.
And by taking the genes from one kind of life and introducing them into a completely different kind of life, they're getting a "Frankenstein Monster" of a product, that has been shown to be fatal to the animals it's been tested on.
So these "foods" themselves are deceptive, masquerading as food.
God has given us everything we need in this Earth, and we only do harm to ourselves and to one another when we "play god" and mess with it. We just think we're so smart! So we end up with auto-immune diseases and allergies to healthy foods, and wonder why we feel so bad.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
...For that food is deceptive.
When this was written, the writer was probably thinking about the meal an unrighteous ruler would provide, to deceive you into promoting him or supporting his program.
Today we can also see this phrase, "deceptive food," in a completely different light. There is "food" today that is not nourishing, some that has no nutritional value at all, but will chemically induce the brain's pleasure and flavor areas to deceive you into thinking it's worth eating.
There are other "foods" being produced today that contain their own insecticides, as part of the plant, you can't wash it off, so you're eating the poison, too.
And by taking the genes from one kind of life and introducing them into a completely different kind of life, they're getting a "Frankenstein Monster" of a product, that has been shown to be fatal to the animals it's been tested on.
So these "foods" themselves are deceptive, masquerading as food.
God has given us everything we need in this Earth, and we only do harm to ourselves and to one another when we "play god" and mess with it. We just think we're so smart! So we end up with auto-immune diseases and allergies to healthy foods, and wonder why we feel so bad.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, May 30, 2016
Persecution
John 16:1-4
These things I have spoken to you that you may be kept from stumbling. They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. And these things they will do, because they have not known the Father, or Me. But these things I have spoken to you, that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them.
The history of religious persecution clearly portrays the fulfillment of this prophesy. To be fore-warned is to be fore-armed, so Jesus is telling us that people who are not true Christians will think that killing will "cleanse" the society of those who don't agree with their beliefs, their morals, or their life philosophies. In every age this has been true, even when it was the "christian" church doing the persecuting (hence, the Reformation). There are more Christian martyrs today than at any other age in history.
Because we know these things, we need to make sure our salvation is secure, and to strengthen ourselves emotionally and spiritually to withstand the rejection and persecution, even when it comes from our own families and friends.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
These things I have spoken to you that you may be kept from stumbling. They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. And these things they will do, because they have not known the Father, or Me. But these things I have spoken to you, that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them.
The history of religious persecution clearly portrays the fulfillment of this prophesy. To be fore-warned is to be fore-armed, so Jesus is telling us that people who are not true Christians will think that killing will "cleanse" the society of those who don't agree with their beliefs, their morals, or their life philosophies. In every age this has been true, even when it was the "christian" church doing the persecuting (hence, the Reformation). There are more Christian martyrs today than at any other age in history.
Because we know these things, we need to make sure our salvation is secure, and to strengthen ourselves emotionally and spiritually to withstand the rejection and persecution, even when it comes from our own families and friends.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Tasted Death
Hebrews 2:9
But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.
Jesus hated death, it upset Him, unsettled Him, whenever He was too near it. But before God created, He had agreed to come to be our Sacrifice.
The angels were created incapable of death, so when they sinned there was no remedy for them, there could be no redeemer; they would have to suffer the consequences of their decision, being separated (death) from God for eternity.
But God created Mankind, just a small step below angels in authority, and gave us the ability to live and/or to die. And we sinned, too. Now something can die for us (animal sacrifices) so we can continue to live. Then Jesus, the eternal Son, broke into our world as a human being, just like us. To be our final Sacrifice, to not just cover the debt temporarily, but to pay it off in full--to totally satisfy the wrath of God that is justly due to each of us. Now God can freely forgive us and allow us to live eternally with Him.
Jesus tasted death for each one of us. Now when we die, we won't "taste" death--we will go directly from this earthly, physical life into that spiritual, eternal, Heavenly life.
Thank you, Jesus, for conquering that cruel enemy of ours; and thank you, Father, for Your glorious Plan to accomplish this!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.
Jesus hated death, it upset Him, unsettled Him, whenever He was too near it. But before God created, He had agreed to come to be our Sacrifice.
The angels were created incapable of death, so when they sinned there was no remedy for them, there could be no redeemer; they would have to suffer the consequences of their decision, being separated (death) from God for eternity.
But God created Mankind, just a small step below angels in authority, and gave us the ability to live and/or to die. And we sinned, too. Now something can die for us (animal sacrifices) so we can continue to live. Then Jesus, the eternal Son, broke into our world as a human being, just like us. To be our final Sacrifice, to not just cover the debt temporarily, but to pay it off in full--to totally satisfy the wrath of God that is justly due to each of us. Now God can freely forgive us and allow us to live eternally with Him.
Jesus tasted death for each one of us. Now when we die, we won't "taste" death--we will go directly from this earthly, physical life into that spiritual, eternal, Heavenly life.
Thank you, Jesus, for conquering that cruel enemy of ours; and thank you, Father, for Your glorious Plan to accomplish this!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, May 28, 2016
An "Open" Or "Closed" Mind
Proverbs 17:10
A rebuke impresses a discerning person more than a hundred lashes a fool.
"Fool" here denotes a person who is morally deficient and not willing to listen to any kind of teaching that does not agree with their perverse thinking processes. Therefore, to give them "a hundred lashes" will not change their minds.
On the other hand, a "discerning person" is one who is humble enough to receive and consider a rebuke, to be impressed to grow in their understanding and wisdom.
Those who claim to have an "open mind" today seem to be those who only seek teachers who will reinforce their already faulty thinking processes; their minds are closed to a rebuke that would lead them into straight thinking.
I want to be truly "open" to whomever and whatever teaching that would lead me on in the "straight paths" set before me, not turning to the right nor to the left. God's ways are a true balance, to weigh the attitudes of the heart. Too much on either side would tip the balance, and be detrimental.
Father, teach me Your ways, lead me in Your straight path for me, take my hand in Yours to steady me, that I not be deterred from or swayed from the ways You have designed us to be in this Earth. And I will give You all the credit, the glory and praise for Your wisdom in making it so.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
A rebuke impresses a discerning person more than a hundred lashes a fool.
"Fool" here denotes a person who is morally deficient and not willing to listen to any kind of teaching that does not agree with their perverse thinking processes. Therefore, to give them "a hundred lashes" will not change their minds.
On the other hand, a "discerning person" is one who is humble enough to receive and consider a rebuke, to be impressed to grow in their understanding and wisdom.
Those who claim to have an "open mind" today seem to be those who only seek teachers who will reinforce their already faulty thinking processes; their minds are closed to a rebuke that would lead them into straight thinking.
I want to be truly "open" to whomever and whatever teaching that would lead me on in the "straight paths" set before me, not turning to the right nor to the left. God's ways are a true balance, to weigh the attitudes of the heart. Too much on either side would tip the balance, and be detrimental.
Father, teach me Your ways, lead me in Your straight path for me, take my hand in Yours to steady me, that I not be deterred from or swayed from the ways You have designed us to be in this Earth. And I will give You all the credit, the glory and praise for Your wisdom in making it so.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, May 27, 2016
Political Strategy?
Proverbs 22:8
Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity, and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.
Political leaders often have ulterior motives for getting into politics; they want to have power over the people. They don't care about the populace, only their own advancement and wealth. So we have seen often in history that this Proverb has spoken truth: Those who have made laws to promote lifestyles that are against the ways God has made this world to work, have resulted in calamities that enable the rulers to take control over the people.
This often takes away the citizens' freedoms to worship, to defend themselves, to live out the lifestyles they believe are right for them, and have even been punished for obeying the customs of their beliefs. This is wielding the rod in fury. But we know that God will see that this rod of fury will be broken, when it has fulfilled His purposes.
We as God's people need to pay attention to what our "rulers" are doing in passing laws, declaring edicts, writing legal letters, judging according to precedent and personal preference instead of law, and otherwise going around the processes set out in our founding documents, to change the way this Nation exists in the World.
When we as a people followed our founders and leaders who were righteous men, we experienced much prosperity, more so than any other Nation since Solomon ruled in Israel so long ago. We hear talk of Progressiveness that has spread so widely across this land, but what has this Progress brought us so far? It would not be going backward would it, to look back at what brought us prosperity in the past, and follow those ways? To look for men and women to lead us who understand how the political climate affects the common person, and will lead us back into the righteous ways our Maker and Designer has told us how to live? Then we can again experience the true liberty and peace we knew in the past.
This World system is racing toward the One World Government that will usher in the Man of Sin, the Antichrist. As God's people, we need to do all we can to promote God's Kingdom and His righteousness to thwart this evil System, in our own Nation (for our own benefit) and in the World. We need to be in prayer for this and other Nations, to return to the Right way to live and rule, and reap the benefits God has programmed into this Earth, and He will receive the credit, the glory, because He planned it so. Let's bring this about, even if it will be a brief episode, before the End of the Ages.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity, and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.
Political leaders often have ulterior motives for getting into politics; they want to have power over the people. They don't care about the populace, only their own advancement and wealth. So we have seen often in history that this Proverb has spoken truth: Those who have made laws to promote lifestyles that are against the ways God has made this world to work, have resulted in calamities that enable the rulers to take control over the people.
This often takes away the citizens' freedoms to worship, to defend themselves, to live out the lifestyles they believe are right for them, and have even been punished for obeying the customs of their beliefs. This is wielding the rod in fury. But we know that God will see that this rod of fury will be broken, when it has fulfilled His purposes.
We as God's people need to pay attention to what our "rulers" are doing in passing laws, declaring edicts, writing legal letters, judging according to precedent and personal preference instead of law, and otherwise going around the processes set out in our founding documents, to change the way this Nation exists in the World.
When we as a people followed our founders and leaders who were righteous men, we experienced much prosperity, more so than any other Nation since Solomon ruled in Israel so long ago. We hear talk of Progressiveness that has spread so widely across this land, but what has this Progress brought us so far? It would not be going backward would it, to look back at what brought us prosperity in the past, and follow those ways? To look for men and women to lead us who understand how the political climate affects the common person, and will lead us back into the righteous ways our Maker and Designer has told us how to live? Then we can again experience the true liberty and peace we knew in the past.
This World system is racing toward the One World Government that will usher in the Man of Sin, the Antichrist. As God's people, we need to do all we can to promote God's Kingdom and His righteousness to thwart this evil System, in our own Nation (for our own benefit) and in the World. We need to be in prayer for this and other Nations, to return to the Right way to live and rule, and reap the benefits God has programmed into this Earth, and He will receive the credit, the glory, because He planned it so. Let's bring this about, even if it will be a brief episode, before the End of the Ages.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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