Together

This week I had several opportunities to speak with other believers from other fellowships. We chatted in general about what is going on in our lives and about where life is going. Reflecting on these conversations, on the readings from the scriptures for this week, and in general on what is happening around me I see interesting patterns emerging. The one thing that seems to be standing out is the stark contrast between things of God and everything else. God is pure, His ways are simple, and He provides direction. Everything else always seems so convoluted and entwined that it becomes difficult to imagine the end. There are scriptures that talk about this.

Psalms 57:1 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.
2 I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.
3 He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.
4 My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.
5 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.
6 They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.
7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.
8 Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.
9 I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.
10 For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.
11 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth

God is ever on our side. Choosing Him is choosing life.

The choice is simple.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King and our God. Bring Your kingdom to our hearts and minds, and to the earth. Give us our provision for the day Lord. Only Your abundance can keep us. When we wander from Your paths, do not be angry with us but forgive us and draw us back. We love You and need You in our lives. This is Your world and Your power is above all others. Show Your self strong on our behalf. Heal and deliver us. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Please Pray

For those of you that come here daily to read, my apologies. When I woke up this morning I was very sick. I just got up to type this. Please pray for me and those you know that are ill.

Thank you.

-Mark

Keep The Faith

We know from scriptures that we will face challenges. It can be difficult to walk out our faith. But in these challenges we know that God is with us. This is why Paul encourages to work it out.

Philippians 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

If we keep our eye on God and what He has in store, we can run our race.

1 Corinthians 9: 24Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

Jesus said,

John 15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

If we keep the faith, we can have joy no matter what comes. God is with us, for us, and on our side.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as our King. Send us Your abundant provision. Let Your kingdom reign in the earth today. Forgive us. Keep us. Please send Your healing and deliverance. Watch over us and protect us. Help us make it through the tough times. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Who Is The King?

This morning as I was sitting to write I thought about the greatness of our God. My wife and I were praying about a specific path in our life, and God brought to mind for each of us a scripture in Psalms.

Psalms 4:1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
2 O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.
3 But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him.
4 Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord.
6 There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.
7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.
8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.

Psalms 24:4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

Every time we need direction from God I am always blessed when He gives it to us. God wants us to know that He will be on our side in what we are planning to do, and that we need to do His will and trust in Him. He alone is worthy to be praised. He alone is worthy of all honor and Glory. He will never leave us, and He will always protect us.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy of our praise. Please send us our provision for today and hold us up. Do this for our loved ones and those of the faith as well. Send Your kingdom to the earth. Forgive us when we fall. Please send Your healing and deliverance. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Who Is The One Righteous?

My wife and I had an interesting conversation the other day. We were discussing apparel and modesty. The point that came up is, what does that mean? Is one person’s modesty immodest to another person? I think the point that makes the most sense to me is that we should be considerate of others. If we go somewhere to fellowship where blue jeans and t-shirts are what everyone wears, then a suit and tie would be inappropriate. The opposite is also true. It would seem that anything that draws attention to us and away from God lacks modesty. That also brought up another point about dressing inappropriately. It reminded me of a scripture.

Luke 7:36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat.
37 And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
38 And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

Two things come to mind here. The first is that Jesus did not judge the woman for who she was or had been. He saw her for who she would be. But as I thought of this story and reread it a question came to mind. The Pharisee was very harsh on both the lady for being a sinner and for Jesus for letting her touch him. The Pharisee in his mind called her a sinner. My question is, how did he know?

It is better to be considerate of others while judging ourselves. When we do the opposite we glorify ourselves and not God. If you know of someone and have heard of their sin, stop and ask yourself if it glorifies God more to do things that lead them to repentance by sharing our lives with them, or does it glorify God more to listen and give place to the gossip?

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are the Judge. You alone are our King. We praise and worship You. Let Your kingdom be in the earth today. Send us Your healing, deliverance, and provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Decision Time

All mankind is faced with decisions every day. Where do we work, where do we live, what do we eat, and so on. The list goes on. Sometimes these decision are for far more important things. Things like whose side am I on, whom do I serve, and is there a God. Even those these all in part questions, the answers we apply impact us now, and in some cases forever, or at least until we make a different decision. The way we know and the way those around us know what decision we made is not just by the words that we speak but also by our actions. How we respond in specific situations makes all the difference. The worst thing is to be torn in deciding.

Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.

The prophet Joel warned of this situation. He does not want us to be stuck when it comes to serving God. It is better to decide.

Revelation 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

When John received the Revelation He was told to ward us against being neither hot nor cold. Again, this speaks to making no decision, to serving on not serving. What we do shows our decisions.

I am not suggesting that we must be perfect. I am saying that we have to commit to striving to serve God and be doing what we can to be like Him. He will make up the rest. But we must decide.

Prayer
Father we exalt You. Please send Your kingdom today in our lives. Forgive us when we don’t live like we belong there. Guide us. Send Your healing, deliverance, and abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

In Search Of Service

There is something in us as humans that wants to be praised, or perhaps a better word is liked. We want the positive attention of others. We want that feel good feeling that comes from the cheering crowd. That is not all bad, as long as it does not interfere with the rest of our lives. As believers, this can translate into the desire to find our role in God and plug in. We want the satisfaction of knowing we are doing something right, that somehow we are doing good. But there are times when we are not in an obvious outward role of formal service in a fellowship or Christian organization. At those times we can find ourselves wondering what we are to be doing and where our place to fit in really is. The answer may be closer than we think.

Psalms 92:1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:
2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,
3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.
4 For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.
5 O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.
6 A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.
7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:
8 But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore.
9 For, lo, thine enemies, O Lord, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
10 But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.
11 Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.
12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;
15 To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Each of us is already the planting of the Lord. If we listen and pray, we are already exactly where we need to be. While we are where we are, where ever we are, we can praise and worship our God. Collectively, we are the body of the Messiah, the temple of the living God. Let us praise Him while we are waiting for the next place to serve.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. We need Your kingdom. We just want to praise You. We love to serve You. Forgive us our errors and help us always find our way to Your path. Send us today Your healing, deliverance, and abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

While The Leaves Are Green

God shows us the future of things to come. It has been written many times over in the scriptures. We are to serve Him with our whole heart and watch. He wants us to be ready for those things He is and will be doing in our lives. If we will keep ourselves pure toward Him, if we make Him the love and joy of our lives, then we can know that He will always show us what is to come.

Mark 13:28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:

Jesus was telling His disciples to learn from the tree. When a tree begins to send out leaves we know we are heading into summer. This is a sign. In the same way as we see the things come to pass that God said would happen we can know that He is on the move.

As I was waking up this morning I was finishing up a dream. It was just a single image of the green leaf of a tree. God was telling me that the leaf was a sign, and then he directed me to write about this leaf and search out the scripture above. God is telling us He is on the move. Signs are coming to pass. We can trust God to show us things in our own lives that are signs of things to come for us individually. If we will just trust God, we can make a difference. We can walk with God in confidence, for He alone is King.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High. You alone are our source of everything. You alone can turn the hearts of the kings. We ask that You send Your kingdom today, Father. Please help us to choose right over wrong, and then do it. Only You can help us. Send today Your healing, deliverance, and abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Loyalty

Today I was thinking about the meaning of loyalty. It occurred to me that as believers we have a call to this word. Loyalty to our God means to stick with Him regardless of how things seem. To our spouses and families it means to stay by them through thick and thin. There are many things that can tempt us away from both. But I think this is in part what the scriptures mean when thy say to follow after God.

Exodus 20:1 And God spake all these words, saying,
2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

God was telling us to follow Him only. No other gods, nothing should be before Him in our hearts. In this world that can be hard. But we can do it.

Exodus 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Many people say they keep this. But we must ask ourselves the true meaning of it. I do not think it means only sexually, I think it means nothing before our mate. No thoughts, no things, nothing comes before them. Again, this world tells us differently. But God alone is true.

No one is perfect, especially not on our own. But with God we can walk these out. we can get there step by step, one day at a time, one moment at a time, with the help of our God.

He alone is worthy.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. We need Your kingdom in our lives. Please forgive us when we do not follow Your ways, when we put other things before You. We are mere mortals. We need Your help. Please help us. Please send today Your strength for us to do good, Your healing, Your deliverance, and You abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Independence

For those of us in America, today is a special day. It marks the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Talking recently with a friend of mine, we were discussing the uniqueness of America. Most people do not realize why America is special. It is not because the people are different or more special than people from other countries. America is different because it was the first place where there was no King. It was a government then that was truly for the people. Today, there seems to be winds of change blowing that are taking away some of this specialness.

Another thing many people do not know is that our founding documents were largely base on the bible – Deuteronomy to be specific. I am late posting today because I am with family, so I will be brief. Here are a few words of wisdom from that book.

Deuteronomy 28:1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.
3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.
4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
7 The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.
8 The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
9 The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways.
10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.
11 And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
12 The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
13 And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You above all others. You alone are King. Send us Your kingdom today. Forgive us our sins. Help those in need. Send us Your healing, deliverance, and abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.