Category Archives: Psalm thoughts

The Lamp Unto My Feet!

October 29, 2009 Paul Leave a comment

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. – Psalm 119:105. KJV

How prophetic are these words! I often wonder if the psalmist knew that his words were the foretelling of Jesus and how He is the lamp that gives light to our path into righteousness. I do know that what he was writing was on the following of the “Book of Teaching,” the words of God to His people while wandering in the wilderness. By the constant endeavor to grasp the meaning of the book of Deuteronomy, the people of the Old Testament walked in the darkness of those who dominated over them. The youth of Judea who were captive in Babylon like Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego stayed faithful. Esther and her uncle Mordicai, as well as Elisha while being pursued by Jezebel, did not waver in the service to God by living in trust of God’s Word given to them and by the love of the law and traditions that separated them from the pagans and their false beliefs. They all suffered at the hands of their tormentors yet each was lifted up and given honor in their places. While they lived in Nations that rejected God and His Word, they remained faithful and lived within the understandings of God’s purpose. To them, the Word of God was the Lamp that gave light to their lives and preserved them in times of conflict. They lived in the Grace that comes from learning what God sought for the lives of men.

But for all their obedience and diligence to the Word of the law, they did not know Him who was to be called the “Word.” They related to the written word of the Law anticipating that a redeemer, a rescuer and savior would come but that was not their reason they followed the Word. They loved their God and because of that love, they wanted to serve Him in righteousness. While they were not aware of the Living Word, they remained faithful to the Written Word and lived in it so that the people of God might know the the living testament of God’s Grace and Mercy was to come.

In the words of Jesus, “I am the way, the truth and the life,”(John 14:6) we can come to believe in the Living Word that is the light unto our path. Jesus told us that He did not come to replace the written Word, the “Book of Teaching,” but came to fulfill the law [of atonement] so that we could walk in righteousness and without condemnation. He tell us that we are the light of the world, the bearers of the lamp of righteousness and goodness so that the world may not walk blindly in darkness of sin. “Let your light shine before others— so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven.” (Matthew 5:14,16). So as the psalmist says, “A light unto my feet,” the light of Christ is the light that we bear for the world. It is the light that leads us and we are to be conveyors of the Light of Christ before others that they may see what is right and just before God.

Because Jesus fulfilled the Law and we are to be the fulfilment of Christ’s perfected way, we are the light in the darkness of the world. In these days of world wide persecution, we are to rally to the light and aid each other in the spreading of the Truth that is the Gospel. Christ, as He directs our path, lights the way so that we can see the pitfalls of human fraility and the snares of sin. “Everything that is now hidden or secret will eventually be brought to light. Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand.” (Mark 4:22 NLT) All the mysteries of the Old Testament will be revealed and the lies of man will be found out. God has revealed the Truth of the Word of the Law by the life of Jesus and He has shown us that through His Love we are cleansed. No longer is it impossible to please God, no longer is God’s will incomprehensible and unattainable but we may walk in Light and Understanding. By Christ we may know the way of God, made visible so that man may grasp the goodness of God and see what is right in His Eyes. Man can now distinguish what God has revealed from what the world wants us to believe. Darkness of sin can not hide under the Lamp of Grace. By the Spirit of God bestowed on us through the blood of Christ, we recognize what is darkness and what is Light.

The Word of God created the Universe. The Word of God is the reason, the logic and the design, and it was GOOD! The very word that John uses to start his gospel is the same word used to mean logic, reasoning and authority. “And the Word was made Flesh.” (John 1:14). The Word (Jesus) is life. He existed before anything else, He created life and all things. He created light and is the light of men. That same light is the breath of God that gave life to creation and breathed life into man. Not only the life of existence but the eternal life of Salvation and Sanctification. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness (Satan) has not overcome it. (John 1:5) The true light, which enlightens everyone was coming into the world. John 1:9) And from His fullness we have received grace upon grace… grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:16-17 ESV).” The True Light was sought by the prophets, David, Joseph and Abraham was revealed and made flesh. He is the Christ, Messiah and the Son of the Most High. “For the law was given to Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17) “This is the message…God is Light…if we walk in the light as He is the Light, we have fellowship with another and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5-7 NLT). It is because of the “Light of the Law,” loved by the faithful in the Old Testament, and the Light of Jesus, the fulfillment of the purpose of the Law, that we are able to shine in the darkness and we strive to live in the light of truth and righteousness. Because of the light of God, we walk in light among the darkness that fills the world.

Solomon tells us, “Every word of God proves true, He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.” (Proverbs 30:5). We are to stay true to the Word of God, Faithful to all His teachings and all the understandings given to us pertaining to the Law by Jesus. Not because of it binds us to atonement, but because it frees us from darkness and sin and the faithfulness of God’s Love prevails in us. We do “Not add to His words lest He rebukes [us] and [we] are found a liar.” (Proverbs 30:6). If we deny, reject the teaching of old, given to the people by God or if we amend them to appease ourselves to do less than what God wants for us, we will be rejected by the Father.

The message of God is that we are to stay true to the Word of God and the Light of God. We are to walk in the light of Jesus by His blood and to adhere to the teachings that God gave His people in the wilderness. Just because Christ came to free us from the bondage of the Law does not mean that it has no light. Isaiah say, “…the word of God stands forever. Get you to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift your voice with strength…and say…’Behold your God.'” (Isaiah 40:8-9ESV). Because by the blood of the Savior, the Lamb of God, God says, “I have dispelled your faults like a cloud, your sins like a mist. Come back to me, for I have redeemed you.” (Isaiah 44:22NJB). “They shall be called the Holy People and the People of the Redeemed by the LORD.” (Isaiah 62:12). Those who have the Love of God and obey His commands to love Him and to Live with love for each other, will be called His Holy People.

Paul, in his letter to Colossae tells us to. “Put on then as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, meekness and patience, bearing with one another… as the Lord has forgiven you… and be thankful. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly..” Col 3:12-16 NLT). As Christ is the Lamp unto our feet, and the Living Word, we are to walk not in blind devotion but in clear understanding of God’s will and His purpose. We are to understand what Christ is to the Law and how the law of God is the guideposts in our walk of light.

Because the Word is the Light, and by the Word the light became flesh, we are to walk richly in the word of God, humbly before man and God, with peace and grace before God. The final prayer of Jesus before He went to the cross for our transgressions was that we be sanctified by the Truth (see: John 17;17-19). Having been purified by the Blood of the Lamb, embodied by the Spirit of God, we are to walk in and with the Light of God. In this we are to walk in obedience to the Word and to use it as a lamp so that we do not stray into darkness. We are called to be a holy people, free from the darkness of sin and to become servants of the True Light. We are called to prepare our minds for action, being brought up into the Word, set our hope fully on the grace by the revelation of the Word, Jesus Christ (see: 1 Peter 1:13-23). This was the plan of God when He created the world and man and He saw that it was good.

Then as John saw in the Great Revelation, the One sitting on the white horse, who was called Faithful and True, He is called the Word of God. (see: Rev 19:11-13). Behold all things will be made known that the one who is called the Son of Man and the Son of God is the True Light, the Word and the the Truth of God. To Him we called out as did the psalmist, “I’ve promised it once and I’ll promise it again: I will obey Your wonderful Law.” (Psalm 119:106)

Psalm thoughts

Psalm 119:97-104 Mem: Wisdom in Meditation

July 13, 2009 Paul Leave a comment

Meditating all day on Your Law,
how I have come to love it!
By Your commandment, ever mine,
how much wiser You have made me than my enemies!
How much subtler than my teachers,
through my meditating on your decrees!
How much more perceptive than the elders,
as a result of my respecting Your precepts!
I refrain my feet from every evil path,
the better to observe Your word.
I do not turn aside from Your rulings,
since You Yourself teach me these.
Your promise, how sweet to my palate!
Sweeter than honey to my mouth!Your precepts endow me with perception;
I hate all deceptive paths. Psalm 119:97-104(TJB)

I chose the Jerusalem Bible translation for these verses because I love the wording it uses. It seems to have more impact than others. Key words come to me as perceptive, respecting, endow me, and how I have come to love it. Moses told the people in the wilderness, “Listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you and do them, that you may live,….Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and understanding in the sight of of the people.” Deut.4:1,6 (ESV). When we choose to meditate on the Law and the Word of God and learn to love them, we begin to understand God. Christ came to give us understanding that surpasses even that of Moses and David and the Faithful of old. Through the meditation of the Word with the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we come to love God more and more. Because we reach into the precious teachings of the Gospels and the writings of the prophets, apostles and scribes of God’s word, the passion of God’s will for us becomes apparent. We are set aside to bring Honor to His greatness.

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Just reading the Bible, or going to church and hearing the pastor preach a few words is not meditating on the Word. We are to dig into the scriptures with prayerful attention. We are to study with out hearts the importance of every word for our lives. It is my habit to read many translations of the bible to grasp the full meaning of certain words because our language, English, is in constant flux, changing meaning at every turn. Words written four centuries ago have no meaning today or have come to mean totally different things. In fact words written last year have lost meaning. Teaching I received years ago have been proven to be misinterpretations of the word of God’s understandings that had in the past have been misplaced because of poor understanding of the meanings of words. But by meditation and seeking true understanding, we become wiser. Wiser in fact than some of the teachers, more perceptive than the legalistic understanding of the elders, and more compassionate than the enemies of pure thought in the Word.

Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians 4:17-18, “…You must no longer walk as do the gentiles do, in the futility of their mind. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them…” Our understanding must come from God’s instruction, So many of us have been foolishly led to believe half truths and unsound teachings because we have not meditated on the Word ourselves but have relied on the understandings of others. We have turned away from the Wholeness of God’s Teachings because we have accepted the teachings of man, we have relied on the law of the land instead of the Law of God. We have followed deceptive men and called them honorable when they have defiled Christ’s Ways with Worldly passions. Because they have found comfort in the things of the flesh, they have led us to believe evil is good and righteousness is folly.

“I refrain my feet from every evil path…” Psalm 119:101. We must flee from every wrong doing, we must rely on God and His teaching. And the only way we can do that is by being in prayer and meditation on HIS WORD! The psalmist relies on the teaching of the law but he also strives to understand the meaning of the Law. He focuses on the godly way of live and run from the desires of lesser ideas and rulings. James 4:7 says, “Resist the Devil and he will flee.” (ESV). We are reminded by 1 Peter 5:8-9 “Be sober minded; be watchful. …Resist him (the devil), firm in your faith,…” (ESV). Paul tells Timothy that the cravings of the world will cause many to wander away from the Truth and he orders him to, “..flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.” 1 Tim 6:11 (ESV). But how are we to know what is Good and Righteous if we rely on our own understanding? We must allow God to enter our inner thoughts through the prayerful meditations as we read and search the Word.

God told Joshua before he led the people into the Promised land, “Be strong and very courageous. Obey all the Laws Moses gave you.” (Joshua 1:7,NLT) When Joshua was old and ready to depart the world his advise to the Children of Israel was, “Therefore be very strong to keep and do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning neither to the right hand nor to the left…. but you shall cling to the LORD your God just as you have done to this day.” (Joshua 23:6,8 ESV). Of all the advice given to Job as he suffered his many losses, one line stands out as truth over all; “Surely it is God’s Spirit within people, the breath of the Almighty within them, that makes them intelligent.” (Job 32:8 NLT). When Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit upon His disciples (see John 20:21-22), He gave them the power to forgive. But also in that act he confirmed that He was the Living Word of God. When we come to Christ and are empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are given an intelligence that surpasses the worldly understanding. As in the case of Jeremiah, “When Your words came, I devoured them. Your Word was my delight and the joy of my heart; for I was called by Your Name, Yahweh, God of Sabaoth!” (Jer. 15:16 TJB).

Moses told the people and the priests that when they appointed a King, “And it shall be with him [the Book of the Law], and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left.” (Deut. 17:19-20 ESV). Since we are all priest on the Kingdom of God through Christ, we are are also under the same command. We are to read the Bible daily, keeping all of its commands given to us by the Love of Christ Jesus as the fulfilment of the perfect Word of the Father. And so with regular reading of the Word, comes the meditation and praying to God Almighty for understanding as well. With prayer and meditation, come meekness and a hunger for more. It is as Jeremiah, a sweet hunger.

As Ezra and Nehemiah led the remnant back to Jerusalem after the exile, the dealt with many trials and frustrations. The people who occupied the land did not want them back. Many scholars believe that Nehemiah wrote this psalm to strengthen the remnant to return to the True Faith of God and to put aside all the things that they had gathered in their exile to return to the Word and the Righteousness of the Law. Today we still struggle with the righteousness of Christ’s Law of Love and Compassion. Nehemiah told his people, “This thing that you are doing is not good.” (Neh. 5:9). By instruction and daily worship, they came back to the goodness of God. Today, because we are lacking as a people of God, we have found ourselves lacking in godliness and have returned to the ways of man rather than the ways of God. We do not even know how to meditate on the Word of God and to grasp how relevant it is to our day to day living.

We are told by Paul in his letter to Timothy, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with sacred writings, which are able to make wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,…”(2 Tim. 3:15-16. ESV). Meditation of the Word is to give to us understanding in the power, mercy and awesomeness of God. Because the early followers of Christ relied on the fullness of the teachings of the Scriptures and the Grace of the Law rather than the condemnations of the priests, their numbers grew and their Faith increased. Understanding their value in our day to day living, drives us away from every sort of evil, even the evil that is disguised as good.

I want to close this with the agreement of David from Psalm 19;

The Law of the LORD is perfect.
reviving the soul:
the Testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple. (vs. 7)

More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb. (vs. 10)

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. (vs. 14)

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Psalm thoughts

Getting Older is a Blessing.

June 14, 2009 Paul Leave a comment

I cry out to God Most High,
to God Who fulfills His Purpose for me.
…..
My heart is steadfast, O God
my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
Psalm 57:2,7

Today I am older! June 15 is my birthday and I made it through another year. and today at church, I sang praises to my Father in Heaven that we have survived another year. But most importantly, I praise Him for the blessings of the spirit He has provided me. I lost friends this year, many did not live this year out and I miss them. some were blessings and comfort to me in my struggles and to some, I offered comfort and God’s wisdom in their struggles.

the man who offered me a spiritual place of rest passed to glory and was followed by his sweet wife to soon afterwards. My sweet friend Wendy who struggled with cancer, was taken up just a short while ago. And in between, other dear friends left the world as well. Yet in the midst of it all, God’s Grace and Glory shown the light of Happiness and Peace. And I am still here!

Like David, while he hid in the caves, praised God as he was protected form Saul, in the midst of the turmoil of my soul, I found that God not only protects me from my “enemies”‘ He provided answers to my inquiries. God has indeed made a sad and troubled soul find reason to praise and to make merry in the sight of the LORD! There are many reasons to find fault, but the one reason to rejoice is stronger than any of them. The reason for merriment is the fact that throughout the trials and turmoil of not only my life but the lives of all my family, God has provided.

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I have learned this past year that I am selfish, vain and overly proud. I have placed to much importance on who I am rather than on who God has made me. I learned that forgiveness is the true form of love, that mercy is for all just as Christ has offered mercy to me. I have learned to listen to God as the Word teaches me how to live.

But most importantly, I learned that of all the pains and suffering I have gone through in my life, they are nothing to the pains ans suffering others have gone through in just the last year. And those sufferings are nothing to the torment Jesus went through in just one day for our souls. This Year I was humbled before the LORD and nobody made that more abundantly clear than my dear friend Wendy, God bless her sweet soul!

So here I am, now sixty-six years old and still a “child” when it comes to knowing God. And as I go through another year in the life of a disciple, I will watch over the words I say, the Spirit of what is held in my heart and the Testimony of the Spirit that I am guided to share that I will seek god’s truth and the Wisdom of Christ in all I say. The passage from Luke 21:34-36. “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day comes upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

In the year to come, I will hold onto the words of Isaiah 26:3-5, You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. “Trust in the LORD forever. for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. For He humbled the inhabitants of the height, the loft city.” May I never seem lofty or value my insights more than what they are, Words from God to direct my life towards a more perfect life, one that I still have not obtained nor will ever without His Guidance.

I close with saying, “Happy Birthday to me!” but still wish that they never end for I HAVE SO MUCH MORE TO LEARN BEFORE I WILL DEEM MYSELF ACCEPTABLE TO THE SERVICE OF THE LORD!

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Christian thought, Psalm thoughts, Wholeness/Christ

Psalm 119:89-96 (Lamedh)

March 26, 2009 Paul Leave a comment

Forever, O LORD, your word
is firmly fixed in the heavens.
Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
you established the earth, and it stands fast.
By your appointment they stand this day,
for all things are your servants.
If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.
I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you have given me life.
I am yours; save me,
for I have sought your precepts.
The wicked lie in wait to destroy me,
but I consider your testimonies.
I have seen the limit to all perfection,
but your commandments is exceedingly broad.

Forever the Word of god stands firm, without end and without end. And the Faithfulness of God is without limits. As the stars in the sky have endured for millenniums, so shall the word of God and His commandments. As the sun rises each day and the night follows day, so shall His law endure from generation to generation. As the Law was given to Moses for the people of God, the heirs of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, and to those who sought after Christ, so shall it endure until the coming of the King.

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The Law of the Most High, the precepts of Love, given to Moses and taught to us by Jesus, spread to the world by Peter, Paul and the others even unto this age is unchanged. Even today, as those who distort the word of God and those who liberalize sin, preach deception and practice evil claim to be of God, the Truth of the Word ensnares them in their lies. The Truth of God’s law and the love that dictates it continues unaltered. The Truth and the Wisdom of the commandments of God endures all the snare of foolish men and exceeds the understandings of false philosophies. Their words sound empty and without meaning to those who love the Law of God. They are filled with self gratification, greed and denial of God’s justice and His Merciful Love.

Matthew records the words of Jesus saying, “Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not.” (Matt 24:35) As He predicted the end of the world and the judgment upon the unrighteousness of men, He says that He and His Word will remain constant. He who created the perfection of the universe, will cleanse men and gather the elect, those who abide in the Word, to Him. Peter recalls the words of the prophet Isaiah, “People are like grass that dies away; their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of wildflowers. The grass wither, and the flowers fall away, but the Word of the LORD will last forever.” (1 Peter 1:24-25) And that is the Good News of Christ’s Salvation.

What the foolish people are saying is that it is not the Law but how you feel that matters. They are attempting to lead us into evil and selfish ways by telling us that we do not need to obey God’s commands, we can do what ever we want, because God will accept us anyway. What they do not know is that they are playing into the hand of God. Our Lord is separating the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the weeds, and the barren trees from the fruitful ones. This is why we must study and stay in the Word every day. We must not rely on the teachings of men who can be deceived, but lean upon our own understanding as God directs us. When we fail to grasp something of Scriptures, we are to go to the wisest of those who teach and search their hearts for the truth. But if we resolve to serve and obey the Laws of Christ, set down by Hos own words, actions and directions to the disciples, we can tot go wrong.

Those who meditate on the Word, who dream of the Law of Love, who set the Teachings of Christ first and for most in their lives, they shall have a joy that can not be taken away. They will be sustained by the Grace that comes from understanding and reasoning of God’s Perfect law. Without the passion to reach into the mind of God’s Word, we would die. Without the reasoning of His Will for us in the law of Love, we would perish in despair. Without the Promise of His Grace Everlasting, there is no hope. To the Faithful who never forget God’s Commandments and live to abide by the testimony of Christ, He promises Life abundantly, Life eternally and Life triumphant. As the world lies to us, the faithful turn not to an understanding that comes from the flesh, but the perfect understanding that comes only by the Spirit of God.

The psalmist crys out, “I am yours, save me!” He knows that he belongs to God and that God knows His own, as the Shepard knows his sheep. (John 10:4) God knows who you are and what is your heart. He knows when you serve His Name and the Name of Jesus. As he told the Churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Peramum and Thyatira; “I know all things you do.(Rev. 2:2) I know about your suffering and your poverty- but you are rich!(Rev. 2:9) I know that you live in the city where the great throne of Satan is located and yet you have remained faithful to me.(Rev. 2:13) I know all thing you do, your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance.(Rev. 2:19) …And I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. …(Rev. 2:23) Pray that your intentions and thoughts are in the Way of the Word.Pray that you are living richly in His Love! Pray that you are Faithful to Him whom is Christ. Pray that your life is one of service to the commandments of God, that nothing stand in your path to prevent you from living set aside and blameless for God.

As we apply our minds to the keeping the precepts of Love as given to us by The Father in the Old Testament and by Christ in the New, we should quietly examine ourselves. We should meditate on the righteousness of our ways and the desires of His Decrees. Even as we consider the Perfection of His creations, realize that they are finite. Even as the the heavens and earth where created because of His Perfect Word, they shall end. As the Rainbow is perfect,or a sunset, they are but for a moment. Only God is perfect beyond any end. And while we may be “Perfected in Christ” it is but for a while. True perfection comes with the eternal life.

What is perfect and without end is God’s Law. His commandment of Love is beyond any limitations. And as we live in the perfection of the Law, we have Love, Peace and Trust with one another in Christ’s Name and for His sake. The most beautiful things of earth will pass away, but the beauty of God’s loving purpose of the Law will never pass away. The words of the Master are forever, and they will live in us even into Eternity.

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Persucution and trials, Prayer Scriptures, Psalm thoughts

In the Shadow of Your Wings

March 12, 2009 Paul Leave a comment

Be Merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuse; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuse, till the storms of destruction pass by.

My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts – the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows. whose tongues are sharp swords. –Psalm 57:1,4.

I just received my news letter from International Christian Concern and am constantly reminded that persecution of minority religions are rampant in former Soviet Nations and many Islamic Nations. That even in those countries we call “Allies”, the constant fear of belonging to a church, theology or even a bible study could cause you to end up in prison or even a victim of mob violence. The primary target of these radicals are Christians but it is not limited to them. Other beliefs are also targeted. Minority Islamic beliefs and Hindu followers of ‘lesser gods” are also targeted but the majority of victims are still those who belong to the evangelical Christian Churches.

As David cried out to the LORD Almighty to be sheltered under his wings, we should say each day this prayer that those who suffer for His sake, be protected and sheltered. As we face the slings and arrows of contention in our every day lives, we should be aware that there are many who face greater trial, tribulations and turmoil than we can imagine. As we are to timid to proclaim our faith in a safe environment, teenage girls are raped in Pakistan in an effort to “convert” them to Islam, that women with malaria in Eritrea are being denied medical treatment unless the recant Christ and that those whose hatred of Christians is so great that the burn down clinics ans hospice centers for lepers and t.b. patients in India.

Continue to pray for and support those missions and their support groups. As long as there will be those who sole purpose is to care for those who need the love of Christ and the aid of a loving heart, there will be those tools of Hate who will seek to destroy. They will come in the name of false beliefs and be instruments of The Most Evil One and they will proclaim that they are just and right in their wickedness.

” We must work the ways of Him who sent [Christ]. while it is day; night comes when no one can work.” John 9:4

Persucution and trials, Psalm thoughts

Psalm 119:81-88 (Kaph)

February 9, 2009 Paul Leave a comment

My soul longs for your salvation;
I hope in your word.
My eyes long for your promise;
I ask. “When will you comfort me?”
For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,
yet I have not forgotten your statutes.
How long must your servant endure?
When will you judge those who persecute me?
The insolent have dug pitfalls for me;
they do not live according to your law.
All the commandments are sure;
they persecute me with falsehood; help me!
They have almost made an end of me on earth.
but I may keep the testimonies of your mouth. (ESV)

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Jer. 6:16 says, This is what the Lord says: “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you shall find rest for your souls. But they have said, ‘We will not walk in it.'” (NAS) This is the problem, we sometimes forget to walk in the ancient paths of the saints of the Old Testament. One of my favorite verses in the New Testament is: “My brothers and sisters, if any among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back again, you can be sure that the one who brings that person back will save a sinner from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.” (James 5:19-20 NLT)But to the psalmist, they are not listening to correction but strive to destory him and the believers.

Does your soul hunger and long for salvation? I do not mean the Salvation that is redemption but the salvation from the slings and arrows of life that constantly assail you. For those in missions, it means salvation from the persecuters that imprison, beat, torture and falsely accuse them of crimes. For the caregivers that pray for their charges who are accused of “forcing” religion on them. Yet in these hardships, those who chose to walk in the Path of God’s Righteous Word find joy. “My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh sings for joy to the living God.” (Psalm 84:2)

Yet even as the heart is filled with joy for the Word, the author still longs for justice. The psalmist says his eyes fail, they long, they are even tearfull with anguish (depending on which translation you read) for the justice of the LORD. He seeks comfort, and retribution for the torment of his defectors and persecuters. How long must I endure is what he is aking. Jeremiah the prophet asks, “My eyes are wasted away with weeping, my entrails shuttered, my liver spilled upon the ground at the ruin of the daughters of my people. As children, mere infants, fainted in the squares of the Citadel.” (Lam. 2:11 TJB) David writes, ” I am weary with crying; my throat is parched, My eyes fail while I wait for my God.” (Psalm 69:3 NAS) And even the ever rigfhteous Job says, “I go about moaning without comfort; I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.” (Job 30:28)

Yet in all this, Isaiah says; “…My eyes look wistfully to the hieghts; O LORD, I am oppressed, be my security.” (NAS) The ESV reads, “be my peldge of safty.” Yet in all this the writer has not forgotten God’s Word, His Law or His Love and the promise to be renewed and restored. Yet in all the trials, temptations and intimidations to go the way of the flesh, he remains faithfull to the commands of God. In the sight of the threats of torture, the pains of mockery and ridicule, he remains in the path of God, the Walk of Righteousness. Even as the nation is trusting in the sins of the flesh and the weariness of envy and pride, he trusts God to make things right.

Even as those who reject God, who do not know Him, nor respect Him, plot against us, God knows their hearts, thoughts the not yet done deeds. Even as we hold fast to the precepts of Christ and walk toward His Light, we have the Spirit of God within and are empowered by the Divine Spirit. Even as we are tormented, we are called to do what is good and pleasing in the sight of the Lord Jesus. We are assured that the Word of God will prevail even if we forfiet our lives. For our eternal life can not be destroyed by the hands of evil.

But is it wrong to ask for justice to be done? To request that those who dishonor us, be dealt with shame? And is it wrong to desire that they gain no pleasure in what they do? What I say is that our joy comes from doing what is right and holy in the sight of the Lord Our God, not in the destruction of our enemies. We need to let our happiness in serving God out weigh the sins of the world. Let our joy in Christ’s Grace be the torment of souls and minds of our persecuters. As those who stood in the arena of Rome faced death before denying Christ, caused them to be shamed who oppress the Lovers of God. Even in the suffering of disease, job loss, morgage failure and fraud, and other calamities that face many who trust in God, we can still stand in the assembly and sing with joy for the blessings we have in eternal union with Christ. We can rejoice that we have a loving God who will not desert us.

Psalm 109:26-27 reads, (NAS)”Help me, O LORD my God; Save me according to Thy lovingkindness. And let them know that this is Thy Hand; Thou LORD hast done it.” Ps. 51:1, “Be graicious to me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness; Accordining to the greatness of Thy compassion blot out my transgression.” Ps. 49:5-8, “Why should I fear in days of adversity, When the iniquity of my foes surrounds me, Even those who trust in their wealth, And boast in the aboundance of their riches? No man can by any means redeem his brother, Or give to God a ransom for him- For the redemption of his soul is costly …” Ps. 48:9-10, “We have thought on Thy lovingkindness, O God, In the midst of Thy temple. As is Thy name, O God, So is Thy praise to the ends of the earth; Thy right hand is full of righteousness.” In the days of our stuggles, we can forever trust in the Living God who is Christ, the rescuer of our souls. Even as we struggle with the physical life, we still rely on God, for our home is not on the temperal plane but in the heavely one.

So as it says in James 1:2, count your suffering as joy. Trust in the Grace and Mercy of the Lord to deliver you from the failings of the world. If it is in His will you will be delivered from the problems of the world and you shall take pleasure in His ways. Even if they take everything I own and destroy everything I love and Cherish, it is for nothing because I still have the Love of God, His Law and Love, and His Redemption. Even if I can not be saved from the torment of the flesh, I have been rescued from the guilt of the past and the pains of damnation.

In this I can share the pleasure of Christ and the Path of God’s Word. In the steadfastness of God’s faithfulness, let us rejoice and live in accordance to the Will and the Word of God. Give thanks for the blessings that come in the serving of the commandments and the statutes of God and serve one another as Christ served us. Let us live in accordance to the Love, Mercy and Grace of God given to us upon the Cross. Because of this we can say with out fear or doubt, God has, “In steadfast love given [us] life, that [we] may keep the testimonies of [God’s] mouth.” (Ps. 119:88)

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Persucution and trials, Psalm thoughts

Songs of the Persecuted and the Redeemed

January 9, 2009 Paul Leave a comment

Psalm 14 and Psalm 15

Only fools say in their hearts,
“there is no God.”
They are corrupt. and their actions are evil;
not one of them does good!Psalm 14:1

Only fools say in their hearts there is no God. When David was pursued by Saul, king of Israel and Judea, and the Philistines, he wrote songs that lamented his conditions. He complained to God that he was surrounded by fools that did fear God nor respected Him. Even in the Land of the Chosen of God, His own people, rejected the word of God and sought after their own ways. Today it is much the same. Christians are challenged each day and in every way as they try to live in the Will of God. Enemies of the True Faith in God seek to force us to renounce our beliefs or to alter them in such ways as to make the Word of God no longer valid. In order to stay in their safe circles or to include those outside of faithfulness to the Word, they make concessions or attack those who stay fast in the principles of Right Living. By their actions they show that evil lives within them. And those who persecute the Faithful, those who hunt them down or make false charges against them, are corrupt and fools. Psalm 10:4 says, “The prideful have no room for God.” And so it is, those who reject the Word even in part, reject God. Their Pride has become God and they have no room for the reality of His Grace.

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The LORD looks down from heaven
on the entire human race;
he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,
if anyone seeks God.
But no, all have turned away;
all have become corrupt.
No one does good,
not a single one.Ps 14:2-3

Yet even as we cry out, “Were are the Righteous?” we can stand on the promise that God looks down from heaven and watches us. Paul wrote that the Christian Jews and Gentiles in Rome faced their own battles with not only the Roman authorities but also with the Jewish leaders who thought themselves righteous (Rom 3:10-18). Those who show no regard toward God by living in a world that they have all the power and God has none. They regard God as important and have no fear of his mighty will. They regard Judgment as nothing. Even today, Christians beleive that we are safe from God’s Judgment because “they are saved.” Those who are corrupt, “Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are evil thoughts; ruin and destruction mark their ways. The way of peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths. they have turned them into crooked roads; NO ONE WHO WALKS IN THEM WILL KNOW PEACE.” (Isa 59:7,8)

Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 7:25 that we must turn to understanding (from God) to investigate why there is persecution and stupidity from those who enjoy the folly of live without God. Ps. 102 says that for a future generation (that is those who turn to God, Christ and the Commandments), God has looked upon the Earth. He is still looking for those who who chose to withstand the torment of persecution and abide in Him and His Perfect Will. He asked the prophet Jeremiah if, “Perhaps they shall turn away from their wickedness” (Jer. 36:3) As those who are persecuted face the trials laid before them, remember that God provides for the wicked as well as the just. It is in His timing that all things are to be made right. The wicked have their “rewards” here on earth, the faithful will have the blessings of heaven eternally. As stated in Titus 1:6, They claim to know God but their actions deny Him. They claim to even be gods themselves, but by their deeds, we know that they are evil and know nothing of Godliness.

Will those who do evil never learn?
They eat up my people like bread
and wouldn’t think of praying to the LORD.
Terror will grip them,
the wicked frustrate the plans of the oppressed,
but the LORD restores his people.Ps 14:4-6

“When will they ever learn?” That is the question that David asks of God. Isaiah hopefully says “I will tell of the Kindness of God, His deeds, all what He has done for us.” So even as we are persecuted and tormented by evil, even as we are denied religious rights and freedoms, even as our brothers and sisters are imprisoned, we can still rejoice in what God has done for us. We can rejoice in the presence of His Love Divine.

When we have no where else to go, “God is the refuge of His People.” Ps. 9:9. “Yet when I am needy; may the LORD think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, do not delay.” Ps. 40:17. And God has rescued us. He rescued us from our depravity. Christ has taken away the sins of the world, our sins. He has made the way for the wicked to turn away from their evil and wasted ways. To those who are the ungodly, He has provided an avenue of peace and love. And as Job said; ” I know that you (GOD) can do all things.”

Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel?
When the LORD restores his people,
Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice.Ps 14:7

But until that day of the return of Christ we must still fight the good fight. Not with the weapons of man but with the power of God’s Word. We must trust in God’s plan, His motives and his hardening of our resolve. Psalm 85:10-13 ends with the voice of not so quiet confidence in the Grace of God by stating: “Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky. Yes, the LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. Righteousness will go before Him and make His footsteps a way.” These words bring a sense of accomplishment to the work of those who are living in trust of God in countries that face persecution. Paul stated in Romans 11:25-27 that the end of persecutions will be realized when Israel comes to Christ. At least that is how I interpret it. “And so all of Israel will be saved, as it is writen: …And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” So I say to you all to pray for Israel that they may be saved and accept Christ as their true Messiah. Until then, Christians will be persecuted and the war against God will continue.

Who may worship in your sanctuary, LORD?
Who may enter your Presence on your holy hill? Ps.15:1

Who may worship? The Contemporary English Version Bible quotes Paul as saying. ” God doesn’t accept people simply because they obey the Law. No, indeed! All the Law does is point out our sins.” (Rom3:20) No, none are by their own, righteous. All fall short of the Glory of God.

Psalm 24:3-4 reads ” Who may ascent to the holy hill of the LORD? Who may stand in His Holy Place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.” But how can we have “clean hands” when we are often tempted by the world to seek after things not of God? In Luke 18:26 Jesus is asked, “Then who can be saved?” He replies in the next verse, “What is impossible for man is possible for God.” When the jailer asked Paul. after the earthquake what he had to do to be saved, Paul replies, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you and your household will be saved.” (Acts 16:30-31) So the answer to the question of David in Psalms had to wait until Christ came. Now in this new age of persecutions in the world, we can still rely on God and His Word made Flesh. Jesus Christ.

Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right,
speaking the truth from sincere hearts. Ps. 15:2

Only by Christ and the empowering of the Holy Spirit can we become blameless. Because we, like Phillip having met Jesus who goes to his friend Nathanael can say as he did, “We have met the Messiah (that is the Christ)” (John 1:41) Now we can do what is worthy, what is in accordance to God’s Law and His Grace. When we are called to put God’s trust to the test, we can put away the falsehoods of vanity, pride and self righteousness and we can speak truthfully to our neighbors (Eph 4:25). We can not allow unhealthy talk to come from our lips but speak only what is helpful for building up each other (Eph 4:29). But we must also not grieve the Holy Spirit by doubt. We must never lose sight of the goal of Chirst that we are to be sealed by Faith and the Holy Spirit for the day of Redemption. We must contrive only to serve God and to do what is good in His Eyes.

Those who refuse to gossip
or to harm their neighbors
or speak evil of their friends.
Those who despise flagrant sinners,
and honor the faithful followers of the LORD,
and keep their promises even when it hurts. Ps. 15:3-4

If we are to win the hearts and souls of those who despise us, we must lift them up, not because we their sin but in spite of it. We are to guard our tongues and watch what we say less we cause hurt and confusion. Yet even as we lift them up, we are not to help them in their sins. That is to say we must not condone the sinful nature that they live in, we must not bow to their evil. Even as they persecute us, deny our rights and close down our right to worship, we must still give them their rights under God. Exodus 23:1-2 states, “Do not spread false reports… Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong..” By our example of living in honesty, we always show the Grace of God. Our Lord wants us to walk with Him in Righteousness as did Abraham. Even in his weakness, When God said, do it, Abraham did as he was told. Yet even in his faithfulness, when Abraham relied on his own, he failed God and did what was wrong. Even in our weaknesses, we must first turn to God and His Holy Word to guide us and protect us from ourselves.

Give to the enemies of truth as you would your freinds and they will weaken in their resolve to destroy you. Give to them as you would friends and they will become as freinds. The LORD will reward you (Proverbs 25:21) Give to everyone what is owed, revenue (taxes), respect, honor (Rom 3:7) I am amazed at how many “Christians” cheat on their taxes. Do they not know that those in authority over you on earth are servants of God? Even those who you may see as evil, contrite and despots are still under God’s authority. It is God’s responsibility to deal with them in judgement. When you cheat on taxes, you may be denying your neighbor services that are truly needed. Paul writes as love does not harm its neighbor, therefor love fulfills the Law of God (Rom 13:10) Avoiding taxes causes harm, therefor don’t do it. Love your neighbor in all ways, even if your neighbor hates you.

1 Peter 2:17 confirms this with, “Show proper respect to everyone; Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king (those in authority).” I feel that even as we are persecuted, denied our rights and mocked for our faith, we still must honor those in authority. We must leave them to God. In Isaiah 3:15, God asks, “What do you mean by crushing my people, grinding the faces of the poor?” God is aware of our turmoil. He is the safe guard of our souls.

And keep your promises. Be faithful to your word as God is faithful to His word to you. If you borrow money, pay it back. don’t enter into deals that you can not keep. If you say to a friend or neighbor that you will do something for them, do it and do it promptly. Integrity is the cornerstone of righteousness.

Those who lend money without charging interest
and cannot be bribed or lie about the innocent.
Such people will stand firm forever.Ps. 15:5

I cannot tell you how many times I have challenged those who advertise that they are “Christians” and then overcharge for their services. Deut. 16:19 says, “Do not pervert Justice.” and it can not be clearer than that. God says in Exodus 27:24-25 not to mistreat the widows and orphans or His wrath will be on you. Hebrews 11:24-25 tells us that Moses chose to be mistreated for the sake of God’s children. We are to stand firm in our faithfulness. We dare not to be tempted by the desires of the world but stand firm in the Grace of God. Live in justice, serve with justice and be guided by the just hand of God.

And as Paul says in Romans 3:21-24, “But now, the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it- the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

So who may walk in the sanctuary of the LORD? Those who put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Who may call themselves redeemed? those who walk in the righteousness of God by the Grace of Christ. Who will stand firm in the face of persecution? Those who live by the example of Christ in all things.

And when the day of the Returning Lord, we shall rejoice, but until that day, we shall suffer persecutions, turmoil and strife. In the end we shall see our reward. As for now, the redeemed will be persecuted and those who suffer persecution can be counted among the redeemed. God’s grace will surpass all persecution. Stand firm in your faith always.

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Psalm thoughts

Psalm 119:73-80 (Yodh)

September 18, 2008 Paul Leave a comment

You made me; you created me.
Now give me the sense to follow your commands
May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy.
for I have put my hope in your Word.
I know, O LORD, that your decisions are fair;
You discipline me because I needed it.
Now let your unfailing Love comfort me.
just as You promised me, your servant.
Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live,
for Your law is my delight.
Bring disgrace upon the the arrogant people who lied about me;
meanwhile, I will concentrate on your commandments.
Let me be reconciled
with all who fear You and know Your decrees.
May I be blameless in keeping your principles;
then I will never have to be ashamed. Psalm 119:73-80 (NLT)

Every person is the work of God’s hands, the creation of his desires. God has raised us up from the dust of the earth for His Great Pleasure, for the enjoyment of His Heart. He has set us apart from the other creatures of the world by giving to us the ability to comprehend that He Is, God of creation and that we where made for His purpose. We are given the ability to understand that we are of God will. We can reason the existence of God and we can understand He has a purpose for us. We can understand the why and the how of His Law. We can comprehend the purpose of His commandments.

Those who stive to live in God’s will and purpose have an awesome fear, a fear that is tendered by love and not timidness. These can rejoice in His Law and not tremble, they have the Hope of Salvation, the Joy of the Word living in Christ Jesus. They rejoice in an glorious and loving fear that is not one of shame but one that recognizes the awesome and glorious power that created us. Those are the ones who strive and yearn to live in obedience of the Law of Love that is in Christ Jesus and who seek to serve God, their Father in all things. Not because they are in dread of Him but because they love Him. Those are the ones who desire with all their hearts to adhear to the Word of God because it is the Nature of the New Creation that is in Christ’s Salvation. We seek and have a passion for the Law because it was given to us as a gift from God. We live by the rule of God’s Mercy and Love and we seek correction when we are wrong.

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We are infected with a grace of understanding and a grace of intent to cling to the will of the law. We have been invaded with the faithfulness of God’s will in our lives, a will that is the grace of Love. His Grace that permeates our lives and our will as a sweet fragrance. His Lovingkindness overwhelmes us and comforts our souls when we are troubled or when those who refuse God’s will rebel and rebuke us. His Love and His Law comfort us as a warm blanket against the winds of degradation and rejection. This was promised of old and fulfilled with Christ Jesus, the source of our santification and Grace.

But even as we are weak and slid into the pits of the world, the Mercy of the Father comes by the Son and with the Spirit of Forgiveness and correction, we are made whole again. By the Mercy of the Father, the Gift of the Spirit the Blessing of the Son, we delight in the righteousness of God and the law of His Word. Even as we are unfaithful to God, He is always faithful to us and His desire is for us to live with Him; Christ in us. That is our prayer, one of praise and thanksgiving; for God is great and His law is merciful.

These very verses (73-77) are spoken as a prayer of praise but the verses that follow are the rebuke of the shameful. The call of judgment upon those who use lies and deceit against the believer. Those who are mockers of the Truth and the Will of God. The Psalm says that the even while they mock and lie, he will not listen but will meditate on the Word of God. He will search the world so that there can be no wrong finding with how he lives and worships God. They can find that in the Love of the Law is righteousness and worthiness. The Law does not save, obedience ion the law is the path of the saved.

We need to remember that we are the servants of God as Christ served us. We are to minister to others as Christ ministered to us. We are to seek how to live in Christ’s law as the Children of the Cross, redeemed and released to do good works in His Love. As we struggle with the temptations of the world, we deal out mercy and kindness just as God dealt with us. In that way we can take delight in the Word as to not cause injury or harm to anyone. We who delight in Christ have even more reason to delight in the Law of God’s Love. By the very mercy given to us, we are to take joy in seeing mercy given in God’s Name for others.

As God fashioned us by His Hands, we are to fashion our lives by the law of Christ, given freely to us who deserve nothing. As the Children of Israel where the Chosen of the Father, to be the messengers of the the Law, we are chosen of Christ Jesus to be the messengers of God’s mercy. By the election of the Holy Spirit, we are to live holy and blameless in the Law of Love. We are to be acceptable to the Father so that others may find acceptance in Christ. Through Christ we see the effect of God’s mercy and kindness. We can see how to live and why God gave us the Law, the Word of Life. We are not bound to the Law by despair, but are joined to the Law by the Blood and the Love of Christ. We can live in the spirit of the Law because we can understand the purpose of the law. We can comprehend the Love of the Father and see that it is within our means to love, not fear, God in all His Mighty Glory. We can see that to love one another is to be in union with God, for he loves us so much that He gave His All for us.

Those who walk in the flesh, will be envious of the love that God showers on us, they will stand in awe of the Mercy given to us. They will be shamed and and they will seek us out. Our love will be heaped upon them like burning coals, scorching their hearts and they will seek forgiveness. They will burn with desire but they will not understand. And as they have wronged us, they have wronged God. They shall be be made weak, and they shall shed their vanities and be humbled before God.

But let us not boast, for even as we are still of the flesh, we are weak. Even as we still sin and fall short of righteousness, we must always seek to be right with God. We need the discipline of God in our ways. We need to accept that God corrects us with harshness not because He is angry, but because He loves us. We are not rejected from His love but are guided by the rod of Righteousness. We should not be crying out “Why me, O LORD?” but need to examine that which is in our lives that rivals against God and His Loving Grace. Hebrews 12:7-11 reads: “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom the father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who discipline us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they discipline us for a short time as it seems best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (ESV)

But even as we are mocked, we will not be weakened, but will draw strength from the Word of God. As we meditate on the Word and the Will of the Father of Life, we show resolve in the Law. We see the Love of God and His purpose, His Will and His Love. And as they see our lives, working in harmony as one body (in Christ), they will turn form their ways and listen to our testimonies of service to God’s will. Let us therefore, be content with the Law, let us be constant in our Faith and our resolve to God and His statutes. Let our religion be pure and unblemished sacrifices of honor and obedience to God. In that there is no shame nor blame. May we boldly go to the Temple of His Love, enter into the sanctuary of Christ and bow before the throne of God, through Christ Jesus, and proclaim our love. May we be found Holy and Blameless before the King of kings, the LORD of Lords. May we pride in the observance of the Love of God, given to us by the Law of the Word.

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Psalm thoughts

Psalm 119:65-72 (Teth)

July 7, 2008 Paul Leave a comment

You have done many good things for me, LORD
just as you have promised.
I believe in your commands;
now teach me good judgment and knowledge.
I used to wander off until you disciplined me;
but now I closely follow your word.
You are good and only do good;
teach me your principles.
Arrogant people have made up lies about me.
but in truth I obey your commandments with all my heart.
Their hearts are dull and stupid,
but I delight in your law.
The suffering you sent was good for me,
for it taught me to pay attention to your principles.
Your law is more valuable to me
than millions in gold and silver. (NLT)

When we are troubled by the world, our jobs or others, it is good to say to God, “You have done great things for me.” When we are harassed, it is best to recognize that all good things come from the Love of God for us. As we live day to day, we have the assurance that God is faithful to His Promises. As we struggle, renew yourselves with the the knowledge that Christ keeps on doing great things in our lives. When things look the bleakest, God has His purpose for us.

Even in the times of inconvenience, we can witness to the greatness of God. I live in a Mobile Homes Estates Park and just going to the trash receptacle can be an opportunity to witness of God’s Good News for mankind.

But knowing of God’s law and His Love is not enough. We need to understand Good’s good judgment and be knowledgeable of His will in our lives. We need to grasp the whole of His word as it pertains to our lives. Paul prayed that knowledge and wisdom be given to the Hebrews increasing daily (Heb 5:14) becoming more mature in the word and no longer bottle fed. Of course I am putting my words into the text, but I want you to grasp that we can’t rely in just what we were first taught but must grow in the word so that we can understand God’s will in the fullest. To have a discerning understanding of scriptures is to have a better command of the law of God as we live.

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Psalm 25:8-9, 11 reads:
Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
…
For your name’s sake, O LORD.
pardon my guilt, for it is great.(ESV)

“Bring me back that I may be restored,” cried Jeremiah. We sometimes get ourselves in a jam, making mistakes after mistake, yet we have an advocate in Jesus who mediates for us with the Father. When we do stray from the Word, we put ourselves ahead of God and we need to come back to restoration with the Father. The writer of Hebrews quotes Proverbs 3:11-12 when saying: “..and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the LORD, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; For those whom the LORD loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives’.” (Heb 12:5-6 NAS). Yet even as we deserve to be punished, God is quick to forgive and remembers no more our transgression once we confess them and repent of our stupidity. We learn through God’s forgiving heart that He is good, that all that He provides for us is for our good and that it is in His Good Favor that we are able to repent and come back into His will.

David cries out, (Psalm 86:5) “O Lord, you are so good so ready to forgive.” So that whenever we slip and fall back into the weakness of the flesh, He is GOOD. He does not hold us accountable any more but we must strive always to do what is right before the Lord, Our God. We must not take it for granted that his forgiveness is forthcoming. The repentant heart is forgiven, not the callous heart. So we cry out to God to teach us His ways that we do not become ensnared in the wickedness of the world. As His redeemed, it should be easier to recognize the snares of the word, but they come wrapped in pretty packages.

When attacked for our faith, when people slander, mock us and demean us, we are to stand on the truth of our faith and our love of God’s will. We are to trust that the words of our hearts have meaning and that the law of God’s Love has merit. We are to trust God. If we are challenged in our belief, re-examine the scriptures, meditate on them and pray for the wisdom of God to direct our minds. Ask Christ to entreat the Holy Spirit to reveal the will of the Father for us. Study, meditate, pray and most important Trust in God. Don’t let the lies of man deceive us. Run from the lies of evil men who distort scripture for their profit. Turn your ears away from the folly that the world send to you to confuse and beguile you with false promises.

Oh yes, there are men who with good intentions, lead us astray. They have motives hidden in their hearts that they do not know are harbored there. But if you seek the truth of God in all things, you can be aware of the foolish and vain follies and refute them. Paul warns us about those who convict us by the Law yet do not have the love of God. The Law is to protect us from our weakness of flesh. The Law is to guide us in our unrighteousness. The Law is Holy because it comes from the Father. The Law does not bind us, but frees us to love the Father in fullness.

The enemies of the Law will use the Law to distort the love of God for us into something vengeful and spiteful. But God’s Law is for good. The enemies of the Truth send lies that tickle our lust, pride and jealousies so that we will be distracted form the truth of God. They distort the word for their own fancies, their own glory and their own self-righteousness. They do not know God and God does not know them. They speak for themselves and not Christ.

When the prophet says, “Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thought.” (Isa 55:6-7 ESV) he is speaking to those who distorted the law or who abandoned it for the profit of the flesh. He spoke of the leaders of the people, both religious and public, who defiled the temple and the people.

In 2 Chr 30:6-9 (TJB), Hezekiah, the godly king, sends word to the people of Israel and Judea, and to Ephraim and Manasseh the orders to return to the Law, ending with: “If you come back sincerely to Yahweh, your brothers and your sons will win favor with their conquerors and return to this land, for Yahweh your God is gracious and merciful. If you come back to him, he will not turn his face from you.” Those who distort the law or reject it entirely are like those of the Promised Land who left the world and the law for their own desires and justified their worldly ways. Their hearts where as “unfeeling as fat”,having no regard for their fellowman nor the Love of the LORD.

But, if you return to the Love of God, return to his lovingkindness, you will find delight in the law and not a burden. You will desire his law as a part of your life, inseperatable as mind is from your body. You will have the mind of Righteousness. then you will say from the public place that the Law of God is good and is your heart. Having returned to his will. you can rejoice in the fact that you were afflicted with the trails of abuse from others, because it made you strong in the word. When we are faced with the trials and troubles and turn to scripture and God for answers, we are made stronger. The saying that what does not kill you makes you stronger is true with the Word in your life. I saw a saying in a truck the other day that said “Pain kills weakness” and it made me think of how when I was persecuted and was able to defend myself with the Word of God, although it was painful to go through the ordeal, it did made me stronger, my weakness was conquered. I fought for my belief.

God’s Word is better than all the wealth in the world. It feeds my soul, enriches my heart and provides me with comfort in troubled times. Being obedient to God is better than all the gold and silver in the world.

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Psalm thoughts

Psalm 119:57-64 (Heth)

May 16, 2008 Paul Leave a comment

The LORD is my portion; I have promised to keep Thy words.

I entreated Thy favor with all my heart; Be gracious to me according to Thy word.

I considered my ways, And turned my feet to Thy testimonies.

I hastened and did not delay to keep thy commandments.

The cords of the wicked have encircled me, but I have nor forgotten Thy Law.

At midnight I shall rise again to give thanks to Thee because of Thy righteous ordinances.

I am a companion of all those who fear Thee, and of those who keep Thy precepts.

The earth is full of Thy Lovingkindness, O LORD; Teach me Thy statutes.

Jesus is our portion, He is the Cup of Blessing, overflowing with mercy and justice for Righteousness. He is our inheritance, He is our Mercy and He is our Promised one. We are to keep our Hope in the Promise of God’s Righteousness and guard against all other things that try to separate us from Him. We must guard and keep safe in our being, the covenant of God. It is in the Covenant of Jesus that we can claim the inheritance of the Father. Because of the Law of the Father, God of all creation, we are restored to Him. In this we should always thank God and give Him praise. God searched our hearts and gave us the desire to know Him. We then should also search out God with all our hearts, seeking to be healed of all the scars of our sins. We should cry out for His mercy for we are not worthy nor have we ever been worthy of His Lovingkindness. We should be merciful because of His mercy and we should seek His protection from the wiles of the world. God gives to us His unfailing love, His Salvation and His promise fulfilled.

In God we have all Good things. The World can offer nothing to us that God has not given greater. Can the things of the flesh give us everlasting Life with Jesus? Can the world promise us a peace that passes all understanding? What man can offer us an inheritance that is Heaven? No greater is the honor than to be a part of the Kingdom of God. When Jesus joined us to Him and the Father, we became a part of that Kingdom, a kingdom with out beginning or end. Will every fiber of your existence to serving and praising God. Seek first to please God before any action or thought. Make your life a mercy offering to God because He gave you mercy first. He promised mercy even before we sinned. Even though we fail daily to please Him. His mercy has gone before us, His provenient Grace is an usher to His greatness. Even as I fail, I seek to please because God knows my heart.

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David was a great sinner, God Loved him so as to promise that Salvation would come from his line. Peter denied Jesus, but Jesus called him the Rock which the Churches would stand on. The wayward son sought the forgiveness of the father in the parable so that we could know that when ever we fail, God will forgive if we seek it in our hearts. We should ponder the direction we are taking in our lives, are we seeking first to serve the will of the Father or are we trying to sidestep His Law by justifying our wrong doing and our deceitful lives. When we try to fool God, we are being stupid and arrogant. But when we rush to obey God in every aspect of our lives we are trustworthy. Don’t meditate on ways to circumvent God’s law of Love but hurry to obey. Don’t dawdle about the law but eagerly pick it up as your own. Make haste, rather than linger about, and grasp His commandments. Walk deliberately in God’s Law, seeking to Love the Father as He has loved you.

God knows your heart, He will make it clear to you the areas that you need to change in your life. But you must open your heart to hear His directions and work hard to correct the faults that you have. Even when the laws of man try to confuse me and lead me to live a perverse life, I have God’s Law to correct me. even as man tries to deceive us with unholy statutes and wants to justify immoral lives, I will trust in the Law of Righteousness to protect me. The ways of Man will try to justify evil as good but the Law of God will rule how I shall live. My enemies may pervert the law for their own pleasure, but we are to take pleasure in the Law of God. Just because the law of man justifies sin doesn’t mean that we can sin against the Father.

God’s Law guides our lives, not the laws of the flesh. Man’s law tries to rob us of our righteousness, but we are to stand firm in the laws of God. We are to never Forget that God’s law is the law of love and eternal peace. Though others may think less of us because we serve God first, we have one Master, and He is God of All. I will not forget the Law of Salvation nor will I stop serving the Just God. just because evil men try to drag us into their contemptible lifestyles and want us to approve of their sins, we stand with God and His Righteousness.

Even into the night, when the day is done and we are safe in our homes, we should get up and praise God, thanking Him that we have survived another day in the temptatious world with its sensual and materialistic pleasures. Praise God in all things, Give thanks for the glory of His Love. When alone, where no one else can hear you, pray thanksgiving and ask for strength and mercy in the coming morning.

Also give thanks for the saints on Earth who stand with us, who support us and who are our companions in the world. All who love and fear the Law of God are our friends. Those who seek to obey the commandments of God in the fullness of the Law, are our friends. The text is very clear here, in every translation I have read it does not say that only those who follow a dogma set by men are my friends, it says that ALL Who OBEY GOD are my friends. Once more the Wholeness of Jesus must be recognized in each other. Those who hold the evil in the land with contempt and are blessed with the mark of the Man in White Linen with the book(Ezekiel 9:3-7) are my friends, and I will pray for them and support them; they are God’s people in their hearts and not in their vanities.

God’s tender mercies are surrounding us who seek to love His Law. His unfailing Love will serve us well who yearn to understand His principles. Confess your sins to the Father in Heaven and change your hearts so that you will desire only to live in His unfailing Love. Search out the Scriptures to see how God has desired you and pants for your love of Him. The more you seek to know God and the more you live to serve His Love, the more you can stand up to the enemies of God and the wickedness of the fleshly world. With God, all things are not only possible, they are reality.

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Wholy4Christ

Category Archives: Psalm thoughts

The Lamp Unto My Feet!

Psalm 119:97-104 Mem: Wisdom in Meditation

Getting Older is a Blessing.

Psalm 119:89-96 (Lamedh)

In the Shadow of Your Wings

Psalm 119:81-88 (Kaph)

Songs of the Persecuted and the Redeemed

Psalm 119:73-80 (Yodh)

Psalm 119:65-72 (Teth)

Psalm 119:57-64 (Heth)

R.E.S.T. in the Lord