A Psalm

Let's take a few minutes to read this Psalm.  Take your time, read it slow, and tomorrow we are going to start going through it. Why is this Psalm something I'm interested in? I'm interested in it because it tells of the wonders of God and the fact that even in the face of those wonders people still turned their backs on God. 

We like to believe that if God performed miracles before us, for us that we would never doubt Him.  We need to comprehend how easy it is for people to even be touched by the miracles of God and still not give their hearts to Him.

Psa 78:1  Maschil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

Psa 78:2  I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:

Psa 78:3  Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

Psa 78:4  We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.

Psa 78:5  For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:

Psa 78:6  That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:

Psa 78:7  That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:

Psa 78:8  And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.

Psa 78:9  The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.

Psa 78:10  They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;

Psa 78:11  And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.

Psa 78:12  Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

Psa 78:13  He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.

Psa 78:14  In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.

Psa 78:15  He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.

Psa 78:16  He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

Psa 78:17  And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most High in the wilderness.

Psa 78:18  And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.

Psa 78:19  Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

Psa 78:20  Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?

Psa 78:21  Therefore the LORD heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;

Psa 78:22  Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:

Psa 78:23  Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,

Psa 78:24  And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.

Psa 78:25  Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full.

Psa 78:26  He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.

Psa 78:27  He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:

Psa 78:28  And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.

Psa 78:29  So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire;

Psa 78:30  They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths,

Psa 78:31  The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.

Psa 78:32  For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.

Psa 78:33  Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.

Psa 78:34  When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God.

Psa 78:35  And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.

Psa 78:36  Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues.

Psa 78:37  For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant.

Psa 78:38  But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.

Psa 78:39  For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

Psa 78:40  How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!

Psa 78:41  Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.

Psa 78:42  They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.

Psa 78:43  How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan:

Psa 78:44  And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.

Psa 78:45  He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.

Psa 78:46  He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.

Psa 78:47  He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.

Psa 78:48  He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

Psa 78:49  He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.

Psa 78:50  He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;

Psa 78:51  And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:

Psa 78:52  But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

Psa 78:53  And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

Psa 78:54  And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.

Psa 78:55  He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

Psa 78:56  Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies:

Psa 78:57  But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

Psa 78:58  For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.

Psa 78:59  When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:

Psa 78:60  So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;

Psa 78:61  And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's hand.

Psa 78:62  He gave his people over also unto the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance.

Psa 78:63  The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.

Psa 78:64  Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.

Psa 78:65  Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.

Psa 78:66  And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts: he put them to a perpetual reproach.

Psa 78:67  Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:

Psa 78:68  But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.

Psa 78:69  And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.

Psa 78:70  He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds:

Psa 78:71  From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

Psa 78:72  So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.

More tomorrow by the GRACE, MERCY, and WILL of GOD.

All in our Savior's love.

Amen.

We shouldn't let ourselves be deceived

We can't deceive ourselves into believing that if we are only *good enough* everything will be okay, that's not the truth. Christ our Lord alone is GOOD enough!

Two deceptions-

1. We believe we can WORK to be saved, that we can be GOOD enough to be saved. We are believing a lie.
2. We don't believe we can WORK to be saved, that we can be GOOD enough to be save, so we give up.

Usually you'd know that if one thing wasn't true the opposite must be.  You know- truth and lies, there is a truth and there is a lie, in this case the deception is so incredibly powerful that it is true that ONLY the very elect will NOT be deceived.

Mat_24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Great signs and wonders from false Christs and false prophets. How many amazing preachers are out there, amazing because of their charisma, their charm, their ability to speak so wonderfully you can't help but be wowed by them? A lot. And these amazing seemingly God-fearing people are deceiving thousands, hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of people with their wondrous ability to lie so convincingly people don't WANT the truth, they'd rather believe their lies. They despise the truth in favor of believing their feel-good religion.

The elect KNOW this truth-

Rev_14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus

God's elect, God's saints those who are HIS, those who will be waiting for Him when He returns, those who will rise to meet the Lord in the air, it is they who comprehend the full truth, without guile.

The truth that it is solely by the power of Jesus, through His Sacrifice that we are saved. It is living with that knowledge, believing that truth that enable the Holy Spirit to live within us. It's the Holy Spirit living within us that enables us to live to the Spirit and not to the flesh.  It's us striving to do good while knowing that any good we do is because of the grace of our Savior. It is denying ourselves, it is picking up our cross, it is having faith with works so our faith is not dead, all of this through the Holy Spirit! This is TRUTH. It is believing our Savior when He said that He did NOT come to do away with the moral law, but to reveal it to us. It is knowing that the saints KEEP the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus!  It is all this without shunning any of the HARD facts that we have to resist the devil, that we have to do our part daily. That we have to put on the WHOLE armor of God so we can stand against the evil surrounding us DAILY! It is surrendering to our Savior all of ourselves, not just a tiny bit. It's living for Christ, living in Christ always!

All by HIS amazing GRACE and LOVE, His MERCY forever and ever!

Amen!

Be not deceived

Gal_6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Deu 11:16  Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them

1Co_15:33  Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

Deu 4:9  Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons

Deu_11:16  Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them

Luk_21:8  And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

Be NOT deceived!

Tit 3:3  For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

Tit 3:4  But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

Tit 3:5  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Tit 3:6  Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

Tit 3:7  That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Tit 3:8  This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

Tit 3:9  But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.

We can't allow ourselves to be deceived. It's so easy to let ourselves be caught up in deception because it's easy, much easier than facing the truth.

It's not by any works of righteousness we might think we do, but by the MERCY of our God who took on flesh, divesting Himself of His Spirit life to be forever after FLESH like we are.  By the Son's mercy we are SAVED.

We can't deceive ourselves into believing that if we are only *good enough* everything will be okay, that's not the truth. Christ our Lord alone is GOOD enough!

More on this tomorrow by the GRACE of our LORD and SAVIOR.

All in the name of our GOD.

All in HIS LOVE.

You Know Better

You know better.

Who among us hasn't heard those words spoken to us by another, usually the first time we hear them it's from one of our parents, right?  They are our first influence towards knowing right from wrong. They teach us what is right and point out things that aren't right. 

Just recently I was visiting my great nephew, who will be a year old very soon and I witness the interaction between his mother and him as she already at that very young age began to teach him the things he should touch and the things he shouldn't.  Our learning what is good and what is bad starts right away and once we understand, once we have the comprehension of something being wrong and it's not a matter of our forgetting, but rather choosing to ignore what we've learned, then we are accountable for that wrong.  Am I saying a baby is accountable in an eternal way? No, I'm saying that on an individual basis everyone grows to that age of accountability.

When you know better and still choose to do something you know better than to do, you are accountable for that choice.

It's not until a child realizes what sin is (at whatever age the child can comprehend 5, 6, 7, 8 older, younger,) only then is the child accountable for committing a sin. Just as adults who are mentally deficient because of a birth defect, accident, or other reason they might never get to a place of comprehending sin as being the breaking of God's commandments. It's the knowing better and still doing it that brings forth the accountable sin.

And just as we know wrong is wrong, we know good is good and if we deliberating withhold good we are SINNING. It is more than keeping from doing evil, if we refuse to do good that becomes evil. This is truth!

Jas 4:17  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.    TRUTH!

Luk 12:47,48

And that servant, which knew his lord's will,

and prepared not himself,

neither did according to his will,

shall be beaten with MANY stripes.

But he that knew not,

and did commit things worthy of stripes,

shall be beaten with FEW stripes.

For unto whomsoever much is given,

of him shall be much required:

and to whom men have committed much,

of him they will ask the more.

TRUTH!

Joh 9:41  Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.    TRUTH!

Joh 15:22  If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.       TRUTH!

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Rom 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.   TRUTH!

We know better.

We know we are to do good and abhor evil.

By the grace of God, through the Holy Spirit may we keep from sinning by withholding good.

Bless us Father! Keep us in YOU always in all things!

In Jesus' name, in Jesus' love!

Always!

God's Will In ALL Things, Good and Bad.

What is our life?

Our life is a VAPOR.

Our life appears for a little time and then it vanishes away.

This is TRUTH, this is GOD'S TRUTH.

We know this is truth don't we? Tell me right now who your great, great, great, great grandmother was, what was her name? How old was she when she passed? How many children did she have? Do all this without looking up any genealogy charts. Can you? This person was vital to your being born, without this person you never would have existed. You can take that all the way back to the very beginning of time. And there would be many, many grandmothers, many greats to count to get back to the beginning of you.  Each of those individual grandmother's lives appeared for a little time and vanished away, this too is our fate as a human being. We appear for a little while and vanish away. We  have to comprehend the BIGGER picture of our life.

We make plans for our lives, some short term, some long term and these plans mean absolutely NOTHING if they are not made with the desire for God's will to be done first and foremost.

All too often we are shown just how little control we have over our lives. Some of us are given shocks through ill loved ones, through the loss of a loved one, through an accident resulting in injuries, through so many little things we are allowed to see just how all our own plans fall short.

When we pray for God's will to be done in our lives and believe that God's will, will be done in our lives we have to believe even when we cannot comprehend the how's and why's that His will is being done- no matter what happens and He is in control.

Satan will endeavor to get us to question God's will endlessly.  Who hasn't read or heard the story of Job in the Bible? So many awful things happened to Job and still He held fast to God's will. He believed no matter how awful things became- having all his children die at once, here read it…

Job 1:12  And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

Job 1:13  And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:

Job 1:14  And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them:

Job 1:15  And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

Job 1:16  While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

Job 1:17  While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

Job 1:18  While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:

Job 1:19  And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

Tragedy after tragedy, after tragedy. Just imagine you're at home and a person knocks on the door only to tell you that a good portion of how you make your money is gone, wiped out. And while that person is telling you that awful news another comes up and says a band of ruthless criminals have taken your goods and killed those watching them.  And then another comes up and says that a fire destroy yet another of your sources of income. While that person is telling you their awful news and you can barely stand to hear another word, another person comes to you and tells you that your sons and daughters who were at a party together have all been killed in a freak storm.  Seriously, try to imagine it as a reality. The devastation you feel goes beyond anything you've ever felt before. You simply can't believe all that awfulness has taken place.  Now, how tempted are you to BLAME God, to CURSE God?

This is what Job did-

Job 1:20  Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,

Job 1:21  And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

Job 1:22  In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

We don't even have to have half of that stuff happen to us, not even a quarter of that stuff, not an eighth, or a sixteenth of it, not even the tiniest fraction of such horrors happen to us and we are cursing God and charging Him foolishly. 

Yes, it is God who allows the good and the bad to occur in our lives, He allows it, but He NEVER allows it for His amusement, for sadistic purposes, not ever. The reasons go beyond our comprehension and WE through FAITH must believe that whatever those reasons are they are ultimately for the good in an eternal way, not in a here and now way, but in an eternal way. 

Job could worship God because He understood this truth. Blessed be the name of the LORD. No matter what, blessed be the name of the LORD. HIS WILL, NOT OURS BE DONE.

*******

Jas 4:13  Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

Jas 4:14  Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Jas 4:15  For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

Jas 4:16  But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

*******

So, yes, make your plans, dream your dreams, hope your hopes, but in all of it- through every single heart ache, every single tear, every single tragedy NEVER DOUBT that GOD is still GOD and HIS WILL is greater than any idea we may ever conceive of as being good, right, and just.  Cry your gut wrenching, heart breaking sobs of the deepest grief but know GOD has plans beyond anything we can comprehend and to say we must comprehend only reveals our ignorance of FAITH in God.

Rom_8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

That doesn't say…  all GOOD things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to his purpose.   It says ALL THINGS and that ALL includes the deepest, darkest days of our existence, when we would wish we'd never been born.

We must BELIEVE.  

We must desire the LORD'S WILL, and rejoice in HIM not in our own plans.

YOUR WILL, LORD, YOUR WILL!

By Your grace!

Through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior now and forever!

Amen.

Do not speak evil of anyone!

Jas 4:11  Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

Jas 4:12  There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

This is TRUTH!

Yet we don't seem to hesitate to speak evil of one another. And by evil I mean speaking unkindly, speaking untoward, speaking to degrade anyone in anyway, speaking to lift yourself up while putting them down, speaking what is even true if it is speaking to degrade someone is wrong! We try to justify our speaking evil of one another. We convince ourselves that we are doing good, that we are doing right, we are doing fine when we put another down rightfully so because WE are right and THEY are wrong. They are dirt, we are less dirt. They are evil, we are not so evil.  They are hurtful and hateful, vicious, and cruel, nasty, vile and we are not.  They deserve to be out-ed as evil, while we need to be the one out-ing them to reveal to them and all others around us that we know they are evil. 

The trouble with ALL this is we are EVIL when we speak evil of another, so we are in essence just as evil if not more evil than the one we are claiming is evil.

I'm NOT saying people aren't evil and that people don't hurt us with their evil ways, they are and they do, but we are NOT to meet evil with evil, not ever.

Satan would have us think otherwise. Satan wants us to use evil to fight evil and try to call our own evil good. Satan wants us to justify our actions, our words, our judging but we CANNOT afford to do that! We cannot afford to use evil in anyway.

Please FATHER we would not do evil! We don't want to judge one another! We are NOT judges! We are not lawgivers! You are the Lawgiver! You are able to save and destroy!

Help us, please, keep us from evil in all its forms!

All by the love and grace of the LORD JESUS CHRIST OUR SAVIOR, now and forever!

AMEN

He will lift us up.

Jas 4:8  Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Jas 4:9  Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

Jas 4:10  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

People want to be happy, we go to great lengths to be happy, to NOT be afflicted, to not mourn, to not weep.  People will say God wants us to be happy, not sad and they're right, but God also wants us to recognize that being RIGHT with HIM is more important than any happiness.

All the happiness we find without God is worth NOTHING.

We are better off being afflicted, mourning, weeping than being without God!

Our happiness is NOT the key to life. Our happiness is NOT what we have to seek.  We seek GOD first.  We humble ourselves before God.

We cannot afford to be double minded. Being double minded is fence sitting, choosing no side, choosing neither good nor evil.  In being double minded you choose evil over good, by not choosing God. 

We truly have to purify our hearts and cleanse our hands!

We have to choose God first, self second.  And it's only through our Savior this is possible.  By His grace and mercy we have HOPE, by HIS righteousness we have HOPE.  Please, Father, bless us, teach us to humble ourselves so that You will lift us up!

All in YOUR name!   Amen.