Humble Beginnings Are Humble In The Beginning

Sundays always have this unique feeling for me. It is like a new beginning. It is where God began the first separation of things, He created light, and separated light from darkness. I think that is the feeling I get on Sunday morning – I am stepping into the newness of the light. For me it is a humbling thought to think that God created something so new, from nothingness. I have a hard time creating a cup of coffee some days.

Maybe that is the point. Maybe one of the ways we find our way to God, the the “fear of God” which is really reverence, is to understand that first act. Maybe it is because we cannot fully understand or comprehend it. Wow! Light from nothing but His speaking it! How much more humble a beginning could the earth have had, right? No form and no light – ever! The first thing He makes is not the stuff, it is the energy. He makes light, setting up a forever cycle of day and night.

Then there is us. My walk with God started with nothing. I was someone that did not know Him. But He reached into my darkness, looking only for me to agree. What did I do? Not much. I asked for forgiveness, I asked there He forgive my sins through the shed blood of His Son Jesus, I asked that there be light. He looked into the formless darkness inside of me, and said, “Let there be Light!” And He saw that it was good.

Prayer
Father, thank You for the light of Your Son in our lives. I ask that You look favorably on Your people today. Let us begin anew to revere You and worship You. Please look into the lives of Your people today, God, and once again say, “Let there be Light!” In Jesus name. Amen.

Forrest People

Life daily presents us with the opportunity every morning for having a good day, or not. Did you ever wonder how that is determined? As a kid I thought perhaps there were angels shooting dice in a heavenly casino named Destiny, and we just got to live with the result. And, yes, the name of that would explain some of what I experienced in life. However, as I have grown older I have come to realize that it is mostly up to God and us, and God already voted.

In Psalms 1:1-3 God tells us if we choose to follow Him, He will provide us certain blessings. Verses 1-2 are the conditions (serving God with everything within us both night and day). Verse 3 is the result. We will be like a tree planted by the waters that has seasons (not season) of fruit bearing, that we will not whither away, and whatever we do will prosper. Over the years I have thought on this a great deal. I have seen many trees near water like rivers and lakes. Those trees are very near their source of life, the water, and therefore grow rapidly and with great endurance because they have all they need and more. They endure and have season after season after season of great production. Makes you want to find our river, makes you want to be a tree, right? Glad you brought that up.

In Psalm 46:4 talks about God as our refuge, stating that there will be a river coming that makes the city of God (like New Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ) happy, and it is connected to the Most Holy Place. In Isaiah 43:19 it God promises to make a way in the desert wilderness of life, and cause a river to flow there. Finally, Jesus said in John7:37-38 that we should come to Him to drink, for if we do we will be the ones that believe in Him, and out of our hearts will flow the rivers of living water. When we give our life to God, in the midst of that desert we call life He makes a way and a river will flow out of our heart, the Holy Spirit which we can receive. Every one of us has a promise from God to leave behind the wilderness and not whither, prospering in all we do. And that gets renewed daily! We get to sign up with God every day!

Prayer
Father, thank You for your blessings every day. Thank You that You are not like men, but are true to Your word every day. Thank you that You decide to give us what a loving Father wants to give their child, and not what we deserve. Thank You for your mercy to forgive every day. Please touch and renew the hearts of all those that read these words, and all those that we come in contact with today. Help us to be Your trees. In Jesus name. Amen.

Turn, Turn, Turn

For me, I learned these words growing up, and they were often a great comfort. For those under 50 reading this, they will likely be scratching their heads wondering how these three one syllable words could possibly have much impact. The title of today’s blog is also the title of a song released in 1965 by a group called The Byrds. While they made the song famous, these words written by Solomon in Ecclesiastes 3 help us to see that God watches over us in all things.

God has everything under control. This is His creation, and he has appointed a time for everything. If we can learn to trust in and ask for His wisdom, He will give us some of it. Knowing that He has a plan, that our lives are not just a random series of events, makes living life an adventure. This adventure, if we allow it, brings us into salvation and peace with God. How great it is to know that God is on our side, and He will never turn away from us. We need only turn to Him with all our heart, all our soul, and all our spirit. Turn, turn, turn.

Prayer
Thank You Father for sending Your Son to save us. Thank You for allowing Him to die, be resurrected, and return to You that You might send the Great Comforter, the Holy Spirit. At a time when there has been much turmoil in the world, here in my country, and even int he lives of those around me, it is so good to know that Your Holy Spirit is here to comfort and guide us into all good things which You provide. Thank You. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Feeling Relief and Freedom from Pain and Sadness

What if God said to you that He was on your side, that He would strengthen you, crush your enemies in front of your face, and prevent the wicked from afflicting you? Can you imagine, just for a moment, how that would feel? Well, then read on, because that is just what has happened for you!

In Psalm 89 David tells a wonderful story about how God made a covenant with him to his generations forever. In a vision God told David that He chose him from among the people to anoint him and to raise him up. God said that He would strengthen David (and his generations since the throne was forever), crush their enemies in front of their face, and prevent the wicked from afflicting them. Further on He tells David that if his descendants cease to keep the law, the statutes, and the commandments that He will visit them with the rod and with stripes. When they return through repentance, He will again turn to the people and restore them to wholeness. If you are like me, there are times when you deserve the rod and stripes, but here is the good news.

Jesus kept the law, the statutes, and the commandments perfectly! Therefore when the devil had Jesus beaten and whipped with stripes, it was unjust. We can now apply the shed blood of the spotless Lamb, Jesus, to our lives, and be restored to God. Because Jesus bought us with a price, we are His. He is in David’s lineage. Therefore, we get the promise that was delivered to David in the vision! Is that a great comfort or what!?!

Prayer
Father, thank You so much for reaching out to us through Your Son Jesus. Thank You for crushing our enemies before us, and for keeping the wicked from afflicting us. Please forgive us our sins, and forget our iniquities, and let the blood of Your Son’s sacrifice cover them and us forever more. Turn again to us and comfort us. We love You. In Jesus name. Amen.

Today I awoke very early while it was dark out. I felt God’s presence and began to pray. He reminded me of a scripture that gave me great comfort, Psalms 103:7-8. God showed His was to Moses and His acts to the children of Israel. He is slow to anger and full of mercy. I was comforted to know that even early in the morning while it is yet dark out, God was thinking of me.

Prayer
Father, thank you for your words that light our path. Thank you for your comfort and mercy. In Jesus name. Amen.

Today, around the world, Christians everywhere are comforted by the knowledge that they are not alone. Their Father God sent His only begotten Son to the earth to live a perfect law abiding life, die, and rise from death into eternal life so that we could follow His example. We are comforted when we think that we can escape the struggles of this life to one day live in the physical presence of our Messiah. Not only this, but our God wants what is best for us while we live here as well. Praise God for the blood of the Lamb, and the resurrection, to cleanse away the sins of the world!

Prayer
Father, it feels so right to be in your presence. We love knowing you care for us. We long to be wrapped in Your arms of love forever more. Thank you for never walking away. Amen

My fellow believers, welcome to the first day of our regular postings. It seemed fitting to begin today, as today is important in our heritage as believers. For many this is Palm Sunday – tradition says this is the day that Jesus rode a donkey into what became the future of our hope and His crucifixion. This year this date also happens to be the beginning of Nissan 14 at the evening. Why is this important?

It is Egypt, and the foreign people (the descendants of Abraham) have been slaves here for many years. Recently one of them, a man named Moses, has been creating a stir with the evil ruler, the Pharaoh. He has already done nine wonders in an attempt to get the Pharaoh to let the people go to the desert to keep a feast to their God. Today Moses has said for them to all kill a lamb on their door step, put the lamb’s blood on the door posts and the lintel, and to stay in the house until morning, eating the lamb. The Death Angel is to visit the land, and any house not so marked he will visit and kill the first born. If it had not been for everything that Moses had already done, and the stories told of their father Abraham, they would have never done what he asked. But Moses said this would be the last of the plagues, and that God would deliver them tomorrow as a result.

Could this be true? No one here remembered a day when they were not slaves. Could this be the deliverance that they had awaited for so long? What will tomorrow actually bring?

A Prayer:
Father, thank you for Your Son, Jesus (Yeshua to some), that you sent to show us the way, to die, and to rise from the dead that we might have forgiveness of our sins. Thank you for sending Moses to show Your wonders in the land of Egypt. And thank you for delivering the Jewish people from a wicked ruler of their time, and for delivering us from the wicked enemy of our souls and former ruler of us as well. We love You and praise you!