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.

Kicking Back With The Holy Spirit

As I thought about the sabbath this morning, I felt an urge to aggressively pursue peace and happiness. Reading the scriptures the thought came to me as we are moving towards Pentecost that it would be fun to just hang out in peace and happiness with the Holy Spirit. It was then that I realized that I may not really know how to do that.

Scriptures paint a picture of God watching over us. We know that the same Spirit that raised our Messiah from the dead dwells in us. We know that God has made many promises to us in the scripture that if we serve Him, He has our back. He wants to provide for us and our families food, shelter, health and healing, and every good thing. In the earth today He does this, I think, through the working of the Holy Spirit. Let me be clear that there is only one God, yet I do believe the Holy Spirit is God as is the Father and the Son. How does that all work? I don’t know fully, because I am not God, and I don’t need to know because God is God and He does fine at that. What I do want to know and experience more is God’s Holy Spirit working in my life. I especially want that today on the sabbath, a day meant for peace and rest. The Holy Spirit is powerful enough to be at peace with me and yet battle those that would try to attack me on the sabbath – He’s just that awesome! As Psalm 120 says, when I speak, I am for peace, but they are for war. Let them fight my big Friend and see how that works out for them!

Prayer
Come, Holy Spirit, and be with us today. Give us rest. Give us peace. Make our world a place where we can rest with You and have our needs met for food, and clothing, and shelter, and health, and healing, and every good thing, just as the scriptures say. We exalt and praise You for this. In Jesus name. Amen.

Finding the Lighted Path

Ever get up in the night and stub your toe or hit your knee on something you forgot was there? I remember when I was younger getting up in response to one of my kids crying when they were very little and falling completely over a footstool. At the time I was scared, frustrated, and even angry. It is funny today, but not so much then. But isn’t that the way of things? At the moment they seem like such huge intrusions on what we want to have happening. Later we all laugh at how trivial they are in the grand scheme of things.

In Psalm 119:105-112 we see someone that “stubs their toe” yet remains unmoved. The Psalmist is rejoicing in how the word of God lights his way and guides his steps. He has found the lighted path. We see as we read that he has taken an oath to God to follow him. What is his condition? He is suffering great affliction and asking for revival from God. What does he offer to God in exchange for relief? Gold? Silver? Possessions? No. His offering is his freely praising God with his lips. He rejoices in having God’s words, His precepts, and he considers it his precious heritage. He chooses not to waiver, not to be scared, not to be frustrated, not to be angry. What does he choose? He will stand with God, to the very end… I want to be that guy.

Prayer
Father, thank You for lighting the way we should go. Your word is more valuable than anything we could possibly ever possess. You give us this way freely, only asking in return that we follow You. Let us be the ones that say, “to the end” with offerings of praise for You on our lips. In Jesus name. Amen.

More Than Mere Words

As I awoke this morning the birds were just beginning to sing. I thought to myself, “I love to hear those birds sing as they wake up.” My reading led me to the scriptures Psalm 111 and Proverbs 15:3. Psalm 111 is a picture of a person that is filled to the brim with praise for God, So full of praise are they that it overflows. The Psalmist talks about the works of God in eloquent terms, like glorious, honorable, wonderful, and so on. There are a couple interesting points made. He claims the works were made by God to be remembered. He also says God promises to provide for those that fear Him, and that He will also give them understanding. God’s works will last forever, and they stand in truth and justice. From this I concluded that when God wants something to be remembered, He makes it last forever.

The Proverbs scripture is more timeless, saying that God keeps watch on the earth and sees the just and the unjust. The scriptures on both sides of Proverbs 15:3 refer to the mouth and the tongue, and the result seems to indicate God is watching to see what is said, whether it is just or unjust. Even now as I continue to hear the birds sing, I wanted to write something about thankfulness. But what could I write? Should I write that I am thankful that God watches over us, which I am; or that He has made His covenant to last forever by writing His commandments and statutes in our hearts, which I am; or, is there something more fundamental here?

It occurred to me that the words of praise and thanksgiving are good. God appreciates them for sure. But there is something more in these scriptures, in all the scriptures really. He does not just want us to say thankful words, He wants us to BE thankful. Thankfulness is a state of being, like the Psalmist that is overflowing with praise to the point that he had to sing where ever he went. I am thankful that my family has food. I am thankful that the thunder and lightning did not harm us last night, and we slept out of the rain. I am thankful that God always remembers us. As I meditate on these things I sense a change within, a renewing of hope, of gratitude, and of peace. Perhaps this is the thankfulness state of being. It is more than mere words, for sure.

Prayer
Father, thank You for these feathered singers outside my window each morning. Thank You for the dry place to sleep and food to eat. Thank You for all of the people that You have made, and that You call to us to seek Your face. Thank You for allowing me a place at Your table, in the presence of my enemies. Thank You for life! In Jesus name. Amen.

Where the Battle Rages

Some days I find myself anxious to do battle with the enemy of our souls. Other days not so much. In thinking about this, it seemed puzzling that the same person in basically the same situation could have completely different reactions and responses to life. What is it that causes us to one day be encouraged to fight the good fight of faith and the next to be in fear? One answer could be to determine where the battle largely takes place. The primary battleground seems to be the mind.

Our mind is just that – ours. The tough challenge is it seems to always be “running”. For me if I am awake there is a fairly constant stream of thoughts running through my mind. So what can I do to win the battle in the mind? We know from the example of Moses that we can lift up our hands and offer thanksgiving to God (Exodus 17:11). In so doing, He turns to us and fights on our side. Paul and Moses both encouraged us to speak the things of God as a method of power in our lives, even unto salvation (Deuteronomy 30:14; Romans 10:8) . Paul also frequently encouraged us to speak and sing to ourselves the positive things of God (Ephesians 5:19). As we do this, we begin to turn the battle in our mind, and we release God’s power in the earth. We become the warriors we were created to be, fighting against evil with God at our side.

Prayer
Father, we lift our hands and hearts to You. Deliver us and those around us from the wicked. Let the evil one fall. You alone are God and worthy of every praise. You alone defend the poor, the afflicted and the fatherless from the evil one. We stand with You in these things, praising You and speaking Your words. We will do what we see You doing, to Your glory and honor forever. In Jesus name. Amen.

The Building Building the Building

Wow! Say that three times fast! Seriously, what could a saying like this possibly mean? Well, according to scripture, it is actually an assignment given to us all by God. Here is how it works…

In Ephesians 4:29 the Paul tells us that we need to control the communication that comes out of our mouth. What should come out of our mouth should be stuff that is positive, that strengthens and builds us and others up. The word edification here means to build. This is the same word used of prophecy in 1 Corinthians 14:3, explaining that words spoken in prophecy in the language of the hearer result in the hearer and the speaker being strengthened or built up in God (exhortation, edification, and comfort). Paul also says this is the job of he and the other apostles. In Romans 15:2 he further tells everyone to build up his/her neighbor. So this is the middle “Building” in the title. But what about the other two? Good of you to ask!

The Greek word oikodomē (reminds me of okie-dokie!) which is the word translated edification is also frequently translated building, as in the structure. Jesus used it this way frequently when referring to the buildings in Jerusalem. Paul also uses it this way. In 1 Corinthians 3:9 he says we are God’s building (how cool is that!) referring to the physical building and being built up all at the same time. Perhaps the most interesting use by Paul is in 2Corinthians 5:1. Here he says we are just a tent (a temporary dwelling place) but that when that passes away we will have a permanent building in the heavens with God. So what does it all mean?

Next time you are about to say something, stop and think, will this build us up? What am I making better with my words? And if you need building up yourself, you can do that too! Tell yourself out loud that God loves you and that you are about to have an amazingly blessed day!

Prayer
Father, thank You for letting us be on your team. Thank You for the honor of helping those around us with the words we say. Thank You for putting power in these words, that we might change the lives of others (and ourselves) for the better. You are such a great God!!! In Jesus name. Amen.

You Can Do It!

When you first read this title, how did it make you feel? Was there something specific that came to mind, some task or challenge? Did you wonder what the “it” was that is being referred to here? Most importantly, did you notice that somehow on the inside these words seemed to lighten the load, if even only for a moment? This last point is most important. There are times when we are heavy spirited, and in those times we can be lifted out of this through encouragement. But how?

In Samuel 30:6 we read about a time in David’s life when the enemy had come in and taken the people and goods of one of his villages. The people were so upset they wanted to stone David. Not exactly encouraging words, right? There have been times when the people around me, even the Christians, have said things that are not so wonderful. In this case, they actually were considering killing David. When people have said negative things to me, I can be discouraged. What did David do? He encouraged himself in the Lord. He called for the priest to bring him the ephod, which is a priestly garment. After putting that on, He asked God if he should pursue the enemy and overtake them. God’s response was to pursue and overtake the enemy because he would recover all. So David went after the enemy, and recovered all of the people and possessions, plus he captured the possessions of the enemy as well. What does that mean to us?

In Isaiah 61:3 we see that God has given us the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Sounds similar, right? This is the chapter that Jesus read when they handed Him the scroll to read in the synagogue. This is His eternal answer for our encouragement. If we read on we see that it is done so that people we see us as trees of righteousness, His planting, that He may be glorified. Sure sounds like David’s story to me. And, the great news is, it can be our story, too! Praise God and be encouraged, for He is truly the Deliverer King!

Prayer
Father, We praise and exalt You as the One true Most High God. Thank You for listening to our prayers when we cry out. Thank you for helping us overtake and destroy the enemy. Thank You for letting us bring back those that were captive by the enemy, our goods that were stolen from us, and to plunder our enemy as well. We put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, and we praise You, Mighty King! 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.

Quieting the Mind

Why is it so hard to rest sometimes? This morning as I awoke I thought to myself, “Ah yes! The sabbath! A day to rest!” Then came the thought monster. What about what you left undone from yesterday? Don’t forget to get the milk and bread at the store. What is my time schedule for today? Maybe if I juggle these things around… I finally got up and began to read the scriptures, and I asked God why I struggled to rest. He had me read a great scripture, Psalm 103.

There is a great message hear about rest. In the first two verses of Psalm 103, God tells us not to worry about the bad guys – they will soon be eliminated. Later in verse 13 God says He laughs at the wicked when they plot against the just. Why? Because He is God, and there is no way He will let the wicked win over the just in the end.

In verses 3 and 4 God encourages us to trust Him. Dwell in and enjoy the land. Let yourself exist on his faithfulness – He will not let us down. He then promises that if we make Him our delight, He will give us the desires of our heart. The balance of this Psalm continues to build on how God raises us up, providing for our needs, while at the same time He destroys the wicked.

How does this relate to rest? We need to remember who we serve – the living God that provides our every need. When I began to really contemplate that He wants to give me the desires of my heart, and that He wants me to trust trust Him, the thoughts just melted away. When they tried to creep in, I just said no to them, and chose instead to think on God and His rest. It worked! I just need to let go to rest.

Prayer
Father, Thank You so much for considering my every need, and the needs of my family. You have given us the power over the wicked through trust in You. Please help us to push back in our minds those things that try to get us to fret. Helps us to dwell in the land, to possess it and know that You will be faithful to give us the desires of our hearts. Thank You. In Jesus name. Amen.

Awaken the Dawn

It truly is an amazing God that we serve! In Psalm 108 David rejoices because he is steadfast in his heart. This morning as I watch the woods and hear the sound of the birds first songs of daylight, I understand at least in part what David was saying. No matter what else happens, God is with us, God is for us, God is on our side and will deliver us. Our hearts can rest in that, knowing that everything else is of much less importance. David goes on to call to the instruments to wake up because it is time to praise the living God. He further says he will awaken the dawn by singing God’s praises among the people and among the nations. Why? Because God’s mercy is great, it is above the heavens, and His truth reaches the clouds. David continues by saying that God has spoken, stating that He will defeat the enemies. David then says it was God that brought them to the low place, and now it is God who will deliver them. There is no help from man. As Psalm 107 also says, we are brought low when we stray from God, but when we cry out, He turns to us and breaks the chains and bars of iron and bronze to deliver us that all men may know that it is God alone that is our Deliverer King!

Prayer
Father, let the dawn come in our hearts today. Deliver us from the bondage that evil brings, not because we deserve it, but because You alone are the Deliverer King. You alone are the merciful God. You raise one up and cast down another. You move the hearts of those that rule at Your will. Move upon our enemies today, Lord God, and crush them in their evil ways that all men may see and call upon Your name, for You alone are worthy to be praised. You alone are God! In Jesus name. Amen.