But I am afflicted and in pain;
May Your salvation, O God, set me securely on high.
I will praise the name of God with song
And magnify Him with thanksgiving.
And it will please the Lord better than an ox
Or a young bull with horns and hoofs.
The humble have seen it and are glad;
You who seek God, let your heart revive.
For the Lord hears the needy
And does not despise His who are prisoners.
-Psalm 69:29-33
Tag: bible
Neon Haze
Morning, all!! Quick update time. It’s a wonderfully sticky Monday morning here in Houston and as the day slowly lightens, thought I’d let you know what I’ve been up to lately as I sip on my peppermint mocha…
In actuality, this weekend was a nice and calm one, which I appreciated much. Friday night, went with Sammy to a random church’s young adult group meeting, where he was engaged to preach. He was much blessed by God and preached mightily on 2 Samuel 11 and the effects sin has on us. Powerful, convicting and encouraging – God be praised! Saturday, I got many random errands done, then went to Natalie and Andrew’s engagement/wedding party in the afternoon, where it was awesome to celebrate their soon marriage!! Sunday was church and afterwards, I went straight home and did various household chores before finally sitting down and having my dinner of leftover lasagna and a tomato salad. And…with my dinner, watched Return of the King. It’d been far too long. And even more fun was me and Maryanne watched it in sync, so we got to text each other random comments back and forth as we watched. Fun times…just wished we lived closer so we could watch in person!!! Alas. Oh! I also was much engaged in writing yesterday afternoon…got a powerful urge to put a story to paper, even though I am now doubting my literary powers and ability to do the themes of this story justice. I’m about 2200 words in and halfway done, but it is most rough so far and I am unsure whether it will get to where it needs to be. We shall see. I need to fly now, but shall leave you the opening…sorry to be such a tease. Love you all, my friends!!
A window stained, spattered with raindrops and grim in both general aura and appearance. Thunder rumbled in the far off distance and the harsh neon lights glared into the window, through the rain streaked plastic and into the cramped room. The room, mean in appearance and dim lit with a single lamp beside the bed, had a singularly utilitarian appearance. A bed, a sink and a mirror. Nothing more, nothing less. Nothing more was needed. Nothing less was used.
Forever Tilts the Sky
This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to
you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If
we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the
darkness, we lie and do not not practice the truth; but if we walk in
the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with
one another,and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all
sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves
and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make
Him a liar and His word is not in us.
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you
may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the
propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for
those of the whole world. -1 John 1:5-2:2
Such beautiful words, are they not? I could verily quote the whole book of 1 John, such encouraging and comforting words it does contain, but I shall not this morning. Read it for yourselves and be delighted! Have a most beautiful day, dear friends, and be thankful to God for all His most wondrous works. This is the day our Lord God has made – let us rejoice and be glad in it!
So Let It Be Done
I love this passage so much…have faith, my friends, and believe.
So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the
doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and
stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” And when He had
had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then
rejoiced when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with
you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this,
He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you
forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the
sins of any, they have been retained.”
But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when
Jesus came. So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the
Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails,
and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I
will not believe.”
After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them.
Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said,
“Peace be with you.” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger,
and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do
not be unbelieving, but believing.”
Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to Him, “Because you have seen Me, have you
believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”
Offerings
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
Sing the glory of His name;
Make His praise glorious.
Say to God, “How awesome are Your works!
Because of the greatness of Your power
Your enemies will give feigned obedience to You.
All the earth will worship You,
And will sing praises to You;
They will sing praises to Your name.”
Come and see the works of God,
Who is awesome in His deeds
Toward the sons of men.
He turned the sea into dry land;
They passed through the river on foot;
There let us rejoice in Him!
He rules by His might forever;
His eyes keep watch on the nations;
Let not the rebellious exalt themselves.
Bless our God, O peoples,
And sound His praise abroad,
Who keeps us in life
And does not allow our feet to slip.
For You have tried us, O God;
You have refined us as silver is refined.
You brought us into the net;
You laid an oppressive burden upon our loins.
You made men ride over our heads;
We went through fire and water,
Yet
You brought us out into a place of abundance.
I shall come into Your house with burnt offerings;
I shall pay You my vows,
Which my lips uttered
And my mouth spoke when I was in distress.
I shall offer to You burnt offerings of fat beasts,
With the smoke of rams;
I shall make an offering of bulls with male goats.
Come and hear, all who fear God,
And I will tell of what He has done for my soul.
I cried to Him with my mouth,
And He was extolled with my tongue.
If I regard wickedness in my heart,
The Lord will not hear;
But certainly God has heard;
He has given heed to the voice of my prayer.
Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer
Nor His lovingkindness from me.
Rings
“I love You, O LORD, my strength.”
The LORD is my rock and my
fortress and my deliverer.
My God, my rock, in
whom I take refuge;
My shield and the horn
of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the LORD, who
is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved
from my enemies.
-Psalm 18:1-3
First Fruits
Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I
preached to you, which also you received, in which also you
stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the
word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also
received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day
according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas,
then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than
five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain
until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared
to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all,
as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. For I am
the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle,
because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God
I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain;
but I labored more than all of them, yet not I, but
the grace of God with me. Whether then it was I or they,
so we preach and so you believed…
…Now I say this brethren, that flesh and blood
cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does
the perishable inherit the imperishable.
Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep,
but we will all be changed, in a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet;
for the trumpet will sound, and the dead
will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
For this perishable must put on the imperishable,
and this mortal must put on immortality.
But when this perishable will have put on
the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on
immortality, then will come about the saying
that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory.
O Death, where is your victory, O Death, where is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law;
but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast,
immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
-1 Corinthians 15:1-11,50-58
Very tempted to write all of 1 Corinthians 15. I refrained. What glorious words. What beauty. What truth. Glory be to God, forever and ever. Amen.
A Psalm
O God, You are my God; I shall
seek you earnestly;
my soul thirsts for You, my flesh
yearns for You,
in a dry and weary land where
there is no water.
Thus I have seen You in
the sanctuary,
to see Your power and
Your glory.
Because Your lovingkindness is
better than life,
my lips shall praise You.
So I will bless You as long as
I live;
I will lift up my hands in
Your name.
My soul is satisfied as with
marrow and fatness,
and my mouth offers praises
with joyful lips.
When I remember You on
my bed,
I meditate on You in
the night watches,
for You have been my help,
and in the shadow of Your wings
I sing
for joy.
My soul clings to You;
Your right hand upholds me.
But those who seek my life to destroy it,
will go into the depths of the earth.
They will be delivered over to the power
of the sword; they will be a prey for foxes.
But the king will rejoice
in God;
everyone who swears by Him
will glory,
for the mouths of those who speak lies
will be stopped.
Praise the Lord!
I Carry the Banner
Praise the LORD!
For it is good and pleasant to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant and praise is becoming.
The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
He gathers the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He counts the number of the stars;
He gives names to all of them.
Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
His understanding is infinite.
The LORD supports the afflicted;
He brings down the wicked to the ground.
Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
Sing praises to our God on the lyre,
who covers the heavens with clouds,
who provides rain for the earth,
who makes grass to grow on the mountains.
He gives to the beast its food
and to the young ravens which cry.
He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.
The LORD favors those who fear Him,
those who wait for His lovingkindness.
Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
-Psalm 147:1-12
Awesomeness. Praise the Lord.
Slaves
A few quick thoughts. I really should be moving on soon, as it’s almost one o’clock and I’m still here at coffeeshop! But I haven’t quite finished my Earl Grey yet, and I did want to write a few words.
I’ve been tasked with leading the bible study for community group this coming Tuesday. I’m woefully behind schedule on prepping for it, so this morning dove into the text a bit. John 8:48-59. Beautifully awesome passage, with Jesus(per usual!) not holding back any punches. As I looked into my text, I spent a bit of time on the verses previous, and they just struck me. Jesus was oh so clear as He preached to all that there are only two types of people in this world. Those who are slaves to sin and children of the devil. And those who are free in Christ and followers of God. Sometimes I think we can too easily fall into the trap of thinking there’s a neutral zone in this world. A set of people who don’t really fall into one category or the other, people who aren’t Christ-followers, but still basically good people.
And yet, Christ makes it clear that those who do not understand and do the words of God are those who are of their father the devil. Just consider this, as much as we live in a physical world surrounded by lots of ‘nice’ people…we so often barely grasp the enormity of the spiritual war raging around us. We must love all people, of that there is no question. We must love the lost as Jesus did. But we must also recognize that the lost are also currently children of the devil and slaves to sin. And that thought must make us shudder – how much more should we hold up high the banner of light? How much more should we be willing and eager to proclaim our allegiance to our Father, the ruler of the universe and Father of Light? We should not be hesitant to challenge those who do not follow Christ.
This age we are in is an age of diversity and an age of acceptance and an age where there are no lines in the sand because all is acceptable and all is tolerable and all is good. This is an age where everyone does what is right in their own eyes. The predominant religion in this western world is the ancient religion of humanism – where we worship the desires of the flesh and the high places of this world and the creeds of our own devising. As long as we don’t harm others, many say – all is acceptable, all is praiseworthy. This is an age where we worship ourself as the one true god. This is an age ruled by the devil himself.
Let us remember that and let us shudder. And let us be humble before the Lord our God, the true ruler of the ages. Let us kneel before our Father in deepest prayer and most sincere adoration. Let us follow Christ every moment of our lives. We are in a war, a war to the death. And we know that Christ will triumph victorious. But now, we fight. We fight with the very strength of Christ, because He lives. And His Spirit is with us. And, we fight. Let us hold firm to the word of God and remember the deeds of the Lord. He is with us, forever and always. And we fight.
