The Certainty of God's Word

Psalm 119:32 I will run the course of Your commandments, For You shall enlarge my heart.

Psalm 119:45 And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Your precepts.

Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

I often walk the footpaths in the rocky hills behind our house, and there are many pebbles and larger stones that strew the path where I must place my feet. These are loose stones and pebbles, not attached to the ground. They do not provide a firm footing, as they roll beneath my feet whenever I step upon them. Over these paths I must move slowly and with great caution, so as not to lose my balance and fall down.

God's path, His Word and His commandments, are not like that. His paths are smooth, level, and wide. I know that when I am on this kind of path, I may run with freedom and abandonment--I don't need to be constantly looking at the very next place I will place my feet. I can lift my face to the wind and enjoy delightful speed in fellowship with the Lord. God's Word is trustworthy and sure--we can travel safely along its path with joy and freedom.

_____________

Lord, help me always to keep myself rooted and grounded in the truth and safety of Your commandments. Lead and guide me with the voice of Your Spirit, so that I do not stray from Your Word. Thank-You, Father. Amen.

Knowing Christ

When non-believers think about Christians, it seems that frequently what they think about is the Christians' behavior. They may even define Christians by their behavior.

Becoming a Christian, from this point of view, means that a person must quit doing many things: drinking, swearing, partying around, etc., and begin doing other things: going to church, wearing dowdy clothes, etc.

While a person's behavior does change radically when they become a Christian, from an introspective point of view, this is not the main thing at all. The most important thing about being a Christian is knowing Christ--

John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

Knowing God!! That is the point. Knowing Him intimately, repeatedly, daily; having conversations with Him through His Word and through the Holy Spirit who lives within the believer's heart.

When our first parents became rebels against God in the Garden of Eden, they did indeed die to God immediately. Being born again restores life unto God in the believer's heart. This life and relationship with God is the most exciting and rewarding thing in all earthly existence, at least to this poor sinner's heart.
----------
Thank-You, Father, for the death and resurrection of Your unique, one-and-only-begotten Son upon the cross. He died and was raised again so that I might have life unto You through Him. Thank-You, Father, for the amazing condescension You display towards me, that You would even desire my company and to have me as Your child. Thank-You for the life You have given me in Jesus Christ. Amen.

VBS

VBS was awesome! Monday's theme was "Grow in What You Know about Jesus", and the kids really did grow during the week. Monday we were not a "mob", but we weren't a class either. By Wednesday, we were united! This was Kindergarten, and just by the way the kids behavior changed in one short week, I could see that they truly had grown. Thank-You, Lord. I believe I grew a great deal, too.

HOW GREAT ARE YOU LORD Robin Mark

A Very Beautiful Song!!

Seed

My quiet time is extremely basic this morning. I spent the "wee hours" awake on my bed, and thoughts about seeds came into my head. All my Christian life I've heard about seeds. Seeds grow. What is deep about that?

I'm helping out at Vacation Bible School this week, and here are these little boys, very young, just post-kindergarten age, who cannot quit talking during lesson time. They expressly and purposefully do the exact opposite of the teacher's desire when walking from one area to another. She says wait; they go. She says, Use this door; they use the other.

But they are soil. God's word is the seed. Who knows but that the word of God planted in their hearts might grow into a mighty, huge oak tree for His kingdom? Who knows but what one of them might grow up to be a great preacher, or even a martyr?

The Bible school teacher scatters the seed and prays that the Holy Spirit will cause it to take root and to grow. We scatter; we cannot see into anyone's heart. We do not know what the future holds for anyone. We cannot see into the future one day, let alone a whole lifetime.

But God bids us to plant in these little lives. Someone else down the road will water, and the harvest belongs to God, who gives life and causes seeds to grow.
---------------
Oh Father, help me Lord this day to be faithful to the post where you have called me. Help me Lord to give my all in scattering Your seed, Your word, into these little lives. Open their ears to hear, their eyes to see, their hearts to receive. Also, the girls, Lord, who sit there quietly and are well behaved. They, too, need the life that only You can bring. Be with us this day, Lord, to the glory of Your name. Thank-You, Jesus. Amen.

Comfort in the Psalms

Why have generations and generations of God's children continuously turned to the Psalms to find comfort during times of difficulty? Isn't it because no matter what trial we may be facing, the Psalmist, and through the Psalmist, God Himself, has been there before us?

The Psalmist by his own experience knows all our distresses, our every heart cry, our fears, worries, anxieties, perils, and pains. When we feel we are about to die, we find that the Psalmist has faced that same death in front of us.

When we read the Psalms, we know that God placed them there; it is God who made sure they were included in His book of words, the Bible. And, we can go so far as to say that it is His Holy Spirit who opens our eyes and heart to read them at just that particular moment when we do.

All this is to say that we are not invisible to our loving Father, nor lost to Him. He knew in advance that we would be where we are right now, and He has arranged a word of comfort to reassure us that we are not alone--He is there, He sees us--to meet and strengthen us right when we need encouragement and hope the most.

Hasn't this been your experience as well as the experience of countless thousands of God's children throughout the ages? And if you have never known the Psalms to be such a comfort in times of uncertainty and sorrow, then turn your heart to the Lord right now, confess your past rebellions, ask Jesus into your heart, and you will be blessed beyond measure as His word begins to open to you in ways previously unknown. Your troubles won't disappear--troubles are mankind's lot since the fall--but you will have Heaven's Helper Himself standing with outstretched arms welcoming you into heaven's high hallways through the voice of the Psalms, which voice He Himself ordained.
-------------
Heavenly Father, Our gratitude for the Psalms cannot be measured in meters of men. So often, they have spelled out sunshine dispersing our shadows, just in knowing that You are there, that You love us, that You have a bright tomorrow and guaranteed future waiting for us. Thank-You, Lord, that You included the Psalms in Your Book of words; thank-You for shining Your light on them as we read. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Trial and Testing

The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates. Psalm 11:5

This verse tells us that it is good to be examined, or tried, or tested by the Lord. Why so? Don't such trials usually hurt? Yes, the writer to the Hebrews says, For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives (Hebrews 12:6). Chastenings hurt; so do whippings.

But our holy Father chastens and scourges His children. Our earthly fathers chastise us because they want us to "turn out good". And, our heavenly Father chastens us so that we do not inherit the lot of the wicked.

You see, the wicked receive God's wrath and spend an eternity in hell. Those whom the Lord has chosen for Himself, however, He fusses over and pores over and examines as a doctor, a painter, a coach training his pupil to be an Olympic gold medal winner.

God has great plans for us, nothing less than that we should be conformed to the image of His dear and precious Son. To this end, He examines us with His magnifying glass, so that every speck and spot and impurity should be burned out of us. He is like a great writer reading and rereading every line of script, every jot and tittle, so that everything should be perfect, just perfect.

Is this too hard for us? Sometimes. But it is because God has such good plans for us that He examines us so frequently, as a gardener examines his produce, pulling out the weeds, pinching off the rank growth, adding fertilizer, killing the insects.

Our Father tests us and puts us through many trials, so that on that day, we will stand before Him with nothing of ourselves remaining, but all Christ. His own Son was tested in the wilderness before His ministry began. He was found worthy, and His life bore great fruit.

-------------
Father, teach me not to doubt You when you poke and pry and peel away layer after layer, stripping me down to seeming nothing. May I put all my faith and trust in Your word, which promises that those whom You chasten are Your own. May it be enough for me to rest in the hope of seeing Your Son face to face. Thank-You for refining away my dross, something which I cannot do for myself, so that on that great day, I will be someone lovely for Your Son to behold. In His name, Amen.

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD. Psalm 150:6

One of the best discoveries I ever made was when I found out that my brain is not really capable of multi-tasking. I discovered that when I am praising God, worshiping Him, thanking Him, vocally, consciously, there is no room for that other monologue--you know the one, the negative one, the doubtful and fearful one, the fretful one, perhaps the angry one.

There is so very much to thank God and praise Him for! One half hour of good, solid, thankful praise does more to lift the mood than a good night's sleep! We were created to praise God and give Him glory, so when we do that, we are fulfilling God's purpose for us, and we receive a benefit as well as giving God His due.

So this day, not just because I want to feel good, but because I mean it, I praise God and thank Him that He has given me life. Just being here, just having quiet pleasures, being able to think, these are amazing!! There is no one on earth who can create anything nearly as wonderful as a person.

I praise God for His sunshine, His rain, the clouds that darken the sky, the warm beams that loosen my tight muscles and make me feel like smiling. I praise and thank God for friends, husband, family, home.

I praise Him for Himself. He didn't have to be a good God, or a kind God, or One who loved His creation so much that He sent His Son as one of us!! Think of that: a creator God who became for all eternity part of His creation, just like His creation in every way, except for our sin. And He died for us. It will take an eternity for me to be able to comprehend what all that involved, the cost to God, His great love for me.
------------
Thank-You, dearest Heavenly Father, that You have promised me an eternity of time in Christ Jesus my Lord to understand Your great sacrifice, Your love, Your goodness, Your justice, and Your mercy. Thank-You that You created praise and thanksgiving and that You have ordained these for me. It's only by Your grace that I am able to praise You at all. Thank-You, my Lord. Amen.

"The way of the Lord is a refuge for the righteous." Proverbs 10:29

One thing is very clear in the Proverbs and Psalms: the Lord loves the righteous and takes care of His own, but the wicked will perish from the Earth forever.

Many are the promises of peace, joy, and prosperity that the Lord gives to the righteous. But who is righteous? Those who follow the Lord and stick to His path no matter what. When we hide in Christ, it is His righteousness that God takes into account, not our own lack of it.

But often our paths are clouded over with fog, and we cannot see the way, nor any glimmer of hope in practical circumstances. Here is where we click into "auto pilot". Auto pilot is not walking blind, it is placing faith in the instrument panel, rather than my own sight.

The Christian's instrument panel is the Word of God. When we cannot see far in front of us, when our own hearts and minds are confused, we take one step at a time. But let each step be based on a word of hope from God's Word. His Word is full of promises for the righteous. They are like precious stones along the way. Why not pick one up and put it into your pocket? Let its smooth coolness comfort you each time you touch it this day.

--------------
--------------
O Father, thank You for this day. Thank You for the many opportunities You give me to place my trust in You. Thank You for Your Word of hope, "In quietness and confidence shall be Your strength." Help me this day, O Lord, to just walk quietly in the light You give from moment to moment. Thank You for Your presence in me and in Your Word. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Trust

Matthew 18:3 And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

What is it about little children that our Lord wants us to become?

Trusting. Little children implicitly trust their parents. Their parents tell them about Santa Claus, and they believe with all their hearts.

God wants us to trust Him in exactly this same way. I love the old hymn by Louisa Stead:

’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
And to know, “Thus saith the Lord!”

• Refrain:
  Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
  How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er;
  Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
  Oh, for grace to trust Him more!

The Bible teaches us to search out hearts to make sure that our repentance and belief in Jesus for our salvation have been sincere and not false. But after having examined ourselves from time to time, it would be wrong to continually doubt and hesitate and go back to God's throne daily to plead for His saving grace. Such lack of trust would be a sin.

What is the basis of my trust in God for my salvation? The basis for my trust is not my experience, nor His manifestations to me (wonderful as those are), not my faith (I learned that the hard way), not my many prayers (those fail me so many times!) not my walk (oh, how imperfectly I walk!), not my character (still so far from being conformed to the character of Jesus). No, none of these is the basis for my trust in Christ as to my salvation.

My trust in Christ rests on God's word. God's word tells me that Jesus is holy, He is the only-begotten Son of God, He died and rose for my sin, He is ever at the right hand of God. And, scripture tells me that if I place my faith in Him, I am saved. Period. As Psalm 10:10 says, "...my hope is in You." Jesus said it; I believe it.

------------
------------
Lord, help me to trust You this day and always. Give me please, Lord, the quiet faith of a little child, who will take Your Word at face value, implicitly. Thank-You, Jesus, for loving me. Amen.

Crash!

So, yesterday I went out doing all my errands. I had a good list and was progressing through all of them very nicely, driving here and there about town.

While I still had two or three errands to go, I had a strong impulse to text a friend who was on my mind. I put it off, but the impulse returned, and yet again, and again. Each time I had an image of myself sitting still where I was, in my parked car, or on a bench outside a store, or even standing in a parking lot. But I kept finding excuses for not doing so; I kept putting it off, and the outcome was, I didn't.

Well, I finished my last errand at the bank, got into my car, and began backing out of my parking space. I finished my reverse move, had my brakes on, and was at a complete standstill, when looking out my passenger window, I saw the rear end of an SUV very close and even closer! I knew the car was going to hit me, but there was nothing I could do.

No one got hurt; her car fender, where it had hit me, did not have a scratch. My passenger window completely shattered and fell into the car, my door got a major dent and now cannot be opened at all.

I got to thinking later about that list of errands I had. I did all my errands except one--that text message. Had I texted, my pulling out of my parking spot would have been delayed, say three minutes. The time trajectory of the person whose car hit mine would not have changed at all due to my texting. Therefore, the car that hit mine would have pulled out before me by the length of time it would have taken me to text. Ergo, no collision.

Was it the Holy Spirit prompting me to text my friend? I often ignore promptings, and I frequently come to regret that habit of mine. Not usually as dramatic as this. My prayer is that I would come to believe with all my heart Isaiah 30:21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left. I pray that I will finally pay more attention to what the quiet voice inside me is saying.

Hypocrisy

For me, the most chilling, the most frightening words in all of scripture are spoken by the Lord Jesus:

Matthew 7:22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

The most dangerous position to be in, in all creation, is that of a false believer. It is even more dangerous than being unsaved. An out and out non-believer knows that they are not saved, and while it is still day, there is time to remedy that. But a false believer sits on the brink of destruction thinking that all is well. Such a one will not take any steps at all to remedy the situation.

What does a false believer look like?

Matthew 23:3 "...they say, and do not do."

Matthew 23:5 "...But all their works they do to be seen by men."

Matthew 6 "They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7 "greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.'"

Believers also must have the Spirit of life in the inner man:

Romans 7:22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.

Romans 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

The Apostle Paul was aware of the issue of hypocrisy when he wrote,

1 Corinthians 9:27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Even though God our Father wants us to have assurance of our salvation--

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."--

it would indeed be foolish of us not to ask the Holy Spirit to "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting."--Psalm 139:23

The purpose of such searching of the heart is to make absolutely certain that on that great and final day of judgment, that day when there will be no such thing as repentance and a second chance, we will not hear Jesus say, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!"

Matthew23:11 "But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 "And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

---------------
Dearest Heavenly Father, I do worry about my salvation at times, about the genuineness of my belief, of my calling myself a Christian. You know what is inside of me. You know all the self love that is there. You know that I do most often have an almost unconscious eye out looking around to see if anyone sees me "being good". O Lord, I hate this in myself. Father, if I am lacking in anything, if I am falling short in any way, if I am missing the mark completely, I beg of You Father, in the name of Your dear, sweet Son, that You Yourself would arrest me and bring my heart to perfect repentance in Him. Thank-You, Father, that it is Christ's righteousness, and not my own lack of it, that You will see in that great day of judgment.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Glorifying God in Our Speech

Matthew 12:34 “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."

According to scripture, my mouth is the showcase of what is in my heart. With my mouth I either glorify God or I glorify his enemy Satan.

The Bible is full of references to the mouth, the tongue, and speech. These fall into two types.

First, the devil, the evil one, and his band of followers:

John 8:44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

Psalm 64:3 Who sharpen their tongue like a sword, And bend their bows to shoot their arrows -- bitter words, ⁴ That they may shoot in secret at the blameless; Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.

I think of the current situation in America, where what the Bible proclaims as evil is being lauded by our president and given honor by proclamation of a special month of “pride”. (Wasn’t pride the original sin?) Attacks upon religious (biblical) free speech are rampant now and will be getting much worse in the future.

God punishes the evil use of the tongue appropriately:

Psalm 64:7 But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; Suddenly they shall be wounded. ⁸ So He will make them stumble over their own tongue; All who see them shall flee away.

But God rewards the right use of our tongues, and we see the connection between the tongue and the heart:

Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. ²⁴ Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. ²⁵ Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. ²⁶ Make level {26 Or Consider the} paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. ²⁷ Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

We see the heart, the mouth and lips, the eyes, the feet and our overall walk. Our “source code” is the Word of God.

-------------------

Lord, I see that my mouth is the test of what my heart contains. I pray that you would continue to cleanse and purify my heart, so that my mouth may bring glory to your name.

In Christ, Amen.

God's Glory and Obedience

Psalm 34 begins with praise: 1: I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. 2: My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. 3: Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.

My heart cried out to the Lord when I came to verse 3, Oh, Lord, how do I glorify You? How do I live for Your glory? What does this mean? How can I attain to this standard when I don't understand what this means?

Always glory has seemed very abstract to me. How does one specifically live for God's glory? But immediately an answer came in my heart: obey. Obedience to God is living for His glory. Verse 1 says at "all" times; "always". We are always to obey God, even when afflicted, verse 2. Affliction implies hardship, difficulty of obedience. Phillipians tells us that Christ learned obedience through what He suffered. Obedience, because it involves suffering and hardship, because it goes against the tide of human nature and circumstance, therefore glorifies the Lord. We glorify whomever it is that we obey.

Then the theme of fear comes in, verse 4: I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

There are two kinds of fear: that which is found in verse 4, a bad kind, which leads to death, and a good kind, which leads to life. The Lord delivers those who "fear" Him from the bad kind of fear.

Why does obedience involve fears? Fear is the motivating factor in obedience. I will obey whom I fear. If I fear the world, then I am strongly tempted to obey the world. If I fear God, then I obey Him.

I do have many fears of the world. But God's Word tells me that He will deliver me from all wickedness and evil, so that I may not fear those things, and therefore not obey them. I am to obey the Lord, I am to fear Him, and He will protect me from all harm.

Verse 9: Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. Verse 11: Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

The Lord saves those who take refuge in Him, verses 4, 5, 6, 7 (The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them), 8, 9, 10, 15, 17, 19, 20, and 22. Who fears the Lord? The righteous fear the Lord. To fear the Lord, is to obey Him. We obey whomever it is that we fear.

To fear shows respect, deference. When we fear someone or something, we acknowledge that the someone or something has power over us. That is to give glory. To fear is to glorify. If I fear the world and those who represent the world in my life to the point that I give my allegiance (my obedience) to the voice of the world and the world's people, then I am giving the world and the world's people glory. If I fear the Lord, then I am glorifying Him.

The Lord's call is to fear Him, and He promises to protect, save, care for, provide with many blessings those who do. The Lord promises to save those who fear Him from the world, from the enemy.

---------------
---------------

O Father God, may I fear You, and not this fallen world. Grant me Your grace, Your strength in my inner man, to love and obey You with all my heart, mind, soul, strength and will. You know how weak I am and how prone to believe the lies of this world. Forgive me, please, Lord, and lead me by Your Spirit and Your Word into Your everlasting ways. By giving You my obedience, I give You honor, respect, and I glorify Your name.
Thank-You for Your Word. You are the great God who has the power of life and death, happiness and hell. You have told us very specifically how we should please You, so that we do not perish. O Lord, may it be so in my life. Grant me grace, the will, and the strength to obey You, my Lord. Thank-You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Happy 4th of July!!

This was taken at Civic Center in 2008. I took it with my brand new Canon Sure Shot G9. That camera does everything! And, it can fit inside my jeans pocket. This was almost the first picture I took. Boy, was I excited!

My new church is having a picnic today. I am very eager and excited to go. Myself and two other families invited my husband 15 (? mas o menos) times to go, but he will not go to "church". He is out hiking today at Santa Paula Creek. He would be doing that whether or not I go on a picnic. Anyway, I am very excited about today's picnic, as I have friends I look forward to visiting, and I love my church. I also love my husband!!

Fireworks!

Have you ever had fireworks go off in your heart? I'm sure you have! The biggest firework I ever had in my heart was the time that Jesus Christ revealed Himself in me as the God of eternity, the God of love. I also had a firework of His love in my heart when He revealed Himself to me as having died on the cross for my particular sin, my overwhelming sin.

Usually I don't have fireworks. Generally the Holy Spirit's presence in me is a slow, steady flame, sometimes hot and warm, sometimes so dim and cool I can barely find it at all, if at all. But God knows it's there. He put it there.

I've been reading in Romans, Chapters 7 and 8. Romans 8:16 says, "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God..." That's the flame of which I was speaking.

This morning as I lay in bed, I was thinking about being a child. All people on earth are children of their parents, whether they were implanted by a doctor into a womb or born naturally. No matter what we do, we can never, never, never erase, cancel out, or exchange our physical inheritance from our parents. We can dye our hair, whiten our teeth, have plastic surgery, all manner of operations, even a so-called sex-change operation, but we can never trade in our genes for a different set. Our genes are physically who we are.

The Bible teaches that this is also true spiritually for those who believe in Jesus Christ, that is, those who have been "born again", born from above. (This being born again comes from God, not from ourselves, just as our being physically born came from our parents, not from ourselves.) God has said it--therefore it is so--once a child of God, always a child of God --

Ephesians 1:13-14 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Romans 8:29-30 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined...whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

The best way I know to rekindle the flame of love that God has placed in my heart for Him, also the best way I know to gain a renewed sense of my relation to Him, is to read His Word. When we read God's Word, we are sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is God's Word (as opposed to my own thoughts). His Word tells me over and over and over again about who God is: God is love. He is a Holy God, a just God, a loving God, one who cares for His own from age to age to age without ceasing. And, as I read His Word, the Holy Spirit speaks to my heart that He knows me! He loves me! He is my Savior and Lord. Praise be to God for His Word, His salvation, His Holy Spirit in my heart.

Lord, I thank You this day that You saw fit to save me, that You wanted me to be Your child, that You died on the cross for me, and that in Your good timing and according to Your own pleasure, You chose to manifest Yourself in my heart, both by Your Holy Spirit and by Your Word. Even on this day, Lord God, either with Your flame in me burning brightly, or burning very low and dimly, either way, Dear Lord, may I grow more and more into the likeness of Jesus Christ, Your one and only begotten Son. Thank-You, Jesus. I love You. Amen.

In Christ Alone Worship Video with Lyrics

I first saw this on Easter, 2009. It really touched my heart. It has scenes from The Passion.

The Personal God

Psalm 33:8 (NIV) Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him.

The verse says "all". Let ALL the earth fear the Lord; let ALL the people revere Him. It does not say "some". It says "all". What does this mean? It means that God Himself does not allow for cultural differences. All cultures of men are the same to God. All men are to revere and fear Him.

The verse is embedded in a creation context. If God created the heavens, the starry host, the waters of the sea, and all they contain, which the Bible says He did, then there can only be one creator. As creator, He requires and demands that all men worship Him. Verse 18 says that God watches and blesses those who fear Him, whose hope is in His love.

This Psalm precludes many, if not most, of the world's religions right off the bat. God will not be pleased with any who practice a belief that does not honor Him as the sovereign creator.

But God is more than sovereign creator. He is a personal God, a God who relates to individuals on an individual basis. Psalm 63:1 -- O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you. (italics added)

We find that God is revealed when we worship Him: Psalm 63:2 -- I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.

He is also a God of love: verse 3 -- "your love is better than life".

The rest of Psalm 63 shows the black and white of yesterday's Quiet Time: Vs 11 -- But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God's name will praise him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced. A liar in the context of this psalm is anyone who does not praise the Lord.

A personal God reveals Himself in Psalm 123:2 -- As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy.

The psalmist in that verse seeks specific answers to specific prayers, specific blessings to keep his soul alive, specific blessings to sustain for each day, each labor, each meal. The slave and the maid have nothing that the master and mistress do not provide. Without their provision, the slave and the maid would be dead. So with those who look to God -- He is their daily provider. What can be more personal than that?

Does the Lord see our need? Does He hear our prayer? Yes! Psalm 33:13-15 -- From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth -- he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.

Yes, God hears and answers the prayers of those who cry out to Him. Psalm 3:4-5 -- To the Lord I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.

Dearest Father, May my heart cry out with the Psalmist this day:
Psalm 33:1-5 -- Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully and shout for joy. For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.
Father, I thank You that You, the God of all creation, the Sovereign Majesty who created all that I see around me, that You are such a God, such a creator, as to be One who would reveal Yourself to the least of all Your creatures. I thank You that You are a God of love, a personal God who sees me, even me; who knows my name, my thoughts, my heart, my mind, my will, all that there is to know about me. You know it all. And I thank You that You are a God of love, not a mysterious, impenetrable, unknowable "force", Dios ex machina, but a God of love, who thought it good that You Yourself would become one of us, one of Your creation, to visit us in our own form, our own weaknesses, and live and die as one of us. You died as a man on a cross with our names on Your lips. How more personal can that be? Thank-You oh my Lord Jesus. I worship You. In Your loving name, Amen.

Daily Happenings

Today Gardens of the World is having a patriotic music program, free, open to the public. I'll be there picnicing w/ Rosemarie and Liz!!! w/ her girls. I haven't seen Liz in so long; this is wonderful. I have invited my husband sufficient times, so that he knows this is what is happening, and that he is very welcome. (If I were to do only what he wants to do, I wouldn't do anything.)Yaaay!

Black and White

July 2, 2009


Psalm 2
In scripture all is either black or white. In the world we find that almost nothing is either black or white. So many grays, so many choices, so many uncertainties. But not so in God's Word. Psalm 2 is a good example. In God's economy, there are those who are for Him and His Beloved, and those who are against.

"The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. 'Let us break their chains,' they say, 'and throw off their fetters.'"

A perfect description of the political climate of these present times. Our country, which used to be a Christian nation, so-called, is throwing off the chains of the church and the morals of God.

God, however, says, "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill."

God does not change. The outcome is clear, very black or very white: "Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment."

That is the black. Here is the white: "Blessed are all who take refuge in him."

Psalms 32, 62, 92, and 122 go on to describe the blessings and joys that await those who do not rebel against their King. The blessings are so great!

Dear Lord, Am I truly Your child? Or, am I one of those whose heart is full of deceit? Lord, may I serve You with all of my heart, mind, soul, and strength. Search me, Lord, and try me, see if there be any wicked way in me, that in the end, when I meet You face to face, You will break into a huge smile, and welcome me into Your arms with a shout of triumph! O Lord, may I bring glory to Your name today.
Thank-You, Lord,
Amen

Daily Happenings

July 2, 2009

Today I will be going down to get a colonoscopy. No food for 36 hours, no drink for 8 hours. Why do I need this when my health is good? My husband will drive me home.

Later, Well this was not hard for me at all, thank-you, Lord! Just before I went under, I turned to the Lord and began speaking to Him in my heart. My last words, "Into Your hands I commit my spirit." In view of today's journal prayer, that cheered me up greatly.

As it turns out, I didn't feel a thing! Everything went very well. John picked me up right on time.

They took out two polyps, but I suspect those are fine.

Quiet Time

July 1, 2009

We, as Christians, arrange for our daily quiet time. It might be 15 minutes, half an hour, or even an hour. This is a time of stillness and quietness in our hearts and minds when we tune in to God. But just think, God is quiet ALL the time, in the sense that He is always tuned in to us. He always hears us, is always listening, always knows just where we are, what we are doing, how we are, what we are thinking, what we are really thinking so deep down inside of us that we do not even know ourselves. God doesn't have to "log in" to find us. He says, "Lo, I am with you always." What a comforting thought. Dear God, help me to stay more in touch with You, to turn to You more frequently, to ask Your advice more often, to listen for Your voice many, many, many times during the day. Thank-You, in Jesus' name, Amen.