Blog: “Discovering His Living Hope”

If We Are The Body of Christ, The Church: And Seeking God Through Our Community? Hebrews 10:19-25

How much do we believe we need God and how much do we believe we need each other?

We have long since proven, time and time again, to everyone who is with us, who is around us and against us we cannot make it on our own.

God calls us to “get it together,” to get together regularly to encourage and to motivate each other to live vibrant lives of service and faith.

With the day of Jesus’ return and our ultimate victory on the horizon, we should be motivated even more to help and to encourage each other.

Question is, are we as completely, fully, motivated to be together in community as God is always and forever in Community with Himself?

Hebrews 10:19-25 New American Standard Bible

A New and Living Way

19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, through His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let’s approach God with a [a]sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let’s hold firmly to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let’s consider how to [b]encourage one another in love and good deeds, 25 not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.

If We Are the Body of Christ and Seeking God’s Face?

For the Body of Christ, disciplining ourselves, learning to seek the face of God is the very foundation for our experiencing the amazing life Jesus died to give us.

As the Body of Christ, we have available to us through our Savior Jesus Christ all of the opportunities, the wonders, excellencies, and satisfaction we can fathom.

As the Body of Christ, God has granted us grace upon grace, mercy upon mercy, forgiveness after forgiveness, affection upon affection, and love upon all love.

As the Body of Christ, as we pursue him through all the avenues available to us, a door is opened in which we discover all our heavenly Father longs to give us.

Our Savior Jesus Christ did not die and we, the Body of Christ were not created to go about this life apart from a real relationship with fellow children of God.

Without the friendship, without the fellowship of our brothers and sisters, we will never authentically experience the true fullness of life God intends for us.

Together, in community, we inevitably discover our place in the body of Christ.

In community, we learn what it is to actually serve out of love, honor, respect.

And in the fullness of community, we receive the healing and love that can only come from those who gather together in friendship to share in the same Spirit.

And We Are Seeking God Through Our Community?

Acts 2:40-47 Amplified Bible

40 And Peter solemnly testified and continued to admonish and urge them with many more words, saying, “[a]Be saved from this crooked and unjust generation!” 41 So then, those who accepted his message were baptized; and on that day about [b]3,000 souls were added [to the body of believers]. 42 They were continually and faithfully devoting themselves to the instruction of the apostles, and to fellowship, to [c]eating meals together and to prayers.

43 A sense of awe was felt by [d]everyone, and many wonders and signs (attesting miracles) were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all those who had believed [in Jesus as Savior] [e]were together and had all things in common [considering their possessions to belong to the group as a whole]. 45  And they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing the proceeds with all [the other believers], as anyone had need. 46 Day after day they met in the temple [area] continuing with one mind, and breaking bread in various private homes. They were eating their meals together with joy and generous hearts, 47 praising God continually, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord kept adding to their number daily those who were being saved.

Acts 2 describes the Church community that my soul fully longs for.

We, who are the Church was created by God for honest, vulnerable fellowship.

We were created by God through the life blood of His own Son Jesus to help each other, eat together, celebrate and worship our God, also celebrate, love others.

Through engaging with fellow believers, we become an authentic witness to the world of what happens when our One true God works in the hearts of each of his children – we gather together to celebrate and declare through our love for each other, the life and joy that comes from a relationship with our heavenly Father.

Scripture is clear that true community requires sacrifice and vulnerability. 

1 Corinthians 12:25-26 says, “That there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.”

God’s desire is for all his children to humble themselves and live as one body.

Division and Rancor among His Children is Satan’s idea right from the start. (Genesis 3:1-7 The Message)

3 The serpent was clever, more clever than any wild animal God had made. He spoke to the Woman: “Do I understand that God told you not to eat from any tree in the garden?”

2-3 The Woman said to the serpent, “Not at all. We can eat from the trees in the garden. It’s only about the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘Don’t eat from it; don’t even touch it or you’ll die.’”

4-5 The serpent told the Woman, “You won’t die. God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you’ll see what’s really going on. You’ll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil.”

6 When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it—she’d know everything!—she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate.

7 Immediately the two of them did “see what’s really going on”—saw themselves naked! They sewed fig leaves together as makeshift clothes for themselves.

When one part of a physical body “sees what is really going on,” they “see themselves as being naked” the rest of the body sees what is going on, sees themselves as being “naked” and start “sewing their own makeshift clothes.”

When one part of a physical body hurts, the rest of the body feels the pain and is supposed to come together, one body, with the goal of working together to heal.

Instead of this ideal situation, in our rush to panic, to cover our hurt and our naked embarrassment we rush to become our own kind of specialized doctors.

We sew together our own fig leaves.

Then when God comes to His Garden for a standard “Wellness Check” we panic further, get embarrassed by our nakedness all the more – and rush to “hide.”

We forget what we know about God, that we are created in His Image, not ours.

For God so loved the world, which would soon include His Children, created by His own hand, that He spoke into the darkness of chaos, the mess of disorder and brought one order – His order, not ours – poured His love into that order.

God desires His order, to be the same One order, One community, as He is in Community with His Son and Holy Spirit, among the spiritual body of believers.

As we stand before the world, in the embarrassment of our nakedness being our mistakes, missteps, misjudgments – “trying to sew all our fig leaves together,”

He desires to fill us with his love and use us to provide healing for one another.

From our embarrassment at being naked, He longs to guide us to a lifestyle of humility and sacrifice in pursuit of being his hands and feet for each other.

To find consolation together, to find the “mind and humility of Christ Jesus” and to work together and together to make it our own, to model it to the world as Savior Christ did. (Philippians Chapter 2:1-16 The Message)

He Took on the Status of a Slave

2 1-4 If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

5-8 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

9-11 Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.

Rejoicing Together

12-13 What I’m getting at, friends, is that you should simply keep on doing what you’ve done from the beginning. When I was living among you, you lived in responsive obedience. Now that I’m separated from you, keep it up. Better yet, redouble your efforts. Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. That energy is God’s energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure.

14-16 Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I’ll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You’ll be living proof that I didn’t go to all this work for nothing.

It takes receiving the love of God in the same spirit it was given to give love the God in the same spirit God first gave it. (1 John 4:7-21 The Message)

God Is Love

7-10 My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.

11-12 My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!

13-16 This is how we know we’re living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He’s given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we’ve seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God.

To Love, to Be Loved

17-18 God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.

19 We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.

20-21 If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.

It requires a work of the Spirit to fill us with courage to be vulnerable with our community in order to receive and give the love we’ve been given in Christ.

So, will you be a child filled with the very first love of your Father God today?

Will you allow God to use you to help a brother or sister?

Will you choose the purpose and joy and humility, the “mind of Christ” that comes from carrying the cross of Jesus, living sacrificially and vulnerably?

If so, you will discover a satisfaction second to nothing else, only found in the mercy of God and the edification that comes from believers loving one another.

May you one day, find the fellowship your heart longs for as you courageously celebrate and love your brothers and sisters as God celebrates all His Children.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the importance of community. Allow Scripture to fill you with a desire to love and be loved by your community.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” – Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” – Proverbs 27:17

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”- Acts 2:42-47

2. Reflect on your need for community. Where do you need the healing that comes from relationship with others? What people has God placed in your life? How can you in humility reach out to them for help?

3. Take time and pray for an increase in God-filled community in your life. How does he want to use you to help another person today? How can you lead out in being courageously vulnerable? If you lack such a thing, ask God to provide you with this type of community to share life with.

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working . . . . My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” – James 5:13-16, 19-20

God does not ask us to wait forever in our Upper Rooms for others to step out and live in accordance with his Spirit before He calls us too. (Acts 2:1-4)

His will for us doesn’t hinge upon others’ obedience.

God is calling you and me to come away from our “nakedness” to a lifestyle of joyful service, sacrifice, and love regardless of people’s initiatives or responses.

He longs to make garments of praise, fill us with the courage to love others well and help them through their brokenness to a place of honesty and vulnerability.

May you and I one day come together to be the loving hands and feet of Jesus to your brothers and sisters who so desperately need a forgiving touch from God.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.

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Some Subtle Biblical Suggestions for the Cultivation of True Friendships. Proverbs 18:24

Depending on the Bible translation, we discover that “a man who has friends must himself be friendly,” or that “a man with too many friends will come to ruin,” and both are true in their own right.

In the former, we are instructed that in order to have friends, we need to show friendship towards other people, while in the latter, we are informed that having a lot of ‘fair-weather friends’ can make us vulnerable, because their loyalty towards us may fluctuate with feelings or change with circumstances.

We would be wise to heed the sound advice contained in each of these translations of this text of Scripture, and apply them to our own lives and the friendship choices we make.

But all translations agree that “there is a friend that sticks closer that a brother,” there is a friend who displays such loyalty towards us that no matter what we say or do they will remain loyal to us.

They will support and encourage us, help and counsel us, comfort and warn us, and they will love us no matter what happens.

Proverbs 18:24 Authorized (King James) Version

24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly:
    and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory Be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the Beginning is now and ever shall be. Worlds Without End. Amen, Amen, Amen.

Friendship Arises Out Of Mere Companionship

“Friendship arises out of mere Companionship when two or more of the companions discover that they have in common some insight or interest or even taste which the others do not share and which, till that moment, each believed to be his own unique treasure (or burden). The typical expression of opening Friendship would be something like, ‘What? You too? I thought I was the only one.’” – C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves 

It is indeed truly wonderful to find a companion who shares something in common with us which then, over time, builds into a genuine friendship.

However, we must also be very aware that there are times when making and sustaining lasting friendships does not and will not come to us very easily.

For adults, life can get busy with balancing various responsibilities at work, home, hobbies, family life and myriads and myriads of other activities.

Finding time to cultivate friendships can be challenging and there will always be those that we struggle to connect with.

Forging true friendships takes time and commitment.

Are we making it an authentically active or authentically passive priority?

Are there things that we can do, or need to do to start, continue a friendship?

I am a firm believer that God’s truth as found in the Bible can help us in times when finding, making and maintaining, sustaining friendships, can be tough.

What is Friendship?

Proverbs 18:24 Amplified Bible

24 
The man of too many friends [chosen indiscriminately] will be broken in pieces and come to ruin,
But there is a [true, loving] friend who [is reliable and] sticks closer than a brother.

The union between God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit reveals a closeness and relationship which we all long for, and God invites us to be a part of that.

People were made for companionship as image bearers of the triune God and it was declared that it was not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18 Amplified).

18 Now the Lord God said, “It is not good (beneficial) for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper [one who balances him—a counterpart who is] [a] suitable and complementary for him.”

From Adam’s own body, God made Eve as a helper for Adam and walked with them in the Garden of Eden before the fall.

God himself was relational to them and they were relational toward Him and in turn, to and towards one another.

Even after Adam and Eve sinned, it was the Lord who first embraced them and unfolded His plan of redemption against the evil one (Genesis 3:15 Amplified). 

15 
“And I will put enmity (open hostility)
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed (offspring) and her [a]Seed;
He shall [fatally] bruise your head,
And you shall [only] bruise His heel.”

Friendship is most clearly demonstrated in the life and death of Jesus.

He said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:13-15).

Jesus has revealed Himself to us and has not withheld anything, even His life.

When we follow and obey Him, we are called His friends.

He is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature (Hebrews 1:3).

We can come to know God because He became flesh and has made Himself known to us.

He laid down His life for us.

To be known and loved by God and be blessed by God to be called His friends should motivate us in being a friend to others out of our love for and obedience to Jesus – We can love others because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). 

1 John 4:19 The Message

19 We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.

Biblical Ways to Forge Friendships

1. Pray for One or Two Close Friends

Have we asked God for close friendships?

He cares very deeply about everyone of us and knows exactly all that we need.

It might never have been something we would think to pray for.

In 1 John 5:14-15 it says,

“this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”

In an expectant faith, we can each ask Him to bring someone into our lives to encourage us, to challenge us, be with us and to continue to point us to Jesus.

If we have asked God to help us cultivate close friendships that can spur us on in our faith and life, we need to anticipate and to believe that He will answer us.

Let’s be expectant that God can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine by His power at work in us (Ephesians 3:20-21 The Message). 

20-21 God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!

2. Look to the Bible for Wisdom on Friendship

The Bible is filled with wisdom and the book of Proverbs has much to say on friendship, including choosing friends wisely and being a friend.

It speaks of good counsel from a friend: “Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice” (Proverbs 27:9).

Proverbs 27:9 The Message

9 Just as lotions and fragrance give sensual delight,
    a sweet friendship refreshes the soul.

It also warns about those who can break down friendships:

“A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends” (Proverbs 16:28)

Proverbs 16:28 The Message

28 Troublemakers start fights;
    gossips break up friendships.

“Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends” (Proverbs 17:9).

Proverbs 17:9 The Message

9 Overlook an offense and bond a friendship;
    fasten on to a slight and—good-bye, friend!

In the New Testament, Jesus is our greatest example of what it means to be a friend.

He says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).

John 15:13-15 The Message

11-15 “I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.

From the first verse of Genesis to the last verse of Revelation we see the story of God’s love and friendship with people.

He has always been Shepherding us.

Will we shepherd others with this same love that Christ had for us?

3. Be a Friend

It is not just about our own edification and what we can get out of a friendship. 

Philippians 2:4 says, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others’ and 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

There are many who are feigning, choosing to remain hidden who are lonely and struggling, longing for a friend, to be noticed and for someone to listen.

Who can we bless and encourage?

Is there anyone that we should get to know?

Not every acquaintance or person we help will become a close friend.

Yet, we are called to love our neighbor and even our enemies, and serve those that we meet and love them like Jesus does (Matthew 5:43-48 The Message).

Matthew 5:43-48 The Message

43-47 “You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

48 “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”

As it also says in Romans 12:10, “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”

Romans 12:10 The Message

9-10 Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

4. Take the Initiative

Taking a step of faith can be really difficult.

Asking someone to meet up for a meal or coffee, inviting someone into our home or doing something that we hope will bless someone can take courage.

There may be all sorts of barriers.

Perhaps it is overcoming shyness or fear.

Maybe there is a cultural or societal wall that needs to be broken, prejudices or biases or stereotypes that needs to be confronted, challenged or we simply need to trust that Jesus will go before us, will 100% be with us in all our interactions.

It may well be daunting and difficult, complex and quite overly complicated.

Following Jesus first, not self, is not easy, yet there is no greater way to live.

We must be intentional and open up our heart and home with those around us, showing hospitality and kindness, and loving them first as Christ first loves us.

It was Jesus who initiated redemption by pouring out His grace on us when we were still enemies and sinners against God (Romans 5:6-10).

Romans 5:6-11 The Message

6-8 Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.

9-11 Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah!

If God can first lavish such amazing grace onto us, we can pour out that same measure of “first” amazing grace on others also.

5. Live Sacrificially

Matthew 14:13-21 English Standard Version

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14  When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17  They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Jesus was always moving from place to place, meeting different people from the crowds and meeting their physical and spiritual needs.

Yet, He continuously made time to spend with His Father in prayer and with His disciples.

Ultimately, Jesus lived a life of complete sacrifice as He obeyed His Father and ultimately laid down His life on the cross for us.

We can now be a friend of God’s because He died for our sin, reconciling us into a right relationship with Him.

We are likewise covenanted to go and do likewise and live a life that is less about us, and significantly more about Jesus and is as self-sacrificing toward others.

Being transformed by the Savior’s sacrificial love, we are able to love others in a radical way and invest in people like Jesus did. 

Romans 12:1-3 The Message

Place Your Life Before God

12 1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

3 I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.

6. Stand by Friends in Ups and Downs

A true friend is steadfast and immovable and will remain by our sides in times of hardship and sorrow as well as sharing in moments of joy and celebration.

Friends share both trials and accomplishments, are transparent and truthful.

The close friendship shared between David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel 18:1 demonstrates this:

“As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”

Jonathan showed kindness to David when his father King Saul pursued David’s life.

David trusted Jonathan to help him persuade his father to relent, but also to alert him if Saul was still after his life (1 Samuel 20).

After Jonathan was killed in battle, David was grieved which showed the depth of their relationship (2 Samuel 1:25-27).

7. Remember that Jesus Is the Ultimate Friend

It can be difficult to forge true, lasting friendships but as we trust the Lord to help us in this, we need to remember that Jesus is our ultimate friend.

He calls believers His friends because He has opened up to them and kept nothing hidden (John 15:15).

He died for us, He loved us first (1 John 4:19), He chose us (John 15:16), and when while we were still his sworn enemies, we were still far off from God He brought us near by His blood, shed for us on the cross (Romans 5:8, Ephesians 2:13).

Ephesians 2:11-13 The Message

11-13 But don’t take any of this for granted. It was only yesterday that you outsiders to God’s ways had no idea of any of this, didn’t know the first thing about the way God works, hadn’t the faintest idea of Christ. You knew nothing of that rich history of God’s covenants and promises in Israel, hadn’t a clue about what God was doing in the world at large. Now because of Christ—dying that death, shedding that blood—you who were once out of it altogether are in on everything.

He is the penultimate friend of sinners and promises never to leave nor forsake those who trust in Him.

Deuteronomy 31:7-8Amplified Bible

7 Then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all [the people of] Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will go with this people into the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you will give it to them as an inheritance. 8 It is the Lord who goes before you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or abandon you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

The foundation of a true and lasting friendship will be one that spurs us on to follow God and Jesus in all of life, willing us to finish the race towards eternity.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

Thank you for your great love and blessing over our lives. Thank you that your anger is brief and your favor has no end, but it lasts for our entire lifetime. Forgive us for sometimes forgetting you are intimately acquainted with all of our ways, that you know what concerns us, and you cover us, as with a shield. We ask for your guidance so that we might walk fully in your blessing and goodness today. We ask that your face would shine on us. That you would open the right doors for our lives and for our loved ones, that you would close the wrong doors and protect us from those we need to walk away from. Establish the work of our hands and bring to fulfillment all that you have gifted, given us to do in these days. We pray that you would make our way purposeful and our footsteps firm out of your goodness and love. Give us a heart of wisdom to hear your voice, and make us strong by your huge favor and grace.

Glory Be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the Beginning is now and ever shall be. Worlds Without End. Amen, Amen, Amen.

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Authentic Christian Friends Are…? Proverbs 17:17

Go the Distance
Song by Michael Bolton

I have often dreamed of a far off place
Where a hero’s welcome would be waiting for me
Where the crowds would cheer, when they see my face
And a voice keeps saying this is where I’m meant to be
I’ll be there someday, I can go the distance
I will find my way if I can be strong
I know every mile would be worth my while
When I go the distance, I’ll be right where I belong
Down an unknown road to embrace my fate
Though that road may wander, it will lead me to you
And a thousand years would be worth the wait
It might take a lifetime but somehow I’ll see it through
And I won’t look back, I can go the distance
And I’ll stay on track, no I won’t accept defeat
It’s an uphill slope
But I won’t loose hope, ’till I go the distance
And my journey is complete, oh yeah
But to look beyond the glory is the hardest part
For a hero’s strength is measured by his heart, oh
Like a shooting star, I will go the distance
I will search the world, I will face its harms
I don’t care how far, I can go the distance
‘Till I find my hero’s welcome waiting in your arms
I will search the world, I will face its harms
‘Till I find my hero’s welcome waiting in your arms

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Alan Menken / David Zippel
Go the Distance lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company

Proverbs 17:17 GOD’S WORD Translation

17 A friend always loves,
and a brother is born to share trouble.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

All Glory and Honor and Praise To God in the Highest!

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen!

Authentic Christian Friends

King Solomon said it the wisest of all when describing a genuine friendship in the book of Proverbs:

Proverbs 17:17 Complete Jewish Bible

17 A friend shows his friendship at all times —
    it is for adversity that [such] a brother is born.

Friendships aren’t always easy.

Friends and friendships go through seasons of trial, arguments, differences of opinion, and busy work and home and their caring for their family schedules.

Along the way, new friends are made, and old friendships sometimes fade.

Friends can influence us for good and for bad.

Friendships can be a lot of work.

But when they are at their best, friendships are also very rewarding.

Real friends support us and also challenge us.

They see us for who God intended us to be, and they help us grow in the grace and love of Christ.

The Bible contains stories of deep friendships.

David and Jonathan’s friendship is a great example of one that lasted through deep difficulties (1 Samuel 19-20).

Friendships that endure are filled with love and dignity and respect all the time.

Friendships are born and lived out in a whole variety of ways and are meant to withstand the hardships of life that’ll inevitably appear when two people come together, they mutually decide they want to risk everything to make a go of it.

Some friendships may be born from already being family, while others may come from work, hobbies, sports, or even through our children’s schooling.

Yet when it comes to genuine Christian friendships, these relationships are so much more than just our establishing of a bond over shared recipes, playing games of golf, or pickleball or that we will work with them eight hours a day.

Genuine Christian friendships employ the covenant need to love God, others as Jesus Christ first loved us and displaying to all of our friends authentic love that comes from the example of God, the Father, Jesus our Savior and Holy Spirit.

These five characteristics represent the authenticity of Christian friendships that we all want to have but, may not know nor how to cultivate nor to display.

1. Be Willing to Pray for Them … and Actually Do It

1 Thessalonians 5:11 English Standard Version

11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

It is kind of seen as the one quintessential statement that every Christian has uttered at least once.

As people say they need or would deeply appreciate prayer or have opened up about a hardship in their lives, we may be quick to say, “I’ll be praying for you.”

However, sometimes as much as we want to remember to pray for that person, in as quick as the next instant or next breath life can distract us and we forget.

The mark of a genuine Christian friendship comes when you will make an actual effort not to forget that person’s prayer request – and close your eyes in silence.

Romans 8:26-28 English Standard Version

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because [a] the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[b] for  those who are called according to his purpose.

Instead of just saying you will pray for that person, you follow through by either immediately closing your eyes, letting the Holy Spirit have your heart and soul; praying for that person right then and there or just begin praying 23rd Psalm.

or making a note in your prayer list to pray for them along with other requests.

It also helps strengthen the reminder to pray by, if at all possible, following up with the person to see if the request for prayer was blessed, answered by God.

2. Don’t View Prayer Requests as Reasons to Gossip

Psalm 133 English Standard Version

When Brothers Dwell in Unity
A Song of Ascents. Of David.

133 Behold, how good and pleasant it is
    when brothers dwell in unity![a]
2 It is like the precious oil on the head,
    running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
    running down on the collar of his robes!
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
    which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,
    life forevermore.

We enjoy the opportunity to come together to pray for someone we know, even mentioned in Psalm 133:1, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.”

However, sharing a prayer request with others means we should just pray for that person, not make any effort to pry further into their personal business.

Whether the person has shared what is going on or not, we should always treat the prayer request as a complete secret that doesn’t need to be discussed unless the person is present or says we can discuss the matter openly with others.

Some may think that giving background information about the prayer request would make everyone more inclined to pray for this person, but it could instead cause people to “share their opinions on the person’s struggle,” and lessen the effectiveness of complete trust coming together in prayer for a friend in trouble.

Being discrete with prayer requests allows the person’s privacy to be honored and friendships to stay authentic as more people join to lift them up in prayer.

3. Offer Grace as God Gives Us Grace

It is evident that we wouldn’t be anywhere close to where we are today if it wasn’t for God’s grace showered on our lives daily.

And just as we are given grace freely by God, we should do the same with one another, especially our friends.

Jesus speaks of offering grace to each other in the book of Luke, stating that “just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise” (Luke 6:31). 

Luke 6:31-34 The Message

31-34 “Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.

The apostle Paul, in Romans 10:12, also shares about giving love to one another: “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.”

Romans 10:12-13 The Message

11-13 Scripture reassures us, “No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it.” It’s exactly the same no matter what a person’s religious background may be: the same God for all of us, acting the same incredibly generous way to everyone who calls out for help. “Everyone who calls, ‘Help, God!’ gets help.”

Brothers and Sisters, Please pray your extra attention to that last quotation:

“Everyone who calls, ‘Help God!’ gets Help.”

When we choose and decide to remember that we have all been given godly love and grace from our heavenly Father, not because we earned it but because it’s a gift, we can, and absolutely should, freely do the same for all of “our friends.”

Matthew 5:43-48 The Message

43-47 “You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

48 “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and live graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”

It isn’t because they gave us what “we wanted,” being enmity, and it’s now a transactional friendship, but it’s instead one that is filled with love all the time.

4. Always Be Ready to Welcome a New Friend into the Group

Hebrews 10:22-25 The Message

22-25 So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not ever avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.

Sometimes in friend circles (both non-Christian and Christian), some can adopt the mindset of having enough friends that they can’t make room for one more.

However, as Christians, in community as God is in community, that is a toxic mindset that goes against everything Jesus stood for and God created us for.

We were created as relational beings, people who thrive in unity and love.

So, when you and I do not believe we have any or enough time to encourage a new friendship in our group or individually, we miss out on a connection that could potentially be life-changing – for both the other person and also for us.

Proverbs 27:17 The Message

Your Face Mirrors Your Heart

17 You use steel to sharpen steel,
    and one friend sharpens another.

King Solomon refers to this well in Proverbs 27:17, stating that “as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

Even if you are the busiest person ever, the time you take to welcome someone new into your group of friends can bless you a hundred fold in what that person can bring to the group in terms of faith, encouragement, a living hope and love.

Plus, God may have brought us all together at the exact time when we both, or we all fully needed to have our faith restored or to be reminded of God’s love.

5. Do Not Ever Be Afraid of Honesty

Christian friendships can sometimes be built on similar interests, faith, and maybe even being able to carve out time together.

But when a friendship can go deeper into being honest with one another about important matters, the friendship changes from being superficial to genuine.

King Solomon again provides wisdom regarding the necessity of rebuking to redirect a person’s path back to God: “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses” (Proverbs 27:5-6).

Proverbs 27:5-6 The Message

5 A spoken reprimand is better
    than approval that’s never expressed.

6 The wounds from a lover are worth it;
    kisses from an enemy do you in.

This does not give a person license to say whatever they want to a friend and believe that it is honest correction to help them.

Any correction or rebuke you want to share with a friend absolutely needs to be taken to the Lord first, to determine if it is something He has led you to say or to communicate to them, or this is strictly your own personal preference for you.

What does happen is that in being honest with a friend about something that concerns you, you are showing more of the love of God for His children and the care you have for them and the hope that this will be a healthy change for them.

Even if they may not accept the correction right away, they will prayerfully and one day hopefully appreciate you saying this to them in a loving way as a friend.

What About Our Showing Authentic Christlike Love?

John 15:11-15 The Message

11-15 “I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.

As the saying goes, you can’t pick your family, but you can pick your friends.

And with friends, they may eventually become your spouse and your family.

But genuine Christian friendships take on an entirely different purpose in our lives than other friendships.

These friendships always point toward the Lord and remind us of our need for God that overflows into exactly how we are covenanted to treat one another.

Whether it is taking the time to showing Christlike love to a new friend, or taking the risk to be honest with a friend you care about, genuine Christian friendships surpass what society may see of superficial friendships.

Through these Christlike friendships in authentic faith, in authentic hope and in authentic love, we can show others a relationship with depth and integrity.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

In the Unity of the Body of Christ, Let us Pray,

Thank you God that you are with us always, that your presence is mighty, and you hear our prayers on behalf of those we love. We ask that you would show yourself strong on their behalf. Remind them that nothing is too difficult for you, and you are leading them through this difficult time, covering them in your care. We know and believe beyond any doubt, that your power and love will never fail.

You are always trustworthy. You are all-powerful. You are fully able. You are Lord over every situation no matter how difficult it may seem. You are our healer and will never waste the pain we carry today. You promise to use all things for good in some way, because you are a God of miracles and nothing is too difficult for you.

Thank you that you fight for us, even when we can’t see all that you’re doing, even when we can’t fully understand your ways. We know that absolutely nothing can or will ever have enough power to ever separate us from your great grace, great love, hope and care, and our loved ones are safe in your hands. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 All Glory and Honor and Praise To God in the Highest!

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen!

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A Prayer for Strength to Defend the Faith – Your Daily Prayer. Jude 1:3-4 

Are you facing increased opposition when you share Christ accurately in your workplace, neighborhood, or church? We need to read the Book of Jude which challenges us to “contend for the faith.”

I’m seeing increased name-calling, anger, and resistance when people share Biblical truths (especially when they talk about morality, accurate views of God, discernment, or Christian responsibility).

And a good portion of the resistance comes from professing Christians misusing the “Judge not” argument.

God expects us to warn people of error even if they don’t listen (Ezekiel 33:1-20). He’s “nit-picky” about His Word (Matthew 5:18).

But just like the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah we can be hurt by the insults from the people we’re trying to help (Jeremiah 20:8-9).

So today, I want to give a shout out to those of you who are contending for the faith, teaching Christian responsibility, standing for God’s morals against a growing wave of compromise (Jude 1:3).

Never forget: “Great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:10-12).

Jude 3-4 The Message

Fight with All You Have in You

3-4 Dear friends, I’ve dropped everything to write you about this life of salvation that we have in common. I have to write insisting—begging!—that you fight with everything you have in you for this faith entrusted to us as a gift to guard and cherish. What has happened is that some people have infiltrated our ranks (our Scriptures warned us this would happen), who beneath their pious skin are shameless scoundrels. Their design is to replace the sheer grace of our God with sheer license—which means doing away with Jesus Christ, our one and only Master.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

Into the Ring and Contending For the Faith

The “Prince of Preachers,” Charles Spurgeon, once said,

“Controversy is never a very happy element for the child of God: he would far rather be in communion with his Lord than be engaged in defending the faith, or in attacking error. But the soldier of Christ knows no choice in his Master’s commands. He may feel it to be better for him to lie upon the bed of rest than to stand covered with the sweat and dust of battle; but, as a soldier, he has learned to obey, and the rule of his obedience is not his personal comfort, but his Lord’s absolute command. The servant of God must endeavor to maintain all the truth which his Master has revealed to him, because, as a Christian soldier, this is part of his duty. But while he does so, he accords to others the liberty which he himself enjoys.”

In the epistle of Jude, he exhorts believers to be defenders of the faith, to hold fast to our message as Christians, the glorious gospel.

Jude 3-4 GOD’S WORD Translation

Warnings about False Teachers

3 Dear friends, I had intended to write to you about the salvation we share. But something has come up. It demands that I write to you and encourage you to continue your fight for the Christian faith that was entrusted to God’s holy people once for all time.

4 Some people have slipped in among you unnoticed. Not long ago they were condemned in writing for the following reason: They are people to whom God means nothing. They use God’s kindness [a] as an excuse for sexual freedom and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Engaging in Christian apologetics in today’s culture is desperately needed when defending the faith, even within the Church and especially in America because error abounds.

We must stand for truth and become defenders of the Christian faith that has stood the test of time for thousands of years, even when wolves come in to devour the flock (Matthew 7:15-17 God’s Word Translation).

False Prophets

15 “Beware of false prophets. They come to you disguised as sheep, but in their hearts they are vicious wolves. 16 You will know them by what they produce.

“People don’t pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles, do they? 17 In the same way every good tree produces good fruit, but a rotten tree produces bad fruit.

It isn’t about a single person being right; It is about learning how to rightly divide God’s Word, which is perfect because God is perfect.

God’s Word is absolute truth.

If we are God’s children, we will want to grow in that truth, boldly proclaim it, and protect it from error, even if it makes us uncomfortable or even experience pain and rejection at times.

The gospel is offensive.

The Word of God, the Words of God’s Truth will cut deep into hearts and souls and unhesitatingly points out things in us that we don’t want to see, but if we want to be conformed to the image of Christ, we must believe and follow truth.

We should never apologize for our zeal for God’s Word and His glorious gospel because without those precious gifts of hardcore truths from the Lord to us, we would never be able to revel in the benefits of the good news or to share it with others so that their fellowship with their Heavenly Father is finally restored.

As God’s children, we have been molded, transformed by God’s love and mercy.

We can live forgiven and free because of that.

We should long to share that zealous love with others by sharing truth found in the Bible, whether they have never heard the gospel, or they have strayed from its pure message and have begun following false teachers and their false gospel.

We should never feel ashamed to zealously share the hope of our message as believers, turning from our life in sin to turning to Christ alone who offers us new eternal life in Him that was purchased for us by His very own life blood.

In Christ, we are forgiven.

In Christ, we are God’s precious children.

This is the faith that was once and for all time handed down to the saints of old, and we must continue to zealously pass it down to each generation and protect it, zealously defend it from those who would want to badly twist its message.

Do you have a zealous desire to share truth with a loved one, with a neighbor or with a complete stranger who may be caught up in the crass deception of a false gospel or on your many social media platforms to reach others for the gospel?

It is the covenant summons from God upon all His Children, to ask the Holy Spirit to give you .01% boldness and ask Him for a greater desire for His Word.

It is so critically important in these times of violence and unrest, to become a diligent student of God’s Word so that when the opportunity presents itself, you are able to give a response for the hope that you have inside of you (1 Peter 3:15).

1 Peter 3:8-17 GOD’S WORD Translation

Dedicate Your Lives to Jesus

8 Finally, everyone must live in harmony, be sympathetic, love each other, have compassion, and be humble. 9 Don’t pay people back with evil for the evil they do to you, or ridicule those who ridicule you. Instead, bless them, because you were called to inherit a blessing.

10 “People who want to live a full life and enjoy good days
must keep their tongues from saying evil things,
and their lips from speaking deceitful things.
11 They must turn away from evil and do good.
They must seek peace and pursue it.
12 The Lord’s eyes are on those who do what he approves.
His ears hear their prayer.
The Lord confronts those who do evil.”

13 Who will harm you if you are devoted to doing what is good? 14 But even if you suffer for doing what God approves, you are blessed. Don’t be afraid of those who want to harm you. Don’t get upset. 15 But dedicate your lives to Christ as Lord. Always be ready to defend your confidence ⌞in God⌟ when anyone asks you to explain it. However, make your defense with gentleness and respect. 16  Keep your conscience clear. Then those who treat the good Christian life you live with contempt will feel ashamed that they have ridiculed you. 17 After all, if it is God’s will, it’s better to suffer for doing good than for doing wrong.

Stand firm, march on in truth, fight the good fight, dear solider of the Lord!

In the name of God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Heavenly Father, God of the Angel Armies, Commander of the Heavenly Host, I know Your Word warns us that in these Last Days to be careful not to be deceived nor to be deceptive ourselves, to rightly divide Your Word. False teachers, false prophets, and false gospels abound. Please equip me with discernment to be able to spot counterfeit messages that undermine the beauty of the finished work of the cross. I’m asking for strength and boldness to stand firm upon Your Holy written Word and be able to proclaim it and defend it against those who twist it. I am grateful to not only be called Your child but a solider in Your great army. I pray that You would send others in the faith that I can link arms with to be able to fight the good fight and run the race that You have set before me. The days are growing darker, but that just means the light of Your truth and goodness will just shine brighter and brighter. Help me to, inch by inch, to continue to be a carrier of that light wherever I go. In Jesus’ name.

Adeste Fidelis! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

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“Rather he delights himself in the teachings of the Lord and reflects on His teachings day and night.” Psalm 1

Lonesome Valley

The Carter Family

Everybody’s got to walk that lonesome valley,
they’ve got to walk it by their selves.
There’s nobody here can walk it for them,
they’ve got to walk it by their selves.

My father’s got to walk that lonesome valley,
he’s got to walk it by his self.
There’s nobody here can walk it for him,
he’s got to walk it by his self.

My mother’s got to walk that lonesome valley
she’s got to walk it by her self.
There’s nobody here can walk it for her,
she’s got to walk it by her self.

My brother’s got to walk that lonesome valley,
he’s got to walk it by his self.
There’s nobody here can walk it for him,
he’s got to walk it by his self.

Most sinners got to walk this lonesome valley,
they’ve got to walk it by their selves.
There’s nobody here can walk it for them,
they’ve got to walk it by their selves.

Everybody’s got to walk that lonesome valley,
they’ve got to walk it by their selves.
There’s nobody here can walk it for them,
they’ve got to walk it by their selves.

Psalm 1 GOD’S WORD Translation

BOOK ONE

(Psalms 1–41)

1 Blessed is the person who does not
follow the advice of wicked people,
take the path of sinners,
or join the company of mockers.
2 Rather, he delights in the teachings of the Lord
and reflects on his teachings day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted beside streams—
a tree that produces fruit in season
and whose leaves do not wither.
He succeeds in everything he does.[a]

4 Wicked people are not like that.
Instead, they are like husks that the wind blows away.
5 That is why wicked people will not be able to stand in the judgment
and sinners will not be able to stand where righteous people gather.

6 The Lord knows the way of righteous people,
but the way of wicked people will end.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

Rather He Delights Himself in the Teachings of the Lord.

Right from the start, I look at that word “Rather” and in my Christian frame of mind, I wonder – in whose other teachings would the Psalmist rather delight?

Verse 1 drops the answers into the exact center of our spiritual consciousness:

1 Blessed is the person who does not
follow the advice of wicked people,
take the path of sinners,
or join the company of mockers.

Following the Advice of Wicked People.

Take the Path of Sinners.

Join in the Company of Mockers.

Psalm 1 is called the preamble to the book of Psalms.

That is, it serves as an introduction to the entire book.

What is said in Psalm 1 is relevant to all the rest of the book of Psalms.

Charles Spurgeon viewed it this way:

“The matter of the first Psalm, which may be looked upon, in some respects, as the text upon which the whole of the Psalms make up a divine sermon.”

The psalms begin with these words: “Blessed is the man.” In Psalm 1, God addresses man’s most basic question: How can I be happy (blessed) in this life?

Is this true? Does God really want us to be happy?

Absolutely!

And this happiness is not temporary, but perpetual.

The word translated blessed is plural in the original Hebrew.

That is, it means perpetual blessings. It can be read blessedness’s or happiness’s.

So how can I be happy, truly happy?

Not Following the Advice of Wicked People.

Not Taking the Path of Sinners.

Not Joining in the Company of Mockers.

Very wise and very sage advice when spoken with Authority in any age.

  • Join in with the crowds residing within the bounds of the “evils of this age?”
  • Join in with crowds residing within the boundless salvation of Almighty God?

Choosing the directions for our lives, Psalm 1 is called a wisdom psalm because we learn that happiness results from our choice to follow God’s direction of life.

In this psalm the writer sets forth two ways or two directions to choose in life.

One is specifically stated to the right way that leads us to happiness in the Lord, the other is specifically stated to be the wrong way that leads to worldly misery.

The Right Way

Psalm 1:1-3 Amplified Bible

Book One

The Righteous and the Wicked Contrasted.

1 [a]Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked [following their advice and example],
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit [down to rest] in the seat of [b]scoffers (ridiculers).
2 
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night.
3 
And he will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season;
Its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity].

The wisdom of Psalm 1 captures a fundamental teaching found in both the Old and New Testaments.

In the writings of the Old Testament God teaches His people that one’s choice of one’s life’s mindset will determine both the direction, the outcome of their life.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 Amplified Bible

19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse; therefore, you shall choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, 20 by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding closely to Him; for He is your life [your good life, your abundant life, your fulfillment] and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord promised (swore) to give to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Choosing to live one’s life in the 24×7 mindset of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, by obeying His voice and holding closely to Him:

  1. For He IS your life
  2. For He is your GOOD life
  3. He is your ABUNDANT life
  4. He is your FULFILLMENT of life
  5. He is the LENGTH OF OUR DAYS that we may live in the land which the Lord promised (swore, gave an oath to) to give to your fathers and the Patriarchs.

In Matthew’s Narrative of the Gospel,

Jesus’ message to the crowds is to choose the right way in life:

Matthew 7:13-14 Amplified Bible

The Narrow and Wide Gates

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad and easy to travel is the path that leads the way to destruction and eternal loss, and there are many who enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow and difficult to travel is the path that leads the way to [everlasting] life, and there are few who find it.

Choosing the Right Path

First, in Psalm 1:1 we learn that happiness comes by choosing to walk on a righteous path.

This determination is directly connected to other people.

Each line in this verse teaches us to avoid the wrong kinds of interpersonal relationships – our choice of friends make all the difference in our lives.

Notice what this verse says:

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.”

Choosing the righteous path includes refusing advice from those who hold godless values and whose moral and ethical choices violate the laws of God.

The second line goes a step further: “nor standeth in the way of sinners.”

It is one thing to listen to wicked counsel.

It is quite another to decisively side and to compromise with that viewpoint.

Instead, the happy person refuses to follow the worldly crowd.

You don’t see him “hanging out” with those who pursue sin as a lifestyle.

Finally, he refuses to sit and associate with those whose conversations mock and curse God: “nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”

If you and I want to choose to be miserable, we make our best friends those who are scornful, critical and disrespectful.

The three verbs—walk, stand and sit—show the oily, slippery slope of evil.

Evil is not passive.

It is ever descending.

The longer we go slipping and sliding, the worse we get -as a pattern of evil choices causes a downward spiral in our character that leads to destruction.

Hungering for God’s Word

Second, Psalm 1:2 resoundingly declares happiness comes by developing a strong appetite for God’s Word and NOT Satan’s incessant barrage of lies.

We learn to enjoy the Bible by nurturing the disciplined habit of meditation.

Meditation involves a 24/7—“day and night”—focus on the Scripture.

This means individually, in Koinonia fellowship seeking to better understand the Bible’s true meaning, as well as, its correct application to us personally.

The Spirit of God makes the Word of God satisfying to the soul of man.

The Scriptures are “sweeter than honey” (Psalm 119:103) and “more to be desired [desirable] are they than gold” (Psalm 19:10).

In some contexts the word meditate can be translated growl or groan or moan.

It conveys the idea of muttering.

Perhaps you know someone who walks around mumbling to himself.

We tend to view such behavior as socially odd.

But the reality is that all of us talk to ourselves inside our heads all the time.

There is a mental discussion going on continuously.

Some people simply express parts of their dialogue audibly.

This mental conversation is meditation.

God blesses us as we mull over His words day and night (Psalm 1:2).

The reason this way of life makes one so happy is that is fulfills the purpose for which we were created.

God’s first command to man was to “be fruitful” (Genesis 1:28).

Psalm 1 describes the happy man as being “like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (Psalm 1:3).

Fruit bearing is the result of deep roots’ finding their way, winding their way, to an abundant supply of nourishment from underground streams of water.

God’s Word is an all-sufficient, eternal supply of empowering grace for all of life – even during difficult, seemingly barren times, the Word will sustain life.

A fruitful life is a blessed life.

So David states that God’s way to happiness is being separated from the world, utterly saturated with the Word, and fruitful and successful in doing God’s will.

The Wrong Way

Psalm 1:4-6 Amplified Bible

4 
The wicked [those who live in disobedience to God’s law] are not so,
But they are like the chaff [worthless and without substance] which the wind blows away.
5 
Therefore the wicked will not stand [unpunished] in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 
For the Lord knows and fully approves the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked shall perish.

David goes on in verse 4 to contrast the way of the righteous with the way of the ungodly: “the ungodly are not so.”

Charles Spurgeon makes a powerful point when he notes that the Hebrew proposes a double negative: “‘Not so the ungodly, no so.’ Oh! how terrible is it to have a double negative put upon the promises! and yet this is just the condition of the ungodly.”

Ungodliness will never, never prosper!

In the end ungodly people’s lives are deemed as “chaff.”

In other words, they are deemed pointless, worthless, lifeless and useless.

They will be driven away by the wind of God’s judgment.

They will not dwell with the people of God in the congregation of the righteous (Psalm 1:5).

At the end of the passage, the psalmist sets forth two directions

—the way of the righteous and the way of the ungodly;

two decisions—to meditate on God’s Word or to listen to ungodly counsel;

and two destinies—the righteous will enjoy God’s presence forever, but the ungodly will perish.

Psalm 1 The Message

1 How well God must like you—
    you don’t walk in the ruts of those blind-as-bats,
    you don’t stand with the good-for-nothings,
    you don’t take your seat among the know-it-alls.

2-3 Instead you thrill to God’s Word,
    you chew on Scripture day and night.
You’re a tree replanted in Eden,
    bearing fresh fruit every month,
Never dropping a leaf,
    always in blossom.

4-5 You’re not at all like the wicked,
    who are mere windblown dust—
Without defense in court,
    unfit company for innocent people.

6 God charts the road you take.
The road they take leads to nowhere.

Lonesome Valley

The Carter Family

Everybody’s got to walk that lonesome valley,
they’ve got to walk it by their selves.
There’s nobody here can walk it for them,
they’ve got to walk it by their selves.

My father’s got to walk that lonesome valley,
he’s got to walk it by his self.
There’s nobody here can walk it for him,
he’s got to walk it by his self.

My mother’s got to walk that lonesome valley
she’s got to walk it by her self.
There’s nobody here can walk it for her,
she’s got to walk it by her self.

My brother’s got to walk that lonesome valley,
he’s got to walk it by his self.
There’s nobody here can walk it for him,
he’s got to walk it by his self.

Most sinners got to walk this lonesome valley,
they’ve got to walk it by their selves.
There’s nobody here can walk it for them,
they’ve got to walk it by their selves.

Everybody’s got to walk that lonesome valley,
they’ve got to walk it by their selves.
There’s nobody here can walk it for them,
they’ve got to walk it by their selves.

Choosing This Day Your Path Unto True Happiness?
About You Discovering Your Path to True Happiness?
About You Walking On Your Path to True Happiness?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Lord, we ask that you will make us a blessed people who do not walk in the wicked’s counsel, stand in the sinners’s way, or sit in the scoffers’s seat, but who find such delight in your instruction that it is always on our hearts, minds, and lips. 

Make us like a well-watered tree, nurtured to bear fruit and prosperous in all you give us to do.  Keep us from being like those who oppose you.  Their plans have the appearance of wisdom, but will ultimately come to nothing when you come to weigh and measure human works. 

We trust you and know that your judgment is always righteous.  Thank you for showing us your path—the path that leads to life—in your Word and through your Son Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

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Standing Around the Lords BBQ Grill, Sitting at the Feast Table of the Lord: Celebrating and Seeking God through the Holy Scriptures. Matthew 4:1-4 

Learning to seek the face of God is the foundation for experiencing the amazing life Jesus died to give us.

We have available to us through Christ all the wonders, excellencies, and satisfaction we can fathom. God has granted us grace upon grace, mercy upon mercy, affection upon affection, and love upon love.

When we pursue him through all the avenues available to us, a door is opened in which we discover all our heavenly Father longs to give us.

May you grow in your pursuit of God this week as we study various ways we have been given to seek his face.

Matthew 4:1-4 Amplified Bible

The Temptation of Jesus

4 Then Jesus was led by the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After He had gone without food for forty days and forty nights, He became hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But Jesus replied, “It is written and forever remains written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’”

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

Nice weather, family barbeques, parades, fireworks and red, white and blue everything ­­­– Americans all over the world are in the process of preparing to celebrate Independence Day today with time-honored and beloved traditions.

Known now as a day of patriotism and enjoying time off from work.

The Fourth of July began the journey to becoming a quintessential American holiday in 1776, when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. 

Though 12 of the 13 American colonies had already approved the resolution by July 2, 1776, even prompting John Adams to write his daughter with predictions of future July Second festivities, the actual document declaring independence from Britain wasn’t officially adopted until July 4, 1776.

Some Americans began celebrating the very same year, though the practice would not become widespread until the aftermath of the War of 1812.

Congress finally passed a bill making the celebration of Independence Day a federal holiday on June 28, 1870. 

In 1941, the law was amended to make it a paid holiday for federal employees.

Though some traditions associated with the Fourth of July have changed or disappeared over time – such as hosting mock funerals for the king of England, for example – many have remained righteous and true to their roots in the almost 250 years since the declaration was signed.

Barbeques and Picnics

Independence Day falling in early July is probably reason enough to enjoy a meal outside to take advantage of the warm summer weather.

The urge to fire up the grill and lay a picnic blanket out on the grass, however, can also be tied back to original holiday celebrations.

What we now know as barbeque food began as a form of cooking brought to the Americas by enslaved Africans.

It would take many years before it would become a staple of the national diet.

Instead, revelers of the day probably would have attended a community pig or bull roast or seafood boil.

It wasn’t until about 100 years after independence that barbeque went from being a food for poor, enslaved people to being popularized on a national scale.

Feasting and drinking “was true of really elite people but also of the really poor, and the common, even enslaved people, not just on the Fourth of July, but other holidays would come to use this idea of BARBECUE and COOKOUTS as a chance to kind of build community and think about what it meant to be an American.  

Seeking and Feasting on the Lord through Scriptures

Deuteronomy 8:1-3 Amplified Bible

God’s Gracious Dealings

8 “Every commandment that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, so that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord swore [to give] to your fathers. 2 And you shall remember [always] all the ways which the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart (mind), whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 He humbled you and allowed you to be hungry and fed you with manna, [a substance] which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, so that He might make you understand [by personal experience] that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.

Israel had spent four hundred years of their existence suffering under the yoke of hardcore slavery in Egypt – building Egyptian cities and its infrastructure.

Finally, God sent Moses to Egypt and after great, powerful and miraculous displays of His power over the land of Egypt, and Israel had their freedom.

Israel had then spent forty years of fasting on manna and water in the desert, but Moses still had to so much to teach them what that long fast was all about.

In their wanderings they needed to be shepherded to know that every moment of their lives utterly and completely depended on God and his Word for them.

Israel had plenty to eat when they left Egypt, for they had taken their flocks and herds with them (Exodus 12:38).

But the food that really kept them alive was the daily manna which God spoke into existence, and the drink that really quenched their thirst was the water that God sweetened and the water that flowed from rocks split by his mighty Word (see Exodus 15:22-17:7).

When Israel left behind the food of Egypt and limited themselves to their own herds, that was not fasting.

In the desert God’s people received a new menu: “every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

In a nutshell it comes down to this: “Celebrate the Lord, Feast on the Lord, Love the Lord thy God with everything you have, and love your neighbor as yourself.“

Fasting enables Christ’s disciples to eat from the new menu, the Word of God.

Real fasting imitates the example of Christ, who did not give in to temptations to make his own food during his forty-day fast, who lived only by every word that comes from the mouth of God, and who repeatedly said: “It is written.”

Are you following Christ’s example today?

Am I following Christ’s example today?

Is the Body of Christ, God’s Church in the World, following Christ’s example?

Celebrating and Seeking The Lord Through Scripture

Matthew 4:1-4 GOD’S WORD Translation

The Temptation of Jesus

4 Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 Jesus did not eat anything for 40 days and 40 nights. At the end of that time, he was hungry.

3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “Scripture says, ‘A person cannot live on bread alone but on every word that God speaks.’ ”

From Genesis to Revelation, the pages of Scripture are filled with declarations of the wonderful, mysterious, powerful, loving nature of our heavenly Father.

Holy Scripture is one of God’s greatest gifts to his people, who so easily forget the vast labor of love He has undergone to gain restored relationship with us.

The Bible is the truest and most loyal and faithful companion to all those who long to seek and find the invisible God who so greatly desires to be discovered.

Let’s open our hearts today to Scripture and the Holy Spirit and receive fresh revelation on how God longs to use his word to guide us as we seek his face.

In Matthew 4:4 Jesus rebukes Satan’s words of temptation saying, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

From Genesis to Revelation, the truths of God’s Holy Scriptures is meant to be the very sharpest of rebukes to the smooth talking temptations of Satan’s lies.

There is no truth to be found anywhere in the words of Satan, the Father of Lies.

2 Timothy 3:15-16 GOD’S WORD Translation

15 From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures. They have the power to give you wisdom so that you can be saved through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 Every Scripture passage is inspired by God. All of them are useful for teaching, pointing out errors, correcting people, and training them for a life that has God’s approval.

From Genesis to Revelation, every single word of Scripture is meant to fill us with the truths of abundant life by leading us directly to our heavenly Father.

The matchless power of Scripture lies in the fact that its pages are filled with the spoken words of a God who is still ALIVE, active, powerful, and loving.

Early in my Christian walk I realized I went years using Scripture incorrectly.

I viewed it as a set of rules I needed to read and try to keep rather than as a guide to experiencing the adventure of communion with my heavenly Father.

I viewed reading and studying Scripture as an insufferable chore rather than the Words of God meant specifically as the ultimate source of nourishment for me.

I finally came to the realization that if I wanted to authentically read the Bible, I would have to willingly place myself on a “40 day 40 night fast” from the world.

Celebrating and Feasting on my worldly God, my problem wasn’t a lack of will but rather, a lack of revelation on God’s intention behind authoring the Bible.

My problem was that I hadn’t experienced a life lived in the wilderness where the Spirit of God sent me “by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Wherever you and I are in our reading, studying, understanding of Scripture, please know that God has a fresh desire for His word in store for us all today.

He longs to fill each and every single one of His Children with a desire to read, study and consume and feast on the words that will guide us to abundant life.

The Holy Spirit longs to speak directly to each and every single one of God’s Children through “Milk and Honey” words written thousands of years ago.

Our Bible is a powerful miracle safeguarded throughout the ages for the benefit of all who would seek to be nourished, who’ll seek out the face of its Creator.

May we all come to have an appetite for the heart of the Psalmist and grow and be nourished and sustained in our love of Scripture and the God who inspired it:

Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts. I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word. I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way (Psalm 119:97-104).

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the power of Scripture in seeking God.

“If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15:10-11

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4

2. Where do you need the help of Scripture in seeking God? What lie do you believe about the character of God? What thought or perspective is keeping you from pursuing God with all your heart? Scripture is a powerful tool to combat incorrect thinking with God’s truth.

3. Ask the Spirit to guide you to a passage of Scripture that will speak directly to your situation. Pay attention for a passage or book that comes to mind, or search online for key verses.

May you have ears to hear the voice of God speaking to you through the pages of Scripture. May your heart become soft and open to God’s presence as you open his Word. And may you experience the delight that comes from the knowledge of God’s will for you as found in the pages of the Bible.

We thank you, Lord of all Creation, for the manna, for the quail, for the Honeycomb, for our daily bread, for the bread of heaven who came to feed us with His Way, His truth and His Life. Help us to live by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

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Do Not Apologize for Existing! Let Us Have A Conversation About Suicide! Psalm 13

Compared To God

The Israelites were filled with fright
As Goliath started toward them
Compared to man, this giant stood so tall
But David said, “My God has led me here to defeat him,
So don’t compare him to me, let’s compare him to God.”

When compared to God, everything’s small
There’s no giant that compares at all
To the Holy One who sits upon His throne
So when you come to face a mountain so high
One glimpse of God brings it down to size
Satan will flee; you’ll gain victory
When you compare it to God.

Oh, my friend, do you fear within
As your giant marches closer?
Do you know within your heart you cannot win?
Just have the faith of David’s day and shout
“My God is bigger.”
You’ll find there’s nothing on earth that compares to Him.

When compared to God, everything’s small
There’s no giant that compares at all
To the Holy One who sits upon His throne
So when you come to face a mountain so high
One glimpse of God brings it down to size
Satan will flee; you’ll gain victory
When you compare it to God.

Psalm 13 GOD’S WORD Translation

For the choir director; a psalm by David.

13 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I make decisions alone
with sorrow in my heart day after day?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

3 Look at me! Answer me, O Lord my God!
Light up my eyes,
or else I will die
4 and my enemy will say, “I have overpowered him.”
My opponents will rejoice because I have been shaken.

5 But I trust your mercy.
My heart finds joy in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord because he has been good to me.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

“How Long, O’ Lord?” Will You Forget Me Forever?

Psalm 13:1-2 GOD’S WORD Translation

For the choir director; a psalm by David.

13 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I make decisions alone
with sorrow in my heart day after day?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

This lament of David is a cry of the heart from someone who feels that he is alone and forsaken.. isolated, forgotten and cut off from the favor of the Lord.

David’s soul is crying out in bitter anguish of mind and inner confusion of the soul because to David, in the moments he penned this, the Lord seems to have forgotten all about him and has apparently hidden His face from His servant.

David, in the throes of this time of deep depression could not understand why the Lord was delaying the help he desperately needed.. and so his heart was grieving and his soul cried out in bitterness and distress – “how long O Lord?”

David felt that the enemy was triumphing over him while the Lord seemed to have distanced Himself far away from His faithful servant.. and so he lashed out at the people around him and God, challenged the Lord with multiple questions:

How long O LORD.. will You forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart all the day?

How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

David wanted to know how long the bitter trial and manifold difficulties that were flooding into his life would continue, before the Lord would step in..

to right the wrong and injustices and comfort His servant?

And in our own days of greatest distress and difficulties we too will often find ourselves locked into David’s position.. calling out in desperation to the Lord as we become increasingly submerged by the struggles and sorrows of our day.

As we too cry with our loudest, saddest voices, out to a iron-clad heaven and we find ourselves wrestling inwardly with the very same rhetorical questions that burdened David’s heart, flowed from his pen some three thousand years ago.

How often do we too feel that God has forgotten us and that like David we seem to have been completely, utterly cut off from the abundant favor of the Lord?

How often we experience feelings of deep depression.. anguish of soul and bitter heartache as the enemies of our soul seem to be attacking us from every side..

and we not so subtly discover ourselves to be increasingly overwhelmed by all the news of everything which is bad, tragic, that is coming on the earth today.

Psalm 13:3-6 GOD’S WORD Translation

3 Look at me! Answer me, O Lord my God!
Light up my eyes,
or else I will die
4 and my enemy will say, “I have overpowered him.”
My opponents will rejoice because I have been shaken.

5 But I trust your mercy.
My heart finds joy in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord because he has been good to me.

But David is a man after God’s own heart.. and although that does not preclude him from having to go through the inevitable trials and tribulations of life-

his confidence in God stands firm in the goodness of the Lord and his bitter pleas for help.. come from the heart and the soul of a man who ultimately trusts in God’s mercy, grace, loving-kindness; and rejoices in the joy of his salvation.

However, it was not long before the bitter lament of David turned into a hymn of praise when he remembered the many precious promises of the Lord –

for he knew that the “brief sufferings” of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory of God that is to be revealed to us in the days to come.

The same is no less true today.

Indeed the enormous complexities and difficulties and dangers we face in life today.. should be pondered as momentary, light affliction, which are producing for us an eternal weight of God’s glory far beyond what we could ask or think.

But, Still, We Need to Very Much Talk About Suicide

When it comes to an awareness of mental health, it is important to be aware of our own, as well as, others’ feelings – We never know what a person may be going through – they could be doing alright, but they could also be on the brink.

First and Foremost it must absolutely be said, in no uncertain terms, our own mental health needs to be taken extremely seriously, given the utmost respect and great personal attention – we must take the value of our lives to the utmost.

If we need to make and take the time to “sort out the things of this life” which increasingly do not make sense, threaten to overwhelm our sense of wellbeing, then by all means we must exercise our own absolute right to life and to seek help!

We cannot think more highly of others until we can straighten out our own thoughts and feelings of how we feel about ourselves and why we feel less about ourselves!

Please! Please! Please! Absolutely, avail yourself of every single opportunity to take the utmost care of yourselves – You are always Highly Valued by God, our Father!

Be Affirmed! In the name of God, the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit!

You are a wonderful creation of God, in His Image and God loves you so dearly.

The Hand of God created you singularly, uniquely, loves you unconditionally.

Even before you were born, God knew you and He had a wonderful plan for your life — a plan shaped exclusively for you, and God knows that only you can do.

Maybe you have tried many things and tried them over and over and over again, and only messed up worse each time, but God still has a great idea for your life.

Things Christians Need to Understand about Suicide

My own professional background is as a Registered Nurse whose many years of clinical practice was devoted to the area of Psychiatry, Mental Health, Chemical Dependency and Addictions – to both the Acute and Chronic and the Homeless.

Over the years, I have attended many professional conferences and seminars.

Conclusions are generally the same of the PhD level presenters: Suicide is a word that often makes people feel very uncomfortable for several reasons.

For some, it triggers past pain or current fears, while for others, it provokes the final, ultimate taboo, it evokes judgment, concern, and a lack of understanding.

Many who experience the depth of internal stress of major depression have an enormous difficulty expressing it to anyone for fear of being labeled as weak or emotionally unstable or risk being embarrassed as too emotionally insecure.

In other cases, I have counselled many homeless who will see family members dismiss the concerns of their loved ones due to the stigma surrounding suicide.

Additionally, Christian culture has added more rancor and division within this topic by neglecting to provide a serious measure of support for those suffering, thus perpetuating the needless stigma associated with psychological distress. 

The truth is, an advanced clinical university degree or whether we have little to no personal knowledge of suicide, we as true believers need to be informed and prepared to address the acute reality of pain, both personally and relationally. 

For as much as we may or may not want to admit, talk of it, the reality is that professional burnout and suicidality is increasing within the church family.

From pastors to their Laity, the body of Christ in their diversity of backgrounds, experiences are silently struggling to minister in the name of spiritual maturity.

The rates of suicide across the board is rising at an all too alarming rate not for the church to give its utmost attention too – where can it play an essential role.

Unfortunately, the topic of suicide has been an untouchable, taboo topic within the church for centuries.

Starting as early as mid fifth century AD, churches began to condemn suicide and punish those who sought to take their own lives and disgracing the burials of victims of suicide.

While we have certainly come a long way over the years, made great strides in providing more facilities and resources the church has not fully embraced its own role to provide non-judgmental support for mental health-related issues.  

Lifeway research reports that although a large majority of church members want their pastors to talk openly about mental illness, 66 percent of pastors speak to their church once a year or less on the subject (Lifeway, 2014). 

Consequently, this zone of silence unintentionally isolates those impacted by mental health, suicide, allowing room for some to believe that their struggles are simply a sign of a critically weak faith or even worse, spiritual immaturity. 

Maybe, this is you or this is someone very close to you – maybe your Pastor? 

It is long past the time we bravely speak up and support each other in seeking to end the silence, the stigma of suicide by learning facts, sharing our struggles.  

What We Each Need to Understand

1. The Word of God for the Children of God

First, we must ground our learning process in the Word of God.

Believe it or not, suicide is nothing new to our current culture.

Did you know that there are over six accounts of suicide mentioned in Scripture between the Old and New Testament?

The most well-known passage, found in Matthew 27:3-5, is the account of Judas Iscariot’s death, hanging himself after betraying Christ.  

Why is this significant?

Because it affirms and validates the history of hopelessness and severe mental health issues experienced since the beginning of time. 

Just look at David’s psalms, Hannah’s prayer, Jeremiah’s Laments, the Apostle Paul’s account of his persecution, which led to him say he despaired of life itself (2 Corinthians 1:8).

These men and women of God spoke honesty and publicly and vulnerably of the excruciating, overwhelming depths of pain that gripped their hearts and souls.

Scripture invites us to acknowledge and recognize this pain, suffering, and emotional distress as consequences of our broken state and Satan’s attacks. 

We are indeed all in need of a hope that does not minimize nor stigmatizes our suffering.

The message of the gospel is just that.

Although often misused as a sugar-coated solution, Christ’s hope does not minimize nor negate our own seasons of pain but repurposes it for our gain.

The gospel Christ preached rightly recognizes shame, sin, pain, brokenness, and lovingly invites us, welcomes us, into the healing process of Salvation.

In light of Scripture, we can begin to cultivate a new understanding of suicide, by way of suffering, and seek to hold fast to the unfading hope found in God’s eternal promise (1 Peter 1:2-7, Revelation 21:4-5).

2. The Stats 

For many, suicide is a personal battle or a deep wound of loss, yet others would say they know little about suicide or its prevalence in our current culture.

Why is it important to understand statistics surround suicide and suicidality?

Because our awareness of a problem prompts our responsibility to address it.

Do you and I know where suicide ranks on the leading cause of death report?  

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2018, suicide ranked as the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, claiming the lives of over 48,000 people.

Within this vastly significant number, suicide was recognized as the second leading cause of death among the ages of 10 and 34 and the fourth leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 35 and 54 (CDC, 2018). 

Even more astounding, research states 1.2 million people attempted suicide in 2018; one attempt every 26 seconds (American Association of Suicidology, 2020). 

By knowing this reality, our response is likely to change when a friend stops reaching out or when a family member begins to isolate themselves.

Our awareness of the likelihood of suicide is what will prayerfully prompt deep and meaningful conversations, support our efforts in loving those around us.

4. The Psychology

Ever wonder what causes someone to end their life?

I believe this is the question to answer when a loved one is lost to suicide.

All of our whys do not always end with solid answers, and for many, the lack of psychological understanding gives way to missing the seriousness of this issue. 

In seeking to bring closure to the unanswered questions many survivors may have, it is helpful to know suicide is complex, much more so than depression.

Dr. Norman Wright notes that the most common answer to why people take their own lives is psychological pain, or “psychache” (Crisis & Trauma, 2011). 

The Founder of the American Association for Suicidology (2020) expounds on this broad understanding stating,

“Psychache is the hurt, anguish or ache that takes hold in the mind. It is intrinsically psychological – the pain of excessively felt shame, guilt, fear, loneliness, etc.… Suicide occurs when psychache is deemed unbearable and death is actively sought to stop the unceasing flow of painful consciousness.” 

Because emotional pain is experienced in diverse and various forms, Dr. Schneidman categorizes five clusters of psychological needs, which I have connected to scriptures, that if left unmet can account for suicidal action.

1. Need for love, acceptance, and belonging (Isaiah 43:1-4, Ephesians 3:14-21) 

2. Need for control, achievement, autonomy, order, and understanding (Ephesians 2:10, 5:15-17)

3. Need for positive Self-image (Romans 8, Hebrews 12:1-12)  

4. Relationships, nurturance, and affirmation (1 John 3:1-3; 11-24)

5. Need for dominance and emotional expression (James 1:19-27)

(Crisis & Trauma, p.300). 

Scripture speaks of these significant needs in our lives through many biblical character’s experiences.

Look again and again at David’s words in Psalm 13:1-4 God’s Word Translation 

13 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I make decisions alone
with sorrow in my heart day after day?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

3 Look at me! Answer me, O Lord my God!
Light up my eyes,
or else I will die
4 and my enemy will say, “I have overpowered him.”
My opponents will rejoice because I have been shaken.

As we seek to understand and value how our emotions communicate our lived experiences, we can begin to normalize the prevalence of emotional distress and support others who may feel as though God does not care about heartaches.

4. The Signs

The fourth thing that is important to know about suicide is the signs.

Whether we are currently struggling or know someone who is, understanding and assessing the warning signs is key to prevention and providing support.

As we have already learned, many contributors lead to suicidality, so how do we know if someone is actually at risk or deeply struggling? 

Here are just a few signs to consider:

  • Evidence of emotional distress (depression, anxiety, hopelessness, fear, anger, sudden mood shifts, isolation/withdrawal, recklessness, etc.)
  • Intrusive thoughts and/or statements of suicidal intention or ideation (“I don’t have a reason to live” or “I keep thinking people would be better off without me”)
  • Seeking access to or having access to items such as firearms, pills, sharp objects
  • Having a plan or contemplating a plan for attempting suicide. 

If we are experiencing any of these symptoms, please seek support immediately (see resources at the end of this article).

For those of you who may know someone exhibiting these signs, speak up. 

Assessing risk can be done with four basic questions (status, frequency, duration, plan): 

1. Are we wanting/thinking about suicide/self-harm? 

2. If so, how often do we think about it? 

3. How long have we been feeling this way? 

4. Do we have a plan and/or means of carrying this out?

The answers to these questions will help us determine how to best proceed with obtaining and providing support.

5. The Support

Finally, the accumulation of our understanding allows us to be equipped to both find support and offer support to one another.

As the family of God, we are called to bear with one another in love (Ephesians 4:2) and carry each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2).

By no means does this place the responsibility of other’s choices on our shoulders, but invites us to be active participants in supporting the work of healing for our hearts and the hearts of those around us. 

As a Christian with my years of professional experience as a Mental Health Counselor, I readily encourage my friends and family to find a professional counselor they trust and encourage them to both make and the take time to acknowledge their pain and access healing through various forms of therapy.

Also, there are many groups, online and locally, that readily support the work of addressing the seriousness of suicide prevention and of survivor support. 

Ultimately, the most meaningful way we can personally support someone in our life who is struggling with their thoughts of suicide or the loss of a loved one by suicide is to be in it with them – Gracefully, we learn to listen, love others well. 

Lastly, If we are personally struggling, I want to be the one to tell you, God, our Father, and Jesus Christ His Son and God the Holy Spirit are 100% in it with us.

Please reach out to those in your circle and/or call the Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for support. 

Until Heaven, Let us hold onto our LIVNG HOPE found in our LIVING SAVIOR!  

Resources and References

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Focus on the Family’s Get Help

Anthem of Hope

National Alliance on Mental Health

American Association of Suicidality

Christian Counselor’s Network 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018)  WISQARS Leading Causes of Death Reports.

Retrieved from: https://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/leadcause.html

Drapeau, C. W., & McIntosh, J. L. (for the American Association of Suicidology). (2020). U.S.A. suicide: 2018 Official final data. Washington, DC: American Association of Suicidology, dated February 12, 2020, downloaded from http://www.suicidology.org.

Mental Illness Remains Taboo Topic for Many Pastors (2016) Lifeway Research. Retrieved:https://lifewayresearch.com/2014/09/22/mental-illness-remains-taboo-topic-for-many-pastors/

Wright,Dr. H Noram (2011) The Complete Guide to Crisis & Trauma Counseling: What to Do and Say When It Matters Most.  Regal Publishing, California. 

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 23 Amplified Bible
The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.

A Psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me],
I shall not want.
2 
He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still and quiet waters.
3 
He refreshes and restores my soul (life);
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
for His name’s sake.

4 
Even though I walk through the [sunless] [a]valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.
5 
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You have anointed and refreshed my head with [b]oil;
My cup overflows.
6 
Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord.

Heavenly Father, Savior Christ, Intercessor Holy Spirit, thank You for the example of David who despite the many successes, many problems, pressures, disappointments and pain that he brought upon himself, he was called upon by you to suffer, still he trusted in Your never-failing promises, kept in his remembrance Your never-ending faithfulness. Help me to follow his example when life’s pressures bear down on me and keep me under the shadow on Your goodness and grace – I ask in Jesus name.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

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Does God Care About My Feelings? Psalm 137

At times, you may feel too alone, and think that you have no one to care for you.

Know that all of us are God’s children, and he never allows us to stay alone.

There’s no point in keeping yourself aloof from the rest of the world, for God is always there even when we are too emotional to acknowledge it, to help guide and move you out into the light from your entire struggle.

You may feel that you have not got anyone to be there for you, and support for you.

Although it is easier said than done, we often tend to suffer from such kinds of frustrations and suppressing thoughts.

However, you need to understand that you are not alone. You are never alone, for God is always there with you and you have your guardian angels to pave your ways, no matter how tough the situations get! Just be humble, have patience and get going!

Nothing is hidden from the Almighty, and he has been keeping an eye upon you all the time. He is there to guide you in all your odds, and even when life has been making you walk through the hurdles, you have Him.

Believe me, God is always there for you and he has been working behind the scenes of your life. You may find it difficult to get going, but if you have faith, things will surely start falling in their places all by themselves.

God is always there to talk care of you, even when you aren’t aware of it. He is going to take over when things go out of your hand. In any case, if situations seem to be pushing you to the last extent, keep your trust upon God’s powers and God’s promises and in time, by God’s grace, things are going to work out all by themselves, sooner or later.

Psalm 137 GOD’S WORD Translation

137 By the rivers of Babylon, we sat down and cried
as we remembered Zion.
2 We hung our lyres on willow trees.
3 It was there that those who had captured us demanded that we sing.
Those who guarded us wanted us to entertain them.
⌞They said,⌟ “Sing a song from Zion for us!”

4 How could we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget ⌞how to play the lyre⌟.
6 Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth
if I don’t remember you,
if I don’t consider Jerusalem my highest joy.

7 O Lord, remember the people of Edom.
Remember what they did the day Jerusalem ⌞was captured⌟.
They said, “Tear it down! Tear it down to its foundation.”
8 You destructive people of Babylon,
blessed is the one who pays you back
with the same treatment you gave us.
9 Blessed is the one who grabs your little children
and smashes them against a rock.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

The book of Psalms is a book of poetry; most often each Psalm is a song written for a specific purpose.

These songs and poems consist of praises to God, sorrowful lamentations, and joyous celebrations. 

Psalm 137 falls into the sorrowful lamentation category.

The Psalmist here is speaking of Israel’s captivity in Babylon (vs. 1).

The southern tribes of Israel, the land of Judah, were all that remained of Israel after the Assyrians had captured the northern tribes (2 Kings 15-17).

Later, the southern kingdom was taken captive by Babylon (2 Kings 24-25).

In this Psalm, the psalmist is lamenting that the captors of the Jews, the Babylonians, are asking them to sing songs about Jerusalem, or Zion.

Because these were songs of worship and praise to God, they would remind the people of their sin against God, the thing which led to their painful captivity.

These songs would also remind them of their longing to be back in Jerusalem.

The second stanza of the Psalm is a self-reflection of what the author would wish upon himself if he were to ever forget Jerusalem.

The final stanza is what revenge the Psalmist wishes upon his captors.

While the picture is disturbing and graphic, it gives us a real portrait of how desperate the Jews were and how badly they wished to be freed from captivity.

It also reveals to us the incredible depth of emotions these exiles were feeling.

The depths of rage, anger and of depressive sadness is quite palpable and for us who would come to read those hard words, quite emotionally provocative also.

God had sent His chosen people into a seventy year exile for their sins against Him – and the beginning of that exilic road to Babylon was exceedingly brutal and one could easily use the word merciless unto the very absolute maximum.

But God is a God of Mercy, of Grace, Slow to Anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving of transgressions, remembering them no more, casting them into the sea of forgetfulness, as far as the east is to the west – just max gone!

So, it leaves open to the reader of such scriptures the very significant question;

Does God Authentically Care About Our Feelings?

Ever feel like God gave up on you, does not care about your feelings?

You are absolutely not alone.

This assumption is one that can promote a sense of invalidation within our relationship with God.

In many ways, this belief can frame our faith in such a way that it leaves us quick to mask the messiness of our emotions for the sake of spiritual maturity.

If we authentically feel our feelings, does that mean our faith is fragile?

When our emotions overwhelm us, is God actually 100% for us or against us? 

This disconnect between emotional health and Christian theology has been at odds for some time.

The common Christian response to uncomfortable emotions is phrases like “You just need to pray more” and “trust the Lord in all circumstances,” which risks adding to the distortion that our distress impairs our spiritual maturity.

I whole-heartedly believe that the spiritual disciplines found in Scripture were never meant to invalidate our pain and problems, but rather not so subtly invite us into expressing our feelings openly and freely unto a loving and caring God. 

Here is the truth: You absolutely matter to God, feelings and all.

Never in Scripture do we see Jesus dismiss the feelings of others or invalidate those in distress.

On the contrary, God’s Word repeatedly reiterates the safety found in seeking God as our refuge when we are weak (Psalm 46:1–3), and as a shelter when we are suffering (Psalm 62:8). 

When we are faced with a depth of feelings that shake our faith to the core of our being, we must go back to Scripture and be reminded that our emotions, created by God, are meant to bring us closer to Him, not pull us farther away.

In my frequent exploration of this concept, I have found 4 ways God responds to my feelings which have ultimately strengthened my faith, comforted my soul.

1. God Is Present in My Feelings 

  In Psalm 34:18-19, David speaks of how God is attentive in our distress saying: 

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted

    and saves the crushed in spirit. 

Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

    but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” 

God does not leave us in our distress or dismiss the weight of our worries, but graciously and mercifully comes near to us as a father comforts his dear child.

His awareness of all things at all times is absolutely active 100% of the time.

The passage states God saves the crushed in spirit, delivering them out of pain.

What is even more powerful about this passage is that in the original Hebrew, the term for saves is translated as “to be safe.”

God is not simply standing with us, around us, by us, but He actively provides absolute safety for us in His presence. 

2. God Values My Feelings 

In addition to God’s attentiveness, He also values emotions.

Throughout Jesus’ ministry, we see His expression of emotion and how He values caring for those who were suffering.

Jesus wept with those who experienced loss (John 11:34-36) and comforted many with compassion and consideration (Mark 6:50). 

The intersection of emotional expression and feelings validation was first modeled for us by God throughout the Old Testament, and then again by Jesus throughout the narratives of the 4 gospels and Paul’s letters to the followers.

We see how God so gently guided the Israelites to their promised land flowing with milk and honey and manna and quail and water and shelter against the sun despite all of their rebellion and complaining throughout the book of Exodus.

Similarly, Jesus speaks to many emotions in his Sermon on the Mount saying, 

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,

    for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:3-4).

The apostle Paul in Romans speaks on this same value of emotional expression, encouraging believers to, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another” (Romans 12:15).

I wonder what it would look like if we too were to authentically begin to value the emotions we experience and authentically own all the freedom to express them, knowing our God is near and desires to comfort us with His compassion.  

3. God Challenges My Feelings  

Within God’s attentiveness and compassion for His children, He challenges the feelings that no longer have a place in our lives and hearts.

Paul writes on this disputation of futile feelings, encouraging his young protégé Timothy to not be overcome by the spirit of fear but to remember his faith first. 

He says, “For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit, not a spirit of fear but power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:6-7).

This very Pauline response to my own feelings is one that helps me identify the foundation of my emotions.

As I seek to understand God’s Word and His truth, I am reminded to focus upon my aligning my feelings with the myriad of God’s promises found in Scripture.

This passage reminds me of the truth of the Holy Spirit of God at work in me. 

4. God Reframes My Feelings  

Finally, I believe that God’s Word so beautifully helps us to reframe and to refocus our emotions by placing our focus and intention back on God’s power, God’s provision, God’s strength, and God’s ability to meet us in our emotions. 

One of my favorite passages that help reframe my feelings and focus on my faith is found in Paul’s prison letter of Philippians 4:8-9 where Paul writes, 

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” 

Then further bolstered by these words of God assurance, Christ like confidence;

Philippians 4:10-14 GOD’S WORD Translation

Thanks for Your Gifts

10 The Lord has filled me with joy because you again showed interest in me. You were interested but did not have an opportunity to show it. 11 I’m not saying this because I’m in any need. I’ve learned to be content in whatever situation I’m in. 12 I know how to live in poverty or prosperity. No matter what the situation, I’ve learned the secret of how to live when I’m full or when I’m hungry, when I have too much or when I have too little. 13 I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me. 14 Nevertheless, it was kind of you to share my troubles.

Paul’s thoughtful and timely words subtly remind me how to slow down and replace my thoughts that have led to distress and distortions within my heart.

When feelings flood our minds and muddy the truth of God’s goodness and grace, we are invited to renew our minds in the truths found in His Word. 

Romans 12:1-3 GOD’S WORD Translation

Dedicate Your Lives to God

12 Brothers and sisters, in view of all we have just shared about God’s compassion, I encourage you to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, dedicated to God and pleasing to him. This kind of worship is appropriate for you. 2 Don’t become like the people of this world. Instead, change the way you think. Then you will always be able to determine what God really wants—what is good, pleasing, and perfect.

3 Because of the kindness [a] that God has shown me, I ask you not to think of yourselves more highly than you should. Instead, your thoughts should lead you to use good judgment based on what God has given each of you as believers.

So, whatever you may be feeling, acknowledge them, just remember that God is near and desires to be involved in the fears and failures, the loss and laughter.

His Living and Active Word continually reminds us to always feel and to be free from the false kind of faith negating the weight of legitimately raw emotions.

Let us continue to seek after God, training our hearts, tuning our hearts, to find rest in the absolute truth (Matthew 11:28-30, John 5:1-9, John 11:35, John 14:1-6), knowing God authentically cares about all of our feelings no matter how deep.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 23 King James Version

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

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Your Daily Prayer: A Prayer to help us Refocus Our Thoughts back onto God. Philippians 4:8-9

O happy day that fixed my choice
On Thee, my Savior and my God!
Well may this glowing heart rejoice,
And tell its raptures all abroad.

Happy day, happy day,
When Jesus washed my sins away!
He taught me how to watch and pray,
And live rejoicing every day;
Happy day, happy day,
When Jesus washed my sins away!

Philippians 4:8-9 The Message

8-9 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

A Stranger in the Room? Think About These Things

Have you ever walked into a room and felt you didn’t belong?

The first day for a new Pastor, their very first Sunday in the Pulpit leading their new to them Congregations through the very first of many worship experiences.

Nobody really knows who each other are.

What are the myriad of myriad expectations of the new congregations of their new to them Pastors and vice versa – Pastors know very little of their new flock.

Who knows whose name and their histories and their experiences on those first few initial “break the ice” Sundays before all the wonderful times of fellowship.

Been there and done that.

And please, give all glory to God and pray heavily and mightily for Your New Pastors, and their new to them congregations in this season of Transition.

As it is with new Pastors in new Pulpits, those first few days of anything new are always those of someone’s greatest excitement and anticipation and eagerness.

That first day of class for someone whose entering a new middle or high school.

The first day of College when the new High School graduates move into their dorm rooms and meet their new room mates for the very first time.

Fresh with the excitement of their College Degrees in their hands, that very first day of someone’s first job, first responsibilities following college graduations.

A new Job for an experienced worker in a new Company or new Organization in a new city, in a new state, in a new country – and those promises of promotions.

Those first few days of a young or veteran Service Member returning to Civilian Life, perhaps trying to adjust, re-adjust to civilian life after Surviving Combat.

Those first new experiences for a Cancer survivor when they finally get to ring the Bell to celebrate, declare themselves to be “Last Chemo”, “Cancer Free” or “In Remission” and now they have to rebuild their strength for life afterwards.

How about those first days and weeks and months when first time Parents are bringing home their first born child – and first being introduced to Parenthood.

How many personal “first time” experiences can readers bring to life here?

I have entered more than a few meetings, and I felt nobody wanted me there.

Frowns and furrowed and grimaced brows graced their faces.

It almost instantly spiraled me into a series of “what now” negative thoughts.

I thought I wasn’t good enough, likable, or worthy of acknowledgment.

I struggled to bring my attention to the purposes of the meetings because I felt the high likelihood of being heavily scrutinized, new boy on the block rejected.

Perceived rejection is assuming rejection before it has happened.

I am, among many, a genius at pre-rejecting myself on someone else’s behalf.

I will interpret the squint of the eyes as disapproval and the purse of the lips as annoyance toward me.

I may also assume I’m already rejected to protect myself in those first days, but this behavior leads me into a cycle of being rejected and rejecting other people.

I became aware of this tendency when one day the Word of the Lord revealed how the fear of rejection prevented me from walking in the ways He had for me.

God longs relationships with His Children, for us to grow and for us to mature in true friendship, consolation and compassion, forgiveness and reconciliation, kindness and mercy, peace and unity of mind, building, edifying His Kingdom.

He wants us to know who we are in Christ, which is chosen, approved, desired, transformed and discipled by the renewal of our minds away from the world.

Yet, when we get stuck in patterns of pre-rejection, we wrestle with all these.

We somehow automatically assume the very worst about ourselves and others.

Our focus drills inward until we can only see ourselves through a rejected lens.

This sin dark rejected lens prevents us from seeing someone else’s struggles and worries.

It interferes mightily with Christ Like compassion toward others.

It takes us down a path of biased and unchallenged prejudicial assumptions, leading to a barrage of needless misunderstandings and broken relationships.

While so many of us have external struggles with home, family, work, and finances, we also deal with internal battles of self esteem and God esteem.

Our mind is one of the greatest places of battle, where external battles are won or lost.

An automatic mindset of pre-rejection steals our peace and promotes anxious thoughts, pre-emptively, wrongly influencing our faith actions and attitudes. 

It’s amazing how easily we can morbidly gorge ourselves on a feast of “hot and spicy” rejection when we automatically assume we have been or are about to be rejected, or we ourselves are about to move into our own “automatic rejection” of others mode – put some “100 octane into our motors and slam on the Gas”.

When I start from a place of 100 octane assuming rejection, it severely impacts my personal perspective of new opportunities and potential new relationships.

If I am 100 Octane closed off and self-protecting, the risk is it will leave a badly soured taste inside the mouths of others, it makes me seem cold and unfriendly.

This is not who I am, but when I’m ruled by 100 Octane fear, it’s what I display.

Slowly, I’ve learned the secret to overcoming this tendency lies in my thoughts.

And this is the critically important lesson we can each teach and each of us share with our children, our spouses, family, friends and to all our neighbors:

Romans 12:1-2 The Message

Place Your Life Before God

12 1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Romans 12:1-2 educates, encourages us to allow “all of ourselves” to first and foremost “be transformed by the renewal” of our minds, and our pre-rejecting ourselves on behalf of someone else who assumes the worst possible outcome.

The Apostle Paul heavily encouraged the Philippians to guard their hearts.

Guarding our hearts promotes peace within ourselves and our relationships, but we must work hard every day at it – sacrificing all our pre-conceived rejections.

Our sin darkened minds naturally run along negative tracks, but we can, by the study of the Word of God, and intercession of Holy Spirit, retrain our thoughts.

Imagine what would happen if we dared concentrated on whatever is good, and when we walk into a room, we dare think about whatever is truest Shalom, is honorable, meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse – can we dare to imagine the distance between us and Satan?

100 Octane rejecting ourselves, rejecting others because we are afraid someone might first 100 Octane reject us doesn’t honor God or you or the other person.

One of the ways to overcome this tendency is to look for the good in others.

I realized when I automatically assume someone has rejected me, I am also automatically projecting all my irrational fear of rejection back onto them.

I have prepackaged, prewrapped, pre-nailed tighter than a drum, a crate filled with every single preconceived personal biases and my 100 Octane prejudices.

I am just waiting for the mailing or shipping address so I can surprise them.

In my sin broken mind-set, they might be inwardly frowning in my direction, not because of my presenting myself, but because of something in their life.

Instead of responding with compassion and outward focus, we react with self-protection and self-focus. 

I still walk into meetings with the “Do they like me?” “Will they like me?” “Do I like them?” “Will I like them?” game playing over and over inside my soul.

But I’m learning to refocus my thoughts on myself and asking the Lord, “How can I show them more you?” It starts in our minds and then translates into actions.

Imagine the state of God’s Kingdom if we actually took into our hears and souls;

If in the fellowship of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

We who are the Body of Christ, we who are supposed to be modeling and are supposed to be like Christ, God’s Church in the vastness of this diverse world;

In a moment of authentic Holy Spirit in an Ignited Philippians 4:8-9 mind-set;

Philippians 4:8-9 Amplified Bible

8 Finally, [a]believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].  9 The things which you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things [in daily life], and the God [who is the source] of peace and well-being will be with you.

Fellowshipped, Worshipped Prayed as one Community as God is in Community?

Oh, what a God-Gifted day of rejoicing that would be!!!

But, dare we too ever conceive or imagine or spontaneously plan for such a day?

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Heavenly Father, on this day of first experiences for many of Your Children, Thank you that you give us all the tools we need to live this life for you. Forgive us when we too easily forget to use them, let our thoughts scatter to unhealthy and life-stealing pathways. We want to focus on you. You are honorable, lovely, true, commendable, just, and excellent, and when we think about you in these terms, you help us think about others in them too. Help us refocus our thoughts today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

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About Abraham’s Legacy of Faith and Obedience: Do We Have Even .01% of What It Takes Today? Genesis 25:7-11

1. Faith of our fathers, living still,
in spite of dungeon, fire, and sword;
O how our hearts beat high with joy
whene’er we hear that glorious word!
Refrain:
Faith of our fathers, holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death.

2. Faith of our fathers, we will strive
to win all nations unto thee;
and through the truth that comes from God,
we all shall then be truly free.
(Refrain)

3. Faith of our fathers, we will love
both friend and foe in all our strife;
and preach thee, too, as love knows how
by kindly words and virtuous life.

Genesis 25:7-11 The Message

7-11 Abraham lived 175 years. Then he took his final breath. He died happy at a ripe old age, full of years, and was buried with his family. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, next to Mamre. It was the field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites. Abraham was buried next to his wife Sarah. After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac. Isaac lived at Beer Lahai Roi.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

Why Should We Be Contemplating Abraham’s Legacy?

What if, like Job and his 3 friends, if you and I had been sitting with Abraham at the very moments of him making his decision in his life, like Job’s friends, we might often have pitied him, counseled against, questioned the wisdom, of each and every single decision, then inserted our own “invaluable life experiences”:

When he left Ur, we might have said, Abraham, you poor fool, do you mean you are going to wander away from home into the desert, perhaps live in a tent the rest your life, when you could keep the enjoyment of home, all of its blessings?

When he allowed Lot to choose the best of the land, perhaps some of us might have thought, “Abraham, are you crazy, don’t throw away your rights like that!”

You are the older one.

You have the first right to choose.

Why let Lot take that choice piece while you are left with this dry old pasture?

You are throwing away your rights. 

Instead of exercising his rights, Abraham let Lot choose, and God chose for him.

Do we remember when King of Sodom offered all the riches of his city to him, Abraham said, “I’ll not take even one of your shoelaces; I don’t want any of it.”

Some of us would have been tempted to say, 

“Now wait, one minute, Abraham, as your CPA, you are carrying this a little too far. You could have deducted all this richness and wealth from your income tax, just think what you are missing, future you are walking away from. Your family could have all the vast riches of Sodom. Think how you could use it in the Lord’s work.”

But Abraham chose God every time, and his was a life of fullness.

Scripture tells us that Patriarch Abraham lived 175 years, and every one was packed full, spiced with excitement and adventure, filled with challenge and interest, rich in possessions, rich in faith, rich in obedience and in blessing.

He was finally “gathered to his people,” he died an old man, full of days.

There is the promise of a legacy, a full life to those who live in the Spirit.

In verse 8 there is an indication that Abraham, our man of faith and obedience and integrity, had divine fellowship; saying “he was gathered to his people.” 

What does that mean?

It means he was gathered to those before him who had modeled themselves after Abraham, who had exercised a like level of faith and obedience in God.

He was with those righteous ones who all through that intervening time of history had been spending their length of days walking upright with God.

Enoch, Noah were examples of such men who learned to know the living God.

Those are Abraham’s people, just as the people who are ours are not the fleshly people, but the ones to whom we are spiritually bound to walk with in our faith.

By no means did Abraham’s legacy of faith end four thousand years ago.

Matthew 22:29-33 The Message

29-33 Jesus answered, “You’re off base on two counts: You don’t know what God said, and you don’t know how God works. At the resurrection we’re beyond marriage. As with the angels, all our ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God. And regarding your speculation on whether the dead are raised or not, don’t you read your Bibles? The grammar is clear: God says, ‘I am—not was—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.’ The living God defines himself not as the God of dead men, but of the living.” Hearing this exchange the crowd was much impressed.

In Matthew’s narrative,

when the Sadducees—who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead—asked Jesus a question, He answered them: 

Have you not read what God said to you, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?’ He is not the God of the dead, but of the living (Matthew 22:31b-32).

By this He was answering those who did not believe in life after death.

He was saying that Abraham is living.

What a picture Abraham’s life is!

His was a life like yours and mine!

Originally, there was nothing unusual about him; nevertheless, God had made him an extraordinary person whose life of faith and obedience to God reaches far beyond the realms of earth, out into furthest and widest depths of eternity.

His life is one of blessing, fellowship, and fullness.

The written legacy of faith and obedience of Abraham’s long life stands out as a living testimony to anyone who should walk on the path of faith, walks in their integrity, leaves a life of faith and obedience to be modeled, walks by God’s way.

Comprehending the Joys of Faith and of Obedience

Psalm 119:1-8 The Message

119 1-8 You’re blessed when you stay on course,
    walking steadily on the road revealed by God.
You’re blessed when you follow his directions,
    doing your best to find him.
That’s right—you don’t go off on your own;
    you walk straight along the road he set.
You, God, prescribed the right way to live;
    now you expect us to live it.
Oh, that my steps might be steady,
    keeping to the course you set;
Then I’d never have any regrets
    in comparing my life with your counsel.
I thank you for speaking straight from your heart;
    I learn the pattern of your righteous ways.
I’m going to do what you tell me to do;
    don’t ever walk off and leave me.

When it comes to our looking backwards and forwards at our own legacies of spiritual pursuits, many people discover they only put in the bare minimum.

They will engage in the daily pursuit of spiritual things only when it can be fit into their schedules, between their appointments and generally during a crisis.

When everything is going well, when the sky is blue, the sun is out, and all the bluebirds of happiness are singing, they don’t really have a thought about God.

But when a crisis looms on their horizon hits, when the storm clouds gather over their heads, then suddenly they are calling on the Lord out of necessity.

Some people pray only in a time of crisis or when they think of it.

They read the Bible only when they have time.

But that is not the faith-filled, faithful and obediently way to live for God.

The Bible says, “Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord” (Psalm 119:1 NLT).

God’s commands are not something we should fear, minimize or shun.

Yet some Christians will still say, “I’m not under the law; I’m under grace.”

In a sense that’s true.

As we choose obedience to God, put our faith in Jesus Christ, we are no longer under the curse of the law, which we are unable to keep in our own strength.

But let’s also remember that Jesus said, “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose” (Matthew 5:17 NLT).

We do not keep the law to earn God’s approval.

But it also doesn’t mean that we disregard it.

It doesn’t mean that we can do whatever we want.

It does not mean that we can live live whatever we want.

It does not mean that we can or should live the way culture would prefer.

We know all too well how culture wants us to live by its expectations, by its own shamefully weak worldly standards of “faithful, faith-filled, and obedient lives.

Christians, are by no means strangers to everyone else’s “great expectations.”

Yet, Jehovah God has His own “Great Expectations” His own exceedingly wiser standards of our own legacy of living faithful, faith-filled and obedient lives.

Exodus 20:1-17 New American Standard Bible

The Ten Commandments

20 Then God spoke all these words, saying,

2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of [a]slavery.

3 “You shall have no other gods [b]before Me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself [c]an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, inflicting the [d]punishment of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing [e]favor to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not [f] leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.

8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 For six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; on it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male slave or your female slave, or your cattle, or your [g]resident who [h]stays with you. 11  For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; for that reason the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be prolonged on the land which the Lord your God gives you.

13 “You shall not murder.

14 “You shall not commit adultery.

15 “You shall not steal.

16 “You shall not [i]give false testimony against your neighbor.

17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male slave, or his female slave, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

The principles of the law, the Ten Commandments all surely still apply today.

Yet, we must still recognize our habits of being unfaithful and disobedient also.

Instead of being, or our by navigating through a long list of 614 rules that were basically unobtainable for us in our own strength, God’s laws have now all been written on the fleshly tablets of our hearts, as faith-filled, faithful and obedient Ministers of a New Covenant as Scripture says (see 2 Corinthians 3:1-3 NASB).

Ministers of a New Covenant

3 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? 2 You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all people, 3 revealing yourselves, that you are a letter of Christ, [a] delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on any tablets of stone but on tablets of [b]human hearts.

They, the laws of God are weaved into our DNA, they become our delight.

They become our joy -and we obey them because it’s 100% our desire to do so.

In so doing, we will find the same lasting legacy of blessings Abraham lived out.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 16 The Message

16 1-2 Keep me safe, O God,
    I’ve run for dear life to you.
I say to God, “Be my Lord!”
    Without you, nothing makes sense.

3 And these God-chosen lives all around—
    what splendid friends they make!

4 Don’t just go shopping for a god.
    Gods are not for sale.
I swear I’ll never treat god-names
    like brand-names.

5-6 My choice is you, God, first and only.
    And now I find I’m your choice!
You set me up with a house and yard.
    And then you made me your heir!

7-8 The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake
    is confirmed by my sleeping heart.
Day and night I’ll stick with God;
    I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go.

9-10 I’m happy from the inside out,
    and from the outside in, I’m firmly formed.
You canceled my ticket to hell—
    that’s not my destination!

11 Now you’ve got my feet on the life path,
    all radiant from the shining of your face.
Ever since you took my hand,
    I’m on the right way.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

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