KTBTIB Nottingham sent you a video: "Deer playing in the ocean"

"From You comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly....All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord...." (Psalm 22, NIV)

Today's text is from Psalm 22, "To the tune of 'Doe of the Morning.'"  The animal in the video to me demonstrates what is the heart of a Follower/Lover of Jesus.  There is something I see in this animal which I should see in myself, how I face every day, no matter what is on the horizon which I think I can see or not see.  I see in this deer something of what the Word of God tells us, "Let all creation rejoice before the Lord...."

The psalmist speaks as so many humans feel, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?...I cry out by day, but You do not answer....I am a worm and not a man."  Yet, when he remembers Jesus, "My Shepherd," and, "Yes, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me," He then declares, "All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord...."  I'm not sure if this is what he had in mind when he set this song, "To the Tune of 'The Doe of the Morning,'" but it sure makes me smile.  Enjoy. 

KTBTIB Nottingham has shared a video with you on YouTube

Most Look For Perfection In All The Wrong Places/People

"He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me....The law of the Lord is perfect...."  (Psalm 18:19; 19:7, NIV)

From our text, we can see that, "He rescued me," is assured, because, "The Law of the Lord," i.e., His Word, "is perfect"--------- Perfection.

Have you ever felt as thought you were in a cave, surrounded on every side by walls, seemingly closing in on you?  46 years ago I was experiencing this.  But Jesus in His Faithfulness, "....brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock (Him and His Words), and established my steps."  In the words of our text, "He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me."  And Jesus continually does so.

Because, "the law of the Lord Jesus is perfect," you and I can know with absolute certainty that when it seems as though you can't breath, as though life is closing its vice on you, Jesus will bring you, "out into a spacious place," breaking the walls and constriction of Satan's power.  "He rescued me," is Who Jesus Is.

The Word of God tells you and me, indeed the whole of humanity, "The law of the Lord is perfect," viz., "complete, entire, unblemished."  When the church in America lost its battle with humanism in 1962 and 1963, we saw the only perfection which we had in America taken from the state school system, the Prayer of Jesus and the Words of Jesus.  When a culture chooses human "rationality" over Divine Perfection...........................

Someone once asked me why I always read Scripture first then pray before I preach.  Simply, the Scripture is what Jesus says.  Prayer is what I say.  I'd rather get off to a good start.  If any person desires perfection, they need look no further than, "unto Jesus," and, "the law/word."  Interpretation of Psalm 19:7, "The Word of God is Perfection."

Father, in Jesus' Name, I cling to You, the only Perfect One.  Amen.
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I received an invitation to the Annual Jerusalem Post Conference in New York City

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

Hebrews 12:2

I Ask For A Little More of Your Time Today

"When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Psalm 11:3, NIV)

The CEV says, "What can an honest person do when everything crumbles?"  While most translations put our text in the form of a question, from what most Hebrew scholars say, it is more a statement of fact.  It is as though the psalmist is watching the decay of his own culture.

Notice that the emphasis seems to be, "while everyone just stands around and watches."  Or, "while everyone goes to church meetings, raises their hands, shouts, declares, thinks up more activity to bring in a wider range of members, yes, even goes on mission trips."  All of this goes on while, "....the foundations are being destroyed."  The Holy Spirit then shouts through the ages, "What has the righteous done?"!?  This is not popular evangelicalism.  This is, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations."  Literally, "make into disciples, train in discipleship, helping someone to progressively learn the Word of God."

I really want what I share with you to be uplifting, but not a "sugar high."  Any doctor would tell you that there is nothing good which comes from that.  Some religionists follow up their cotton candy theology with a sort of spiritual ritalin.  It deals with symptoms, but does not go to the cause.  Jesus is the "Great Physician," the great destroyer of the sin disease (I need regular "appointments").  I have shared some thoughts on our text several times before, but in the light of developments, not only in the United States, but also around the globe, it cannot be more "timely."  Literally, "For the foundations are being overthrown; what hath the righteous wrought (he word literally means, "beaten out, or shaped by hammering")?"  You may recall also one commentator who said that the structure of the Hebrew indicates the answer: Nothing.  If we ignore, "the foundations," you simply have nothing left to work with.  Whatever is being built is doomed to collapse.

Media keep speaking of "the evangelical vote" in America.  What far too many of the so-called "evangelicals" are is nothing but "redneck" religion.  Many of them "seek first" their own comfort and pleasure, "seek first" the "kingdom of 'the American dream.'"  They neither know, nor care to know the Bible, aka, the "God-Breathed...Words of God."  Their life philosophy is not Scripture based, Jesus Centered; it is sort of, "don't tread on me," based.  I have seen this in the "Tea Party" movement.  Many of these are people who are voting for Trump or some of the other candidates who neither know Jesus nor care to obey His Words.  They, along with some so-called "evangelical" pundits, have thrown one of the best of these under the proverbial "bus."  Rather than "leaning on Jesus" and His Words, leaning to their, "own understanding," rules.

As in football, when people forget the fundamentals, don't continually practice the fundamentals, they get beat.  One of the most important fundamentals is conditioning.  Our coach used to say, after working us to the point where we thought we were going to die, "You'll be thankful for this in the last quarter when the other team's tongues are hanging out."  I remember once beating a guy deep, and when we looked at the films the next week, it was obvious: The fourth quarter got to him.  What is happening to people who profess Jesus Christ in "the fourth quarter," when they think they are beyond the need for tackling and blocking drills, practice running their "routes?"-- They become dupes for the latest, trendy, populist thinking and acting.  Not only in the United States of America, but also in many nations around the globe, the Church is in grave danger of this.  I fear that in America, "....the foundations are being overthrown...."  But we cannot quit.  As long as we are here in this world system we must continue, as Brother Andrew has said, "in the fight."

Father, in Jesus' Name, have mercy on me.  Amen.

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

Hebrews 12:2

"The Parable of The Sower"-- No-- It's the Parable of the Soil

"Listen!  Behold, a sower went out to sow."  (Mark 4:3)

The, "sower," here is the one who sows, "....the word...."  Luke says, "The seed is the word of God."  In Matthew 13, Jesus refers to the seed as, "the word of the Kingdom."  The variable here is not the seed; it's the soil. 

The seed can "fall" anywhere, "by the wayside," or, "on stony ground," or, "among thorns," or, "good ground and yielded a crop...."  This says to me that the Lord Jesus does not keep people from His Words.  Even though the ground may be, "stony," the seed may fall.  It's up to the soil to determine what it does with, "The seed...the Word of God- Kingdom."

The soil which has always been to me the saddest is the, "some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop."  And just what are those, "thorns"?  Jesus tells us, "....the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things...."  And this, "desire for other things," is not necessarily a new BMW.  It can be that "ministry."  Anything/one other than Jesus is, "other things."  Anything/one that governs my life, affects my obedience to Jesus' purposes is, "other things."  The danger to "spiritual" people it's all that religious activity which can be nothing but, "....thorns grew up...."

You and I need to do what Abraham did when the birds came down to devour the sacrifice.  Drive them away.  Our relationship in Jesus Christ, which, by the way, is commensurate with obedience, viz., walking in His Will for our lives, is precious, life-determining.  May we guard that precious Seed with everything we have.

Father, in Jesus' Name, I have too often allowed, "other things," control.  Holy Spirit, keep me ever circumspect.  Amen.
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Berlin Mission, 2016:  October 5-27. 

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

Hebrews 12:2

"....By Whom...."

"....by Whom also He made the worlds...."  (Hebrews 1:2b, KJV)

Our text is from one of yesterday's readings, from my Granpa Barnette's "favorite" book of the Bible and the first book of the Bible I read in the Bible He gave me for my 6th birthday.  Every time I read Hebrews, I think of Grandpa Barnette, one of Jesus' greatest gifts to me.

Over the years there have been doubts as to whether I "measure up" to his relationship in Jesus.  This is not "woe-is-me" doubt of my "salvation," but it is something that so many battle in life.  I can tell you, however, that when I read what the Bible calls, "the Words of God," there is life impartation, dispelling the "doubts and fears assail."  Our Lord Jesus Christ,  "The Word of God," always takes me outside of and beyond myself, "....by Whom also He made the worlds...." 

"....by Whom also He made the worlds...."  This is Jesus, "The Word of God," Who was the "voice" of God in creation, "And God said, 'Let there be'.., and there was...."  This is Jesus, "The Word of God," of which Peter speaks, "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring Word of God."  Makes my day.

I don't know who reads these devotionals since I have only ever received any feedback from a handful of people.  But I can tell you one thing for sure: I enjoy doing them, because for me it is sweet fellowship in Jesus, receiving, meditating/thinking/musing upon His, "born again," Words.  I pray that Jesus, "....by Whom also He made the worlds...," will comfort, strengthen you and keep you in Him.  Life pummels us with "words" which do nothing for us.  Yet I so pray that what Paul wrote to the Thessalonians will be true with you and me, "For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when you received the Word of God which you heard of us, you received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which effectually works also in you that believe."  My words are only His words when my words take you to His Word, Jesus Christ.

Father, in Jesus' Name, I just cannot stop thanking You for the life-imparting, the life-uplifting, the life-changing, "Word of God."  Amen.
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* Berlin Mission: October 5-27-- Praise Jesus that we have received almost enough for our plane fare.  

* The DC storm postponed the January DC Mission.  Planning one for February

When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"

Hebrews 12:2