Category: Book Reviews

But how many of us have slept much too peacefully night after night, year after year, poised on the very brink of our entrance to eternity, lying to ourselves, about our identity in Christ: whether being the lost, the tares, or the redeemed, the justified!

Having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Romans 5:9

The story is told of a man who had been condemned by a Spanish court to be shot. Because he was an American citizen and of English birth, the consuls of the United States and England decided to intervene. They declared that the Spanish authorities had no power to put him to death. Their protest went unheeded, and the Spaniards proceeded to prepare the firing squad.

As the time of the execution was scheduled to take place, the consuls boldly approached the accused man, already tied and blindfolded, and wrapped him in their flags – the Stars and Stripes and the Union Jack. Then they shouted, “Fire a shot if you dare! If you do so, you will bring the powers of our two great empires upon you.” There stood the prisoner, unharmed. One bullet could have ended his life, but protected by those flags and the governments they represented, he was invulnerable.

Bottom Line:

Similarly, though actually light years beyond our comprehension of His pardoning effect, the Lord Jesus takes the soul of the sinner who believes in Him and covers the guilty one with His blood. Thus, wrapped and sheltered by the Savior, he is safe.  Actually, we are safe!

Isn’t it reassuring to know that even during the uncertainties of our world today including its “wokey”…. (defined as “pejorative for a white liberal who uses social injustice as an opportunity to boost their own ego by making self-gratifying posts on social media. Their actions indirectly hinder justice and equality by creating a divisive atmosphere in which peaceful dialogue becomes impossible. They estimate their own intelligence to be much greater than it actually is, making them highly susceptible to the Dunning-Kruger effect. They impose their beliefs on others and attempt to sabotage the livelihood of anyone who doesn’t conform to their ideas that are based in pseudoscience… courtesy of urbandictionary.com. Relax if you’ve been offended by the definition. Tomorrow I’ll print a recent newsletter from the other camp that may well offend the other camp. And that will be last I’ll allow any more political rhetoric)

…. failing governments, that we have a verse such as Lamentations 3:22-23, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

In my opinion these are some of the most comforting and reassuring words you will find in the Bible. God’s love and mercy not only are never ending, but are being renewed every morning. Can you find greater hope than that? But how does this work and how are God’s mercies new every morning? When you grasp God’s character, then you will understand why this is even possible.

For Your Further Reflection:

The following 1368 spot on words were published by speaker, Bible teacher, and co-founder of the Bible Study Club, Clarence Haynes Jr., presently committed to helping 10,000 people learn to study the Bible. To learn more, visit clarencehaynes.com.

But What Does ‘His Mercies Are New Every Morning’ Mean?

First, consider, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.” To help understand this verse better, I want to define the word steadfast. According to Merriam-Webster, steadfast means firmly fixed in place, immovable, and not subject to change.

This gives you a picture of what God’s love is towards you. God’s love towards you is fixed, it is immovable, and it will not change. Not only will it not change, it is not subject to change, meaning it is not even open for conversation or debate. He will not reconsider his decision to love you. He loves you, that is final, and the case is closed on that.

His love towards you will not change. There has never been nor will there ever be any thought or temptation that will come into God’s mind to stop loving you. This verse is a reminder that his immovable love will never cease. As we look at the rest of this verse remember this first part, that God loves you, and watch how it ties together.

Next consider, “His mercies never come to an end”

Once you understand the first part of the verse, this statement makes perfect sense because God’s mercy is a byproduct of God’s love. Since his love will never end, neither will his mercy. The only reason this is possible is because he has an immovable love towards you that is not subject to change. To make this really stick I want you to consider this word in the Hebrew. The word for “to end” is Kala(h). Here is what this word means and how you can use it: “Finish, complete, be concluded, be gone, wear out, fail, no longer be in an able or capable condition, grow weary, perish, or be in a state of ruin.” Think about it like this.

God’s mercy towards you

– Will never finish

– Will never be concluded

– Will never be gone

– Will never wear out

– Will never fail

– Will never lose it ability to function on your behalf

– Will never grow weary

– Will never perish

– Will never be in a state of ruin

Because God is eternal, so is his mercy that is born from his immovable love towards you, Next consider His mercies are new every morning.

If there is a question to be asked, it is how are God’s mercies new every morning? We already know his mercy flows out of his love. Since he has eternal love then his mercy will be as well because they are connected.The statement that God’s mercies are new every morning is really a reminder to us. God gives mercy for each day and it is refilled and refreshed each morning. This is not just a statement about availability, it is also about access. Regardless of how often you have to rely on God’s mercy, which is every day for me, you can always come back for more. This is not a license to tempt God, live in sin, and then call on his mercy. If that is your mindset, the promise of this verse does not apply to you. If your heart is set to follow God and walk in obedience to him, but you find yourself falling short, this verse is for you.

There is mercy every single day that is available and that you can access to help you and address your situation. Don’t worry – the mercy won’t run out because the reservoir is refreshed every morning.

Last, may we focus on “Great is your faithfulness.”

This last line ties the whole thought together. God’s immovable love flows into mercy that will never end, which you will always be able to access. The reason you can depend on it is because of God’s faithfulness. It doesn’t matter how much a person makes a promise if their word is not worth anything. The good news is that’s God’s word means everything to him. Psalm 138:2 tells us that God honors his word above his name. It is God’s faithfulness to his word that will cause him to remain steadfast to his promise.

So, What Is the Context of Lamentations 3 and ‘His Mercies Are New Every Morning’?

This book of Lamentations was written by Jeremiah. It is a book that laments over the fall of Jerusalem caused by the sinful condition of Judah. They were experiencing God’s judgment because of their refusal to turn from their sinful ways. Within this book, Jeremiah expresses his sorrow for the condition of his country, but also his hope for God’s mercy to be shown again. The book is a reminder of the heavy price to pay when someone refuses to give up their sinful lifestyle, but it gives hope for those who choose to. Here is how Chuck Swindoll worded his thoughts on Lamentations.

“The people of this once great city experienced the judgment of the holy God, and the results were devastating. But at the heart of this book, at the center of this lament over the effects of sin in the world, sit a few verses devoted to hope in the Lord (Lamentations 3:22–25). This statement of faith standing strong in the midst of the surrounding darkness shines as a beacon to all those suffering under the consequences of their own sin and disobedience.”

The true beauty of Lamentations is that even the hardest, most sinful person can still find hope in a God who is willing to pour out mercy on anyone who comes to him in repentance.

What Does ‘His Mercies Are New Every Morning’ Mean for Us?

How can we take the reality that God’s mercies are new every morning and apply them to our lives?

Repent Quickly – Because God is merciful, don’t use that as an excuse for sin. Instead let that be the reason you come and repent quickly. Don’t let God’s mercy be the reason you think you can sin and get away with it. Rather let God’s mercy be the reason you avoid sin, because you recognize the value of his mercy.

Renew Frequently – Because you have fresh mercy every morning you can renew your commitment to God every day. Regardless of the mistakes or bad decisions you may have made (by bad I am not just talking about sinful decisions but bad choices you wish you could take back) you can begin each day with a new slate. There is mercy to help you overcome the poor choices of yesterday.

Rejoice Continually – Because there is mercy every day, you can rejoice continually. You don’t have to live on eggshells wondering if God has changed his mind about you. No, you can live in the freedom knowing that you are loved and God has a reservoir of mercy for you that will be available every moment of your life. This is reason to rejoice.

Conclusion:

If there is one word I would use to conclude this wonderful truth of God’s mercies that are new every morning, the only word to use is “amen,” which simply means “so be it.” The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness. Amen, or so be it.

“My mouth is full of praise and honor to YOU ALL day long.” Psalm 71:8

Last week I read about a man who trained himself, upon waking up each day, to exclaim, “This is the day that the Lord has made! I will rejoice and be glad in it.” Going to the breakfast table each day, he would say to his wife, ‘We’re going to have a great day today!”

Thus, he started each morning.

 Thus, you can too. Our attitudes are more important than our circumstances. We can’t always control our circumstances, but our attitudes are our own prerogative. Remember the discovery made by the Holocaust survivor Vicktor Frankl? His family perished, his possessions were confiscated, his clothing was torn away along with all the comforts of life, and he endured the horrors of a death camp. But he discovered the one thing that cannot be taken from us – our right to choose our attitudes in any given set of circumstances.

BOTTOM LINE:

How wonderful to choose praise! How much better to say, “My mouth will honor you all day long.” There’s not a moment during the day when we should allow anything to interrupt the electrical current of praise that lights up our lives and makes us high voltage people. A breakdown there should be as rare and noticeable as a blackout in a major city.

Blind and aged prolific songwriter, Fannie Crosby put it this way:

               O glorious song that all day long,

               With tuneful note is ringing,

               I’m saved by grace, amazing grace,

               And that is why I’m singing!.

Day 58  All to Jesus: A Year of Devotions  2008 Robert J Morgan

Courtesy of ourdailylightdevotional.org August 11 MORNING

Our Saviour Jesus Christ … hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. II Tim. 1:10

He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD shall wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. Isa. 25:8

When this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. I Cor. 15:54-57

God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. II Tim. 1:7

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psa. 23:4

EVENING

God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. I John 1:5

If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. I John 1:6, 7

Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. I Thess. 5:5

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matt. 5:14, 16

Bottom Line:

When we no longer seek God for His blessings, we have time to seek God for Himself.  Oswald Chambers  The Moral Foundations of Life 728 L

The Holy Suffering of the Saint By Oswald Chambers August 10

Let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good… —1 Peter 4:19

Choosing to suffer means that there must be something wrong with you, but choosing God’s will— even if it means you will suffer— is something very different. No normal, healthy saint ever chooses suffering; he simply chooses God’s will, just as Jesus did, whether it means suffering or not. And no saint should ever dare to interfere with the lesson of suffering being taught in another saint’s life.

The saint who satisfies the heart of Jesus will make other saints strong and mature for God. But the people used to strengthen us are never those who sympathize with us; in fact, we are hindered by those who give us their sympathy, because sympathy only serves to weaken us. No one better understands a saint than the saint who is as close and as intimate with Jesus as possible. If we accept the sympathy of another saint, our spontaneous feeling is, “God is dealing too harshly with me and making my life too difficult.” That is why Jesus said that self-pity was of the devil (see Matthew 16:21-23). We must be merciful to God’s reputation. It is easy for us to tarnish God’s character because He never argues back; He never tries to defend or vindicate Himself. Beware of thinking that Jesus needed sympathy during His life on earth. He refused the sympathy of people because in His great wisdom He knew that no one on earth understood His purpose (see Matthew 16:23). He accepted only the sympathy of His Father and the angels (see Luke 15:10).

BOTTOM LINE:

Look at God’s incredible waste of His saints, according to the world’s judgment. God seems to plant His saints in the most useless places. And then we say, “God intends for me to be here because I am so useful to Him.” Yet Jesus never measured His life by how or where He was of the greatest use. God places His saints where they will bring the most glory to Him, and we are totally incapable of judging where that may be.

Wisdom from Oswald
The great point of Abraham’s faith in God was that he was prepared to do anything for God.
Not Knowing Whither, 903 R

In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. John 16:33

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Isa. 26:3 (I failed to conclude yesterday’s post with this verse.)

The typical view of the Christian life is that it means being delivered from all adversity. But it actually means being delivered in adversity, which is something very different. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling…” (Psalm 91:1,10)— the place where you are at one with God.

If you are a child of God, you will certainly encounter adversities, but Jesus says you should not be surprised when they come. “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” He is saying, “There is nothing for you to fear.” The same people who refused to talk about their adversities before they were saved often complain and worry after being born again because they have the wrong idea of what it means to live the life of a saint.

God does not give us overcoming life— He gives us life as we overcome. The strain of life is what builds our strength. If there is no strain, there will be no strength. Are you asking God to give you life, liberty, and joy? He cannot, unless you are willing to accept the strain. And once you face the strain, you will immediately get the strength. Overcome your own timidity and take the first step. Then God will give you nourishment— “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life…” (Revelation 2:7 ). If you completely give of yourself physically, you become exhausted. But when you give of yourself spiritually, you get more strength. God never gives us strength for tomorrow, or for the next hour, but only for the strain of the moment. Our temptation is to face adversities from the standpoint of our own common sense. But a saint can “be of good cheer” even when seemingly defeated by adversities, because victory is absurdly impossible to everyone, except God.

BOTTOM LINE WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS:

Beware of isolation; beware of the idea that you have to develop a holy life alone (I’m believing this is hugely relevant today – perhaps in the future we’ll tackle it). It is impossible to develop a holy life alone; you will develop into an oddity and a peculiarism, into something utterly unlike what God wants you to be. The only way to develop spiritually is to go into the society of God’s own children, and you will soon find how God alters your perceptions. God does not contradict our social instincts; He alters them.

FOR FURTHER REFLECTION with merlin:

This reading is loaded with pertinent practical provisions. Here is my spin on that last sentence; “God does not contradict our social instincts; He alters them.” Actually at this moment, Tuesday 2:57 pm August 6, I’m finally in a Republic, after 75 years in the USA, Loretta and I both possess a Panamanian permanent visa and driver’s license. We are here seeking God’s direction for our remaining retirement years. We have flights to return Saturday Aug 13.

Of course, I am here without access to my physical library, not that I use it that often as you can tell. MCC Connections in Kidron is a joy to scour thru for past literary treasures! The past 4-5 years I’ve been increasingly switching from digital to hard copy used! Someday these used dusty specimens reflecting the thoughts, dreams, victories and failures of this civilization, may be returned to the Connection shelves for recycling no doubt, until that eventful day when all is consumed by fire. So today, I’m shooting this post from the hips, though its been simmering since the 2nd. Let’s see what happens!

For example, I personally now realize from my own life experiences, that God can take His gifts to me of communication & relationship, similar to the skills my out of the box pastor and farmer Grandpa was known and appreciated for, that He evidently endowed me with genetically at conception, because I was seldom if ever, in Grandpa Joseph C Gingerich’s presence to have caught, been taught or even copied him, such that I began expressing my inherited gifts of communication and relationship even before attending my one room school, and eventually becoming my lifelong experience of daily meeting and greeting and making new friends at every opportunity. In fact, for many years, I was becoming aware it was a self-serving addiction, and a huge hindrance preventing me from concentrating first and foremost on my responsibilities of honoring my wife and family, much I’m sure to Satan’s absolute delight. Be aware everyone, how Satan can literally focus on any one of your un-surrendered gifts, talents, and abilities, ultimately corrupting, and consuming your entire life, and especially so, when it’s anything sexual, and even discreetly and tragically utterly pervert you, for Satan’s glory and your ruin, possibly eternal destruction.

In the two years since I first devoured Jamie Winship’s book “Living Fearless: Exchanging the Lies of the World for the Liberating Truth of God” wherein he reveals after five years as a rookie Washington DC cop fresh out of college, he was “picked” to become an underground Christian college prof in Muslim universities in the Middle East and Asia for 27 years, such that his revealed and accepted identity in Christ is “militant peacemaker.” Really now? But that specific identity is so well named for him.

Now in my case however, all that has been revealed to me thus far since I read Jamie is an “encouraging faith facilitator.” Yeah I know, out of all the billions of possibilities out there in His Kingdom, I’m saddled with that. If you read my prior post from Aug 5, you will recall my faith struggles in my reflections. I’m just being honest. Jamie explains in his book that we are only as valuable to God, or anyone for that matter, as we are honest with Him, or whomever. Read that again! Really quite profound. And so contrary to the way I (we) live. So you’re getting it here as it is, mostly was.

Hopefully, for you, a constructive and productive transparency, similar to what I heard weekly nearly seven decades ago, from Chicago’s Pacific Gardens Skid Row Mission ( which my eldest son & I toured during a Moody Founders Week, thanks to Dick and Sharon) Unshackled radio broadcasts on Fargo ND’s Christian radio station, KFNW. Never in my wildest imaginations would I ever thought this revealing moment would occur years later, but God wastes nothing, being the original recycler, not merely of trash and even precious natural resources, but of the lives and souls of men and women being trashed in their addictions, visible or not.

And we’re not speaking merely of a woke “sin-thetic green either, but rather of an out of the ground sprouting of a once dead seed, that is now bursting forth alive in a real living green because of the crimson red sacrifice on that historic Golgotha cross that though once we were dead in our sins, we are now eternally alive in His Spirit being transformed today, this very day, into the future joys of heaven, even before our final transition. Come on folks, this planet and saving our skins are all so very temporary, but our souls ARE ETERNAL. Perspective Matters!

And before I forget, I must remind you Jamie is speaking at The Well this coming Saturday-Sunday, August 10 & 11, 6:30 pm Sat and again Sun morning, time uncertain. The Well is located just below Winesburg on the road to Mt. Eaton. If I were home, I would drive hours or across states to be there.

So anyway, back to interpreting these social instincts. God endowed me with gifts, that I clearly was not fully aware of when my first cousin Donna taught my 5th grade Bible School class of us three boys. It was after those two weeks of conviction, I sought God’s forgiveness through the death and resurrection of Jesus with the help of my parents one hot summer evening and began my walk of faith. It soon degenerated into a “works” walk, more or less in my mind, a check-off list of good things such as tithing, Bible reading, prayer, supporting a foreign Christian orphanage, etc,. all of which back in my faith tradition were usual & customary.

Back then in our dairy barn, we had a radio, so I was a free choice grazer of Christian radio programming, being quite familiar with many of their offerings throughout the day, such as Songs in the Night from historic Moody Church, Stories of Early Christians ( I believe that’s what it was called, and those M-F evening 15 minutes of such inspiring radio drama historical clips making the lives and time come alive by radio drama of the founders of our faith such as Jonathan Edwards, DL Moody, etc., I still vividly recall today; whereas my 11:05 – 12 noon childhood Sunday sermons, not at all. What does that tell us about our culture & our being engaged today?) Back to the Bible, Unshackled, Billy Graham’s Hour of Decision followed by The Mennonite Hour, so I was well taught.

Moving on, I do believe I was the beneficiary from the intercessory prayers of many others family, friends and acquaintances since a child on through my whole life, or else I’d not be here. Though now I must tell you, that it was predominately only though my wife Loretta’s vows that she never broke, always honoring me, the prayers she offered up for me and our three sons, and the example she always was regardless of who I was being at the moment, who for nearly 50 years (much as I’m sure my guardian angel did) following me everywhere in my self-imposed desert wanderings existing on mere bland manna, before my “for real deal faith walk” finally began. Folks, you really have no idea how dysfunctional I was even though I appeared to be an acceptable husband and father. And you really don’t need to know anymore. That’s neither helpful or productive.

But women, invite your husbands, fiancees, significant male friends to respect the clearly established scriptural boundaries always ensuring your respect and admiration. If unheeded, practice tough love just as with your children, or brothers. Seek relentlessly the help you need. Read Dr. Henry Clouds books and for dessert, read Jamie Winship perhaps, instead of doing ice cream.

OK, perhaps you sensed that last paragraph was just written off the cuff. I awoke before 3 AM this Wednesday, burdened to re-write portions of this post to better communicate my heart and the urgency of the message. I was inspired to be honest, transparent, whatever, for evidently, someone reading this today needed to be given hope to endure another day, or set a boundary, or ask forgiveness, reconcile, whatever. But you do. Perhaps this was for you. If so, please seek help and His safety, from those you trust and are praying for you.. Do nor merely sit, soak, sour and suffer, before you finally give up hope, and split the bond.

Back to the script. You see, early on in my journey, I learned to use my gifts to my advantage, and for Him, only when it was to my advantage. Somewhere during college, with its numerous hot and cold spiritual adventures, with many as intriguing as Christian’s journey’s to the Celestial City, I got disastrously sidetracked by using my skills selfishly for my own amusement and gain, being both entertained and delighted. But, eventually I learned (actually was convicted), that I was not able to un-tether (or disconnect) myself from all those specific intercessory prayers offered for me over those prior decades.

So think about it, who is best able to spot counterfeit $100 bills? I understand it’s those who are specifically trained to handle only real $100. bills! I’m told, certainly without any experience, that those tellers with such training can spot the phony money much more accurately, because they have the feel for the real deal bills.

So what? You might say. Succinctly this, I believe by having lived a life of deception for so many years, that I am on occasion given knowledge about the deception in a particular man, or couple, solely I believe, so that I can be an intercessor for him/them, though really, how would you ever confirm such revealings?

And you know what’s really crazy, I am not at all satisfied yet with my own maturity performance in my own marriage. I desire for so much more healing in our relationship. But even so, my stretching to grasp for the higher rungs of His blessings, doesn’t stop God from having me intercede now for my similarly challenged brothers! And any positive effects of this interceding I’m offering is seldom ever revealed to me or them, though perhaps sometime in heaven, I’ll hopefully learn of the victories won, or significant maturity gained, and men, women, families, churches, communities, and nations, were vibrantly changed to fulfill their divine destinies. Why oh why, was I (we) so content to “settle for so little, for so long, when we know it’s all fake! God’s invitational ideas & offerings of forgiveness and transformation, once accepted and implemented, make all the difference. Man’s ideas? Not so much!

Remember Saturday’s quote: God created man to be master of the life in the earth and sea and sky, and the reason he is not, is because he took the law into his own hands, and became master of himself, but of nothing else… (Indeed, we are now experiencing the nothing else) Oswald Chambers-The Shadow of an Agony, 1163 L.

OK, so do you remember from whence these reflections began? God does not contradict our social instincts; He alters them. That one liner provides me such unusually profound strength and peace; doesn’t contradict but alters! Doesn’t that just personify the heart of our invitational God who by sacrificing His Son Jesus is inviting us to accept His forgiveness, therefore not condemning or throwing me (we) out on the dung heap, even though that’s what I deserved after using my gifts so selfishly for decades, for once I finally accepted His forgiveness, and turned from my wicked ways, God has altered me now to become an intercessor for a few, finally fulfilling the very desires of my heart, to be His encouraging faith facilitator, knowing them even by name and/or email while sparring me even of one detail of their struggle or derailment; for all those on the mailing list. And as I’ve been reminded so frequently from my pastor, it’s all “for our good, and His Glory! Amen!

Scriptures from Aug 7 dailylightdevotional.org

If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. John 4:10

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. John 16:23, 24

Ye have not, because ye ask not. James 4:2

Gaining His Strength PS/K – Beyond PhD Post Docs

I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being. Ephesians 3:16

From one end of the Bible to the other, we read of God strengthening His people. When the Israelites passed through the Red Sea, they praised the Lord, saying: “The Lord is my strength and my song.” (Exodus15:2 NIV).

Deuteronomy 33:25 says: “As your days so shall your strength be.” Nehemiah 8:10 says, “Do not sorrow for the Joy of the Lord is your strength.” Psalm 27: 1 declares, “The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”  Psalm 46: 1 avows, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Isaiah said, “Trust in the Lord forever, for in YAH, the Lord, is everlasting strength” (26:4). Isaiah 40:31 promises that “those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

The apostle Paul told us to “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10). “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” he said in Phillipians 4:13.

BOTTOM LINE:

Throughout the Bible, we find a very simple formula. When the Word goes in, praise goes up, faith goes out, and God goes forth to strengthen His people.   

David Jeremiah “Sanctuary: Finding Moments of Truth In The Presence Of God.” July 28

For Further Reflection with merlin: Truth be told personally, I’ve less problems with desiring or longing for more of the Word coming in; (sometimes I think I’m off the scale too positive on that one, nearly cloistered as a monk in an academic ivory tower separated from reality) or even with my praise going up, for it just flows! However, this bit about my faith doing anything uniquely confirmingly positive for Him some days, as characterized by that overwhelming sense of His presence within me, or it being all about me, and particularly in this going before me, rather than merely going out, can be very cloudy at best!

Doesn’t “going before me” imply a greater internalization of our faith and trust going forward effectively in our daily living, more than merely “spewing out” out noise about our faith as in I Cor 13:1, as a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal? Especially since we’ve heard so many Biblical examples of exemplary faith since our childhood literally imprinted in our psyche? My two cents on why I struggle with faith is self contained, in other words, it’s my fault for not applying His abundant ever-flowing resources.

But now, if/when I hear that you’re struggling, I am more apt to place the blame corporately; in the way we structure and function within our church communities; perhaps because we’re not being new testamently real, do as I say, not as I do, all form with no substance, and stiflingly boring . It is my belief that for generations, our children and young adults have not witnessed a Holy Spirit inspired cultivating anchored community body of believers living continually, seven days each week and not just for an hour Sunday mornings, in an authentic loving sacrificial transparent culture that absolutely gives witness to His Spirit’s transformed living, compellingly attracting both those disconnected within our walls and the cultural heathen outside, to the New Testament’s three premier texts; the book of John, especially the Olivet Discourse, the Sermon on the Mount, and the Acts of the Apostles.

This is simply where I’m at and how I see it this morning, and where I find I’m most apt to struggle at times, seeking authenticity. And for myself over the past months, if not year, the Spirit is continually circling me back to the realization that perhaps my growing in faith, be it internalized individually, or corporately in & about our worshiping community, is not going to gain me a practical vibrant invitational observable perspective, either within me, or for sure, not from me to those in our spheres of influence whom we encounter in the often “scummy” ponds of living while we’re dog-paddling about the lily pads.

Somehow I’ve been gifted to have internalized the understanding that it is difficult, or nigh impossible, to have faith unless our minds embrace that information which comprises the gospel message from the three bodies of texts mentioned above, because there are specific facts while seeking His transformation we must embrace, such as Christian in Paul Bunyan’s Pilgrims Progress so amply demonstrates. And I’m compelled to realize one of those first such specifics, is being given His gift of peace.

Looking back now in similar fashion to an NDE’s life review of my journey where I was literally carried thru those devastatingly tough times, but then after those times of crisis, I realize now I too often did not continue on that path of enjoying the depth of peace that God desired for me as spoken of in Roman 5:1, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God.” What does that mean? Is God my enemy? Have I been at war with God? I do know God is holy and we humans are sinful. We are on opposite sides of the Sin void crevice and as creatures thus separated from God, we are at enmity with God, and only the cross of Jesus can provide the bridge to eternal life and that illusive satisfying peace.

The Bible’s good news is that God provided Jesus Christ that we might have peace with God. The Cross beautifully illustrates that Jesus Christ , the God / Man, reached up and took the hand of the Father, and with His other hand, reached down and took hold of we fallen human beings, and being the only unique personality who was both God and man, brought the Holy God and sinful humans together and made peace between God and man. He is our peace. He is the Prince of Peace because He is the One who resolved the enmity separating us from a Holy Almighty God. Accept His forgiveness for your sin and your ensuing obedience to His Spirits promptings provides His deeply satisfying “In His Sanctuary” pervading peace with God.

I speak frequently of our perceptions. People today are often too uptight & frazzled from being manipulated on their chaotic life’s treadmills to ever fathom a perception of living in peace. Simply impossible they say as they continue their addictive behaviors! So, perhaps God by shutting down this flow of mindless trivia to the deceived, is one of His first miracles He performs for we humans to begin the awareness process of being “called” to gain His perspective, so we can begin receiving His gift of salvation. And that “awareness” is transformed to facts of the gospel message in our lives – objective, quantifiable, expressible information.

The Bible does speak of false gospels, which means someone has the facts wrong, purposefully or accidentally. So literally, the TRUTH is what has to be perceived and received as “Step One” in gaining faith. And that truth comes by hearing the Word of God.

Have you YET heard the Word of God, whether read, been told, invited, prompted, compelled, perhaps literally felt you received a digital “download from the His Cloud,” were encouraged, even lovingly disciplined, synchronized, etc., with His Truth? Step One: Ask Him for His Awareness, and then listen. That begins the process towards His peace….

Learning About His (Revolutionary Out of the Box) Ways My Utmost For His Highest August 01. (Strange how this Utmost reading follows so closely on the heels of yesterday’s post! It’s been good for me at least. Hopefully, for you as well!)

When Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples…He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities. —Matthew 11:1

He comes where He commands us to leave. If you stayed home when God told you to go because you were so concerned about your own people there, then you actually robbed them of the teaching of Jesus Christ Himself. When you obeyed and left all the consequences to God, the Lord went into your city to teach, but as long as you were disobedient, you blocked His way. Watch where you begin to debate with Him and put what you call your duty into competition with His commands. If you say, “I know that He told me to go, but my duty is here,” it simply means that you do not believe that Jesus means what He says.

He teaches where He instructs us not to teach. “Master…let us make three tabernacles…” (Luke 9:33).

Are we playing the part of an amateur providence, trying to play God’s role in the lives of others? Are we so noisy in our instruction of other people that God cannot get near them? We must learn to keep our mouths shut and our spirits alert.(Whew! That was written just for me!) God wants to instruct us regarding His Son, and He wants to turn our times of prayer into mounts of transfiguration. (if so enlightened, email me your three point sermon on that text!) When we become certain that God is going to work in a particular way, He will never work in that way again.

BOTTOM LINE:

He works where He sends us to wait. “…tarry…until…” (Luke 24:49). “Wait on the Lord” and He will work (Psalm 37:34). But don’t wait sulking spiritually and feeling sorry for yourself, just because you can’t see one inch in front of you! Are we detached enough from our own spiritual fits of emotion to “wait patiently for Him”? (Psalm 37:7). Waiting is not sitting with folded hands doing nothing, but it is learning to do what we are told.

These are some of the facets of His ways that we rarely recognize. (perhaps the rough draft of the sermon title for your “out of the box” three point sermon…, or for your SS class )

FURTHER WISDOM FROM OSWALD:
To those who have had no agony Jesus says, “I have nothing for you; stand on your own feet, square your own shoulders. I have come for the man who knows he has a bigger handful than he can cope with, who knows there are forces he cannot touch; I will do everything for him if he will let Me. Only let a man grant he needs it, and I will do it for him.”
The Shadow of an Agony