Lay up for yourselves treasures... IN Heaven?

Truly, as Gary Chapman penned, there is a treasure at the end of this road we are traveling... But there is a treasure now. The treasure of walking with Christ in this world. The treasure of making a real attempt to please the Lord, in our lives and dispositions of situations. We can only attempt to please Him. He is pleased at the attempt. He considers our frame that we are dust. All of those awful missteps and horrible thoughts that we have harbored and that grieve our hearts, who want to live for Him, won't torture us throughout eternity, in our glorified states. But what of those who have no care for pleasing Him on this earth. "We are not under the law?" Who is the fruition of the law? Jesus. He is the full embodiment of the law enfleshed and our breaking of that law is a grief to the Spirit and the Father for it displeases Him and tore the body of Our only Holy Savior. We added to His grief in our sin. This should dissuade us from our sinful passions. This should comfort us in our confession of sin that their price is paid in Christ and we have no part in that payment. He paid for "such a worm as I". I who only half-heartedly flee my sins, in this estate of life, can look forward to a time when my whole soul will live pleasing to my dear God! Help us Lord to live in the light of that day. I don't believe in purgatory, but I do believe that we do or don't lay up treasures here on earth or in heaven. The grief of knowing that I didn't have communion with the accessible Spirit of God because of my sins, is a sad one to regret.

"Lord, Give us grace, that we, like them the meek and lowly, on High may dwell with Thee!"

Jesus paid it all!

Pages 62 and 63 of the Christian's Daily Walk... When I come to these pages where my experience has been whipped by my conscience more times than I can remember and nearly swept myself out completely, applying them to myself, in deepest of griefs, I am comforted to know that this is not the reason that Christ came. He came that we might have life, not continued whelps on our souls. Jesus came into the world not to "condemn the world" but that the world through Him might be saved. We cannot save ourselves by reading or by penance or by self flagellation. Halleluia, He has taken the whip out of my hands and replaced it with His own real comforts. He bought our great salvation! The new word for me is the nurture of the soul.

mourning over sin, Us 4, No More!

Pages 82 and 83 of Christian's Daily Walk, really blessed my heart, this morning, in a wondrous way.

I had seen the benefits of corporate fasting, in our fledgling Church and I certainly couldn't have put it better than the writer of the Christian's Daily Walk, in this morning's "crack"{as I call it}. I read consecutively through the Bible, but I never crack it. I do, however Crack the "Daily Walk" and often to the eternal profit of my soul. This time the 4 that he refered to was my own mourning over the sins of my soul, my family, people of high stature and those whose decisions are governing our lives, etc. What an all-inclusive, us 4, he referred to. I will upload the page asap.

The joy of having one Great Shepherd! The Lord Jesus

"All are ours and we are Christ's and Christ is God's"

There are so many shepherds who are preaching God's Word in truth. This cyber-season of mediation has distanced us from so much exclusivity in our relationship with our "Under-Shepherds", I fear.

Are we in danger of despising the Word, as well as the delivery?

I really fear that may be the case in my own heart. I pray for my brethren, whose task it is to "Break the Bread of Life" to God's sheep in our consumer driven society in cyber-space. Do I really listen for my own edification? Am I committed to pray for my Pastor's soul? Am I committed to act on the Word that He preaches? Sometimes, I find that the devil uses the deluge of ability to hear any and all preachers to deceive me from acting on any one problem that God is dealing with in my soul.

My other brethren who are preachers and who have endeared themselves to me, in one way or another have their own sheep to tend to and their own souls to answer for. My pastor is my pastor and I am grateful for his labors on my behalf. He sees and knows me and deals with our congregation in the light of eternity.

THusly, I take a break for a while from other sermons to tend to my own soul in reality and apply one sermon to my soul, at a time. Multitasking is misused in my spiritual life, I must nip it in the bud.

Break Thou the Bread of Life, Dear Lord, to me, As Thou didst break the bread Beside the sea. Beyond the sacred page I seek Thee, Lord; My spirit pants for Thee, O living Word. Thou art the Bread of Life, O Lord, to me; Thy holy Word the truth That saveth me. Give me to eat and live With Thee above, Teach me to love Thy truth, For Thou art love. O send Thy Spirit, Lord, Now unto me, That He may touch my eyes, And make me see. Show me the truth concealed Within Thy Word, That in Thy Book revealed I see Thee, Lord. Bless Thou the Bread of Life To me, to me, As Thou didst bless the loaves By Galilee; Then shall all bondage cease, All fetters fall; And I shall find my peace, My All in all.

Save Our Souls and Spare Our Time!

SOS and SOT God, You were entreated by Abraham to spare His Time and to save His soul and those who were dear to Him. We don't deserve the least of Your mercies. None are righteous, except Your Son, Jesus! None inherit righteousness, only by accepting the righteousness of Christ are we accepted into the "Beloved". Jesus paid it all and intercedes for us everyday. We are intercessors for our culture and our day. Like Abraham, for the sake of Your dear Son, God of All Creation. Not even the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is able to pay for the sins of the world. Only the perfect sacrifice of Christ is able to pay for our sins. See of His Travail, dear God. Make us into the Christians that You would have us be to win our world and grow us up into the Church light for the time that we are living in. Make us woo our world to the love of Christ that has already been revealed to us. Help us live up to the unmerited privileges of having Your Word and Your heart revealed in such lavishness upon us. Not for the glory of any pagan culture, as is our wicked habit{to desire and build remembrances to our own selves}. Only for the glory of the one true and living God and our Saviour Jesus Christ! We love You Lord and we are grateful to be accepted for the sake of Christ. Help us and SOS and SOT! in Jesus' Name, Amen. Not just us and our children, but our fathers and mothers and those that are afar off! Take captivity captive, Lord! Use Your Church.

He Promised never to leave me...Halleluia!

What an Interesting Providence to have heard Pastor Ryken, this morning.

Here I raise my Ebenezer

Here I Raise My Ebenezer? Hither by Thy help I come, and I hope, by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home!

__________________________________________________________________________________ Ebenezer Balfour vs. godly Alexander who reared David, who went to his uncle in Kidnapped Ebenezer Scrooge Ebenezer Boston 2 Boston sons died in infancy---

Zechariah 12:7 The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. Zechariah 12:12 And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; Zechariah 12:13 The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; Zechariah 12:14 All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.

In my observation of Zechariah in my devotions; The scripture here makes a real distinction between the mourning of family for the bereaving and the grief of the mother apart. The family of the LORD Jesus they were all. There is a grief of family loss and there is a grief of the mother apart. God boils us together in our griefs. Family grief and mother grief{apart}. This passage is ultimately fulfilled in the sacrifice of Christ for the sins of His people and we enter into it when we come to Him and embrace His sacrifice as efficatious on our behalf.

In a very distant sense, there is an exaltation of those who have become one in Christ, as Gentiles, to exalt our pagan cultures above the Jewish Christians. That is abhorred. We are to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and not expect our redemption to overshadow, in any way the drawing that God intends, in His providence, whenever in history that drawing may occur. We must be always willing to set our "pagan"perspectives aside for the truth of Christ. This is why we must submit ourselves to a joint effort of the Church Universal in its dominion on the earth. Christ's reign on earth is in and through His Church. We become one in Christ. No longer Jew or Gentile, but "ONE NEW MAN". The only head of the church is Christ and not our individual perspectives. Paul was saying this in so many ways in the New Testament, that if it was wrong for the Jews to exalt circumcision as another level of sanctification; it is certain that those pagan gnostic separations are abhorrent to God. The question in the New Covenant is how much of your cultural mores and systems will you bequeath, as it were, to God's Rule.

I can really imagine Thomas Boston almost losing faith altogether. Lord, I have come to YOU with intention to rear this one in the fear of God and You have given me the darkest providence. In my prayerlife, I have really struggled deeply with first questioning my ability to want to please God and then God's hearing of me in my devoted aspiration, perhaps. God is not culpable, ever! But can I believe in a God who would not hear me in this deepest prayer? Grief against God and grief against self and grief against those whose providences haven't been so very invasive.

Today, I pray for Pastor Ryken and others whose providences have endured the loss of only sons. God grant peace and hope in the rubble of the hearts. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Walking with God in the Providence of dropping your daughter back to college?

In the style and thought pattern that I have embraced in the Christian's Daily Walk"

I have grown to become thankful for the labors of the earlier generation of Puritans and for the Christian's Daily Walk. At first, it seemed a noose around my neck to destroy my soul entirely. I read it in the throws of the deepest griefs at the loss of my baby. I cannot say that I was personally directed to this discipline of danger, by anyone. I simply said to my Savior, "this season is the most dangerous spiritually and I don't want to displease you, is there any direction for me in this dark place?" I found that old treasure, which I have attached to this blog on the lower righthand corner on one of the pictures as a link.

After it scrubbed my spiritual skin raw and plunged me into an abyss of worse grief, I have found it to arrange my thinking so that as I walk through the joys of life and the lesser griefs that I experience, they jump into those categories that were engrained in my soul through that deep abyss of unbelief and sadness. Since, I still am not sure if I will ever come through this grief with my faith intact, I don't recommend the book to anyone, except the ones who would want to know a severest flogging.

I thank God that my traverse of 10 hours yesterday was to a good purpose and not to the darkest purpose of travel and separation that I experienced 25 years ago. God is doing a good work in my daughter's life and I believe that He will keep her and guide her soul for His good purpose. He is good in happy providences and in dark ones. This darkness of separation from my beloved one is for a good purpose and I must remind myself of this as we see the miles of distance that have invaded.

I am grateful that there is not some conflict of argument that distances us alongside the miles of distance. For, I am sure that this distance of conflict and argument solidify and become metallic and sometimes cannot be cut through with any earthly instrument. Many times, I see the reconciliation in the eyes of Grandma Ruth as she often reminded me that we were at odds with eachother through nearly all of life. She said do you remember that you wouldn't come into my house. I do remember, Gram. Only God can knock that kind of conflict down between people.

What is keeping short accounts with eachother in a family? What is it and what does it look like?

Many a childish, immature conflict is a question of whether we love each other or not. Let us not let time and distance invade the conflict, please God. Who will be the adult and who will be the parent? Today, I forgive you. Today, I ask you to forgive me. Today, I don't really need to understand the differences that made us angry, just to know that shortly we will be before our Savior and have to give an account for the most important stewardship:

Our Relationships!

God is not willing that any should perish---thoughts on Psalm 76

Psalm 76:1 In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel. Psalm 76:2 In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion. Psalm 76:3 There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah. Psalm 76:4 Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey. Psalm 76:5 The stouthearted are spoiled, they have slept their sleep: and none of the men of might have found their hands. Psalm 76:6 At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep. Psalm 76:7 Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry? Psalm 76:8 Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still, Psalm 76:9 When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah. Psalm 76:10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain. Psalm 76:11 Vow, and pay unto the LORD your God: let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared. Psalm 76:12 He shall cut off the spirit of princes: he is terrible to the kings of the earth.

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble

What is humble to God? How can we know that we are not exalting ourselves in His presence? Do we fear the God of the Universe? The higher that we are in judgement, Kings, Queens,Princesses, Presidents,etc. the more we must concern ourselves with the observation of God and not just of man's judgment. If it was David writing this, he knew this fulwell. God brought him from the humble disposition of 8th in the family and mocked and forgotten, into kingship. This is a huge promotion. He was able to see the distance, somewhat between the glory of God and the glory of man, an infinite distance. His distance of rising in ranks was miniscule in comparison. Still, he writes that the judgment of God is to be considered by all stations of life, in Psalm 76. God will do whatever it takes to draw men to Himself, but better it is for us to seek Him, while He can be found. Render your heart and your soul to Him in worship and the enemy of our souls, at last will not be our own enemy. Befriend the Lord, by humbling yourself in your life circumstance and living in whatever state, to His glory. God will exalt you to inherit His eternal presence, if you are seeking that. He is cutting and his cutting board is at the kings and the princes. They have the power of the sword to wield, but their souls will give an account of that power. The gift of mercy and longsuffering, when given to the Lord, by one most exalted is endearing to God. It says in His Word. He loves the spirit that is not hasty to bring down judgment on the earth. The gift of living to give light to the blind and strength to the weak is the judgment of kings and princes. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord... David sees and trains the usherboard of Heaven. The king who fears the Lord, will be one who desires to see the truth of God and the people of God, rightly led and instructed and equipped for every good work. As it were, the kings and princes line the stairs to Heaven and give of themselves to see the truth of God exalted by His True and Holy Church. David says that when things are in their right order the world is thusly ordered. God's Word exalted. Humble servants all, for God's glory. Not the fear of man, but the fear of God.

Even on the overcast days it is appropriate to make His Praise Glorious!

Are the Heaven's as Brass or the mountains? God grant us favor for Christ's Sake, in that day.

Zechariah 6:1 And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass. Zechariah 6:2 In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses; Zechariah 6:3 And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses. Zechariah 6:4 Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord? Zechariah 6:5 And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth. Zechariah 6:6 The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country. Zechariah 6:7 And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth. Zechariah 6:8 Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country. Zechariah 6:9 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Zechariah 6:10 Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, which are come from Babylon, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah; Zechariah 6:11 Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest; Zechariah 6:12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: Zechariah 6:13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. Zechariah 6:14 And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the LORD. Zechariah 6:15 And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of the LORD, and ye shall know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God.

Jesus' Respect for women is certainly remarkable.

I am meditating on John 3:16 Today. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever...believeth?" Jesus gave Nicodemus fuel for his budding faith. Jesus word became alive in his soul, we find out much later. Who couldn't believe after hearing those words come from the Savior's own mouth. The instructed and orthodox mind would be turning those words upside down for their meaning everyday, I think.

Jesus didn't get into whether or not he washed his hands here or there or other simple arguments that had been brought to him. He got to the heart of the matter with Nicodemus, "Where's your heart, man?" "Are you loving God in all of your study?" Are you loving God with all of your ceremonialism?

And then, A woman at a well with a sordid past and unclean to the Jews; He draws her into a biblical discussion. He doesn't rebuff her entering into a discussion of faith as though she had nothing of faith to discuss. Your life is suspect, it is true. Jesus came to seek and to save. There really could be a true faith in your heart.

Is this holy water? Are we allowed to drink from it or not? Jesus gave provision of truth along with the knowledge that God provides water and sustenance for all of His creation. Don't miss what God is doing for you here at the well. Don't miss what God is doing in your soul to draw you to Himself.

Lord, I trust your care and love for me as your creature and as your redeemed. Help me to learn of You. In Jesus'Name, Amen

QUESTION: Dost any get to Heaven, Dutch? Hast the Lord for me what is'st for Me?

I thinketh that what the Lord hast for me is'st not only for me? I thinkest that none of us est much or est alone on our path to heaven. I thinketh that if we hast not won our city of destruction to God, we hast not won our own souls. It is just my opinion that if we can be content to get to heaven alone and our city in shambles we might'est not have the root of the matter in ourselves. Dutch is a term meaning to pay our own way to go our own selves alone. I think if not in "mass" than perhaps we are among the ones who are not at all. We are won or we are not won into "the beloved". "The beloved" a mass of won souls.

The devil went not to Hell alone and the kept and unfallen angels went not to Heaven alone. He {the devil} attempts to win in "mass". We must have made up mind to be won and to win souls along with us. He, Jesus blood is efficacious for ourselves and for others. He paid the whole price for our untoward souls. We have no rights to grace and the others who have no right to grace can and may at end be won to Heaven, perhaps by us and perhaps inspite of us. God's Word is not in suspect. Our individualistic "Babylonian" everyman for himself perspective is suspect!

God, Almighty, win us to Thyself, in Jesus Name. Amen.

Give us Grace to Be Blessed by Your Word, Lord!

Prayers and thoughts from the reading of Zechariah. Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah?

31 Reference(s) Found. Genesis 25:4 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. Exodus 16:36 Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah. Leviticus 5:11 But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon: for it is a sin offering. Leviticus 6:20 This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto the LORD in the day when he is anointed; the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meat offering perpetual, half of it in the morning, and half thereof at night. Leviticus 19:36 Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt. Numbers 5:15 Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance. Numbers 28:5 And a tenth part of an ephah of flour for a meat offering, mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil. Judges 6:19 And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it. Ruth 2:17 So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley. 1 Samuel 1:24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh: and the child was young. 1 Samuel 17:17 And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren; 1 Chronicles 1:33 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Henoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these are the sons of Keturah. 1 Chronicles 2:46 And Ephah, Caleb's concubine, bare Haran, and Moza, and Gazez: and Haran begat Gazez. 1 Chronicles 2:47 And the sons of Jahdai; Regem, and Jotham, and Geshan, and Pelet, and Ephah, and Shaaph. 1 Chronicles 7:25 And Rephah was his son, also Resheph, and Telah his son, and Tahan his son, Isaiah 5:10 Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah. Isaiah 60:6 The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD. Ezekiel 45:10 Ye shall have just balances, and a just ephah, and a just bath. Ezekiel 45:11 The ephah and the bath shall be of one measure, that the bath may contain the tenth part of an homer, and the ephah the tenth part of an homer: the measure thereof shall be after the homer. Ezekiel 45:13 This is the oblation that ye shall offer; the sixth part of an ephah of an homer of wheat, and ye shall give the sixth part of an ephah of an homer of barley: Ezekiel 45:24 And he shall prepare a meat offering of an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and an hin of oil for an ephah. Ezekiel 46:5 And the meat offering shall be an ephah for a ram, and the meat offering for the lambs as he shall be able to give, and an hin of oil to an ephah. Ezekiel 46:7 And he shall prepare a meat offering, an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and for the lambs according as his hand shall attain unto, and an hin of oil to an ephah. Ezekiel 46:11 And in the feasts and in the solemnities the meat offering shall be an ephah to a bullock, and an ephah to a ram, and to the lambs as he is able to give, and an hin of oil to an ephah. Ezekiel 46:14 And thou shalt prepare a meat offering for it every morning, the sixth part of an ephah, and the third part of an hin of oil, to temper with the fine flour; a meat offering continually by a perpetual ordinance unto the LORD. Amos 8:5 Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? Zechariah 5:6 And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth. Zechariah 5:7 And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah. Zechariah 5:8 And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof. Zechariah 5:9 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven. Zechariah 5:10 Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah? when the moon.... Amos 8:5 Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit? Amos 8:6 That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat? Amos 8:7 The LORD hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works. Amos 8:8 Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the flood of Egypt. Amos 8:14 They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beersheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again.

Katherine Hepburn quoted Amos in Desk Set???

Prayer for the nations in our day? Bless us Lord!

Arthur's Kingdom discovered and embraced that there are curses upon the earth that we enter into or repent and turn from us. He pulled the sword out of ignorance of this truth. As it were...Dear God Let us not enter into the death of the earth in our souls. Let us be the turning of the curse in Christ. Let us build for Christ's upbuilding and not for our own judgment. How hard our heads are, like that mythical rock, Lord. We can't pull ignorance and right out of our mental blocks. We consistently do what is only in our own best interest and not in the interest of others or our neighbors around us. Help us learn to be right, Lord. Help us grow in grace in "mass" and individually. Unify our hearts to glorify Your Great Name and Grace! Let us not be chased in our souls, eternally by the fire of Your great wrath against our disobediences. Help us build a kingdom where right is added upon and wrong is trampled into dust. the balances equalled on accounts on earth and in heaven. The pound of flesh that might be exacted here and there on our watch, give us grace to see them as before your eyes. For the sake of Christ's great witness upon the earth the Church. In Jesus' Mighty Name, Amen.

Magnified self examination or magnified God examination?

I was unusually profited by the magnified self examination of the ladies' Bible study yesterday. I say unusually because my ordinary way is self examination which leads to a fainthearted spirit. I must be growing in grace in that area or this church is a mature distributer of the aged tools that grow special graces when it comes to self examination.

It is my conviction and biblically established that self examination is a necessary pain and discipline of following after the Master. God's Word and the study of men's writings and meditations of God in their self examination is a well worn tool in my spiritual engagements. I have nearly always perceived this painful process as a surgical invasive procedure. The spiritual battle that I had getting to church to endure such a pain was always emotional and it was yesterday. When I got there, however the feeling of fellowship and blessing was more of dear young friends on the playground learning needed motorskills, than a doctor or dentist visit. I felt that we were on the junglejim and it was nearly impossible for me to go across the bars, or of ladies discussing different spiritual makeup techniques to beautify their expressions of their hearts. I simply cannot get away from that slavish fear to get to childlike fear{those were quotes from John Calvin that I was blessed by}. Rather than feeling, as was often my conclusion, that my relationship with my Heavenly Father is suspect for such a state as I am in; I felt physically inept and incapable and must do exercises to develop that muscle area in that spot. It is true that I may never get away from the slavish fear that I have in my soul in some spots of my development. But I will never lose my Heavenly Father's love. I have grown to know that as perhaps I couldn't have known it previously.

To change the imagery from scripture; the magnifying glass of application of my spiritual makeup that will help me to know that my adorning must be of the inward person of the heart and not of the external woman of the cosmetic does not make me any more or less human. Thank you Lord for sweet fellowship in Christ to learn to lean on Jesus and not even on the blessedness of the study. Thank you for ladies fellowship in this area. Amen.

Make us one, Lord!

In Heidi, I find it ironic that they call him "AlmUncle" {Uncle of my soul?} Soul-Uncle? Still, their considerations were that his sins had found him out, in his grief and that he had received some just deserts for his earlier sins that they weren't privy to. What a horrible direction in grief? Still, it often is the case that the Christian position is to remind the grieving soul of their ultimate consequence.

I hardly think it the focus of the soul to itself in grief. But, on the goodness and mercy of God.

It is of the Lord's mercy that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new, like the dew... Great is Thy Faithfulness!

I have found in my grieving, that even though my conscience is instructed on this from earliest of life, that is the first truth to vanish in grief. The goodness of God, the mercy of God and the love of God vanish under the severity of God, in grievous conditions.

So many times I awoke in post-partum to look at the baby and think that they were changing color before my eyes and going septic, like baby Benjamin did. The Holy Spirit would minister to my soul, but everytime I would see another person the fear would be that they would touch the sensitive area that would cause the tears to start, which I couldn't stop, once started. I am sure that AlmUncle had such a fear. Thus the curmudgeonic cycle. There is no way to know what of their unwitting conversation would spark the tears. You simply cannot wrap your entire body to show your grief. You cannot close your ears to their supposed comforts and many a comforting beginning conversation travels quickly into a crushing blow about some other sin or transgression that might have drawn God's wrath upon your head, as your own conscience supposes.

God is sovereign. My comfort, by the time I was grieving in Enoch's birth, was that God doesn't always kill, sometimes he has not allowed some to die at all.

Enoch walked with God and he was not, for God took him.{not enduring death}

That was some comfort, for a while.

There are awful, spiteful thoughts of God that encrust the grieving, bereft heart. They are certainly a fountain of spiritual pollution. I can imagine that God's mercy to AlmUncle and to the deserted community of grief that lived around AlmUncle would get some comfort from the innocent and simple eyes of little Heidi. She was the look of a time when faith in the soul were new. Her heart wasn't yet full of the pollutions of soul that had become the daily swamp of living for that poor deserted soul.

God's Church can reach to the heart of grief, because God has given it liberty into those forsaken regions. Lord, grant comfort, In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Praising God for the development of grief ministries. When I remember Heidi...Great is Your Faithfulness!

25 years since I lost my only son and I am grateful for the real comforters. I thank God for the development of Psychology in the neuthetic counselors. When I hear how Christianity had crushed many a grieving spirit and how I had often spoke judgment to the grieving and encouragement to the pompous. Discernment is the fruit of the grieving process mixed with the tutelage of the Holy Spirit.

God promises to make all of your bed in your sickness and I have seen him do that for me. I am grateful for that. Part of the restoration of sons and daughters back into my life was also a sense of sympathy that God can grow maturity in the midst of the grieving process

I always understand the "Almuncle-curmudgeon". I can see how each wound and crushing word tore any semblance of faith from that poor lost soul. I haven't experienced that level of personal attack, by God's mercy, but, even with the wonderful comforts that God poured, the grief could send a person under the bed. I know that God is good, but when I look at real bereavement, my heart groans and wants to hide, even from God. I know You are good, I say, but what a painful providence that is, here and there.

I am thankful that there are people who have studied painful providences and know how to speak peace into the grieving soul. People will always wonder is this or that providence a deserved thing. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." "It is of the Lord's mercy that we are not consumed...""He makes all our bed in sickness..."

When hard times come and a person's ways please the Lord, He enters in. Even if they are not God-pleasers, the ministries of the church have developed to such an extent that God has entered the grief process with us. Don't let the "Almuncle" live without faith. "The goodness of God leads to repentance." God sent Heidi as a comfort to the Almuncle. He is touched with the feelings of, even his infirmities. Raise up Your Church to do right in this difficult area of ministry, Dear Lord! In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Ambitions from 2009----Am I one of the worshippers?

God’s worship and Praise To Him belongs all of the Glory!

God’s Expressed intention in praise and worship—like clearing the path of trees. Praise and worship clears us of the pride and self-centeredness that is a hindrance to seeing the true and exalted position of God in relation to us. Before we learn the value of praise and worship, we are still thinking that God is here for our benefit and not we, for His glory. Like the wife that says, I just want my husband to do what I said. Wrong. God made us for the purpose of assisting the husband not visa versa. When we do it the other way we are upside down. If you don’t want to be made for God’s glory don’t enter into worship. If you don’t want to be a helper, don’t get married. (an aside)

God’s Expressed invitation to praise and worship-- Enter into His Presence—With thanks giving

God’s Expressed inclusion in praise and worship Words of worth and increasing our vocabulary to improve our verbal adoration of him. Music that is worthy of His presence. Inviting and praying that God would accept our praise and worship. Study and looking in the Word at the times when God declined His people’s sacrifices and worship. Use of God’s Word to worship Him with. Prayer of protection and help to those who lead us in worship and praise. Prayers of protection over those whose families and praise make up the substance of praise. Those whose vows are attempting to be kept are those who make up the mass of praise for God to inhabit. Keeping short accounts with one another.

God’s Expressed habitation of praise and worship God’s Expressed insertion into praise and worship

1. The difference between Saul and David—praise and worship--- There is so much that imitates the sacred that is merely superstition. There are paintings and music that can evoke tremendous emotion and exaltation and these are not all bad but that is not always glorifying to God. Saul made up a very religious reason for the stuff that he did. I wanted to sacrifice these animals to the Lord, that is why I disobeyed. I wanted to talk to Samuel, that’s why I went to the witch. Excuses for disobedience are not blessed. David messed up massively and cost many lives in numbering the people and killing Uriah, God had mercy because he wasn’t full of excuses. He fessed up to God thoroughly. We can’t know when we are fully fessed up to God, only He can. Presumptuous sin is a hinderance to worship as an initial sign that we are grieving the Holy Spirit. God is straight up in His relations with us and gives us clear evidences of His pleasure and displeasure and that was Annanias and Saphira in the NT and Uzzah in the OT. God’s presence is awesome in His pleasure with us and in His wrath to us also. God is present in Mercy or in Wrath. God is a consuming fire. Obed Edom’s family could live with the expressed presence of God in their house because they were obedient to the Lord in their interaction. No small task for a large family. 325 mighty men of God were in Obed Edom’s lineage. Obedience and maybe even the word obedience came from the testimony of obedience that Obed –Edom’s family exuded. (look up Gittites)

I. Examples of Worship and Praise in Scripture- II. Examples of worship and praise in relationship with you- III. Ambition to better preparation for worship and praise. IV. Ambition to being a better worshiper

True worshipers are who the Father seeks to worship Him- Seeing what Jesus was referring to when He discussed this with the Samaritan woman and what He was inferring through this. How God blessed her holy ambition for the salvation of her entire city. Jesus placed this appetite upon her. She was bereft of this before meeting Christ. He cut to the chase, so to speak and paralleled the filling of her need with the Filling of the Father. God doesn’t have to seek anything. But she got it. The Father seeks such to worship Him. What is God the Father thirsty for? An unnecessary question. He who needs nothing would discuss with us that He seeks such to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth

Expecting God to inhabit our praise and make us better worshippers of Him. The Father seeks such to worship Him. Spirit-----Truth----Help us Lord to become better worshippers. As God has promised from Jeremiah and all of the prophets to make all of the nations into worshippers of Himself by the cleansing of water by the word. He takes the time to show us our faults before Him and that which He has engaged Himself to clean us up in. Moab being the wash pot! The last, it seems from scripture is the coming of the washpot for the all to come and become cleaned. All of the other people groups having had reformations and that is what we see in the history of the world. Great reformations and great changes of life and all the former idolaters of the world turning their cultural attention to the policies of Jesus. That seemed to be how the Lord looks at the world not as individuals, although He is personal and particular, but as groups with portions of His image and portions of dirt and grime pressed into their cultural persuasions. As we bang against eachother the masses of us knock off the wicked prejudices and particularities and we can see, as it were the image of Christ being

We Expect You, Lord!

We were going to hear Joni Eareckson Tada. There was spiritual anticipation for such a day. A visitor, who knows God, like she does, must have a message for us.

I went back and forth, to go or not. Do I really want to hear her? I know Jesus. I know her message, do I really need to see her in person. Last week, I couldn't wait to see her. Today, I was murmuring, I am not ready for the level of devotion she is beckoning from my soul.

It took a little prodding from my dear husband to get me motivated. I wasn't unaware of the spiritual battle of getting there for this occasion.

Why does God come and help us? Why is He so merciful? Why does He love us so? Because He is good! We don't deserve it, Yet we are blessed!

Do we really believe that God loves us? Do we really believe that God will bless us with His presence?

I was challenged to think about my faith in God, by a sermon by Pastor Chanski. "JUST ASK" That is certainly a message for me. Ask, seek, knock? God loves us and He wants to become a real part of our chuches and families. Not just a way to walk, but a family relationship. We live this way because our Father in Heaven loves us and takes care of us. Oh what a challenge to a greater devotion to Christ! Pastor Chanski put it in a challenging way! I am so grateful for the growth of my personal expectation from God. I remember our early prayer meetings about Pastor's Conferences and such. "Make men like Pastor Martin, etc." I loved Pastor Martin, but I didn't think he was the pattern. We are so far from the cookie cutter days, I think. Make us Christians Lord, whatever else we may be, ie. Black, White, denominational, non-denominational. Make us Christ's sheep and children of God. Make us believers and worshippers and intercessors for our generation. Halleluia, for the privilege to grow in the family of God.

The Church calendar and the feast of the "Transfiguration"?

I find it a wonderful providence, now that I am so unaware of the "Church Calendar" how often God reveals Himself in just the same way that the Church is celebrating on the calendar.

Stu was preaching about the work of Satan and the sifting of Peter a few weeks ago and I providentially stumbled on this delightful treatment and my soul was provoked to meditate on the closeness of Peter to the Lord Jesus to be thusly warned. I thought of the transfiguration and that there are so many things that Peter saw on the positive side of Jesus revelation of Himself, because of His proximity. You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God! This revelation of Christ's Godness kept getting clearer and clearer for Peter, until he would really see the intercessory Savior before the completion of the project.

We see Him interceding on our behalf, everyday now. Sadly, it is the darkness of our sin that lightens this aspect of our glorious Saviour. I was the one who interceded for Job, Jesus seemed to say. Satan has asked for your soul, Peter. I am praying for you, Jesus assures Peter that his fall is not an eternal demise. Don't we often need that reassurance of our Savior. This sin is not unto death. When you are restored, strengthen your brethren. Peter must have mulled this over again and again before and after his denial of Christ. How could he have known that Satan asked this? He is God? He is praying for me? "The Lord said to my Lord, sit here until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet." He was despised and rejected {that meant I rejected him}. I thought I loved Him more than that, and He still loved me and prayed for me. John knew these conundrums of faith, from his love perspective. "If we sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." The transfiguration was a precursor of redemption. He ever lives to make intercession for us.

Do I appreciate the propitiation of God on my behalf? Do I seek His continued presence in my life? He is enthroned on high, on the feast and everyday. He saw my stumbles into sin and loves me, anyway. Satan doesn't always seek to sift us, but when he does Praise God, "5 bleeding wounds he bears...pour effectual prayers". I carry my soul and my forgetfulness to Jesus and ask for help and sight to see His prayers as for me, in Jesus Name. Amen.

Intimacy with Christ and the warfare of the spirit. Jesus really helps us cry!

Stu Johnston's sermon on Luke 22Thank God for good exegesis as a tool to become a workman that "needeth not to be ashamed". Satan was going to sift Peter as wheat. Jesus told Peter that this was his coming experience. How very scary an uncovering of future events this must have been for Peter? I would imagine that this was part of the many things that Jesus couldn't have told them any earlier or any later than He told him. Even a close friend and the Lord of Glory would tell his dear one of the coming stumblingblock. Peter would have seen that Jesus was speaking to him from a Heavenly enthroned perspective. His friend was God of glory. His friend was a loving advocate. His stumbling gave him a glimpse of the reality of the identity of this dear friend and God of glory that no one else saw. This friend, "in the appearance as a man" that everyone saw as divine; no one could fully embrace the full reality of how great He really was.

Jesus said to Peter that he was privy to the interaction between God and Satan. Peter's only reference for this reality would be the book of Job. This personal transfiguration coming, just at the junction between His passion and His death. This concept would be inconceivable for any human. Jesus trusted Peter with this truth for his own sanctification. He was leaning on the relationships, Our Savior and this was a disappointment that God the Father had shown to His perfect son. There is no leaning on the arm of flesh, for Christ in His passion. Everyone was an enemy and on the side of sin. He became a curse for us. He knew that His desertion in heart and reality was the next step on the road to the cross. Christ paid the price of this for us. He remained a true friend. He faithfully took up the cross and acted in love, when bitterness could have caused Him to just keep this truth to Himself.

God is building His Church that we can hold one-another together, when the sifting and the sorting of Satan is our portion. Let us lean on the everlasting arms of our Lord and Savior. Let us see His faithful friendship to draw His beloved close to His heart, even in our direst of temptations. Hold us up, dearest Savior. Draw us close to Your perfect heart, that we may know You and know Your love expressed in Your Church, for Your glory and for the growth of Your Church on the earth.

He ever lives to make intercession for us. He remains a faithful and true High Priest on our behalf. The payment had not been fully paid for Peter, as yet. Now, when Satan asks to sift us as wheat, Jesus prays for us. Jesus says, My bleeding wounds are pleading, Father. Forgive him/her! Don't let her die in her sinful estate. Draw her closer to grace and faith. Don't let him go that far from my presence.

God wants us closer to Him than we could want to get. Sometimes the challenges make us run to Him, sometimes they are the magnet away from Him. Whichever way, Jesus untangles us and builds us personally and builds His Church corporately and we see the gates of Hell, not prevailing against His Church. Corporate prayer, individual prayer, praise and worship, attendance upon the Word of God are all the tools that God uses to whittle a Church into a Glorious Church without spot or wrinkle. He whittles the image of Christ, first upon our desires and then slowly upon our experience. Halleluia, What a Savior.

What ingredients compose a "good conscience"?

I do ask myself that question everyday. How could you be a Christian and still struggle with sin and temptation? Exposure to the commandments? Exposure to correct doctrine? What is it?

I felt a good conscience one season only and it was the day before my whole life fell to pieces. Everything in place. The kids clothes ready for church and convictions all in place, with as many children as hands. I will do this and all will be well. Ask and it will be given to you? No, said God. Not this time.

What is it for?

Just get me home to heaven, is my prayer. I can't ask anything more than I have already asked. I need exposure to God's commands everyday to know where I can get up from crushing blows of soul and mind. His commands are so much more merciful than man's. He's good, even when my heart condemns me. He's good, when I think I'm okay. He's not under scrutiny. I am. If Jesus didn't pay all our debt to God, we are in trouble. Forever trouble. Trust and obey.

Let your conscience be your guide?

What if your conscience is wrong? God's Word better instruct your conscience to bring it to truth and then maybe it can guide you. God said it, that settles it!

The Deception of Self Righteousness

Oh, doesn't that come in so many shades and colors? Do I know Him? Do I teach about Him?

"Whitley Benjamin said in LWF" 'Father's going to hell and will burn through eternity.'

I believe family prayer brought father to heaven with the rest of their family. Are we happy to place sinners in the hands of an angry God? Are we so sure of our convinced state that we are predisposed to call another Raca? Is that what God gave His Word to us for? Your faith is spurious, we love to announce in our youthful zeal.

I think that our intimacy with Him, should draw and not our blasting of others. I think that method is a residual of our pagan backgrounds. "I must bring someone behind me so that I will have someone to peck at." is the background of our thinking oft times.

Who will be the ones telling God, what they have done for Him? Do we know Him? Does He know us in our labors for Him? How much more should we pray for the souls of those through whom, much exposure to the word of God may have begun to breed the contempt that this exposure could? Let us intend to pray their souls into heaven with us, our dear devoted and overexposed fathers. {many sunburned souls from long study} Draw them to know and love the one who gave that Word to us for our healing and help and not just for the building of our resumes. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Fight or Flight stablizers in Psalm 11

Psalm 11:1 In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?

Some of us were born with fight or flight reflexes already in flow. Psalm 11 is for me! God is stable. The name of the Lord is a strong tower. God doesn't have to run or fight he loves the righteous and He is righteous and He showers difficulties and blessings. I am grateful to God for this stabilizing Psalm.

Final thoughts on Job's conversation with God. Job 41-42

Have you any greatness upon the earth, Job had magnificence in Heaven; To think that the devil could be jealous of Job’s integrity with God.

He repented at the last in dust and ashes, his integrity having been tried as by fire. What was his reward? To know God in a deeper and more balanced way and to know the frailty of his own life and spirit. His friends were not implicated so much for speaking against Job’s integrity as for speaking falsely about God. So much of their beliefs of God are our own. What do we learn?

In my truest times of communion with God, I realize that I am a thread away from disowning Him. Our strength is not enough to hold us to Him. Why would He do this to a friend? Our own hearts accuse Him in our suffering. Shameful to have received so much good from God and we are still accusing Him incessantly. That wasn’t the devil’s job, really. Providences make us do such a wrong and think such of Him.

God paints a picture for Job of the mighty and great Leviathan. Himself, as master walking that creature, like a dog. As though Leviathan represents the devil’s request of God. He is a creature and this is his only entertainment, until His destruction is to try the saints. One day, it will not be like this. One day the reasons for all of these things will be evident. In the meantime, there is a contention and a working out of providence to be completed and your struggle is a pivotal piece of the puzzle and know that I love you with an everlasting love, says God to Job.

Says God, I love you enough to give you my reasons, as much as you can receive, right now. You know that your redeemer lives and that is more than most people know and now I will open a window into the reality of the spiritual contention.

Who has the Lord spoken more words in sequence to than Job? God’s questions. I don't know. Isn't that always our answer to God's questions? I don't know, God, please teach us Your ways.

Job 38-40 Who has the Lord spoken more words in sequence to than Job? God’s questions.

God is just and the justifier of those who come to Him. If we seek our comfort in people or earthly creature comforts, they have temporary assistance. God is Job’s Advocate and starts by establishing who it is we are vindicating. Man or God? Who are you he asks and Who am I? The details are telling.

The ordinances of Heaven? Do you know them? What is the beginning and end of all of this creation, do you know it?

Staying the bottles of Heaven? Telling them where to go and what to do, Is that your job? You are showing forth a great portion of my heart to generations, but you can’t know that. God told Job. The whirlwind and then the deciphering of creation on earth. Great and mighty things and wise and stupid things, Why, Job? We can’t even really talk about the details of these things. We could never catch up to God in holiness or in knowledge, still He condescends. I just bring them before you for observation. God’s enchanting intimacy with Job is apparent. I want you to know me. I want to know that you know me in my ways. The Lord beckons Job into deeper communion with Him. Amazing Grace. A good and consistent man suffers and is still not holy enough or smart enough to discuss the smallest things with God. How can any be saved? There must be an advocate to come.

Psalm 4:3 But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him. Psalm 4:4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

The regret of not praising Him more exuberantly! Jumping for Jesus!

Meditating on dancing before the Lord. God had blessed me to love to dance before Him in praise around my house. One of the blessed habits I had was spiking the ceiling on the certain parts of Ron Kenoly's song. My arm in a sling makes me aware of my inability on that part.

At the 4th celebration this little baby was jumping exuberantly and in my spirit I heard the still small voice say, Aren't you sorry that you didn't use that much strength to serve and praise God in your youth? Yes I am sorry for that, I thought. He is so worthy of all of our praise and strength in worship.

He sends so much down from Heaven, when we do. He does truly inhabit the praises of His people. I don't suggest public spiritual exuberance as at home. But an occasional spiking the ceiling for Jesus is absolutely in order for those who can touch the ceiling. We do it for an earthly crown do we not?

Am I A New Creation in Christ? No Ghost can haunt as bad as the ghost of regrets!

I would have been, I could have been a really good Christian had I started at a young age. I am too old now.

I do hope that no one thinks like that about Christ.

I look at my echocardiogram and my blood pressure and regrets fill my mind. What if I had followed that regimen I started time and time again? It's not too late. You can be an athlete at any age. You can turn your decaying body back somewhat any day you start is the right time.

How much more the soul's decay? I must, I must, I must start trusting in Christ today. I must put away my sins and turn to the Lord. I must stop using excuses to make me think that I will get to know God tomorrow. He is so good and it is such a waste of a life to know so many other people and not to know Him in this life. God is the very best friend that you ever want to have! Lord, help renew my mind and my body, even today. Help me to redeem that time that I have and get to know You and seek you in worship and faith. Help me become as a child in my faith and build, line upon line into my soul, that I wouldn't endure the worst regret of all. Not to know You. I want to love You and serve You with my mind and my body, In Jesus' Name, Amen

Job 20-21 thoughts

It seems that the devil did more damage with truths misapplied in Job’s case than even the physical afflictions and emotional afflictions ever could. The accusations of God beg the cause for rightly dividing the Word of Truth. Not just rightly knowing what God said and who He is, but where to place each truth in conjunction with the situation at hand.

In Job’s case, only God could justify Himself and comfort Job altogether in words. There are really no words when one is in such a serious condition as Job. No one is able to talk for God. We need to remember this when dealing with grievous situation should we want to be those true religious that James instructs. If we visit the fatherless and widows, in their distress, what do we say? We should say how can I help you? We should say this is an awful condition what can I hear more about your sorrow? Talking, as in Job’s case, can be like daggers to the soul. God will hold us accountable, for even the right words used as blows against the godly afflicted. Shame on us to feel that we have words of truth that should and could justify God. God is faithful to justify Himself in the believer’s soul and He certainly does that. We are there to hug them and let them know that there is a beginning and an end to suffering. It will not always be thus.

Once, in an affliction, the most comforting thing someone did was to help me see outside of that moment to another time. Remember this thing or look forward to that thing? These are helpful glances outside of the pain. Not what Bildad said, or Zophar or Elihu. Only God is God.

Still, Job sensed God’s presence in the pain and grief and worshipped. That is the grace of God. We will see a glimpse of God in worship, through the pain.

God give us grace for true religion, please? Amen

Thinking about Job 17-19. Faithful are the wounds of a friend? Job speaks and Bildad speaks. God sees and stores up His fellowship for an appointed time.

ie. Ps. 80:5 God gives the bread of tears and sometimes in great measure. I don’t like crying, but there is a beginning of eating the bread of tears and an end of eating the bread of tears. Some have nothing but laughter to eat. That is their portion in this world. God’s mercy has granted that, but some have the bread of tears in great measure. That was Job’s portion, certainly. He had a season of plenty and feasting and joy that was so plenteous that it made the heavenlies take notice. God’s servant, Job and the enjoyment of earth and fellowship with God altogether blessed was his first estate. This is a rare condition in any epoch. Job was a first and it was God’s purpose to show him off to the rest of history. As Job mentions, his marriage was not even a comfort in this season.

They say the patience of Job. The relationship that God had with Job was shining through the darkness of his temporary earthly cleft. He was in the darkness of grief for a season, that he might shine and exemplify the love of God for us and that God’s dark providences are not always a mark of His displeasure with us. Faith can help us see that in the dark. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Job is the mouthpiece, somewhat for our silent Savior in His lone suffering, who suffered like no other person. There was no complaining from His holy mouth, but he could have lamented with more justification than Job. God has not forgotten you, Job. But the things that God, Triune God, brought to Job’s light in and through his suffering was the fruit of real and developed communion with God. We must know God to know Him in our sufferings. If we don’t know Him in our joys, it is little likely that we will really know any more of Him in our griefs. God grant that we not waste our joys or our sorrows on the complaints that we often do. Grant that we open our eyes to see that our redeemer lives and is with us in each of these estates and to praise His name for such a vast condescencion. I know that my redeemer lives is our song, who know him, in joys and in sorrows alike.

Praying the Commandments, for my soul's profit.

Westminster Shorter catechism Question 43 What is the preface to the ten commandments?

Question 43 What is the preface to the ten commandments. Exodus 20:2 I am the Lord thy God, which hath brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

God is the Lord and Hallowed be His name. What a good reminder in prayer to remember that God is the one who has brought us out of the house of bondage. In New Testament language, we would do well to remember that we were the house of bondage of many a lost soul. We were strangers to God and God’s ways, as individuals and as people groups. How often we forget this truth.

How our pride blinds us to this truth when we come to prayer. When I think of the goodness of Jesus and what he has done for me…My soul cries out Halleluia!

Lord you are the one who winks at the heritage of my sinful people group. I come as an individual, but I come as a part of the eternal Bride of Christ. My personal identity is swallowed in the redemption of God’s people. I am bought with a price. He has paid it all for my personal redemption, but, when He introduces Himself, as in the Decalogue. It is a greater presence.

This is who I am to Israel, says the preface. This is also who I am to the Bride of Christ, of whom you are a part. I love who You are, Lord. I love that every promise of who You are, belongs to me in Christ.

Truly, unite my heart to sing your praise! I confess my idolatrous heart attitude of trying to make You into my own image and I own that Your holiness and Grace are high above, my imaginations and yet you have more than introduced yourself to me in Your Son on my behalf to pay for my sins and give me access to get to know You, more.

I love You Lord! Thank you for access to Your presence through faith. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Thoughts on Job 5-7

Job 5-7 Daily Bread reading

God hears every groaning. He remembers the cries of His people, very intimately. I see that God is so intentionally acquainted with our griefs, that our tears are His portion of consideration. What a great condescension that is.

We need a mediator, was the cry of all of the Old Testament laments. We need someone to intercede with the Holy God for us. Job’s cry represents us in NT and them in OT time. This is why we need a mediator. For us to cry to, certainly. But, also, we could never know how much God cares for His creation in their distresses, were Job not allowed in the cannon of Scripture. Jesus cares. God the Father cares! The Holy Spirit cares! I know He cares, but the devil, however much he accuses us to God. He accuses God to us the more.

The scars on our Savior plead for me to the Father, but they also prove to me that God loves me and paid it all!

Job 3-4

Job 3-4

Isn’t that always the way that we are good and upright, or think we are and then we open our mouth’s! Would that our impurity didn’t have to come out of our mouths so clearly as it is oft hidden in our hearts? No, we have to open our mouth’s! Not too foul for Christ to cleanse it, though!

“Wash me Savior, lest I die.”

Amazing that Job was so committed to God in His pain and suffering and what an example for us to follow to take our griefs and our pains to God first. I hate this, Lord, was His lament! It is me, standing in the need of prayer. He has no time to pray for the needs of others and we are oft in that state ourselves. Are we not? I hate this and I hate it and I hate myself, even because the pain is so intense. No pretense before God. God gave satan leave to expose Job’s heart, for what? For us men and for our instruction. What do we do ? Cry out to God. Friends aside, wife and others aside. God alone is our complete confidant.

Others open their mouths and what happens? They stab us with words, but God already has our cries in His hands. They can’t stop our cries out to God. Their paining us is not their fault and it is not the work of the devil either, if you notice. Satan didn’t ask to use the friends, they just came and were no assistance, accept in their presence. Expect help from God only and the presence of the friends, though it hurts all the worse, can represent God, if they come to represent God in their commiserating. Was silence golden or were words golden, in the interaction.

Should Job not have spoken, we would have no beauty of the closeness of his heart to God, in the midst of the most intense suffering. Our Savior bore the eternal punishment, but His holiness could not allow sinful speech. We see the reality of human suffering and how very compassionate God is to us in our unbelieving rants, at times. Jesus paid it all.

Jesus met Job and was silently an audience to his pain, even unseen.

The Book of Job leads me to many questions.

What does it mean to be a godly man or woman? I tremble, every time I get to the book of Job, in the course of regular reading. I really don’t like it for many reasons.

Verse one for instance, Not just godly in his person, but in his practice and in his words? Prior to redemption, the Holy Spirit had put this desire to please God in Job’s heart, for some reason. Why? It is so that the works of God could be manifest in his life. I am always taken aback by that. How could he be God fearing and God pleasing without the indwelling Holy Spirit? How come, my life is so difficult to line up and I do have the Holy Spirit?

Seeking the presence of God, over the comfort of a life that goes with the flow was Job’s possession.

He had an implanted desire to know God. God showed that His desire for Job to know Him was greater than Job’s desire to know God. But, even then, a price had to be paid! Jesus paid it all! If we are seeking God in our own strength, the devil has free access to us, even in the NT time. There was no redeemer yet given in Job’s day.

God said don’t think that there is any who can pay for his own sins. Don’t think that there is anyone who has enough righteousness of his own merit to pay for his own sins. Even the most faithful in the old testament era, the Least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he is. For Christ sake and his sake alone.

Not that we shouldn’t try to live godly. We should try, but we should always try to live for Jesus glory and not for our own glory. In difficulty and in exalted circumstances, alike!

Jesus paid it all! God still wants to show His people’s victories over sin and temptation and discouragements and slough’s of all sorts to the onlooking spirit world!

I simply hate to think about it. That is my sin that makes me not want to look at the spiritual warfare that God is engaged in on our behalf.

On I go to read Job.

Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Psalm 15

Proverbs 24:8 He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person.

Proverbs 24:9 The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men.

Ezekiel 14:14 Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 14:20 Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.

Noah, Daniel, Job?

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Not by our own strength, truly, is the lesson of Job. God is showing off His people for His glory. The meekness and growth in the spirit. The exuberance in prayer that is attained to. The humble reception of good and difficult providences. The taking of captivity captive, for God’s own glory. God likes to show these things off, in His children

“Only one life, so soon it will pass, Only what is done for Christ will last” How do we follow our Savior in His obedience and live our lives to the praise of His glory and not our own?

Psalm 116:12 What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me? Psalm 116:13 I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD. Psalm 116:14 I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.

What shall I render, unto God for all His mercies?”

What do you give to God, who owns everything?

We, however much or little we have, have nothing in comparison to God, the ultimate authority. David said I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord.

I do imagine, Donald Crisp, who is my minds eye, ultimate Father role player on screen. I see him in National Velvet with his 3 beauties who have nothing in the way of riches and everything in the way of family blessings, as well as his precocious son. “You have only your faces for your fortunes.” He exhorts them. All that I can give you in your poverty is the knowledge that your beauty will have to provide for you the rest. I think of the people whose lives are beautified by their riches and influence. Are we not all, rich and poor, in this way? I say to myself, you have only your souls for your acquaintance with God. None of that will give you favor in heaven.

I will take the cup of salvation. I will take what God has provided for me and care for that above all that I ever could possess. I know that God will attend to me, if I attend to Him. If we look at all that David writes through the lens that He is ultimately aware of His utter poverty in heavenly terms we will be blessed in our meditations of the Psalms. What did God do in response to David’s devotion?

God made His words the meditation of our Savior throughout His life and especially in the crucifixion. What a treasure, even above the fact that the Lord was in his lineage! God is the Word incarnate and God used David’s words to put flesh upon the Savior of the World. An amazing thought. What will God do for us in the NT era, who take the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord? You have only your souls for your fortune in heaven. Care for your souls above your earthly stuff.

How?

Jesus shall reign, where're the sun...Help us, Lord!

Jesus paid it all. Conflicts on the left and right, He came to seek and to save that which was lost. The have’s and the have-nots, the rebellious and self-righteous, and all combinations in between, can learn obedience to God, in their conditions. Churches need not segregate to one or the other condition for inability or for lack of consideration. God cares to minister to us in our need. My visualization is the wrestling of Teddy Roosevelt and William Taft and right through the middle is Wilson and they would all roll into Hell, if we hadn’t the promise of God’s mercy extended to sinners and even in the public arena such as that, we can receive mercy and grace to help in the time of need. Joy to the earth, is my prayer- The Savior reigns! even to the economy.. Let x= men their songs employing! God blessing America, thusly! Lord hear our prayer, please.

Grateful for 31 years of marriage. Thank you God

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~My times are in Thy hand;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My God, I wish them there; My life, my friends, my soul I leave Entirely to Thy care. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My times are in Thy hand; Whatever they may be, In joy or pain; 'tho dark or bright, As best may seem to Thee. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My times are in Thy hand; Why should I doubt or fear? My Father's hand will never cause His child a needless tear. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My times are in Thy hand; Jesus, the Crucified; Those hands my cruel sins had pierced Are now my guard and guide. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My times are in Thy hand; I'll always trust in Thee; And, after death, at Thy right hand I shall forever be.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you ever leave me, Hugh, you will make me wonder why I ever had children? why did you have them, then? says Hugh.

Few things are more painfully rewarding than the having of children. One is the letting of them go from level to level. My baby graduates 5th grade and it is a birth, of sorts. All of the mothering scenes come into mind and I can't ever live up to the majesty that the screen has paid to motherhood in my favorite movies and I really don't have to. God will bless the memory to my own children, for his glory. I just have to be there. So off I go. Contractions at bay. these sweet contractions are those of faith to faith.

Directive 1 Will we indeed go supperless to bed?

Directive 1

After the directive and the sweet encouragements are identified, it is easily anticipated that our dear Pastor friend would direct us not to shoot until we see the whites of their eyes.

Who are we fighting? What are his ambitions? How does he assail us?

Can we fight unless we know with whom we are fighting?

We do indeed not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and wickedness in high places. But not usually the highplaces of the world in this era, the high places of our hearts. Our appetites and desires wage war against us constantly. The peace and the healing and the comfort that are the meat of faith and life are stolen by this deadly foe.

What a great thing that our friend points out to us that the devil himself it is who steals these foods from us and sends us “supperless to bed”.

Directive 1, Pastor Gurnall

Direction First, Says Gurnall, after the Sweet Encouragements

Chapter 2

Let us get down to brass tacks! Which Way Do We Go? Isn’t that the question.

In the era that we are living in, what is the battle? So many are fighting wars from the Middle Ages, when we are in a new Millenium. Wrack our minds into a pulp and here we are gathering around old scrolls, sometimes to worship the worth of them. We beat ourselves, as it were with feathers and us the weapons of our warfare to sit on instead of to protect ourselves. Shame on us.

Where are we, today? What is the battle that we are engaged in? Perilous times are different for us than they were for Gurnall, but the question is the same. We must engage our youthful efforts in rightly diagnosing the problem and early equipping our young to take authority over the principalities that they are facing.

Having Done all to Stand? Don’t we love to sing about standing? What do you do? I sing myself to sleep, sometimes, when I should be fighting. My shame. You don’t JUST Stand. You stand, therefore, having… Definitely, if you just stand there unequipped for the battle you will be defeated as if you try to fight the battle on your own. You are a part of a mighty army of God.

You have equipment given to you from God to defend yourself

You must stand if your are equipped, sometimes we put the cart before the horse and think by our believing and just standing we are ready for the warfare. I have indeed been sadly mistaken. Stand, after you have put on the whole armor.

The Christian in Complete Armor, by William Gurnall Introduction and Chapter One- a link

Mr. Gurnall so diligently has studied those great passages on the Christian’s warfare. The first thing that he tells us is the importance of seeing the Christian life in the light of the warfare that we are engaged in. Ephesians 6 is an every part of life necessity. Paul was in bonds when he wrote it and we, who live in these current days are sometimes lulled to sleep, not recognizing the severity of the Christians position and condition in the world. Paul could see the evil day, in his time. But, how are our days evil?

Why should we be thusly engaged{to use the old writers dialect}? Why should we be awake and putting on armor, when we live in such a progressive and opulent society?

In his introduction, Gurnall senses that argument. He defends the importance of the relevance of the passage, even in days that may not seem evil.

What war are we fighting? What spiritual principalities are at stake? What are the rewards of the diligence? What are the losses that we incur? All of these are questions that the Apostle in the scriptures takes on directly and our much studied, old Gurnall brings them more to relevance in the day in which he lived.

The part First, A Sweet and Powerful Encouragement to the War is entitled and truly draws us in to study these truths, which we often take for granted at a much more disciplined level.

I think that he may have had the old hymn in mind, when he was writing, “ How Sweet and Awful is the Place with Christ within the doors…” A sweet home seems an apt metaphor, but a sweet encouragement to war? Truly oxymoronic, at best.

The Treatise, William Gurnall

Thoughts from Psalm 22 inspired by the sermons on Sunday

Psalm 22:27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. Psalm 22:28 For the kingdom is the LORD'S: and he is the governor among the nations. Jn 13:1 Rev 1:5 HEb 12:2

“The joy that was set before Him” was in Psalm 22:27 Jesus paid it all for particular salvation of individuals and for the “nations” to have their eyes opened to the need of real communion with God. These concepts were shrouded in mystical lies and fierce superstitions. God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world.

I have to say that to myself. What about this or that suffering that is observable in the world? What about that? How can you say that is not condemnation? Redemptive suffering? Suffering that is redemptive knows that it cannot save itself. No amount of suffering endured can cleanse from sin, intrinsically. Christ’s suffering was the only suffering that can save even one soul. It is the only suffering out of all of the sufferings of the world added up that has access to God in it. None of the other sufferings have any weight in and of themselves.

Paul the apostle started us all thinking about “The fellowship of His sufferings” , in the New Testament era. What a knife to cut through the lie of self flagellation and of superstitions of gentiles of varied forms and fashions; which is the essence of the idolatry of gentile pagan faith. We are dead in sin, blind by birth and blind by cultural mores. NO inheritance of faith and life to lighten our path. Jesus saw the depth of blindness that was outside of even the sphere of His earthly ministry. Nations remote need to have access to the Father, Lord! That was in Psalm 22 and Jesus was suffering this and praying for us on the cross. Amazing Grace!

We are a part of the condemnation, in our sin and Christ covers that sin with His perfect life and cleanses and brings the dead soul to life and had us in His mind in Psalm 22 that it would be thus. “There are barbarians in the uttermost, Lord" was in that prayer; “ They can’t see unless I go to the cross.” The Father and the Son were in eternal fellowship in those sufferings. Prayer on our behalf begun by our "advocate with the Father"

God stuck Psalm 22, as it were, into the “Nevertheless” of "not my will but thine be done." in the Garden of Gethsemane, Prayer of our Lord. Let me show You the reality of what you are doing, Psalm 22 was the walk through of the nations coming to Christ through the suffering. He despised the cross and endured the pain that now in Christ our sufferings can and should allow us to see the greatness of the love that He had. Sanctified by faith.

When we are struggling with a persistent and “darling” or coddled sin {sins that we excuse and make provisions for and cover in ourselves, that’s not what we are supposed to do}, we are supposed to see Christ cleansing it. We are supposed to see Christ’s sacrifice and healing for us, bought and purchased at eternal costs. We are supposed to know victory over some sins in this flesh and struggle with some of them until we get to Heaven casting our burdens and griefs upon Him at the victories and the losses. That is the power of the Cross.

Thank you Lord, for redemption and healing for the nations, bought by the blood of Jesus! Amen.

Remembering Helen Keller 46 years after her passing/ Finally, By Gary Chapman

I wish my mind wouldn't argue with my heart It splits the day apart Into time well spent and time just thrown away I wish my heart would please make up my mind I'm wasting so much time Gotta catch a glimpse of how it's gonna be

CHORUS: When finally I look inside your eyes and see Reflections of yourself in me The way you always said it would be When finally I'm loving you like you love me It happened oh so easily I looked at you and it came to me Finally

The day to day just keeps on spinning round But this one thing I have found I can close my eyes and be there in your arms You take me to a place that's safe and warm You're my harbor in the storm Wanna lose myself in being there with you

(REPEAT CHORUS)

When finally I look inside your eyes and see Reflections of yourself in me The way you always said it would be When finally I'm loving you like you love me It happened oh so easily I looked at you and the love in your heart Cut right through to me And my eyes can see Finally

2 Chr 6 God's House, Solomon's Prayer!

I consider this the highpoint in Solomon's life. Like a Goliath experience for him, I would call it. He prays like he expected God to hear him. God did hear him, we know now. What a delight to see the many answers to Solomon's prayer over the centuries and the true fruition of salvation in Christ as the fulfillment above all fulfillments.

Meditation about David and Nathan's conversation about building a house for God.

1Chr

David and Nathan. I want to build for God. Go right ahead, sounds like a good idea…

Wait a minute. Who do you think you are? Where is God in this building project? Am I not even consulted, God asks? How about let’s pray about it for a little time and see what God says about this. There is no precedence. How about let’s ask some godly people for advice on this. We have been guilty of presumption on a couple of other occasions. How about we carefully consider this idea for a while?

No. So many times we jump headlong into construction projects for our own glory, don’t we?

God says I am insulted at the lack of consideration but so delighted that it was for me that I am starting a building project with you in mind David. You will not have to worry about the Holy Spirit pulling out on you like Saul. I am going to have you at the center of the building project of eternity. Your son will be God the Son. How about that for a building project? No building for you, nice thought but your hands are way too bloody to put upon a House with my name on it. Son will build and I will build and we will trade. I love you, said God to David, but no. Didn’t I already make you one of the great names in history and you want more?

David. God is holy and yet God is so interactive with David. Halleluia, He is exalted. Halleluia, He is willing to be entreated for our desires and He parses between the pride of our entreaties and the heart of our requests. God is great. He is no respecter of persons. He will be entreated for His spirit and if you really want Him. He will be in a relationship with you. But, He is more real than we sometimes want to be.

He knows our names---With Tender Hand~He lifted me!

Sunday Morning's sermon at Central Church of God

Lead on, O King Eternal, The day of march has come; Henceforth in fields of conquest Thy tents shall be our home. Thro' days of preparation Thy grace has made us strong, And now, O King Eternal, We lift our battle song.

Lead on, O King Eternal, Till sin's fierce war shall cease, And holiness shall whisper The sweet Amen of peace; For not with swords loud clashing, Nor roll of stirring drums, With deeds of love and mercy The heav'nly kingdom comes.

Lead on, O King Eternal, We follow, not with fears; For gladness breaks like morning Where'er Thy face appears; Thy cross is lifted o'er us; We journey in its light: The crown awaits the conquest; Lead on, O God of might.

How God storms the Bastilles of our hearts with Grace and Mercy! Mercy and Grace will follow me, all of the days of my life… The sermon on Sunday was not of my doctrinal perspective, but it was truly the heart of God for His people.

Behold!

Look for me! God is saying. Are we looking for Him to even address us? Are we beholding His dealings with us in our relationship with Him in the Churches (that is who He was talking to, the churches) God said He is following hard after the souls that are following after Him. (Like the Philistines following Saul in combat in 1 Chronicles) He is standing at the door and knocking! Why isn't He in the Church?

If anyone opens the door

That means the church does more than just shake his hand in decorum and politeness, He will be in their life(the life of the church, that is). God is storming our hearts with Himself. He is supping with us to find the need and meet the need of our hearts. That is the deepest condescenscion. He has a vendetta of mercy (as it were) that He is pointing at us. God’s love is deliberate and intentional.

We can't really appropriate this on our own. It is a corporate promise and We receive it in conjunction with our allegiance to the disciplines of Church membership and fellowship. Some of it is personally received, but God's promise here and his knocking is on the door of the Church after repentance and forgiveness was received. His Church is the outworking of that.

To the utmost, Jesus saves! The delicate and the sublime and the needy and unchurched are both stormed by God’s intensity. New York kind of in your face religion and the polite and delicate neat church of the NC are both won to Christ’s intensity of getting into your life reality. What do we want? The Pastor preached a little while ago. Conformity to Christ?

When do we want it? If we are waiting to pursue Christ for a better day we are the ones missing out on the healing hand of God in our deepest need. Halleluia, What a Savior! Free at last, Free at last...(Our souls most imminent need)Redemption accomplished!

Lead on Oh King Eternal—Storm us for your glory!

Revelation 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. Revelation 3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Finding and implementing the means of Grace, my prayer.

This is a link to John Owen's blessed treatise...

One needs a huggin and one needs a spankin’ and---one’s on the way! Thoughts on the wisest mother, I've met.

1 Corinthians 13--Love is the more excellent way.

What a blessed memory to see Mother Walker and her vast heart knowledge of 15 children. She was a treasure trove. She was truly a helpmeet answering to the extremity of the husband that God had given her. The Reverend was a man of the word and precision. His words were severe and manifold and hers were few and a balm. She lay on a bed of sickness for most of the years that I knew her. Still, her healing words and healthful demeanor sat more with me than anything else about her. I tried to pry words out of her, about other things. “How can I do what you do?” Was my ulterior motive. She wasn’t giving out that secret easily.

Somehow it seemed to lie in the way she cooked a turkey. Here, Jayne, she said to me, one Thanksgiving eve. Take the leg and work this turkey with me. We massaged the seasonings into the bird. It is in the wrists. I wanted to say what Ez says to me on the courts. Let me have your racket, It looks like you have a string attached from your racket to the ball and I want mine to have that. Mom, you have some magic power when it comes to your children, don't you? No, it doesn’t come by basting or by marinating. "Just sitting the chicken or the turkey in the juices is not the trick to what I do", says Mother Walker. (I'm talking in present tense because she is still mothering us from heaven.) It is in the wrist work and your hands will get red and buttery from the seasonings and you might cut yourself on a bone or two when you go to get the seasonings on the inside of the turkey. But, it is not something that happens automatically in any way shape or form. You have to purpose it and get your hands dirty.

Lorretta Lynn acted it out. Mother Walker’s hands were on the radio whenever the Pastor said we are praying for the children. Her hands were on her children at all appropriate moments that they needed it and her hands were dirtied with the paprika and butter mixture that God had given her. God gave me this season to get God’s love into them and I am about that and that alone,she instructed, by her obedience to the call, because that is God’s priority. Love is the priority for the children. Why? I questioned so often. Why is love the priority in childhood? She said God will have to show you that, by her wordless expressions. I am still seeking the answer.

The Half has not been Fancied...Each Day HE Grows much sweeter than He was the day before!

1 Kings 10:1 1 Kings 10:7 Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.

Is not this the increase of the human race that woman and man can act in the original function. The challenge of proving the truths that have been discovered. Solomon may have taken the inheritance of faith and it’s outworkings in wisdom for granted. God had blessed him with his desire, to know the real outworkings of the scripture in the governing of God’s people and this spilled over into every other sphere.

So many times this is the case that woman is answerable and complement to man’s discoveries. I think of Madame Curie as one of my most admired. She held the questions in her mind that Pierre’s answers had already uncovered. She turns, as it were, the problem over in another way and tries him with hard questions and thus sharpens his perspectives.. Blessed is the man who challenges himself with many curious women and lets himself be intimidated to study by their supposed impertinence or challenge.

Women of questions, in every generation, have been despised and frowned upon for their untoward questions about things that to others are so obvious. God made us to be this way. True that this perspective, led to the fall of the race. What if? What if? What if the serpent is right? She pondered. What if this is an advancement that we are missing out on? Her husband could have reproved her thinking. But, he chose to follow her down the path that we are now upon. He didn’t take authority over her unbridled mental acumen. Here we are, fallen. Solomon’s day woman had risen again to discuss these wise things with men of God. (she had to be a queen, though, even to discuss her thoughts) From the ends of the earth she would come, because no woman would ask Solomon of these things who was of the covenant. Heresy? God subdued the risen and unsaved woman and ravished her will under the authority of the wisdom of God. I am so glad that Jesus loves, even me! HE is never taken aback by womanly expressions of unbelief. HE saves to the uttermost, all who come to God by Him.

“The half has not been fancied…” Christ is truly sweeter!

To Jesus ev'ry day I find my heart is closer drawn; He's fairer than the glory of the gold and purple dawn; He's all my fancy pictured in its fairest dreams, and more; Each day He grows still sweeter than He was the day before.

Refrain: The half cannot be fancied this side the golden shore, Oh, there He'll be still sweeter than He ever was before.

His glory broke upon me when I saw Him from afar; He's fairer than the lily, brighter than the morning star; He fills and satisfies my longing spirit o'er and o'er; Each day He grows still sweeter than He was the day before.

My heart is sometimes heavy, but He comes with sweet relief; He folds me to His bosom when I droop with blighting grief; I love the Christ who all my burdens in His body bore; Each day He grows still sweeter than He was the day before.