Psalm 133: 1-2
How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron's head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe.
Oil is very soothing and healing; it is very penetrating and long-lasting. It is a lubricant to allow moving parts to slide smoothly against each other without harm or hindrance. That is why harmony is compared to oil--it allows people who are very close (brothers) to be able to function together without argument or animosity.
Many families are coming together for the Holidays from far distances as well as across town; people who in some cases have not seen or communicated much recently will be rubbing up against each other, and tempers can flare. May we all be aware of one another's personalities and temperaments, and be considerate of how they may receive what we have to give in conversation and gift-giving, too. The Oil of Harmony can only be achieved when we "consider other as better than ourselves" and love one another with God's unconditional love, mixed with mercy and forgiveness.
This will not be easy for many of us. Some may even forego travelling to be together, dreading the interchange of personalities. But with God, "all things are possible," even getting along with that difficult relative.
So let us all trust God, leaning on Him rather than our own ways, and let Him do a work in and through us to those who may not know Him yet, and be His witness to draw them into God's loving arms.
Merry Christmas!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, December 23, 2016
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Beginning With The End In View
Ephesians 1: 10-11
And this is His plan: At the right time He will bring everything together under the authority of Christ--everything in Heaven and on Earth. Furthermore, because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for He chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as He decided long ago.
As Christmas approaches, we are reminded of the beginning of Christ's career on this Earth, in being born as a human baby, just like all the rest of us. He began with the end in mind. He grew up in a family, no different from other families. His dad, Joseph, died sometime before His public ministry began, leaving His mother a widow with a family to raise. Mary had to be a strong woman to keep her four boys and a number we don't know of girls in line as they grew up, not an easy job.
Now we know that Jesus completed all the work of our redemption; there is no more work to be done by us, only to accept His gracious gift of faith in what He has done for us.
The story isn't over yet, Jesus' time on this Earth isn't over. He will return, right all wrongs, even all odds, and rule for a thousand years with a rod of iron. This will be Earth's Golden Age. Then Satan will be released to gather the armies of the World against King Jesus, and it will be the "right time" to bring everything together in Heaven and on Earth under Christ's authority, forevermore. And we are co-heirs with Christ in inheriting a place and position in this new order of being. God's great Plan of the Ages will be accomplished, completed and finished. He will be our God and we will be His people for all eternity future.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
And this is His plan: At the right time He will bring everything together under the authority of Christ--everything in Heaven and on Earth. Furthermore, because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for He chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as He decided long ago.
As Christmas approaches, we are reminded of the beginning of Christ's career on this Earth, in being born as a human baby, just like all the rest of us. He began with the end in mind. He grew up in a family, no different from other families. His dad, Joseph, died sometime before His public ministry began, leaving His mother a widow with a family to raise. Mary had to be a strong woman to keep her four boys and a number we don't know of girls in line as they grew up, not an easy job.
Now we know that Jesus completed all the work of our redemption; there is no more work to be done by us, only to accept His gracious gift of faith in what He has done for us.
The story isn't over yet, Jesus' time on this Earth isn't over. He will return, right all wrongs, even all odds, and rule for a thousand years with a rod of iron. This will be Earth's Golden Age. Then Satan will be released to gather the armies of the World against King Jesus, and it will be the "right time" to bring everything together in Heaven and on Earth under Christ's authority, forevermore. And we are co-heirs with Christ in inheriting a place and position in this new order of being. God's great Plan of the Ages will be accomplished, completed and finished. He will be our God and we will be His people for all eternity future.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
The Ten Commandments
Exodus 20: 1-17
And God spoke all these words:
God was speaking directly to all the people that Moses had led out of Egypt.
(1) I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
God is the One who has the power to break all of our "chains" that hold us in bondage: addictions, bad habits, physical problems, financial troubles, relational disconnects, emotional dysfunctions, spiritual doubts. Everything that would hamper our openness with God and others.
You shall have no other gods before Me.
Anything we put between us and God is a god, an idol.
(2) You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything
God will not allow any statues of anything . . .
in Heaven above
Like saints who have died before us, or angels, or our idea of what God or Jesus look like.
or on the Earth beneath or in the waters below.
Or in the shape of anything else anywhere.
You shall not bow down to them
Or kneel before them.
or worship them;
Or give worth-ship to them by praying to them or lighting candles to them.
for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,
Jealous, as not willing to give His worth-ship to any other, only God has that worth, or deserves it.
punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me,
Parents teach their children, and the children admire and model their parents, from generation to generation.
but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
As long as parents know and teach the Truth to their children, it can be passed from one generation to the next, without limit.
(3) You shall not misuse the Name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His Name.
The Name of our Lord God, Jesus, has limitless power; to use this Name for no purpose, as an expletive, is to dishonor His greatness and authority.
(4) Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath Day and made it holy.
God is always our example and our model that we are to emulate. God "rested" from Creation when He had completed it; now the First Law of Thermodynamics (what Science is based on) is the "conservation of matter," that nothing that exists can be destroyed or cease to exist, nor can any more matter than what is can be added to it: the Lord God is the Creator, and what He has done cannot be undone.
Before Jesus, mankind were like little children spiritually, needing all the details to be spelled out. While our Lord Jesus walked this Earth, He fulfilled all of the Law, the body of rules and regulations that spell out all the details. Now that Jesus has accomplished our Redemption and given His own Spirit of Truth to live in us, it's like we're adolescents now, with more responsibility before God. Now we can see that the "letter of the Law" is only the outward evidence of what God wants of us, to live by the "spirit of the Law," the principle the law is based on.
Jesus said that Mankind was not made for the Sabbath, but that the Sabbath was made for Man, for our benefit. So when we acknowledge that we need to take a regular day off from normal work, to rest and regenerate and revive, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, then we will care for our wellbeing as the Lord's body, and magnify Him in our lives.
(5) Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
To obey our parents is the only commandment given to children. If we learn to respect, obey and honor our parents as children, then we will be able to honor and obey all the other authorities that will be over us in life: teachers, mentors, law enforcement officers, church leaders; and we will also obey God, Who we cannot see. We will be able to get along with others in this world, and come to God when He calls us into His own Family.
(6) You shall not murder.
Jesus taught that if we do not love our brother, if we will not consider others as worth our consideration, if we hold a grudge against another; then we have already murdered them in our hearts. We are to love one another, to consider other as "better" than ourselves in considering their needs that we are able to help with.
(7) You shall not commit adultery.
Jesus also said that if a man even looks at a woman lustfully, he has already transgressed this commandment. The act of adultery is only the result of all the mental activity that has already been allowed. Instead we are to cultivate an attitude of respect and purity and modesty toward those of the opposite gender, being faithful in both body and mind to our own spouse, having "eyes" only for him or her, valuing our marriage, or saving ourselves for the one we will marry in the future.
(8) You shall not steal.
Honesty is in view here. Always love and respect for others is to undergird our lifestyles, which would not permit dishonesty in any matter.
(9) You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
We are not loving anyone we spread slander about, or lie about in any way.
(10) You shall not covet
To be envious of, and want to possess for ourselves anything that someone else has, is not respecting the other, or taking joy in their achievements.
your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Everything is spelled out here that someone may own in that time period, and in case someone thinks of something else, the "anything" will cover it.
We can take pride in and be glad for our neighbor if he or she surpasses us in quality or quantity of possessions. God has given each of us everything we need, both in this life and in the next.
These Ten Commandments seem to cover every area of life that we may experience, and God's Principles are all based on His love for us. Because He has loved us with such an unlimited and expansive and passionate love, we are to love Him back, and to love one another with His unconditional caring and consideration for others, no matter what it costs us.
Love really does make the world go 'round! God's love! And when we understand His love for us, it shows us how much we are worth to God, and frees us to love others the same way. When we do, then we will live our lives in sync with how He designed it to run, and everything will fall into place for us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
And God spoke all these words:
God was speaking directly to all the people that Moses had led out of Egypt.
(1) I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
God is the One who has the power to break all of our "chains" that hold us in bondage: addictions, bad habits, physical problems, financial troubles, relational disconnects, emotional dysfunctions, spiritual doubts. Everything that would hamper our openness with God and others.
You shall have no other gods before Me.
Anything we put between us and God is a god, an idol.
(2) You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything
God will not allow any statues of anything . . .
in Heaven above
Like saints who have died before us, or angels, or our idea of what God or Jesus look like.
or on the Earth beneath or in the waters below.
Or in the shape of anything else anywhere.
You shall not bow down to them
Or kneel before them.
or worship them;
Or give worth-ship to them by praying to them or lighting candles to them.
for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,
Jealous, as not willing to give His worth-ship to any other, only God has that worth, or deserves it.
punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me,
Parents teach their children, and the children admire and model their parents, from generation to generation.
but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
As long as parents know and teach the Truth to their children, it can be passed from one generation to the next, without limit.
(3) You shall not misuse the Name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His Name.
The Name of our Lord God, Jesus, has limitless power; to use this Name for no purpose, as an expletive, is to dishonor His greatness and authority.
(4) Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath Day and made it holy.
God is always our example and our model that we are to emulate. God "rested" from Creation when He had completed it; now the First Law of Thermodynamics (what Science is based on) is the "conservation of matter," that nothing that exists can be destroyed or cease to exist, nor can any more matter than what is can be added to it: the Lord God is the Creator, and what He has done cannot be undone.
Before Jesus, mankind were like little children spiritually, needing all the details to be spelled out. While our Lord Jesus walked this Earth, He fulfilled all of the Law, the body of rules and regulations that spell out all the details. Now that Jesus has accomplished our Redemption and given His own Spirit of Truth to live in us, it's like we're adolescents now, with more responsibility before God. Now we can see that the "letter of the Law" is only the outward evidence of what God wants of us, to live by the "spirit of the Law," the principle the law is based on.
Jesus said that Mankind was not made for the Sabbath, but that the Sabbath was made for Man, for our benefit. So when we acknowledge that we need to take a regular day off from normal work, to rest and regenerate and revive, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, then we will care for our wellbeing as the Lord's body, and magnify Him in our lives.
(5) Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
To obey our parents is the only commandment given to children. If we learn to respect, obey and honor our parents as children, then we will be able to honor and obey all the other authorities that will be over us in life: teachers, mentors, law enforcement officers, church leaders; and we will also obey God, Who we cannot see. We will be able to get along with others in this world, and come to God when He calls us into His own Family.
(6) You shall not murder.
Jesus taught that if we do not love our brother, if we will not consider others as worth our consideration, if we hold a grudge against another; then we have already murdered them in our hearts. We are to love one another, to consider other as "better" than ourselves in considering their needs that we are able to help with.
(7) You shall not commit adultery.
Jesus also said that if a man even looks at a woman lustfully, he has already transgressed this commandment. The act of adultery is only the result of all the mental activity that has already been allowed. Instead we are to cultivate an attitude of respect and purity and modesty toward those of the opposite gender, being faithful in both body and mind to our own spouse, having "eyes" only for him or her, valuing our marriage, or saving ourselves for the one we will marry in the future.
(8) You shall not steal.
Honesty is in view here. Always love and respect for others is to undergird our lifestyles, which would not permit dishonesty in any matter.
(9) You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
We are not loving anyone we spread slander about, or lie about in any way.
(10) You shall not covet
To be envious of, and want to possess for ourselves anything that someone else has, is not respecting the other, or taking joy in their achievements.
your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Everything is spelled out here that someone may own in that time period, and in case someone thinks of something else, the "anything" will cover it.
We can take pride in and be glad for our neighbor if he or she surpasses us in quality or quantity of possessions. God has given each of us everything we need, both in this life and in the next.
These Ten Commandments seem to cover every area of life that we may experience, and God's Principles are all based on His love for us. Because He has loved us with such an unlimited and expansive and passionate love, we are to love Him back, and to love one another with His unconditional caring and consideration for others, no matter what it costs us.
Love really does make the world go 'round! God's love! And when we understand His love for us, it shows us how much we are worth to God, and frees us to love others the same way. When we do, then we will live our lives in sync with how He designed it to run, and everything will fall into place for us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
An Understanding Heart
I Kings 3: 9-10
"Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern Your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of Yours?"
The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom.
God was pleased that Solomon had asked for "an understanding heart," and so He also gave him riches and wealth and honor and a peaceful reign. And God allowed Solomon to build Him the very first Temple to house the Ark of the Covenant of God.
Under Solomon's rule the whole, united nation of Israel (including Judah, all twelve tribes) had a glorious beginning, all the pieces were in place and God's great nation enjoyed a time of great peace and prosperity.
America also had a very good beginning, giving us a long time of relative peace and great prosperity. But, like Israel, our very prosperity has blinded our eyes to God's glory and blessings to us, and we have turned from His ways to indulge in our own lusts. This has resulted in our nation going from the world's creditor to great debtor, has stolen the value of our money, and robbed us of the prosperity we enjoyed previously.
O our great Father, please continue to wake up Your people to perceive how far we have fallen from Your ways, and teach us what we each must do to return Your righteousness to our nation; lead and guide those in our government into right ways to accomplish Your plans for us. May we once again be that "city on a hill that cannot be hid," Your light shining into the world to draw all nations to You and Your ways.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
"Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern Your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of Yours?"
The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom.
God was pleased that Solomon had asked for "an understanding heart," and so He also gave him riches and wealth and honor and a peaceful reign. And God allowed Solomon to build Him the very first Temple to house the Ark of the Covenant of God.
Under Solomon's rule the whole, united nation of Israel (including Judah, all twelve tribes) had a glorious beginning, all the pieces were in place and God's great nation enjoyed a time of great peace and prosperity.
America also had a very good beginning, giving us a long time of relative peace and great prosperity. But, like Israel, our very prosperity has blinded our eyes to God's glory and blessings to us, and we have turned from His ways to indulge in our own lusts. This has resulted in our nation going from the world's creditor to great debtor, has stolen the value of our money, and robbed us of the prosperity we enjoyed previously.
O our great Father, please continue to wake up Your people to perceive how far we have fallen from Your ways, and teach us what we each must do to return Your righteousness to our nation; lead and guide those in our government into right ways to accomplish Your plans for us. May we once again be that "city on a hill that cannot be hid," Your light shining into the world to draw all nations to You and Your ways.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Monday, December 19, 2016
Whose Hearts Are In Tune
Psalm 125: 3-4
The wicked will not rule the land of the godly, for then the godly might be tempted to do wrong. O Lord, do good to those who are good, whose hearts are in tune with You.
O my Father, You are righteous, and everything You do is right. You, Father, are the One Who sets up rulers and puts them down, Who turns the heart of the king into the ways You choose, like the rivers of water.
Thank you for overseeing this past election, Father, in waking up Your people to vote for Your choices on all the levels of government in our nation. You have set up many of Your godly people into positions of authority, and removed from office many of the evil ones who refuse to govern in Your ways.
Please, O Lord, be with those who are good, who are being installed into the positions of leadership they have won by election; lead them and guide them by Your own Holy Spirit of Truth, and strengthen them to do according to Your plans for us. Give them Your wisdom and discernment to surround themselves with godly advisers and companions, to accomplish the tearing down of all the pagan altars and idols that have captured the people of our land, and return Your righteousness to our public life.
Protect them from the anger and wrath of our enemy and his slaves, for he knows that his time is short, and he will multiply his strength against Your good ways. Protect their persons and their families and their associates who are doing Your will for our people, and turn our national heart toward You and Your good ways.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
The wicked will not rule the land of the godly, for then the godly might be tempted to do wrong. O Lord, do good to those who are good, whose hearts are in tune with You.
O my Father, You are righteous, and everything You do is right. You, Father, are the One Who sets up rulers and puts them down, Who turns the heart of the king into the ways You choose, like the rivers of water.
Thank you for overseeing this past election, Father, in waking up Your people to vote for Your choices on all the levels of government in our nation. You have set up many of Your godly people into positions of authority, and removed from office many of the evil ones who refuse to govern in Your ways.
Please, O Lord, be with those who are good, who are being installed into the positions of leadership they have won by election; lead them and guide them by Your own Holy Spirit of Truth, and strengthen them to do according to Your plans for us. Give them Your wisdom and discernment to surround themselves with godly advisers and companions, to accomplish the tearing down of all the pagan altars and idols that have captured the people of our land, and return Your righteousness to our public life.
Protect them from the anger and wrath of our enemy and his slaves, for he knows that his time is short, and he will multiply his strength against Your good ways. Protect their persons and their families and their associates who are doing Your will for our people, and turn our national heart toward You and Your good ways.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, December 18, 2016
The Lord's Side, Our Side
Psalm 124: 2-3, 6, 8
What if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us? They would have swallowed us alive in their burning anger. ... Praise the Lord, who did not let their teeth tear us apart. ... Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
We need to be sure that we are on the Lord's side, if we want Him to be on our side. Public people have public enemies, and we private people have personal enemies. We all need to consider that God is over us all, and His plans for us all, both individually and nationally, are to give us hope, prosperity and a good future.
If we reject God's good ways and decide to go our own way, then we cannot expect for Him to defend and protect us; and our enemies' burning anger would have their teeth tear us apart. And we would have ourselves to blame.
God loves us, His creation. He made us, he put His order and His beauty into what He has made, and He wants us to cooperate with how He designed this world to run; so He gave us His Word to teach us and His Spirit to guide us. That is why we all, each of us, need to inform ourselves of God's program and plan, and conform our thinking processes to align with His. Then we will find everything "falling into place" in our lives, and enjoy all the benefits God programmed into the world for us to benefit by, and He will receive all the credit, the glory, for having planned and designed it so.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
What if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us? They would have swallowed us alive in their burning anger. ... Praise the Lord, who did not let their teeth tear us apart. ... Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
We need to be sure that we are on the Lord's side, if we want Him to be on our side. Public people have public enemies, and we private people have personal enemies. We all need to consider that God is over us all, and His plans for us all, both individually and nationally, are to give us hope, prosperity and a good future.
If we reject God's good ways and decide to go our own way, then we cannot expect for Him to defend and protect us; and our enemies' burning anger would have their teeth tear us apart. And we would have ourselves to blame.
God loves us, His creation. He made us, he put His order and His beauty into what He has made, and He wants us to cooperate with how He designed this world to run; so He gave us His Word to teach us and His Spirit to guide us. That is why we all, each of us, need to inform ourselves of God's program and plan, and conform our thinking processes to align with His. Then we will find everything "falling into place" in our lives, and enjoy all the benefits God programmed into the world for us to benefit by, and He will receive all the credit, the glory, for having planned and designed it so.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, December 17, 2016
Shield, Rock, Fortress
II Samuel 22: 31-34
God's way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true. He is a shield to all who look to Him for protection. For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock? God is my strong fortress, and He makes my way perfect. He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights.
("Hinds Feet On High Places.")
O my Father, I know that all Your promises have proved true, and they are all coming to be fulfilled according to Your ways and in your time. I trust in You, and I am learning to trust You more with every area of my life. Strengthen my faith to put into Your hands those things I have taken into my own hands, and have suffered the consequences. Lay Your peace upon me to rest in Your love, settle my heart and mind to leave my circumstances in Your care, not mine. And may You cause all the credit, all the honor and all the glory to redound to You, the only One Who deserves it all, because You have done all things.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
God's way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true. He is a shield to all who look to Him for protection. For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock? God is my strong fortress, and He makes my way perfect. He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights.
("Hinds Feet On High Places.")
O my Father, I know that all Your promises have proved true, and they are all coming to be fulfilled according to Your ways and in your time. I trust in You, and I am learning to trust You more with every area of my life. Strengthen my faith to put into Your hands those things I have taken into my own hands, and have suffered the consequences. Lay Your peace upon me to rest in Your love, settle my heart and mind to leave my circumstances in Your care, not mine. And may You cause all the credit, all the honor and all the glory to redound to You, the only One Who deserves it all, because You have done all things.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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