August 3, 2023 -- I Thessalonians 5:16-18 -- Pray without ceasing

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
I Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV

Recently I heard a podcast on prayer. Alistair Begg was preaching. He was appropriately harsh in his criticism of preachers, Christians, and church leaders who pray “God be with” this person or that person. The Bible is clear, God is everywhere. He is already with that person. Furthermore, Begg was ridiculing preachers and congregations who spend most of their time praying for the health of various people. Neither of these topics are the focus of the apostles’ prayers nor are these part if the instruction Jesus gives for prayer in the Lord’s Prayer. What then should believers pray for?

1. When someone is going through a challenging health crisis, ask God to show this person the purpose for this crisis and increase his faith through this and help him to be a witness to the doctors and nurses and heath professional he meets.

2. Rejoice. How often are your prayers filled with rejoicing before the Father in heaven for the riches of His salvation given to you in Christ? How often do you spend time before Him rejoicing? Believers note with the psalmist that in God’s presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).

3. Are you giving thanks for God’s faithfulness to you despite your lack of faithfulness? Are you giving thanks to God for the gift of the Holy Spirit Who lives in you and sustains your life in Christ? Are you giving thanks that our Triune God will not let you go, but His faithfulness pursues you all your days!

4. It was announced in various media outlets yesterday that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife are officially separating. Immediately there are all kinds of Opinion Editorials expressing the notion if he can’t run his household, how can be fit to run a country—but how many people have called for Christians to pray for our leader—exactly as the Bible instructs us to do (I Timothy 2:1-4).

5. There are so many topics that need our urgent prayer. Consider these:

   ~that churches remain faithful to the Word of God and declare it boldly

   ~for judges and lawyers in the weight of difficult decisions that must be made

   ~for newly released prisoners who have “paid their debt to society” and now must reintegrate into society, may the church be found faithful in representing Jesus to this neglected people

   ~for parole boards that every single day have to decide whether or not a prisoner is ready to return to society on parole, or if such parole must be denied

   ~pray for the salvation of your neighbours, family members, friends, co-workers, by name, asking God to show them His great salvation

   ~so many Christians are at odds with one another, and their disagreements are well-known; how often do churches and leaders publicly pray for them that they will resolve their differences through Jesus, the Prince of Peace Who at the cross provided the basis for all our healing?!

   ~the gathering of believers can seem like a social club more than a place where lives are eternally impacted by the glory of God. Fervently ask the Spirit to make the gathering of believers a place where sins are exposed, and thrown down in the powerful Name of Jesus, believers are given the opportunity to speak openly about their struggles and needs, and together men and women re-affirm their graftedness in Jesus Christ (John 15:6).

   ~for the courage of every believer to admit his or her sins, confessing them and hating them more and more; for the willingness of Christian assemblies to call out sin and offer correction, discipline and mentoring in the way of holiness

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name. What a treasure You have given those who have become Your sons and daughters by the accomplished work of Jesus Christ. This treasure of speaking with You, the Great, Holy, Eternal, Majestic One Who alone lives in unapproachable light! Spirit of the Living God renew in the followers of Jesus Christ a holy awe at the privilege that is ours to engage in a life-long conversation with God Most High. Spirit deepen our desire to be cleansed of every hindrance that might interfere with knowing and serving Jesus, to that end, give us the ability to be honest, and self-searching in confession. Triune God, as Your cleansed people, made righteous through the imputation of Jesus’ righteousness, help us, direct us, fill us so that we pray without ceasing-to the honour and glory of Your Name and the building up of individuals, families, church assemblies and this for the healing of our land, and the increase of conversion growth until Jesus Himself returns. Amen.

https://youtu.be/Xa5Nh77GDXg “I Love the LORD He Heard My Cry”

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

August 1, 2023 -- I John 4:8 -- What do you mean when you say 'God is love'?

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
I John 4:8 ESV

Our world considers love to be a feeling that rises and falls, that gets intense and fades. Scripture shows something profoundly different. God is love. God is just. God is faithful. God is good. God is holy.

God allows sinners to enjoy creation, life, health, beauty and family and work. It is amazing. However, those who enjoy such things in this life and do not credit the God Who is love, will be judged by God the Just for their refusal to express thanksgiving and love to Him for all the gifts they had enjoyed from His hand.

God Who is Love gives to believers delight in Him. With the Psalmist we acknowledge that it is in God in Whom is all my delight; at His right hand are eternal pleasures forevermore. Believers enjoy creation, life, health, beauty, family, work, and all things, as a gift from the Fatherly hand of our King. Christians endure hardships in the full knowledge that this life is not all there is. Eternity awaits us. We know God is love and from the fullness of His love we can love.

God is love. He is the source of love. He sustains His love in us through the power of His Spirit so that we can see the most perfect picture of His love, Jesus, most clearly. God is love, in Him we have the ability to love those who we’d otherwise deem unlovable. God is love, in Him we live in true and deep community because He is source of the love we need so that we can live with others who have as many faults as we do. Ah, what an amazing God we serve.

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name. We confess how greedily we drink in Your love and how stingy we are in showing love to others. From the fullness of Your love extravagantly shown us in Christ, empower us by Your Spirit to be a people who shine Your love out in every area of our lives and to share Your divine love with all the people You put into our lives. Amen.

https://youtu.be/KLTu1xv2-Us “Oh, the Deep Love of Jesus”

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

July 31, 2023 -- Psalm 34:15 -- The Psalm Series: The Eyes of our Father in Heaven

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
   and His ears toward their cry.
Psalm 34:15 ESV

The reference to 'the eyes of the LORD, there is a parallel expression in Chronicles. “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.” (II Chronicles 16:9 ESV). What an amazing picture this is, the Father in heaven is constantly looking over all the people of the earth, seeing, noticing and examining every single person. He is looking for those whose hearts are blameless, or whole, or righteous. Simply put, He is looking for those who knowing their need of Him, confess their sins. Long for Him. Look to Him. Delight in Him. Who do not find their circumstances to be their source of joy or sorrow—but in whose hearts there is a continual feast because their hearts belong to the LORD.

He hears their cry. What a beautiful statement. Maybe you have experienced something like this. You are visiting a family with many children. You’re talking with the parents when suddenly the mother stops, puts down her coffee mug and quietly says to her husband, “I heard that too”. She goes out to see what’s the matter. It turns out one of the children needed mom. Even though the others were boisterous in their play, loud and there are various ambient noises, mom and dad could pick out the true distress from among all the other sounds. If imperfect parents can do so, how much more perfectly, lovingly and patiently does our Father hear and answer.

Our Father in heaven great and glorious is Your Name in all the earth. Thank You for the loving care You extend to Your people. Thank You for the life given to us in Jesus Christ through Whom we are righteous. By Your Spirit's work in us direct all our living so that in joys or sorrows, riches or debts, sickness or health, loneliness or great company, we entrust ourselves wholly to You, Faithful God. We confess how easy it is to base our happiness on our circumstances, rather than allowing all our circumstances to drive us deeper into Your embrace. Amen.

https://youtu.be/JmGwHdNtpEw “All People That on Earth do Dwell”

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

July 29, 2023 -- Psalm 34:11-14 -- The Psalm Series: being taught the fear of the LORD

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Come, O children, listen to me;
   I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
What man is there who desires life
   and loves many days, that he may see good?
Keep your tongue from evil
   and your lips from speaking deceit.
Turn away from evil and do good;
   seek peace and pursue it.
Psalm 34:11-14 ESV

The question which drives these verses is this: do you desire life? What is the longing of your heart. This week I spoke with a man whose longing and meditation is on the form and bodies of men. He is, by his own admission, homosexual. He also states he is Christian. The question is: if you are a Christian, why do you spend your time meditating on what the bible describes as sin? An alcoholic in recovery was speaking with me and his words might has well have been a pitch for a beer commercial. Why mentally pursue evil while in a Christian drug and alcohol recovery program?

When you are alone, what is it you think about? Do you plot revenge against your enemies? Do you hate yourself? Do you think you are a failure? Do you plan your next Break and Enter so you'll have enough money for this or that? Or are you entertaining arguments why you are right and this other person needs to know it, feel it, or experience it?

David is taking the role of a teacher of wisdom in this Psalm. He is telling his audience, his children in the faith, to fear the LORD. Let the majesty, brilliance, power, holiness of the LORD so impress your heart and fill your thoughts that evil is driven out. Let the Word of the LORD teach you what is evil and what is good. According to Jeremiah, the heart is deceptive above all things (Jeremiah 17:9) so you can’t trust your own judgment about things. Only trust the LORD and fear the consequences of disobedience towards Him.

Examine your life. Where are you entertaining evil thoughts? What do you think about when no one else is around? Does your heart go to the Word of God? Do you think about the work of Jesus Christ? Do you remember passages of Scripture that you mind need to puzzle out until you have explored the depths of what they really mean? Are you attending church? Are you doing the good you know you need to do?

This is not working in order to gain salvation. David is writing to his children, that is, his spiritual children. Believers who already now belong to God through the blood of Jesus and have been given the power of the Spirit for life have pledged to drop all their sins and all their shame and all their wrong-doing and follow Jesus. Are you in fact following Jesus in your words? In your alone times? In what you watch? By your actions?

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name. Spirit of the Living God, help me to honour the LORD in my thoughts and my actions. Spirit of all comfort bring to mind the ways in which I have previously seen and experienced the goodness of God and as I think of such things may my heart sing to bless the Father based on the accomplished work of Jesus. Spirit of God strengthen me deep within so that I will turn away from evil and do good, seeking peace and energetically pursue it so that by my thought-life and my activities I will show I am truly a child of my Father in heaven. Triune God, as Your people live in joyful obedience to the ways of wisdom, may we grow in true community and love and this be a powerful witness to the world around us of Your goodness to Your people, the Church. Amen.

https://youtu.be/DciMh_ciwkk Shane and Shane “Psalm 34”

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

July 28, 2023 -- Luke 5:16 -- Appointed Meeting Times with the Father in Heaven

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.
Luke 5:16 ESV

Don’t you hate getting stood up? You plan. You anticipate the get together. You alter your schedule. You keep the time free. And you wait. And the friend you’d expected doesn’t show. You might make excuses for the other person while you wait. But at a certain point you get exasperated. You realize this is just not going to happen.

The Bible records the fact that Jesus would withdraw to desolate places and pray. In fact, sprinkled through-out the Gospels are numerous references to this. It’d be easy to miss these notes if you weren’t looking for then. Once you start looking, you see it everywhere. Jesus was a man of prayer. He kept His appointments with the Father.

His times with His Father, prayer-times, were held in desolate places. Notice the meaning here. Humanly speaking they were desolate. They were without people, entertainment, distractions. They would be, humanly speaking, lonely places. For Jesus’ purposes they were desolate places transformed to rich meeting places blessed by His time with His Father in heaven. 

Jesus would pray. He was human. He had the same struggles, weaknesses, hunger pains, tiredness, and so on, that we experience. But He would push past these. He would withdraw and pray. Why? Because it is in the time of prayer that His soul was revived. No doubt prayer was just as much a struggle for Jesus as it is for us. Keeping the time free. Avoiding people who would crowd out His time with His Father. Not yielding to the tyranny of the urgent, but staying in place and pouring out His heart to God.

Dear fellow believer keep at it. Zealously guard your appointment with God. Don’t stand Him up! Call on Jesus, Who is seated at the throne of grace and mercy, to help you and to send His Spirit on you so that your soul is encouraged and strengthened to meet with the Father. Fight your flesh and your laziness and get close to God.

Our Father in heaven honor and praise, worship and blessing be unto Your Name! Thank You for the gift of life lived in Your presence. Thank You that You have prepared the possibility of meeting with Your people because of the blood of Jesus, poured out so that Your just anger against our sin has been set aside. Show us the spiritual pleasures awaiting us at Your right hand that begin now and stretch into eternity. Forgive us for the times we've stood You up and the many times we rushed through our appointments with You. Help us to rest in You. Help us to praise You so that the dividing walls of hostility will be broken down and nothing will hinder the ever-increasing felicity of meeting with You. Amen.

https://youtu.be/rNuGOFMvvAk Keith Green “My Eyes are Dry”

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

July 25, 2023 -- Isaiah 43:22 -- Fighting the flesh in order to renew our first love

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

“Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob;
but you have been weary of me, O Israel!”
Isaiah 43:22 ESV

One of the men I correspond with regularly has been reading “The Enemy Within”. I made a commitment to read this work as well. I have been finding it an inspiration. Very convicting. The book is written by Kris Lundgaard. His goal is to update John Owen’s book “The Mortification of Sin”.

Lundgaard writes:
   The greatest destroyer of first-love is the neglect of private communion
   with God...Two lovers who never speak to each other are not lovers.
   A husband who avoids his wife, who reads the paper when she wants
   to talk to him, who takes up hunting or reading to busy himself so that
   he won't have to commune with her, simply doesn't love her. Period.
      The person who calls himself a Christian, who says he loves God,
   yet does not seek his company and delight in it, can't be a true lover
   of God. His own flesh has deceived him. If he doesn't daily give his
   heart to God and receive God's heart in return, if he doesn't daily 
   renew his hatred of his own sin and his delight in God's mercy, he
   has no relationship to God. page 118

Interesting that in today's passage the LORD Who, at the opening of this chapter, declared His love for His people and explained His saving work for twenty one verses, now refers to His people as "Jacob", which means deceiver. Beloved, how has your heart deceived you? Are you daily recommitting yourself to the LORD Who formed you, Who redeemed you, Who has called you by name?

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name. It is easy to speak that phrase in prayer as a throw-away line. Just some opening that need to make so that we can get through today's prayers. But it is by the blood of Jesus Christ that we are reconciled to You. It is His work which allows us to call You Father. It is the Spirit of God Who breaks down every stubborn wall of resistance in our hearts so that we can hear Your call of love and know You as God our Savior. Spirit of the Living God renew in us a holy hunger for a deeper walk with God the Father. Spirit of Power, help us to fight our flesh, our wandering minds and our rebellious attitude so that we will call on the LORD, our Father, and this through the accomplished work of Jesus Christ. Amen.

https://youtu.be/nGlPk7Vzy2M "The Lord's Prayer" Susan Boyle

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

July 23, 2023 -- Romans 8:5-6 -- Setting our minds on the Spirit

People loved by the Father, by the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
Romans 8:5-6 ESV

Paul has just completed that famous passage where he exposed his spiritual wrestling: “For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” Romans 7:15b. He confesses his spirit longs to obey God and his flesh fights him every step of the way. He then praises God the Father for the redeeming work of Jesus Christ (Romans 7:25).

Notice the intentionality of both paths. Those who strive for the things of the flesh—pride, greed, position, money, selfishness, laziness, an undisciplined thought life—their lives end in spiritual death. They will receive the reward of their labours, which is eternity in hell. Those who intentionally pursue life according to the Spirit will find life and peace.

The flesh hates God. Even godly men and women who desire to serve God must fight their flesh. The flesh makes excuses: "I’m too busy to pray right now". Or, how about this one "I’ve been doing my bible reading and prayer this week—more or less—so I don’t necessarily need to go to church". What about this classic excuse "It is too hard to be consistent, God accepts me where I am as I am". Your own flesh, your worldly desires will try to drown you in your patterns of old sins.

The spirit which belongs to Jesus, will delight in the things of His Spirit. Those who by the Father’s adoption as His heirs, know that Jesus is their elder brother, and because of this they will fight the things of the flesh and every rising, worldly impulse that persistently strives to pull them away from life and peace. Notice the intentionality of today’s passage. It is not automatic. The believer must set his mind on the Spirit. There must be a day to day commitment to live according to the Spirit’s rule in your life. It is the fight of your life and requires all your thought, energy working under the power of the Spirit.

• Read your bible. Make the choice. Keep the commitment.

• Pray. This is a tough one. What do I pray about? Whatever you have read in the Bible. Whatever you know is fighting your commitment to stay true to Jesus.

• Get to church. It is a spiritual battle. As soon as you commit to going to church so many other things will pop up, urgent things. Good things. But not the best things that will help keep you true to the LORD and directed by the Spirit.

• Stay close to Christians friends. I have been re-committing myself to eating healthier. It was hot yesterday. So hot. I offered to take a friend to a popular ice cream place. A few hours earlier, he’d just heard of my commitment to healthier eating. He declined the offer of ice cream! His steadiness overcame my lazy, fleshly desires.

Our Father in heaven praise and honour, blessing and worship belong to You. How great is the salvation You have given in Jesus Christ! Who is a God like You? You save Your people from sin and You strengthen them for this new life by the powerful presence of Your Spirit. Triune God help us as believers to set our minds on the things of the Spirit. Help us to fight our worldly desires submitting ourselves instead to Your law and Your will and so find the abundant life and plenteous peace that You so richly promise. Amen.

https://youtu.be/tQUTvMtUhw4 “The Doxology” Anthem Lights and Selah

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

July 21, 2023 -- Deuteronomy 6:4-9 -- The Basics of the Faith: the Only, Living and True God

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 ESV

One common misconception of the non-believer, that also infects far too many believers as well, is the notion that there are many titles and labels for God and all religions are basically different paths to the same God. God is exclusive. He is in a category all on His Own. There is no other gods. That is scandalous to the people of the world. It is the blessed assurance of the Christian. The Shorter Catechism puts it this way:

Q. 5 Are there more Gods than one?

Answer: There is but one only, the living and true God.

One of the source texts for question and answer 5 is our text. Those believers of the Old Testament who anticipated Jesus, and New Testament believers in Jesus, are joined together in the revealed knowledge that the LORD God is the One, True, Living God. There are none beside Him.

The New Testament fully confirms the teaching of the Old Testament, that Jesus is the only way to knowing God, John 14:6. The LORD, the Living and True God, is all-knowing, all-wise. It is to His great honour and glory that He has revealed Himself through the creation, then through the Bible and the greatest revelation is Jesus Christ Himself.

Knowing this fact, that there is but one only, the living and true God, makes one more devoted to the Living God. Knowing this fact deepens the worship the believer offers to Him, because we realize it is the lovingkindness of God that stoops to our weakness and frailty so that by His Self-revelation we can know Him. Knowing this fact motivates our evangelistic zeal. Knowing this fact is brought ever closer to our hearts and minds as we teach others. The teaching of it confirms our knowledge of Him and strengthens our faith in the Only, Living, True God.

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name. Thank You for making yourself known through the wonders of creation, and more directly making Yourself known through the Word, and then most perfectly revealing Yourself through Jesus Christ. Father, pour out Your Spirit so that believers can grow in their understanding of Who You Are, so that we will worship You in spirit and in truth, and more willingly tell all those around us of Your greatness. This we pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

https://youtu.be/u0a1Pq9avbg “O Worship the King” Chet Valley Churches

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

July 19, 2023 -- Psalm 33:6-9 -- The Psalm Series: The Fear of the LORD and the Creator's touch

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;
he puts the deeps in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the inhabitants of the world
stand in awe of Him!
For He spoke, and it came to be;
He commanded, and it stood firm.
Psalm 33:6-9 ESV

This morning I’m traveling back from Ontario to NB. I took the Go Train from Hamilton to Union Station. After arriving at Union I had more than 3 hours before my flight would leave from Billy Bishop Airport, so I thought I’d walk the 2.5km to get there. Amid all the buildings and concrete, construction and traffic, there are wonderful signs of God’s creation. There are birds picking up seeds. Quick pigeons weaving in and out of traffic, landing, picking up a tidbit and then jumping into flight. Along the waterfront some gardens have been planted and the green space is doubly appreciated, like an oasis in the city. Truly God’s creation is magnificent. Plants, green-leaved boasting multi-colored flowers, flourish in the summer sunshine. Those who notice such things notice the touch of the Creator.

The LORD Who made the heavens also crafted the beauty of the earth. He most perfectly revealed His glory in Jesus Christ, the Living Word, Who always declares the nearness of God. All the inhabitants of the earth are called to stand in awe of Him! Those who delight in Him now, will find their delight increasing through-out all eternity. Those who refuse Him now, will fear Him through all eternity. It will be a terror in hell, to realize through-out endless ages what a scandal it was to refuse Him while alive on earth.

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name! With the righteous we shout for joy in the LORD! We make melody to You, King of kings. Oh Jesus, Master, our souls wait for You; for You are the Help and Shield of Your people. Let Your steadfast love be upon us, O LORD, even as we continually put our hope in You. Amen.

https://youtu.be/ysf1Dhoku_o “My Redeemer is Faithful and True” Fountainview Academy

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

July 12, 2023 -- Psalm 32:1-7 -- The Psalm Series: the LORD's amazing protection

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech,
so that he drove him out, and he went away.

34 I will bless the LORD at all times;
    his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD;
    let the humble hear and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
    and let us exalt his name together!

4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me
    and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant,
    and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him
    and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps
    around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Psalm 34:1-7 ESV

The background of this Psalm is likely I Samuel 21:10-15. David, fleeing from King Saul who was trying to kill him, went to Gath. The King of Gath, whose title is Abimelech and name is Achish, was musing that he had his enemy in his grasp. When David realized the trouble he was in, he pretended to be insane. The King of Gath then sent him away.

Prior to this, David had been anointed by Samuel, the servant of the LORD, to be the next king of Israel. The current king of Israel, Saul, was furious and was seeking to kill David. The LORD protected David and used the situation to teach David warfare. As David fled from Saul, he learn the lay of the land of Israel--its hiding places and good places for warfare. David learned the fine art of keeping his own band of soldiers loyal. Despite this, readers of the Bible know that David was not perfect. It was unwise to go to the King of Gath. He’d made a major misstep. Even so, the LORD protected him.

No wonder David praised the LORD. It was obvious the angel of the LORD was camping with David, keeping him from harm, like the attack of Saul. The angel of the LORD was even keeping David from the foolishness of his own actions. And the angel was protecting David from attacks he did not even realize and likely would not understand until David stood before the King of Glory in heaven and understood the mercies of the LORD. I wonder if it is not like that in our lives as well. It is only when we look back over the events of our lives that we realize how fully and how truly the LORD rescued us. And then eternity, what glory that will be! Then without the weight of sin or its blinders, we will realize how fully, how masterfully and how gracious our Father in heaven was protecting us all through our lives.

All of our Father's faithful rescues of His people is based on the greater descendant of David, Jesus. It is for the radiance and glory of Jesus Christ that we are saved. Rather than an angel camping at our doorstep, we have the power of the Holy Spirit living in us. The Spirit is the gift of the Father poured out to us on the basis of Jesus’ accomplished work. When we struggle, the Spirit is here. When we are foolish, the Spirit redirects our steps. When we feel far from God, it is the Spirit Who reminds us because of Jesus’ accomplished work, we shall never be forsaken, that is abandoned, by God. No wonder believers, with David, cry out, I will bless the LORD at all times!

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name. What kindness and love You show to Your people. The stories of the Bible show us how You always persist in protecting Your people and believers can extrapolate from that how You continue to show Your love and protection in their lives as well. With David we cry out: "The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all". We bless You, O LORD, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, at all times. Amen.

https://youtu.be/DciMh_ciwkk “Taste and See” Shane and Shane

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

July 11, 2023 -- Revelation 15:3-4 -- The Basics of the Faith: What is God?

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Great and amazing are your deeds,
   O Lord God Almighty!
Just and true are all your ways,
   O King of the nations!
Who will not fear, O Lord,
   and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
   All nations will come
   and worship you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.
Revelation 15:3-4 ESV

Q. 4 What is God?

Answer: God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.

The text this morning is the hymn of heaven. Those who’d conquered the beast by the blood of the Lamb and in the power of His Spirit are by the sea of glass with harps in their hands and are praising God, singing the song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb. What a glorious picture it is. This picture of heaven highlights a couple of the attributes of God. It is one of the reasons the Shorter Catechism includes this as a source text for question and answer 4.

It is the common error of our time to think of the Living God as a buddy, but not to fear Him. The Shorter Catechism includes many passages which focus on the greatness of God, and these show that He is to be feared and worshiped. Why feared?

Awe and reverence before God, the all-powerful One, should fill our imagination. Looking to Him with humble and contrite hearts should affect how we act, what we do, and what we choose to run away from as we realize it would be dangerous to true obedience.

Yet this God of terrible splendor is also our good Father, the source of every good that fills our lives (James 1:17). Spend some time today thinking of Him, Who is perfect in holiness and justice, full of goodness and the only source of Truth on all the universe. Praise Him that He has chosen to reveal Himself through Jesus Christ—the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world. Hope in Him in times of extreme suffering and worry—for His Spirit is near to all who call on Him in truth (Psalm 145:18).

The Opening phrases of today's prayer are from Revelation 16:5c-7

Just are You, O Holy One, Who Is and Who Was,
   for You brought these judgments.
For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets,
   and You have given them blood to drink.
It is what they deserve!
Yes, Lord God the Almighty,
   true and just are Your judgments.
Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name.
Teach us to reverence You and honour You.
By the powerful presence of Your Spirit within us,
   cause us to meditate on Jesus, the Lamb of God,
   in Whom we triumph, and
   by Whom we are brought into the radiant glory of Your presence.
Amen.

https://youtu.be/4oGuGzCFEWI “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise” Chet Valley Church

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

July 9, 2023 -- Psalm 33:18-22 -- The Psalm Series: the drumbeat of God's steadfast love

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,
   on those who hope in his steadfast love,
that he may deliver their soul from death
   and keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waits for the LORD;
   he is our help and our shield.
For our heart is glad in him,
   because we trust in his holy Name.
Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,
   even as we hope in you.
Psalm 33:18-22 ESV

A parent may say to a naughty child “I’ve got my eye on you”. You know the implication. If the child misbehaves, then the parent will appropriately discipline the child. However, you know that a father, watching his son play soccer, will smile and cheer and say “I’ve got my eye on you!”. It is encouragement. It is love. It is delight. Our Father in heaven delights in us, it is His steadfast love that surrounds those who hope in Him.

This expression steadfast love is repeated in the final verse. Steadfast love can also be translated as mercy, kindness, faithfulness, covenant love. This lovingkindness of the LORD is the drumbeat of this Psalm. The reader hears of such love as it is linked to all the works of the LORD. The more we read of His love, the more we hear of His love, the more fully we will begin to recognize His never-ending love poured into our lives as well. It is not just for the people long ago. His love is for us, today! The result of this is we will more fully hope in Him. His love is first. Our hope rises in response.

Today is Sunday. Get to church. Let your soul be revived in Him. If you are feeling dry and empty, know that the LORD is your help and your shield. His eye is on you for blessing and good. He will deliver your soul from the zombie existence of living far from Him. He welcomes people back through the work of Jesus Christ. He guards people in His goodness through the Holy Spirit. Come to the Father. Get up. Get to church. Find all He has in store for you.

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name. Thank You for Your steadfast love, which beats through-out our lives like a regular drumbeat of Your goodness. Open our eyes to see Your mercies which are new every morning. Soften our hearts to receive the hope You can pour out by the accomplished work of Jesus Christ. By Your Spirit connect us with other believers who encourage us in our faith, and to whom we can be a blessing. Amen.

https://youtu.be/qGy2VHlj0qY Chris Rice "Come to Jesus"

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

July 7, 2023 -- II Timothy 3:16-17 -- The Basics of the Faith: What does the Bible Teach?

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
II Timothy 3:16-17 ESV

Q. 3. What do the Scriptures principally teach?
A. The Scriptures principally teach, what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.

The Shorter Catechism uses the source text from II Timothy as the basis for the answer it gives. The Bible is different than any other book or writing of man. The Bible was written as men were inspired by the Spirit of God. The Bible is a collection of 66 books, written over 1500 years by more than 30 men. Its very purpose is the revelation of God to men. By the Scriptures men can know God and glorify Him.

The Scriptures direct all our living. Notice the sweep of II Timothy 3—we can learn by Scripture. It is the lens through which we examine all of life. The Bible shows us our sins and waywardness and can be used to stop people in their tracks and bring them back to God. The Scriptures train believers in righteousness. This captivates believers. Jesus Christ has become all our righteousness. At the cross He disarmed the Devil’s accusations. Any time the Devil might say, “I know what you did” our response is “I know what Jesus did! He was punished in my place”. Now the believer, made right with God through Jesus, relies on the Word of God and the power of the Spirit to live for God. That is training in righteousness.

Want to be a good husband? Look to the Bible. Want to conduct science with integrity? Do so knowing the Creator of the universe Who gave it order. Want to truly enjoy life? Know the boundaries our Father has set in place through the Word so that in all of life you will be equipped for every good work. As you can clearly see, the Scriptures are precious to the believer. Worthy of examination. Memorization. Study. Meditation. The believer finds great joy in the Bible because the Spirit Who inspired it, lives in the believer and continually gives great joy to the one who feasts on the Word of God.

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name. Thank You for the wonderful gift of the Bible. Thank You for You Holy Spirit Who inspired men to write it, and worked through-out history to preserve it and guard its integrity. Thank You for Scripture’s clear and beautiful revelation of Jesus Christ, the greatest evidence of Your never-failing-love toward us. High King of Heaven, teach us to love You more and more as we read, study, and learn the Scriptures. This we pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

https://youtu.be/pXEjAtbIplM “Holy Bible, Book Divine” Lauren Bowers

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

July 6, 2023 -- Psalm 33:1-5 -- The Psalm Series: Obeying Psalm 32's command to worship

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous!
Praise befits the upright.
Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre;
make melody with the harp of ten-strings!
Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully on the strings with loud shouts.
For the word of the LORD is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.
Psalm 33:1-5 ESV

Psalm 32 ended with three commands: be glad in the LORD! Rejoice! Shout for joy! Psalm 33 is the response to those commands. It repeats the commands, expands on them, and gives more grounds for bringing music and then expresses worship to the LORD.

All the work of the LORD is done in faithfulness. That word faithfulness includes the meaning truth as well as something that is steady. You can fully rely on the work of the LORD. The fact is all the LORD's promises are “Yes” and “Amen” in Jesus Christ.

The earth is full of His steadfast love. This is a repetition from Psalm 32:10. The word steadfast-love is translated: goodness, lovingkindness, faithfulness, covenant love—in fact, it has more than 100 translations into English. It is the key concept of the Old Testament. His love that never changes and accomplishes its purpose for all those who take shelter in Him.

It is easy to look around and see trouble, hardship, problems, and wickedness. This Psalm is inviting you, reader, to avert your gaze, instead see that the earth is full, overflowingly, abundantly packed with His goodness, love, and covenant-faithfulness. Do you see it? As you see it, let your mouth praise Him, let your heart rejoice in Him, if you are skilled at music, play for Him. If you are good at building, work for His glory. Let the devotion times of praise spill over into the rest of your day so that your day and night echoes forth the praises of the Living God.

Our Father in heaven forever honoured and hallowed and blessed be Your Name. Great are You, LORD our God, and so worthy of praise. Spirit of God, do not let my devotion times become a matter of a quick read and prayer and then ticking of box signaling I have done my duty, one more thing crossed off my list. Instead, Spirit, lead me to contemplate the glory of God through-out all my day. Let such thoughts direct me to Jesus Christ, Who is the radiance of the Father's glory and the perfect revelation of the Father's covenant love. In You, Jesus, I begin to see with increasing clarity that the fullness of the Father's steadfast love surrounds me, fills the universe. Thinking such thoughts leads me to recall the promise You made, that the Spirit's power guards believers so that we are fit for eternity. Hallelujah! Blessed be Your Name, Triune God. Amen.

https://youtu.be/nVN070kSruE Casting Crowns “God of All My Days”

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

July 4, 2023 -- I Corinthians 6:20 -- The Basics of the Faith

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
I Corinthians 6:20 ESV

The text before us today is one of the proof texts, or source texts, for the first question and answer of the Shorter Catechism. This catechism was completed in 1647 by the Westminster Assembly. It is used to teach new believers, and children, the basics of the faith. Look at the first two questions and answers included here.

1. What is the chief end of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.

2. What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him? The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him.

God formed you in your mother’s womb. Even before this, the Father in heaven chose you in love—from before the foundation of the world. What a beautiful promise we have in Him! What is the right response of being chosen in love, created for His purpose and redeemed by the blood of Jesus? It is to glorify God. How?

1. Know the Scriptures. The Bible is given so that you will know Who God is and how to glorify Him.

2. Join with God’s people. Meeting fellow believers and getting sharpened in your precious faith is one of the most important ways to be honed for glorifying God.

3. Glorify God in your body. What you choose to do and choose to leave undone says a lot about you. Your ordinary, daily life, is either filled with the awareness of the majesty of God and His wondrous purposes for your life, or you are trying to run back to old vomit and useless practices. Choose the glory of God!

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name! Honour, glory, dominion and powers are Yours. How great is Your majesty and how tender is Your love shown to us by the fact You have revealed Your radiance so perfectly in Jesus Christ. Father and Son, by the Spirit, help us to glorify You in our words and thoughts, glorify You by avoiding the things we know are wrong and by engaging in the practices we know are right and in keeping with obedience to Jesus. Rule us, King Jesus, by Your Word and Spirit. Amen.

https://youtu.be/5WmQmL77WkE “To God Be the Glory” Fountainview Academy

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

July 2, 2023 -- Luke 5:27-32 -- Called to remember the God-given purpose of being called Church

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

27 After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.

29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
Luke 5:27-32 ESV

Today’s devotional blog is a modern parable. I am not sure who the original author is, but today’s version is an adaptation. It is a strong criticism of the work of many churches. May the Lord our God send His Spirit so the Word and the explanation of it lead us to repent in the powerful Name of Jesus.

On a dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks often occur there was a once a crude little life-saving station. The building was just a hut, and there was only one boat, but the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea, and with no thought for themselves, they went out day or night tirelessly searching for the lost.

Many lives were saved by this wonderful little station, so that it became famous. Some of those who were saved, and various others in the surrounding areas, wanted to become associated with the station and give of their time and money and effort for the support of its work. New boats were bought and new crews were trained. The little life-saving station grew.

Some of the new members of the life-saving station were unhappy that the building was so crude and so poorly equipped. They felt that a more comfortable place should be provided as the first refuge of those saved from the sea.

So they replaced the emergency cots with beds and put better furniture in an enlarged building. Now the life-saving station became a popular gathering place for its members, and they re-decorated it beautifully and furnished it as a sort of club.

Less of the members were now interested in going to sea on life-saving missions, so they hired life boat crews to do this work.

The mission of life-saving was still given lip-service but most were too busy or lacked the necessary commitment to take part in the life-saving activities personally.

About this time a large ship was wrecked off the coast, and the hired crews brought in boat loads of cold, wet, and half-drowned people.

They were dirty and sick, and some of them had black skin, and some spoke a strange language, and the beautiful new club was considerably messed up. So the property committee immediately had a shower house built outside the club where victims of shipwreck could be cleaned up before coming inside.

At the next meeting, there was a split in the club membership. Most of the members wanted to stop the club's life-saving activities as being unpleasant and a hindrance to the normal life pattern of the club.

But some members insisted that life-saving was their primary purpose and pointed out that they were still called a life-saving station. But they were finally voted down and told that if they wanted to save the life of all the various kinds of people who were shipwrecked in those waters, they could begin their own life-saving station down the coast. They did.

As the years went by, the new station experienced the same changes that had occurred in the old. They evolved into a club and yet another life-saving station was founded.

If you visit the seacoast today you will find a number of exclusive clubs along that shore. Shipwrecks are still frequent in those waters, only now most of the people drown.

Author unknown; Adapted by Steve Rudd

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name. Forgive us for fields unwon, forgive us for work undone. We thank You and praise You, O God of our Salvation, for the people You put into our lives who did the hard and dirty work of rescuing us in Jesus’ precious Name. Thank You for their persistence, their willingness to overcome disappointments when we pushed back against the work You called them to do. Faithful Father work in us by Your Holy Spirit so that we will truly be those who call sinners to repentance. Give to us a clear vision of the work that You call us to do. Help us to lay aside every distraction and all the entanglements of this world. Precious Savior You are the Great Physician, help us to bring people to You—the Great Physician, so they may be healed in Your Name. Amen.

https://youtu.be/9Yr48Berkqc Zach Williams “Rescue Story”

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

July 1, 2023 -- Revelation 12:3-4a -- Happy Canada Day

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth.
Revelation 12:3-4a ESV

The smoke from Canadian fires is so voluminous that it is wafting through Canadian provinces and sweeping down into the United States so that it affects 100 million people. According to Canada Health, in 2019 1.9% of all Canadian deaths were by assisted suicide (A.K.A. medical assistance in dying). In 2021, that percentage rose to 3.3%. According to the Campaign for Life Coalition, 1 baby is aborted for every four born alive in Canada. That is nearly 100,000 abortions annually. Why mention these statistics? It is the sign from the heavens. Satan, once a serpent in the Garden of Eden, has grown to such stature that he is now a great red dragon, bringing death and destruction.

Christians should not be surprised by the march of death across the country. Either people follow God the Father and affirm life, from conception to natural death because life is a gift from the hand of LORD our God, or people follow Satan, the great red dragon, promoting death and wickedness which directly opposes the Kingdom of God.

The sign of the great red dragon appeared in heaven because:
1. the dragon is on a leash. Jesus Christ is in charge in heaven.
2. the dragon can do harm the elect of God but his does so as prowling,
    de-fanged lion.
3. the dragon torments the people who hate the One True God. Such who
    are under his thrall are made ever more miserable and not even aware of the
    greatness of their tortured existence.
4. the dragon’s time is limited, there will be an end to the dragon.
5. the dragon’s power should not surprise the church, through-out history
    the one-time serpent in the Garden has been growing, exerting influence,
    gaining power until the day when Jesus will cast him, and all his
    followers in the lake of fire for all eternity.
6. the dragon sign appears in heaven because his followers range from the
    out-and-out obviously wicked, to the seemingly kind-hearted, harmless-
    appearing person but Christian be aware any who does not humble
    himself before the LORD or tremble at His word such a one is slated for
    destruction. Such persons do not expect any judgment, they are shocked
    at the thought that Jesus the Ruler over all powers and authorities and
    dominions, will one day execute His justice.
Revelation is written so that believers under the spiritual power and the great dominance of the red dragon but reading John’s vision are given the greater confidence in the power of Jesus, Who was appointed from before the foundation of the earth, so bring to the Father all His beloved. Christians realize the Spirit of God works the sure hope of salvation into the hearts of believers, so that they can endure all kinds of suffering, persecution and assaults of the enemy in the sure knowledge that Christ is Lord and His Spirit will not allow any believer to be torn from the grip of our Father’s grace.

Fellow Christian, on this Canada Day, pray. May the beauty and the dreadful splendor of King Jesus woo your heart and increase in your faith. Pray for this land that the Ruler Supreme, Who hearest humble pray will hold our dominion in His loving care. Pray for the leaders of our land, from King Charles III to the Prime Minister, the Governor-General and all premiers and all their advisors and cabinets and the loyal opposition. This land and all her leaders and all her people are under the watchful eye of our glorious King Jesus, Who is called Faithful and True.

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name.
   Your kingdom come, Your will be done,
      on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
    and forgive us our debts,
    as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, 
   but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory,
   forever! Amen.

https://youtu.be/w1YBYrJ8Hzg "The Church's One Foundation"

 

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 29, 2023 -- Proverbs 29:25 -- Whoever trusts in the LORD is safe

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus! 

The fear of man lays a snare,
   but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.
Proverbs 29:25 ESV

It is a strange experience for me to walk around in the local Mall. Youth are walking around in expensive jeans that have been “pre-ripped”. It is ludicrous. (Before you get yourself in a knot, this comment is tongue-in-cheek, coming from a man who in his youth thought tight polyester bell-bottoms were the height of fashion! So, who am I to judge?) My point is this: many a young person fears being out of step with the latest fashions. There is a fear of not measuring up to peers. There is a fear of not receiving the approval of others. The fear of man twists one’s mind and antagonizes his heart. What can ever be enough to please the flood of FB critics? What will ever be enough to feed in the insatiable appetite of the influence-leaders?

Conversely, the one who trusts in the LORD is safe. He lives for an audience of One—His Father in heaven. He already knows that His Father loves him. Recall these words, "he chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 1:4-5 ESV) The Spirit of God gives talents, gifts and abilities to each one according to His pleasure so that each believer is unique. Each believer has something to offer the Christian community and the world. Each believer is secure in the fact that he is made according to God’s perfect purposes. From conception to death and then beyond death into life eternal, the believer’s life carries with it a weight of glory that reflects the majesty of our God.

Our Father in heaven forever blessed and honoured be Your Name. The more we read Scripture, the more we realize You are God, the LORD of heaven and earth. You made us and we are Yours, we are Your people and the sheep of Your pasture. God our Father the Scriptures prove it and our lives bear witnesses to the fact that You are good! Your steadfast love endures forever and Your faithfulness rolls down through every generation. Amen.
(The prayer is based on Psalm 100:3,5)

https://youtu.be/bvTz6k7cTIA “Who Am I?” Casting Crowns

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 28, 2023 -- Psalm 32:6-7 -- The Psalm Series: Guilt versus Troubles ~ separating them

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Therefore let everyone who is godly
    offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
    they shall not reach him.
7 You are a hiding place for me;
    you preserve me from trouble;
    you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah
Psalm 32:6-7 ESV
 
The start of this psalm is a prayer acknowledging the blessedness of knowing God and His great mercy in extending forgiveness, and mercy in counting His people as righteous, through the blood of the Lamb, and how confession itself heals the bones. No wonder today’s reading begins with “therefore” because all that went there before informs what we read today.
 
A believer must distinguish between suffering which is the result of his sin and the struggles and troubles which result from being a Christian in a hostile, unbelieving world. As forgiven believers, it is the great joy and privilege of our hearts to praise our God and seek Him in prayer. By whom will God be found? By the one who is godly, who knows the freedom that comes with the forgiveness of sins. God shows Himself merciful to the one who knows all he brings to God is his need for God and God’s cleansing and healing.
 
What verse 6 also shows is how quickly the forgiven man and the woman set free from the entanglements of guilt will then experience other kinds of trials. One who knows himself forgiven will experience “great waters”. These are temptations and pressures to sin. Or great waters can be the push-back of worldly people, both within the church and outside the church, who hate God and do not want you to rejoice in Him. You will experience the tossing and tumult of such great churnings, but it will not disrupt the peace you have sealed to your heart by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus. Nor will it cause you to question the goodness of God, for His forgiveness and the accompanying new life you have in Christ is greater than the rumblings of this world.
 
God is our hiding place. What a beautiful picture. Right now, even as I am writing this, there is downpour, rain beating hard on every exposed surface. Picture it. If you are about to be caught in a rainstorm, you seek shelter. People rush to bus shelters or dash from exposed areas to stand in the doorways of businesses just to get away from the all-soaking rain. They seek a hiding place. The LORD our God is our hiding place. No matter what is happening all around you, the torrential spouts of wickedness all around, the believer has the great security of knowing the LORD our God is in charge. He is the shelter of all who trust in Him. The shouts of deliverance uttered by the believer are not the gloating of one who will not suffering, but it is confident war-cry that Jesus, the Captain of Salvation, has already won the victory even as the believer is facing storms. Therefore, believers are prepared to face anything in the full confidence of His victory.
 
Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name. Let Your people praise You, God, the Hiding Place, security, for all who trust in You. Let Your people pray to You, LORD, based on Jesus’ accomplished work. Let Your people, as they pray to You, experience the help of Your Holy Spirit, Who is the seal guaranteeing Your protection now. Holy Spirit, as the psalm pictures, we pray preserve believers no matter how violent the rush of great waters is now and the assaults of the enemy to come. You alone, Triune God, safeguard the life of Your people. You bring to the heart and mind such blessedness, mercy, and peace that Your people’s lips overflow declaring the fullness of Your goodness. Your sheltered people cannot help joining all the others everywhere who know the intimacy of Your loving arms so completely they offer shouts of victory and acclaim to Your great Name. Amen.

https://youtu.be/BppKOFLig2w "Only There" Shane and Shane

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.

June 26, 2023 -- I Corinthians 9:25-27 -- Properly Goal Oriented

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
I Corinthians 9:25-27 ESV
 
Recently my banker sent my wife and me an email urging us to consider our retirement. This bank regularly sends out notices asking whether we are meeting our financial targets, are we prepared for the volatile housing market with rising interest rates and are we saving enough? Great questions. Dear family in Christ, I wonder, do you as a Christian consider the spiritual goals you have set?
 
Are you keeping your eye on the prize, which is an eternity in the presence of the Majestic One of heaven and earth? Do your daily goals of Bible reading, prayer, and exercising your spiritual gifts govern the way you live, the way you raise your children, the way you spend money, the way in which you work, the way in which you interact with people, even how you interact with those who act as enemies to you?
 
Just like financial setbacks like unexpected expense like car repairs can require a major readjustment in your financial planning, so too there will be setbacks in the way in which you live your Christian faith. When this happens, confess your sins to God. Regroup. Review your goals so that you constantly reaffirming your goal to live for God. Walk in the strength of the Spirit so that your eyes remained fixed on Jesus Christ and your overarching goal is to conform your life to the patterns your Father in heaven has set as the standard of holiness. This is not a burden or a chore. It is the fulfilment of that fact that a believer is a child of God who delights in the way of God.
 
Our Father in heaven hallowed and forever blessed be Your Name. I confess how easily I am knocked off course and stagger away from the goals I have for myself. Thank You for Your Word which reminds me of Your plan for me—to make me fully Yours through the reconciling work of Jesus and this by the power of the Spirit Who makes me more willing and able to live in this way. There are so many distractions and opportunities which on the surface seem okay but are concealing danger and wickedness. Lead me, O my Father, in the way everlasting. Redirect my course so that I am fully Yours, willingly Yours, Spirit-kept as Yours and all other entanglements and red herrings will be revealed as such and avoided. With Your saints through the ages, I dedicate myself to discipline my body and my mind, my strength and my thought-life keeping these under control to the honour and praise of Your great Name. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/WZBOSfiH8Rk “Be Thou My Vision” K & K Getty Music
 

Copyright © 2023 Sh'ma Christian Ministries, All rights reserved.