September 30, 2017 - - Psalm 147:1 Beautiful praise

Praise the LORD!

For it is good to sing praises to our God;

For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.

Psalm 147:1 NKJV

Praise is beautiful!

It is beautiful activity--because God is worthy of praise.

It is beautiful to contemplate the attributes of God: love, justice, majesty, power, and wisdom.

It is beautiful to praise Him rather than to be fearful of the things in the news and media.

It is beautiful to praise our God acknowledging His great salvation.

Praise is beautiful because here in this world there are never enough words or visions of splendour or songs or works of art which will do justice to Who He Is.

What a joy the new heavens and the new earth will be as we will no longer be held down by old patterns of sin and sinful thoughts but we will be free to see Him and love Him and praise Him just as we were made to do. It will be the beautiful activity of eternity.

Praise the LORD!

Praise be to You, LORD God Almighty.

When I see the brokenness of this world, I praise You for the work of Your people who bring justice and help and healing in Jesus' Name.

When I see the sinfulness of my own heart and confess it, I look forward to the day when all sin will be utterly thrown down and be no more and I will praise You, God of Glory, praise You most beautifully as I was created to do.

When I see glimpses of love and justice in this world, praise be to Your Name, Jesus the Just and True, for Your reign.

When I join in with Your people in homes or churches and sing Your praise and acknowledge Your Splendor, what joy is ours.

Praise be to You, Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!

Praise be to You, now and forevermore.

Amen.

September 29, 2017 Psalm 145:14-19 The God Who Holds Me Up

The Lord upholds all who fall,

And raises up all who are bowed down.

The eyes of all look expectantly to You,

And You give them their food in due season.

You open Your hand

And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

The Lord is righteous in all His ways,

Gracious in all His works.

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,

To all who call upon Him in truth.

He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;

He also will hear their cry and save them.

Psalm 145:14-19 NKJV

Yesterday I had the opportunity to preach my senior sermon before the ministers and elders of the Canadian Presbytery. This was sustained--I passed that with great words of encouragement given to me.

Then, in the afternoon, I failed 3 of the 4 parts of my oral exam. The door to ordained ministry in the A.R.P. has been closed for me. Gently, but firmly. Then, this morning, these beautiful words were part of my devotions. The LORD really is near to all who call on Him. He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him. My one desire is to be faithful to Him. I long to serve Jesus, whether or not I am a minister, I am His.

While I grieve the closed doorway to what had long been a dream of mine, to be restored to the ministry, I can only say: LORD, I am Yours. Do with me as You will. I am prepared to go where You send me next.

Today is the first day of my new life. Who knows what God will have in store for me from here on out. Thanks be to God for the gift of a wonderful wife, my strong partner and friend. Together we will delight in all God's rich blessings as we seek out what is next.

My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD--each morning I will bless His Name, every night I call call on Him alone. Thank you for Your great love, shown most perfectly in Jesus Christ. Thank You that no matter my joys or my sorrows, riches or poverty, strengths or weaknesses of my life, by the power of Your Spirit I am yours and You will hold me up in Your tender care. Bless the LORD, O my soul, bless Him all my inmost being. Amen.

September 28, 2017 - - John 14:25-27 The Peace of Christ

“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

John 14:25-27 NKJV

Jesus, speaking to His disciples just before His betrayal and crucifixion, set His peace on them. When He rose from the dead He appeared to His disciples and confirmed His peace (John 20:19,20) even as He showed them the nail prints and His wounded side.

Christ's peace is not given so that we may avoid trouble and controversy, His peace is given as we walk the way of suffering for His Name's sake. In order that we may endure what is too much for us to endure on our own, He has given us the Holy Spirit, Who guards us in Christ and keeps us in the will of our Father in heaven.

Whatever it is that I shall face in this day, whatever joys or trials, Jesus my King, thank You for the gift of Your peace. Thank You for the sure confidence that Your will triumphs no matter my circumstances. Thank You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit, the deposit guaranteeing this peace and victory in Jesus Christ, which is all to the glory of our Father in Heaven. Amen.

September 27, 2017 - - II Corinthians 6:16-18 Truth

And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

"I will dwell in them

And walk among them

I will be their God,

And they shall be My people."

Therefore

"Come out of them

And be separate, says the Lord.

Do not touch what is unclean

And I will receive you.

I will be a Father to you,

And you shall be My sons and daughters,

Says the LORD Almighty."

II Corinthians 6:16-18

In preparing for my final steps in joining the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, I have been reading books on polity (church government and organization). One book recommended to me was "Handbook of Church Discipline" written by Jay Adams. In dealing with cross-congregational discipline--that is, where one person leaves a congregation and takes up visiting another congregation rather than facing discipline in his home church--Adams has some strong advice.

'Where you have certain knowledge that a congregation denies the essentials of Christianity, you should not send persons back. Indeed, you should do all you can to get people out of such "churches". Jay E. Adams, page 109

We live in an era where all sorts of gatherings call themselves "church" but deny essential truth, denying such things as:

Christ's bodily resurrection;

God created ex nihilo (out of nothing) all of creation in six 24-hour days and on the seventh day created the Sabbath;

the clear commandments of God--such as His will for men and women to honour Him with their bodies, which means all men and all women remain within the God-ordained bounds for human sexuality.

Examine your heart own--the temple of God--are you devoted to Jesus and His Word? Examine your church--is it a place that follows the teachings of Christ and the Word of God, or is it trying to please the world? Believers will cause a stir in the world because we are to be separate from idolaters and no matter the cost, follow the Truth that is found in Jesus alone.

God of Glory, Jesus, the Truth, the Life and the Way, Spirit of Wisdom, help me to be a pure temple for Your dwelling place. Give me discernment to root out of myself the falsehoods and lies of the world which would make my heart and mind unfit for You. I desire You and You alone as My Father. Instruct me by Your Word. Direct my living by the power of Your Spirit so that I will follow Jesus, in Whose Name I pray. Amen.

September 26, 2017 - - John 8:32 Truth

You shall know the truth,

and the truth shall make you free.

John 8:32 NKJV

Therefore, faithful Christian, seek the truth, listen to the truth, learn the truth, love the truth, tell the truth, learn the truth, defend the truth even to death.

Attributed to Jan Huss 1369 - 1415

A person cannot learn the truth by studying the world or listening to false teachings. That seems so obvious. A Christian cannot learn Truth from professors, teachers, and pastors who do not believe the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.

Many Christians are barely subsisting on the Word of God, they are consuming just enough of the Word to stay alive. Then these very same Christians are inundated by the lies and misdirections of the world and are shocked they do not have the strength to withstand the lie. Only in the Bible can we learn the Truth. By the power of the Spirit we can live the truth. For the sake of the Name of Jesus we will defend the truth.

Keep me faithful to You, King Jesus. Send Your Spirit so that I hunger and thirst for more of You and find my satisfaction in Your Word. In Your Truth set me free from the lies and the slavery to things that are touted as true in this world. In the light of Your Truth let all the counterfeits of this world be exposed for what they are. You, Lord Jesus, are the Truth and my highest joy. Amen.

September 24, 2017 - - Ezekiel 34:11 One lost sock, one lost sheep

For thus says Lord GOD: "Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out."

Ezekiel 34:11 NKJV

How tiresome it is on laundry day to find I have one sock missing. I carefully made sure each sock was paired up before I threw them into the washing machine. They weren't. I had go look around for it. There it was on the floor in closet next to where I usually keep the laundry basket, was one black sock. Then, when I transferred the things from the washing machine into the laundry basket, once again I made sure each sock had its mate. The weather has been so beautiful here, I hung the clothes on the fence to dry. Sure enough, as usual, one sock was missing its mate. It was one of the black sock again.

They are my work-out socks and my go to socks for jogging. I have many pairs of them. So, I can easily just leave one wherever it fell. But I went back into the house and found it. I realized as I was transferring it from the washing machine to the laundry basket, which was on top of the dryer, the one unlucky sock of the pair of them had fallen in the small space between the washing machine and the dryer. The silly thing was dirty because of lint and dust. I wondered if it was worth the effort to hand wash it and clean it off. That is when I thought of the text for today.

The LORD our God has a whole, huge, massive flock of sheep, what difference does one little sheep make? Yet, He does not let one go missing. Jesus left the splendour of heaven and became incarnate. He took on flesh. He suffered. He resisted all sin and all temptations. His life, start to finish, ending with His death on the cross, was lived for the glory of God. God did indeed go out Himself and search for His sheep. One lost little black sheep would be too much for Him to lose. Strange how laundry day reminded me of His greatness and His tender care for His people.

Today is Sunday. Join a friend at church. Learn, perhaps for the very first time, of the great love of our Father in heaven.

God our Father, thank You that You searched me out. Thank You that You seek and save lost sheep. I pray for my friends and family members who don't yet know the love of Jesus and His tenderness in seeking people out. Spirit of Jesus, give me holy boldness and compassion so that I will ever introduce people to You, the God Who seeks and finds lost sheep. Amen.

September 23, 2017 - - Psalm 119 selected verses Vivification, new life, new purpose

Selected readings of Psalm 119

My soul clings to the dust;

Revive me according to Your word. verse 25

Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things,

And revive me in Your way. verse 37

Behold I long for Your precepts;

Revive me in Your righteousness. verse 40

This is my comfort in my affliction,

For Your word has given me life. verse 50

I am afflicted very much;

Revive me, O LORD, according to Your word. verse 107

When a person says: "I give you my word" he is making a vow or solemn promise. Psalm 119 shows us the solemn promises of the LORD. When you read the Name and it is spelled with each letter all in capitals like that: LORD, it is the revelation of the Name of God Who Is eternally present. Scriptures show He is the Promise-Making and Promise-Keeping God.

The Word of God revives the believer. In Jesus Christ the Word of God is proved true. In Jesus Christ the believer is brought from death to life.

The new life that belongs to the believer in Jesus means the Spirit of God will bring new life and new strength to walk in the way of the Word of God. As the old sinful self is put to death, the Spirit helps Christians walk in the way of new life--there is a great theological word for this: vivification.

If you are worn out. If you are finding things in this life do not satisfy you, know that the Word of God brings vivification. If you wonder what this life is for: turn to Jesus. His Word revives us, in His body He has paid the penalty for all our sins and we are freed from death and revived. Tomorrow is Sunday. Get to a bible-believing church and find out more. If you are shy, ask a friend who is a believer to go with him to his church.

~Prayer~

Sometimes it seems the riches of this life are like irritating smoke to my eyes. It can feel like the activities that gave me the most pleasure are now like food that has grit mixed into it so that even these are becoming distasteful. The psalm-writer has discovered something amazing and writes with such feverish enthusiasm, LORD, help me to understand this. God, the psalm-writer describes You as the One Who brings animation and joy to a person's life. So I ask You: raise me from the dust, from boredom, from discouragement and hopelessness. Show me Jesus. Spirit of God lead me away from worthless things and revive me according to the Word. My life is continually in my hands and it feels like sand slipping away through my fingers no matter how hard I try to hold onto it. Let my life have meaning. Amen.

September 22, 2017 - - Psalm 116:12-14 Prayer and thanks to the LORD

What shall I render to the Lord

For all His benefits toward me?

I will take up the cup of salvation,

And call upon the name of the Lord.

I will pay my vows to the Lord

Now in the presence of all His people.

Psalm 116:12-14 NKJV

Consider how often you have prayed, faithfully and intensely, asking God for His help and HIs answer. Now ask yourself how often have you thanked Him for His answer to prayer?

It would be my guess that sometimes believers miss God's answers for a lack of examining what He is doing. Prayers are aimed at God without any sense of expectation for what He is doing and how He will answer.

Some believers, disappointed with the response of God (who sometimes says "wait" and other times says "no") sulk rather than bless His Name. Perhaps God's no is a gracious answer as He knows what will harm or overwhelm the petitioner.

There are a number of churches that have specific prayer request times. People in the pews can ask the minister or prayer leader to remember these needs in the prayer time. How many of these churches have times of blessing God for all His answers? Sure, Thanksgiving Day, or that weekend is the obvious answer.

Know this, God hears prayers and He answers our requests all year through.

The Psalmist, in light of God's streams of answered prayer, is asking: "how can I give a fitting response to the LORD for all the answers the He is giving?" What a great question for us all to consider each day.

God of Splendour, how astounding it is, that You, the Majestic and Glorious LORD of heaven should hear the prayers of Your people and stoop to answer these! Thank You for Jesus, in Whose Name believers dare to pray. Thank You for the Spirit by Whose presence believers don't have to formulate perfect prayers or say just the right words. Thank You, Spirit of God, for taking feeble prayers and even inarticulate groanings and carrying these to the throne Jesus, the mercy seat--the one place of help in all the universe. As the Psalmist asked, so do we, what praise, what song, what offering, what can I give to You, Lord, for all Your blessings and benefits given to me? Amen.

September 21, 2017 - - Psalm 106:2 So many reasons to praise God

Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD?

Who can declare all His praise?

Psalm 106:2 NKJV

Can you name all the intricate interactions that take place in a single cell of your body? Exchange of oxygen. Expelling toxins. Receiving nourishment. Providing structure. Repairing itself. Fighting against foreign invaders. There are all kinds of things that happen in a single cell of the human body. Let alone mentioning how cells function together. How systems of the body work together.

Think of the intricacy of life on earth. The symbiotic relationships. The variety of life forms and the places they live in creation. The way in which each fulfils a function. The majesty of some creatures. The beauty of others.

Think of plants. Each part of the day different flowers are open. Bees delight in this, need this. Each part of the season different plants flower and others cast their seed. Photosynthesis, what a marvel that sunlight becomes energy for the plant. Who can speak the mighty acts of God?

Think of His patience with sinful men and women. Think of the glory of Christ and His obedient love for His Father. Think of the work of the Spirit Who convicts people of sin and brings them into relationship with Jesus.

What works of God make you experience wonder? What acts of God cause you to pause and shake your head with reverent astonishment?

As all this is recounted, the heart swells with praise for God. There are not enough hours in the day to think about all the reasons to sing, pray and shout His praise. In view of Who He Is and all He does there are not enough days in a month to declare His praise.

You are glorious, God of Creation. You are victorious, Jesus, Lord of History. You are powerful, Spirit of the Living God, for You are bringing rebellious hearts into joy-filled submission to the Saviour. Train my thoughts this day, Spirit of Wisdom, so that I will reflect on the mighty acts of God, throughout the day, and bring genuine and awe-filled praise to God. Hallelujah. Amen.

September 20, 2017 - - James 1:22-25 Hear the Word, Obey the Word

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. James 1:22-25 NIV

About the love of horse racing, he complained, "My sermons are applauded merely from custom, then everyone runs off to [horse racing] again and gives much more applause to the jockeys, showing indeed unrestrained passion for them! There they put their heads together with great attention, and say with mutual rivalry, 'This horse did not run well, this one stumbled,' and one holds to this jockey and another to that. No one thinks any more of my sermons, nor of the holy and awesome mysteries that are accomplished here."

Christianity Today Issue 44, 1994 on John Chrysostom

Where is the Word of God driving a point home to your heart? Are you harbouring anger against another person? Are you engaging in gluttony? Do you cheat your boss by not working diligently for the hours you are paid? Are you allowing lust to occupy a small corner of your life? Do you complain in your soul against those who have so much while you work and seem to have so little?

Perhaps you are listening to the Word and not implementing it and integrating it into your life. When you hear the word, act upon it. Pray about it. Ask God for His forgiveness in Jesus' Name with regards to your failures. Ask the Spirit of God to revive in you a renewed will to act and live in obedience to the will of God, which gives perfect freedom.

Ah, Father in heaven, don't You ever get tired of hearing my same confession day in and day out? I am ashamed to confess these sins. I am both surprised and weary to be in this very same place again. Yet I trust Your Word. I believe that Jesus came to bring You, my Father, glory by breaking down the strongholds of sin in my life. Send Your Spirit now to revive me in obedience, and to whet in my soul a greater appetite for all that is holy and true. The only reason You would have to hear me is Jesus Christ, He is my strength and my song, He is my salvation which brings You glory. It is in His Name alone I dare to lift my head and pray. Amen.

September 19, 2017 - - Matthew 16:24-27 Follow Jesus

The liberal says the end of religion is to make man happy while he's alive, and the fundamentalist says the end of religion is to make man happy when he dies.

But again! The end of all of the religion, it was proclaimed, was the happiness of man. And whereas the liberal says, "By social change and political order we're going to do away with slums, we're going to do away with alcoholism and dope addiction and poverty. And we're going to make HEAVEN ON EARTH AND MAKE YOU HAPPY WHILE YOU'RE ALIVE! We don't know anything about after that, but we want to be happy while you're alive!" They went ahead to try and do it, only to be brought to a terrifying shock at the first World War and utterly staggered by the second World War, because they seemed to be getting nowhere fast.

And then the fundamentalists, along the line, are now tuning in on this same wavelength of humanism. Until we find it something like this: "Accept Jesus so you can go to heaven!

You don't want to go to that old, filthy, nasty, burning hell when there is a beautiful heaven up there! Now come to Jesus so you can go to heaven!"

And the appeal could be as much to selfishness as a couple of men sitting in a coffee shop deciding they are going to rob a bank to get something for nothing! There's a way that you can give an invitation to sinners, that just sounds for all the world like a plot to take a filling station proprietor's Saturday night earnings without working for them.

Humanism is, I believe, the most deadly and disastrous of all the philosophical stenches that's crept up through the grating over the pit of Hell.

--excerpt from: Paris Reidhead "Ten Shekels and a Shirt"

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

Matthew 16:24-27

Forgive me, Lord of Majesty and Glory, for thinking I could sell the idea of heaven and make the idea of serving You palatable to a world seeking only its own pleasure. Great are You, O LORD my King. Splendid and awe-inspiring are Your works. Therefore I despise my own feeble works and my so-called accomplishments and repent before You. Let my only reward, which truly is the greatest possible reward, be to know You more intimately and fully. I ask it in Jesus' Name. Amen.

September 18, 2017 - - I Corinthians 9:27 Hypocrisy and Integrity

But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

I Corinthians 9:27 NKJV

Have you ever heard the expression: "Do as I say?" It is strange to observe how often a person's words and the very same person's actions do not align at all.

I remember, way back in college, when I wanted to quit smoking. I thought it might be good to volunteer for the American Lung Association (I went to college in Grand Rapids, MI.) It would be good incentive to quit. That volunteering stint was short-lived, as I knew the benefits of a smoke-free life, but was still smoking, so my words did not fit my actions. It was many years before I truly disciplined my body and its cravings and brought them into subjection. Thanks be to God I have been smoke-free for 15 years.

We are sinners. We are inclined to race after the sins which kill us rather than to pursue the holiness of Christ which is for us life. Examine your life today. In what area are you acting like a hypocrite? Where are your actions undermining your words? Confess it to Jesus. Repent--turn away from this--and renew your vows to follow Jesus. Ask the Spirit of the Living God to strengthen you so that you will not be disqualified.

King Jesus, let the words of my mouth truly match the actions of my life. I confess the times I judge others for the very things I myself am doing. It is easy to criticize without first examining myself. Hear my personal confession.... Forgive me. Teach me the way reconciliation. Spirit help me to walk with integrity in word and in action. Spirit of wisdom and healing help me to make amends where these are needed for restored community. Draw me to the Bible so that I will grow in faith. Let my life be a reflection of the glory of God, Whom I desire to serve with all I am and all I have. Amen.

September 17, 2017 Psalm 88:9b, 13-14 NKJV Sanctification and Spiritual Warfare

This sanctification is throughout the whole man, yet imperfect in this life: there abideth still some remnants of corruption in every part, whence ariseth a continual and irreconcilable war, the flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh

The Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter XIII.II

LORD, I have called daily upon You...

But to You I have cried out, O LORD,

And in the morning my prayer comes before You.

LORD, why do You cast off my soul?

Why do You hide Your face from me?

Psalm 88:9b, 13-14 NKJV

The wrestling of our soul against the will of God and the things of God is evidence of the great warfare the still takes place. Jesus, the Captain of our Salvation, has sent His Spirit to make war against the lingering, sinful corruption of our minds, our hearts, and our lives. We have read to the end of the Bible, we know that those Whom God has called, He also adopts as His Own, He pities and He protects, He makes holy and He preserves. Do not be discouraged by the warfare raging in your mind and soul-trust that God is working out His salvation and His holiness in every part of your being.

Join with other Christians this day. Sing together. Pray together. Encourage one another. Know that all of us face the same battle in Jesus' Name which is waged against our flesh. All of us who believe and worship serve the King of Glory Who will not let defeat rule the story of our lives, but has given His holy victory in Jesus Christ and this is now being fully work-out in every part of our lives and will be perfected in the world to come.

With the Psalm-writer, Father in heaven, I cry out: "Conquer whatever waywardness lingers within me!" Send Your Spirit to reaffirm the rule of Christ. When in battle-weariness I cry out, as did the writer of Psalm 88, feeling discouraged and faltering in strength, do not reject my cries. Do not interpret pleas as a lack of faith. Keep me in the grip of Your great grace so that Your purifying work will burn out of me whatever would block a deep and true relationship with You~My God and my Captain and my King. Amen.

September 16, 2017 - - Psalm 78:35-38b God's forgiveness

When He slew them, then they sought Him;

And they returned and sought earnestly for God.

Then they remembered that God was their rock,

And the Most High God their Redeemer.

Nevertheless they flattered HIm with their mouth,

And they lied to Him with their tongue;

For their heart was not steadfast with Him.

Nor were they faithful in His covenant.

But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity,

And did not destroy them.

Psalm 78:34-38b

When a brother sins against another brother, the one sinned against will often fold his arms, get stubborn and expect a groveling and humble apology. God shows a different way. He knows His people are duplicitous. Yet, as often as His people confess their sins, however sincere or insincere they are in asking forgiveness, He is full of compassion and forgives.

Asking forgiveness and accepting forgiveness moves the heart. The attitude changes when one begins the path of reconciliation. It is the work of God to make this path straight and encourage those wandering along it to go fully to restoration. It is the glorious work of Jesus Christ by which healing between people is even possible.

The sticking point for many reading this text will be the start of verse 34: When He slew them. It is a devastating picture, God putting disobedient people to death. The Bible shows this picture: all men and women of the earth are His creation. All the people of the earth belong to God and those who refuse Him are rebellious slaves and fit for death. People belong to God and those who confess His Name are still rebellious, but He is taming rebellious hearts by HIs Spirit so that such people will understand the fuller depths of His steadfast love.

Devotional times help believers to understand this complex pattern. Believers stop their accusations of others and rehearsing how they feel wronged and instead humbly hear God and His perfectly just accusations against their bad conduct. Under His scrutiny the believer humbles himself, confesses his sins and receives the great grace of forgiveness offered in Christ. Then, prompted by the Spirit of God, the believer forgiven by God will seek to be reconciled with others. Willingly enduring mocking and sarcasm, the believer will patiently and kindly work to make things right. This always done with a view to all that he has received from God.

Spirit of Power, help me to quiet all the thoughts strivings against one another in my head. Let me hear, truly listen to, the Word of God. Humble me so that I will live the life of reconciliation and grace that is mine in Christ. Thank You, Father in heaven, that You know my iniquity and falseness and in Your compassion You forgive me and work out Your saving purposes in my life. Glory be to Your Name, now and forever more. Amen.

September 15, 2017 Psalm 72:15d - - Daily Praise

And daily He shall be praised.

Psalm 72:15d NKJV

Weird isn't it? We need to plan a day without coffee. Otherwise we'd get a huge headache. Some people make a HUGE deal of going off Facebook for a day or two. Yet, we casually skip a day (or several) of our devotional times. No headache follows. No palm-sweats of withdrawal follow.

People beloved of God: perhaps we are so indifferent in our daily praise because we have forgotten the Majesty of our King. Perhaps we are so lackadaisical in our worship because we love our coffee more than we love our true God. The half-hearted times of worship show that we have not spent time in the Presence.

Daily praise is used by the Spirit to stir our souls.

Daily praise brings us to Jesus' throne where we understand our failures and His victory.

Daily praise becomes an integral part of our life and our heart's truest and best habit because we know our Father better.

Daily praise reminds us He is God and we are not; it is His plan and His will alone we must follow, not some illegitimate formulation about God of our own making.

Find the praise-worthiness of God in passages such as: Job 38-42:6; Isaiah 40:10-31; Psalm 104.

You, O LORD God, laid the foundations of the earth! Blessed be Your Name. You set the limit to the seas and oceans and declared: here your proud waves must stop. You control the treasury of snow and rain. Great are You, and worthy of glory! By Your great love sinners are reclaimed in the Name of Jesus. Who has power over life and death, but the very God Who made us?! Rulers are overthrown and You, long-ago, declared the path of history. Nothing is outside of Your Sovereign appointment. You, Spirit of God, hear the cries of the widow and the orphan, and bring the help of the God of Justice. You, Mighty King, are preparing the one, final court, to judge every person who ever lived. At this Final Judgment sinners will be cast into hell and torment and those You have redeemed and sustained by the blood of Jesus will be brought to the new heavens and new earth. I had heard of such things, God of Renown and Splendour, but now my eyes will behold You alone. You are my God and I am Your willing slave. Bring me utterly--heart, mind, emotions, physically, spiritually--into whole-hearted submission to You. In Jesus' Great Name I pray. Amen.

September 14, 2017 - - Psalm 68:19 Devotions: God's feast for us

Blessed be the Lord, 
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation!
Psalm 68:19 NKJV

Imagine this: the feast is spread, the finest of foods and wonderful exotic drink. Everything is perfectly prepared and suited for each individual. Rather than sitting and eating and delighting, the man for whom it is prepared rushes by it and on the way to work goes to a drive-in coffee shop and waits in the line of cars for 15 minutes just to get his coffee. Imagine that same feast, so beautiful and tenderly prepared and a young mom ignores it and begins a routine of starting laundry, and cleaning and getting children up and dressed.

You and me, we are that rushing man and that distracted young mom. God has prepared the Word for us. It is loaded with His blessings. It is filled with His promises. It is bursting with the peace we need. It is laden with the correction that will help us understand our lives and His mercy. But day after day, though the devotional time is loaded with the blessings and benefits of God,we rush past it. Surviving on scraps. Wondering why our walk with God lacks power, and joy.

Today, know the feast is spread for you. Spend time with God. Expect that He has loaded up the Word with benefits tailor made to suit you. Remember you are made in the image of God. So He Who made you, knows what You need. Remember You were made for fellowship with God and to delight in Him forever. He knows your joys and He knows your grief and burdens. Jesus said: "Come to Me all You who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gently and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (That is found in Matthew 11:28-29). Do not pass by. Stop and feast on the Word of God. Spend time speaking with God. Read the Word out loud and listen to what God is teaching you. You will be satisfied with the richest of foods. You will be loaded up with His blessings.

Arise, O God, and scatter the enemies which would crowd out our time with You! Dispel the myth of our own importance and busy-ness and let us delight in the feast of time spent with You. Feed our souls. Challenge our brains. By Your Spirit lead us to Jesus Christ, Who is for us Living Water that wells up to eternal life. And from that place of plenty, let the righteous be glad and serve as bold witnesses to Your glory. Amen.

September 13, 2017 - - Psalm 62:1,5 Wait for God

Truly my soul silently waits for the God;

From Him comes my salvation.

My soul, wait silently for God alone,

For my expectation is from Him.

Psalm 62:1,5 NKJV

Much of life is spent waiting. Each morning I pass by a long, long line of cars, filled with people anxiously waiting at the local coffee shop for their first cup of joe. People wait for their cable or internet installation date and time. We live in an age of instant gratification, but must cope with the fact much of our lives are spent waiting.

It was no different for the writer of this Psalm. He had celebrated, perhaps early in the morning, the fact that his soul waits for God's salvation. Sin is vanquished by the power of Christ. The punishment for sin has been paid. The believer knows the justice of God will be meted out at the end of history. All wrongs, every single evil, will be paid out in full against every perpetrator. The torment of hell awaits those who refuse Jesus and His salvation. It is sobering.

In the next verse I have referenced, the psalmist is clearly telling his soul to wait for God. Read the whole of Psalm 62. You'll read of turmoil and how life is just a morning fog. The evil continue to do evil and it seems the people of God have to wait to see God's mercy and justice.

When the turmoil, wickedness, and scheming of mankind, or a co-worker, or a family member, or a fellow pew-sitter threaten to overwhelm you, tell your soul: "wait on God." Quietly trust Him. The Spirit of God will hold you fast in Christ until justice and peace take hold. As you wait on the Spirit, you may notice also, sins you must confess and wrongs that you need to make right. Commit yourself to walking this difficult way. It is the reason Christ the King has come to this earth, and now rules in heaven, so that sins may be confessed and forgiven. Christ can bring restoration to ruined sinners so that from the wreckage we make of our lives He forges saints by the fires of those trials of offering and receiving forgiveness from real people and real painful situations.

Spirit, Who brings order out of chaos, still the boiling and bubbling of my soul. Let me wait in quiet confidence for the salvation of Jesus to unfold. Help me to be a light-house for Jesus' peace when so much around me is stormy. Remind me to preach to my own soul also the sure hope that is mine in Christ. Let me wait on You, so that I will know what needs to be confessed, what needs to be made right with You and with the people You have placed in my life. Then prompt me to pray for those around me and to witness to them, knowing that in the Name of Jesus, others can know the joyful expectation of His salvation. Amen.

September 12, 2017 - - Hebrews 13:15 Continuous praise to God

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

Hebrews 13:15 NKJV

Some of us will open the fridge and stand there long enough, scrounging around until we find something that appeals to us. We're not really hungry. Others will pick up the controls of the video game. We are bored really. But we know the game will eventually catch up. Still others, restless and half-interestedly, will flick through channels, or You-Tube, or scroll through Facebook until the time has run away from us.

All of these things, and so many others, which we use to waste time will then be lodged in our brains and become part of the endless narrative of our sub-conscious. We rehearse all those things we used to waste time.

Diametrically opposed to this is the glory of the Word--the Bible and the Living Word, Jesus Christ. When we spend time with Him in prayer and read the Bible, even if we don't feel like it at first, such phrases and thoughts and images become the narrative of our brain. We reflect on Jesus. We sing songs of praise.

Trust God enough, that when you are restless and bored and about to go to the fridge or the game or FB or whatever else will waste your time until it catches your interest--I repeat--trust God enough to go to the Word. Listen to praise songs. Sing a hymn of praise--there are plenty on line you can listen to and learn. Know the blessing of having the sacrifice of praise as the narrative running through your brain--praise fueled by Bible reading, prayer, holy music and time with God.

Spirit of God, I beg of You, displace the wicked thoughts of my heart and brain. Spirit of power, work in and through my prayer times and reading times so that I will know Jesus Christ more fully. Spirit bring my attention to the things of God throughout the day so that I will continually offer to God the sacrifice of praise, the fruit of my lips which overflow with the blessings of Jesus~in Whose Name I pray. Amen.

September 11, 2017 - - Ephesians 5:15-17 Walk Circumspectly

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Ephesians 5:15-17

What is it to walk "circumspectly"? Imagine your car is making a clunking noise and you walk around it to check it out. You want to see if anything obvious is out of place--muffler damaged, or a tire low, that sort of thing.

When we have the word of God in our hands during our devotional times, we walk circumspectly. We ask the Spirit of God: "what is clunking? What is slowing me down in my walk with Jesus?"

The days we live in are not neutral. These are wicked days. Like roofing nails on the road which puncture tires, so the evil of our days will puncture our hearts and affect our walk with God. Spent time with the Lord. Let Him repair your soul. Ask the Spirit of Jesus to guard your heart. Times spent in prayer and Bible reading will reveal to you the will of the Lord.

Great are You, Lord! Mighty is Your reign, Lord Jesus Christ. All Your enemies will fall before You. Blessed are You, Spirit of the Living God. How much my soul needs to be repaired and my heart renewed. Use the times of bible reading and prayer, quiet and reflection, so that I will be fit for the service You require. Amen.

September 10, 2017 - - Psalm 37:35-37 Culture war

I have seen the wicked in great power,

And spreading like a native green tree.

Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more.

Indeed, I sought him, but he could not be found.

Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright;

For the future of that man is peace.

Psalm 37:35-37 NKJV

Times of Bible reading help us to understand our world. God created the world and Adam and Eve perfect and without sin. Adam and Eve rebelled against God and sinned. All people today are their descendants and without God's direct intervention are wicked.

When we read the Bible we learn that those who believe in Jesus Christ are blameless because He has taken away the punishment for their sins. Jesus is the shield of the people of God so that their sins are forgiveness and their hearts are changed.

It is a lie to say there are many paths and many truths. There is only the path of the blameless, those who deny themselves, confess their sins and follow Christ; and the path of the wicked.

Joe Boot noted: "Culture is one's religion externalized." If you are a pagan, you will oppose all things Christian. If you are a Muslim or a Hindu your culture will express your faith and whatever it is you oppose. We live in a culture that is humanistic. It is self-serving and increasingly opposed to Jesus and His followers.

Yet, those who read the Word, who pray, and who seek after Jesus Christ are kept by the Spirit of God and peace is the joyful present reality and its fullest expression is our sure hope for eternity. It is not our actions that make us right with God. God has, in His great love, called us His Own in Christ. Our thank-fullness response is to desire to know Him more and believe in Him more deeply.

It is Sunday, get to church and renew your walk with God.

Blessed God and Father, thank You for the gift of Jesus Christ. Lord and Saviour, Jesus, forgive my waywardness, my foolishness and sins. Send Your Spirit to renew my zeal for Your Word and Your ways. Give me a discerning ear for those who are hungering and thirsting for something more than this sin-riddled world is peddling so that I may speak peace in Jesus' Name. Amen.