A Prayer Book For You and Me

"Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man?  The goodness of God endures continually.  Your tongue devises destruction.., like a sharp razor, working deceitfully....But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever."  (Psalm 52)

The Psalms are not for Bible studies and sermons.  They are for you and me, right here, right there, house, office, vehicle, wherever that may be, in whatever we go through.  

I read Psalms 51-55 this morning.  I have pointed out before that David prayed/sang some of these Psalms while there were those who were pursuing him.  In the case of today's text, someone was out to kill him!  If you want to know the "correct" way to pray when people and life are against you, pray the Psalms.  Of course, we don't pray in the spirit of "go get 'em."  We pray that in Jesus' deliverance from our enemies, the enemies themselves will come to know Jesus, "Whom to know is life Eternal."  The phrase, "Then they shall know that I am the Lord," appears over 25 times just in the Book of Ezekiel.  This is the objective of the Godhead for humanity.  It must also be ours.

If you want to take a lesson from yourself as to "how to pray," pray the way you pray when you are alone, not in the "prayer meeting."  Now I am not saying that we cannot pray "sincere" prayers with others, yet you know as well as I do that there is a desperation, a I-don't-have-to-word-this-just-so about our praying when alone.  As an example, I find myself using the word "please" more when I'm alone.  Perhaps it shows a weak, dependent desperation, a helplessness which other "powerful prayers" do not.

Hey, you, "green olive tree in the House of God," pray "your heart out" today!

Father, in Jesus' Name, please let this sink in for my friend and me.  Amen.

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If you want to see the judgment on the Democrat Party, go to:

jhs58.blogspot.com

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

"Men-Pleasers" Or "God-Pleasers"

"But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts."  (1 Thessalonians 2:4)

Don't be fooled.  If a person seeks to please people, they can be very "successful."  They can fill church buildings & stadiums, be very successful in business, win popularity contests.  It is a dangerous reality that too often people equate large churches and "ministries" with "favor," or "anointing," or whatever.  Beware associating hoopla with, "....approved by God...."

The question occurred to me as I read our text this morning.  Is everything I do, "....approved by God," or, "....pleasing men"?  Is Jesus Christ my Lord, or humanity?  (The answer may not be as "obvious" as one may think.)  With what attitude do we begin each day?  When we are in the "marked place," are we of those living and speaking as, "....approved by God", or, "....as pleasing men"?  It is written of Enoch, "He pleased God."  What greater words can be said of one?!? 

So there we have it today, "....approved by God," or, "....pleasing men."  Which will it be?

Father, in Jesus' Name, thank You for bring this reminder today.  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

So You Need Help?-- Well....

"Why are you cast down, O my soul?  And why are you disquieted ('murmur') within me?  Hope ('wait') in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God....Why are you cast down, O my soul?  And why are you disquieted within me?  Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance ('face') and my God."  (Psalm 42:11 & 43:5)

The Word translated, "help," in both passages is, "Yeshuah," and you know Who That Is.  We could translate it, "....I shall yet praise Him, the Jesus of my countenance and my God."  The Interlinear says that the Word, "Yeshuah," means, "deliverance, help, prosperity, salvation, security, victories."  It just cannot get any more plain that that.  This is also, I realized this morning, a further illustration of yesterday's devotional.

In view of the great declaration in our text, we can ask again, "Why are you cast down, O my soul?  This does not minimize the heartache, the pain of suffering, turmoil, loss, disappointments in life.  They are real, and they can bring one to the point of despair and collapse.  But the Holy Spirit continually asks you and me the same question which the psalmist asked his soul.  He will keep asking us this question, yes, over and over, so that the injection of, "the Words of God," will continually go into the depths of our beings, strengthening, empowering, lifting us up.

The question of the text is not to mock us in our suffering, but to be the, "yeshua of my countenance ('face').  Our face says a lot about us.  May, for you and me today, our "faces" reflect our Lord Jesus Christ, Who Is our, "deliverance, help, prosperity, salvation, security, victories."

Father, I thank You that You are my, "Yeshuah."  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

"Lord, If You Are Willing...."

"A man with leprosy came and knelt before Him and said, 'Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.  Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man.  'I am willing,' He said.  'Be clean!"  Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy."  (Matthew 8:2, 3-NIV)

I wonder why "evangelicalism" has neglected what so dominates the Gospels, "I am willing....Be clean!"

It is as though evangelicals/conservatives, or whatever one wants to call them, have selected certain religious formulae to propagate Christianity.  What the Bible calls, "The faith of Jesus," however, goes way beyond our "comfort zones."  Peter told Cornelius that Jesus, "went about doing good, healing all who were oppressed by the Devil."  Translated into today's disparaging phrases, by those who have severely robbed humanity of the Great Biblical Message, "faith healing, and deliverance ministry."

This same selective Christianity is what I have been calling "cliche christianity."  It is a religion of what certain strong personalities have said, formulated and propagated, over the years, and the masses just blindly follow.  The solution to break out of this is a Church which is committed to every member reading, "the Words of God," with great frequency, allowing the Holy Spirit to do what Jesus says, "teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."

Jesus said to the sick man, "I am willing."  What is it in your life today about which you travail, wondering if "this is the will of God for my life?"  Perhaps rather than attempting to reason it out, or go to the cliche books, one should go to the Bible; find out what Jesus "thinks" concerning our state.  There are treasures in Jesus which only His Words can uncover.  In three centuries, the Church took over the Roman Empire, because the Church was still believing what Jesus said, not the interpretations of a select few.  That all changed relatively early on, however, and, as the saying goes, "the rest is history."

It is time for you and me to change history, not by some self-willed agenda or new screwy ideas, but by careful, meditative-reading, accepting and obeying Jesus', "God-Breathed," Words.  Maybe instead of wondering about "the will of God," we should read to find out just what kind of "things" He has clearly shown as His will.

Father, in Jesus' Name, I have probably allowed myself to be robbed of so much you have for me because of casual, rather than listening-reading.  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 Lord Merely Spoke...."

"The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created.  He breathed the Word, and all the stars were born.  He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs....For when He spoke, the world began!  It appeared at His command....Let Your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in You."  (From Psalm 33, NLT)

The wording of our text seems "simple" enough, but it reveals the Grandeur, the Majesty of the Living Triune God in Jesus Christ.  Jesus, "breathed the Word," and the Universe was manifested.  I chose "manifested" because there is a very real sense in which the Universe already was.  It was just waiting the "appearance."

This is also true of Jesus.  The NLT translates John 1:1a as, "In the beginning the Word already existed."  Again, I believe we can say this of all creation.  Creation manifests just Who God is, beauty, majesty, grandeur, provision, and on and on.  There is the great declaration in the passage that when God speaks, His purposes happen.  Jesus, "....assigned the sea its boundaries...."  And we can say, "....The world began...at His command."  This is true of our sojourn here.  This is true of our daily lives, everything.  This is a root power of, "Let not your hearts be troubled....My peace I leave with you."

I pray the prayer of our text for you today, a prayer which comes from some realization of the Almightiness of Father, Son Jesus, and Holy Spirit, "Let Your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in You."  His, "unfailing love..," is, "....our hope...."  Love is Who He Is.

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