Wait On The Lord!

Wait On The Lord!

“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait I say on the Lord.” Psalm 27: 14.

One of the most difficult lessons we must learn as the children of God is to realize that God's ways are not our ways, and God's timing is not our timing. We want things, and we want them now, and even yesterday, if that were possible. God has told us in his word that whatsoever things we have need of, to ask of him and he will provide them for us as he sees fit., God knows and sees the end from the beginning, and the beginning from the end, and he knows what is best for us, and the right time for answering our petitions.

We know that God will not withhold any good thing from us if it will profit us and bring glory to himself. When we have learned this lesson to wait patiently for God to fulfill his purposes in our lives, then we have great peace and contentment in knowing that however long it takes, God will come to our rescue and meet all our needs.

He Will Swallow Up Death In Victory!!

He Will Swallow Up Death In Victory!

What a wonderful promise and consolation we have from God our father through the Lord Jesus Christ that: “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall be taken away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.” Isaiah 25: 8-9.

The day will come when God will completely fulfill this promise when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ returns to earth to claim his throne. He is the righteous king to whom all creation belongs. When he comes, death will be abolished, and the sting of death swallowed up in victory. There will be no more need for tears, for in his reign and kingdom there will be no sorrow. His people will no longer be looked upon as the down trodden and outcast of the earth. On the contrary, they will rule and reign with him forever.

“And it shall be said in that day, lo this is our God. We have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord, we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” Isaiah 25:9

Those of us who have called upon the Lord Jesus Christ to save us have the witness of the Holy Spirit within us which causes us to rejoice in our salvation. We know that all of God's promises are true. We wait patiently and longingly for the great day of the Lord to come,and for Jesus to be crowned King o kings, and Lord of lords.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

The Lord Is My Shepherd!

The Lord Is My Shepherd!

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk though the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23: 1-6.

Sheep, for the most part, are helpless creatures and have no effective defense against predators and their enemies. Whatever sheep want or have need of they are provided for by their shepherd. If their shepherd is a good one, the sheep lack nothing and are content to lie down with confidence that they are being cared for.

David, the psalmist, likens himself to sheep , and praises God that he has the confidence in God his shepherd that even in the midst of war and turmoil and danger, his shepherd will go before him and prepare a way for him, and spread a table for him in the presence of his enemies. The good shepherd will find the green pastures, and the still waters, and the safe places.

We too are God's workmanship and the sheep of his pasture. We are born into a world of dark shadows. The shadow of death haunts us from the cradle to the grave. Everywhere we go we see the shadow of death. We see it in the vegetation; we see it in the animal world; we do not have to go far to see something that has died, and we are reminded that we too face the same fate. We also are reminded that our shepherd will see us through from the cradle to the grave, from birth to death, no matter how soon or how late that may be. If we, his sheep, follow our shepherd we have no reason to fear either life or death. Those who have not received Christ as their savior, and follow him as their shepherd are lost sheep and are wanderers in a hostile world of darkness and the shadow of death, and unless they bow their knees to him and confess that they, by nature are lost sinners, and ask him to save them, have every good reason to fear. The lost as well as the saved walk through the valley of the shadow of death every day. The saved have the confidence and assurance that their shepherd will lead them safely home through the valley of the shadow of death, whereas, the lost will be swallowed up in death and cast into hell.

Are you saved and a sheep with a shepherd, or are you a lost wandering sheep? Only you can answer that question.

Oh Worship The Lord In The Beauty Of Holiness!

Oh Worship The Lord In The Beauty Of Holiness:

“Oh worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him all the earth. Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.” Psalm 96: 9, 10

May the message of our lives to the world be that God is sovereign, and that he reigneth, and in him alone is salvation. May we be a living testimony to the world around us of the holiness, grace, mercy, and goodness of God in the lives of all who will acknowledge him and trust him.

“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.” Psalm 107:2.

Rejoice because the Lord is coming again as he has promised. He is coming to judge the earth and bring forth righteousness.

“The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people shall see his glory.” Psalm 97:6

“Rejoice in the Lord, ye rightreous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.” Psalm 97: 12

How Long, Lord?

How Long, Lord?

“How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord, forever?. How long wilt thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me? Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved. But I have trusted in thy mercy, my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the Lord because he hath dealt bountifully with me.” Psalm 13.

Sometimes when we have problems and trials, it seems that either God has forgotten us and abandoned us forever, or that he doesn't even exist. Satan, our enemy, would like to have us believe his lie. We know that God is true, and that eventually we shall rejoice in our salvation and sing unto the Lord because he hath dealt bountifully with us.

They That Trust In the Lord Shall Abide Forever!

They that Trust In The Lord Shall Abide Forever!

“They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth forever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even forever. For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous: lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.” Psalm 125: 1-3.

Praise be to God!~ If we are in fact the redeemed of the Lord, we are kept in the palm of his hand, as it were, and no one or nothing can pluck us out of his hand or separate us from his love. “The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.” Psalm126: 3. Not to be proud and haughty, but grateful.

“So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun, when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” Isaiah 59:19.

Create In Me A Clean Heart!

Create In Me A Clean Heart!

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me., Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.” psalm 51: 7-15.

Bad odors rise up from a dirty and cluttered basement. Likewise, bad attitudes and negative ideas germinate in the depths of the heart of people whose minds have not been thoroughly purged of the residue of former things that were contrary to the will of God and not pleasing to him. The bible tells us that we need to have the inner man, or our heart of hearts, ( our sub conscious minds), renewed and washed daily in order to be rid of the bits of sin that so easily beset us and cause a bad stench to rise up from within us, and cast a bad reflection on the works of God. we need to take a bath, as it were, in the word of God daily, and ask God to wash us with the water of his word and make us clean, and create in us a clean heart.

Thy Will Be Dolne As It Is In Heaven!

Thy Will Be Done As It Is In Heaven!

Jesus taught us through his disciples to pray to God our Father, and to say: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

When we are born again and become the children of God by God's grace and our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we not only become the children of God, but we also become citizens of Heaven. As citizens of Heaven , we are under the jurisdiction of the King of Heaven. Thus, while we remain on earth we are, as It were, strangers in a foreign land, subject to, and responsible for keeping the laws of the country we are in, but being citizens of America, or whatever country we may be citizens of, if we find ourselves in trouble in a foreign country, we have aright to appeal to our home government to assist us in our difficulty.

So it is with our heavenly citizenship: we are told that we sit together in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. We are citizens of Heaven. When we pray that God's will be done on earth as it is in Heaven, we are appealing to our king that all that happens in our lives here on earth would be the same as if we were already at home in Heaven.

When the will of our King of kings and Lord of lords is being accomplished in our lives, then, all that transpires in our lives here on earth is the result of his power and authority. “The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of waters he turneth it wither so ever he will.”

Would it be God's will for me to be lost forever in Heaven? Would it be God's will for me to be discouraged if I were in Heaven? Would it be God's will for me to be unhappy if I were already in Heaven? Would it be God's will for me to be sick and poverty stricken if I were in Heaven? I don't know the final answer to all these questions; but I tend to think the answer would be no to all of them. Heaven is a happy, healthy ,wealthy, eternal place where God is. I believe that none of these situations can coexist in the presence of God, therefore, if God's will is done in us on earth as it is, or would be if Iwere already in Heaven, what is the conclusion of the whole matter? What does God desire, and what is his will for us while here on earth?

No Strange Gods!

No Strange Gods!

“Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou will hearken unto me; there shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god. I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. Psalm 81: 8-10.

May it be said of us that there be no strange gods in our lives. Let us always remember it was the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, and the God of Israel – the father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who saved us. He called us unto himself and set us to dwell in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Strange gods are not necessarily only the ones we more often think about such as stone statutes or wooden idols, false religion, humanism; but strange gods can be little insignificant things that can keep us from meeting with God, and having fellowship with him, such as comforts of the flesh, petty habits which we refuse to abandon, things we put our trust and confidence in other than God.

When we cast aside all other objects of worship and leave off the petty things that rob us of the blessing and fellowship of God, and wait patiently for the Lord, then the Lord is faithful to subdue our enemies and feed us with the finest of the wheat, and with honey out of the rock. If we will open our mouth wide, even as the young bird in the nest, then the Lord promises to fill us with his blessings.

Blessed is he That Considereth The Poor!

Blessed Is He That Considereth The Poor!

“Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.” Psalm 41: 1-3.

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.” Psalm 41: 13.

If we wish for God to answer our prayers and deliver us in time of trouble, then we need to cease complaining and being covetous, and realize that there are others who are far more needy than we; and we need to be willing to share our abundance with them so that they might be helped. When we meet the needs of others, we are investing in God's help for us. He will preserve us and keep us alive and protect us from all our enemies, and lengthen the span of our life, and strengthen us in our infirmities.

A Privilege To Serve Christ!

A privilege To Serve Christ!

“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus Came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” 1 Timothy 1: 12-15.

What a privilege and an honor it is for any one of us who by nature are sinners and blasphemers of God, to be chosen and called of God, and placed in a ministry for his honor and glory. To preach or teach the word of almighty God is the highest calling in the universe, and to assist others to preach or teach the word of God is equally a high calling of God. Not that we should be puffed up and proud; but that we should humbly thank God that we can work together for him as his servants, for his glory We can all say with Paul as in verse 15 of 1 Timothy1this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus Came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief.”

Ours For The Asking!

Ours For The Asking!

“Ho every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your labor for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David” Isaiah 55: 1-3.

“And he said unto me, it is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” Revelation 21: 6,7.

Think of all the things that we work and strive for in this world: the things that we spend our time and money on in trying to achieve. What energy and time is spent on pure vanity, while at our finger tips, free of charge, ours for the asking and taking is the wonderful gift of God, the fountain of life eternal! Think of what it means that eternal God is our Father, and we are his children; heirs of the promises of God and equal, joint heirs wit h Christ.

Thank you dear God our Father for granting us the privilege to become your children, and giving us access to your holy presence. Let us strive to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior that we might become more and more like him, and be and do what you want us to do and to become.

Walk With The Lord Today!

Walk With The Lord Today!

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is no longer in Jerusalem, no longer walks the shores of Galilee, no longer in the fisherman's boat; no longer hangs on a cross, and no longer in the tomb. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ has risen and has ascended into heaven as our great high priest, our advocate, our lawyer, interceding for us, and preparing a place for us in his kingdom, and calling his people. One day we shall hear the trumpet sound, and we will be drawn away to meet the King of kings, and dwell and reign with him forever.

It is a good thing to study history, and remember our beginning and consider our roots. It is good to remember, and never forget the miracles and the unspotted, righteous, holy life style of our Lord.; It is good to remember that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, took our sins upon himself, and bore our iniquities; his blood the only cleanser of our sin and guilt.

It is good to reflect and remember, but we must not stay in the past. We must consider where we are today in our relationship with him. We must be constantly in communication with him today to know his will and get instruction for our daily activities. He has promised that from heaven he will hear our prayers, accept our praise, and provide for all our spiritual and physical needs.

Let us learn to keep our minds and our hearts stayed and focused on him, and walk in the spirit, and grow in wisdom and grace. He has promised to keep us in perfect peace when our minds are stayed on him.

Where Is God?

Where Is God?

“I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not; my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah. Thou holdest mine eyes waking; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart; and my spirit made diligent search. Will the Lord cast off forever? And will he be favorable no more? Is his mercy clean gone for ever? Doth his promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.” Psalm 77: 1-9.

Every time we find ourselves in a situation which seems hopeless and we become depressed and fearful, we tend to ask the same questions: where is God? Has he forgotten us? These are the times that we need to review former things and remember how God has brought us through difficult times and situation and troubles in the past.

“And I said, this is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most high. I will remember the works of the Lord, surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. Thy way, O God is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God? Thou art the God that doest wonders; thou hast declared thy strength among the people.” Psalm 77: 10-14.