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Psalm 1 Encore

8/22/2016

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For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.  Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10
Today is an encore presentation of Psalm 1. We will return to the Life of David tomorrow. Have a beautiful and blessed day as you are a blessing to all those around you.
Psalm 1
Jesus encouraged believers not to look and act like the world, but to be different, to stand out, and to walk the narrow road to Life instead of the wide road to death. John 15:18-19 says,
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”
The first Psalm talks about being separate from the world. We are not separated by space or walls but we are distinguished by our genuine tangible love, our attitude, our humility, and our nobility. We are children of the King of kings. We are not children of wrath. Our Father is the LORD not the father of lies. We bear our Father’s Image. We carry His Spirit. We are made righteous by His blood.
There is no capacity in Love for hate. There is no occasion in truth for lies. Verses 1-2 read,
“Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.”

In Christ we are free. But we also do not desire to live the way we did before He saved us. When we live a life of faith in God we are free to choose not to sin. It doesn’t read ‘blessed is the man who doesn’t talk to the wicked.’ It reads “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked” we do not conspire with or huddled up with the wicked. We don’t listen to the advice of the sinful. They may think they are wise and we are fools. But we know we have The Counselor to guide us. We have wisdom when we ask for it. We have the mind of Christ. Why would we take advice from the person who has rejected our Lord for Hell? To stand in the way of sinners means to walk the same path they do, to be among them as a lifestyle choice, to do and be the way they are and not the way we are called to be. So also to sit in the seat of scoffers is to do as they do to sit on the sidelines and ridicule and mock the choices that others make.
Believers have a different path. It is a path of deep and intimate relationship with The Lord. We get to know Him. One of the ways we get to do that is by reading the Living Word, by spending time meditating on it, considering it, reflecting on it, praying it, and letting Him speak to us through it. His law is Love. His Law is Truth. 2 John 1:4-6 says,
“I rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. 5 And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.”
The first Psalm continues to describe the man of faith in verses 3-4.
“He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.”

These verses do not promise a life of wealth, they promise that we will not live ineffective lives. Because we live seeking God, seeking His Kingdom and His will live in obedience to Him, delighting in what delights Him. The Lord promises that we will bear fruit n everything we do. That fruit is borne in us as we transform to Christ’s image. It is evidenced by the disciples we make. It is evidenced by the service we do affecting lives. We make a difference. God’s will is manifested in us. He provides our every need both our personal and our ministerial needs. He is the living water and He flows through us and out of us to the world.
Though the lost may become rich, their wealth is only good while they live on this earth. It is temporary at most it will last 120 years and then they’re dead, rotting in the dirt until The Day of Judgement. On that day, like chaff they will be burned. Chaff is the covering of the seed. There is no good fruit from chaff. The fruit comes from the seed inside the covering. The Holy Spirit, our Holy God makes the seed bear fruit. When they rejected Him, they became like chaff, just empty shells that fly away in the breeze. They may make money but they can’t manifest God’s will on Earth as it is in Heaven. Their riches are on earth. Our treasures are in Heaven. Their wealth is temporary. Our prosperity is everlasting, ever-flourishing in Heaven, and living on Earth.
One day everyone will face Judgement. For the redeemed this is a day we eagerly await, but the lost will be shocked to realize their fate. They will perish. Verses 5-6 read,
“Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish.”

Believer, you and I can make a difference for them. We can love them enough to tell them the Truth, the wonderful Gospel. God doesn’t want anyone to perish. We don’t either. He told us whatever we do will prosper. So how about getting to our Great Commission and making disciples? Let’s live and walk in Jesus’ ways and love people like Jesus loves us. How many will be thrown into eternal fire because we didn’t act? How many have we doomed because we walked in the counsel of the wicked, stood in the way of sinners and sat in the seat of scoffers? How many of the lost would know Jesus if we walked in Love and Lived by the Spirit?

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Psalm 119:33-40 To Know God is to Know Joy

9/12/2015

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1 John 1:2-4
the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. 1 John 1:2-4
Psalm 119:33-40

I’m not sure the world understands the joy we as Christ followers take in God’s Word. I can say for me personally, I enjoy reading the Bible, I love to hear God speak to me, and I delight in new revelations from His Word. It is wonderful to hear from The Lord and understand His will. There is an intimacy as He speaks to the heart and mind as we read and listen. That relationship becomes even deeper when we not only hear Him, but we obey Him. Verses 33-35 read,

“Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes;
    and I will keep it to the end.
34 Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
    and observe it with my whole heart.
35 Lead me in the path of your commandments,
    for I delight in it.”


It does us no good to read the Scriptures and ignore them. Pursuit of God begins with hearing and reading His Word and is furthered by accepting, comprehending, interpreting, appreciating and obeying. To observe or perceive, discern, and heed the law of God with our whole heart requires that we do more than just read, we internalize and follow it. It is not complicated, it is not memorizing and heartlessly and mindlessly obeying 613 impossible laws. God doesn’t want ritual from us, He wants our commitment to a relationship with Him. (Hosea 6:6). Jesus told us following Him wasn’t what the Pharisees and Sadducees were making it out to be. Matthew 11:25-30 reads,

“At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Dedication to Jesus and following Him is wonderful. It is so wonderful that some begin following Him and then become selfish for the personal benefits. They make money off of Him, they become celebrated in the world, or they get drunk from the awesome power. Even in the early church some people said they followed Jesus but they were really eager for the advantages of The Holy Spirit. You can read about one such person, Simon the Magician in Acts 8:9-24. Verses 36-37 of the Psalm say it this way,

“Incline my heart to your testimonies,
    and not to selfish gain!
37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
    and give me life in your ways.”


When we start following Holy Spirit power instead of The Holy Spirit, money instead of the Kingdom of Heaven, or fame instead of Jesus we are no longer pursuing God, we are pursuing idolatry and it leads to sin, stagnation, and even death. 1 Timothy 6:9-10 reads,

“But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

It is not the advantages that cause us to long for God like a parched man in the desert longs for water, it is His goodness, love, and friendship that causes us to yearn for more of Him. And He wants us to pursue Him and know Him. Jeremiah 29:11-14 reads,

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.”

God is not Santa Claus. He is not some gentle grandfather, or like Hollywood’s renditions of Him. He is not George Burns or Morgan Freeman. He is Sovereign Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth. When we know the real Him, the God whose glory is so intense that the smallest glimpse of Him caused Moses face to shine and scared the Israelites so that he had to put a veil over his face, we are awed, humbled, and deeply respectful. (Exodus 33:17-23, Exodus 34:29-34). He is fierce. His love is powerful. He is The LORD, I Am. (Isaiah 42:8). Verses 38-40 read,

“Confirm to your servant your promise,
    that you may be feared.
39 Turn away the reproach that I dread,
    for your rules are good.
40 Behold, I long for your precepts;
    in your righteousness give me life!”


It is wonderful, delightful, terrific, and magnificent to know God, to continue knowing Him more and more is a beautiful gift and the apex of eternal life. If we want to know God, we must read, listen to, and heed His Word. If we want to be in a relationship with Him we have to pursue friendship and spend time communing with Him. 1 John 1:2-4 says it this way,

“the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.”

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Psalm 119:25-32 My Soul Clings to Sin and Death or to Jesus and Life

9/11/2015

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But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33 On photo of Train Tracks by Donna Campbell
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33 On photo of Train Tracks by Donna Campbell
Psalm 119:25-32

We are human. We know it. We use it as an excuse for our bad behavior often enough. God knows it too. That is why He sent Jesus, His perfect Son to be the Way for us to reconcile with Him in peace. We are human, but we do not have to settle for the corruption of our flesh. We may be human but as believers we have the Perfect Holy Spirit living in us. We don’t have to let our flesh win. Verses 25-26 read,

“My soul clings to the dust;
    give me life according to your word!
26 When I told of my ways, you answered me;
    teach me your statutes!”


Our souls cling to dust. It is often easier to give in to the flesh. It is easier to have immediate gratification and forget about eternity. But like the psalmist, we can acknowledge the state of our sin nature and ask God to give us life in Jesus. When we confess and repent as we tell The Lord how sinful, helpless, and hopeless we are, He forgives, He gives us His Spirit, and He teaches us His way.

Some are still stagnant, some still cling to our old dead selves. Some do not realize it is a choice to be the new creation God has made us. Colossians 3:1-5 says,

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry”

How do we do that? How do we choose to put to death the earthly things, the dustiness of our old selves? First, we have to set our minds on Christ, The Kingdom of Heaven, and God’s righteousness. (Matthew 6:33). But how can we put our minds on The Kingdom of Heaven? How do we know what it is that is of Christ or of the world? How do we seek God? Verses 27-8 read,

“Make me understand the way of your precepts,
    and I will meditate on your wondrous works.
28 My soul melts away for sorrow;
    strengthen me according to your word!”


We get to know God through His Word, the Scriptures, The Truth revealed through The Holy Spirit and demonstrated through Jesus Christ. The psalmist asked God to make him understand. The Holy Spirit allows us to understand the Scriptures and reveals the secrets that those without Him cannot understand. (Ephesians 3:1-6). We can speak until we are blue in the face and the world will think we are crazy. They call the Bible a lie, Jesus a crutch, and believers weak minded. But we know the truth because we have the Spirit of Truth. 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 says,

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
    and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”


20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

Verse 29 reads,

“Put false ways far from me
    and graciously teach me your law!”


God gives us discernment. His Holy Spirit distinguishes truth from lies, dark from light, and Godly from earthly. God’s Word, Jesus Christ has given us His mind as the Spirit transforms us to Jesus image, we as spiritual and not fleshly beings, are able to discern those things too. (1 Corinthians 2:14-16). God’s written Word also allows us to discern those things. (Hebrews 4:12). That discernment keeps us away from false doctrines. 1 John 4:5-6 tells us,

“They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

Discernment is not only an act of the mind, but it permeates the heart. We come not only to recognize what is from God and what is not, but we come to love what is from God, and that affects the way we live our lives. (Romans 12:9-11). Verses 30-32 read,

“I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
    I set your rules before me.
31 I cling to your testimonies, O Lord;
    let me not be put to shame!
32 I will run in the way of your commandments
    when you enlarge my heart!”


Yes, we are human but we have The Spirit of Truth in us transforming us, maturing us, and making us more and more like Jesus every day if we choose to let Him. Believer, encourage you to set the Word of God before you. Cling to God’s testaments, the truth of God’s will and love demonstrated for you. Cling to eternal life rather than your dead past. Let God make you over into Jesus’ image and grow your love, your spirit, your soul, your mind, and your ministry.

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Psalm 119:17-24 To Know God is to know The Word. 

9/10/2015

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When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.  John 16:13 on Photo of Light Play on Clouds by Donna Campbell
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. John 16:13-15
Psalm 119:17-24

Have you ever considered that it is only due to God, our Lord, our Creator, and our Sustainer that we live? It is due to Him that we are able to seek Him, and that we are able to have faith, or appreciate His Word. Verses 17-18 read,

“Deal bountifully with your servant,
    that I may live and keep your word.
18 Open my eyes, that I may behold
    wondrous things out of your law.”


We can ask the Lord to deal bountifully, abundantly and generously with us. And we know that He loves to be generous with us. We can trust Him to give to us. He loves to give us good gifts for our edification, the edification of the church and the building of the Kingdom of God. James 1:5-7 reads,

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways”

Luke 11:5-13 says,

“And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

He gives us understanding, wisdom, and revelation. He opens our eyes to the Mystery of the Gospel. (Ephesians 3:1-6). And He does it so eagerly! We only have to ask and God reveals Himself and His Word. My personal experience tells me that He wants us to know Him and the more we know Him the more we want to know Him, the more we delight in His Word, His will, and His law. Verses 19-20 read,

“I am a sojourner on the earth;
    hide not your commandments from me!
20 My soul is consumed with longing
    for your rules at all times.”


We are not of this world. We are sojourners, this is our temporary home, our real home is in Heaven. And so we walk wanting to know more of God all the time. His commandments, His word, and His will are important to us when we follow Christ. We set our minds on what is above. The desires of the flesh, the things important to the world are not important to us anymore. We are citizens of Heaven, not American, British, Latino, Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, or Pentecostal. (Colossians 3:1-11). We are weird! It is not natural to love the Bible, to long for the will of The Father, follow Jesus, and seek the council of The Holy Spirit. Verses 21-23 read,

“You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones,
    who wander from your commandments.
22 Take away from me scorn and contempt,
    for I have kept your testimonies.
23 Even though princes sit plotting against me,
    your servant will meditate on your statutes.”


God takes our longing to know Him and rewards it by giving us what we ask for. And for those who reject Him and refuse and even insult His Word, He rewards them by remaining hidden from them. Even as followers of Christ we can occasionally not want to read the Bible, pray, or listen to Him. Our flesh can sometimes take over and suppress the Spirit. We’ve got to stay aware of our attitudes and stay on track. (Psalm 139:23-24). And we can only do that with God. While the world rails against us, our desire for God gives us peace. While the world makes their plans and struggles, we take it all to The Lord and He gives us perception and peace. Philippians 4:4-9 reminds us,

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Believer, I hope you know the real joy of reading and meditating on The Word. God has given you the awesome gift of finding Him. You cannot get to know God without reading the Bible. You cannot know God’s will without reading His Word. Verse 24 reads,

“Your testimonies are my delight;
    they are my counselors.”


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Psalm 119:9-16 Delight in the Word of God

9/9/2015

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For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 On photo of Bible and Cup by Donna Campbell
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 On photo of Bible and Cup by Donna Campbell
Psalm 119:9-16

Verse 9 asks the question and gives an answer.

“How can a young man keep his way pure?
    By guarding it according to your word.”


As followers of Christ, we want to remain pure, undefiled, and blameless. That is easier to want than live out. But there is a way, His name is Jesus. We have to be conscientious and persistent about protecting purity. We have to be deliberate about glorifying Jesus, about walking as He walked, living as He lives, and loving as He loves. What is God’s Word? It is God’s will expressed. It is the scriptures which record and teach His will. It is Jesus Christ the propitiation for our sin and the revelation of God, who lived His life by the perfect will of The Father and is the plan of salvation for the world. (John 1:1-5).

 John 6:37-40 says it this way,

“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

We have to be purposefully internalizing God’s Word. To do that, we have to read the Bible. We have to know what it says. We have to be hearers and doers of the word. (James 1:19-25). Verses 10-12 read,

“With my whole heart I seek you;
    let me not wander from your commandments!
11 I have stored up your word in my heart,
    that I might not sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, O Lord;
    teach me your statutes!”


Seeking God with our whole heart means seeking His will and His Word. We can’t obey Him, if we don’t know what He has told us to do. We cannot store His word in our hearts if we don’t know what his word says. The Holy Spirit will teach us. He makes God’s Word plain to us, He unlocks it and allows us to hear it and understand it. 1 Corinthians 2:10-16 explains it this way,

“these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”

Reading, learning, and discerning God’s Word helps us not to sin. As we listen to the Spirit and follow His guidance it does become easier not to sin. He replaces the desires of the flesh with God’s desires. He showers us with the blessings and joys of God will. Psalm 37:3-6 says,

“Trust in the Lord, and do good;
    dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.


5 Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
    and your justice as the noonday.”


But how can we delight in The Lord if we haven’t bothered to get to know Him? When we seek to know God by reading the Bible, following and communing with Christ, obeying His Word, praying to The Father and listening to The Holy Spirt, our character changes. We become more like Jesus exhibiting His traits, speaking in love, truth, psalms and praise, and walking in faith. Verses 13-16 read,

“With my lips I declare
    all the rules of your mouth.
14 In the way of your testimonies I delight
    as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on your precepts
    and fix my eyes on your ways.
16 I will delight in your statutes;
    I will not forget your word.”


The joy, the thrill, and enjoyment that comes from knowing the Word of God and living the Word of God is beyond explanation. It must be seen by others to be wanted by them. It must be experienced to understand it. I do not know anyone who is sincerely following Jesus and living a Spirit-filled life of friendship with God who would give it up for all the money they could imagine. The glory of the riches of God is way beyond the glory of earthly riches. Ephesians 3:14-21 reads,

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

Believer, I pray that you will delight in the Word of God and experience the joy and fullness of God. I ask the Lord to rain His glory, blessings, and riches on you and keep you steadfast and blameless until the Day of Jesus Christ.

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Psalm 119:1-8 It Only Takes a Tiny seed of Faith to Grow into a Huge Tree of Faith.

9/8/2015

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He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20   On photo of Beautiful Tree by Donna Campbell
He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20 On photo of Beautiful Tree by Donna Campbell
Psalm 119:1-8

Today we will begin to study Psalm 119. It is the longest and perhaps the most beautiful of the Psalms. Each verse is a golden nugget of wisdom which together creates a treasure of acumen, insight, and understanding.

Verses 1-4 read,

“Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
    who walk in the law of the Lord!
2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
    who seek him with their whole heart,
3 who also do no wrong,
    but walk in his ways!
4 You have commanded your precepts
    to be kept diligently.”


According to Strong’s Concordance, the word for blameless is tamim, תָּמִים. It means complete, intact, unblemished, and one who is perfect. What!?! How can we be expected to be perfect? We are not and  cannot be perfect! But Jesus is! 1 Peter 1:15-23 reads,

“but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;”

God called us to be holy, and He wouldn’t ask us to do something unless He gave us a way to do it. What is the way to blamelessness? Jesus. He came and lived perfectly, He laid down His life like a spotless sacrificial lamb to pay the debt for our sin. And He gives us righteousness. (Romans 3:21-26). We are now considered blameless, One day we will be perfect and without sin at all, but in God’s eyes it is already done. Jesus death and resurrection if the demonstration of the promise of eternity. (2 Timothy 1:8-10).

We walk in the Law of the Lord, not the Law of Moses. While we walk we are being made over more and more like Christ each step of the way. While our hope is promised and as good as done, we still conscientiously strive to carry out God’s Word, His will manifested. And in doing so we pursue His Kingdom, we strive toward the goal of being the perfect reflection of Jesus. Philippians 3:12-21 reads,

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”

We do that through faith and obedience. It takes only the tiniest bit of faith to take that first step and obey God. Then God takes that little seed of faith and grows it into a huge and sheltering tree of life. In Mark 9:14-29 A man brought his son, who had an unclean spirit which caused him to have horrible seizures, deafness and muteness to Jesus. Verses 21-23 of that passage read,

“And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” 

Then Jesus cast the spirit from the boy and healed hm. The boy’s father had only enough faith to ask Jesus to heal his son. He was filled with doubt. The disciples had already tried and failed to heal the boy. But the man took his tiny mustard seed of faith and obeyed God by asking Jesus. His belief, surrounded by his unbelief was enough. All things are possible for one who believes. It doesn’t say “All things are possible for one who has no shred of doubt.” Let God take your drop of faith amidst your sea of doubt and grow your faith until it displaces every particle of that doubt.

It is that continuous stepping of faith, one step at a time which leads to our growth and gives us a faith and a peace which baffles people. One obedient step after one obedient step leads to a steady walk. Verses 5-8 read,

“Oh that my ways may be steadfast
    in keeping your statutes!
6 Then I shall not be put to shame,
    having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart,
    when I learn your righteous rules.
8 I will keep your statutes;
    do not utterly forsake me!”


Walking by faith, diligently obeying The Lord and keeping His commandments as our focus leads to our maturity. With each step The Holy Spirit in us transforms us to reflect Jesus. With each act of obedience the Spirit grows stronger in us, replacing our flesh (our sin nature) with Himself.

What commandments do we have as people saved by grace? We have the great commission, which gives us our objective and assignment on earth.

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20).

We have the two great commandments which encompass the entire Law of Moses and every word of the Prophets.

“And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40).

We have Jesus’ New Commandment.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” (John 13:34).

We have other commandments as well, such as bee baptized. (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 2:38) and take the Lord’s Supper, also known as Communion. (Luke 22:19, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34). There are more and we follow them, not because those commandments save us, but because we love Jesus and we thank Him for our salvation. We long to please Him and obedience pleases Him. Obedience grows us, makes us more like Christ and is a testimony to the lost.

In our earthly bodies and on this earth, we are not yet perfected. We are a work under way. But we are in progress and will be brought to perfect completion on the Day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6). But the great news is that when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He credited us with righteousness. (Romans 4:20-25). We are reconciled to The Father in a union which cannot be torn. (John 17:20-21, Romans 8:31-39 ). He chooses not to consider our sins. (Hebrews 8:12). And the Holy Spirit is at work in us conforming us to the perfect likeness of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:16-18).

So walk in faith, even if your faith is miniscule. Trust that The Lord will grow that faith until your doubt is miniscule. One day our faith will be rewarded as our hope is manifested in Jesus’ return and the New Heavens and New Earth replace the present heavens and earth. I will leave you with the reminder of that awesome promise in Revelation 21:1-4.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God] 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”


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Psalm 85 We May Forget Our Promises, but The Lord Never Does

8/14/2015

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Psalm 85

I was reminded today that when we make a commitment to The Lord, although we may stray from it, He never does. We believe that Jesus is Savior, and He is our Savior. We confess our sinfulness, we make Him Lord, and we believe He is Christ. But how often do we sin, even in a single day? There are those people who said they wanted Jesus to be their Lord, but never made Him their Lord. They gave Him half their hearts, out of fear of what it could mean to make someone the Master of their lives. While some may not carry through and let the seed grow and develop fruit, God our Vinedresser will prune, feed, and water until fruit grows. Verses 1-3 read,

“Lord, you were favorable to your land;
    you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people;
    you covered all their sin. Selah
3 You withdrew all your wrath;
    you turned from your hot anger.”


Look what Jesus has done for us! It is a beautiful miraculous thing to wipe our sin away and spare of from the wrath He rightfully could direct at us. He doesn’t leave us like He found us though. When we are willing, when we submit, He changes us. He conforms us to His image. He already gave us His righteousness, but now He works to make us more like Him.

But some people even though they made a commitment, still have not submitted to Jesus as Lord. They live life and look like the world, act like the world, and think the world. We can’t tell them apart from the world. But God doesn’t give up on them. He keeps calling, He keeps bringing them to circumstances where they can call on Him for deliverance. And we hope and pray they do recognize their need of God instead of continually looking to themselves or some false god for rescue. We pray they call on Jesus’ name. Verses 4-7 read,

“Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
    and put away your indignation toward us!
5 Will you be angry with us forever?
    Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again,
    that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your steadfast love, O Lord,
    and grant us your salvation.”


We know there is more to following Jesus than merely asking for salvation. We know there is more to making Jesus Lord than calling Him Lord. We have to bow to Him. In order to surrender, we have to obey and in order to obey, we have to listen. We know that what He has to say is wonderful but those who won’t acquiesce to The Lord don’t know that. But we can tell them. Verses 8-9 say,

“Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
    for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints;
    but let them not turn back to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,
    that glory may dwell in our land.”


Submission to The Lord doesn’t mean a difficult slavish life. On the contrary it is a wonderful life of peace and freedom, enjoying God’s steadfast love, not the dictatorship of a heavy handed tyrant. Our awesome loving Lord wants the best for us. Although He could have directed His wrath at us, He loves us, He is patient, and He never forgets us. He gently leads us up the path. He teaches us and transforms us. We learn His righteousness and faith. He gives us peace in our souls and minds and best of all he gives us peace with Himself. Verses 10-13 say,

“Steadfast love and faithfulness meet;
    righteousness and peace kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness springs up from the ground,
    and righteousness looks down from the sky.
12 Yes, the Lord will give what is good,
    and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before him
    and make his footsteps a way.”


Isn’t that glorious? The Lord doesn’t forget the promises we make, even when we do! He remembers us. He cherishes us. Though some may be afraid to bow and give their life to someone else, He makes it worth it. He is awesome. His love is amazing. He would never force us. And He would never ask us to do anything He hadn’t done. His footsteps are there because He went first.

People won’t know unless we tell them. People won’t follow unless we follow first. Let’s love as Jesus loves.

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Psalm 83 Will God Come Through When the Enemy Attacks?

8/12/2015

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Psalm 83

Do you sometimes wonder if God will ever move against the enemy or against the people who hate you and hurt you? Sometimes it feels as if life is nothing more than a series of attacks. But the thing is, as uncomfortable, painful, and awful as those attacks can be they often have a good purpose for us. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pray about it. Verses 1-2 read,

“O God, do not keep silence;
    do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
2 For behold, your enemies make an uproar;
    those who hate you have raised their heads.”


God is not afraid of our honesty. He already knows. Very often though as we earnestly pray to the Lord, we become aware of ourselves. He will speak to us, guide us, teach us, and comfort us in the midst of our prayers. I find myself often starting out confused, angry, or hurt, and by the end of the prayer, The Lord has revealed Himself to me and my hurt and anger have dissipated. Sometimes I feel lost and by the end of my prayer I see the way He wants me to go, and even if I don’t I know, He is with me and I’ll be okay.

Asaph cried out to God for help in the face of Israel’s enemies. He knew that if they were Israel’s enemies they were enemies of God. Verses 3-8 read,

“They lay crafty plans against your people;
    they consult together against your treasured ones.
4 They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation;
    let the name of Israel be remembered no more!”
5 For they conspire with one accord;
    against you they make a covenant--
6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
    Moab and the Hagrites,
7 Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,
    Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Asshur also has joined them;
    they are the strong arm of the children of Lot. Selah”


So many nations hated Israel, and Asaph understood that if they hated Israel they made themselves enemies of The One True Living God. If anyone hates us so intently they want to destroy us, it should be because of Christ. They should hate us for Christ’s sake, not for our wickedness, but for our love. (John 15:18-23). We are God’s treasured ones. He cherishes us. And so if someone stands up against us, they stand up against God. Exodus 23:22 reads,

“But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

23 “When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out, 24 you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces.25 You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you.”

The people who plotted against Israel, all thought they knew God, but they knew a god of their own creation. Some had their roots in Abraham, but they twisted God to become what their false religion wanted, instead of who He is. People today do that as well. They say they love god, but their god is not The Lord God Almighty. Their god is a manifestation of themselves, a god who wouldn’t care about sin or a god who wouldn’t let people go to Hell. Because their perspective is so skewed they can’t see the truth.

The Lord wants the best for us. And because He loves us so much He will discipline us, sometimes He allows our enemies to attack. But even when we are attacked, even when God inspires them to attack, He avenges us. He doesn’t let people hurt us without punishing them. (Ezekiel 25:7-11).

God will move at the right time to avenge us. He doesn’t call us treasured for nothing. We don’t have to wonder if God will move, we only have to trust He will. We only have to remember all He has already done to know that He will always come through. In Verses 9-12 Asaph reminded himself of what The Lord had done.

“Do to them as you did to Midian,
    as to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,
10 who were destroyed at En-dor,
    who became dung for the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
    all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, “Let us take possession for ourselves
    of the pastures of God.”


The enemy can’t have you! You belong to God. The enemy can’t take possession of you, Jesus bought you for a price and He won’t take that lightly. You are His. He doesn’t want you to be sullied by the enemy. 1 Corinthians 6:14-15 say,

“And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!”

You can have faith that although you may be attacked now, you will come through it at the right time because God will deliver you at the right time. He doesn’t discipline because He enjoys seeing you suffer, He disciplines because He treasures you. You are God’s child. Hebrews 12:3-8 reads,

“Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
    nor be weary when reproved by him.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
    and chastises every son whom he receives.”


7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. “

You will suffer. People will hate you, but not without purpose. With each trial, with every tribulation, The Holy Spirit conforms you more to Christ’s image. (Romans 8:26-30). He nurtures you, tends you, prunes you and grows the Fruit, the manifestations of Jesus’ Character in you.

Israel had enemies but The Lord God didn’t let them succeed for long. He destroyed them. Verses 13-17 say,

“O my God, make them like whirling dust,
    like chaff before the wind.
14 As fire consumes the forest,
    as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,
15 so may you pursue them with your tempest
    and terrify them with your hurricane!
16 Fill their faces with shame,
    that they may seek your name, O Lord.
17 Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever;
    let them perish in disgrace,”


We have enemies too, but do you really think we have to worry about them? Do you know how awesome God is? Do you realize what a miracle it is that Jesus died for you? Romans 31-39 says,

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”


37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The ultimate purpose for your suffering is that you resemble Jesus, not only in words but actions, and spirit. When people look at you and see Jesus, that is called glorifying Jesus. It means that you are reflecting The Lord. You are giving to the church, and the lost what Jesus gives to you. When you do that people will know that He is The LORD. Verse 18 says,

“that they may know that you alone,
    whose name is the Lord,
    are the Most High over all the earth.”


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Psalm 82 You are an Agent of Justice, Judge with Righteous Judgement

8/11/2015

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Matthew 25:37-40 On Photo of Agents of Justice by Glynda Gordon
Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ Matthew 25:37-40 On Photo of Agents of Justice by Glynda Gordon
Psalm 82

At first reading of this Psalm, I was confused. I read it again and asked for understanding. And of course God revealed some things to me. I am not a Bible scholar. But I am a child of the Living God, saved by Jesus Christ and filled with His Spirit.

According to my research, this psalm was to instruct kings and courts of justice in many nations. Asaph reminds them that The Lord is among them. Verses 1-4 read,

“God has taken his place in the divine council;
    in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
2 “How long will you judge unjustly
    and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3 Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;
    maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
4 Rescue the weak and the needy;
    deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”


The kings, princes, and judges of the world sometimes consider themselves gods. It was certainly true during the times when this Psalm was written. King’s demanded worship from their citizens. I know many people today who consider every person or at least themselves gods. And whether they admit it or not, they judge, they dole out their brand of justice as if they are gods. They decide people’s fates by perpetuating inequality and withholding the justice the weak, poor, orphaned, and troubled need.

Asaph told the kings and princes they had power given to them by God and they ought to use it properly. Believers today are royalty. We have an onus to be the righteous royal judges the Father appointed us to be, Jesus made us to be, and the Spirit enables us to be. We do not judge in the sense most people consider judging. We are not saying “I’m better than you. You are evil. I am good.” We judge with the discernment of God through His law to say what is just, what is unjust, what is of God and what is not of God. We are to judge what is right for us to do in order to love people as Jesus loves us, in order to bring justice to those who suffer injustice. John 7:21-24 reads,

“Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. 22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man's whole body well? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

We do not judge the lost for being lost. We do not judge the poor for being needy. To judge them doesn’t make sense. Verse 5 reads,

“They have neither knowledge nor understanding,
    they walk about in darkness;
    all the foundations of the earth are shaken.”


It is an upside down skewed world which blames the victim and not the perpetrator for injustice. But that is so often what we do. The courts throw down mandates based on the law and the constitution without concern for the effects. Fatherless children wander the streets looking for their needs to be met and instead of freeing them from the bonds of Satan, we blame them for their ignorance and tell them they deserve to be in chains. Don’t we all deserve to be in chains? Isn’t Jesus the only reason we could be reconciled to The Father? Already the world judges and promotes injustice. Already, the powers of the world get more powerful, the rich get richer, and all on the backs of the oppressed.

God cares deeply about the poor, the prisoner, the oppressed, the widow, and the hungry. He cares about social justice as much as He cares about spiritual justice. So should we. James 1:22-27 says it this way,

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

Jesus told us when we clothe to the poor, feed the hungry, and visit the prisoner that we are not just serving them, we are serving Him. (Matthew 25:31-46).

No matter who the king, prince, or judge in this world is, he will die. Every person will die and every person’s sin must be paid for. It will be paid for by our own death or by Christ’s. Verse 6 reads,

“I said, “You are gods,
    sons of the Most High, all of you;
7 nevertheless, like men you shall die,
    and fall like any prince.”


We are sons of God. We were all created by Him. None of us was begotten by God, only Jesus has that distinction. (John 3:16). He was not created, He is God. (John 1:1-5). And so we are merely human. We will suffer a physical death, but we have eternal life with God. Because believers are imbued with the Spirit of God and have eternal life through Jesus, the Son of God we are judges and kings. We are royalty. We are distinctive or as Peter said it, peculiar. Our appointing is higher than the judge of the highest courts. Our call is higher than the king of a nation. Our anointing is for The Lord. In that role we are called to be merciful, forgiving, and compassionate. 1 Peter 2:9-10 reminds us who we are.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Do not be afraid to embrace your identity as a royal child of The King of kings. Do not forgo nobility because you are trying to be humble. Nobility and humility go hand in hand, they are not opposites but two traits which describe Jesus and should describe us. We are to love one another. We are to love as Jesus loves. We are to love others the way we love ourselves. That kind of love implies we would not allow harm or injury to come on someone else if we can help it.

Now on this earth we are agents of justice and it is serious business but one day we will judge in a way we never imagined. If we can’t be just and loving now, how will we fulfill the calling of Jesus? People are watching and they judge us harshly against their imagined image of Jesus. 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 says this,

“When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! 4 So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, 6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? 7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!”

True love would rather take the injury on himself that let be inflicted on someone else. John 15:12-17 says it this way,

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.”

As agents of justice, lovers of the Lord, and doers of His Word, we have to remember Judgement Day is real and it is coming. The lost will perish. Verse 8 says,

“Arise, O God, judge the earth;
    for you shall inherit all the nations!”


I implore you to deliberately go out and glorify the Lord. Intentionally go out and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ be the light to those who have neither knowledge nor understanding and walk about in darkness.

 

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Psalm 80 Jesus is the Only Way to Reconciliation with God.

8/9/2015

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Psalm 80:8-11 on Photo of Vines on Trellis by Donna Campbell
You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land. The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches. It sent out its branches to the sea and its shoots to the River. Psalm 80:8-11 on Photo of Vines on Trellis by Donna Campbell
Psalm 80

There is only one way to have a relationship with The Lord. A relationship with God is not just an acquaintanceship, it is friendship on such a deep and intimate level that we can only give it a pale imitation on earth. The marriage relationship is our gift and reflection of the relationship we have with Jesus Christ. But there is only one way to that rapport with Holy God, and that is Jesus Christ. He paid our debt for sin and made a way for us to be reconciled to God.

We are reconciled, that is joined in unity and peace to our God, not because of anything we do ourselves, but through what He does for us. It is The Lord who does it all. He calls and leads us to Himself. He is the Good Shepherd. (For more about what it means that Jesus is our Good Shepherd read the Salt & Light devotional on Psalm 23). Verses 1-3 read,

“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
    you who lead Joseph like a flock.
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.
2     Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh,
stir up your might
    and come to save us!


3 Restore us, O God;
    let your face shine, that we may be saved!”


God shepherded Israel out of the slavery of Egypt, through the wilderness to the freedom of the Promised Land. He leads us out of the slavery of sin, through the world, to eternal life. Jesus, our Righteous King is enthroned on the cherubim. That is the mercy seat, or the lid of the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark was a holy relic which contained Moses’ broken tablets of the 10 commandments, Aaron’s rod that budded, and a jar of manna. (Hebrews 9:2-5).The Ark was the physical manifestation of God’s presence with His people. The manna represented God’s miraculous provision. The tablet’s represented God’s holiness and His law. Aaron’s rod represented the rights of the Levites to be priests and God’s working of miracles through His chosen priests.

The lid or mercy seat was made of gold and featured two cherubim with wings reached out toward each other. God said He would meet the people from that mercy seat on the cherubim. (Exodus 25:17-22). Cherubim are not the chubby baby like angels people imagine. They are fierce warriors of The Lord and agents of God’s wrath toward sin. (Ezekiel 10). The High Priest sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice on the mercy seat so that the people’s sins would be atoned. (Leviticus 16:14).

It is that Mighty Holy God who is our Shepherd who leads us out of slavery into freedom. In John 10:7-18 Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd.

“So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

Jesus is the only way to be reconciled to God. He leads us to Himself and He forgives our sins, so that we do not have to suffer God’s wrath for sin but instead we experience God’s great peace because Jesus is not only enthroned on the mercy seat, He is our mercy seat. It is His sacrifice, His blood and His resurrection that atones our sins. Because Jesus is our propitiation, our conciliation, we do not suffer God’s wrath. We enjoy peace with Him. Verses 4-7 describe that moment when we have been led to Christ and ask for forgiveness as we repent from sin.

“O Lord God of hosts,
    how long will you be angry with your people's prayers?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears
    and given them tears to drink in full measure.
6 You make us an object of contention for our neighbors,
    and our enemies laugh among themselves.


7 Restore us, O God of hosts;
    let your face shine, that we may be saved!”


Do you remember the sorrow you felt when you realized how great your sin was? Do you remember the tears that flowed in sorrow and the tears of joy which followed? Jesus brought us to awareness of our sin and our Holy Spirit convicted us. We were freed from condemnation and punishment and united with God.

Jesus is the True Vine. He led us out of slavery, He provides great fruit and unity with The Lord. Some reject Him, some do not. As the Vine, Jesus provides comfort and shade in His branches, joy in the drinking of His fruit, and salvation in the grafting. Israel was once part of the vine, but they rejected faith in preference of law, and so were cut off the vine. Verses 8-13 describes Israel as the vine and the destruction the vine faced without the root of Christ and the care of the Vinedresser.

“You brought a vine out of Egypt;
    you drove out the nations and planted it.
9 You cleared the ground for it;
    it took deep root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shade,
    the mighty cedars with its branches.
11 It sent out its branches to the sea
    and its shoots to the River.
12 Why then have you broken down its walls,
    so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
13 The boar from the forest ravages it,
    and all that move in the field feed on it.”


Without Jesus as the true vine, and without the Father as the vinedresser we the branches grafted in and growing from the root have no hope. Jesus described it this way in John 15:1-11,

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

We choose to abide in Him and be reconciled with God, or we choose to be cut off and separate from God. Jesus is the only way. We can’t be good enough to earn eternal life. We can’t keep a list of rules and merit salvation. We cannot deserve it. Jesus makes us worthy because only He is worthy and He gives us the gift of reconciliation. But we have to ask, confess, and receive it. We have to submit to Him. But submitting to God is easy because He loves us so deeply.

God planted His children in the Kingdom of God, just as He planted Israel in Canaan. He can graft us in or cut us off. He makes us strong, He prospers us. He makes us bear fruit. It is only God who can care for and nurture us, His vine. Verses 14-17 read,

“Turn again, O God of hosts!
    Look down from heaven, and see;
have regard for this vine,
15     the stock that your right hand planted,
    and for the son whom you made strong for yourself.
16 They have burned it with fire; they have cut it down;
    may they perish at the rebuke of your face!
17 But let your hand be on the man of your right hand,
    the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!”


Some try to cut us down burn us and otherwise destroy us. God will deal with them. But in Jesus, the Son of God, we are made sons of God. God nurtures, trims, and prunes His vine so that we will grow strong and mature to be indistinguishable from Jesus the True Vine to whom we are grafted. Verses 18-19 read

“Then we shall not turn back from you;
    give us life, and we will call upon your name!


19 Restore us, O Lord God of hosts!
    Let your face shine, that we may be saved!”


If Jesus is your Lord, your Shepherd, and your True Vine you are one with God. You are united to Him so tightly that you cannot be separated from Him. He gives you life, He gives you peace in Him and with Him. He conforms you to His image so that as you shine, and glorify Him more people will be led to Him, and saved.

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    Donna Campbell

    As I read the Bible every day, I take what God teaches me, what He says, and write it out. I then share that with you. It gives me a deeper understanding of the Word and I hope that it will encourage you as it does me, to put your love and faith into action.

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