Tag: Psalm 46

As as we are all making resolutions: Bring the Greatness of God to others this coming Year of our Lord 2026. Luke 1:26-30

Luke 1:26-30 Authorized (King James) Version

26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

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, amen.

Somehow the body of Christ seems to think that if we are humble we should never desire or even confess the desire to be great. Why is this? Is it because we think or have been taught that to desire such a bold thing is sinful or carnal? 

So often in the body of Christ some teacher or pastor says something that the audience thinks is brilliant because it’s provocative or new without knowing whether what was said was biblically sound or not.

Sometimes it’s a simple thing and other times it a deep idea that fascinates people’s interest. 

All too often a solid ministry has gone off the rails biblically because some pastor or teacher has an unhealthy appetite for being on the cutting edge of some “New Concept” to wow their audience.

They keep trying to have provocative “New” ideas, resolutions to gain a greater audience or notoriety versus helping people become better followers of Jesus.

Now mind you, some of what the body of Christ has believed for hundreds of years could be wrong and therefore, challenging such ideas with the scriptures may sound original and provocative but in truth it is returning to the original intent God had all along.

Scripture is always our bottom line as believers in terms of how we evaluate new and old teachings in the body of Christ, not our own feelings or desires.

Luke 1:26-30 Complete Jewish Bible

26 In the sixth month, the angel Gavri’el was sent by God to a city in the Galil called Natzeret, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man named Yosef, of the house of David; the virgin’s name was Miryam. 28 Approaching her, the angel said, “Shalom, favored lady! Adonai is with you!” 29 She was deeply troubled by his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Miryam, for you have found favor with God.

In one moment of time, young Mary’s life was forever changed.

As the angel of the Lord spoke about her future, Mary went from an obscure Jewish teenager to the hand-selected mother of the long-awaited Messiah.

Everything changed when she understood her destiny.

Mary didn’t know power or popularity, wealth or fame; we don’t even know her last name.

Yet she was favored by God, chosen above all the women throughout time to bring the fullness and greatness of God’s salvation and healing into this world.

It’s the kind of salvation needed by both paupers and presidents, rich and poor, black, white, known and obscure.

And such healing would become the spark of life in the darkness of dead men’s souls, and bridge the great divide between our lost humanity and a loving God.

Yet her journey was not without difficulty as she had to deal with practical facts:

not fully understanding God’s plan, judgmental people speaking lies about her, her own doubts and fears, and trusting God to vindicate and protect her.

Mary’s story was a trial of faith.

Yet she made it through and so can we.

Because like Mary, we are all, in our own God-ordained way, called to bring something indelibly, extraordinary (the Glory of God) straight into the world.

Matthew 5:14-16 Amplified Bible

14 “You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.

But to do so, we must learn from Mary’s experience.

1. Commit to Personal Righteousness

“Personal righteousness” refers to a commitment by believers to live consistent with God’s high calling to carry His light into a lost world.

We must commit to display integrity, purity, honor, respect and holiness. Our lives should be examples for others to emulate – not perfect lives without fault, failure or division, but lives consistent with being on mission for God Himself.

We must hold grace, not as an excuse to sin, but as a motivating force to live honorably before God.

We should neither become judgmental nor a stumbling block unto those who desperately need Christ’s forgiveness.

Personal righteousness is a long drawn out battle that we commit to fight in order to be model examples of God’s love that helps lead people to salvation.

And I believe “personal righteousness” was a significant factor in Mary’s selection to bear the Messiah for mankind:

Luke 1:26-34 Amplified Bible

Jesus’ Birth Foretold

26 Now in the sixth month [of Elizabeth’s pregnancy] the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin [a]betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming to her, the angel said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was greatly perplexed at what he said, and kept carefully considering what kind of greeting this was. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Listen carefully: you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and eminent and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin and have no intimacy with any man?”

These verses imply that Mary, who was divinely chosen for this extraordinary task, was chosen partly because of her commitment to personal righteousness.

In fact, the Word makes it clear that there is a connection between personal righteousness and God’s decision to entrust great responsibilities to people.

This also directly, decisively, implies our inattention to lackluster personal righteousness limits the effectiveness of their individual in their success.

Hebrews 12:1-3 The Message

Discipline in a Long-Distance Race

12 1-3 Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

Anything less than focused commitment to personal righteousness will become a weight that stands in the way of our God-given assignment.

I am convinced if we would fight as vehemently for personal righteousness as we do for social righteousness, or pointing out the sins of the world, we would steadily, but also inevitably, impact the world in much more profound ways!

2. Be Available

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 The Message

26-31 Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of “the brightest and the best” among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That’s why we have the saying, “If you’re going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God.”

Translation – you don’t have to be great to do great things for God!

Mediocrity is just as acceptable, is just as highly valued by God.

What does being a mediocre mean?

The definition of mediocre is “of ordinary quality,” “merely adequate,” and “average.” Another word that shares the same root is mediocracy, which means “government run by mediocre people” — an all-too-common, daily condition.

Definitions of mediocre. adjective. moderate to inferior in quality.

Notice here what Mary says of herself:

Luke 1:46-55 Authorized (King James) Version

46 And Mary said,

My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47 and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden:
for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things;
and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is on them that fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He hath shewed strength with his arm;
he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats,
and exalted them of low degree.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things;
and the rich he hath sent empty away.
54 He hath holpen (helped) his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy;
55 as he spake to our fathers,
to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

“Low estate” means someone who is low in rank, considered vile, or who is humiliated.

It describes a person who is down and out, rejected, despised, overlooked or simply not popular!

Although it can’t be proven, some people believe Mary was the least in her father’s house, as if she were under some particular contempt and disgrace among her family – like the Cinderella of ancient Israel.

Regardless, it is clear that Mary felt there was nothing extraordinary about Mary! Yet, God chose her.

Why?

The Word demonstrates she made herself available to God; to be used by Him to carry out His extraordinary mission.

She was willing to make room, in her life and in her womb, for God to use her.

But I would guess if we took a hard look at our busy schedules, most of us would mirror Martha, sister of Mary and Lazarus rather Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Luke 10:41-42 Amplified Bible

41 But the Lord replied to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered and anxious about so many things; 42 but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part [that which is to her advantage], which will not be taken away from her.”

Translation – your schedule is packed too full to focus on the things that matter most in life.

At times, our lives get so cluttered, so over-burdened that we don’t have time or mental space to be available for God to use in any significant way.

If that resonates with you, it’s time to reorganize and reprioritize some things; we must intentionally make ourselves available so that we are able to carry out anything He asks.

3. Understand the Purpose of Favor

One of the most memorable words of the angel’s announcement was “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you…” (Luke 1:28).

Many times, we misunderstand favor in our society.

God’s favor is not all about blessing, good breaks and open doors in order to increase personal or social status.

Rather the purpose of divine favor is to allow us to accomplish what God needs done in our lives.

– Joseph found favor with Potiphar,

found favor in prison, and found favor with Pharaoh…because his purpose was to serve as Prime Minister over Egypt in a time of great famine.

– Young David found favor in the eyes of the prophet Samuel, and God touched David’s sling shot with favor to defeat the giant Goliath in battle…because his purpose was to serve as King of Israel.

– Daniel found favor in the courts of the wicked King Nebuchadnezzar…because his purpose was to serve as the prophet of the LORD to the nations.

– Esther found favor in the eyes of the King of Persia…because her purpose was to serve as an intercessor to save her people from destruction.

Favor is not as much for our person, as it is for our purpose. 

Even so, when we commit ourselves to God, that favor does positively affect our lives in many forms.

4. Be Willing to Risk Everything

Think of what Mary risked to bring the salvation of God into the world.

Imagine dinner conversation with her parents. Or the angry, hushed argument raging between her parents and Joseph’s parents. Imagine what it felt like to walk to the marketplace, sit in synagogue or look into Joseph’s wounded eyes.

For Mary to fulfill her God-given assignment, she had to release control, risk it all: her reputation, family and friends, her financial security – even her life.

In the culture of that day, she could have been stoned to death for adultery while betrothed to Joseph.

Whatever God entrusts you to bring into the world, regardless of influence, be aware there will be a hefty personal cost.

Jesus did not try to hide this aspect of being His disciple.

Matthew 16:24-27 Amplified Bible

Discipleship Is Costly

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]. 25 For whoever wishes to save his life [in this world] will [eventually] lose it [through death], but whoever loses his life [in this world] for My sake will find it [that is, life with Me for all eternity]. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world [wealth, fame, success], but forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory and majesty of His Father with His angels, and then He will repay each one in accordance with what he has done.

How was Mary able to accept the high price and high calling of bringing and too, raising the Son of God into the world?

Luke 1:38 Amplified Bible

38 Then Mary said, “[a]Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel left her.

One of the greatest challenges for many of us, especially in Western society, is seeing ourselves as God’s servants.

We forget as believers, we have willingly given our lives over to Christ, and we are no longer our own; rather, we have been bought with an irreplaceable price.

The Christ who created us and redeemed us from death now has the right to direct our lives and our actions in it, regardless of perceived risk to our plans, social standing or financial well-being.

From God’s perspective every person who impacts the world in a significant way for God understands this truth.

For example, you’ll observe Paul in his epistles constantly reaffirms his continuous submission to Christ.

Romans 1:1-4 Amplified Bible

The Gospel Exalted

1 Paul, a [a]bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative), set apart for [preaching] the [b]gospel of God [the good news of salvation], 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the sacred Scriptures— 3 [the good news] regarding His Son, who, as to the flesh [His human nature], was born a descendant of David [to fulfill the covenant promises], 4 and [as to His divine nature] according to the Spirit of holiness was openly designated to be the Son of God with power [in a triumphant and miraculous way] by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

A “bondservant” was someone who had been purchased as a slave.

At the time appointed for them to be set free, they elected to stay with their master for life and serve them, because of love.

Ultimately, that’s what it takes to bring divine greatness to the world in an impactful way.

It requires we love Jesus so much that, even though we must reprioritize things in our lives to reflect His character, intentionally make room in our schedules to answer His call at any time, and be courageous enough to step out in faith well beyond our comfort zones.

We devote our lives and everything we do to serving Him as our master.

It may seem impossible now, but nothing is impossible with God!

He is greater than our human limitations, and He can, moment by moment summon us, prepare and position us for every good thing He has planned. 

Psalm 62:5-8 New Living Translation

5 Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
    for my hope is in him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress where I will not be shaken.
7 My victory and honor come from God alone.
    He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
8 O my people, trust in him at all times.
    Pour out your heart to him,
    for God is our refuge. 

The disarming song of Psalm 62 gives us a beautiful invitation: “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”

In a mys­terious way, being vulnerable and pouring out our hearts opens us up to receive the rock-solid foundation that God’s loving character provides us.

We may not be able to control what happens in our lives, but we always have the invitation to rely fully on God.

No matter what, even if we feel as if we could be toppled, we will not be shaken.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Praying …….

Psalm 46 The Message

46 1-3 God is a safe place to hide,
    ready to help when we need him.
We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,
    courageous in seastorm and earthquake,
Before the rush and roar of oceans,
    the tremors that shift mountains.

    Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

4-6 River fountains splash joy, cooling God’s city,
    this sacred haunt of the Most High.
God lives here, the streets are safe,
    God at your service from crack of dawn.
Godless nations rant and rave, kings and kingdoms threaten,
    but Earth does anything he says.

7     Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

8-10 Attention, all! See the marvels of God!
    He plants flowers and trees all over the earth,
Bans war from pole to pole,
    breaks all the weapons across his knee.
“Step out of the traffic! Take a long,
    loving look at me, your High God,
    above politics, above everything.”

11     Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

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, amen.

https://translate.google.com/

In Time’s Like This, Can Anyone Still Find the Place, Time, to Practice Self-Compassion When Facing Setbacks? Psalm 103:8

Psalm 103 Complete Jewish Bible

103 (0) By David:

(1) Bless Adonai, my soul!
Everything in me, bless his holy name!
2 Bless Adonai, my soul,
and forget none of his benefits!

3 He forgives all your offenses,
he heals all your diseases,
4 he redeems your life from the pit,
he surrounds you with grace and compassion,
5 he contents you with good as long as you live,
so that your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.

6 Adonai brings vindication and justice
to all who are oppressed.
7 He made his ways known to Moshe,
his mighty deeds to the people of Isra’el.
8 Adonai is merciful and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in grace.
9 He will not always accuse,
he will not keep his anger forever.
10 He has not treated us as our sins deserve
or paid us back for our offenses,
11 because his mercy toward those who fear him
is as far above earth as heaven.
12 He has removed our sins from us
as far as the east is from the west.

13 Just as a father has compassion on his children,
Adonai has compassion on those who fear him.
14 For he understands how we are made,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 Yes, a human being’s days are like grass,
he sprouts like a flower in the countryside —
16 but when the wind sweeps over, it’s gone;
and its place knows it no more.
17 But the mercy of Adonai on those who fear him
is from eternity past to eternity future,
and his righteousness extends
to his children’s children,
18 provided they keep his covenant
and remember to follow his precepts.

19 Adonai has established his throne in heaven;
his kingly power rules everything.
20 Bless Adonai, you angels of his,
you mighty warriors who obey his word,
who carry out his orders!
21 Bless Adonai, all his troops,
who serve him and do what he wants!
22 Bless Adonai, all his works,
in every place where he rules!
Bless Adonai, my soul!

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, amen.

Most of us are always trying to improve something in our lives: leveling-up our skills at work, education, managing our money better, enhancing relationships with loved ones, and even going to a gym dropping pounds as a new year’s goal.

But in our relentless pursuit of self-improvement, it’s so also too easy to fall into the trap of self-criticism. We push ourselves harder and harder, set higher expectations, our inner voice becomes our harshest judge. Then when we have stumble, we respond with mounting frustration, self-doubt, or even shame.

But what if I told you there’s a better way?

A way that feels lighter, more sustainable, and more empowering—one that fosters growth not through force but through grace?

A way that also will be far more effective in actually achieving those self-improvement goals.

That better way is self-compassion.

Why self-criticism holds us back

Many of us mistakenly believe that being hard on ourselves will motivate us to do better. After all, if we hold ourselves to impossibly high standards, we’ll be forced to rise to the occasion, right?

Unfortunately, and in reality, self-criticism often has just the opposite effect.

Instead of propelling us forward, it drags us down. It erodes our confidence, feeds negative narratives, and traps us in cycles of stress and resistance.

When we constantly criticize ourselves, we create an environment where fear of failure takes center stage.

We focus on the wrong thing! Therefore, growth becomes a stressful process driven by the avoidance of mistakes rather than the pursuit of progress.

This mindset robs us of joy, creativity, and the ability to see opportunities for what they are: lessons, not setbacks.

So, what is self-compassion, anyways?!

Self-compassion is the practice of extending kindness, understanding, and patience to ourselves—especially when we fall short of our own expectations.

I like to think of it as treating ourselves exactly the way we would treat your best friend!

For instance, imagine your best friend coming to you, heartbroken over a mistake or failure.

Would you berate them?

Call them a failure?

Tell them that they’ll never be able to get it right?

Of course not!

You would comfort them, encourage them, and remind them that they are still worthy and capable of growth.

Essentially, you would believe in them and help them to do the same.

So why don’t we do the same for ourselves?

Psalm 13 Complete Jewish Bible

13 (0) For the leader. A psalm of David:

2 (1) How long, Adonai?
Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
3 (2) How long must I keep asking myself what to do,
with sorrow in my heart every day?
How long must my enemy dominate me?

4 (3) Look, and answer me, Adonai my God!
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death.
5 (4) Then my enemy would say, “I was able to beat him”;
and my adversaries would rejoice at my downfall.

6 (5) But I trust in your grace,
my heart rejoices as you bring me to safety.
(6) I will sing to Adonai, because he gives me
even more than I need.

“But IF I trust in your grace …”

What is TRUST anyway …?

“WILL my heart rejoice as God brings me to safety?”

What is rejoicing anyway …?

What does being brought to safety …?

Will I be “safe” while I am “being brought to safety? …

Psalm 107:23-30 Complete Jewish Bible

23 Those who go down to the sea in ships,
plying their trade on the great ocean,
24 saw the works of Adonai,
his wonders in the deep.

25 For at his word the storm-wind arose,
lifting up towering waves.
26 The sailors were raised up to the sky,
then plunged into the depths.
At the danger, their courage failed them,
27 they reeled and staggered like drunk men,
and all their skill was swallowed up.

28 In their trouble they cried to Adonai,
and he rescued them from their distress.
29 He silenced the storm and stilled its waves,
30 and they rejoiced as the sea grew calm.
Then he brought them safely
to their desired port.

Will I be “safer” when I reach my final, ultimate “safest” haven? …

Can you relate?

Have you ever experienced a setback, which may have been an innocent occurrence, to speak judgment upon your life?

Have you ever felt the crush of discouragement or self-recrimination because of a struggle or obstacle you face?

I don’t know about you, but I can judge myself negatively when such times occur.

I tell myself that if I were a better Christian, pastor, or prayer warrior, none of this would happen to me.

If God helps those who help themselves, but I am in a place where I need help, well, then God’s not with me, right?

And with these thoughts speaking all too loudly, I render swift harsh judgment upon myself. I vigorously condemn myself far worse than God ever does.

Do you believe setbacks in your life testify to a lack of God’s love?

Do you see struggles or frustrations as testimonies to faithlessness – signs that maybe God isn’t as close as you think?

If you have ever judged yourself negatively because of a setback in your life, then let these words wash over you: “The Lord is compassionate and gracious.”

These words describe the Lord’s fundamental character and elucidate the deepest level of God’s identity.

God does not change like shifting shadows; God is not one thing in one moment and another thing in the next. Our God is eternally compassionate and gracious, abounding in love; these attributes are stalwart, trustworthy, and dependable.

The word “compassion” means “to suffer with”; it means to enter the life of another lovingly. In compassion, there is no judgment or retribution.

This means we can be confident in the Lord’s care over us because the Lord of compassion is not the Lord who will hurl lightning bolts of misfortune at us or deem us unlovable for our struggles. The compassionate love of God embraces us, even when we stumble. We all receive grace upon grace in the hands of Jesus.

Jesus, as the incarnation of God, comes to us, not to yell or scream, but to be compassionate, to love us in our weaknesses, to embrace us in all our humanity.

Jesus joins us in our lives, and the cross testifies to his compassion because it is the eternal sign he suffers with and for us.

And so, we can be confident, amid setbacks, that we are not alone.

And so, if Jesus shows compassion for us amid our setbacks and struggles, shouldn’t we be compassionate to ourselves?

What might it look like to refuse setbacks to speak the final word?

Instead of looking at our stumbles or failings, can we set our sights on our desire to journey closer to Jesus?

Faith rarely exists in palaces of ease and problem-free times.

We all face discouragements, But our faith grows when we dare to hold onto the love of Jesus during those moments.

Like Peter sinking in the sea, Jesus doesn’t turn away leave us treading water – he reaches out to us. And if he reaches out to us, we can sigh with ease, knowing that Christ’s loving compassion has the final word, is indeed, the final Word.

Let’s Pray:

Gracious and compassionate Lord, how blessed is your love over my life?

How all-encompassing it is. How transformative! I thank you for your love for me, which frees me from the need to work my way to you. I thank you, and your grace testifies that your presence in my life is a gift to be embraced, not an award that I need to earn. Lord Jesus Christ, when tempted to be self-critical for my failings and setbacks, help me live in light of your incarnation.

Help me remember that as you entered the fullness of human life, so too do you embrace the fullness of my humanity. You are one who sympathizes with all my weaknesses and is available to me in all my struggles. Lord, allow me to extend compassion on myself – a compassion permanently rooted in your loving care.

Please help me to turn away from the voice of self-doubt, self-recrimination, and self-condemnation. And when these voices rise within me, may your words of compassionate grace speak more loudly, truthfully, authentically, into my divided heart. I turn to you and I choose to live as your beloved child. Amen.

Psalm 8 Complete Jewish Bible

8 (0) For the leader. On the gittit. A psalm of David:

2 (1) Adonai! Our Lord! How glorious
is your name throughout the earth!
The fame of your majesty
spreads even above the heavens!

3 (2) From the mouths of babies and infants at the breast
you established strength because of your foes,
in order that you might silence
the enemy and the avenger.

4 (3) When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and stars that you set in place —
5 (4) what are mere mortals, that you concern yourself with them;
humans, that you watch over them with such care?

6 (5) You made him but little lower than the angels,
you crowned him with glory and honor,
7 (6) you had him rule what your hands made,
you put everything under his feet —
8 (7) sheep and oxen, all of them,
also the animals in the wilds,
9 (8) the birds in the air, the fish in the sea,
whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

10 (9) Adonai! Our Lord! How glorious
is your name throughout the earth!

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, amen.

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A Temple With Surest Foundations: God hasn’t moved, hidden Himself from us into the mountains; His holy address has never changed. Psalm 11

Psalm 11 New Living Translation

Psalm 11

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1 I trust in the Lord for protection.
So why do you say to me,
    “Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!
2 The wicked are stringing their bows
    and fitting their arrows on the bowstrings.
They shoot from the shadows
    at those whose hearts are right.
3 The foundations of law and order have collapsed.
    What can the righteous do?”

4 But the Lord is in his holy Temple;
    the Lord still rules from heaven.
He watches everyone closely,
    examining every person on earth.
5 The Lord examines both the righteous and the wicked.
    He hates those who love violence.
6 He will rain down blazing coals and burning sulfur on the wicked,
    punishing them with scorching winds.
7 For the righteous Lord loves justice.
    The virtuous will see his face.

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, amen.

It’s possible for all of us to read certain passages or verses of Scripture many times yet miss goldmines of truth. Sometimes we pass by and or skim over because we think we’re overly familiar with what we’ve read, and other times it’s because we don’t take the time to meditate and savor the wealth before us.

So let’s take this glorious opportunity God has just gifted to us to dwell on the truth that “the LORD is in his holy temple.” This simple truth offers both comfort and chastening. Its reality is 100% affirmed in many places in the Old Testament (for example Habakkuk 2:20; Psalm 18:6; Micah 1:2), but David provides some additional angles from which to consider it here in Psalm 11.

The first is that “the LORD’s throne is in heaven,” absolutely making Him the exalted Lord. He reigns not as a mortal with limited perspective and control but as the all-powerful, immortal, all-knowing God, Creator of heaven and earth.

He always and forever outlasts all rulers, all nations are as nothing before Him.

Second, God is the observing Lord: “His eyes see.”

From the exalted position of His heavenly throne, nothing is hidden from God’s sight. No good thing done in His name goes unobserved, and no impure motive or thought is secret to Him. (Psalm 139)

What a comfort to know every day of our lives, going back to when we were merely “unformed substance,” is visible to God (Psalm 139:15-16)!

And what a sobering reality to realize every word, thought, and deed is laid bare before Him!

Third, God is the examining Lord: “The LORD tests the righteous.”

His tests are not always or often easy, but they are always precisely what we need. None of us will ever reach heaven without tests and trials along the way.

This may be our all time most unpleasant reality to consider, but it should be most precious to us, for it means we will not panic when God, in His sometimes inscrutable wisdom, narrowly routes a path thru a valley shadowed by death.

God’s tests are never sent without a glorious purpose; they are always for the sake of preparing us for the day when we too shall see Him in His holy temple.

Keep the truth of this verse in mind the next time you feel as though “the foundations are destroyed” (Psalm 11:3).

The instability we sometimes feel is meant to remind us that worldly stability is only an illusion and that true security is found in God alone. He alone is exalted, He alone sees all, and He alone directs our lives and tests us for our good.

When our foundations tremble, crumble, we can remember that this world is not our home and that our sovereign God is leading us to one day inhabit a city with foundations that will not shake (Hebrews 11:10; 12:28). You can know that He is in His holy temple—and He has promised to bring you to that very place.

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

Praying …

Psalm 46 Authorized (King James) Version

Psalm 46

To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth.

1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed,
and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,
though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God,
the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved:
God shall help her, and that right early.
6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved:
he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
what desolations he hath made in the earth.
9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth;
he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder;
he burneth the chariot in the fire.

10 Be still, and know that I am God:
I will be exalted among the heathen,
I will be exalted in the earth.
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

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, amen.

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Feeling far Short on Strength and Sufficiency. Nothing but Vapors in our Mind, our Soul and our Spirit. Exodus 15:1-8

Exodus 15:1-8 Complete Jewish Bible

15 Then Moshe and the people of Isra’el sang this song to Adonai:

“I will sing to Adonai, for he is highly exalted:
the horse and its rider he threw in the sea.

2 Yah is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.
This is my God: I will glorify him;
my father’s God: I will exalt him.
3 Adonai is a warrior;
Adonai is his name.

4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his army
he hurled into the sea.
His elite commanders
were drowned in the Sea of Suf.
5 The deep waters covered them;
they sank to the depths like a stone.

6 Your right hand, Adonai, is sublimely powerful;
your right hand, Adonai, shatters the foe.
7 By your great majesty you bring down your enemies;
you send out your wrath to consume them like stubble.

8 With a blast from your nostrils the waters piled up —
the waters stood up like a wall,
the depths of the sea became firm ground.

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, amen.

Exodus 15, often called the Song of Moses, teaches us to praise God for His mighty deliverance and power, as well as the importance of trusting Him even in the midst of life’s challenges, celebrating God’s protection and provision

Exodus 15:2 encapsulates the essence of a profound spiritual declaration, one that has guided and uplifted countless souls across millennia.

It is an ancient verse that serves as a reminder of God’s enduring presence in our lives, offering strength, joy, and salvation.

What is the message of Exodus 15-2?

It is an encouraging statement of how we can rely on God’s strength, which is so much greater than our own. It is an eternal reminder that God is our mighty salvation from ALL our problems… big and small. But looking closely, this verse is framed with the rightful context for our lives that can be easy to forget.

What does “song” mean in Exodus 15-2?

The song of Moses that we have in Exodus 15 is characterized by praise and celebration for God’s delivery of His people from the army of Pharaoh which God caused to be swallowed up in the Red Sea.

What are two key lessons from Exodus?

Exodus shows how God kept Pharaoh from continuing to oppress the Israelites and from destroying them.

The book also shows how God moved the people of Israel into the wilderness to begin the ages long process of developing them into the nation he wanted them to become. This is a good reminder that after deliverance comes development.

Here’s a deeper look at the lessons Exodus 15 imparts:

  • Praise and Worship: The chapter is a powerful song of praise, highlighting God’s triumph and victory. The Israelites, after being rescued from the Red Sea, express their joy and gratitude for God’s intervention. 
  • God’s Power and Glory: Exodus 15 portrays God as a mighty warrior, demonstrating His ability to overcome enemies and provide salvation. The song emphasizes God’s holiness, awfulness, and miraculous power. 
  • Trust in God: The Israelites’ experience in the Red Sea serves as a reminder of God’s faithfulness and the importance of trusting in Him, even when faced with difficult situations. 
  • God as a Savior: The song reminds us that God is our strength, song, and salvation, offering comfort and guidance in times of trouble. 
  • God’s Covenant Love: The song highlights God’s love and commitment to his people, a promise of protection and guidance as they journey towards their destiny. 
  • Lessons for Today: Exodus 15 encourages us to continually, constantly sing praises to God, trust in His strength, and find solace in His presence, reminding all of us to approach life’s challenges with a heart full of gratitude and faith. 

How can I apply the many profound lessons from Exodus into my life today?

Some, but immeasurably far from all, inspiring, profound lessons from Exodus.

  • Freedom is a divine right: The story of Exodus is about the Israelites’ escape from slavery in Egypt. 
  • God can use broken people: God can use people who have done bad things. 
  • God cares about justice and mercy: God provides rules and structure so we can succeed as His people. 
  • God’s mighty acts show He is the one true God: God’s mighty acts show He is the Lord of all Creation. 

How to apply Exodus to our 21st century Christian life; 

  • Be willing to experience the Exodus in your own life.
  • Let God take you from captivity to freedom.
  • Hold onto your faith and have courage as you wait on deliverance.
  • Celebrate as you wait, knowing that your deliverance will lead you to a greater place, role, or position.
  • Trust in God through it all.
  • Remain as a foreigner because He’s with you.
  • His promises are true.
  • His mercies are new every morning
  • Great is His Faithfulness.

Here’s an even deeper dive into the devotional message of Exodus 15:2:

  • God as Strength and Song: The verse declares God as the source of strength and joy (“my strength and my song”). In times of difficulty, we can find solace and power in knowing God is our source of strength. 
  • Salvation: The Israelites, having just experienced a miraculous deliverance from Pharaoh, understand God as their savior. This verse reminds us of God’s transformative presence in our lives, emphasizing that we are saved by Him. 
  • Personal Testimonial: This isn’t just a general statement, but a personal declaration: “This is my God, and I will praise Him”. It’s an affirmation of faith and a recognition of God’s personal involvement in our lives. 
  • Praise and Exaltation: The verse encourages praise and exaltation of God, recognizing Him as the God of our fathers and forefathers. This demonstrates the legacy of faith and the importance of honoring God. 
  • Trust in God’s Power: The Israelites had seen God’s power displayed in the Red Sea miracle, and they understood God as their strength and their defense. We should remember that God is our strength and our defense in every part of our lives, even in difficult times. 
  • God is our Refuge: Exodus 15:2 reminds us to remember that God is our refuge in times of trouble, just as He was for the Israelites. We can trust that God will guide us through every storm and difficulty, and that his love and grace are always with us. 
  • Apply it to our lives: This verse is a covenant call to action, urging us to declare God is our God and to proclaim His name, recognizing Him as our only refuge and our only sure deliverer, and to place our trust in His power and guidance. 

The power of God is always accessible to us, and it is always sufficient for all his purposes for our life—including every single detail.

Every single thing you’re working on and towards for his glory right now.

And when we finally know this, when we truly understand that the Lord will strengthen us sufficiently to help us climb the mountain of life and trudge through each bump and valley—we find great gratitude for this gift.

And as we continue to recognize and praise him for the life-giving gift of strength he keeps pouring out, we begin to swell with increased touches of joy.

A joy of the Lord radiating in us and around us, additional stores of his strength.

Keeping us truly sturdy, steadily moving forward, with him right by our side.  

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

Praying …

Psalm 46

To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth.

1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed,
and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,
though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God,
the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved:
God shall help her, and that right early.
6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved:
he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
what desolations he hath made in the earth.
9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth;
he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder;
he burneth the chariot in the fire.

10 Be still, and know that I am God:
I will be exalted among the heathen,
I will be exalted in the earth.
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

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, amen.

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I have already taken refuge straight to the arms of God. Why would I run away when you shout, run into hills, hide in caves, hike to the mountains? Psalm 11

Psalm 11 Complete Jewish Bible

11 (0) For the leader. By David:

(1) In Adonai I find refuge.
So how can you say to me,
“Flee like a bird to the mountains!
2 See how the wicked are drawing their bows
and setting their arrows on the string,
to shoot from the shadows at honest men.
3 If the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”

4 Adonai is in his holy temple.
Adonai, his throne is in heaven.
His eyes see and test humankind.
5 Adonai tests the righteous;
but he hates the wicked and the lover of violence.
6 He will rain hot coals down on the wicked,
fire, sulfur and scorching wind
will be what they get to drink.
7 For Adonai is righteous;
he loves righteousness;
the upright will see his face.

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, amen.

We live in a day and age when the foundations of our biblical faith and the fabric of godly living are being systematically attacked by every quarter of society and dismantled in all areas of life. The unalterable truth of God’s Scriptures is now too easily discarded, modified by liberal ‘Christians’ and evolving atheists alike.

Governments in general, and our society at large, are systematically smashing down all the cornerstones, all the strongest foundations of truth and the time-honored institutions of God.

They are being replaced with rational relativism, a hatred of all that is good, a distortion of all that is true, a celebration of all that is evil, a contempt for our Heavenly Father, a rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ, a dismissing of the Holy Spirit, a disdain for salvation, and an insatiable desire to relegate the glorious gospel of grace into the furthest anonymity and annals of a forgotten history.

Often, good men despair as the floodgates of apostasy sweeps through the Church worldwide and the destruction of all godly foundations and biblical truths are being successfully dismantled and systematically destroyed by a God-hating, Christ-rejecting, Holy Spirit dismissive, lustful sinful world.

Often, the desperate, despairing, defeated cry of the righteous is: “If the strongest, truest foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

However, that is to take this verse out of context and to superimpose our own flawed, unscriptural, human viewpoint and fallen imagination over the eternal truth of God’s Word.

The message of this Psalm is confidence in God and an unshakable faith in the eternal plans and purposes that He Himself ordered in the council chambers of heaven before the world began, and the Word of God is settled in heaven.

We are not to: “Flee as a bird into the mountain,” but to place of refuge, trust in God. We are not to fly in to despair when the wicked flourish, secretly fire their satanically inspired arrows of destruction at the heart and minds of the upright.

We are not to tremble at what man can to do, for our hope is in the Lord Who made heaven and earth and Who has already determined that the wicked will receive their just portion at the hand of a just God, and a righteous Judge.

The Lord is in His holy temple and He tests each one of us in the furnace of affliction so that when we have been tried we will come forth as pure gold.

David reminds us that the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness, and He watches over the upright in heart.

And in His grace, He uses all things together for our eternal good and for His greater glory, even the disruptive terrible things happening in the world today.

We must never forget the Lord hates wicked and prideful men who celebrate evil through satanic violence and gross ungodliness, and the day is coming when they too will all stand before His Great White Throne of judgement and each will receive “the just fruits of their labors” according to their work.

The Lord alone knows how to deliver the righteous from trials, but He also, exclusively reserves the day of judgement for all the wicked to be punished.

No matter what circumstance we face in life, our hope is in God and our trust is in His unshakable Word of truth.

When our hearts start running straight to fear of what is coming on the world or we continually shout out in despair: “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Let us bring back to mind the unchangeable Word of God and the many faithful precious promises that are ‘yes’ and ‘amen’ in Christ.

Let us stand fast on the eternal truth of the glorious gospel of grace in these increasingly evil days, and let us remember that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

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

Pray,

Psalm 46 Authorized (King James) Version

Psalm 46

To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth.

1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed,
and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,
though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God,
the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved:
God shall help her, and that right early.
6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved:
he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
what desolations he hath made in the earth.
9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth;
he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder;
he burneth the chariot in the fire.

10 Be still, and know that I am God:
I will be exalted among the heathen,
I will be exalted in the earth.
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

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, amen.

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What Authentic Difference Could It Make for us to Pray Without Ceasing for Peace in our World? John 16:33

John 16:25-33 New King James Version

Jesus Christ Has Overcome the World

25 “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; 27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. 28 I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.”

29 His disciples said to Him, “See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! 30 Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.”

31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32 Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his [a]own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you [b]will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

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, amen.

For close to two thousand years now, Christians everywhere celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Some of us sang the words, “I serve a risen Savior, he’s in the world today.” And our hearts and souls resonated with every word.

We’re back to school or work or at home facing the pressures of everyday life.

The joyous celebration of Christmas getting closer every moment of everyday.

But the risen Savior may not seem nearly as close today, and little may seem to have changed over the course of time and history.

We’re still faced with that lingering disease called sin, that broken relationship, between humanity and our Savior, those cultural and societal, governmental issues, those impossible financial problems, or those hardships that come with growing older but not so much proportionately smarter or wiser or peaceable.

We hear about poverty and persecution, about war and conflict in so many countries, and we might ask,

“Has the Resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ really made .01% a difference? Has all the prayers prayed since that glorious moment, has anything changed in the past 2,000 years since Jesus’ resurrection? Are things any better, are things that much the worst for the passage of time in the 21st century than they were in the first century?”

Though nations, technology, social institutions have changed a lot since then, our human condition is much the same. God’s image-bearers are still addicted to sin, still refuse to acknowledge the seriousness of sin, refuse to honor God.

In our text from John’s narrative, Jesus sternly warned all of his followers,

“In this world you will have trouble.”

But because he has overcome the world, we can have new life in him and peace in Him in spite of the enormity of our struggles. We can with much effort strive to enact God’s restoration in our daily lives. We can pray, share his love with others and look forward together to the day when the risen Savior will return!

What Difference Does It Make to Pray for Peace in Our World?

Praying for peace seems an impossible task, or even a waste of time.

When we look at the current unrest in our world — the wars in Ukraine, the Middle East, and Sudan, to name just three — we know that if or even when conflict comes to an end in these regions, peace can be precarious, tentative.

If war doesn’t return to these areas, it will flare up elsewhere in our world.

Even down to the level of our homes, we know that peace is elusive. Quarrels, silent treatment, or someone walking out can occur at any time. As much as we try to mediate the peace — or work to make those times we get together with our families peaceful — it is often an ongoing battle to live without tension.

In any case, didn’t Jesus sternly warn us in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble”? Didn’t Jesus say that “wars and rumors of wars” were a sign of end times and his return (Matthew 24:6-8)?

And yet, the Bible doesn’t leave us with this sense of unrest.

It does the opposite.

The biblical view is to seek peace.

The biblical exhortation is to

1 Thessalonians 5:14-18 New King James Version

14 Now we [a]exhort you, brethren, warn those who are [b]unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. 15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

As I heard someone say recently, “Chase after peace, pursue it, handcuff it.”

First, to understand what we are praying for, we need to grasp the meaning of peace more fully. We need to know what the word “peace” means in the Bible.

The word for peace, shalom in Hebrew in the Old Testament, is more than an absence of conflict.

Shalom’s meaning is much broader and more comprehensive.

It more correctly means wholeness, soundness, health, security, well-being, and salvation. It can also mean quietness, rest, stillness and completion.

Here are three reasons we should pray for peace and the difference it can make.

Peace Is a Blessing from God for His People

Peace, in all the forms mentioned above, is not created by human beings but comes from God himself.

Just like love, grace, and mercy are characteristics of God, so is peace; and wholeness, well-being, and completion are each a part of God’s nature.

God is the creator of peace.

And as one commentator says, “peace is the ideal of creation.”

God says this of himself in Isaiah 45:7:

“I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.”

The word for “well-being” in this verse is  shalom.

God’s government and authority is one of peace. 

Job 25:2 “Dominion and fear are with God; he makes peace in his high heaven.”

When we pray “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as in heaven,” we are praying for God’s peace that rules in heaven to come to earth. God’s kingdom is one of wholeness, soundness, health, security, well-being, rest and salvation.

The Creator God of peace, whose reign in his kingdom is harmonious and 100% complete, also blesses His people with peace.

Psalm 29:10-11 says: “…The Lord reigns as king forever. The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace.”

And Psalm 85:8 says: “…he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants.”

We get a sense from these Psalms that God’s blessing and promise of peace — soundness, wholeness, rest even — is for His people, corporately.

And because of that, we are summoned to pray corporately for God’s peace.

We pray for the plan of the Creator to fill the earth, as the heavens, with His peace. We pray for God to restore our world to His intended plan for creation.

We should pray within our churches and with other believers for the blessing of God’s peace to come to earth from heaven. Just as the Lord’s prayer begins: Our Father… we ask for His blessing of peace on us, all as his people.

God’s Kingdom of peace is the needed difference to our world.

Let’s use this prayer together.

Our Father in heaven, may your Kingdom of peace, salvation, wholeness, and completion rule on earth as it does in heaven. We ask you to pour out your gift and blessing of peace on us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Peace Is a Gift That Individuals Have with God through Jesus

The New Testament word for peace is irene. This word means rest, but it also incorporates all the meanings of shalom mentioned above, too.

With the announcement of the birth of Jesus, the angels praised God:

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14).

The peace of heaven came to earth through the birth of Jesus, Prince of Peace.

The prophet Isaiah spoke of one who would come, one who was hoped for.

We know this as Jesus.

Just as we repeat the words of the angels during our Christmas celebrations, so we recite the words of Isaiah 9:6:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Psalms above indicate, God’s people prayed for God’s peace to come to earth. This Prince of Peace was longed for by God’s people for hundreds of years.

We know that Jesus didn’t bring peace to the land, even if his disciples hoped that Jesus’s rule would be a physical kingdom (Matthew 20:21).

Instead, Savior Jesus gave all he had at Calvary, by his resurrection, gave us individuals peace—rest, well-being, salvation—in their relationship with God.

Jesus understood that his mission was one of peace, too:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).

And Paul developed on Jesus’ mission by explaining that peace came through Jesus’ death for us as sinners. 

Romans 5:1: “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”

Those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus know the peace it has brought to our hearts as we understand, or perhaps realize is beyond our understanding, a sense of well-being, wholeness, rest, and security that we are right before God.

The most important peace we can pray for is for individuals to be reconciled with God through Jesus.

And prayer is the way in which we invite others to place their faith in God, through Jesus, and receive salvation. Prayer brings individual peace with God.

Use this prayer for the people in your life to find peace with God.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your Son, Jesus, the bringer of peace. I bring before you those I know and love who do not know Jesus Christ as their Savior. May they turn to you in faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Peace Is a Gift of the Holy Spirit for Our Relationships with Other People

Galatians 5:22 lists “peace” as a gift of the Holy Spirit:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

God’s peace, part of His nature, is bestowed on us through the Holy Spirit.

As God’s people we receive his blessing of peace, and we are reconciled to God in peace through his Son Jesus. Then we also have God’s peace dwelling within us through his Holy Spirit. We are surrounded, both inside and out, by peace.

There are two things we should know, though, about peace that comes through the gift of the Holy Spirit.

First, the fruit of the Holy Spirit is never exclusive for ourselves, it is for the benefit of other people. Second, peace is not automatic, we must work at it.

Paul, in his letters, valued the quality of peace to such a high degree that he coupled it with God’s grace.

In his letters, he greeted the churches with the words “grace and peace to you.” See 1 Corinthians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, and Colossians 1:2 as examples.

The writer of Hebrews also knew of the importance of setting peace as a goal:

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11). “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy” (Hebrews 12:14).

Peace makes the body of Christ work as it should. It brings “full restoration,” God’s wholeness and completeness. It brings a “harvest of righteousness,” through knowing Christ as our only Lord and Savior, and it leads to holiness.

Immanuel, Living in peace means that God is with us, other people will notice, and God will be glorified. Let’s pray to work at finding peace with each other.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your Holy Spirit and the gift of peace that he brings. Give us the strength and wisdom to strive and work for peace with other people, especially other believers. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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

Let us Pray,

Psalm 46 Authorized (King James) Version

Psalm 46

To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth.

1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed,
and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,
though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God,
the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved:
God shall help her, and that right early.
6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved:
he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
what desolations he hath made in the earth.
9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth;
he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder;
he burneth the chariot in the fire.

10 Be still, and know that I am God:
I will be exalted among the heathen,
I will be exalted in the earth.
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

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, amen.

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Who Actually, Authentically, Believes Living a Life Without Complaining is not only possible, but, 100% doable? Philippians 2:14-16

Philippians 2:14-16 The Message

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.

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, amen.

Thinking about our churches, brimming with nostalgic thoughts, we might imagine the early church to be different from any church we might visit today.

John the Baptist is our Senior Pastor, Imagine Peter as your associate preacher or John in charge of pastoral, congregational care. Imagine Thaddaeus is now in charge of the office, bulletin and Bartholomew coordinating church facilities.

Imagine listening to the stories of Jesus from witnesses who walked with him!

The first church in Jerusalem seemed to have everything going for it. Ministry and mission had reached far and wide. People were being converted. The church was growing. And, as in every church, growth brought problems. Greek widows weren’t being served as well or as not nearly as consistently as Hebrew widows.

When a church has problems, and which one doesn’t have its significant issues, what matters is how people respond to the problems. Some respond by leaving.

Other folks stay and murmur. They gongysmos. This Greek word describes the same kind of murmuring the Israelites did against Moses (see Exodus 16:1-3).

Exodus 16:1-3The Message

16 1-3 On the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left Egypt, the whole company of Israel moved on from Elim to the Wilderness of Sin which is between Elim and Sinai. The whole company of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron there in the wilderness. The Israelites said, “Why didn’t God let us die in comfort in Egypt where we had lamb stew and all the bread we could eat? You’ve brought us out into this wilderness to starve us to death, the whole company of Israel!”

Have you gongysmosed lately?

What does gongysmos mean?

a murmur, murmuring, muttering. a secret debate. a secret displeasure not openly avowed.

Maybe it was something big: “Lately, the preaching seems a bit weak.”

Maybe it was something small: “I hate that decaf we serve at coffeetime.” “I wish they would have more Boston Cream donuts and peanut butter muffins.”

But you may think, “I’m not murmuring, I’m offering a suggestion, I’m being more helpful. I’m highlighting the church problems so everyone can see them.”

Philippians 2:14-16 Amplified Bible

14 Do everything without murmuring or questioning [the providence of God], 15 so that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish in the midst of a [morally] crooked and [spiritually] perverted generation, among whom you are seen as bright lights [beacons shining out clearly] in the world [of darkness], 16 holding out and offering to everyone the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to rejoice greatly because I did not run [my race] in vain nor labor without result.

As humans, we tend default to complain, grumble more often than not.

The other week I was silently complaining because the internet was not running as fast as I needed it to be.

I was trying to find specific Bible verses and hymns and the Internet decided to either freeze up on me or without warning, reset everything so I lost my places.

In a short period of time (a matter of milliseconds), I had instantly managed to become restless and I complained about how “slow” the Internet was moving. 

I paused and then I thought it was quite ironic as to how I was searching Bible verses on patience and peace while I myself was being anything except patient.

This moment of automatic complaining taught me a vital valuable lesson—I do need to slow down, choose not to complain, and be patient. The Bible verses did eventually load, I just had to wait a few extra milliseconds longer than normal. 

Similar to how I complained about the slow internet, many of us complain over frivolous things.

These things do not truly matter when we look at the grand spectrum of things.

Slow Internets, a delay in traffic, or a forgotten assignment is not going to be the end of the world. This is why we must stop constantly fretting over small things and choose to live our lives separated from a heart of complaining.

Complaining does not normally bring about the beautiful life God wants for us.

The life God has in store for us is one of hope, peace, love, and thankfulness.

The exact opposite of complaining is thankfulness.

The Bible repeatedly encourages us to be thankful as it tells us,

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful” (Colossians 3:15).

Jesus Comforts His Disciples

14 “Do not let your heart be troubled (afraid, cowardly). Believe [confidently] in God and trust in Him, [have faith, hold on to it, rely on it, keep going and] believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and I will take you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also. 4 And [to the place]  where I am going, you know the way.” 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “[a]I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. (John 14:1-6 Amplified)

25 “I have told you these things while I am still with you. 26 But the [a]Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you. 27 Peace I leave with you; My  [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]  28  You heard Me tell you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming back to you.’ If you  [really] loved Me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going [back] to the Father, for [b]the Father is greater than I. (John 14:25-28 Amplified)

Rather than complaining, we need to rejoice and be thankful for all we have.

In my case, I need to be still, be quiet, rejoice and be thankful that I have God.

Internet connection, and a computer to work from, Jesus Christ as my Savior.

Pray and pray some more for serenity about those things you can change in order to turn your complaint into praise and a reason to be 1000% thankful.

By praying, by changing our prone-to-complaining hearts into hearts of thankfulness, we will be able to truly serve the Lord and bring Him glory. 

Intersecting Faith & Life:

Paul tells us in Philippians 2:14-15 we must do everything without grumbling or arguing in order for us to be blameless, pure, children of God without fault in this present too tightly wound up, too tightly wrapped and crooked generation.

Within the concept of grumbling and arguing, complaining can also be used as a synonym for grumbling.

Depending on the version you use, it will either say grumbling or complaining.  

In order to shine like stars in this warped and crooked generation, we have to let go of the habit of complaining and arguing.

There is no way for us to shine as stars if we are behaving in the same way as the present generation. In order to shine as glistening stars, we have to stand out from the rest of the world, and this can only be done by living for Jesus.

Living for Jesus means we follow His teachings and commands. Instead of complaining and arguing, we give thanks, rejoice, and be at peace with others.

In our Christian walk, there is no room for complaining or arguing anymore.

We need to repent and turn away from these practices.

From the moment we do this, we can truly shine as beautiful stars in the sky.

In this way, we will be able to help others see the love of Christ. 

“Dear Jesus, I often struggle with complaining. Please help me to stop complaining and to, instead, lift up Your Name in praise and thankfulness. Complaining turns me into somebody I’m not, and I don’t want to live in accordance with this practice anymore. Please enable me to shine like a star in the sky for You amongst this present generation. I want to glorify You in everything I do, and I know this is not possible unless I walk away from complaining. Thank You, Lord and Savior Jesus, for listening to, hearing, giving consideration to, my prayers. Amen.” 

  • Do you currently struggle with complaining? If so, what are some ways you can turn away from complaining today?
  • How can you turn your heart away from complaining and towards thankfulness and joy? 
  • You will shine like a start in the sky once you give up complaining and arguing. How will this help you point others to Jesus?

But the Holy Spirit never nudges us to murmur.

He nudges us to serenity, grace and truth.

And problem solving.

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

Let us Pray,

Psalm 46

For the choir director; a song by the descendants of Korah; according to alamoth.[a]

1 Elohim is our Machseh and strength,
    an ever-present help in times of trouble.
2 That is why we are not afraid
    even when the earth quakes
        or the mountains topple into the depths of the sea.
3             Water roars and foams,
                and mountains shake at the surging waves. Selah

4 There is a river
    whose streams bring joy to the city of Elohim,
        the holy place where Elyon lives.
5 Elohim is in that city.
    It cannot fall.
        Elohim will help it at the break of dawn.
6 Nations are in turmoil, and kingdoms topple.
    The earth melts at the sound of God’s voice.

7 Yahweh Tsebaoth is with us.
    The Elohim of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah

8 Come, see the works of Yahweh,
    the devastation he has brought to the earth.
9         He puts an end to wars all over the earth.
            He breaks an archer’s bow.
            He cuts spears in two.
            He burns chariots.
10 Let go of your concerns!
    Then you will know that I am Elohim.
        I rule the nations.
        I rule the earth.

11 Yahweh Tsebaoth is with us.
    The Elohim of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah

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, amen.

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From Before All Time, The Word of God, True Word of God, All Thanks Be To God. John 1:1-5

John 1:1-5 Amplified Bible

The Deity of Jesus Christ

1 In the beginning [before all time] was the Word ([a]Christ), and the Word was with God, and [b]the Word was God Himself. 2 He was [continually existing] in the beginning [co-eternally] with God. 3 All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him not even one thing was made that has come into being. 4 In Him was life [and the power to bestow life], and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines on in the [c]darkness, and the darkness did not understand it or overpower it or appropriate it or absorb it [and is unreceptive to it].

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, amen.

In John 1 the Greek term for “Word” is logos. John chose this word carefully.

In Greek philosophy the word logos referred to divine reason, or the power that made order out of chaos.

This idea fits well with the scriptural teaching that God—whose word is always faithful and true, and who created all things—has now, once and for all of time, revealed himself in a new way through his Son, the Word of God, who “became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”

God has long been communicating with us—through creation, through the patriarchs, the prophets, the Kings and the Psalmists and the Scriptures.

But with the coming of “the Word”—that is, Jesus—God revealed himself even more – “in the flesh.” Earlier forms of communication were less clear. Since the logos became flesh, however, we can see, hear, listen to and know that we have physically met God. Jesus is the best and the only perfect representation of God.

This contradicts the teachings of other religions that claim they have a better or additional revelation of God. Why would you want or need to hear more about God once you have heard from the Word himself? Jesus showed that God is love and “the light [that] shines in the darkness,” light overwhelming the darkness.

What an absolutely incredible revelation! We need to recognize that the true and complete Word of God has come into the world. That Word is Jesus Christ, “the ONE and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

1 John 1:1-4 Amplified Bible

Introduction, The Incarnate Word

1 [I am writing about] what existed from the beginning, what [a]we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life [the One who existed even before the beginning of the world, Christ]— 2 and the Life [an aspect of His being] was manifested, and we have seen [it as eyewitnesses] and testify and declare to you [the Life], the eternal Life who was [already existing] with the Father and was [actually] made visible to us [His followers]— 3 what we have seen and heard we also proclaim to you, so that you too may have fellowship [as partners] with us. And indeed our fellowship [which is a distinguishing mark of born-again believers] is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things to you so that our joy [in seeing you included] may be made complete [by having you share in the joy of salvation].

A revelation which needs to be fully uncovered from under our baskets of sin.

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

Let us Pray,

Psalm 46 Amplified Bible

God the Refuge of His People.

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah, set to soprano voices. A Song.

46 God is our refuge and strength [mighty and impenetrable],
A very present and well-proved help in trouble.
2 
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains be shaken and slip into the heart of the seas,
3 
Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains tremble at its roaring. Selah.

4 
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
5 
God is in the midst of her [His city], she will not be moved;
God will help her when the morning dawns.
6 
The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered and were moved;
He raised His voice, the earth melted.
7 
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold [our refuge, our high tower]. Selah.

8 
Come, behold the works of the Lord,
Who has brought desolations and wonders on the earth.
9 
He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow into pieces and snaps the spear in two;
He burns the chariots with fire.
10 
“Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold [our refuge, our high tower]. Selah.

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, amen.

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Yes! We CAN ALL Know God! “Cease striving and KNOW that I am God.” Psalm 46

Psalm 46 The Message

46 1-3 God is a safe place to hide,
    ready to help when we need him.
We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,
    courageous in seastorm and earthquake,
Before the rush and roar of oceans,
    the tremors that shift mountains.

    Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

4-6 River fountains splash joy, cooling God’s city,
    this sacred haunt of the Most High.
God lives here, the streets are safe,
    God at your service from crack of dawn.
Godless nations rant and rave, kings and kingdoms threaten,
    but Earth does anything he says.

7     Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

8-10 Attention, all! See the marvels of God!
    He plants flowers and trees all over the earth,
Bans war from pole to pole,
    breaks all the weapons across his knee.
“Step out of the traffic! Take a long,
    loving look at me, your High God,
    above politics, above everything.”

11     Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

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, amen.

One of the greatest privileges as a child of God is that we can have the heart of our heavenly Father.

We don’t have to wonder how he feels about us. We don’t have to wonder if he will guide us. We don’t have to question whether he loves us or cares about us.

Through the Holy Spirit we have continual, free access to the heart of God. 

God longs to be known by you.

He longs for you to make time to simply seek his face and get to know his personality, the nature of his love, and the availability of his presence.

You don’t have to live without a real, revelatory knowledge of God’s heart.

You don’t have to live with the uncertainty of whether you are cared for, provided for, and loved.

In the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God proved his longing to be known by us. Jesus took on flesh not just so he could save and redeem us, but so he could usher in a better, truer revelation of who the Father is.

In John 17:3 Jesus says, 

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” And later in verse 26 Jesus prays to the Father, “I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” 

Jesus came that we might know the love of the Father. He came that we might have communion—continuous unhindered relationship with our Creator.

Through Jesus you’ve been granted eternal, real access to your heavenly Father. And in the Holy Spirit you can search the deep places of God’s heart and grow in restored relationship with him. 

1 Corinthians 2:10-12 says:

For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.

God has made the way for you to know his heart.

You can know him in infinitely deeper and more transformative ways than you can know even your best friend or spouse.

The Holy Spirit, God himself, dwells within you and longs to reveal the “deep things of God” to you.

All that’s left for you to do is have faith in God’s ability to reveal himself when you seek him and set aside time to know the heart of your heavenly Father.

May you make time to do exactly that today as you enter into guided prayer.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on what Scripture says about the knowability of God’s heart. 

Let God’s word fill you with faith to seek deeper relationship with your Father.

“For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.” 1 Corinthians 2:10-12

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3

“I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” John 17:26

2. Ask God to reveal an aspect of his heart that you need to know. 

Ask him how he feels about you in this moment.

Ask him to reveal just how near and loving he is. Rest in his presence.

3. Thank God for how available he is to you. 

Worship him because he’s paid the ultimate price simply for you to know him.

As you pour out thankfulness on him, watch as he pours his presence out over you.

What a tragedy it is to not take full advantage of what Jesus paid so high a price to accomplish. What a waste to live this life as if God isn’t fully with us, fully for us, and fully available to us. He couldn’t make the way to his heart any clearer.

The Holy Spirit dwells within you as close to your heart as he could possibly be.

Knowing God is as simple as acknowledging how close, available he already is. bolde

May your life be changed, inspired, empowered, emboldened by the light of the highest possible knowability of your perfect Shepherd, loving heavenly Father. 

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

Let us Pray,

Psalm 23 New American Standard Bible 1995

The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.

A Psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my shepherd,
I [a]shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside [b]quiet waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He guides me in the [c]paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the [d]valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no [e]evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You [f]have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
6 [g]Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will [h]dwell in the house of the Lord [i]forever.

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, amen.

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Another Reminder About Things That Too Often Seem Too Good To Be True. (Genesis 3:1-6)

Psalm 126
The Message

126 1-3 It seemed like a dream, too good to be true,
when God returned Zion’s exiles.
We laughed, we sang,
we couldn’t believe our good fortune.
We were the talk of the nations—
“God was wonderful to them!”
God was wonderful to us;
we are one happy people.

4-6 And now, God, do it again—
bring rains to our drought-stricken lives
So those who planted their crops in despair
will shout “Yes!” at the harvest,
So those who went off with heavy hearts
will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing.

Genesis 3:1-6 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.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

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

Few people have not been here: Once you received some mail from a popular sweepstakes company claiming you had already won a $$$$ grand prize.

Your mind almost instantly races at all the possibilities that someone is going to knock on your door, put a camera in front of your face and hand you a check for some gargantuan amount of money per week for the rest of your natural life.

Then the excitement which is now locked into your mind is likely to race ahead and tell you, and show you, all that you could and should do with the winnings.

You look at raising Power Ball and Mega Millions Jackpot figures on a billboard or when you are in your favorite super market doing your weekly shopping for your family and you walk over to the customer service area and buy your tickets.

You are undoubtedly thinking – well, there will always be a winner, a someone who will suddenly have their mundane struggling lives changes in one instant.

You have this back and forth conversation with yourself – “someone has to win it, someone will win it, maybe, just this one maybe, this one today, it will be me.”

Never mind that the calculated odds that it will be you is probably hundred of billions to one if not higher.

But not caring one iota about the odds, you throw your money into the world.

What, and how much have you gained?

What and how much have you lost?

What have you just been reminded of?

Who is doing the reminding?

Spouse, Children, Mortgage Company, Lawyers, your Boss, your Enemies?

God, the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit?

The Lord and Master of ALL Lies – The Serpent, Satan, the Devil, Lucifer?

Yourself countlessly repeating – “Does this sound too good to be true? Did it sound to good to be true? Do I care if it is or if it sounds too good to be true?”

“Yield Not to Temptation For Temptation is Sin?”

Well, from the world’s perspective it is too good to be true.

Not that one day you might just win for yourself that Mega Millions Jackpot – in which case I offer you my utmost congratulations on such a windfall of income.

God Bless you as you navigate your new found riches with the tax folks at IRS and every one of those “relations” that’ll suddenly come out of the woodwork.

But, we are humanity with too many faults, fragilities, frailties, and failures to count in countless thousands, millions of lifetimes – we cannot help ourselves.

Things That Seem Good, Even Too Good to Resist.

Genesis 3:6 The Message

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.

As Eve suddenly found herself gazing longingly at the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, it’s fairly easy to understand just why she was drawn to it.

Delightful to the eyes and desirable for wisdom, it was too tempting to resist.

Many of us can relate to Eve’s dilemma as we encounter things that seem good—too good to resist, too good pass up – “just that once – but never ever again.”

But in the end, some of those seemingly irresistible good things lead us away from the intended path God has for us – leads us to run away, hide in shame.

And, the delight of our eyes can leave us with an unsavory mess of unfavorable consequences we are seldom in any mood other than embarrassed to explain.

One practical example would be buying a car.

You set out to replace your old, unreliable car for something newer.

However, the moment you step onto the lot, your budget-friendly goals are met with stars-in-your-eyes options, offer the latest and greatest everything.

Those brand new, shiny vehicles are a delight to the eyes.

And there is a pull for your affections that’s difficult to resist.

Another practical example is buying your first house or your next house or your final retirement house.

Everything about that home is advertised to sell, to maximize its market value so the seller can achieve the very best price possible and can move on with life.

To avoid unforeseen, unnecessary repair costs we do our inspection homework and negotiate with the realtors for the best price for all the parties concerned.

Another practical example is “what about planning for realistic career plans, all the promises of the “worlds best job and company, that next great promotion?”

You want more for your family, you want to be the best provider, mother and the best father, so what are you willing to risk and just how soon do you risk it.

The thing is, there are myriads and myriads of temptations that seem so good, then too soon, will often lose their appeal (and value) once you give in to them.

That so called dream job – how did that pan out, were all of the big promise real or were they so much efforts at entrapment, manipulation, fakery and fraud?

That top-of-the-line vehicle depreciates the second you drive off the lot.

And the hefty monthly payment soon becomes a burden you wish you didn’t have to carry.

The cost of that first repair bill, the cost of the monthly mortgage, the cost of the utilities and the homeowners insurance will soon bring reality to the front.

What always seems so good, too good, at the moment almost always opens your eyes to the undesirable consequences that reality will always soon bring with it.

I wonder how many times Eve thought about that fateful moment in the garden.

Did she and Adam lay awake at night, talking about how different things could have been—should have been? 

Genesis 3:6 describes the battle of the flesh—the tendency to follow our own desires.

Yet, there was another element to Eve’s dilemma that happened right before she considered the forbidden fruit.

How easily the enemy slithered in without warning and disrupted her thoughts.

As she went about her day, without a single care in the world, the serpent swept in with a single question, slithered right by her side, opened the conversation.

The life of contentment Eve had was suddenly disrupted by a hint of doubt.

And it’s no different for us.

We smilingly go about our lives doing just fine until one thought, one question, one suggestion, one crisis, suddenly offers us something too good to pass up.

Eve’s story can be an effective “how to avoid trouble” guide for us; an example of how NOT to listen to the whisper of the enemy – if we recognize the enemy.

Even when something seems so good, we can (and should) stop, take a moment to pray and ask for God’s wisdom, and Jesus’ invaluable lessons on living life.

His Holy Spirit will then either confirm that it is good, or He will open our eyes to the truth of the situation – if we’ll automatically acknowledge and trust God.

Imagine if Eve had recognized Satan’s question as a diversion from the truth.

If she would have first instinctively stepped away from the situation and called out for God’s help, talked with God, imagine what a different world it would be!

The next time something seems too good to resist, allow yourself some time, space to ask for God’s direction – one good course of action you won’t regret.

The Enticement of Evil

Genesis 3:1The 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?”

Let us move on to consider the strategy that the Tempter employs.

This is most instructive because it is exactly the strategy he employs when he appears as an angel of light to us—not that we shall see visions of shining beings—but the charismatic and charming personality that he exemplifies, the character in which he appears, is the same now as then – he is an angel of light.

Scripture makes clear that the devil can also appear as a roaring lion, meaning he can strike in tragedy, in sickness, or in physical evil, as he struck Job or Paul, with his thorn in the flesh, which Apostle Paul called the messenger of Satan.

When he appears as a lion, he can instantaneously strike fear into our hearts.

But his most effective strategy is to appear as subtle, someone good, someone attractive, something or someone who highly appeals to us as an angel of light.

If you learn how to recognize the strategy of the devil, you will find that he invariably employs the same tactics.

There is a sense in which he is very limited, and doesn’t vary his tactics widely.

Sometimes we feel too easily disarmed, too easily feel as if we shall never learn how to anticipate the devil.

But we can learn.

Paul said that he was not ignorant of the devil’s devices (2 Corinthians 2:11).

If we learn how he works, we can easily learn to detect him in our lives.

James has described this strategy very plainly in one or two verses.

He says, … each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.

Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death (James 1:13-15 The Message).

13-15 Don’t let anyone under pressure to give in to evil say, “God is trying to trip me up.” God is impervious to evil, and puts evil in no one’s way. The temptation to give in to evil comes from us and only us. We have no one to blame but the leering, seducing flare-up of our own lust. Lust gets pregnant, and has a baby: named sin! Sin grows up to adulthood, and becomes a real killer.

There is the strategy of the devil.

He always approaches us in the same three stages, and those steps are outlined clearly in this text.

His first tactic is to arouse desire.

James says that every man is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed (James 1:14).

Each step the devil takes with us is always to arouse desire to do wrong, to create an insatiable hunger, an irresistible lure, or enticement toward evil.

The second is to permit intent to form an act to occur.

James describes this: after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin (James 1:15).

Notice that the symbol he employs is that of conception and birth.

There is first a gestation period in temptation, for once desire is aroused, there occurs a process within which sooner or later issues in sin, an act that is wrong.

The third stage is that the devil immediately acts upon the opportunity afforded by the evil act to move in and to produce results that Scripture describes as death—sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 

This is the devil’s ultimate aim.

Jesus said that he was a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44).

He delights in mangling, smashing, twisting, destroying, blighting, blasting.

We can see his activity present everywhere; it is going on around us, in our own lives, in the lives of others, in the lives of vulnerable children and their parents.

These are the works of the devil, says the Scripture (1 John 3:7-8 The Message).

7-8 So, my dear children, don’t let anyone divert you from the truth. It’s the person who acts right who is right, just as we see it lived out in our righteous Messiah. Those who make a practice of sin are straight from the Devil, the pioneer in the practice of sin. The Son of God entered the scene to abolish the Devil’s ways.

Lead Me Not Into Temptation, Deliver Me from Evil

Matthew 6:9-13 English Standard Version

9 Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.[a]
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,[b]
    on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,[c]
12 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.[d]

When Rabbi Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13), he was not merely suggesting that it was all about someone else subtly, or suddenly, drawing us into temptation.

We are responsible too.

Dealing with life’s host of temptations calls for our heightened and maturing awareness of the tempting ­power of sin.

It includes recognizing that others, like the proverb writer and our parents, know the powerful temptation of sin.

Proverbs 1:8-19 The Message

8-19 Pay close attention, friend, to what your father tells you;
    never forget what you learned at your mother’s knee.
Wear their counsel like a winning crown,
    like rings on your fingers.
Dear friend, if bad companions tempt you,
    don’t go along with them.
If they say—“Let’s go out and raise some hell.
    Let’s beat up some old man, mug some old woman.
Let’s pick them clean
    and get them ready for their funerals.
We’ll load up on top-quality loot.
    We’ll haul it home by the truckload.
Join us for the time of your life!
    With us, it’s share and share alike!”—
Oh, friend, don’t give them a second look;
    don’t listen to them for a minute.
They’re racing to a very bad end,
    hurrying to ruin everything they lay hands on.
Nobody robs a bank
    with everyone watching,
Yet that’s what these people are doing—
    they’re doing themselves in.
When you grab all you can get, that’s what happens:
    the more you get, the less you are.

The words of the tempter can seem so enticing or desirable, and they may wear us down.

Temptation is everywhere in our lives.

A wise person knows this.

A wise person hears the proverb writer say, in effect,

“It takes away the lives of those who give in to it.”

Sin is self-destructive.

It’s terribly sad and tragic when we subtly or suddenly succumb to temptation, we ultimately end up hurting others and ourselves – sometimes irreversibly.

Following God’s wiser instructions, how­ever, leads to life as God intended it.

Jesus put it this way: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

If you’ve been blessed with parents who taught you these words, thank God.

If not, give thanks that you know them now.

And if you don’t know what they mean, seek out someone who can help you learn and understand – it will always and forever be time vastly well spent.

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

Let us Pray,

Psalm 46 The Message

46 1-3 God is a safe place to hide,
    ready to help when we need him.
We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,
    courageous in seastorm and earthquake,
Before the rush and roar of oceans,
    the tremors that shift mountains.

    Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

4-6 River fountains splash joy, cooling God’s city,
    this sacred haunt of the Most High.
God lives here, the streets are safe,
    God at your service from crack of dawn.
Godless nations rant and rave, kings and kingdoms threaten,
    but Earth does anything he says.

7     Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

8-10 Attention, all! See the marvels of God!
    He plants flowers and trees all over the earth,
Bans war from pole to pole,
    breaks all the weapons across his knee.
“Step out of the traffic! Take a long,
    loving look at me, your High God,
    above politics, above everything.”

11     Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

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

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