Mark 6:31-32
And He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while." (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves.
Gordon MacDonald said, "We do not rest because our work is done; we rest because God commanded it and created us to have a need for it."
When Jesus and His disciples went through a very busy time, He instructed His friends to come away with him on a vacation to rest and be able to relax. When God gave the Ten Commandments He included one that demanded we "rest" one day every seven, and not do our regular work that day. When He created the whole world and everything in it, He "rested" from creating anything more, as an example to us. God doesn't need to "rest," as He never grows weary. But He made us to need a break from our everyday work. He made us to need a time of "getting away" from time to time to relax and refocus. Then we can return to our regular lives with new enthusiasm and fresh perspectives, and avoid "burning out."
He is so good to us, He gave us a "Sabbath rest" for our own well being and good health. Jesus even said that "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." He meant that we have the Day of Rest for our good, not just another obligation.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, July 25, 2016
Sunday, July 24, 2016
The Words On Our Lips
Isaiah 59:20-21
"The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those of Jacob who repent of their sins," declares the Lord. "As for Me, this is My covenant with them," says the Lord, "My Spirit, Who is on you, will not depart from you, and My words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants--from this time on and forever," says the Lord. --
O my Father, I pray for my children. I know that You have given me Your Spirit, Who will never depart from me. I pray that You will grant repentance to those who don't know You yet, that Your words will also be on their lips. And I pray for my grandchildren, and their children after them, that they all will also have Your words on their lips to pass on to their descendants, too.
You have said that You're not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance (II Peter 3:9). Show me my part in Your plan to save them, as You have saved their parents. May Your words be on all our lips, from this time on and forever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
"The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those of Jacob who repent of their sins," declares the Lord. "As for Me, this is My covenant with them," says the Lord, "My Spirit, Who is on you, will not depart from you, and My words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants--from this time on and forever," says the Lord. --
O my Father, I pray for my children. I know that You have given me Your Spirit, Who will never depart from me. I pray that You will grant repentance to those who don't know You yet, that Your words will also be on their lips. And I pray for my grandchildren, and their children after them, that they all will also have Your words on their lips to pass on to their descendants, too.
You have said that You're not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance (II Peter 3:9). Show me my part in Your plan to save them, as You have saved their parents. May Your words be on all our lips, from this time on and forever.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, July 23, 2016
God's Secret
Psalm 25:14
The secret of the Lord --
"Secret" in the Hebrew is sode; "A company of persons in close deliberation; a secret, intimate counsel." This is God's Plan of the Ages, what the Father, the Son and the Spirit devised and decided before He created anything that is. God's program for the operation of this world on this Earth. There is no way we can know this, except that God decides to reveal it to us.
is for those who fear Him, --
God reveals this program to those who fear Him, the people who are willing to be willing to acknowledge God's power and greatness and authority over us as our Owner, our Master.
And He will make them know His covenant.
These are they to whom God allows to know Who He is and the terms of the contract, the covenant He has put in force over us and for us. This agreement shows us what God has done for us in meeting all our needs. When we understand this covenant and live our lives according to its principles, then we reap the benefits of this world and the next; and God gets all the credit, all the glory for designing it so.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
The secret of the Lord --
"Secret" in the Hebrew is sode; "A company of persons in close deliberation; a secret, intimate counsel." This is God's Plan of the Ages, what the Father, the Son and the Spirit devised and decided before He created anything that is. God's program for the operation of this world on this Earth. There is no way we can know this, except that God decides to reveal it to us.
is for those who fear Him, --
God reveals this program to those who fear Him, the people who are willing to be willing to acknowledge God's power and greatness and authority over us as our Owner, our Master.
And He will make them know His covenant.
These are they to whom God allows to know Who He is and the terms of the contract, the covenant He has put in force over us and for us. This agreement shows us what God has done for us in meeting all our needs. When we understand this covenant and live our lives according to its principles, then we reap the benefits of this world and the next; and God gets all the credit, all the glory for designing it so.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, July 22, 2016
Heart's Desire And Counsel
Psalm 20:4
May He grant you your heart's desire, and fulfill all your counsel!
O my Father, may my heart's desire be what You want for me, because I know that whatever You want for me is so much better than anything I could want for myself.
And, Father, may my counsel be truely according to Your Word, that I may correctly discern what You are teaching me; to share with others accurately Your attitudes and thoughts toward them, to show them Your righteous ways. Then many others will come to know how right You are and how following Your ways will be to their benefit.
You desire to bless us, Father, as our Maker You love what You have made and want to do good to us all our days. When we follow Your instructions all our lives, then we will be thinking and acting in harmony with how You designed this world to work, and the result will be peace and harmony and great abundance. And You, Father God, will enjoy all the credit, all the glory, for planning it so.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
May He grant you your heart's desire, and fulfill all your counsel!
O my Father, may my heart's desire be what You want for me, because I know that whatever You want for me is so much better than anything I could want for myself.
And, Father, may my counsel be truely according to Your Word, that I may correctly discern what You are teaching me; to share with others accurately Your attitudes and thoughts toward them, to show them Your righteous ways. Then many others will come to know how right You are and how following Your ways will be to their benefit.
You desire to bless us, Father, as our Maker You love what You have made and want to do good to us all our days. When we follow Your instructions all our lives, then we will be thinking and acting in harmony with how You designed this world to work, and the result will be peace and harmony and great abundance. And You, Father God, will enjoy all the credit, all the glory, for planning it so.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Our Attitudes And Our Children
Isaiah 39:8
(also II Kings 20:19)
"The word of the Lord you have spoken is good," Hezekiah replied. For he thought, "There will be peace and security in my lifetime."
King Hezekiah had gotten sick, and almost died. But God saw his tears and healed him. Other nations had heard about it, and the king of Babylon sent envoys to him. He showed these envoys all the treasures and valuables in his palace, showing off. Then Isaiah told him that the king of Babylon would come and take away all these treasures, carrying them off to faraway Babylon, along with Hezekiah's own descendents. Hezekiah's response to this was, that's good, I'll have peace and safety, all this trouble won't come until after I'm dead and gone.
God gave Hezekiah fifteen more years to live. During this time he had a son. When he died, Manasseh was twelve years old. Hezekiah had been a good king who followed the Lord all his life. But Manasseh was a very wicked king. I wonder if the father's selfish attitude in not caring that his own grandchildren would be eunuch slaves in a foreign land, had an effect on his son that turned him away from the Lord.
Parents, we need to be aware that our children won't necessarily do what we say, if our own attitudes contradict what we're trying to teach them. They are smarter than we usually give them credit for, and will pick up our bad habits even when we try to hide them.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
(also II Kings 20:19)
"The word of the Lord you have spoken is good," Hezekiah replied. For he thought, "There will be peace and security in my lifetime."
King Hezekiah had gotten sick, and almost died. But God saw his tears and healed him. Other nations had heard about it, and the king of Babylon sent envoys to him. He showed these envoys all the treasures and valuables in his palace, showing off. Then Isaiah told him that the king of Babylon would come and take away all these treasures, carrying them off to faraway Babylon, along with Hezekiah's own descendents. Hezekiah's response to this was, that's good, I'll have peace and safety, all this trouble won't come until after I'm dead and gone.
God gave Hezekiah fifteen more years to live. During this time he had a son. When he died, Manasseh was twelve years old. Hezekiah had been a good king who followed the Lord all his life. But Manasseh was a very wicked king. I wonder if the father's selfish attitude in not caring that his own grandchildren would be eunuch slaves in a foreign land, had an effect on his son that turned him away from the Lord.
Parents, we need to be aware that our children won't necessarily do what we say, if our own attitudes contradict what we're trying to teach them. They are smarter than we usually give them credit for, and will pick up our bad habits even when we try to hide them.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
To Serve God Without Fear
Luke 1:74-75
To grant us, that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
When enemies rule over us, we are not free to worship God according to His Word. Our forefathers left England and came to America in order to worship God freely and not be compelled to join a nationalized church. So our Constitution specifically states that the government is not to establish a church or organized religion, nor is it to interfere with any church or religious people. When this foundation for our laws was followed, we had the freedom to preach the Gospel without fear; we could teach our children how to read using the Bible for our textbook; we could bless our neighbors and customers freely without fear. And we enjoyed the prosperity that flowed from this.
I have recently heard about florists and bakers and other businesspeople who have blessed their customers in the past but are now being sued in court for maintaining the right ways God has allowed to be established in this Nation. Enemies of God are now gaining power.
O Lord Almighty, please wake up Your church, show us what each one of us is to do, how to act, what to pursue, to deliver us from the hand of our enemies, in rooting out those who are leading us away from Your good Ways and raising up others in our government who do know Your ways to bring up this Nation back into Your righteousness, and receive Your blessings, the benefits of cooperating with how You designed this world to work.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
To grant us, that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
When enemies rule over us, we are not free to worship God according to His Word. Our forefathers left England and came to America in order to worship God freely and not be compelled to join a nationalized church. So our Constitution specifically states that the government is not to establish a church or organized religion, nor is it to interfere with any church or religious people. When this foundation for our laws was followed, we had the freedom to preach the Gospel without fear; we could teach our children how to read using the Bible for our textbook; we could bless our neighbors and customers freely without fear. And we enjoyed the prosperity that flowed from this.
I have recently heard about florists and bakers and other businesspeople who have blessed their customers in the past but are now being sued in court for maintaining the right ways God has allowed to be established in this Nation. Enemies of God are now gaining power.
O Lord Almighty, please wake up Your church, show us what each one of us is to do, how to act, what to pursue, to deliver us from the hand of our enemies, in rooting out those who are leading us away from Your good Ways and raising up others in our government who do know Your ways to bring up this Nation back into Your righteousness, and receive Your blessings, the benefits of cooperating with how You designed this world to work.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Psalm 119, God's Law
Psalm 119
Overview:
This song is an acrostic; that means that each verse of a stanza starts with the same letter of the alphabet, and each successive stanza goes to the next letter in the alphabet. So this is a very long song.
It's all about God's Law. We may think of having to follow rules and regulations as a negative, limiting our freedom. But this song refers to God's:
Ways
Deeds
Word of Truth
Name
Word, Words
Promises
Statutes
Decrees
Precepts
Law, Laws and
Commands
182 times, in its 176 verses, and names only three negative things that I can find in this whole Psalm:
(1) Delusions come to nothing. Whenever we think wrongly or have a wrong idea of what God wants us to do or live, it doesn't work out.
(2) Enemies ignore God's Word and Laws. God's enemies and our enemies as God's people deliberately ignore and discount what God has said. Even when they know about His ways, they think they know better and try to do things their own way. When we think like this, we're acting like God's enemies.
(3) I shed tears because the Law is not obeyed. When I see how people are hurting and harming themselves and others by going against what our Maker has clearly told us how to act and live, I realize that if only they would listen to learn and understand, then they wouldn't be so miserable.
I have counted 58 positive things about God's rules in this song:
(1) They give me hope.
(2) They are wonderful.
(3) They give me comfort in my suffering.
(4) When I obey, no sin cannot rule over me.
(5) They are the theme of my song.
(6) They redeem me from human oppression.
(7) I will practice to obey them.
(8) God's Statutes will be in effect forever.
(9) They teach me how to be and do good.
(10) They give me great peace.
(11) They give me good judgment.
(12) His Laws sustain me.
(13) Affliction teaches me God's decrees.
(14) They keep me from being shamed.
(15) They are precious.
(16) I memorize them to keep me from sin.
(17) They are righteous.
(18) They make me rejoice.
(19) Their promise is comfort in love.
(20) They make me to consider God's ways.
(21) God's Law gives compassion which gives life.
(22) I don't want to neglect them.
(23) They are eternal in the Heavens.
(24) They rebuke the arrogant.
(25) They are trustworthy.
(26) They preserve my life.
(27) They established the Earth, and it stands.
(28) They strengthen me.
(29) All things, all Creation, obeys & serves God.
(30) I obey the Law.
(31) Those who obey will not perish.
(32) They grant salvation.
(33) God made me & I belong to Him, I'm His property.
(34) I pant in longing to understand His ways.
(35) Earthly perfection is limited, His commandments are boundless.
(36) His Promises are thoroughly tested.
(37) They make me wiser than my enemies.
(38) Understanding them gives life.
(39) They give me more insight than my teachers.
(40) God's laws are eternal.
(41) They give me more understanding than the elders.
(42) God's hand is always ready to help.
(43) They are sweeter than honey.
(44) They bless me.
(45) They are my refuge and shield.
(46) They help me stay pure.
(47) They sustain me.
(48) I say them (recite them) out loud.
(49) I love them more than pure gold.
(50) I meditate on them.
(51) They give the light of understanding.
(52) They are my delight.
(53) They help me see.
(54) They are my counsellors.
(55) They give me understanding.
(56) I keep the Law.
(57) I'll not be disgraced, and
(58) I can answer taunts.
So no matter what I face in life, God has the answer for me in His Word, the Bible. His rules and regulations (The Law) are universal principles that apply to everyone all the time, in every culture, in every time. Even when the World happens onto His principles, even when they do not acknowledge God, they still "work," because that's how He designed things to work. How much better to study the Manufacturer's Instructions directly to get all the answers, "straight from the horse's mouth." When I can get the wider view to see the whole picture, how much easier life is, how much smoother the road I walk, and how much clearer is the way to handle whatever comes my way.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Overview:
This song is an acrostic; that means that each verse of a stanza starts with the same letter of the alphabet, and each successive stanza goes to the next letter in the alphabet. So this is a very long song.
It's all about God's Law. We may think of having to follow rules and regulations as a negative, limiting our freedom. But this song refers to God's:
Ways
Deeds
Word of Truth
Name
Word, Words
Promises
Statutes
Decrees
Precepts
Law, Laws and
Commands
182 times, in its 176 verses, and names only three negative things that I can find in this whole Psalm:
(1) Delusions come to nothing. Whenever we think wrongly or have a wrong idea of what God wants us to do or live, it doesn't work out.
(2) Enemies ignore God's Word and Laws. God's enemies and our enemies as God's people deliberately ignore and discount what God has said. Even when they know about His ways, they think they know better and try to do things their own way. When we think like this, we're acting like God's enemies.
(3) I shed tears because the Law is not obeyed. When I see how people are hurting and harming themselves and others by going against what our Maker has clearly told us how to act and live, I realize that if only they would listen to learn and understand, then they wouldn't be so miserable.
I have counted 58 positive things about God's rules in this song:
(1) They give me hope.
(2) They are wonderful.
(3) They give me comfort in my suffering.
(4) When I obey, no sin cannot rule over me.
(5) They are the theme of my song.
(6) They redeem me from human oppression.
(7) I will practice to obey them.
(8) God's Statutes will be in effect forever.
(9) They teach me how to be and do good.
(10) They give me great peace.
(11) They give me good judgment.
(12) His Laws sustain me.
(13) Affliction teaches me God's decrees.
(14) They keep me from being shamed.
(15) They are precious.
(16) I memorize them to keep me from sin.
(17) They are righteous.
(18) They make me rejoice.
(19) Their promise is comfort in love.
(20) They make me to consider God's ways.
(21) God's Law gives compassion which gives life.
(22) I don't want to neglect them.
(23) They are eternal in the Heavens.
(24) They rebuke the arrogant.
(25) They are trustworthy.
(26) They preserve my life.
(27) They established the Earth, and it stands.
(28) They strengthen me.
(29) All things, all Creation, obeys & serves God.
(30) I obey the Law.
(31) Those who obey will not perish.
(32) They grant salvation.
(33) God made me & I belong to Him, I'm His property.
(34) I pant in longing to understand His ways.
(35) Earthly perfection is limited, His commandments are boundless.
(36) His Promises are thoroughly tested.
(37) They make me wiser than my enemies.
(38) Understanding them gives life.
(39) They give me more insight than my teachers.
(40) God's laws are eternal.
(41) They give me more understanding than the elders.
(42) God's hand is always ready to help.
(43) They are sweeter than honey.
(44) They bless me.
(45) They are my refuge and shield.
(46) They help me stay pure.
(47) They sustain me.
(48) I say them (recite them) out loud.
(49) I love them more than pure gold.
(50) I meditate on them.
(51) They give the light of understanding.
(52) They are my delight.
(53) They help me see.
(54) They are my counsellors.
(55) They give me understanding.
(56) I keep the Law.
(57) I'll not be disgraced, and
(58) I can answer taunts.
So no matter what I face in life, God has the answer for me in His Word, the Bible. His rules and regulations (The Law) are universal principles that apply to everyone all the time, in every culture, in every time. Even when the World happens onto His principles, even when they do not acknowledge God, they still "work," because that's how He designed things to work. How much better to study the Manufacturer's Instructions directly to get all the answers, "straight from the horse's mouth." When I can get the wider view to see the whole picture, how much easier life is, how much smoother the road I walk, and how much clearer is the way to handle whatever comes my way.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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