March 14, 2018 - - Psalm 69:6, 9a Zeal for God

Let not those who hope in you

be put to shame through me,

O LORD God of hosts;

let not those who seek you

be brought to dishonour through me,

O God of Israel.

For zeal for your house has consumed me...

Psalm 69:6, 9a ESV

In order that believers, followers of Jesus Christ, may be presented blameless before the Father in Heaven, Jesus endured scorn, mocking, beatings, and finally crucifixion. He died in our place. He never wavered in His devotion to the Father in Heaven and never faltered in His love for us. This convicted me today, especially after reading today's text.

How easy it is to make small compromises rather than seem fanatical in service to Christ--according to the text this is dishonouring His Name. Without much mental waffling we can neglect to mention we are church-goers, or more importantly, in our regular conversation never tell others that we are committed to following Jesus. It is shame brought to Jesus' Name and discouraging to those who look up to you and watch how you live out your faith.

Zeal means: passion, fervor, enthusiasm, energy for. The house of God today are the people of God. In the hearts and lives of believers that is the place where God makes His home. Are we zealous to help fellow believers? We show our love for God in our love for others. Are there Christians around you, fellow Christian, in need--help them. Your co-workers, your friends, your neighbours are in need of the Saviour. Speak up for Jesus and know the joy of seeing others come to follow Jesus Christ because of your words and actions.

Jesus, I confess how feeble my faith has been and how rarely I talk to others about my walk with You. Forgive me. Thank You, Father in Heaven, that while I was still lost in my sin, You sent Jesus to pluck me from the path of death and hell. Thank You Jesus for all You endured so that I would be Yours. Spirit of God, prompt me to speak, show me the many opportunities in each day where I can testify to the hope that is mine in Jesus. In my heart, in my mind, in my words and in my actions Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be glorified. Amen.

March 12, 2018 - - Fighting the devil

Our avowed enemy, Satan, is relentless. In order to be prepared for his onslaught, recognize these five tactics of the Devil, the Liar. (All the bible quotations are from the ESV)

1. Woe to those who call evil good

and good evil. Isaiah 5:20

Consider the fact in our culture it is okay to be passionate about sports, all kinds of sexual perversion, but it is not okay to be a passionate Christian in public. Satan tries to make good into evil and evil into good.

2. He will try leading you from lesser sins to greater sins. "But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to si, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." James 1:14-15 Those sins which we consider to be "small sins" leach away our fear of God and hatred of sin.

3. Sometimes the enemy is simply, doggedly persistent. Consider Delilah with Samson, constantly, relentlessly pressing him until he yielded (Judges 16:16). Think of a child, wearing down a parent's resistance by begging for a cookie.

4. “Satan attacks the conscience and assurance of believers with false reasoning. He might use a false syllogism such as, ‘This sin cannot remain in a true child of God. But it remains in you. Therefore you are not a true child of God.’” The fact is, sin is in us as the Spirit of God is purifying us by the blood of Christ, it is ebbing away. Sin is no longer our master. "Let not sin reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions." Romans 6:12

5. You know you shouldn't do something, but you feel you can do it anyways and repent later. This is deadly. "...like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears." Hebrews 12:16b-17

These notes from Pastor Stephen Richardson's sermon of Sunday March 11th in the AM. I have added to them as well.

As we are reminded in Ephesians 6, the way to fight the devil is: to pray to God to discern the attacks of the enemy and for God's protection, to go to the Word of God, and to stand with fellow believers in the work of God.

God You alone are the Source of All Truth. Thank You for the accomplished work of Jesus Christ, in Whose Name there is forgiveness for sin.Thank You for the fact that Jesus disarmed the enemy at the cross and made a public spectacle of him. Spirit of God, root out sin from my heart and motivate me to walk with integrity as I follow Jesus. Thank You for the powerful Word of God--Spirit, make the reading of the Word sweet to my soul and a delight to my heart. Amen.

March 10, 2018 - - Titus 2:1 What is your life teaching others?

But as for you teach what accords with sound doctrine.

Titus 2:1 ESV

This brief text opens with an adversative conjunction. What it means is this teaching here is opposite in meaning to the unit that came before it. As in Paul's day, so it is today, people claim special knowledge of God. A quick examination of the life of one making such a claim will show he doesn't know the Bible, and his actions betray his ignorance.

Our life's work is to know God. And from this place of rich joy we are to instruct others. First and foremost this begins with those in our own household. Worship God and delight to speak of Him and all He is doing with those closest to you.

Second, being a follower of Christ means we will be out of step with the world around us. The people of this world are in rebellion against God. Even those who claim an acquaintance with God will reveal by their words and actions the beliefs and doctrines they hold are, in fact, pagan.

Third, Look to the Bible. Study it. What does it teach about marriage? What does it teach about the sanctity of life? What does it teach about the origin of life? What does it teach about knowledge? What we believe is not an isolated part of our life--what we hold as doctrine and truth touches every part of how we view the world and how we act.

What does this mean? As a follower of Christ, my business practices and my marriage, my family and my social times, my studying and my free time, my view of government and science, all things in my life are infused with the knowledge of Jesus Christ and the desire to serve Him. This is the practice of sound doctrine which emanates from the believer. It is what the believer speaks and how the believer lives.

God of glory and wisdom, thank You for the wonderful gift of life. Thank You for Your instruction manual, the Bible. Thank You for the Spirit Who guides believers into ever deeper understanding of the truth. Spirit of God, in my own heart and mind, in my words and actions may Jesus be shown as the King and rightful ruler of every part. Help me to be faithful in living, and then teaching, sound doctrine. Amen.

March 9, 2018 - - Genesis 8:22 What is God's promise re: climate change?

While the earth remains,

seedtime and harvest,

cold and heat,

summer and winter,

day and night,

shall not cease.

Genesis 8:22 ESV

            To those who believe that the heavens and the earth were designed and created by a                   "higher" power, there is ample reason to expect that earth's temperature will remain in              a range to support life. In fact, God gives us that promise in Genesis 8:22.

             Within this worldview it makes perfect sense that the earth would have a temperature              control system just like our bodies do, since God designed them both.

            Dr. Alan White

Thank You God for Your rock-solid promises. Thank You for life that You give to believers in Jesus Christ, life that is abundant and free from needless fears. Spirit of the Living God, deepen my faith, and may the confident joy that is mine in Christ shine forth in my words and actions. Amen.

March 8, 2018 - - Psalm 39:11-12a Shocking simile about God

When you discipline a man

with rebukes for sin,

You consume like a moth what is dear to him;

surely all mankind is a mere breath!

Hear my prayer, O LORD,

and give ear to my cry;

hold not your peace at my tears!

Psalm 39:11-12a ESV

Are you finding losses in your life? Perhaps something you treasured was stolen. Perhaps cherished family ties, once dearer to you above all else, are now strained. Maybe your investments have tanked and you find yourself in tighter circumstances than you'd ever imagined. Maybe a job you dearly loved was taken from you. Maybe your health is faltering. Maybe friends have deserted you.

It is easy to say the devil has done it. But the Bible points to a more shocking source--the LORD. The shocking simile here compares the LORD to a moth that eats up what is dear. The point is this: anything that is dearer to you than the LORD, is an idol that needs to be toppled.

We are not to cry tears over what is lost. We are to cry tears of sorrow for our sinful ways which have tarnished our greatest relationship ever, our walk with God.

We are to cry tears of joy, at the fact the LORD Himself cares enough to upset our lives so that He will not allow us to run head-long into hell clutching onto our sins rather than His mercy.

We are to cry out to God, reaching out to Him until His peace takes hold of our hearts. The point is our longing for Him must be greater than the longing for our sins. At that moment the peace He offers in Jesus Christ will be fully ours, applied to us by the precious presence of His Spirit.

God it has been easier to rage against the losses I've experienced than it has been to do the hard work of trying to understand what You have been doing. It is hard to be disciplined by Your Hand. Yet, wavering as I do on this, I am praying do not withdraw Your Hand of discipline until I am wholly free of the sins that would pull me away from You. Do not stop until the longing for You is greater than the lust for sin. No matter my circumstances, my hope is in You alone all the day. Cleanse me and make me fit for holy service for the sake of Jesus' Name. Amen.

March 6, 2018 - - II Corinthians 7:8-12 What is godly sorrow?

For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter. So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one who did the wrong, nor for the sake of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your earnestness for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God.

II Corinthians 7:8-12

Paul wrote an earlier letter to the Corinthians, calling them out for allowing a very public sin to continue. The people were grieved. This is the difference between the sorrow of a Christian and a non-Christian. A non-Christian will feel bad about things, or behaviours, but this feeling does not produce a change. The Christian sorrows or grieves over his sin and repents: turns from the sin and turns toward God asking forgiveness and the strength to change.

Pastor Stephen Richardson this past Sunday noted there are seven things to be observed:

1. Godly sorrow leads a person to rush to make things right.

2. There is a full apology, no excuses or speaking of mitigating circumstances, or self-justifying.

3. Fear of the LORD--aware of His wrath against sin, God is not mocked, we can't 'get away with our sins'.

4. Indignation against our sin--we are angry enough to make a lasting change, putting sin behind us.

5. Vehement desire God creates in us for change.

6. Zeal--having the picture of the goal in mind and the God-given strength to go after it no matter our circumstances. Picture an athlete in training who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal.

7. Vindication: accepting the consequences of our sin and having a heart change that refuses to wallow in self-pity but with a view to the glory of God walks in newness of life.

Spirit of God, thank You for the gift of a conscience that produces godly sorrow. Jesus, thank You that our sins are wholly covered by Your finished work at the cross. Father in heaven, forgive me my wrong-doing. Thank You for showing me the hindrances and entangling things which would keep me from serving You with my whole heart, mind and strength. Now, give me the zeal to serve You. Amen.

March 4, 2018 - - Psalm 18:25-26 Do you see God as pure or tortuous?

With the merciful you show yourself merciful;

with the blameless man you show yourself pure;

and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.

Psalm 18:25-26 ESV

Interesting isn't it, how a hardened criminal will hate an honourable judge? The criminal will call the judge unjust, too strict...probably using other unprintable epithets as well.

We have in Jesus the Just Judge. The Father has ruled us sinful, not worthy to stand in the presence of His glory. This same Good Father, has sent Jesus His Son to bear the punishment for our sins. Jesus willingly took our place at the cross. Whenever our sins are confessed to Jesus, He brings us to the Father and declares us forgiveness because of the cross.

The Father was right to condemn us. If He forgave some and not others, He would be crooked and not just to all. However, the Father, Who is utterly holy and without sin, in Whose presence the sinful would be incinerated, provided the way to find mercy and release. Jesus took on the Father's punishment against sin. Those who admit their sin-steeped existence and need for a cleaning that goes right down to their flesh, and bones, and DNA prove the Father right in His pronouncement against sin.

As such a sinful man, I see God as merciful. His Spirit has sifted through my thoughts, my actions, my words, and my in inaction in the times when I knew the good I should have done and didn't do it. I deserved punishment. When, by the Spirit's revealing my sin sodden heart to me, and I confessed it, I received mercy (not punishment! nor the crushing sentence that should have been mine) mercy! from the King of Mercy.

The blameless man, in the Hebrew this word means "the man who perceive things as they are according to the facts", see God has pure, blameless. Think of it: the fact is all people are sinners and all live in rebellion against God unless His Spirit moves us to seek Him Who is already seeking us. The sinful man who confesses his sin and by his confession, of the sin in his life and in his thoughts, makes a statement that is in agreement with the witness of the Bible. Such a man is blameless because he is shielded by the blood of Jesus, shed to take away sin and purify the heart of the believer.

The crooked man is the one who remains stuck in sin. The man who sees God as tortuous (which means: deceptive, or untrustworthy) sees God through the lenses of his own sinfulness. His own heart condemns him but he blames God instead and never owns up to his sinfulness.

I go to church because I need the preached Word to hold up to my heart a mirror. The preacher, inspired by the Word of God and led by the Spirit, shows the congregants the depths of our ability to self-deceive and continue on in sin, ignoring the mercy and holiness of God. When I am convicted of my sins such a sermon also leads me to the one place I can find relief: to the cross of Jesus Christ. Often dragged unwillingly, it is the Spirit who scrapes away the layers of unconfessed sin and brings to my heart, my mind and my soul, the healing of the Gospel--the Good News of Jesus.

God of Mercy, I confess I am like one of the people I see on those shows about hoarders--I am buried alive in my own sinfulness and make little tunnels and pathways here and there. People who meet me would, if they really saw me as I truly am, would be as horrified as the friends of the hoarders are when they see inside the hoarder's house for the first time.

Your Word is true. Your Word speaks directly to the condition of my heart. Spirit of God, back up the dump truck and purge my heart of these layers of accumulated things that weigh me down and the sins that keep me from honestly knowing God.

Thank You for the mercy You hold out to me! Thank You for the healing that is in store. Prepare me for the struggle of this purging--which will last my whole life. Empower me to see the progress You are making so that I will always declare You pure and right. Keep me humble in prayer. With every room that is cleared and every victory You bring, do not allow me to view others with haughtiness or pride, rather, as one sin-hoarder who is being transformed by the Spirit to another who has not yet begun, let me pray with urgency and with understanding for the soul of the other so that in ALL things, You O God, are glorified and proved right in Your judgements. Amen.

March 3, 2018 - - Proverbs 3:33 Is yours a home of curse or blessing?

The LORD's curse is on the house of the wicked,

but He blesses the dwelling of the righteous.

Proverbs 3:33 ESV

Recently a friend and I visited a family from my church. After the visit my friend said, "There is a peace about that house." When I read this text this morning I thought of that observation.

Understand this, the household we visited was and is busy. There are growing boys. There are busy schedules. People were going in and out while we were visiting. There are the ordinary squabbles which are common in a house with children. But there was a peace that passes understanding.

It is the peace of Christ. Where Jesus is honoured as Lord and King, the household has the blessing of His peace.

Whatever our ultimate allegiance is will be reflected in our homes. Even a home that seems to step right out of the pages of a best homes magazine will not have peace that emanates from it if Jesus is not Lord of that family and household. It will be a place that is cursed.

When someone enters your house, what is it that is in the air of your apartment or condo or house? Is it the curse of the LORD that is in the very brickwork of your dwelling? Or does your dwelling display the peace of Jesus that passes understanding?

Mighty God, in Whose power are curses and blessing, splendour and dreadful Sovereignty, help me and the members of my household to serve You only. By Your Spirit, cause us to grow in the righteousness that is ours by the mercy of Your Son, our Saviour, Jesus the Blessed One. May ours be a household of peace where Jesus is highly honoured and many are drawn to Him. Amen.

March 2, 2018 - - Genesis 9:16-17 The Rainbow's Warning

"When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth."

Genesis 9:16-17 ESV

It is called the rainbow covenant. The LORD vowed He would not send a flood to cover the whole earth as He did in the days of Noah. If you look at a rainbow, the arch of the bow is pointed to heaven, as if God would let an arrow fly against Himself rather than flood the whole earth once again.

The flood was sent as judgement against the wickedness of humanity. It is beyond ironic that the sexually immoral of our age use the rainbow colours as the rallying flag for their sinful cause. The LORD will one day judge the heavens and the earth and all peoples. When Jesus returns all the wicked, the immoral, greedy, idolaters, any who willfully break God's commandments will be thrown into hell, the lake of fire, where they shall be punished for eternity and never die.

Just as God sent Noah and gave instructions for the life-saving Ark, so God has sent His Son, and now the life-saving Ark is the Church, the Bride of Jesus Christ. Those who are aware of their sins can cry out to Jesus. The Father will cleanse the guilty sinner of his sins. The Father and the Son will send the Spirit to guide the believer in the paths of life and what is good.

The rainbow is God's covenant sign. The whole earth was judged by the flood waters. One day, the whole earth will be judged before King Jesus. Do not use the rainbow colours mockingly for the celebration of immorality prohibited in the Word of God. Understand that the rainbow colours point forward to the judgement that will soon be here. God has provided the way of refuge in Jesus. Turn from evil ways and walk submitted to God.

Believers, do not knowingly, smugly nod, as your heart consigns the sexually immoral to eternal hell. Instead, pray! All of us, every single one of us, is in need of the mercy of Jesus Christ. All of us were thieves, idolaters, sexually wicked and greedy--and Jesus gave to us His righteousness at the cross when He endured the punishment of God for our sins. We have no right to boast or brag in ourselves or our goodness. Christ is our Shield! He is the source of our being judged good, He is our very great Reward.

Thank You, Father in heaven for rescuing me for the sake of Jesus. Thank You, Father in heaven, that while I was still a sinner, You sent Your Son as the perfect sacrifice for my sins and the sins of the world. Jesus, You are my boast and my song, You are my salvation and my hope. Spirit of the Living God, humbled by the fact that unless You had cut down my stubborn pride and wilful sinfulness I'd still be as guilty as any under the mocking rainbow flag, therefore move me to pray urgently and repeatedly for those lost in sexual sin. Spirit of God, bring honour and renown to the work of Jesus Christ by rescuing many lost and ruined sinners. Father in heaven, You are the giver of every good gift. You are the One Who offers the way out of the prison of sin--be glorified by bringing many lost sons and daughters to the glory of knowing and following You! Amen.

March 1, 2018 - - Proverbs 1:33 When storm-tossed where is God?

but whoever listens to me (wisdom) will dwell secure

and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.

Proverbs 1:33 ESV

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.

Mark 4:35-38a

Let's face it, we all can identify with the disciples. Here is this massive storm, why is Jesus sleeping? Doesn't He care what happens to us?

Jesus is the Son of God--fully God and fully Man. In the Gospels He is shown as the only man ever in the history of the world to be fully obedient to God the Father in heaven.

Jesus could sleep during the storm because He knew His Father would not let Him die before His appointed time. Jesus slept because He knew Proverbs 1:33. Wisdom, which has been built into the very foundation of creation and given to those who have faith in God, means the believer can trust the Father in all circumstances.

Spirit of God, I confess my eyes are on the storms in my life more often than they are fixed on my Father in Heaven. Give me such faith so that I know in Christ my sins are forgiven and because of Jesus I am secure and no thing or circumstances can ever rip me out from my Father's care. Amen.

February 28, 2018 -- Proverbs 28:26 Toddler steps in wisdom

Whoever trusts his own mind is a fool,

but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

Proverbs 28:26 ESV

One British comedy series from years back had an outlandish female character who had strong opinions. When there was a debate and a decision to be made, no matter what anyone else said, she would give her decision and say: "And I am unanimous in this!" It is funny because we know how wrong it is.

Our minds fool us all the time. We make New Year's resolutions and break them (usually within a day or two, if not within hours!) We take a hard stance on something and a single piece of information given to us after the fact can make us sheepishly realize how wrong-headed we were.

In every single human endeavor, we need a standard outside of ourselves. The Bible is this unchangeable standard. It is the wisdom from God and trustworthy to the utmost.

God You imbued creation with Your wisdom; wisdom is woven into every part. God You have given Jesus Christ, Who reveals You and Your work perfectly, so that all who follow Him walk in wisdom. God You and Your Son Jesus have given believers the Spirit Who opens the minds of Jesus-followers so that wisdom will be perceived and received in the pages of the Bible. I confess how stubbornly I cling to my pig-headed ways and foolish ideas. Humble my heart and purify my thoughts so that I long for the wisdom that is God-given. As a father takes the up-stretched hands of a toddler into his own, bend over me, take my hands and steady me by Your Word and Spirit so that in the confidence of Your presence I learn to take stronger steps in the way of wisdom. Amen.

February 27, 2018 - - Proverbs 27:21 How does praise define you?

The crucible is for silver,

and the furnace is for gold,

and a man is tested by his praise.

Proverbs 27:21 ESV

The furnace and the crucible are the places for fires which refine precious metal. The metaphor here is that praise is a refining fire that proves a man's worthiness.

The proverb is somewhat ambiguous. Did you notice that? Is it what a man praises that shows his worthiness? Or perhaps is it how a man receives praise that shows his true values? I believe the answer is both. What a man praises shows what he values. How a man receives praise shows the condition of his heart.

Spend some time with anyone and in short order you'll know what is important to him. A man may praise his own business sense and ability to acquire money. Another man may talk only about himself. Once in a while you'll speak with a man of integrity who in his daily conversation praises God and credits Him.

When you notice something you admire about someone and mention it, this too tests their metal. One man may mutter a thanks and turn away. Another man's eyes may brightened as his soul greedily longs for such praise. A man of integrity will receive the praise and honour God, Who has strengthened him for such service.

Teach me, O LORD, to bring You praise

both in my heart and mind and with my words and lips.

Spirit of the Living God, reveal to my heart

the glory of Christ that is at work in me.

Amen.

February 26, 2018 - - Hebrews 4:14-16 Meeting Jesus at His throne of grace

14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4 ESV

Pastor Stephen Richardson in his sermon yesterday gave four wonderful, helpful pointers which unpack these verses.

First we have confidence or boldness to approach the throne of grace; the accomplished work of Jesus Christ means the way is open to ask of Him.

Second it is a throne of grace and Jesus the King has the power to do all we ask. He will deal royally with His people. Do we confidently, boldly pray for evil to be overthrown and for His kingdom to increase?

Third. it is a throne of grace. We find exactly what we sinful people, don't deserve. We deserve judgement and hell. At this throne we receive forgiveness and help.

Fourth at this throne of grace we can expect to bring our fears, our failures, our missed opportunities and ask forgiveness. Beg for His help. Call on Him and learn Who He is. It is the throne of grace, not of spirituality, not of judgement. It is the throne of grace where the unqualified and the hopeless find He saves to the uttermost.

It is the proof of our depravity that we have such a throne opened to us and we must be urged to kneel, to pray. We have free access to God through the accomplished work of Jesus Christ, given us by the Spirit: pray boldly.

Jesus, help me overcome my unbelief. Jesus give me the faith I need so that my prayers will be bolder, and the times of prayer rich and steady. I know I am weak. Yes, I am sinful in ways I haven't even considered. But I believe Your Word, and at this throne of grace I ask: save me to the uttermost. At this throne of grace teach me to pray, to delight, to expect. You are God and I am not, let me find my strength and my song in You. Amen.

February 20, 2018 - - Psalm 102:18-22 Leading the Next Generation in Praise

Let this be recorded for a generation to come,

so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord:

that he looked down from his holy height;

from heaven the Lord looked at the earth,

to hear the groans of the prisoners,

to set free those who were doomed to die,

that they may declare in Zion the name of the Lord,

and in Jerusalem his praise,

when peoples gather together,

and kingdoms, to worship the Lord.

Psalm 102:18-22 ESV

Look at the opening sentence of today's reading. The focus here is on the next generation. Each generation looks to raise up the next generation of Christian leaders who praise the LORD. This is our life's goal and purpose: to praise the LORD while leading others up to follow in praise.

Why should we, or the generation that follows us, praise the LORD? The Bible teaches this is what we were created to do: to praise the LORD. The passage here reminds us the LORD has set us free from the prison of our sins. He has put the judgment for our sins on His Son so that those who look to Jesus and follow Him will be set free.

You'll sometimes read memes of people so grateful that the person in line ahead of them at Tim Horton's paid for their order. How happy that makes someone. Others express joy when receiving unexpected help, especially when it is given at the moment of greatest need. That brings such delight.

The LORD hears the groaning of His people, He rescues them. The deliverance of the LORD begins now and lasts for eternity. No wonder peoples gather to praise Him! Little wonder then that kingdoms gather to worship the Lord--the Master of Rescue for the helpless, Father to the fatherless.

Spirit of God remind me, throughout the course of this day, of the way Jesus rescued me from sin and saved me from experiencing the bitter, deadly consequences of it that should have been mine.

Jesus, Captain of Salvation, blessed are You! Who is like You? You have paid the penalty against my sin, doing so before I ever knew You, doing so while I still hated You and was drowning in my sin and its consequences.

Father in Heaven, blessed is Your Name. Glorious and magnificent is the plan of salvation which You are bringing to fruition in the life of believers.

Triune God--help me to keep the vision of this passage: praising You while leading others to follow in bringing praise to up Your great and wonderful Name. Amen.

February 19, 2018 -- Proverbs 19:9 Emptying a lie of its power.

A false witness shall not go unpunished,

And he who speaks lies shall perish.

Proverbs 19:9 NKJV

What a clear call the LORD gives to speak the truth. The Mighty God Who created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them with the word of His mouth can with His word punish those who are liars.

False witnesses are those who speak contrary to the Bible.

False witnesses are those who honour science or philosophy, art or medicine, heroes or family above the Word of the LORD.

To tell a lie is to knowingly twist the truth.

To speak a lie includes withholding key facts.

To lie includes allowing slander to continue unchallenged when you know your words could exonerate someone, even if that person is your enemy.

The Proverbs are so practical. At the start of this chapter there is a call to walk in integrity. This means when we know we have lied or falsely handled the truth, we confess it to God and then to the person we have wronged.

All wrongdoing and all sin is first and foremost a violation of our commitment to walk with God and to honour Him with our whole heart, all our mind and with every gram of our strength. All the punishment our sins deserve have been poured out onto Jesus. At the cross all our wrongs and lies have been disarmed by Jesus, Who endured this punishment in our place. We are free because He was punished. Therefore, we are called to holiness.

Believers in Jesus Christ are not free from lies or falsehoods. Believers are the people who walk in their integrity for the honour of Jesus' Name and glory of God the Father. When a believer is confronted with his lie, he should confess it, and so God is praised as the Truth. When a believer realizes her falsehoods, she seeks to honour God by making it right. All of this is done in humility, under the protection of the Holy Spirit Who is the deposit guaranteeing our eternal inheritance. The Spirit works in us and in others so that hurts are healed and lies lose their power. We are human. We are sinners. We will fail. We will do so knowingly and many times without realizing our own sinfulness. We are wilfully blind to our own sins.

God of Truth and Knowledge thank You for the purity of Your Word. Thank You that everything You teach in the Bible is trustworthy and true. Thank You for the Spirit Who teaches us the deep truth of Scripture. Thank You for the work of Jesus, which has exposed the lies of the enemy and disarmed the power of falsehood. Help me to know You better. Help me to live as a truth-bearer and so confirm the glory of the accomplished work of Jesus Christ. Assist me and all those who follow Jesus Christ to be quick to acknowledge our lies and falsehoods, slow to find offense in others and gracious in offering and receiving the healing work of forgiveness that Jesus alone can supply. Amen.

February 15, 2017 - - Proverbs 15:28 Giving a right answer

The heart of the righteous studies how to answer,

But the mouth of the wicked person pours forth evil.

Proverbs 15:28 NKJV

The righteous person is one who knows he is a sinner. He is not superior to anyone else. He is not proud of his accomplishments, rather, he knows his sins have been put on to Jesus and Jesus bore the full weight of God's punishment against his sin there. When the righteous man is made aware of his sin, he turns from it, asks God for forgiveness, based on the merits of Christ, and lives a new life strengthened by the help of Jesus' Spirit.

The righteous man studies the word of God.

The righteous man studies how heroes of the faith life.

The righteous man studies listening to advice.

The righteous man studies learning from Biblical sermons.

The righteous man studies his opponent in order to win him to Jesus and the way of life.

King Jesus, I confess I am not righteous. There is no ground for me to boast or to hold up my life as an example. Jesus, Friend of Sinners and Savior of those who call on You, it is You Who are my boast and my song, my hope and my joy. Teach me more and more about You. Show me Your will and Your way so that I will honour our Father in heaven and by the strength of Your Spirit will end whatever contentious and divisive ways I have been pursuing. Let me study and grow in all that is excellent and good for the glory of Your Name and thereby win others to Christ--the joy and crown of believers. Amen.

February 12, 2018 - - Isaiah 55:8-9 What are the fundamental entities of the universe?

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways,

And My thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8 & 9 NKJV

...the foundation for materialism (atheism, humanism, evolution) is that the universe consists of only two entities: mass and energy. Therefore, if a third entity can be shown to exist, then materialism and all philosophies based on it must also be false. Information is this third fundamental entity.

Mike Riddle

Indeed, Einstein pointed to the nature and origin of symbolic information as one of the profound questions about the world as we know it. He could identify no means by which matter could bestow meaning to symbols. The clear implication is that symbolic information, or language, represents a category of reality distinct from matter and energy.

John Baumgardner

The presupposition of the Bible is that there is a God who created the universe, the earth, and all organisms living on earth. This has been shown to be consistent with scientific discoveries that there is a nonmaterial third fundamental entity called information that originates only from an intelligent source. The universe consists of more than just mass and energy, and the information found within the DNA system of life originated from an all-knowing, all-powerful Creator God.

Mike Riddle

These last three quotations are drawn from the book: THE NEW ANSWERS Book 2. Gen. Ed. Ken Ham; chapter 20, 8th printing, March 2011.

Here's where the rubber meets the road. When you meet with or debate a person who claims to be a materialist, someone who states there is only mass and energy and by extension claims there is no God, no Divine Source Who gave a beginning to the universe, then challenge him. Ask him to explain things using the only tools he claims exist as foundational entities in the universe: mass and energy. It is nonsensical. Of course he can't. He must use the gift of information, of language, of drawings and symbols--all of which are God's thoughts--even to argue his own position that there is no god! Ask such a materialist to explain the very conundrum Einstein couldn't explain: how can matter bestow meaning to symbols? Only God can be, only God IS, the source of information.

He is the Creator. He is the Beginning. He is the Goal of all history. He created in six days, the heavens and the earth, the stars and the creatures that exist. On the seventh day He created a sanctuary in time, a day of rest and delight wherein the people who know Him worship Him!

Blessed be Your Name, O God my Father!

Praise belongs to You, Lord Jesus Christ, Ruler of all!

Blessed are You, Spirit of God, Wise Counselor Who leads believers to Jesus Christ.

Thank You, God of Thought and Information, for the proofs You have set in our bodies, written in the very code of our DNA, the evidence of information which can only have its source in You. Thank You that You spoke life into being and thank You for the way in which You sustain the faith of Your people until that great and glorious day when we shall see Jesus Christ return, with all His holy angels, to bring judgment to the unbelieving world and salvation to believers. May the mysteries of this universe and the enigmas of our times draw many, many unbelievers to consider You, to find their restless questions can only be answered in the Person of Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Savior. And so bring many sons and daughters to know and believe in Jesus, the Joy of the Redeemed, the Captain of our Salvation, the Radiance of the Father's glory. Hallelujah! Amen.

February 10, 2018 Proverbs 7:4-5 Where is dignity truly found?

Say to wisdom, "You are my sister,"

And call understanding your nearest kin,

That they may keep you from the immoral woman,

From the seductress who flatters with her words.

Proverbs 7:4-5 NKJV

A few days ago I was listening to a story of a person's desire to "die with dignity". The person who walked with this family through this journey is called an "escort". Immediately, because of the word "escort" there was for me the clear connection between prostitution and the desire for death. Please understand, I am going to speak very directly and openly here. My goal is not to wound further, but to give those who are suffering the hope that there is refuge in the arms of our Father in heaven. There are believers who will stand with you, grieve with you and walk in the path of life and truth.

To begin with, according to the Bible, men and women are created in the image of God. Our lives, from conception to natural death, are precious in the sight of the LORD. God knit us together in the womb. We are His. Our joys and our sufferings are sanctified, made holy and purposeful, because of the cross of Jesus Christ. The Spirit is the deposit guaranteeing the salvation of those who believe and follow Jesus Christ.

In this story I was listening to, the escort spoke flattering words of the manner of death. The escort seduced this family with the hope of the end of suffering and the peaceful rest that would follow. The media continues this lie by reverent interviews and soft music and playing on emotions as if this were a beautiful event instead of the violent rebellion against God which assisted death really is.

The Bible teaches us that life is a gift. Life and death away from God are the path to hell and destruction. There is no death with dignity if God is not in the picture. We do not have the right to commit suicide. It is right and proper for society to be horrified at the suicide rate of returning soldiers or teen-agers. So too should each person be horrified at the desire to kill off pre-born children or those who are ill, depressed, or deemed inconvenient.

What the media neglects to portray is the wounds left in the heart of women who undergo abortions. What the media wouldn't speak of is the anguish of men who do not have a say in the life of their pre-born child who is killed, perhaps without their knowledge or consent. After an abortion the media wants women to continue to talk as escorts, as if abortion were okay, and not tearing up their soul.

The media won't talk of the guilt and tremendous grief that friends and family members experience amid the wreckage which suicide or assisted death inevitably brings. After assisted suicides the media wants the family to prostitute their souls and speak as if there were great dignity in this all.

Wisdom tells us that God knows our deepest sorrows and our heaviest burdens. Understanding, which the Spirit gives us through faith in Jesus and reading the Word, teaches us that every life is valuable and every moment of life has dignity because the person is made in the image of God. We are stamped with God's claim on us--we are not our own, but are to live and die with the great purpose of showing we belong to God.

Followers of Jesus Christ, arise. Walk with those who are distressed and in crisis because of a pregnancy. Believers, speak of the fact all people are made in the image of God, life is precious because each person is made in the image of God. We are stamped as precious in His sight. Comfort those who experience suffering. Sit in uncomfortable places and times with those who need community.

God of life blessed be Your Name for the sanctity of life. Great and glorious are You, LORD Jesus Christ because You have shown the height, the depth, the breadth and the width of Your love for every single person--from the child in utero to the person breathing the last gasps of breath. Spirit of God forgive us Christians for our towering silence and for our all too often absence from the places of crisis and need. Embolden us as believers to go to the places of greatest need and by our presence to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Amen.

February 9, 2018 - - Psalm 40:11-13, 16-17

Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord;

Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.

For innumerable evils have surrounded me;

My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up;

They are more than the hairs of my head;

Therefore my heart fails me.

Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;

O Lord, make haste to help me!

Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;

Let such as love Your salvation say continually,

“The Lord be magnified!”

But I am poor and needy;

Yet the Lord thinks upon me.

You are my help and my deliverer;

Do not delay, O my God.

Psalm 40:11-13, 16-17 NKJV

The awesome, terrible, holiness of God means that our own sinful condition is immediately revealed to us. The sins that cling to us and our "go-to sins" are subject to His unspeakable, just, punishment. If we choose to hold onto our sins, we will miss the mercy of our God. The writer of this psalm realized the trapped feeling brought on by this conundrum.

As New Testament believers we know that God's punishment against sin was emptied out onto the body and soul of Jesus Christ at the cross. Those who believe on Him and follow Him, leaving sinful paths, will find God's forgiveness full and free. The Spirit of God applies this to our hearts. The Spirit seals us what is broken in us so that we understand we are held, even restrained from our propensity to wander: by the Word of God, the work of Christ and the Spirit of God. When you realize the depraved inclinations of your heart, when in view of the unendurable holiness of God our Father, you know you need to be rescued, cry out to Jesus. He is the Captain of our Salvation and the Deliverer of those who cry out.

Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O LORD,

my sins, my wrong-doing, my grossly immoral behaviour rise up as a stench around me. Rescue me and deliver me from this sinking sand. I have no other rescue, no other source of help, You are my Deliverer, Jesus, the Only One appointed by the Father to save the sinking and the stinking. Spirit of God, do not delay, seal to my heart the healing ointment promised in the beautiful words of this psalm. LORD of Lords, be magnified! Amen.

February 7, 2017 Isaiah 57:15 Glimpses of God's Holiness

For thus says the High and Lofty One

Who inhabits eternity,

Whose Name is Holy:

"I dwell in the high and holy place,

With him who has a contrite and humble spirit,

To revive the spirit of the humble,

And to revive the heart of the contrite ones."

Isaiah 57:15 NKJv

Many people point out that God is love. The worldview of many goes something like this: 'because God is love what I am doing is not so bad. He loves me.' The standard of our conduct should never be our own arbitrary, fluctuating standards. We are wrong when we compare our conduct against someone we consider to be worse that we are. The gold standard of our conduct is Christ Himself. Jesus, the Perfect One, is the One to Whom we must compare our conduct. How wicked we are! How puny and filthy our best intentions and deeds when viewed in the Light of His perfection.

Interestingly enough, the angels of heaven do not cry out: "Love, love, love, is the LORD Almighty." Instead, they cover their faces and cry out: "Holy! Holy! Holy! Is the LORD God Almighty." Why is that significant?

The Holiness of God reveals the sin within every human heart.

The Holiness of God humbles sinners making them aware of their great need for His cleansing.

The Holiness of God destroys our pride and boasting.

The Holiness of God revives the heart of the broken.

The Holiness of God drives us to Jesus Christ.

The Holiness of God makes us long for the work of the Spirit to teach us the way of Him Who is Holy so that the stench and stain and filth of sin are washed away.

God, High and Holy, Blessed be Your Name!

Living as I do in a world steeped in sin and living with a heart that is prone to evil and to wandering, Your Holiness is a mystery to me. Whenever the Bible shows me smallest glimpse of the weight of Your Holiness I am undone. My foolish boasts and claims are shown to be empty and wicked. Clean out my heart, Spirit of God, by the blood of Jesus Christ. Father in heaven, revive me, so that I will long to walk in the way of holiness. Steer the course of my life back on track, Jesus, Captain of Salvation, so that I will not wind up broken on the rocks of familiar sins and wicked patterns of behaviour. You, Holy One, are more willing to answer than I am to sincerely pray! I believe, help me overcome my inertia. Holy Are You, LORD of Lord--Great is Your mercy in revealing Yourself to this world. Amen.