Blessings of Prayer and Praises

Talking with and hearing from God – what a wonderful gift! The Psalmist enjoyed calling upon the Lord, lifting his hands to the Lord. He prayed to the Lord in the morning.

“Lord, I have called daily upon You; I have stretched out my hands to You.” “But to You I have cried out, O Lord, and in the morning my prayer comes before You.” [1]

Singing of the Lord’s mercies – making known to others His faithfulness – what a joy!

“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.” [2]

Joining with others who are experiencing the blessing of the joyful sounds the Lord gives to those who rejoice in and serve His Name – what a great place to be!

“Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance. In Your Name they rejoice all day long, and in Your righteousness, they are exalted.” [3]

To know Christ and make Him known – He is the Holy One, the Mighty One, the exalted Chosen One, the Anointed One! God is His Father. He is the King of kings. His seed, that is, those who have been born anew in Him, endure forever

“Then You spoke in a vision to Your Holy One and said: ‘I have given help to One who is mighty; I have exalted One chosen from the people. I have found My Servant David; with My holy oil I have anointed Him. He shall cry to Me, You are My Father, My God, and the rock of My salvation. Also I will make Him My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. My mercy I will keep for Him forever, and My covenant shall stand firm with Him. His seed also I will make to endure forever, and His throne as the days of heaven.” [4]

He gives us heavenly manna that is better than earthly cuisine.

“The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.” [5]

“Thank You Lord for giving us Your Holy Spirit to place within us Your very righteousness, peace and joy so that we serve God acceptably. Thank You for guiding us in the ways that make for peace and mutual edification of one another’s eternal souls. Thank You for filling our mouths with prayers and with songs of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit!”

[1] Psalm 88:9, 13
[2] Psalm 89:1
[3] Psalm 89:13-14
[4] Psalm 89:19-20, 26-29
[5] Romans 14:17-19

The Goodness and Love of the Lord

“Yes, the Lord will give what is good.” [1]

“For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.” “You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in mercy and truth.” [2]

“Both the singers and the players on instruments say, ‘All my springs are in you.’” [3]

“Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.” [4]

“The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘You shall not covet,’ and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.” [5]

“Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” [6]

“The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.” [7]

[1] Psalm 85:12
[2] Psalm 86:5, 15
[3] Psalm 87:7
[4] Proverbs 10:12
[5] Romans 13:9-10
[6] Romans 13:14
[7] Proverbs 10:22

A Pilgrim Pursuing God

“How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” [1]

Where does the Lord dwell? That’s the place to be! If one’s soul does not long for it, even faint for it, there’s something wrong with the soul. We were created to be one with God. Jesus came to restore that oneness.

Jesus prayed, “I pray... for them also which shall believe on Me through their word; that they all may be one; as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that You have sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are one: I in them, and You in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them, as You have loved Me.” [2]

The prayer of Jesus reveals to us the heart of God to bring us back into oneness with God

“Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young—even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God.” [3]

Jesus said to His disciples, “Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” [4]

Sparrows are numerous, and yet God knows each one. The Psalmist compares himself to a sparrow nesting at the altar of God. He sees how common he is compared to the brilliance and power of Almighty God, and yet, God has provided a nesting place for him that is near to God. The altar is the place of sacrifice. It is through the precious atoning sacrifice of Christ that we have been brought near to God. “Thank You Jesus for Your blood that has redeemed us!”

“Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they will still be praising You. Selah” [5]

Praise fills the life of those who are near to God! As the words, “It is so cold” leap from the mouth of someone outside on a bitterly cold day, so “Praise the Lord!” leaps from the mouth of the one who is experiencing the presence of God.

“Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring; the rain also covers it with pools. They go from glory to glory; each one appears before God in Zion.” [6]

The one who is on a pilgrimage toward God is blessed. Even valleys become places of refreshment when one’s heart is pursuing God. No matter what happens, the pilgrim is appearing before God and experiencing His glory. As Peter wrote, “ If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” [7]

“O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah O God, behold our shield, and look upon the face of Your anointed. For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” [8]

The Psalmist is most concerned about losing His closeness with God. So, he prays, saying to God in effect that I don’t need to be seated at the best place in Your court for a thousand days, just one day in Your court would be better than a thousand elsewhere. Just to be a doorkeeper for You would be better to me than to live in the rich places where wicked people dwell.

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts blessed is the man who trusts in You!” [9]

On top of everything else, the Lord is a sun, light and warmth for me. He is shield about me. He gives me unmerited grace and joy with His glory. He is good to me. He empowers me to make right choices, to walk uprightly. I am able to do so, because He has given me faith in His faithfulness to never let me down, but the rather to always provide more than I could have asked for or imagined.

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” [10]

[1] Psalm 84:1-2
[2] John 17:20-23
[3] Psalm 84:3
[4] Matthew 10:28-30
[5] Psalm 84:4
[6] Psalm 84:5-7
[7] 1 Peter 4:14
[8] Psalm 84:8-10
[9] Psalm 84:11-12
[10] Ephesians 3:20

He Did What Was Right in the Eyes of the Lord

Kings Jehoshaphat, Josiah and Uzziah each received this epitaph from the Lord, “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” [1] “Lord, please help each of us to do likewise.”

The last words of King David glorified the Lord. He wrote, “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me: ‘He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.’” [2]

David let the Holy Spirit speak through him. By relying on God’s Spirit he was able to do what was just. The Holy Spirit empowered him to do what was right in God’s eyes.

God caused David to shine when David’s king became jealous of him and began to hunt him like a hunter hunts an animal. At one point, David was hiding in a cave and God turned that cave into a blessing. David’s three most valiant warriors, Adino, Eleazar, and Shammah, joined with David while he was living in that cave. They helped David to win many battles. [3]

One of David’s strongpoints and a good strongpoint for any leader to have is the fear of the Lord. When David sinned, he admitted it, and asked the Lord to forgive him.

“David’s heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So, David said to the Lord, ‘I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.’” [4]

He also wrote, “Oh, do not remember former iniquities against us! Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us, for we have been brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your Name; and deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins, for Your Name’s sake!” [5]

He recognized that the only way up is down... down on one’s knees. Ask the Lord for mercy! Ask the Lord for salvation for God’s glory! He recognized his need of the Lord’s atoning sacrifice.

David did not try to manipulate the Lord’s kindness for personal gain. He told one man, “I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” [6]

David’s son, King Solomon, extolled God for the gift of wisdom. He wrote, “Wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.” He wrote that by wisdom “kings reign, and rulers decree justice.” [7]

God’s wisdom proceeded “His works of old.” [8] First wisdom, then, wonderful works of God!

The Apostle Paul was not a king, but he advised King Agrippa with advice from God’s Word. [9]

Paul also wrote good advice for us when he wrote, “You stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.” [10]

The people of Israel who rejected God’s Son, Messiah are the natural branches that were cut off. We, Gentile believers in Christ, are the unnatural branches that were grafted into the olive tree of God due to our acceptance of Jesus as God’s Son. Paul warns us not to turn from testifying for Jesus Christ lest, we too, become dry branches like unbelieving Israel, and are cut off.

We must have the Lord to do what is right in His eyes. Israel had God’s book but God’s book did not have them. It is not enough to know of the Lord, we must know the Lord. Paul wrote, “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.” [11]

Dear friends, may our Heavenly Father grant you the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ to do what is right in His sight by the power of the Holy Spirit so that at the end of your life God may say of you (and of me) he or she did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.

[1] 1 Kings 22:2; 2 Kings 22:43; 2 Chronicles 26:4
[2] 2 Sammuel 23:2-3
[3] 2 Samuel 23:8-13
[4] 2 Samuel 24:10
[5] Psalm 79:8-9
[6] 2 Samuel 24:23-24
[7] Proverbs 8:11, 15
[8] Proverbs 8:29
[9] Acts 26:1-29
[10] Romans 11:20-22
[11] Romans 11:36

Remember

Remember? Wasn’t that great? That was amazing! I’m so glad for good memories.

“Remember the Lord your God” is a theme throughout the Scriptures. Don’t forget God.

“He divided the sea and caused them to pass through; and He made the waters stand up like a heap. In the daytime also He led them with the cloud, and all the night with a light of fire. He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink in abundance like the depths.” [1]

The miracles God did to set people free from slavery are to be remembered to maintain our faith in His mighty power to help us today. He can split in two solid barriers before us. He can light up our night. He turn our rocks into water fountains.

Israel’s confidence in everything but God angered Him. “His anger came up against Israel, because they did not believe in God, and did not trust in His salvation.” [2]

In fact, until God took drastic action against them, they did neither sought nor remembered Him.

“When He slew them, then they sought Him; and they returned and sought earnestly for God. Then they remembered that God was their rock, and the Most High God their Redeemer.” “Their heart was not steadfast with Him, nor were they faithful in His covenant. They did not remember His power: the day when He redeemed them from the enemy.” [3]

Thank God for bringing us back into relationship with Him whenever other interests try to replace Him. “He cast on them the fierceness of His anger, wrath, indignation, and trouble, by sending angels of destruction among them.” “He delivered His strength into captivity, and His glory into the enemy’s hand.” [4] These strong disciplines keep us on the narrow path that leads to eternal salvation. A temporary crisis that keeps us from an eternal crisis is a blessing.

Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd. He leads us to green pastures and still waters. Jesus is referred to as the Son of David especially in the Gospel of Matthew. Psalm 78 concludes on a happy note because God gave His servant David to shepherd His people. This conclusion is pointing us to Jesus Messiah, the Son of David. His kingdom has no end! His skillful pierced hands paid the price for our atonement so that we can be in fellowship with God forever.

“He also chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds; from following the ewes that had young He brought him, to shepherd Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance. So He shepherded them according to the integrity of His heart and guided them by the skillfulness of His hands.” [5]

What did Paul write to the Romans about Jesus? He wrote, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” [6]

Zeal for God is of no value if it does not lead to a right standing with Him. In fact, misplaced zeal actually infuriates God. God wants us to be zealous for His Son Jesus Christ. Faith in Christ is God’s way of bestowing righteousness on us.

“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” [7]

God made salvation simple. Don’t make it difficult! Confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus. Believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

The main thing is to keep our faith in God strong. How do we do that? By remembering the mighty deeds of God on our behalf. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.’ [8] Pray that you will thirst and hunger for God. Pray that He will fill that void with His Word.

The Lord says, “I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me. But to Israel He says: all day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” [9]

We don’t want God to shake the dust off His sandals and leave us behind to find others who will embrace and appreciate Him do we?

“Lord, we remember You today! Thank You so much for the miracles that You have done for us. Thank You for sending Your Beloved Son Jesus into the world to save us. Please be glorified in us today.”

[1] Psalm 78:13-15
[2] Psalm 78:21-22
[3] Psalm 78:34-35, 41-42
[4] Psalm 78:49, 61
[5] Psalm 78:70-72
[6] Romans 10:1-4
[7] Romans 10:9-10
[8] Romans 10:17
[9] Romans 10:20-21

Compassion and Faith

Praise God for revealing the way of eternal salvation to us! There is a life after this one. I want to be with God when I die not with the devil.

Last night, I kept thinking of the Lord words to Israel: “The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples.” [1]

The Lord chose the children of Israel not when they were a world conquering empire but when they were slaves. God delights in showing compassion. He chose Israel because they were the least not because they were the greatest.

This has been my story. Not only does the Bible say this, but others have told me that it was because of someone else’s advocacy other than their own that they decided to help me when I could not help myself. God has saved me by grace in more ways than one. God has graciously reminded me throughout my life that my salvation is of Him.

“It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I hope in Him.” [2] Amen!

The Apostle Paul grieved for his countrymen because although God adopted them, showed them His glory, gave them the covenants, gave them the fathers of the faith, the service, the promises and the Messiah, most failed to realize His compassion for them. [3]

The Lord says, “They are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called.’ That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.” [4]

This passage is saying that the true Israel and the true descendants of Abraham are those who believe God’s promises. We who live by trust in what God our Father has said to His children.

Next, the Lord says that Jacob was chosen by God’s grace before he was born not because of any works that he did. Jacob’s brother Esau was a mighty hunter, but Jacob was saved because his mother intervened for him. In fact, when Jacob expressed concern to his mother that if his father, Isaac, discovered their deception, he might curse him instead of blessing him. His mother, Rebekah, assured him that she would take the blame for the potential curse, and that Jacob should proceed with her plan. In this way, she was a type of Christ. The Bible says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.’” [5]

“Not only this... the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), it was said to her [Rebekah], ‘The older shall serve the younger.’ As it is written, ‘Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.’” [6]

God hates pride. That whole pride in performance orientation! Jesus said to the religious “elite” among His people, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” [7]

The Lord said to Moses, “’I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.’ So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My Name may be declared in all the earth.’ Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.” [8]

Pharoah wanted to proclaim his worth based on his performance. The Lord let him do it to his own destruction, but the Lord saved His people via His mercy, compassion and love for them.

“God made known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles. As He says also in Hosea: ‘I will call them My people, who were not My people, and her beloved, who was not beloved.’ And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ there they shall be called sons of the living God.” [9]

God loved unlovable me. He made a person out of me/you who was not a person. He has made known the riches of His glory by showing me/you mercy and saving me/you by His grace.

Many in Israel were not saved because they were led by false prophets (the Pharisees) to reject Jesus. “They did not seek it [salvation] by faith.” Faith is receptivity. It receives Christ and all that He has done for us. “They [Israel] stumbled at that stumbling stone.” Namely, Christ! The Bible says that “whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” [10]

Isn’t that what a good performance is about? Not being put to shame? The Lord says to forget about performing for people, just trust in My forgiveness, My grace, My compassion and My love for you. Whoever believes in Me will not to be put to shame. To the contrary, they will enjoy eternal glory with Me.

[1] Deuteronomy 7:7
[2] Lamentations 3:22-24
[3] Romans 9:1-5
[4] Romans 9:6-8
[5] Genesis 27:12; Galatians 3:13
[6] Romans 9:10-13
[7] Luke 16:15
[8] Romans 9:15-18
[9] Romans 9:23-26
[10] Romans 9:30-33

Be Filled With The Holy Spirit

“Do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.” [1]

Consumerism! The IN influences the OUT. Is your IN filling you UP? How’s the overflow?

While doing missionary work for Jesus in China, I noticed that I did not miss fine cuisine, TV or movies. The Holy Spirit was filling me, I was testifying for Jesus, and university students regularly met with me for Bible studies that usually lasted for hours but did not seem that long to me.

Recently, the Lord has drawn me close to Himself again via prayer and meditation in His Word. The Lord graced me with power to lose over 50 pounds nearly two years ago and continues to help me by His Spirit to hunger and thirst for Him rather than for those things which do not satisfy the soul but instead destroy the body. My blood pressure dosage has been reduced twice and it is running too low now so I will probably be able to stop it altogether soon. My cholesterol labs are perfect. Praise the Lord! What did it cost me? Just the blessing of being filled with and led by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is a blessing!

“There’s no condemnation to those who walk according to the Spirit.” [2]

“To be spiritually minded is life and peace.” [3]

“The Spirit is life because of righteousness.” [4] He gives joy to do what is right in the sight of the Lord such as testify for Jesus.

“He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” [5] The Spirit helps you to resurrect daily to live for Christ.

“You received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” [6] The Spirit keeps you in a wonderful communicative relationship with your Abba Father.

“The Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” [7] The Holy Spirit helps you to stay within the perimeters of where God can bring the greatest glory to HIS NAME.

Worship! The Holy Spirit empowers you to worship God. There’s nothing on earth that compares to God’s presence. King David was a worshipper of God. He wrote more words than anyone else in the Bible about glorifying God.

“Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; and let those who love Your salvation say continually, “Let God be magnified!” [8]

“Let my mouth be filled with Your praise and with Your glory all the day.” [9]

“I will hope continually and will praise You yet more and more.” [10]

“I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only. Now also when I am old and gray headed, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.” [11]

“You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, shall revive me again, and bring me up again from the depths of the earth. You shall increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.” [12]

“Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only does wondrous things! And blessed be His glorious Name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.” [13]

“Holy Spirit, please fill us until overflowing. Help us to pray for one another. Help us to serve the Lord with gladness and bring great glory to His Name.”

[1] Ephesians 5:18
[2] Romans 8:1
[3] Romans 8:6
[4] Romans 8:10
[5] Romans 8:11
[6] Romans 8:15-16
[7] Romans 8:26-27
[8] Psalm 70:4
[9] Psalm 71:8
[10] Psalm 71:14
[11] Psalm 71:16, 18
[12] Psalm 71:20-21
[13] Psalm 72:18-19

Sing Praises unto God Sing Praises

“The Bible explicitly commands singing to God in approximately 50 instances, with over 400 references to singing in total.” [1]

“Sing to God, sing praises to His Name; extol Him who rides on the clouds, by His Name Yah, and rejoice before Him. A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation.” [2]

The Lord rides on the clouds means that He is above all else. But what does the Most High do? He is a father for fatherless children. He defends husbandless wives. He fills relational gaps with power and wisdom. Let us sing praises to God for His love, kindness, and grace.

“Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation! Selah! Our God is the God of salvation; and to God the Lord belong escapes from death.” “Bless God in the congregations.” [3]

Let us sing praises to God for saving us. Let us join our faces and voices with others who sing praises to Him so that His praise is glorious.

“The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people.” [4]

Let us sing to the Lord for strengthening and empowering us!
“I will praise the Name of God with a song and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bull, which has horns and hooves.” [5]

Praising God with song, magnifying and giving Him thanks pleases Him so let us do it. He does so much for us.

“Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples!” [6]

Our songs have Biblical truths that set people free even as we profess them joyfully unto God! Our singing harmoniously unto God is a testimony of His greatness unto all who join with us.

“O magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His Name together.” [7]

[1] https://www.9marks.org/article/sing-to-one-another
[2] Psalm 68:4-5
[3] Psalm 68:19-20, 26
[4] Psalm 68:35
[5] Psalm 69:30-31
[6] Psalm 96:3
[7] Psalm 34:3

Agents of Christ for Peace and Goodwill

God rescues His servants from plots against them. I experienced the Lord’s deliverance firsthand in China. Holding a home-based Bible study could and did result in arrests, but not for me. Glory to God! I have numerous testimonies of failed captures thanks to the Lord’s hand on me.

This morning as I read Psalm 64, the Lord reminded me of how important it is to pray for those who serve the Lord in this evil world. The Psalmist was in the crosshairs of assassins but their plots ultimately failed because of the Lord’s intervention.

The Psalmist prayed to God, saying, “Hear my voice, O God.” He asked God to preserve him from the fear of the enemy. An influencer for faith in God does not want to be silenced by fear. He asked God to hide him “from the secret plots of the wicked” and “from the rebellion of the workers of iniquity.” He compared their tongues to swords and their bitter words to arrows. “They shoot in secret at the blameless.” Like hunters in camouflage! Like stabbers in the back! “They talk of laying snares secretly.” They delight in a “perfect shrewd scheme.” [1]

The Lord says, “they lie in wait for their own blood.” [2]

The Psalmist was confident of the Lord’s deliverance. He declared, “God shall shoot at them with an arrow.” “He will make them stumble over their own tongue.” “Suddenly they shall be wounded. All who see them shall flee away.” The greater outcome will be that “All men shall fear and shall declare the work of God.” “They shall wisely consider His doing. The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and trust in Him. And all the upright in heart shall glory.” [3]

Mordecai overheard two men plotting to assassinate his king and notified the authorities about it. The king’s life was preserved, and the two assassins executed. David inquired of the Lord to reveal to him the plans of King Saul against him. The Lord led David to safety. The Lord revealed the plans of evil men to slay Jeremiah and Paul so that they escaped from them. [4]

The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” [5]

Yes, being a servant of the Lord involves danger but also great blessings.

The Psalmist said, “For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined. You brought us into the net; You laid affliction on our backs. You have caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; but You brought us out to rich fulfillment.” [6]

Standing up and speaking for God exposes the kind of metal we are made of, especially when or if we suffer attacks from evil people as a result. But the Lord is no man’s debtor. The Psalmist testifies that the “Lord brought us out to rich fulfillment.”

God promises in His Word to “Surely, scorn the scornful but give grace to the humble.” [7]

One messenger told his persecutors, “Don’t threaten me with heaven.” Paul wrote, “For if we have been united together in the likeness of His [Christ’s] death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.” [8]

Let us yield ourselves to serve the Lord and pray for our brothers and sisters around the world that are doing the same.

Paul wrote, “Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.” [9]

Serving the Lord is better than serving sin. Paul commended the Christians in Rome for serving the Lord. He wrote, “God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” Paul often introduced himself to others as a slave of the Lord. He was happy be bound to the Lord rather than addicted to sin. He urged his readers to present their members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.” [10]

Paul asked them, “What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.” [11]

What did the angels sing to the shepherds the night that Jesus was born? They sang, “Peace on earth, goodwill towards men.” [12] We, who serve the Lord, have a higher government to serve than the ones here on earth, so let us put our hand to the plow for peace and goodwill among all people, and let us pray for leaders and other servants who are working for the same results.

[1] Psalm 64:1-6
[2] Proverbs 1:18
[3] Psalm 64:7-10
[4] 1 Samuel 23:9-11, Esther 6:2, Jeremiah 20:10, Acts 23:16-22
[5] Proverbs 3:5-6
[6] Psalm 66:10-12
[7] Proverbs 3:34
[8] Romans 6:5
[9] Romans 6:12-13
[10] Romans 6:17-19
[11] Romans 6:20-22
[12] Luke 2:14

From Foulest Sinners to Finest Saints

Along the east coast of the US, some people say, “No one wants to see the Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore.” Why? Because he covers the big storms. His presence means the oncoming hurricane will do much damage. His presence also represents care. Care for the well-being of those in the pathway of the storm!

“Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said to him...” [1]

David had sinned. He had a valiant and noble soldier named Uriah put to death after he committed adultery with his wife. After that sin, four of his sons died prematurely. His sin gave great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. His sin displeased the Lord. [2]

The Lord sent His servant Nathan to hold David accountable for his sin and to prophesy to him what was going to transpire as a result of his sin. Sin yields curses. What is true in this regard for individuals is also true for nations. [3]

Thankfully, David responded well to God’s prophet. David said to Nathan, “’I have sinned against the Lord.’ And Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.’” [4]

Nathan prophesied to David that he would pay four times over for his sin. He had one man’s son, namely Uriah, put to death. David lost the baby of Bathsheba, Ammon, Adonijah and Absalom – four sons. Those losses were extremely painful for David.

But in wrath God remembered mercy. Bathsheba bore David a second son. The Lord gave His prophet Nathan a name for Bathsheba’s second son. It was Jedidiah, meaning, “Beloved of the Lord.” Also, God gave David’s army a victory over the Ammonites that yielded a beautiful gold crown with jewels for him, and spoils in abundance for his nation. [5]

Praise God for His mercy! If we are honest, we will admit that we too have sinned in many ways. It is easy to identify the failures of others, but the truth is, we have all failed God and others.

God also sends goods news to us through His prophetic writers. His servant Paul wrote, “When we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” [6]

I have heard some say, “I will wait until I get right with God and then, I will go to church.” To me, that’s like saying, “I will wait until I get well and then, I will go to the doctor.” No, run to the Lord the moment His Spirit is convicting you of sin and ask His forgiveness. With His forgiveness comes His Holy Spirit who transforms us and helps us to be more like Jesus.

The Lord says that as Adam’s sin defiled the human race, the grace of Christ purifies us.

“For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.” “For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” [7]

God has more grace than we have sin but we must believe in His Son to receive from God.

“Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” [8]

Sin separates. God’s grace Christ Jesus brings us together.

Thank God for sending His prophets to convict us of sin. Thank God for sending His prophets to remind us of His grace, forgiveness and love. The Bible is a story of human failures but of God’s great love for us. By His grace in Christ Jesus, God transforms the world’s foulest sinners into His finest saints.

[1] 2 Samuel 12:1
[2] 2 Samuel 12:6, 9, 11, 14; 11:27
[3] Jeremiah 18:7-10
[4] 2 Samuel 12:13
[5] 2 Samuel 12:24-31
[6] Romans 5:6-10
[7] Romans 5:15, 17
[8] Romans 5:20-21

Who Has Believed Our Report

“Although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: ‘Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’” [1]

Do you believe Isaiah’s report? Do you believe that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and your sin as well? Jesus is One that Isaiah spoke of in Isaiah chapter 53.

The Bible says that among the rulers many believed in Jesus, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” [2]

Many rulers believed in Jesus but would not confess Him due to fear of what identification with Jesus would do to their poll numbers. The Pharisees were extremely effective at destroying the popularity of people they opposed.

Jesus cried out, saying, that whosoever believed in Him believed in Him [God] who sent Him. Jesus declared Himself the light of the world. The dispeller of darkness! The command He had from the Father was and is everlasting life. His brings people to God. [3]

Who has believed our report?

Abraham believed God’s report. The Scripture says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness.” Did you catch that? God gave Abraham credit for believing in Him. He placed righteousness in Abraham’s account as a gift because Abraham believed His Word. [4]

Ouch! This cut out the middlemen’s take. Pharisees erroneously project themselves to be the middlemen so they can take what belongs to God and enjoy it for themselves. They are like Hophni and Phinehas, the wicked sons of High Priest Eli in this regard. [5]

Abraham believed that God justifies the ungodly, and God credited Abraham’s faith to him as righteousness. David also believed in God this way. “David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works.” [6]

A ceremony did not make Abraham righteous. The Lord did! The Old Testament ceremony of circumcision has a similar relevance as the New Testament ceremony of baptism. Both ceremonies testify to the recipients faith in God. God is the Savior of the believer. Believers demonstrate their faith in God by being baptized in His Name.

“How then was it [righteousness] credited? While he [Abraham] was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. He received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also.” [7]

God imputes righteousness to those who believe in Him. Righteousness “is of faith that it might be according to [God’s] grace.” Righteousness by God’s grace makes His promise sure to all of us who believe in Him. Thus, Abraham is called the father of all us who in believe God. [8]

The faith that Abraham had in God was more than an intellectual nod. The Scripture says that Abaham “believed God gives life to the dead.” He believed that God “calls those things which do not exist as though they did.” “Contrary to hope, in hope he believed God so that he became the father of many nations.” [9]

To be a father of many nations we must have the faith of Abraham. To help people of other nations to believe in God (the great commission), we must have the faith of Abraham. The faith that births new believers in Christ needs to be in us. Paul said that faith is revealed from faith to faith. The Scripture says that Abraham was fully convinced that what God had promised He was also able to perform. [10] This is the kind of faith in God that helps others to believe in God.

Abraham was strengthened in faith as he gave glory to God. [11] God is the source and object of our faith. Let us receive from God so that we may give what only God can give to others, namely faith in Christ!

Righteousness from God was imputed to Abraham and “it is imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead.” Jesus “was delivered up because of our offenses and He was raised because of our justification.” [12] This is the Gospel.

Do you believe this report? I do. “Dear Lord Jesus, please help us to lead others to believe in You!”

[1] John 12:37-38
[2] John 12:42-43
[3] John 12:44-50
[4] Romans 4:3
[5] 1 Samuel 2:12-16
[6] Romans 4:5-6
[7] Romans 4:10-11
[8] Romans 4:16-17
[9] Romans 4:17-18
[10] Romans 1:17, 4:21
[11] Romans 4:20
[12] Romans 4:23-25

Are We Better than They – Not at All

David had recently finished building a house for himself. “The Lord had given him rest from his enemies all around.” He told Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains.” Nathan encouraged him. [1]

However, that night the Word of the Lord came to Nathan. Think about that! How many of us have desired that somebody higher up the leadership chain than us would come to us? When God’s Word comes to you or me that is JESUS, King of kings and Lord of lords coming to us. Jesus is the Word of God. “For You have magnified Your Word above all Your Name.” [2] So, as you read Scripture, as a verse comes to your mind, or as you hear someone quote it, you just had the highest of all highest come to you. That’s pretty awesome!

“It happened that night that the Word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, ‘Go and tell My servant David, thus says the Lord...’” [3] God spoke to Nathan. God gave Nathan a word to share with someone else. What a wonderful gift! What a blessing!

Part of God’s Word to David was a reminder of who is providing for who. “I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel.” God conquered his enemies. God made David’s name great. God made him king. Was David going to house God? [4]

Not to minimize those who build and sustain houses of worship for God. I thank God for people who give to local churches to ensure that their community has a lighthouse from God. But let us always give the glory to GOD.

God’s servant Nathan had a prophetic word for David. A descendant of his would have an everlasting kingdom. The Lord said, “I will be His Father, and He shall be My Son.” [5] In the Gospels, Jesus continuously speaks of Himself as God’s Son and of God as His Father. In doing so, Jesus was declaring Himself to be the fulfillment of Nathan’s prophetic word.

David said to the Lord, “For Your Word’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them.” “You are great, O Lord God. There is none like You. There no God besides You.” “Let Your Name be magnified forever!” “You are God, and Your Words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant.” [6]

David believed God’s Word. Therefore, he had joy to praise and serve Him. He knew that God was the source of blessing so he prayed to God often. He wrote, “As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice. Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” [7]

David loved the Word of the Lord because it fed his soul peace. “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His Word), in God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?” [8]

David’s son, Solomon also gloried in God’s Word. He wrote, “Every Word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.” [9]

The Lord helped Sherry and me set good priorities for our marriage early on via His Word. “Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die): Remove falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches — feed me with the food allotted to me; lest I be full and deny You, and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or lest I be poor and steal and profane the Name of my God.” [10] Through His Word, He has kept us chasing after Him rather than after the wind.

God made David great through His Word. Paul asks us a question. “What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God.” [11]

The Jews got God’s Word! What a blessing! They did not earn or deserve it, just as we don’t. It is a gift that God speaks to us through His Word. God speaks to and through broken people so that the listeners will know that the power is of God and not of the person.

Paul asks his readers, “ What then? Are we [Christians] better than they [the Jews]? Not at all. ...all are under sin.” “There is none righteous, no, not one.” “All are unprofitable.” [12]

There is one source of righteousness for all humanity: GOD. The righteousness of God is imputed and imparted to us through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the propitiator of our sin by His blood. God is just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Where is boasting then? Only in God via faith in Jesus Christ! Wisdom is of God, righteousness is of God, profitableness is of God, salvation is of God, and eternal life is of God. Not of us! To God be all glory! [13]

[1] 2 Samuel 7:1-3
[2] Psalm 138:2
[3] 2 Samuel 7:4-5
[4] 2 Samuel 7:6-11
[5] 2 Samuel 7:12-14
[6] 2 Samuel 7:21-23, 26, 28
[7] Psalm 55:16-17, 22
[8] Psalm 56:3-4
[9] Proverbs 30:5
[10] Proverbs 30:7-9
[11] Romans 3:1-2
[12] Romans 3:9-10, 12
[13] Romans 3:22-26

What Happens When We Repent

From the potter’s house to the potter’s field and then, to the court of the Lord. The Lord led Jeremiah to take the elders and priests of Jerusalem on a guided tour. He took them to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, also known as Tophet. [1]

There, he said to them among other things, “You have filled this place with the blood of innocents.” By “the blood of innocents” he was referring to the sacrifices of infants that they made to false gods. He said to them, “Therefore behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that this place shall no more be called Tophet or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.” [2] By the way, Tophet is a reference to the drums that they would play to drown out the cries of the babies as they burned to death in the fires.

The Valley of Slaughter is where their enemies, the Babylonians, set up camp before attacking and destroying the city.

Jeremiah took a flask and shattered it on the ground before the elders and priests as a sign to them of how their lives were about to be shattered and destroyed. “Thus, I will do to this place, says the Lord, and to its inhabitants, and make this city like Tophet.” [3]

As they had burned their infants to idols their bodies would be burned by fire. This burning is echoed in the ovens of the concentration camps of Germany during the 1940’s. But before we wave a finger at the Jews or the Germans, let us consider that another race is being slaughtered under our noses during the 21st Century. About 3,700 per day or 1.37 million per year in the USA! About 115,000 per day or 42 million per year globally. The race consists of babies from the human race.

So, Lord’s Word to those elders and priests in Tophet is relevant for us today.

After speaking to the elders and priests, the Lord led Jeremiah to stand in the court of the Lord’s house and proclaim to all the people doom because they had stiffened their necks so as not to listen to what He had to say. [4]

During New Testament times, the Apostle Peter warned people that God spared not angels who sinned. He sent them to hell. God spared not the ancient world. He sent the flood. God spared not Sodom and Gomorrah. He sent the fire. He wrote, “The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.” “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” [5]

People, we need wisdom. We need God’s grace to help us repent. The Lord says, “Scoffers set a city aflame, but wise men turn away wrath.” The Lord says, “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but happy is he who keeps the Law.” [6] “Lord, please restore righteousness among us!”

“It is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance.” [7] “Lord, please be kind to us in this regard. Bring us to repentance! Bring us to our knees! We don’t want our nation to suffer the same consequences of sin as Jeremiah’s people did.”

What does the Lord do, when we repent? He forgives us. He renews in us a clean heart and a right spirit. He helps us to pray for people. He moves the mountains that we place in His hands. He brings us together. We enjoy togetherness again. Love, joy and peace flow! Innovation happens! Blessings flow! Praise the Lord!

God’s intentions for us our good. “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” [8] God has enough for everyone. We just need to trust Him. He will build us and help us to grow.

[1] Jeremiah 19:1-3
[2] Jeremiah 19:4, 6
[3] Jeremiah 19:10-12
[4] Jeremiah 19:15
[5] 2 Peter 2:4-6, 9-10; 3:9
[6] Proverbs 29:8, 18
[7] Romans 2:4
[8] 1 Timothy 2:3-4

Answering a Question

Years ago, as a young missionary, I was asked to explain why King David did not treat General Joab better. At one point, Joab accused David of loving his enemies (like Absalom his son) while hating his loyal servants (like Joab himself). [1]

I understood why David was angry at Joab for killing his son Absalom. Absalom had stirred up national rebellion and a military coup against his father. David wanted the coup stopped, but he gave specific orders for Absalom not to be harmed. Joab defied David’s orders. Despite protests from his soldiers, Joab killed Absalom. Joab’s lust for revenge on Absalom (Absalom set Joab’s crops on fire) exceeded his loyalty to his king. [2]

Absalom was the second important person to King David that Joab murdered. Joab also murdered Abner for killing his brother Asahel. Abner was the general of King Saul, and he became Saul’s son’s general after Saul died in battle. The northern tribes of Israel followed King Saul’s son Ishbosheth. So, a civil was ensuing, but then Abner, wisely, made peace with David. He agreed to unite all Israel under David. But then, short-sighted Joab, betrayed and murdered Abner. Once again, General Joab placed lust for revenge above what was best for the nation. [3]

The Lord recorded these stories in the Bible to help us understand that the world does not revolve one human being. God created and He sustains the universe. The hero of the Adam’s race is God. Only God can help us to see the big picture. Only God can help anyone do what is best for all involved: Jesus Christ.

The Lord gave David a word about those who serve selfish interests, saying, “Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever, their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names. Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not remain; he is like the beasts that perish.” [4]

The deceiver, the devil, has mastered the art of the bad deal. He gets people to exchange the eternal treasures of God for the fleeting glories and pleasures of the world.

God helped David to see beyond this life and to declare, “God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for He shall receive me.” [5]

The Lord advises us not to be like angry chickens who kill the chicken who got the worm.

“Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, when the glory of his house is increased; for when he dies, he shall carry nothing away; his glory shall not descend after him. Though while he lives, he blesses himself (for men will praise you when you do well for yourself), He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light. A man who is in honor, yet does not understand, is like the beasts that perish.” [6]

Joab’s life did not end well.

I feel for victims and perpetrators of killings. If only the perpetrators had known that someone already made a sacrifice for the injustices in this world. Jesus atoned for the wrong-doings of others and He fills those who believe in Him with His Spirit of love and forgiveness.

The Lord says, “A man burdened with bloodshed will flee into a pit; let no one help him.” [7] So true! So many mass killers kill themselves and go to the pit.

Did anyone ever reach out to them with the love of Christ? They needed to be corrected. Their trajectory was straying from a good path. The Lord says, “He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward than he who flatters with the tongue.” [8]

At the Nuremburg trials, some doctors and lawyers were tried for following the laws of their government even though they hated to do so. Their advocate pointed out to the judges that the US incinerated an estimated 214,000 civilians within minutes with the H-bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Many have died since then from the after effects. Those deaths helped to speed the surrender of Japan and to end the war but were still a very sad loss of lives.

“Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?” [9] How many wars are started and kept going as a backdoor method to pad the pockets of people who already have more than they need?

King David’s son, Solomon, wrote, “The rich man is wise in his own eyes, but the poor who has understanding searches him out.” [10]

I have been with poor people in China who really knew how to socialize and to care for one another. While others were talking about material things and self-glory, they living together as good neighbors. They thanked God for their blessings.

Some rulers are focused like a laser on accumulating wealth and adulation. The Lord says, “A ruler who lacks understanding is a great oppressor, but he who hates covetousness will prolong his days.” [11]

The Apostle Paul had the following message for his listeners, “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.” [12]

Jesus Christ had the same message for His listeners, “Unless you repent, you too will all perish.” [13]

God is merciful to those who repent. “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” [14]

God is able to cleanse and make anew the foulest heart of sinners, if they ask Him to do so as David did, with heartfelt repentance: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.” [15] David had an innocent man killed in a failed attempt to cover up his adulterous affairs with that man’s wife. He was guilty of bloodshed. He repented and the Lord forgave him.

David extolled the value of repentance when he wrote, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise.” [16]

Salvation and redemption is available to everyone in Christ Jesus. Jesus can save us from ending up like Joab. Let us ask the Lord to examine our hearts, to identify for us any wicked ways within us, and to graciously grant us the gift of repentance and renewal by His Spirit. The Lord will continue to enlarge heart of love toward Him and our neighbor.

The good news is: “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” [17] The Lord wants you just as much as the other to be saved and to enjoy being with Him forever.

[1] 2 Samuel 19:4
[2] 2 Samuel 14:29 – 18:14
[3] 2 Samuel 3:6-39
[4] Psalm 49:11-12
[5] Psalm 49:15
[6] Psalm 49:16-20
[7] Proverbs 28:17
[8] Proverbs 28:23
[9] James 4:1
[10] Proverbs 28:11
[11] Proverbs 28:16
[12] Acts 26:20
[13] Luke 13:3
[14] Proverbs 28:13
[15] Psalm 51:10-14
[16] Psalm 51:17
[17] 1 Timoty 2:3-5

Overflowing with a Good Theme (and prayer request for Christians in Nigeria)

God is able to transform the ungodly into the godly. The main ingredient for this transformation to take place is discipleship. By discipleship I mean Jesus Christ training them, and filling them with His Holy Spirit, and sending them as laborers into the harvest fields.

“We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, the deeds You did in their days, in days of old: You drove out the nations with Your hand, but them You planted; You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out.” [1]

The replacement in Canaan of religions that sacrificed children to idols with people who knew the Lord and loved their children was a miracle of divine intervention.

“For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, nor did their own arm save them; but it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, because You favored them. You are my King, O God, command victories for Jacob. Through You we will push down our enemies; through Your Name we will trample those who rise up against us. For I will not trust in my bow, nor shall my sword save me. But You have saved us from our enemies and have put to shame those who hated us. In God we boast all day long and praise Your Name forever. Selah” [2]

“It was Your right hand” – God’s right hand is Jesus. He sits at the right hand of the Father. “The light of Your countenance – Jesus is called the Word of God. The Word is a lamp unto our feet and light unto our path. Jesus is the light of the world. “You favored them” – Jesus is God’s grace or favor towards us. “You are my King” – Jesus is the King of kings and our King. “Through Your Name” – the Name by which we overcome all the works of evil is the Name of Jesus. It was in the Name of Jesus that the disciples cast out evil spirits. Evil spirits cause people to do foolish and harmful things to themselves and others. “You have saved us from our enemies” – Jesus is the Savior. “In God we boast,” “praise Your Name forever” – we testify for Jesus. [3]

The Lord’s disciples often experience trials due to evil. Job suffered unjustly. The prophets and apostles were imprisoned and in some cases martyred for speaking God’s Word. Jesus Christ was crucified. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.” [4]

The Apostle Paul quoted Psalm 44:22 in Romans 8:36, “Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Then, he followed up that unhappy truth with a happy truth, writing, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [5]

Neither Job, nor the prophets, nor the apostles, nor Jesus Christ were conquered by evil. No, they were more than conquerors through Him, GOD, who loved them. This is our hope too as we labor to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

“My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured upon Your lips; therefore, God has blessed You forever.” [6]

It has been said that the pen is mightier than the sword. I have been writing and speaking for the Lord for many years now. I praise God that though I may be bound by particular limitations, God’s Word is not bound. Paul wrote to Timothy saying, “Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the Word of God is not bound.” [7] I praise God that people from around the world are reading what the Lord is giving me. I hope to travel to them in the future. Glory to God!

Jesus Christ is the greatest writer. He is the Word of God. No one can top what He says. His words are altogether sweet and sweeter than honey and the honeycomb. His words are like silver tried in the furnace of the earth seven times purified. [8] When Jesus Christ controls our tongue and our pen, good themes, readiness to write, good compositions, and God’s grace comes forth.

“I will make Your Name to be remembered in all generations; therefore, the people shall praise You forever and ever.” [9] The Name to be remembered, and the Name to praise is Jesus Christ. He is Lord!

In regards to suffering for God’s Word and for the testimony of Jesus Christ, I want to draw your attention to the plight of people in northern Nigeria. “In any given year, the number of Christians killed by extremist groups is rarely less than 4,000 – often more than in the rest of the world combined.” [10]

According to an April 2023 report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, at least 52,250 persecuted Christians have been killed in the past 14 years. During the past 5 years, radicalized Fulani herdsmen have been killing Christians in order to steal their land.

Boko Haram has now been joined by another extremist group operative in the area, called the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). The violence has yielded over 4,000,000 refugees, mostly Christian farmers. Please pray for the Lord’s disciples in Nigeria.

[1] Psalm 44:1-2
[2] Psalm 44:3-8
[3] Hebrews 1:3, 1 Peter 3:22, Acts 2:33, 19:13; John 1:1, 3:16, 8:12; Revelation 17:14, 19:13, 16; Luke 10:17, Matthew 1:21, 12:27; Psalm 119:105, Galatians 6:14
[4] John 15:18
[5] Romans 8:37-39
[6] Psalm 45:1-2
[7] 2 Timothy 2:9
[8] Psalm 12:6, 19:10, 119:103
[9] Psalm 45:17
[10] https://globalchristianrelief.org/christian-persecution/countries/nigeria/

From Spectator To Participant

JESUS!

What a difference You made in my life!

The Apostle Paul’s testimony

From Pharisee to fair-you-see

From punisher to forgiver

From persecutor to proclaimer

From darkness to light

From power of Satan to power of God

From exclusive to inclusive

From “a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion” to a fair-you-see, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the Words of truth and reason.” [1]

From “I punished them often” to “that they may receive forgiveness of sins.” [2]

From “I persecuted them” to “a minister and a witness.” [3]

“To turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God.” [4]

From exclusive, “a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion” to inclusive, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.” [5]

Obedience to the Heavenly Vision

“Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision but declared.. that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.” [6]

Paul experienced the blessing of JESUS lining up his actions with the message of the Gospel and of the holy prophets. Moments when God embodies His Word with my life yields great joy for me.

“ ...having obtained help from God to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come—that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.” [7]

Paul knew the resurrection of Jesus from the dead really happened. Jesus appeared to him. Jesus transformed him from being a doubter to being an assurer. Jesus opened doors for Paul to proclaim the Gospel in many countries. I believe that the Lord Jesus has a rich storehouse that is backed-up with supplies just waiting for that man or that woman of God to say, “Here I am Lord, send me.”

“King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.” “Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You almost persuade me to become a Christian.’ And Paul said, ‘I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.’” [8]

The mission of the missionary is converts. Mouths fed, seats filled and activities accomplished mean nothing if the spectators do not experience the conversion from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to the power of God. They need Jesus! From spectator to participant!

[1] Acts 26:5, 25
[2] Acts 26:11, 18
[3] Acts 26:11, 15-17
[4] Acts 26:18
[5] Acts 26:5, 29
[6] Acts 26:19-20
[7] Acts 26:22-23
[8] Acts 26:27-29

Honoring the Anointed One

David refused to lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed leader though his leader behaved in evil ways toward him and others. David believed that vengeance belongs to the Lord.

The Hebrew word for “Anointed One” is מָשִׁיחַ (mashiach), which also means “Messiah” in English. The Greek Septuagint translates “mashiach” as “Christos” (Χριστός), which is the Greek word for “Anointed One.”

At one point, the anointed leader of Israel, King Saul, brought 3,000 elite solders against David to kill him. King Saul went into a cave to relieve himself. David and his men were in the cave. David secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe, but afterward his heart troubled him. He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.” [1]

Afterwards, David let Saul know what happened. “Look, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’ Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it. Let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you.” [2]

King Saul lifted up his voice and wept. He said to David: “You are more righteous than I; for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil. And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me; for when the Lord delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me. For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? Therefore, may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.” [3]

King Saul’s repentance did not last long. He reverted back to pursuing David.

One night, David and one of his soldiers snuck into King Saul’s camp while they were sleeping. He took a spear and a jug of water without being detected. David’s body guard wanted to kill Saul, but David said to him, “Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?” [4]

David professed, “As the Lord lives, the Lord shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish. The Lord forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed.” [5]

King Saul did eventually perish in a horrible way, but not by the hand of David. David became the king instead of Saul as the Lord promised he would. David had waited on the Lord, and the Lord brought him to throne without him having to resort to violence to overthrow the government.

I have heard egocentric teachers talk about not touching the Lord’s anointed but apply the word “anointed” to themselves. This is a misapplication. We do need to discern between true and false teachers, as the Berean Christians did and as Paul instructed the Corinthian believers to do.

“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” “The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets.” [6]

Does the teacher’s words come from and line up with Scripture? Is his words in line with the words of God’s prophets? The Bible says, “The Spirit of prophecy bears testimony to Jesus.” [7]

Jesus of Nazareth is the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. It is His Name that we should honor. Personality cults and hero worship is idolatry.

When the Corinthians were arguing over who had the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of all time) Christian leader, Paul asked them, “What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task.” [8]

All glory belongs to God and God alone!

Paul explained the growth process, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” [9]

The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord. “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” [10]

The time for following prophets like Moses, Samuel and Elijah, has given way to the time for all God’s people to follow Jesus. He is the One to whom all the prophets give witness. [11] We are to each have a spiritual relationship with Christ.

We should also obey the civil government. “Obey the government, for God is the One who has put it there. There is no government anywhere that God has not placed in power. So those who refuse to obey the law of the land are refusing to obey God, and punishment will follow.” [12]

We should honor our parents. Jesus rebuked the religious leaders in Jerusalem for not honoring their parents. “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ and ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘If a man says to his father or mother, whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban’’ (that is, a gift to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the Word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do.” [13]

Wisdom is to “Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old.” “Let your father and your mother be glad and let her who bore you rejoice.” [14]

We were birthed by particular parents into a particular country. Whether the circumstances are good or not, we need to look to Messiah, Jesus the Christ, and follow His leading. In some cases, rebellious children and rebellious nations have been given good parents and good governments. In other cases, good children and good nations have been given bad parents and bad governments. In each location and in every circumstance, we should serve and honor Christ. Keep testifying for Jesus, and you will avoid being deceived by false teaching.

Stick with honoring God’s Anointed One, Jesus of Nazareth. The Apostle John wrote, “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.” [15] Honor Christ alone!

[1] 1 Samuel 24:4-7
[2] 1 Samuel 24:8-12
[3] 1 Samuel 24:16-20
[4] 1 Samuel 26:7-9
[5] 1 Samuel 26:10-11
[6] Acts 17:11; 1 Corinthians 14:32
[7] Revelation 19:10
[8] 1 Corinthians 3:5
[9] 1 Corinthians 3:6-7
[10] 1 Corinthians 3:11
[11] Acts 10:43; Luke 24:25-27
[12] Romans 13:1-2
[13] Mark 7:9-13
[14] Proverbs 23:22, 25
[15] 2 John 9-11

Blessed is the One who Trusts in the Lord

Blessed is the One who trusts in the Lord! This is true. Though tribulations and unjust treatment may say otherwise, stick with faith in the Lord.

Statisticians say that more mountain climbers die on their way down than on their way up to the mountaintop. For me, being a missionary to the people of Guangzhou and Hong Kong was a mountaintop experience. Returning to America proved to be a more dangerous direction to overcome, but the Lord has helped me.

The Lord Jesus blessed my Bible reading life, my prayer life, my praise life and my love life for Him and others while serving the Lord on the foreign mission field. These were mountaintop experiences. I did not want to return to America, but the Lord brought my family and me back.

I greatly feared that I would lose my close relationship with the Lord. I made a prayer list that I prayed through daily to maintain my prayer life. For eleven weeks, I looked at employment options and concluded that working for The Salvation Army was the best option for me to support my family of six and still maintain my witness for Jesus. That change of direction lasted 23 years. Then, covid struck. At that point, the Lord gave me faith to devote myself solely to ministry of prayer and the Word. Sherry, my wife, was of a similar mindset.

The Lord has graciously and wonderfully sustained us.

I hope that you can identify with my story in some way or form. My goal is to speak from hindsight now about the importance of trusting in the Lord.

If I had believed, “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,” I probably would not have opted to work with The Salvation Army due to doctrinal differences about communion and baptism. Also, I see now, when one’s income depends on donations from a wide spectrum of donors, the ministry tends to become a non-profit ministry in more ways than one, as in becoming a non-prophet ministry – one that dampens people who display too much passion for and talk about JESUS CHRIST, and His Word. I must believe “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.”

The religious leaders of Jerusalem believed, “If we let Him [Jesus] alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.” [1]

They considered Jesus a liability instead of an asset. Actually, the opposite is true. The Romans came and took both their place and nation away in 70 AD after they did not believe in Jesus their Messiah. Many years earlier, the Lord had told the people of Jerusalem through His prophet Jeremiah that if they trusted in Him, kings would bring their wealth into the city, but if they turned from Him unto other gods, kings would take their wealth away.

David trusted in the Lord, and the Lord delivered him from an evil government. King Saul sent as many 3,000 elite soldiers against David, but they failed because the Lord was with David.

Richard Würmbrand testified that when the communists came into Romania, many pastors joined with them for fear of being arrested and tortured due to their faith in God. Well, once the communists solidified their control over Romania, they imprisoned, tortured, exiled and killed those pastors anyway. The difference was that pastors who remained faithful to the Lord, like Würmbrand, had the Lord with them to help them lead many others to Christ even in the communist labor camps. Richard survived the camp, and founded, “The Voice of the Martyrs” ministry in 1967.

King David, a man with a price on his head, wrote, “They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him and delivers them. O, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! O, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.” [2]

Of course, the Lord can provide for His servants. The key is keep one’s face toward the Lord. The Lord has a rich storehouse. He just needs servants who are willing to trust and obey Him. Then, He will resource them. Think! How did the prophets survive? How did the twelve disciples of Jesus and their families survive? How did the early church believers spread the Gospel so far and so deeply? They were blessed because they trusted in the Lord.

“Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, ‘Let the Lord be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.’” [3]

Yes, let us shout for joy and be glad! We can serve the Lord’s righteous causes! We can magnify the Lord! The Lord has pleasure in prospering us as we serve and honor Him.

The Lord has been leading me to pray for my fellow servants of God’s Word. Trust Him! Let us shatter the narratives that oppose and deny faith in God.

The Lord says, “He who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’—as I also have received from My Father.” [4]

Let use the Lord’s rod of iron, His Gospel, to shatter the unbelief that shrouds the nations in darkness and confusion, and then, pick up the pieces via discipleship and remold the new creations into His likeness.

[1] John 11:48
[2] Psalm 34:5-10
[3] Psalm 34:27
[4] Revelation 2:26-27

Inquire of the Lord rather than Limit Him

“Please let my father and mother come here with you, till I know what God will do for me.” [1]

David was in a fluid situation. His king made him out to be a traitor. His king wanted him dead. So, David asked the king of Moab to allow his parents to remain in Moab. David’s father Jesse was the grandson of Ruth the Moabite. “Till I know what God will do for me.” He was relying on God for minute by minute guidance during his ever changing circumstances.

“He brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.” [2]

While on the cross, Jesus said to John, “’Behold your mother!’ And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.” [3] This act of Jesus is another reflection of His connection to David, and to the prophecies that Messiah would come from the line of David. As David provided a safe place for his parents so did Jesus for his mother.

“Now the prophet Gad said to David, ‘Do not stay in the stronghold; depart, and go to the land of Judah.’ So, David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.’” [4]

David relied on prayer and prophesy to navigate escapes from those who sought to arrest and destroy him. While some may frown upon the gift of prophesy, which, by the way, is mentioned in the Gospels, Acts, the Epistles, and Revelation, when needing a miracle from God, they just might appreciate the gift. I know I did when I was a missionary in China.

“Then they told David, saying, ‘Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they are robbing the threshing floors.’ Therefore David inquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I go and attack these Philistines?’ And the Lord said to David, ‘Go and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.’” [5]

Though on the run from his king, David asked the Lord about attacking the Philistines. They were about to loot his nation’s food supply. The Lord gave David the greenlight.

“But David’s men said to him, ‘Look, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more than if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?’ Then David inquired of the Lord once again. And the Lord answered him and said, ‘Arise, go down to Keilah. For I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.’” [6]

Due to the expressions of fear from his men, David doubled back to the Lord and asked the Lord once again for direction. The Lord assured David that he would prevail, and he did.

There are similar stories to David’s in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul was arrested and held in prison. Would he get to preach to crowds again? “The following night the Lord stood by him and said, ‘Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.’” [7] Yes, he would. I am sure that this word from the Lord did cheer him up.

I’m sure David also prayed about the people who wanted to join themselves to him while he was living in a cave. He had nothing to offer them except the overflow of his vibrant relationship with the Lord.

“David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So, when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So, he became captain over them. And there were about 400 men with him.” [8]

God added people to David at a low point in his life. God’s Word reminds us not to limit God. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” [9]

May the Lord bless you as you serve Him!

[1] 1 Samuel 22:3
[2] 1 Samuel 22:4
[3] John 19:27
[4] 1 Samuel 22:5
[5] 1 Samuel 23:1-2
[6] 1 Samuel 23:3-4
[7] Acts 23:11
[8] 1 Samuel 22:1-2