"....At All Times"

"I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth."  (Psalm 34:1)

Continual, "....praise...in my mouth."  What a life style!  Is this true of you and me?

In Psalm 113 we read, "Praise the Lord!  Praise, O servants of the Lord, Praise the Name of the Lord! Blessed be the Name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore!  From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised!"

From Prison To Praise, wrote a man many years ago.  I don't remember much of it, but I remember he wrote something to the effect that we can either stay in the prison of our doubts, discouragement, unanswered prayers, etc., or, "His praise shall continually be in my mouth."

If I recall correctly, he did share how more of his prayers seemed to be "answered," not primarily by asking, but by praising.  I think, however, another "benefit" can be that praise takes our minds off ourselves and into Jesus Christ.  So much discussion in the modern church is centered around us, our needs, "brokenness," how-to-be-a-better-you.  Okay, but I offer a caution: Almost exclusive emphasis on me does not "lift me up to higher ground."  "Looking unto Jesus," and, "His praise...continually in my mouth", does.

The classic is, The Practice of the Presence of God.  Why don't you and I include in that pursuit, "His praise shall continually be in my mouth"?

Father, in Jesus' Name, "From the rising of the Sun til the going down of the same, [Your] Name is to be praised."  Amen.

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From February 21 to....., I will probably be out of writing commission for a while.  Any prayers for the surgery greatly appreciated. 

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 Want Some "Power," Do You?

"And Jesus was saying to them, 'Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Kingdom of God after it has come with power.'"  Or, "....before they see that the Kingdom of God has come with power." (Mark 9:1, NASB & NIV)

Some teach that it was the Transfiguration to which Jesus is referring to here.  I think it is the Cross and Empty Tomb.

The Power of the Kingdom of God is in the shed Blood, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It is the great, "It is finished", of the "Kingdom Message."  It was the, "It is finished", of the Gospel, which, as Romans 1 declares, is the very,"Power of God," power to forgive, deliver, save, keep.  From that moment on, the very power of the Reign of God could now be manifest in the lives of those who surrender their lives to Jesus, "....with power." 

The Old Covenant says, "The Lord sat as King at the Flood.  The Lord sits as King forever."  At Jesus' first Appearing, He said, "The Kingdom of God is in your midst."  And, at the "last supper," Jesus told His Followers, "....I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's Kingdom."  Yes, there is an aspect of the "coming" Kingdom of God/Heaven.  But make no mistake: Our Lord Jesus Christ, "sits as King forever"--- "at the Flood," before the Flood, then, now, forever.  He is The Eternal King.  

How does this apply to you and me right now?  You and I are more than covered.  As King, Jesus promises us, "....under His wings you may seek refuge....For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways."  The Blessed Trinity, revealed in Jesus Christ, has been doing this for those who have trusted and surrendered their lives to Him from Seth to this moment.  This is true Biblical Theology:  The Living Triune God has been reigning as King of the Universe from age to age.  Jesus has been King of His Kingdom throughout and over the kingdoms of mankind from Babel on. 

The declaration of today's text tells me that the great aspect of, "....see the Kingdom of God after It has come with power", is the very "shout" from the Cross and Empty Tomb of Jesus.  "He is not here; for [The King] is risen!"

Father, in Jesus' Name, help me to not just talk, but live, "the Kingdom of God with power."  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

Beware Who You Quote

"But as for me, I would seek God, and to God I would commit my cause--- Who does great things, and unsearchable, marvelous things without number."  (Job 5:8,9)

This is from, "Eliphaz the Temanite."  Who can argue with what he said here?  But I give caution: Be very careful when you quote from the Book of Job. 

Much of what is recorded in the Book of Job did not receive approval from, "The Word of God," Himself.  "The Lord...said to Eliphaz the Temanite, 'I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about Me, as my servant Job has.'"  Later He says, "....you have not spoken of Me right, as my servant Job."  This seems to be akin to the rejection of Balaam, though it is very difficult to find anything which seems to be "out of order" in Balaam's prophetic utterances.  Can it be that when "bad" people say "good" things, the bad cancels the good?

This has been major deception for humanity since the beginning.  Read the sayings of philosophers and religion-founders over the millennia and you will find much of what man calls "good."  The popular attack on Jesus is that so much of what Jesus said others before Him had said.  The "good" in the Eyes of the Godhead, however, is primarily defined by the person, not the words.   

There was a prominent pastor many years ago of whom many said that when he preached they never witnessed such "anointing."  People surrendered their lives to Jesus under his preaching.  His local congregation grew to almost 2000.  Yet during that whole time, he was involved in extreme illicit behavior.

Beware when everything seems to be so "right."  It may be so "wrong."  There is a caution here also in regard to persons.  This is not to sow suspicion, etc., but it is a caution.  There seems to be so much "right" in the words of Job's, "three friends," even in the fourth young know-it-all who spoke after the others were finished.  But the only approved one was Job.  For me today, there is a reminder, an exhortation and encouragement in reading Job, to, "Pursue...holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." 

The walk of holiness, which is the complete, "set apart," to our Lord Jesus Christ, which was apparently the life style of Job, is as the Bible says, "For our good always." 

Father, in Jesus' Name, I long for the same approval which You gave Job.  Amen.

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* Conference Prayer Call tonight at 21:00

* My shoulder surgery is scheduled for February 21

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

"A Great High Priest Who...Passed Through The Starry Heavens"

"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the starry heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession."  (Hebrews 4:14, Interlinear)

Can imagine it?  After Jesus' Resurrection, after His command to, "go into all the world," and the disciples', "....while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud receive Him out of their sight"?  Did Jesus leave, "....out of their sight", and, "....pass[] thr0ugh the starry heavens," at incredible speed, passing Mars, Saturn, Neptune, "through the heavens," perhaps the next solar system, ultimately to the "position" of our, "....Great High Priest..," which Revelation 3 tells us, "I...overcame and sat down with My Father in His Throne"------ "wherever" that maybe? 

Maybe my imagination was working overtime this morning, but the text does tell us that Jesus, "passed through the starry heavens...."   We know Jesus said, "I go to prepare a place...," even though the "location" of that, "place," no one knows.  Yet as I read our text and thought of yesterday's devotional, I could not help but think of the vastness of the Universe.  The phrase, "....passed through the heavens..," just took on a new wonder for me today.

I thought today, too, of David's statement, "....His greatness is unsearchable....And I will declare Thy Greatness."  How does one do that?  Well, for me today, the thought of that "journey" which Jesus took, "....through the starry heavens..," to get to, "....a place for you...," just gave me another glimpse of, "....Thy Greatness."  And, it is the, "Greatness," of our Living Triune God which keeps us going, "through many dangers, toils, and snares."

I wonder if the one who wrote, "I'll Fly Away," had, "passed through the starry heavens...," in mind.

Father, in Jesus' Name, I thank you that in Jesus I too will, "pass[] through the heavens"----------- on to Glory and a new revelation of You!  Amen.

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Conference Prayer Call tomorrow night at 21:00hrs.

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

Wonderment To The The Nth Power

"What is man...?"  (Psalm 8)

When I read this yesterday, I tried to contemplate, as I still do today, just how much wonderment is in these three Words.

Right now, you and I are traveling almost 67,000 miles per hour around the Sun.  NASA tells us that our Sun is just one of between  200,000,000,000 and 400,000,000,000 stars in our galaxy, "The Milky Way."  According to NASA, "Even our closest neighboring stars are trillions of miles away....NASA's Kepler mission found more than 26oo exoplanets during its nine year mission.  It has also made a list of more than 3,000 additional potential exoplanets that astronomers need to study more carefully to be sure that they are indeed planets."  David had very little idea just how true was his wonderment, "What is man...?"  So I too wonder.

From somewhere, "Out of the Ivory Palaces," our Lord Jesus Christ appeared among men and nations some centuries ago.  His incomprehensible statements, "Before Abraham was, I Am....I and the Father are One," could not be understood by the first generation which heard Those Words, any more than you and I can understand them today.  A 5'8", 160 lb. Galilean Carpenter, Mary's Child, walked "The Promised Land," teaching, loving, "healing all who were oppressed of the Devil," took our sins, sicknesses, griefs, pains, sorrows at His Cross, arose from the tomb, and ascended on High.  I go one more than the song writer, "I cannot take it in."  What I do today is accept Jesus and His Words.  I accept that, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father."  I accept what He told/tells us, "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me."  I accept and glory in, "I...prepare a place for you."

Wesley wrote, "....til we cast our crowns before Thee, lost in wonder, love, and praise."  I'm doing it now also.

Father, in Jesus' Name, I too ask, "What is man...?"  But I so thank You that in my very limited way, "I...lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me."  Amen.  

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Conference Prayer Call, February 5, 21:00hrs.

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