John 8:48-59 – The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not rightly say that You are a Samaritan, and You have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; on the contrary, I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. 50 But I am not seeking My glory; there is One who seeks it, and judges. 51 Truly, truly I say to you, if anyone follows My word, he will never see death.” 52 The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets as well; and yet You say, ‘If anyone follows My word, he will never taste of death.’ 53 You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died, are You? The prophets died too. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; 55 and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him. And if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you; but I do know Him, and I follow His word. 56 Your father Abraham was overjoyed that he would see My day, and he saw it and rejoiced.” 57 So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” 59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and left the temple grounds.
“The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not rightly say that You are a Samaritan, and You have a demon?” Now these were religious people, but not true knowers and followers of God. Don’t be surprised, there are still plenty of knowledgeable, experienced, honored teacher and preachers around but who do not know God, and many would be surprised to find out that they do not. (Matthew 7:21-23) When this kind of religious person is confronted and exposed, how will they react? It is likely that they will tout their degrees, talk of how many followers they have, and show you’re their riches that must be blessings from God for their loyalty to Him. They will attack your lowly un-pedigreed position and your lack of official authority while missing the authority that comes from on high. They will cast aspersions on you, whether publicly or whispered behind your back. Jesus called them what they were and they were insulted by their exposure, so they attacked back
“Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; on the contrary, I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.” Jesus refuted their smear that He had a demon. He simply made the clear statement that He only says things that honor God and He said that these religionists reject Jesus for speaking truth that He has heard from God, they not only smear His family and Him but they, in rejecting the words of Jesus, defame God. They continue to heap sin upon sin upon themselves.
“50 But I am not seeking My glory; there is One who seeks it, and judges. 51 Truly, truly I say to you, if anyone follows My word, he will never see death.” Jesus replies to them that He is not seeking His own glory, but the glory of the Father. Then He says that if anyone follows His Word, if they follow Him, the will never see death. These heated souls heat up to the point of explosion. First Jesus said He is not after His own glory and then He follows it by saying that He is the one who can keep them from dying. To these who not only didn’t follow Him but detested Him, this was logs thrown on the fire. Yet to those who understood that Jesus was speaking the Truth, and was in fact trying to help them to have their sins forgiven and their souls restored to God, His words were life. (John 6:68) All this was incredible, but yet is still happening every day in every land and among every people. It is almost certain it is happening to your neighbors. Jesus was very much being the peacemaker but they refused even though He was continuously performing miraculous signs that the Messiah would do. In fact right after this confrontation with them Jesus moves past them and performs yet another miracle. Family and Friends, since people have rejected Jesus in their physical presence, so shall their spiritual progeny today reject Jesus when today the Truth in presented to them. These with calloused hearts refuse to entertain and or believe the Truth of the Gospel. They refuse what is best to choose what is disgusting.
“The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets as well; and yet You say, ‘If anyone follows My word, he will never taste of death.’ 53 You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died, are You? The prophets died too. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?” Doesn’t it exhaust you how Jesus keeps trying to save their eternal souls but they swat away the truth like men push away the medicine that saves them? Their response is merely argument against what they had predisposed themselves not to believe. They see Jesus as making Himself higher than the father of their faith, Abraham. Jesus, who was higher than Abraham, and worshiped by Abraham because Jesus was God, was seen by Abraham. For example, many people think Melchizedek was a Christophany. Then certainly Abraham saw Jesus. Or Jesus was given revelation about the coming of Messiah and so Abraham saw Jesus through divine revelation. These Jewish authorities reject the Truth as so many people do today. Pray for the Jews, and for all the unbelievers in the world today.
“Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God’; 55 and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him. And if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you; but I do know Him, and I follow His word.” Have you ever been in that awkward space where it is said, even in circles of confessing Christians, that it is okay to curse God if that is how you feel? They use the horrible reason that we are all only human after all. (Though believers have the Holy Spirit within and are much more than “only human.”) So if we do not go along with those who say such things then we are made out to be a more-holy-than-thou self-righteous person. Sometimes in our own small group study we are shy to admit our own faith. Jesus did not succumb to worrying what others thought of Him saying who He actually was. He boldly claimed that what He said was what His Father God had told them. If religionists didn’t believe Him, well that was them condemning themselves. For Jesus to not say who He was, would have made Him a liar which He was not. He never sinned. (Hebrews 4:15)
“Your father Abraham was overjoyed that he would see My day, and he saw it and rejoiced.” Jesus threw them a bone. He called Abraham their father. This was not a contraction as they were the physical descendants of Abraham. But what was not important was not their physical genealogy. Most important was to inherit Abraham’s humble spirit. It is the heart that God looks at. (1 Samuel 16:7)
“So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” 59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and left the temple grounds.” Since their hard hearts could not receive the Truth, their minds could not understand it. Jesus then reveals His divinity and what was their response, to try to kill Him.
Family and Friends, the Gospel is like a simple and beautiful garden home to live in peace with God. A place to live with God right now. To know Jesus right now. To sup with Him, to listen to Him and even to talk to Him. It is a place to dwell where His love is the very real surrounding of His love and grace for us. It is being loved by someone who knows absolutely everything about you. There is no better place than within the Truth of the Gospel. (Matthew 11:28-30) May it be so for all of us. Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
by Bob withPsalm 119:47-48 – I will delight in Your commandments, Which I love. 48 And I shall lift up my hands to Your commandments, Which I love; And I will meditate on Your statutes.
Last night I listened to a short, simple but powerful, message stating that everyone should get a good Bible and get rid of their bad ones. What? He said that there are three signs to check for if you have to replace your Bible with a good one. 1) Do you daily read your Bible? 2) Do you daily study your Bible? 3) Do you obey the content of your Bible?
Okay, I then knew where he was going. Of course we know if the above three steps aren’t followed it is not the fault of the Bible but the blame was upon us. The question is not whether our Bible is fine bur rather whether our heart is fine. If we read our Bible daily and also study what it says we must still obey what it says. What good is it to read the Bible if you don’t understand what the Lord is saying in it. So we need to study, to earnestly pray to the Holy Spirit for understanding as we study the Word.
Once the Holy Spirit has revealed the meaning of the scripture, then comes the final essential we need to do. We need (Yes need!) to obey the Word of God. We know that to truly have salvation we must obey what God has said to us. Jesus said in John 14:15 ““If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” In John 15:14 Jesus said “Your are My friends if you do what I command you.” So Family and Friends if we don’t obey the Word then Jesus said we don’t love Him. If we don’t obey the Bible then we aren’t even His friends. And if we aren’t His friends and if we don’t love Him, then we are not His disciples and children but we are utterly lost. There is no such thing as being partially saved or partially lost. We are either totally one or the other. To read the Bible and to study it are essential, but if we don’t obey it we have nothing. We must do all three or none of them benefit us. Jesus is not our Savior if He is not our Master.
Family and Friends, If we truly read and study the Word we will love it. It becomes our passion because His Word reveals Him. In it we see who He is and what He is. We increasingly understand Him. We begin to understand His love. When the Lord sits beside us and instructs us, our spirits are titillated to be in the presence of God. One who has never been titillated by God isn’t studying His Word with reverence and in prayer. God will move us. Read, study, and obey. It’s simple, but profoundly life changing. Praise God who made it possible. Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
by Bob withPsalm 18:30 – As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the Lord is refined; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
Isaiah 46:9–11 – Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My plan will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’; 11 Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man of My purpose from a distant country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, I will certainly do it.
Is God perfect? Should we believe that? We all either believe that or we don’t. Well we either believe that scripture is the inerrant Word of God or not. We either believe that God has given His Word to us or not. Now we know that there are many “non-believers and scholars” who believe that the scripture is not inerrant. I won’t get deep into that at this time. But I will say that my experience is that those who think the Bible is a gift from God and so is inerrant live with more faith, joy and love than those who don’t. My question is if one does not believe that all the Bible is entirely the inspired word of God, then how on earth does one believe in any of it. If some parts of the Bible are wrong, then which are and which are not and who gets to make that determination? The whole thing quickly crumbles unless one simply believes all of it and in Him.
The first church I attended was a smaller church, but packed with Bible believing, Christ following believers who emanated the love of God. At that church I remember them handing out a bumper sticker that read “God said it, I believe it, and that settles it.” I put the sticker on the back window of my old truck where it remains today. That declaration remains in me. If it’s in the Bible, then I believe it beyond anything I can think or imagine it. Yes, it’s simple, but the Lord God has purposely made it simple for us. Not easy, but simple. (See Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”) Family and Friends, simply believe. Doing that we will simply live in His joy.
The scriptures declare that God is perfect in every way. (Deuteronomy 32:4) If something is perfect it has no flaws and is complete and lacks nothing. Therefore something perfect is only perfect only as long as it remains unchanged. A completely white page can have no color added to it. If a single drop of blue is added, it is no longer a perfectly white page. It is completely changed. Perfect cannot have anything added or taken away from it or it will be changed from perfect. Perfect cannot change. It cannot become more perfect or a little less perfect and remain perfect or it never was perfect. But something that is perfect cannot, in truth, have anything taken from it because it is perfect and nothing can remove any part of it. Something perfect must be wholly able to protect itself and keep its perfection or it would not be perfect. If something is actually perfect then it always will be because inherent in perfection is unchanging immortality. So of course God is perfect, He can be nothing else. If God is not perfect then He is not God, but He is perfect and is the only true God.
One cannot believe only what one chooses about God and it actually be God if it differs from the Word of God. If we are able to pick and choose who God is then ipso facto it is not God, instead we would make ourselves out to be a god, but none of us are perfect so we could not be God. God cannot change and we cannot change Him because He is perfect because He is God. He is who and what He is and always has been, in entirety and that into an eternity beyond the vanishing point in the past.
Since God is perfect, He can reveal to us perfectly and simply who He is and what He has required of us. He can make what is infinitely complex into something that we can simply understand. He is God who created all of us and who sent His Son to save all of us who have been stained by the sin of the ancestor of all of us. Because of that stain only God could save us and so He sent His Son, He sent Himself, to be everything we need to be reunited with God, for Him to be everything we need to know about God. For all who want to know about God needs only to heed the words of Jesus and live with Him every day. Live with Jesus and live with God. Know Jesus and know God. Know God and know perfection. Know perfection from God and thereby increasingly know God. We never know everything about God but we can ever learn about Him. He simply will teach us. (John 14:26) God’s plan to return us all to Him through Jesus is perfect. Of course. Praise the Lord!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
by Bob withJohn 8:39-47 – They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus *said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. 40 But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. 41 You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born as a result of sexual immorality; we have one Father: God.” 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came forth from God and am here; for I have not even come on My own, but He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot listen to My word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I say the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 The one who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”
“They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus *said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. 40 But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. 41 You are doing the deeds of your father.” In V33 and here the Jews had claimed that they were descendants of Abraham, that he was their father. Jesus then said to them that if they were truly Abraham’s children who they were would be by their actions. In the USA we can often tell where people are from because of their accents, such as the South, or the Northeast. Or because the Amish may dress a certain way, speak a certain way, adhere to ways of life and are known for a steadfast belief in Jesus and so they are identifiable by their actions. Who they are become apparent. So Jesus, who personally knew Abraham, knew who he was and how he believed lived. He was telling these Jews that they are nothing like Abraham. Abraham loved God and was known for his faith in Him. (Hebrews 11:8-12) These Jews didn’t even recognize the in-the-flesh fulfillment of their own prophecies. They claimed to love and follow Moses, who spoke of Jesus, but they did not obey and trust Jesus as Moses said they should. In Deuteronomy 18:15-19 Moses told of the Messiah, who is Jesus and God the Father had said that He would put His words in Jesus’ mouth. Which was exactly what Jesus repeatedly had told them. Jesus was letting them know the difference between a blood descendant and a spiritual descendant. Abraham knew the voice of God, and if these Jews were truly Abraham’s spiritual descendants then they would recognize the Father’s words and voice in Jesus. Unfortunately, they were not. To change and reuse a memorable line from a political debate, Jesus in our day may have said to the Jews “I knew Abraham and he was my friend. And you sirs, are no Abraham.”
They not only would not listen to and obey Jesus, they also wanted to kill Him and derail the will of God as the devil tried to in the Garden of Eden. Jesus was telling them that their actions show they are not of God but of the devil.
“They said to Him, “We were not born as a result of sexual immorality; we have one Father: God.” Jesus has told them their actions betrayed their sin but they did not repent. Instead they insult Jesus’ mother Mary and tell Jesus that His mother had sinned and that Jesus was illegitimate. They insist that they, and not Jesus, are the legitimate sons of God. It takes believing in Jesus to see. Some will refuse to and die in their sins. (Jeremiah 5:21)
“Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came forth from God and am here; for I have not even come on My own, but He sent Me. 43 Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot listen to My word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.” Jesus plainly told them that if God were their Father then they would believe in Him because He is saying and doing what the Father had given to them in the scriptures. He told them that He came forth from the Father. Jesus was sent by the Father. Jesus lamented that they could not listen to His word because their father is not God but the devil. Because they reject the words of God they do not have the Spirit of God within them to open His word to them. Since they do not belong to God then they belong to the devil. (Matthew 12:30) They want to kill and lie about Jesus because their father the devil is a murderer and liar. The Jews persisted in rejecting Jesus.
“But because I say the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? 47 The one who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.” What do they believe? They believe what their father the devil tells them, they believe lies. All who reject Jesus believe lies.
Jesus asks them what sin they can accuse Him of and convict Him of. They could not prove Jesus of any sin. Jesus gave them the opportunity, but they could prove nothing. They could not because He never sinned. (1 Peter 1:22)
The proof of their spiritual condition was that they did not believe in and follow Jesus, ipso facto they were guilty of belonging not to God but to the devil. There is one sin for which there is no relief, it is dying in one’s sin without Jesus. These had the same destiny as the devil, if they never repented.
Family and Friends, salvation is all so simple: believe, trust and obey Jesus or do not. Choices have consequences and this choice has an eternal one. Please, know Jesus and you will have Him eternally. If He is rejected then the future for such a person is eternal darkness and torment. The choice is simple. Following Jesus is simple. Not easy but simple. God made it that way. Choose it, for your sake.
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
by Bob withJohn 8:34-38 – Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 Now the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet you are seeking to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 I speak of the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.”
“Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.” It is often thought that Jesus was saying that everyone who commits an act of sin is a slave of sin. But that is not what Jesus is saying. The ESV better states translates the verse as “everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” We all sin (hopefully in decreasing measure). But the one who “practices” sin is the one Jesus is talking about. The one who is caught in a sin and continuously submits to it is whom Jesus is talking about. The one who keeps in a sin is not a servant of God but a slave to that sin. Oh Family and Friends let us not think that sin has no power. It has the power to put us in a web that we cannot break free of, such as pride, all sexual sin, drugs and alcoholism. The only way to break free from the sin is through the freedom that Jesus gives to those who love and serve Him. Our streets are filled with the tragedy of those who have become slaves to sin. Yet even they are not without hope because if they truly repent and come to Jesus “He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
“Now the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.” A slave that lives in a house had no promise of being there forever. He is there at the will of the master of that house, and can later that day be sold to another and belong to another house the same day. But a son of the house will belong to the house, to the family forever. Even if the slave serves the house better than the son, the slave may only be there temporarily but the son always has his place in the house. The house spoken of is not the house of God, because that would make Jesus the son of a cruel taskmaster. No Jesus came to earth to save us, He arrived sinless and lived His entire life sinless. Sin came through Adam but the second Adam, Jesus, came to set us free from the original curse. He lived sinless so He could ultimately save us. Besides Jesus is God with Father from eternity past (John 1:1-3). Jesus came to free us from what we could not free ourselves of, sin. (Romans 5:6)
“So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.” Slaves cannot free slaves. It takes some one is not a slave to free a slave. So freedom from sin comes from the one who never knew sin and so never practiced it. Jesus was the only man after Adam who was not born with the sin nature Adam chose. He never lived in a house of slavery. His Father was not a slave trader, but a house of the free with free wills. Jesus came with authority of the Father to set the captives free. No other person can claim to be one who sets people free, only Jesus can truly set one free. (Acts 4:12) Not only from sin, but from practicing sin. Praise God and His divine plan. Praise God that salvation is free and simple under His plan. Love and obey Jesus and one is immediately spiritually free by the declaration of God. The outward sin of our freedom diminishes and drops away as our love for Jesus grows. Obedience comes from loving Jesus. (John 15:14, 14:15)
“I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet you are seeking to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.” The Jewish authorities taught that they had salvation based on the fact that they were physical descendants of Abraham. But Jesus told them that who they truly are was evident by what they did. God had one plan to free man, only one, and it works perfectly for all who repent and come to Jesus and live their lives loving and obeying Jesus. Those who refuse to obey never knew Him and those who never knew Him will not live in eternity with God. Jesus is the only way. (John 14:6) The Jews who rejected Jesus and sought to kill Him could not believe what Jesus taught them because they rejected His and His Father’s words. By doing that they reject what the Father told Jesus to tell the world. Therefore these people, trapped in sin, rejecting Jesus and His teachings never knew the Father since they refuse the only remedy for sin and the only prevention from eternal death. They have denied the will of God to save them and insist on their right to go forever to the Lake of Fire. Very terrifying.
“I speak of the things which I have seen with My Father Jesus tells the Jews that what He does and what says to them, and us, is what the Father gave Him to say. So accept what Jesus said and live with the Father and Jesus forever or reject what Jesus said and thereby simultaneously reject the Father.
“Therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.” Claiming to children of God the fruit of their lives did not bear witness to that. They are doing the will of their father the devil who wanted Jesus to die by his hand and not by the will of the Father’s plan. They personally resisted Jesus and blocked the salvation of others by attempting to block their path to the Lord. The people whom belong to the Father come to His Son. The people who don’t come to Jesus belong to neither Jesus nor the Father because they reject both.
Being free of sin is made hard by us. Jesus already did the work to be free of it. We need to grow in our love of Him and by doing that we will be free from sin. It takes time. Not because the work is incomplete, but because of our flesh. Just don’t resist God drawing us close and His work will cleanse us. Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
by Bob withEcclesiastes 12:12-14 – The conclusion, when everything has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. 14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.
1 John 2:17 – The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
I remember when I dug in my heels. I wanted to travel the path but also wanted not to move. Didn’t want to lose what I had while I gathered in all the rest. But your hands can only carry so much. You find out that you have to keep moving forward even if your feet are still. All of creation is moving and I will be carried with it, I have no choice. At times it has felt so desperate. Destiny is one hundred percent effective. Putting on a wig does not change what is. Clothes only hide so much. Soon enough people will catch the winces of pain. Yet sadness is not upon me, but rather joy. On the journey He taught me that I have gained infinitely more than I have lost. The best stuff is never lost. The best stuff is never lost. The best stuff is never lost. The next step brings more eternal joy. Even the seed in the sandal may hurt, but life is within it. Nearer I come to being saturated in happiness and more deep-in-the-spirit-satisfaction-from-the-soul-sighing-out-loud-completion. Always there is more ahead. Don’t hold the things of this world or fear losing them. The truly good will never depart from you. We only lose the sharp and hard. Never reach back, it’s no longer there. It is reaching to grab the mist. There is always more beauty ahead.
Revelation 21:3-4 – And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
And so I reach forward what has been prepared for me by my Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. If the Lord tarries there will soon come a day when no one remembers. Like the top sand in a windy desert all will change and my footprint will be gone. So let it be, I will be with my God. Then one thing will never change, the best thing will never change, I will be with God forever. In fact, forever has already begun. Praise God, eyes on Him, all is well. Soon, at the right time, I will move on. Moving forward is good. Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace
by Bob withPsalm 91 – I will say of the Lord, “He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
We often think, when enjoying one of life’s simple pleasures, why we don’t enjoy life’s simple pleasures more? Why do we run after the carrot on a stick that we can never catch?
I remember when my younger son Ray was a young baby that I had been off work due to a workplace injury. As therapy I was told to walk. Walking usually cheered me up, I loved being outdoors. This time, coming into the house, I was rather melancholy. My son was laying on our bed and I came to watch him. He smiled at me and, he being shirtless, I blew a big raspberry on his tummy. And then he gave me a gift that these almost thirty-five years later I still cherish. He laughed the most joyous little baby laugh. His first real laugh! Immediately my gloom was chased away by happiness and joy. I shouted out to my wife “He laughed!” And oh what a wondrous laugh. He smiled at me and I’m sure his smiling eyes were telling me he loved me. Silly, me, I thought the day dreary but it rather was quite wonderful!
Too often I still get caught up with distractions. How often I forget to treasure the simple things in life that are all around me like my family, my friends, my brothers and sisters in Christ and even our excellent Jake. In all these things and more, I am rich. I still love being outdoors but am not outdoors enough. And the easiest, the simplest and the best thing to stop and admire any time I want to is the Lord Jesus our Savior. You know the saying wherever I go there I am? Well more true is it that wherever I am there God is. I say more true because honestly sometimes I forgot who I really am. (James 1:23-24) But when with the Lord God Almighty, I never forget because He reminds me that more real than anything else around me I am the beloved son of the Most High God, the Savior of the world. I am blessed. I free gift from God. Nothing simpler, nothing more eternal, nothing deeper and more soul satisfying than God’s free gift. Nothing more simple than hanging with God. Nothing is simpler, more pure and more fun than that. Thank You Dad, thank You Jesus, thank you Holy Spirit. Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
Psalm 23 – The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever
At these times the wound in Jenny’s heart was again opened and she bled tears of sadness. She tried to keep in mind that if the Lord brought her husband James home at such an early age, it must have been for the best. Jenny knows that, without a doubt. The Lord knows what is best and she truly trusts God to have done what was best for James. She is also convinced that the Lord will watch over and care for her and her three children. Still, sometimes she cries at the ache of missing James. “Jesus,” she says at such times, “understands that I miss James.” Her frequent prayer of remembrance and gratitude to the Lord is “Jesus thank you for lovingly caring for me and my children at all times. Though James was taken away, Your care never is.”
Jenny did not have an “outside job” after they began to be blessed with their children. They thanked God that James provided enough income that she could stay home. She sometimes would weep to the Lord lamenting that all mothers did not have the blessing of staying home full time to raise their children. Her and James had to be on a tight budget, but she was grateful she could stay home with her three children.
Sighing, Jenny grabbed her lunch as she was about to head out to the “outside work” that the Lord now uses to provide for her family. She reminisced over the days when James was with her and how she would kiss and hug him every day at the door when he left for work. He would hug and kiss her and tell her how much he thanks the Lord for blessing him with her. Sweet days, tender memories that are briefly remembered as she heads toward the door to leave.
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
by Bob withJohn 8:34 – Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.
The man walked into the bar and said to himself “Remember that we’re only here to see if some of the old friends still come here. Just here to see them and have some laughs.” Deep down he knew he was sliding and couldn’t help himself. The woman felt her anger toward that person of a different descent. She doesn’t know where the anger comes from but every time she sees “one of them” a simmering flame flares into a wild fire. She should love that person. Never has “one of them” hurt her but she just doesn’t like them. She should not start a confrontation but she just can’t help herself. Coming up beside that person she knew she was sliding and couldn’t help herself. Sin, of any kind, once embraced and repeated will move from the one-time mistake to a controlling master.
A long time ago a wonderful sister had a flannel graph ministry to kids. She was going to be at the adult service and the kids would sit up front next to her. I wondered whether we should stay as we didn’t have children at the time and I thought the ministry was only for the kids. One of the older saints, whose kids had long ago left their home to raise their own families, encouraged us to stay. She was sure it would bless us. Though skeptical, I didn’t insist that we leave.
The visiting nice elderly woman (probably about my current age) set up her flannel board and then began to speak to the kids and congregants in her Children Sunday School teacher voice. Actually, she was so sweet she immediately pulled me in, and all the rest of the adults.
After a short period of time Ahab felt a coldness come upon him. He opened his eyes and saw the reason for the cold, it was his camel who had poked his nose into the tent and let the cold in. Ahab scolded his camel that he was not allowed into the small tent. But the camel pleaded with Ahab to please let him have only his head inside to stay out of the frigid cold outside the tent. Ahab felt bad for his friend the camel and said “okay, but only your head.” The camel agreed only his head would come inside and Ahab went back to sleep.
Again, a short time later, Ahab was awakened by coldness. He looked over to his camel and saw that the camel had crowded further in and was now in the tent up to his shoulders. The big camel was letting in more of the outside cold. Ahab was again about the throw the camel out but the camel pleaded that the night had become more bitterly cold and so he only came in far enough to keep himself from freezing. Ahab softened for his friend’s condition and relented that he could stay with his shoulders inside, but not any further. The camel promised to obey Ahab’s direction.
During the coldest part of the night Ahab was again wakened by cold air. Also by the smell of his camel and its breath. He opened his eyes and was startled to see the camel was now fully in the tent an almost laying on top of him! Ahab became very upset because now the small tent was so crowded that there was almost no room for him. The camel began to plea again about the cold. Abraham wondered how to handle the situation now.
By the way, the camel’s name was Sin. And this a good story about how we should never let sin sneak into our lives. If we do, like the camel took over Ahab’s tent, sin will take over more and more of our life. And if you need to ask Ahab, he will tell you that it is easier to never let a camel in then to get him out once he comes fully in. That is true about sin in our lives.
Now, some forty years later, I’m glad that we stayed. I learned a good lesson. Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
by Bob withPsalm 31:14 – But as for me, I trust in You, Lord, I say, “You are my God.”
Oh Lord God I trust in You. With complete confidence I announce that You are the God I know and because I know You, I trust in You. Should lightening fall from the sky, or sickness arise from the earth, I am unflinchingly confident in You. Should I be harmed in any way, and should I die, may my continuous and final words be Praise you Holy God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. May my lips never accuse You but always praise You. Always Lord do I seek to praise You. Praise the name of the Lord!
Titus 3:8 – This statement is trustworthy; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and beneficial for people.
Why should I not speak with confidence and boldness when I speak of You. I am your beloved and You love Yours eternally and infinitely. Of me and my weakness I speak with timidity. But of me, being filled with Your power as I speak of You whom I know, I will speak with confidence and the authority which You give to me. The seal upon me is Your seal. In me I have little confidence. In me empowered with You I am bold, confident and sure. Lord, keep me for I am Yours. Lord You are strong and I am weak but You have elevated from being of dust to become a new creation unto You. From dust to servant of the Most High! Thank you my God, my Savior, my Lord!
Psalm 143:8 – Let me hear Your faithfulness in the morning, For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to You I lift up my soul.
Lord, every morning of every day I look to You. May I follow the map of Your design every day. Walking in Your will I do not fear. I am led by Your love and coached by Your Spirit. In You my Almighty and Tender God, I trust and love.
Isaiah 26:3-4 – The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You.
4 Trust in the Lord forever, for in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.
Along the road heading up North is a mighty rock that has pushed up from the ground and stands strong against the winds, the storms and sea. It is not moved. Infinitely stronger is You Lord God who is our rock against all things of this world and against all spiritual opposition. Because You have gifted me to know you I walk in peace about my present and future. I am peacefully settled behind You Oh Rock of my salvation. I hide behind you, with You, where I am securely protected. Oh how great to be with You and hide behind You Oh Rock of my Salvation.
Psalm 65:5 – By awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, God of our salvation, You who are the trust of all the ends of the earth and the farthest sea.
Should I be an ingrate, I would have no peace. Should I not relish the blessings that You give. But I remember Your great power even in every breath I take. I have been placed in places where death could come quickly, yet because of You I live. Trials surround me and I would perish if You were not my Protector, my Provider and my Savior. Safely, like a newborn babe, do I sleep at night for You are with me. As I babe, I have nothing to fear because You love me and are with me. You were my everything during the day and I know You are my everything all night. The scent of You surrounds me and reminds me of Your endless love for me. Not because of me, but because of You! You Lord, my everything, my great I AM, keep me in peace at night, at morning time and during the day. You Lord God, my everything are my peace. I need nothing but you. Praise you God Almighty! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace
by Bob with