The Joy and Wonder of Enjoying Christian Diversity.

They bused us and now we are addicted to diversity.

Does it really take that much?

Thou who wast God...

My Meditation of Him will be sweet?

Where are you, Lord, at Christmastime?

I know that this is all about You, Lord. I know that the festivities are about the eternal plan of gifting us with salvation. But why am I cast down, in my soul at this season? Why can my soul not embrace the reality of my spiritual condition as my greatest gift? Why is my mind captured by what I didn't get in the tangibles?

God had everything and came down to us, who had nothing of spiritual worth. I am not embracing this. I am constantly asking why am I not able to get this or that thing or the other for my loved ones? Covetousness devours my joy and makes me sullen and makes me cross as I go about attempting to make Christmas a true and real blessing for the little ones, whose minds I can impress.

In marches the meditation of Christ the stronger than the strong man. He uses 2 Cor 8:9. He takes the spotlight off of self and stuff, for a brief moment and points it at Himself and He is truly eternal. That moment of spotting Him becomes eternal also.

Ultimately, it is not about my portrayal of Christmas for the little ones, or the gifts or the travels; it is about my soul's greatest need and greatest hope. Each year, it gets harder and harder to find Christ in Christmas in the fog of responsibility and memories. I could sit in my regrets, I could sit in my unrelieved fears and dreams and I would become a castaway.

The mighty God steps in,

Thou Who Wast Rich beyond all measure, All for loves sake becomes poor... Stooping but sinners raising, God beyond all telling, Savior and King, we worship Thee.

Joy is the gift of God each Christmas. I think it is mine to grab and put on like a cloak. God reminds me, in the searching for it that it belongs to Him and I must seek Him for it, even in the smallest measure. When the flood of responsibility and emptiness threaten to eclipse the light of God in my minds eye, God restores my soul. It is not even in the effort that I put in. It is in the blessing of God on my seeking Him. It is He who has moved me to seek Him in this way. I thought it was me seeking and I look behind myself and see God's hand impressing my soul to worship and praise.

not unto us, even in the smallest amount, is the glory, but Unto God. Thou Who Art God, beyond all telling.

Savior and King- we worship Thee!

I will embrace the truth of the season with love and joy for all of the receipts and debts to God, for His indescribable GIFTS!

Surprise, Surprise, the Gift is For me! Redeemed

Surprise for the nations?

Rehabs Children, Ruth's children and even, Lot's wife's children.

Jesus ready stands to save us, full of glory, grace and power.

God's intention was to give His Son to draw us in. No other paternal sacrifice will do. No other maternal sacrifice will do. None of us deserves what Jesus did for us.

We open that box on Christmas day. We bend our knee to Christ and we are not Abraham's direct seed. We have no right, except in Christ, to open such a splendid gift.

Why Abraham, we cry, why not me? Rejoice, it is for you, pagan. Jericho, Egypt, Moab, all nations, He came to crush the serpent and not you. He came to crush our sins and snatch their dominions.

All kinds of mothers can see their tears cried in cleansing of the nations, when wed with the will of God! All kinds of knees can be taught to kneel at the foot of the cross.

No other gift outshines that gift for us all.

Now, often Abrahams children wonder rightly: Is this gift for us, as well? So many pagans have owned Christ that we cannot tell if we are welcome to the feast? Can we still enter in?

Surprise!

God's Eternal Gift is for Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah's children, as well as we. Redemption for children of mothers of the Old Covenant and the New are welcome. Gentile knees bow and Jewish knees bow to the Lordship of Jesus.

Unto us, Unto all of us a Son is given!

His sacrifice alone is heard in Heaven for our redemption.

Surprise! Our sins are paid for! We are saved, by grace through faith!

Halleluia, What a Savior!

Joy to the World, the Savior Reigns...

Let men, their songs employ!

Are your songs employed for the cause of the Savior?

Are your songs employed or unemployed?

The mark of the Savior reigning is the mark of wrestling truth into the minds of our youth. Grabbing their thoughts and patterns and pointing to Jesus, in contrast to what they are saying or in conjunction, it really doesn't matter which. Are they employed and are you employed, thusly?

Is Christ reigning?

Rejoicing in the Preciousness of Christ's Sacrifice.

What is precious?

Rare, genuine, real,etc.

Precious is a word that describes the things in your life that you protect and regard highly. Ever since I have seen the Hobbit, the word precious has sparked an alarm in my brain. Is it a good descriptive word or a dangerous one? Am I delegating this thing to an idolatry that I am willing to die for? I like that Tolkien had the ability to engage the conscience in that way, although I wish I could read it, so as to know the depth of his victory in this matter of introspection.

Anyway, the word precious is not like Awesome, which can only be ascribed to God, with accuracy. There are many many precious people and things in my life, that I adore. I adore my husband and children and sometimes I adore my home, without having to be Gollum for the loving of them. The fact that he muttered about, like a snakish man adoring the precious ring has captivated me as a real parallel of the human condition without Christ. Before Christ becomes the precious to me, many things have me captivated like that. When Christ comes, we, like the demoniac get set upright and new. We can know that He has done it for us. We must carry our sinful precious things to the foot of the cross. We must engage our souls in the most vicious battle for control of our sinful passions. We must see the payment of Christ's sacrifice and reason to flee those vile passions that keep us in the tempter's snares.

Jesus paid it All All to Him I owe.

Sin had left a crimson stain and He washed it!

on the Harp {Where are you, Christmas?} You are in the expression of Truth and Love! Christ is Christmas.

Psalm 49:1 Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world: Psalm 49:2 Both low and high, rich and poor, together. Psalm 49:3 My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding. Psalm 49:4 I will incline mine ear to a parable:

I will open my dark saying upon the harp.

Psalm 49:5 Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about? Psalm 49:6 They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; Psalm 49:7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: Psalm 49:8 (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) Psalm 49:9 That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption. Psalm 49:10 For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others. Psalm 49:11 Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names. Psalm 49:12 Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish. Psalm 49:13 This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah. Psalm 49:14 Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling. Psalm 49:15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah. Psalm 49:16 Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; Psalm 49:17 For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him. Psalm 49:18 Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself. Psalm 49:19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light. Psalm 49:20 Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.

"Blessed are the pure in heart...

for they shall see God."

How our hearts melt within us, when we cannot discern God's will among the voices of this age? where are you, Lord? There are so many people saying this and that is the word of the Lord.

God doesn't have to update His status, every so often. He is the same, yesterday, today and forever. We are the ones who change and wither and exult, from time to time. How can we dig foundations that will last through the deluge of information pumped into our homes from sewers worldwide? We cannot choose a truth singly and build our lives around it. We must study to show ourselves seekers of God's will, today. We must dig into the truths that are poured upon us and not just receive all that is projected out. Stop being "click-bait". Stop just clicking on things in curiosity and see your mind as a wise consumer and not a dump.

Did I clic on this and why? Pray before you read stories on the internet. Search with a prayerful heart. Don't let these wicked days deceive you. You are smarter than that. My mind and my heart are vulnerable, eternally. Look back to simpler times and make sure that your spiritual and emotional foundations are built on the rock, Christ Jesus. We have no excuse for naiveté. God has given us His Word as the greatest treasure and if we hold it as our greatest treasure, we will find Him just as faithful to His Word. He gives us a sense of insecurity to allow us to know that we are not trusting in real truth. When we clean our mental house we will know His presence and strength. Until then, we are on a tightrope of the worst kind. The body's tightrope will take only our lives, the spiritual tightrope will take our souls, should we be deceived in this way.

Dear Lord, please give us clean hearts and discerning spirits in this deluge of spiritual information of differing sorts. We want to see You clearly in the fog of junk. Help, Lord! In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Thank God that Jesus' Church has Him as its foundation! {and not us.}

As we mommies untangle ourselves from our children, we are sometimes dizzy. We try to pull all of the swaddling cloths from ourselves and we find ourselves in a dizzying condition with lots of stuff of our own to deal with.

The world teaches us to forget those children and concentrate on self, or keep parenting them when our job is nearly done. Both are deceptions. We need care and so do they.

Does Jesus care when your cradle is empty or emptying and your heart is not done cradling? Oh yes He cares, I know He cares. His heart is touched with my griefs.

God help your mommies find their mission in this world when their children are so independent and rearing their own children and don't need us. or don't seem to need us. Give us ears to hear your mission for us, for the ears that we learned to hear their cries. Give us eyes to see your truth for the eyes that learned to reflexively respond to their missteps and messes. Give us mouths to say what is right and true and not curse our useless sense of our condition. Give us hands to give and serve others, with as much care as we gave to our own dear children. Help us Lord! Make us up for Your Glory, we pray! Amen

Lighten our paths with the light of Jesus and darken our selfishness. unclasp our hands from that which is not for Your Glory!

Draw those mommies to you, who were deceived and didn't see that it was You rearing the children.For the Parenting Spiritually Disenfranchised people, we pray. Lord Hear Our Prayer!For the sake of Christ our great Redeemer! Amen.

a blast from the past thoughts from years ago to grow me-----The Goodness of God leads to repentance

Years, I spent in vanity and pride,
Caring not, my Lord was crucified,
Knowing not, it was for me He died,
At Calvary!

I am grateful for the ignorance that was my soul's condition, before salvation. I should have lived in fear and so often, I was smug. I neglected, so great a salvation, and never thought twice, in my prayers to consider the condition of my sinful soul. God's goodness lent me wings to see above the human state. Now, reconciled to God, I have peace with God. Whatever the state of my emotions, my soul's condition is in Christ, who, by His blood, reconciled my soul to God. Now, sometimes, I am fraught with fears of the reality of this great salvation. Can God, who is holy, accept me, who am unholy, into His presence? I did nothing to accomplish this for myself? I have nothing that can pay for this advantage? It is truly the most precious gift.
I could take time to question and examine the wisdom of such a gift on my behalf, I would never find the end of the folly of it. It cannot make sense, that the perfect God of the Universe would sacrifice to reconcile my soul to God. OR, I could praise and thank the mystery that found me dead in my sins and redeemed me.
I am thankful that those who question the importance of the baptism of the Spirit of God or who question the Word of God's relevance for today, still seek His activity and filling for seasons of life. It is a serious blindness that teaches us not to expect God to baptize us anew and afresh, for seasons of service and activity, when it is clearly noted for us everywhere in scripture. It is a deception of the devil that we should never seek God for the Holy Spirit, when we pray to the Father in the Lord's Prayer- "give us, this day, our daily bread" and we ask Jesus to be our Saviour and Lord. Should we not also as for the special annointing of the Holy Spirit, whether or not we can ascertain the real reason that we need Him? We need the Holy Spirit. We want the Holy Spirit, not just to enliven our corporate worship, but to enliven our hearts to the reality of our pride and envy.
We see the poor, who are rich in faith, basking in that richness and we despise the joy that God has given them, in their circumstances. We are like the filthy temple {2 Chronicles 29:15-30:27} and at a loss to cleanse ourselves. God, give us eyes to see our need of the Holy Spirit. God, cleanse our hearts so that we will not be envious of the poverty of our souls.

So there was great joy in Jerusalem: for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there was not the like in Jerusalem 2 Chron 30:26

Thank you God for everything and all your providences.

Thank you God for Pastors, Good friends,  kind neighbors, past and present,  Numerous family members of every distance and conviction, memories and the great provisions of God.  Thank you God for biblical resources on the internet.   Halleluia!
Thank you God for walking me through dark and starless valleys and happy moonlit mountains.  Thank you God for everything.

Who is worthy to receive honor and glory and blessing and praise? We are not worthy in the smallest part.

Matthew 8:9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

We do cheer for those who accomplish great feats, in our eyes. We know that there is no equal to God's great feats, but we give human champions their due, so to speak.
God doesn't need our encouragement to be as excellent as He is. God is God.

Psalm 117:1 O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.

Oh that God's praise were exuberant as that football stand that I saw yesterday. Multiplied praise and worship belongs to God. Are they stealing it or just borrowing it? We steal it, when we think that it is really all about us. We borrow it when we give as much worship to God as is poured upon us. It All Belongs to You Lord, i.e. The praise in the stands, the praise in silent private admirations. God deserves it all. It is Satan who attempts to take the glory of God and pour it on somebody else to draw her aside unto his end. When we are privy to Satans devices, it should make us worship more heartily, the God, who has paid the price for our salvation and gone the full distance with our sins in his hands to pay their steep price for access to the presence of God! Halleluia, what a Savior!

Thankful for the heritage of African Women.

I am so many generations from my African Motherland. I love her. I am grateful for her. Motherhood has never been about every man for himself, but the picture of the interlocking commitment of motherhood is so beautifully pictured with mother and baby swaddled and entangled in each other's care. Little one keeps a watchful eye and mother goes about her day in the knowledge that baby is safe and sound as she is.

My children try to still hop on board and cling that closely like Koalas and we wrestled to become untangled from each other and grow up. Hang onto Jesus, like that, I say, only partially pejoratively.

One Day! Let's gird up our minds and hold onto Jesus, for one more day!

don't forget to check out the links to great material attached to the pictures on the sidebar!

What people group or individual could refuse to praise and glorify God, in His holiness and perfections?

Revelation 15:4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

When Moses declared God's truth and judgment to a wicked and exalted Pharaoh and those who followed him, it was a duel, not between Moses and Pharaoh, but between God and Pharaoh. Pharaoh is not the only one who exalts himself against God's omnipotence. God intends to take every idol off of the shelves. God will show Himself the only Holy and Omnipotent One in the Universe. The judgments are manifest over all ages that God is showing that His Will and His Way is the only secure will and way. One day, they will all fall and be subdued under the manifest expression of God's superiority to every other way and tradition. Will we be following our way or His Way? God give us grace to see and follow You alone. Amen.

Would it Kill you to Study? {And they loved not their lives unto death...}

They overcame him(the devil) by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimonies...

Could it be that it is our part in history to untangle the entanglements bequeathed us?

1942?

The Fine Flower of unholiness can grow only in the close neighborhood of the Holy. Nowhere do we tempt so successfully as on the very steps of the altar. Your Imminence, your Disgraces, my Thorns, Shadies, and Gentledevils: I give you the toast of---Principal, Slubgob and the College! CS. Lewis --the Screwtape Letters

Revelation 8:10

Revelation 8:10  And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;

Revelation 8:11  And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

Revelation 8:12  And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

Revelation 8:13  And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

Could it be that our illustrious CS.Lewis was privy to the darkening of the waters of "education", before the rest of us? Might we still engage our young people to flee to the "hills" of true holiness? Is that the quest of the new millennium?

God give us grace to unmuddy the waters, in Jesus' Name, Amen

Not Just What You Say...

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Matthew 16:19

Bold confessions of intention are not binding. Binding and loosing are action words; verbs of the most active sort. Jesus gave this as a promise to His Church, that their actions of allowance and forbiddance are part of a fierce spiritual battle, between Satan and Himself.

We are taught to pray the binding and loosing of principalities and powers, especially when we feel subdued by that power. We pray prayers of confession, requests for deliverance. But, especially in the activity of corporate prayer requests for divine intervention and wisdom in binding and loosing are in order. It is our privilege and our inheritance as the Church. We must pray for wisdom and grace not to descend into the abyss of idolatry that was our previous inheritance as the heathen. We must pray to use all of the means that our elders have employed and passed down to hammer out the activities that will bind evil and loose good.

I see my mothering activity as a major role in the earliest stages of importance of such manners. When we are not taking the little souls in our care and needlepointing care and wholesomeness into their characters, we are loosing what was bound on our behalf. This leads to a slippery slope of heathenism and snatches some of the common graces from our culture.

I call it "Pray-doing". Binding and loosing real kindness is not an act of play, from playmates of different ages. It is learning early that Honor Your Father and Mother is the most important commandment to children. That is the tiny thread that weaves a knot of huge proportions, if skillfully embraced.

We hit the ball that the thread is attached to back and forth as families and we either keep the authority in the adult's hands or we become trained by our children to give the thread to the children and let them make the knot for themselves. An afghan is not crocheted by untaught hands. I don't believe that their hearts should be self-taught on any of the issues.

Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction will drive it far from him.

God will come as near to us in His parenting presence, as we come to embrace His tools for binding and loosing. Truly, God has a spanking machine and it works out in the activity of our culture and government. He waits and is patient and merciful. Still, we have tools to work with that no other generations have had.

God give us grace to emphasize and embrace the action of binding and loosing for our benefits upon the earth, in Jesus' strong name, Amen.

The Stillness of the Awe at God's Greatness vs. the Quivers of God's Absence

There is no stillness of the night, without God's abiding presence. The devil whispers to us that there is peace, perhaps, from a screaming conscience, should we silence it, by our yielding. It is not so. The quakes of the earth and the picture of souls running for protection constantly, begging the rocks to fall upon us, that it would silence our expectation of the wrath of God are but a precursor and a poor analogy of the true magnitude of the wrath that our sins deserve, if we should find ourselves in the state of remaining unrepentant and attempt to pay God for our sins throughout eternity.

This is truly a vain thought and it is a sure comfort that Christ came into the world sinners to save. We cannot hold onto this comfort in our need too much. As sure as the sun rises upon each day, there is a hope of grace and comfort that is ours if we are in Christ. He has paid the uttermost shilling, as it were. He has gone to the depths and end of payment for our sins and there is no other who is mighty to save.

The earth shakes as if to tell us, when will you get it? When will we get it that there is no other payment for our sins? When will we experience the freedom and comfort of His eternal love and go about trying to grow and live in the light of that truth? It is never too soon to try to walk with Jesus. It is never too late, while we breathe to embrace the cross that is provided for our salvation and take His hand and walk on into that true stillness of conscience.

God grant us grace to do so, in Jesus Name, Amen.

Just enough time to tell them that Jesus loves them...

I kick myself for the bad examples and the unclear directions that I gave them, over the years.

This season is about repenting and looking back and seeing clearly what was murky in the outworkings. I should have emphasized this issue more, whatever their objections and I should have laid back on that issue, whatever my bent. It is still a miracle to see Jesus own your labors in their hearts with all of the baggage and mire. When I look into the eyes of the future, I see an awesome providence that has given spiritual direction and resilience to the likes of fallible human efforts. I believe that this is the purpose of God in our sojourn, to find His purposes in our providences and use them to glorify Him.

Do we glorify Him, daily, or just on Sunday? Do we glorify Him in our good providences as well as in our sacrifices? Are we thanking Him and praising Him in all things?

God give us grace, please!

Did you send your mother out to war on your behalf? I would hear God ask us.

Would we send our mommy to defend us at Benghazi? We must give an account. Mommy doesn't even know how to use email without a problem and she can't remember some things. Mommy should be President? I pray that it is not a symptom of masculine withdrawal. I fear that it is.

Mother, we would spare your conscience to answer to God for such things. We have gotten used to seeing a young and viril representative of leadership and what would it say of us and to our young men about the role of protecting women and children? I do wonder? I trust the providence of God, in these matters. I pray for all of the women in leadership and their counterpart men. I pray for this thrust of sympathy for a suffragette movement that was completely of a different hue, coming to buttress the woman in the presidency movement. We have wise and competent women all around, but is this the woman of the hour, because her experience is there? Is it sufficient experience to guide us?

Dear God, intercede and keep us from vanquishing our country by our special interests. Help us to see the importance of reality and not facades. Give us a hand of true guidance and sympathy to our simple minded expectations. We want our own wills and not what reflects or guides us into your Glory.

We love our mommies. Whatever they have done to us and our world, but we would protect and preserve them to make it to Heaven with us. Help us tell them that, Lord. In Jesus' sweet name. Amen.

How Can strong, commanding, leading women, avoid the Jezebel Spirit?

I am woman, hear me roar...

We grew up with that as a mantra...No man rules us anymore. No more Braun's to mourn for. We will never fall into that pit, we swore to ourselves.

Submission, but not subjection. We will never genuflect to any man, as we saw in the historic woman's role. Christianity was careful to preach both sides of the story in our generation as their penance for the historic and massive mistakes of their predecessors.

I see myself in the roar of Hillary's victory lap. Isn't this what the woman's movement has prepared us for? Isn't this the hope of all woman who grew up in America? Didn't God answer us on this regard and give us a woman to represent our cause in the public eye? No one who has given birth from her womb has risen to such a height in our country. Isn't it because we are a neophyte country who hasn't learned how to accept commands from a woman? I don't think so.

I saw some very concerned and sensitive men who know that God said that women are the weaker vessel. I saw some men who loved this woman so much that they would protect her from the struggles of conscience that being Commander and Chief will bring. I saw that, whether we have a woman president or not is not as much an issue right now, as what God is wringing out of our struggle to find self government, under God.(as we still confess ourselves to be, under God)

God grant us a prayerful spirit about whether we want to make special interests the issue of our leadership choices. If we are shining for the glory of God in this generation and giving our children a thread of hope to hold onto as they face a future of hammering out hard problems; let us carefully choose which ones we want to count as already hammered. I love that God is owning our attempts still, as we stumble in this experiment and that He hasn't chosen to crush us under the weight that our sins deserve. He hasn't waged war against us, yet. He is allowing us to continue, some in prayer and some in politics and such. I thought perhaps we are as the dogs who licked Jezebel's blood from the ground and we will either be obedient to a good God, who has shown us mercy in our self-willed crushing of God's fear in our world. Do I have a conscience about this or that decision that costs lives? As a woman, my conscience is more sensitive, it is true, unless I have hardened it in the fires of sin's acceptance. We need a woman who can say, I do feel responsible, but I know that God has heard my confessions and I will lead into the future knowing that my mistakes and sins are under the Blood of Jesus.

If that would be the woman that Hillary has become, by faith, then, I know that God is saying that he could have humbled wicked Jezebel and saved her for His glory, had He chosen to. To the utmost, Jesus saves. I believe that, but we mustn't justify the hardenedness that has become the woman's movement. The spirit that pits childbirth against my own ambitions. My ambitions must submit, first to God and then to the powers that be. God grant that we would be the ones to paint a picture of the power of God using government to pare down self will and making a general good and a hopeful spirit that losses are opportunities for future generations to hammer that knotty problem. Christ heal us from abortion. Heal us from hardened hearts at the wonder of what You do. Heal our land from the lioness woman's self-seeking generation that we have become. Help us see the love that the men in our lives show to us when they see our anger making us want to eat our children and show ourselves and them that we could have really been great. I saw a group of men that showed that to me in the Senate. Maybe nobody else saw that, but I did. If you girls want the ball, we will give it to you. It is not a game and we are not trying to keep it from you, they seemed to say. Many things we would hope you would never have to see or decide on as women, but if you want it, here it is. We don't want to be protected from that, we say. We may just wish for these days back, when we see the craziness of war and death and sadness that is governing. God grant us wisdom, Amen.

Matthew 18---Offenses? Angels? Discipline? {In the life of the Church}

Matthew 18 reading Are there guardian angels? Their angels always behold the face of your Father in Heaven..." Do you realize what a privilege that it is that you have been chosen by God? Do you know what a privilege to know Him?

I really think that it is a judgement that the same passage that many people use to justify "church discipline" is the same passage that guardian angels are. How many times have you heard a message on "tell it to the church"? How many messages about "their angels"? Whip them, I have heard messages on, but not "their angels".

I have seen their angels dandling on the knee before letting them out into the world and I certainly wouldn't want to answer to those angels for my care of the children. I am chewing on this for the rest of my life...

Christ's sacrifice is more than ample payment for all of my sins...

His payment is sufficient for the payment of all my sins. He is the perfect sacrifice to God and was willing to pay it. He was willing to become poor on my sin's behalf. He counted the cost to the smallest detail and the hugest cost. "Nevertheless, Thy will be done!" was no afterthought. My soul was in His consideration, that I would be with Him forever. He saw the cost and walked right on into the torment to redeem my soul and all those who believe in God, through Him. Halleluia, What a Savior!

On God's Green Earth, How Green is my Valley?

the blindness of unbelief, in aging and grief can make your mouth form such questions of our benevolent God... What a simpler time was the testimony of Richard Llewellyn in "How Green..." In the movie it was boiled down, but in my mind's eye, I see a grieving and lonely boy left with the solitude of memories of a bustling happy season of family life and asking God, was it worth it to be born with all the happy times of family in my rearview window. Was I supposed to document the beauty only and not include the darkness of my journey? You said "He leads me beside the still waters and makes me lie down in green pastures." Where's my team now that it is my turn to walk through the dark valley?---I see the silence of the last birdie leaving the nest having had all of the burden of laying parent's to rest and looking for the future in the looming hard memories of the past. How can I hang onto my faith when all who have led me here are gone and they don't seem to be trustworthy in my estimations?

God is real even then!

Llewellyn didn't paint any rosy pictures of the world that he had inherited. He didn't leave any hypocrisy unwritten. The saving of the souls left some spiritually alive and was a savor of death to some, as well. The Great Awakening and the spiritual strivings of earlier generations have blessed our world with a greater knowledge of the physical needs and the spiritual needs of individuals. God wants us to fight the fight of reformation and restoration in all of these areas and not to leave the hypocrisies undealt with. Instead, we shut our eyes to the psychological and emotional questions of these rantings. Baby brother, Richard Llewellyn God is good and our valley is green, even when the green looks darker than at some other generations.

just a thought

At What Price, A Halleluia?

God, indeed lavishes grace upon grace to us everyday. Our eyes are filled with His mercies, and our senses are swimming in a world where His mercies are on display. We are blessed with daily gifts and goodnesses of God showered.

Still, it seems that the devil's great attack is on the praise of God. He gives us excuses not to praise God. Some of his excuses are religious doctrines and that is the shameful part. Our mental faculties are lassoed by his minions to excuse ourselves from shouting unto God the glory that He deserves. Traditions or habit, studied or ignorant, Halleluias are in order for God, for all of His benefits and excellencies that He bestows.

What has the devil paid me to muffle my praise? That is my question. Does it outshine God's excellencies? {I am talking about heart Halleluias}

The treasure that we carry with us is far more precious than any ring or forged thing

"Oh word of God Incarnate,

O Wisdom from on High,

O Truth unchanged, unchanging,

O Light of our dark sky,

We Praise Thee for the radiance,

That from the hallowed page,

A lantern to our footsteps,

Shines on from age to age,"

Still, we are bid to let its excellencies shine in our lives and through our words. We are warned and exhorted not to take the glory to ourselves. I find this far more difficult to do when dealing in the things of the spirit, than in the obstinate pride of place in excellencies of other sorts.

I really do think that the more that your dealings are with the Word of God, the greater the temptation to exalt yourself and have the wrong ends in mind when accomplishing it. We must ignore this reality and confess and forsake much, or nothing at all would be done.

The allegory that I just watched of Lord of the Rings was vivid in that to me, when Frodo and Sam went about saying what might be said about them in their journey by those back at home in the future tales. That is so often my motivation and this lies in the face of our Savior, who was motivated by love for His own people and His Father in Heaven in coming to suffer on our behalf.

What an incomparable Savior we have, even to the heroes in mens' imaginations.

"Christian seek not yet repose,

cast your dreams of ease away,

Thou art in the midst of foes,

Watch and pray

Watch as if on that alone,

lies the issue of the day,

Pray that help may be sent down,

Watch and pray."

Lord, how can my treasure be the hidden man of the heart when it is so cold and indifferent, sometimes? Help me to do and carry the truths of Your Word and the word of our testimonies for Your glory and refuse to hold onto the glory for myself. What a great temptation that is and how often the devil gets the better in that battle. Help, O Lord. Help me to highly regard my precious Savior who was holy harmless and undefiled and not afraid to be misunderstood and maligned on my behalf. Thank you for that great salvation that He purchased and help me to greatly regard that treasure. I love you, Lord and see that eye has not seen the victory, ear has not heard the sound and neither hath it entered into the mind, the things that You have prepared for them that love You. Thank God that no allegory does salvation justice. You are the mighty God and all foes will bow at Your feet and yet You wage war against the enemy on our behalf, Your people. Halleluia, what a Savior! Amen.

Praise is not about how I feel or how it makes me feel.

Exodus 15:11 Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?

I remember the distinguished way the Bishop Senior used to walk around the pulpit and say "When I think of the goodness of Jesus, and what He has done for me, my very soul cries out Halleluia! Praise God for saving me!"

If that is all that God has ever done for you than that could be all that you could say. I wasn't raised to say "Halleluia!" I wasn't raised in a tradition that raises hands and says stuff about God out loud. I was raised to say the responsorial stuff, in the bold print. But, there was something about the articulation of the elder Bishop that hollered out a Halleluia that was infectious. God deserves the praise and glory...

If there are people whose very presence can make you stand to your feet and hollar a the top of your lungs for their excellence in this or that field;how much more should God make you come to your feet and yell, at least sometimes?

The younger Bishop put it into perspective for me. He said, I don't worry about people giving me the glory. People say all kinds of nice things about me and you know what I do? I get right down on my knees and tell God."You know that all of that praise doesn't belong to me, it belongs to me. I am just rolling all of that worship people do and accolades onto the one who deserves it. He accepts all of the praise and all of the worship, because I don't want to be guilty of holding onto praise that really belongs to Him.

David danced before the Lord to show that he was humble enough to know who holds all of the victory. God accepts the praise and comes near in His presence. But that is not why we worship. We worship because He deserves all of it.

Romans 9:29 Except the Lord Sabbath...

Even Isaiah cried to his people that the Lord has to save us, for us to be saved, seems to be the sentiment, paraphrased. Before Jesus and after Jesus, it is always by grace, through faith and that not of ourselves.

My meditation this morning, however is "Lord of the Sabbath". What does that mean?

Why is Christ, Lord Sabaoth? In Isaiah, In Romans, all over really;He is designated as the Lord of the Sabbath.

Martin Luther, A Mighty Fortress and seemed to be oozing Romans 9.

Did we in our own strength confide?....

Great men have shown us the relationship between God and His Commandments, through Christ's sacrifice. But, I can only chew on one aspect this morning. Is the Sabbath a stumbling block to my soul and to my heart? Is it a symbol of something to imitate that in imitating you are closing the huge gap between your perspective and God's? Is God inviting us to embrace Him in a delicate relationship of reality to toss aside our own ways on a regular basis? Is there a relationship between evangelical sabbath keeping and the perspective of all of the commandments? Is the non keeping of sabbath a gateway to cultural demise? We would have been as Sodom and Gomorrah had we not seen this, the prophet seems to say? The perspective that the commandments are for our cleansing of our own hearts which will bring us up to what God intends for culture, seems the reasoning. As I say, I am chewing on this thought.

God please grant a true acceptance of all that you have for us in Your Word, In Jesus' Name, Amen.

I have decided to follow Jesus means...

Basic thoughts on my learning to follow Jesus:

Means that I must look at Him.

Am I looking at Jesus when I am worrying?

Am I looking at Jesus when I am afraid?

I have decided to look at God's Word for direction and hope and instruction and blessing and not to myself or others first.

Where am I? is the question to myself...I am looking to Jesus to reveal Himself in this problem or confusion. That is deciding to follow Jesus. Everyday, I have to remind myself of that.

I Have Decided to Follow Jesus

It is a good and beneficial discipline to reminisce of the wonder of the first longings of the soul after my Savior.

I have decided to follow Jesus. I have decided to cast in my lot with the people of God. I have decided to be a Christian. Though baptized in infancy, knowing the Lord and seeking the Lord's Hand to move in my life, is a different impulse than listening and following the crowd, even if they are Christian Crowds.

It takes a lifetime of looking at His perfections and trying to conform your life, a little at a time to get to know Him. The older Saints that I met in early Christian profession didn't steer me wrong to question my knowledge of Him. Sometimes, I have real doubts about my attempts at being a Christian and whether I have decided to follow Jesus at this point or at that point of my life. The most important thing is am I trying to follow Him, today. I am looking at His attributes, which are perfect and putting aside my sins that are so different from my Gracious Savior. It is a dirty work of daily stinky sin dumping, repenting and believing, all over again. So that I can be found, in that day, in Christ and not in my sins. Some days are victorious and some days are a bust. Thank God it is not up to me. He is working in my soul. But, He is not doing it without me.

"He works in us, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."

"I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew He moved my soul to seek Him, seeking me; It was not I that found, O Saviour true; No, I was found of Thee. Thou didst reach forth Thy hand and mine enfold; I walked and sank not on the stormvexed sea; 'Twas not so much that I on Thee took hold, As Thou, O Lord, on me. I find, I walk, I love; but O the whole Of love is but my answer, Lord, to Thee! For Thou wert long beforehand with my soul; Always Thou lovedst me."

Standing for Righteousness?

Nahum was warning us about just taking that word Stand and using it. IT,{Stand} is an exhortation and a directive. Donnie sang, what do you do when...? You just Stand? John P. Kee's song really struck me with its exhortations from the first time I heard it, many years ago.

Stand there means "represent". How can we stand for righteousness? I am looking for that reality in my life. Looking at God's righteousness and trying to look like that...Thank you John P. for that meditation. I am still looking at Nahum for the definition of what God was saying about Standing there.

Stand...

the book of Nahum???

He shall preserve thy soul...even forevermore.

Psalm 131 sermon by Stu Johnston

The Heavens declare the glory of God and the Firmament showeth His handiwork...

Day unto day...and night unto night, sheweth knowledge. Where is that? the knowledge, I mean...

Everywhere!

How shall he who occupies the place of the unlearned, say his "amen"?

That Gary Owens expresses that text perfectly for me. I remember "occupying the place of the unlearned". Not being able to understand the stuff that goes on in church is convicting as well. It is not totally disrespect that makes somebody laugh at some of the things that we do in church.

Unbelief is blinded, is true. But, confusion is blinding and when we don't explain what we are doing we are keeping people blind and not allowing them to enter into faith in Christ. We are, as it were, binding the hands of the Holy Spirit by our confusion. Shame on us.

Grief has often thrust me into the place of the unlearned, also. Everyone praising the Lord, when my heart is so broken feels like a telescope turned the wrong way. I am right here in the worship and enjoying the truths that are embraced by so many, but they are far away from me in grief. I am occupying the place of the unlearned.

I say, "Let the Amen, sound from His people, AGAIN. God grant clarity in Your Churches for the "unlearned's sake". In Jesus' Name, amen.

Ordered by the Lord?

I know that God said that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.

I imagine the angels standing like ushers or servants with their clipboards, writing down the orders of the Lord. He cares about us just that much.

With the children that I watch daily standing at the precipice of walking; I get to watch the angels holding their feet to get them ready.

I love imagining them holding my foot and placing it where God wants it to be. I toddle and refuse to move my foot here and there and they are pulling and pushing my foot to the exact place, because of God's constancy and love, mercy and kindness.

Ponder anew?

What the Almighty can do

If with His love He befriend thee?

What can God do with my story of redemption and grace? How can God clean my life up and make it useful in His service? That is just one of the questions of Praise to the Almighty.

Before we can "Let the Amen" sound from His people again, we have to become and be "His people". So many times our testimony of redemption is so stained with stumblings and unbelief that we are always asking the question, am I Yours, Lord. How can You find the grace and mercy to clean me up and use me for You. Have You befriended me with Your love, Lord? I want to glorify You with my life, then.

The accusations of the devil are silenced in our praise and worship. Our sins, our unbelief, our questions and grapplings will be understood, by and by, they say. But, in the meantime, it is awesome to see God at work in our lives, cleaning and clearing out the "old man" and making us "fit for Heaven". Halleluia, What a Savior!

Be Thou My Vision, O Ruler of All...

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart; Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art; Thou my best thought, by day or by night, Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word; I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord; Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son, Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise; Thou mine inheritance, now and always; Thou and Thou only, first in my heart, High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won, May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heav'n's Sun! Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Why do we try to keep the commandments when we are already redeemed?

Shall we continue in sin that grace might abound? God Forbid... No, we have no idea how far our experiences are from God's holiness. He gives us His commandments to reign us in from our pagan tendencies, whomever we may be. Regardless how many generations of Christianity we may hale from. Christ is cleaning us up, in the Church from the curse of Hell and Death. May God give us grace to continue and pass on the baton to the next generation. Help us to grow up into the Grace of God that has been bestowed upon us! Thank you dearest Lord for Your Amazing Grace!!!

I love Thy Kingdom, Lord!

I love Thy kingdom, The house of Thine abode The Church our blest Redeemer saved With His own precious blood.
I love Thy Church, O God! Her walls before Thee stand, Dear as the apple of Thine eye, And graven on Thy hand.
For her my tears shall fall; For her my prayers ascend; To her my cares and toils be given, Till toils and cares shall end.
Beyond my highest joy I prize her heav'nly ways, Her sweet communion, solemn vows, Her hymns of love and praise.
Sure as Thy trust shall last, To Zion shall be giv'n The brightest glories earth can yield, And brighter bliss of heav'n.

God's promises to the Christian, in the New Testament are attached to the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ and not to the individual. God teach us to love Your promises and to love Your Church. Help us, Lord to be what You want us to be as the Church in this generation. Thank You God for instituting the Church and the good Churches that contribute to the spiritual growth of believers. IN Jesus' Name. Amen

What we are not doing when we pray?

When we pray we are certainly not telling God what to do!

How many of my prayers have been fraught with instructions to God as to how to please me? I cannot tell you how very many of my prayers have been this kind. That is not what prayer is.

This morning I am thinking of the old movie "The Egg and I" and the simple prayer of Pa Kettle. A huge family around the table and the tumult of feeding frenzy and he calls for silence in a command throat clearing and tips his hat and says "Much obliged!" No complaints for the many mouths to feed. No instructions as to how to please him and make things better.

We deserve Hell and we tell God so much of what we want. He loves us and He is always entreated by His children. But, I repent this morning for my many grievous complaints at Your kind providences and good and gracious gifts.

Much Obliged, Lord! Amen

Pharaoh Said What?

Who is the Lord, that I should listen to Him? Exodus 5---- Is this a reasonable question? For a venerable potentate and world empire leader to ask of God's man, who are you talking about?

I say that this is shown, in Scripture to be the saddest state of a man, upon the earth. One who hasn't listened to the gossip about the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Don't tell me he had't heard about the God of Heaven and Earth. He had suppressed the truth in unrighteousness.

God's name is worthy to be praised and our sins have distanced us so much that if we studied His actions everyday we would still be ignorant. Bow the knee, is the only right response of one in such a delicate spiritual state. He is stealing the glory from God, daily and yet breathing God's air and he fixes his mouth to say, Who? Don't we do the same in our ignorance? Why should I regard God's commandments? Why should I obey what God told me to do? Who is God, that His claims should have authority in my life? We say it everytime that we contemplate disobeying and walk away from the commands of God. Preachers and Sunday-school teachers load our consciences with strength against our disobedience and we still forget. Who will deliver us from the body of this death.

Let us be those who repent of our self-willed Pharaoh worship of independence. Let us be those whose portion it is to make His praise glorious by our obedience and submission to God's infinite condescencion. Help us Lord to learn from the pride of Pharaoh and worship You in Spirit and Truth, because of the sacrifice of Christ and His pursuit of unworthy high-minded humanity. We need Your Help, Lord to keep from putting our own wills first. In Jesus' Name. Amen Thank You God that You have a purpose for Paupers and Potentates in Christ. You humble the proud and you exalt the humble! We are not closed out from Your grace, because of our inherited position. Our attitude to Your Word is the sieve. Do we say, like Pharaoh, Who is the Lord? or do we bow the knee? Help us, Lord to be included in the beloved! Exodus 5

God's Grace Extended to His People in Salvation? Amazing!

We are redeemed, by the grace of God. We, who trust in Him are the most blessed on the planet. He is our exceeding treasure. He is our most important possession. We have His constant and consistent intercession in Heaven on our behalf. We ought to praise Him, for such an amazing redemption!

Mark 5

Halleluia, What a Savior to condescend to men of low estate?

The lowest estate of the Gadarene Demoniac, that none would venture to socialize with. No one would go into the tombs to make his acquaintance, but Jesus. The informed and the grieving parents are outcasts by their infirmity, but not to Jesus.

He comes to us. We have no friend so true as to follow us and to make our acquaintance when we have been the outcasts. He recreates us and makes us monuments of the grace of God. He cleanses us and heals our hearts and makes us testimonies of His help and hope in a life.

I would prefer to be the one who is seeking to be with Jesus greater than any other great person. No help is greater than his help. Some might have money to assist, some might have healing. Only Jesus has transforming power. He allows us to see our depravity and infirmity clearly, all along our path, so that we would be swift to flee to Him for cleansing and healing.

It is me, oh Lord, Standing in the need of Prayer!

Ultimately, in that day, we will be with Him in heaven. But now, we are bid to live out our deliverance in a dark and sin-sick world. Help us to be patient waiting to be with You and live the right way until then.

Gestures of Prayer: Speak Lord, Your servant is listening!

I was blessed meditating on the faith expression on Judy Murray's head in that hat. I've been ribbed for wearing hats to some of my family functions, but at my son's wedding I do hope that I can find a hat like Judy's, "DV". I think it was a corporate maternal prayer that our ears will be open to God, when our task of maternal guidance is retired. I pray that I would be hearing from You, dear Lord! I pray that I would follow you, more for the gratitude that I have a son who followed me, to some degree. I pray that he sees me following You in this season of my life, when all within me wants to follow my own whims.

God, you promised to keep me in perfect peace. I wear my tympanic membrane for You to see that it would say, Here I am, being your child now. My motherly reflexes are submissive to You! Make me a woman who is living for Your Glory. In Jesus Name, Amen.

The beginning of how the world sold it's body to Egypt and God bought our soul's back by the Sacrifice of His Only Begotten One!

Genesis 47--- Joseph was shrewd with those people. He didn't give them for their losses, He sold it to them for, even their own selves. He bought them for Pharaoh and in a similar way we sharecrop for Jesus, for the souls of people. What do we have that God didn't give to us? It must be subject to Christ or it is an idol. All belongs to Jesus. He is our Lord and King and our souls are far more of value, because of the price of Christ's blood that was paid for us.

Souls to Jesus is the cropping of our sharecropping! Halleluia, that Jesus has counted us worthy to condescend to pray for us everyday! He is mighty to save!

Shine On Us, Lord!

And She shall be saved through the childbearing?

If there ever were a wonderment about such words, it is at our sons' marriage. {As I imagine the feelings of Judy Murray at the wedding of Andy and Kim, I pray with her, as if it were my Baby Ben} Can I ever survive, sharing him with her? Can I ever know why God would allow me to pour myself into a project for someone else to enjoy?

Prayer and growth and leaning on God in such a season for Him to subdue our passions of femininity is essential and helpful at such times. Give me grace dear Lord. Words cannot express my love and hope for these people, as they embark on the impossible journey of marriage. We have seen You carry our children through the mines of education and their faith is still in tact{somewhat}. God give me grace to keep my faith in tact, through this!

I don't hate her. I just feel like a lost shoe. I have to find my purpose in his life and in mine. I want to be there for them, but not too much. I want to coach him through this, but that is not my place. Shut your mouth, I say to myself and cast your burden upon the Lord. I cast my identity upon You, dear Lord. I cast my endeavors and expectations upon You. You know the reality of my labors and my idolatries that I have confessed to You. I trust You to take my efforts and my labors and use them for Your glory in their family. I trust You, God to set my feet on high with You and not to lose my trust in You for my griefs at seeing the wisking away of my established identity. I want to find my new identity in glorifying You as a faithful servant for You and the growth of Your church. Give me grace as never before, Lord, to do that. I want to be with You and I want You to be my greatest joy and hope. This is harder than I ever expected, I need Your grace and mercy to be with me in this transition of life. I love You, Lord and You are my all. Help me to show You that! in Jesus' Name. Amen

Bow the Knee... Praise to the Lord the Almighty...

God's closeness to Jacob did not preclude real trials and tears. Judah, here experiences the real trial of loss of 2 wicked sons after having participated in the "Joseph Saga"...

Genesis 38

Joseph is on his life's journey and Jacob is beyond comfort. Judah experiences the parallel grief with his father of having sons whose way is wicked first, a first death and then the knowledge that God killed them. That is a sad reality

There is none righteous, but, when light has dawned of God's mercy and we don't imitate that mercy and grace in our lives, there is no story sadder than that. Ninevah, Sodom, Gomorrah, etc. they perished in blindness of the reality of God's standard. Not Er and Onan, they were privy to the goodness of God in every way that was available. They had state of the arts revelation of God and still it didn't change their behavior. The scripture doesn't say what their wickedness was?

Still, my meditation carries me to believe that it had to do with covenant breaking. I often meditate on the deviancy of my own heart in such matters and how high God's standard is for this reflection of His commitment on earth. He has much light for us, who love Him. He also has much correction of sin for us to create in us His likeness.

Jesus paid it all for us. How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation that we have received? Genesis 38, my reading today...

Like a Beacon in the Night??? Grace!

Pax, Vox, Lux Humana----Shine Forth, Dear and Wondrous God of the Universe!

Jacob spoke with God and his life is forever an example of a personal relationship with God. God was sovereign in Jacob's life. Jacob committed his days to God and he was favored with the presence of God. Favor us Dear Lord, we wish to walk in favor with You, whom to know is life eternal. {a link to my reading in Genesis today}

Who saw the dance of the Mehenaim? A very penitent soul! Jacob.

Genesis 32 reading Christian's Daily Walk page 58 and 59 reading, question what is conviction of sin?

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, The King of Creation!

Oh, My soul praise Him for He is

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation! O my soul, praise him, for he is thy health and salvation! All ye who hear, Now to his temple draw near, Join me in glad adoration. Praise to the Lord, who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth, Shelters thee under his wings, yea, so gently sustaineth! Hast thou not seen How thy desires e'er have been Granted in what he ordaineth? Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee! Surely his goodness and mercy here daily attend thee; Ponder anew What the Almighty will do, If with his love he befriend thee! Praise thou the Lord, who with marvelous wisdom hath made thee, Decked thee with health, and with loving hand guided and stayed thee. How oft in grief Hath not he brought thee relief, Spreading his wings to o'ershade thee! Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him! All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before him. Let the Amen Sound from his people again; Gladly for aye we adore him.

A Prayer of repentance of my wicked tongue speaking in pride, in public. Jesus, please forgive me and deliver me!

What do I do when I know I made a mistake that was the fruit of my pride? I am heckled. I defend myself. I look like a pompous self-aggrandizing fool.

I pray to the Lord who sees the root of my pompous grandiose expressions. Lord, You see me. You could have struck me down to the dust at that very moment of my wicked tongue’s expression. Lord I confess and cast my soul upon You. Uphold me with Your free spirit. Do not take Your Holy Spirit from me! I need You in the depths of my soul. I thank You that Jesus paid the price for even my wicked tongue’s public expressions of self pride. I trust that it is not my wins or losses that are accounted in Your eyes. I trust that in that day my hands will be clinging to the righteousness of Christ and not my own wins or losses or defense of myself.

My head should have bowed in humility at a heckling in my glorious moments. King David, from his heart, said bid Shimeai to curse me. {paraphrase} I deserve it when I see the deepest part of my character. Maybe God will repay me good for my not defending myself in the public eye. The slave background that we come from has taught us to bow and that is the inheritance of humility that we are to embrace in God’s exaltation. Else, perhaps the root of the matter is not in us. We are not Israel. We are the ends of the earth that God has rescued us far from. Our forefathers taught us to bow in obeisance to the Greatest Power, Creator and Judge of the Earth. We deliver our speeches under His divine eye. It is only His grace that can keep us from being consumed in our own sin of self exaltation.

Acts 12 Reference God grant repentance to my soul. Don't let me stumble my soul into Hell defending my reason to be here. That is not what You meant for me in lifting me to this place. Give me grace to humble myself in my speech. Help me to see that I am undone and should have taken the opportunity to exalt You rather than myself! Help me not to despise the humble background that You have raised me from. You intended to use the lesson of humility to be expressed in our country to draw us to You. Give Grace, Dear and Forgiving Lord and Savior. Draw me back to You, Lord! In Jesus' Name, Amen.

thoughts on Psalm 22

Psalm 22

a reference to a great sermon on the subject.

The thought that Jesus meditated on the Scripture in His deepest agony on our behalf, is simply an awesome thought. I know that He is the Word made flesh. I know that He is the enfleshment of the Godhead bodily, and the infinite price of His salvation on my behalf has an awesome impression on my soul’s meditation. Still, it seems new to me that He would walk through, as it were, Psalm 22 and the other passion narratives in the Old Testament during His most crushing blow. I see that there is no eating of the beauty of Psalm 23, God’s Shepherding care without the payment of Psalm 22 on our behalf.

Often and too often, I say, I eat of the comforts of Psalm 23 without first, considering the awful cost to the perfect Savior in Psalm 22.

Jesus breathed these words out in His infinite anticipation of His Grief in Glory past. In actuality, He breathed the words out from the cross and walked through them for the sins of individuals as well as the nations.

Your heart will not die here in the darkest point of human history, Jesus spoke in anticipation of the resurrection, to God. No other season of history compares to the heinousness of that act of deviance against God that humanity shakes the fist at the creator and the loving Savior. We do it and did it to show that we are fallen. Jesus focuses on the “ends of the earth” coming to know Him. He knew that His people needed a Savior and He was there for them, but He walked out the course of redemption for all of the people groups from the furthest reaches. What a great knowledge that we were in the “His own” when He loved them to the end referred to in John 13:1. Jesus said to everyone who heard Him on the cross, the forsaking of God and His son has an eternal purpose. Our salvation is that eternal purpose. Our redemption and sanctification is that eternal purpose. Jesus could see that.

From the ends of the earth we have come to give Him the glory and to fulfill the reality of His uttering in anguish, Why, have you forsaken me? He has plucked us from those ends of the earth and we glorify Him in our differences and similarities. He, has bid us to glorify Him and we do. He has called to the islands of the sea to compose praise and worship and they do. He has plucked up the rocks from the sides of the roads and the worms from the ground around the crucifixion and they praise and compose worship songs for His glory. He saw us there. He cared about our darkness and came to give us true life.

Sometimes praise is glorious in the quiet!

The worship of the silent beauty of the sunrise and the stars twinkling are illustrative of the glory of silent praise. If my mouth would speak sour words, they should certainly find words of the grandeur of God.

So many people have penned words of glory and honor to the Lord, and then they probably never said those words out loud. The words are beautiful in the silence of reading them {silent praise} and they are glorifying to God in their delivery as well. David said let everything that has breath, ie. islands of the sea, Praise the Lord. How can islands praise God?

Some islands are in praise to God by their just being there. Some are inhabited by people who praise God, in their language and their cultural expressions of Worship to the true and living God.

I imagine the people group scale of language that glorified and exalted the Lord and the things that detracted from worship. Sometimes we look at individual's language {"Lang" Guage}and not the whole tenor of our language attitude.

Psalm 50 To him who orders his conversation aright, will I show the salvation of the Lord

It seems an enigma, but not really. Are we using words that respect others in our regular usage or do we allow detiorating language to invade our spoken culture?

ie. Usted for the use of a respected person.

You perhaps like "Thou" O Lord. None is as exalted as God, does our language and the lack of the term Thou for any but Him, assume His awesomeness. There are countless other examples that I see in the languages that I am aware of. Where does God show His salvation in the ordering of our conversation aright, is my today meditation.

I know that God sees the sparrow...

Am I too big for God to see me? Are my sins too big for Him to see?

Sometimes, when I sense the hugeness of my life concerns and of my family and of the people that I am praying for, I wonder if the God who cares about the little things cares about my huge family ties. I find comfort that God is not a respecter of persons. Every care, big and small belongs to Him.I look at Job 41 I see God give Job a comfort that in his huge and complete distress, God is working on his problem and doing all of the other huge things in the world at the same time. Nothing is too big or too small for Him to care for. What a Wonderful Savior! I am not too big because I am not a sparrow. I am not too small because I am a sparrow. God has complete care for every size. Halleluia, What a Savior!

Psalm 50 is my this week's meditation. "How can I ever order my conversation aright?"

The tongue: is it really our measure? I ask God this, everytime I stumble over verses like Psalm 50's whole thought. Really it all boils down to what you let your tongue say, seems to be His answer in scripture, among other things this is your dipstick. "I can't get my tongue to talk right!" That is just me and that is where I am praying. Help me talk right, Lord! In Jesus' Name. I see promises attached to Your subdual of my tongue. God is good.

In the Praise, of enjoying the beauty that God has lent to us! All things, richly to enjoy.

Crown Him, Crown Him, Jesus our blessed Redeemer! Help us, Lord not to take the glory from YOU!

How do we crown Him? How is our faith different from the demons, who believe and tremble?

Crown Him with many crowns, The Lamb upon His throne; Hark! how the heav'nly anthem drowns All music but its own. Awake, my soul, and sing Of Him who died for thee, And hail Him as thy matchless King Thro' all eternity.

Crown Him the Son of God Before the worlds began: And ye, who tread where He hath trod, Crown Him the Son of man; Who ev'ry grief hath known That wrings the human breast, And takes and bears them for His own, That all in Him may rest.

Crown Him the Lord of love! Behold His hands and side, Rich wounds, yet visible above, In beauty glorified: No angel in the sky Can fully bear that sight, But downward bends his wond'ring eye At mysteries so bright.

Crown Him the Lord of life, Who triumphed o'er the grave, And rose victorious in the strife For those He came to save; His glories now we sing Who died, and rose on high, Who died, eternal life to bring, And lives that death may die.

Crown Him the Lord of years, The Potentate of time, Creator of the rolling spheres Ineffably sublime! All hail, Redeemer, hail! For Thou hast died for me: Thy praise shall never, never fail Thro'out eternity.

Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! Sing, O earth, His wonderful love proclaim!

Hail Him! hail Him! highest archangels in glory; Strength and honor give to His holy name! Like a shepherd Jesus will guard His children, In His arms He carries them all day long:

Refrain: Praise Him! praise Him! tell of His excellent greatness; Praise Him! praise Him! ever in joyful song!

Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! For our sins He suffered, and bled and died; He, our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation, Hail Him! hail Him! Jesus the Crucified! Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows; Love unbounded, wonderful, deep and strong;

Refrain: Praise Him! praise Him! tell of His excellent greatness; Praise Him! praise Him! ever in joyful song!

Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! Heav'nly portals loud with hosannas ring! Jesus, Saviour, reigneth forever and ever; Crown Him! crown Him! Prophet and Priest and King! Christ is coming! over the world victorious, Pow'r and glory unto the Lord belong:

Refrain: Praise Him! praise Him! tell of His excellent greatness; Praise Him! praise Him! ever in joyful song!

Should we try to storm Heaven? Can we try to force God's hand on our behalf? Jesus paid it all.

Obadiah 1:6 How are the things of Esau searched out! How are his hidden things sought up!

We are Esau. We were not God's first choice. He has made provision for our salvation and we still act in animosity against the dearness of others to God in a carnal way. We either act in violence to steal, if we could Heaven from God's hands or we act in duplicity, to conn God to believe that we are worthy in some way. God has ways of dealing with the likes of us. But, it is always for the purpose of our ultimate salvation.

God sent not His son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

If that is our desire we are in Sync with God's purposes. If not, we are the target of Obadiah's lament. God will search our ultimate purposes up from the depths of the reality from whence they are come. We can't bring anything to God, but the Hell inside our hearts. We must come in repentance and faith. We must see our real devices and submit them to God. We must return to Him daily, "Our Father" confessing our ineptitude to have right thinking and motives. God will search them{our motives} out and teach us His ways. We can't wrestle Heaven from God, or challenge Him to a battle of wits. All of these are from Esau and Edom. I will either win it my way or give up trying. God has given us His son, our part is submission to God and bringing our wicked deployments of wits under the submission to God's Holy Word. That is crowning Him in that part of our lives that we are attempting to walk circumspectly. I cannot walk circumspectly, if I am not looking.