“Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.” Psalm 84:5-7 It is believed that David wrote this Psalm when he had fled Jerusalem because of Absalom’s rebellion. He is longing to be back in Jerusalem to spend time in the house of the Lord. It seems like he envies the birds who have made their nests in its shelter, and the…
Do you like to forgive? Do you enjoy it when you need forgiveness? God calls us to both—to forgive and be forgiven. But He doesn’t stop there. He calls us one step beyond forgiveness. However, we must first forgive before we can go one step beyond forgiveness. We know we need to forgive others. “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32, NKJV). We have heard teachings on why we need to forgive others. “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15, NKJV). We know we should forgive multiple times. “Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21-22, NKJV). We have heard unforgiveness will affect our prayer life. “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses” (Mark 11:25, NKJV).…
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6. About two years ago, I began praying that the Lord would show me when it was time to give up my car and quit driving. For the last few months, I have felt strongly that the time had come to do so. The lease on my apartment will renew on May 1, so it was a good time to give up my parking space in the garage. Today, I went through the car wash, put gas in, and went for one last drive. I have always enjoyed driving and will certainly miss the independence it has given me, but I have peace that I have made the right decision. I have driven many miles in the last few years without a major accident or problem. I thank the Lord for His blessing and protection. Life will be different and there will be challenges. But I am standing on His promise: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13 The Lord knows what the future holds, and it…
“Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.” Psalm 112:1 In the opening verse of this Psalm, the writer states two requirements for living a life that is blessed. One is to fear the Lord and the other is to delight in His commandments. Though the world around us may be filled with turmoil and trouble, if we meet these two conditions, we shall never be moved. The Psalmist goes on to list some of the blessings that those who live for God alone will receive: Verse 2 – a…
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” I John 3:1-3 We did nothing to deserve it, nor did we do anything to earn it. Our finite minds cannot fully grasp the everlasting love of God, that has been given to us. It is only explained by His grace. Jesus bore our sins on Calvary’s cross, and when He arose from the grave, in essence, He raised us from the grave of sin, giving us acceptance and victory. When we accept Him as our Saviour and Lord, are baptized in His Name, and receive His Holy Spirit into our lives, we are part of His kingdom, and will one day rule and reign with Him. “Even when we were dead in sins, hath…
“And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors,…….. And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.” Joshua 9:3-6 Joshua and the Israelite army had won great victories at Jericho and Ai. This caused fear in the other cities in the area. Gibeon was only a few miles away, but their leaders conspired to save their city from destruction. Can’t you just imagine them almost crawling into the Israelite camp, tired and weary looking in their ragged clothes, carrying their mouldy bread, and appearing to have been traveling for days? Joshua had served under Moses for over 40 years in the wilderness. He knew that whenever Moses was faced with any decisions, his first step was to talk to God about it and let the Lord tell him how to handle it. Joshua neglected to do this but accepted what the men of Gibeon told him. Verse 14 tells us: “And the…