Thu, Feb 26th - 2:24PM

Confidence

There are more times than I care to count when, especially in these troubled times, that I find my confidence lacking. I find myself lacking in every area so a lack of confidence is only natural. This is why this verse is so amazing to me.  

Proverbs 14:26

In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence,
and his children will have refuge. 

In the fear of the Lord, in our reverence, honor, respect, and yes fear, there isn’t just confidence, we have strong confidence. If God is for us, who can be against us? How can we not have strong confidence when our confidence is in Him? As his children, how can we not have confidence in our Father? How can we not have confidence when refuge is assured? When I read this verse the other day, it jumped right off the page. I hope this verse brings you confidence, and peace as well, as you read this.

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Mon, Feb 16th - 9:33PM

Proverbs 12:15

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
but a wise man is he who listens to counsel. 

When I read this verse I had to stop and think for a moment. A wise man is one who listens to counsel but whose council should the wise man be listening to? The church? Brothers and sisters in the Lord? Yes, maybe, to a certain extent, but what came to my mind was a wise man should listen to the council of one who has authority . . . all authority. 

Matthew 28:18

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” 

Jesus is the one whom I should listen to for council, the Word of God. 

John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14

. . . and the Word became flesh, . . .

The Word of God is a “lamp to my feet” and a “light to my path”.  Since the “Word of the Lord endures forever”, I joyfully agree with the Psalmist as he wrote: 

Ps 119:11

Your word I have treasured in my heart.

Ps 119:16

I shall delight in Your statutes;
I shall not forget your word

To do anything else would be foolish, and may seem right in my own worldly eyes, but certainly not wise.

1 Cor 1:18

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

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Thu, Feb 12th - 10:33PM

James 1:2

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 

The way things are today it is easy to be overwhelmed with various trials, but to consider it all joy, not so easy. Being unemployed now, for a couple of months, I’m beginning to understand trials but I still have joy. I started thinking about this because according to the world I would be considered nuts. My answer is this: 

Romans 15:13

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Praise the Lord!  

I Peter 1:8

and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 

This verse describes exactly how I feel, joy inexpressible. Praise the Lord! Amen.

Fri, Jan 23rd - 10:57AM

My last blog entry was almost two years ago and I wrote about being in a valley and consumed with the cares of this life. Since that time, it seems as if I have built my house in that valley. I had become so comfortable it is disconcerting in retrospect. 

Then in November I lost my job of eighteen years. Life in the valley was no longer comfortable. With the hustle and bustle of Christmas there was little time to think about anything. Now that Christmas is over, I have had time to think, not only about my current situation, but more importantly, my relationship with the Lord. Maybe losing my job was exactly what I needed at this time, or should I say, maybe this was the Lord’s way of making me look up. 

Yesterday, I read Psalms 121, and it really hit home: 

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.Behold, He who keeps Israel 
Will neither slumber nor sleep.The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade on your right hand.The sun will not smite you by day,
Nor the moon by night.The LORD will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in
From this time forth and forever. 

My help comes from the Lord, He is my keeper, from this time forth and forever. Is there any greater assurance than that? What a great God and Father we have through our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

Sat, Mar 10th - 11:44AM

Cares of this Life

Becoming consumed with the cares of this life happens so subtly, so gradually, but so naturally that we don’t even realize how spiritually destitute we have become.  I suppose it is possible to be in a valley without even realizing it. I say we because I hope I am not the only one who has been caught in the enemy’s snare.  

When God is relegated to a few amen’s on Sunday morning, bells and whistles should be going off in our spirits, and those who have ears should hear. Is it a matter of ignoring those bells and whistles, or is it that sin is truly a great muffler? The sin of pride must be the most insidious because one is not even aware they are guilty of it. When we live our daily life, depending on the things of this life like our job and family, busily supporting ourselves, we are basically telling God we can do it ourselves. We are the answer. Such is the wisdom of this world and we couldn’t be more wrong. 

Anyway, I just want to praise God and thank Him for being faithful even when I am faithless, if that makes any sense. This week, when I opened my Bible, for the first time in a while besides the obligatory Sunday morning (I’m ashamed to admit), I read a few chapters in Psalms but it was these two verses out of Joel that caught my eye when I was flipping to the New Testament. 

12"Yet even now," declares the LORD, "Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning;
13. And rend your heart and not your garments." Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil. What a loving God and wonderful Father we have.

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