I Thirst

'As the deer panteth after the water brooks, so panteth
my soul after thee, O God.
My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God...
(Ps 42: 1,2 KJV)

When Jesus hung on the cross and His thirst became
unbearable, He cried out,
'I thirst.'

We live in a dry and thirsty land spiritually--
'If any man thirst, let him come to me...'

John Monsell penned these words in the 19th century

'I hunger and I thirst;
Jesus my manna be;
Ye living waters, burst
Out of the rock for me.

Thou true life-givng vine,
Let me Thy sweetness prove;
Renew my life with Thine,
Refresh my soul with love.

For still the desert lies
My thirsting soul before;
O living waters rise
Within me evermore.'

O Reader, do you thirst for God? Is He the focus of
your deepest desire? Come to Him. He will not only
quench your thirst, but, 'out of your inner being will
flow rivers of living water.'

Thirsty?

'Now on the last day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried
saying, "If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink.
He that believeth on me, out of him shall flow rivers of
living water."' John 7:37-39

These two verses are pregnant with possibilities. I cannot
cover them in one blog. I have no idea where this will go.
Hearing from God is always somewhat of an adventure!

'If any man thirsts...'

Jesus sets up the picture. Israel was a desert area where
water was precious and often drawn from a well. It took
effort to quench thirst. People knew what it was like to
be thirsty.

'...let him come to me and drink.'

He was saying, 'You know what it is like to be physically
thirsty, but I am not talking of the physical, but of some-
thing much deeper. I am speaking of the spiritual.'

Reader, there is a big IF in this verse. People generally do not
drink unless they are thirsty. Do you remember a time when
you were terribly thirsty and someone handed you a cool glass
of fresh water? You can see where I am going with this. If you
are really thirsty deep inside and Jesus offers you a cool drink,
you will drink deeply, If you are not spiritually thirsty, you will
not drink. Spiritually thirsty people may look in all the wrong
places before discovering that only in Christ can thirst be
quenched.

The Surrendered Life

'I have been crucified with Christ'
            Galatians 2:20

'Are we willing to surrender our grasp on all that we
possess, our desires, and everything else in our lives?
Are we ready to be identified with the death of 
Jesus Christ? Make a determination to go on through
the crises surrendering all that you have and all that
you are to Him. And God will then equip you to do 
all that he requires of you.' (OC)

Reader, It is so easy to surrender when the sun is
shining and everything is going smoothly, but how
do you respond when life crashes in? Do you push
and pull to make things better? Do you go after the
devil? Or, do you by faith, stop and surrender to
Him all that is in that moment. It has nothing to do
with your emotions. It is a choice. 

The Bethlehem Star

Because of technology, we can go back through the centuries
and see where the constellations, stars and planets were at
that time. The Star of Bethlehem was seen twice by the
Wise Men. The star appeared when they were in the east
and again after they inquired of Herod. It appeared each
time in the Lion Constellation. This past year this same
configuration of Jupiter and Venus have appeared twice
together in the constellation now called Leo the Lion. These
two planets have not been together in this constellation for
the past two thousand years! However, right now Venus is
rapidly closing in on Jupiter who is still in Leo--otherwise
known as Judah--the Lion. They will come so close that it
will look to us as if they are touching--but only for a brief
time; they are so close to the horizon as the sun goes down
that they might not be visible unless the sky is a very clear.
It is a visible picture of the Bride of Christ coming to her
Bridegroom, Jesus. I have to add this tidbit. Also in the
picture is the planet Mercury, the messenger planet who is
traveling just ahead of the Bethlehem star. God is saying to
us, 'heads up, pay attention.'

We are told that,
when all these things begin to come upon the earth that we 
are to look up. Why? Because our salvation draws near.
If you read the verses before this verse in Matthew 24, it
reads like a modern newspaper.

Reader, As I read through the Epistles I see that Paul, Peter
and John were all looking for the coming of the Lord. There
was not a generation who had to live without hope. So neat
of God! Many Theologians today believe that we are the
last generation. How then should we live?

"According to his divine power hath given unto us all 
things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the 
knowledge of him that has called us to glory and virtue..." 
2 Peter 1:3,4

'Hope deferred maketh the heart sick, but when the desire
cometh, it is a tree of life.' Proverbs 13:12

Don't Pray?

'But the more they were oppressed, the more they 
multiplied and the more they spread abroad.' 
Exodus 1:12

An article in the Jerusalem Post caught my eye. One
Christian woman from the Middle East had this to say
regarding persecution:

'We are not afraid or worried that the persecution will
increase. We are just feeling that this is God's time.
God is working perfectly now in the Middle East.
Even with all these crazy stuff happening, God is really
working now. The persecution of their fellow members
of the faith only caused them to grow stronger. Don't
pray for the persecution to be stopped. 

But pray for the Christians there, for their boldness,
their faith, their encouragement, and that they can all
be witnesses for God's work and for God.'

Reader, does this not amaze you? The Chinese church
was also birthed out of persecution. When we traveled
overseas we met members of the persecuted church.
Their love, generosity, and faith in God truly surprised
and blessed us. But, please, pray for the suffering
church daily.

Go to 'Persecution' for more information
https://www.persecution.com

An Exciting Time

Most early church Fathers believed in the following: the
apostasy, rapture, the anti-christ, building of the third temple,
great tribulation, the second coming, and the Millennium.
What did they believe about the timing? They tied it into the
six day creation with each day equal to 1,000 years. We live
at the end of 6,000 years.

The Jews were scattered in 135 AD and were not regathered
to become a nation until 1948. This is no light thing, has never
happened, but was predicted in Isaiah 66:8.

God likens Israel to a fig tree. Jesus told his disciples that the
generation which saw the fig tree blossom would still be alive
at the end of the age. Moses nailed down a generation in Ps 90
to 70 or 80 years. It has been 68 years.

Right now two things are happening in the church in regards
to prophecy: it is completely ignored or there is heated
disagreement.

Now that is the introduction of the blog today!

In Genesis God said on the fourth day: 'Let there be lights
in the expanse of the heavens...let them be for signs and for
seasons, for days and for years.'

Ps 19 is a beautiful psalm that declares God's glory and talks
about how so much can be seen, and understood by watching
the night sky. Before technology men spent their evenings
watching the heavens above them. They could identify the
major constellations and read the stories God placed there.
The Wise Men were watching for the star that would proclaim
the King's birth. In the past year or so the 'Bethlehem sign' has
appeared in the sky twice, and is about to appear for the third
time.

You see, reader, for a few months now a story has been
unfolding above our heads. By the weekend these particular
celestial signs will no longer be there. The following video
gives a beautiful presentation of what is coming together in
the heavens right now!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks91FKXdJaw

Worship

'As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow 
to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.'
Romans 14:11

'O Jesus, King most wonderful,
Thou Conqueror renowned,
Thou sweetness most ineffable,
In whom all joys are found!

When once Thou visitest the heart,
Then truth begins to shine,
Then earthly vanities depart,
Then kindles love divine.

O Jesus, light of all below,
Thous Fount of Life and fire,
Surpassing all the joys we know,
And all we can desire,--

May every heart confess Thy name,
and ever Thee adore,
And, seeking Thee, itself inflame
To seek Thee more and more.

Thee may our tongues forever bless;
Thee may we love alone,
And ever in our lives express
The image of Thine own.
Latin (11th Century)
Tr. E Caswall (1814-78)

Reader, I find it so interesting that something
so beautiful and so scriptural has come out of
the so called 'dark ages.' Maybe we are living
in the dark ages...

Steady As She Goes

'...in much patience, in tribulation, in needs, in distresses...
                         2 Corinthians 6:4

The thing that really testifies for God in the long run
is steady perseverance--even when the work is hidden
from others, as well as the outcome. There is only one
way to live an undefeated life, and that is to live look-
ing unto God for He is 'the author and finisher of our 
faith.'

Reader--there are many challenges but one of the big-
gest is to remain faithful throughout months of dreary
days. My last year of college was such a challenge--
one day after another of disappointments--and God
seemed far away. I stayed in only one verse for two
semesters. It is found in  Hebrews 12.

'...he disciplines us for our good, that we may share 
his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems 
painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the 
peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who 
have been trained by it.'

The following year in grad school was not that easy
either, but I had days full of inexpressible joy! 

John Newton

'Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our 
sins in his own blood...be glory and dominion. 
Rev 1:5,6

Most are familiar with the hymn, 'Amazing Grace.'
But, how many of you have seen this one?

Let us love, and sing, and wonder,
Let us praise the Savior's name!
He has hushed the Law's loud thunder,
He has quenched Mount Sinai's flame;
He has washed us with His blood,
He has brought us nigh to God.

Let us love the Lord who bought us,
Pitied us when enemies,
Called us by His grace, and taught us,
Gave us ears, and gave us eyes:
He has washed us with His blood,
He has brought us nigh to God.

Let us sing, though fierce temptations
Threaten hard to bear us down!
For the Lord, our strong salvation,
Holds in view the conqueror's crown,
He who washed us with His blood,
Soon will bring us home to God.

Let us wonder; grace and justice
Join, and point to mercy's store;
When through grace in Christ our
     trust is,
Justice smiles, and asks no more:
He who washed us with His blood,
Has secured our way to God.

Let us praise, and join the chorus
Of the saints enthroned on high;
Here they trusted Him before us,
Now their praises fill the sky:'
'Thou hast washed us with Thy
     blood;
Thou art worthy, Lamb of God'

John Newton was a slave trader with pity for
none. God snatched him out of the fire, and
set his feet upon and rock and gave him a
new song!

A brief biography of his life:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/pastorsandpreachers/john-newton.html

'Bible Is' Update

I went back to the post I did and realized that I had
introduced the app but did not give the exact words.
Check out,  Bible.Is,  in the app store. Glen and I are
having such a good time listening to Genesis with
the drama thrown in. I listen to the New Testament
during my busy day instead of the TV. I hear things
that I don't remember reading or learning before.
Try it. You will like it!

Not My Own

...your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit within
you, whom you have from God. You are not your
own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify
God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19,20)

Oswald Chambers says: 'Never consider whether or
not you are of use--but always consider that, "You
are not your own--" You are His.'

Reader, "useful" is tangible. It is a measuring rod
of fruitfulness. When I am busy accomplishing
something for Jesus, I feel so good about myself!
But scripture teaches that the works of flesh, doing
things in my own strength, profit nothing, but 'it is
the Spirit that gives life.' (John 6:63) So, I fall back
to what is invisible, and unmeasurable. If He chooses
to put me on the shelf, then on the shelf I must stay
until I hear the word, "Go!"

My Prayer for You

I pray 'that according to the riches of his glory 
he may grant you to be strengthened with power
through his Spirit in your inner being, so that
Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--
that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 
may have strength to comprehend with all the
saints what is the breadth and length and height 
and depth, and to know the love of Christ that
surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled 
with all the fulness of God.'

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly 
that all that we ask or think, according to the power 
at work within us, to him be glory in the church 
and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, 
forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:16-21

The Visible vrs The Invisible

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the 

days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the 

Lord forever. Psalm 23

How easy it is to backslide from truth when the things 

of life cut into us. How hard it is to hold onto the 

invisible when the visible is in your face. How can I 

say, 'Only goodness and loving kindness will pursue 

me all the days of my life,' when my world rocks and

my heart fails me? Ah, my heart fails me. But of 

course, I have taken my eyes off of my Savior and 

placed them on the waves of circumstances.

 'God help me!' 

If I do not immediately return to the foundation of 

truth, I will be swept away by a lie.

One truth is foundational. No matter what God allows

in my life, He is the One who stands at the place of

'joyous bountiful gracious favor towards me' and in 

the 'kindness of His strong affection and tender regard 

for me.' I am loved.

How great is our invisible God!

Feed the Sheep

In John 21 Jesus told Peter to, 'Feed My Sheep.'

What is the Lord's point here? No matter how
young you are in Christ, He has given you
something to share with others. The Lord
wants you to pour out on others what God has
given to you. We think that this task has been
given to the learned, the smart people, the Pastor.
Not so! The River of Life lives within every
Believer, and everyone around us should be
getting wet!

The Bible Is

'So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through
the word of God. Romans' 10:17

I came across the most wonderful app this week!
Ann Graham Lotz has joined with a company that
has put the Bible into 900 languages and also which
gives one the choice of reading, listening, or even
listening with drama. The drama is really dramatic!
It makes the book of Revelation so interesting that
even a child will find it a good listen. Lots of action
figures! Anne has just finished 8 days of asking her
readers to listen to various chapters of the Bible for
30 minutes twice a day. I didn't get in on it until
day 8, but that day hooked me. I actually listened
to the book of Revelation twice in two days. It
takes less than 90 minutes to go through the book.

'Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of
this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and
who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.'
Revelation 1:3

http://www.bible.is
Put the app on your phone, your IPad, your computer,
and let God speak to you through His Word.

My Heart Awakening Cries!

'Daily shall he be praised' 
Psalm 72:15

Are you in a frumpy mood? Good! Because I
have something to share with you today that
will put a song in your heart and wings on
your feet!

When morning gilds the skies,
My heart awakening cries,
'May Jesus Christ be praised!'
Alike at work and prayer
To Jesus I repair:
'May Jesus Christ be praised.!

Be this, when day is past,
Of all my thoughts the last,
'May Jesus Christ be praised!'
The night becomes the day,
When from the heart we say:
'May Jesus Christ be praised'

Does sadness fill my mind
A solace here I find,
'May Jesus Christ be praised!'
When evil thoughts molest,
With this I shield my breast,
'May Jesus Christ be praised!'

To God the Word, on high
The hosts of angels cry,
'May Jesus Christ be praised!'
Let mortals too upraise
Their voice in hymns of praise:
'May Jesus Christ be praised!'

Let earth's wide circle round
In joyful notes resound,
'May Jesus Christ be praised!
Let air and sea and sky,
From depth to height, reply,
'May Jesus Christ be praised!'

Be this, while life is mine,
My canticle divine,
'May Jesus Christ be praised!
Be this the eternal song
Through all the ages long,
'May Jesus Christ be praised!'
German, 19th Century
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_ZjM2WMSJQ

The Pause that Refreshes

So, what's in it for me? That seems to be the bottom line
for modern Christians! Biblical Meditation is a way
to connect with God through His language, His heart,
His Word. The Holy Spirit is eager to give all those
who take the time to search for HIM through His
Word, insights and understanding--and then there are
these specific promises:

Refreshment of spirit
Great fruitfulness
Success in the living, working routine of life

Psalm 1:3
(the one who meditates in God's Word) shall be
like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that
bringeth forth fruit in its season; his leaf also shall
not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Reader, is it not worth 20 minutes of your day to sit
with pen and paper and your Bible open? Put away
your devotionals where someone else has heard
from God, and see what He will say to you personally.
I was introduced to the practice of Biblical Meditation
back in 1982. It has transformed my quiet times and
has brought forth fruitfulness in my life. It connects
me with the Vine from which all Life flows.
I continue to read large chunks of the Bible but the
practice of lingering is the pause that refreshes!

Suggestions for where to start:
Psalm 139; Psalm 23; Psalm 19; John 1; Ephesians 1;
Romans 5,6; 1 John 1-5; Revelations 1-3.

Be Transformed

How can we avoid being conformed to this world?

How can we be transformed?

How can we renew our minds?

These questions rolled around my mind after posting

the last verse in the last blog:

'Do not be conformed to this world,

but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,

that ye may prove what is that good, 

and acceptable

and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1,2)

David says in Psalm one:

'Blessed is the man...whose delight is in the law of 

the Lord: and in his law does meditate day and night.'

Meditation is big in the church today, but the package

comes with an empty mind waiting for someone to fill 

it. That 'someone' is not necessarily our God. No 

David is very specific on what to meditate on and how 

often. Biblical Meditation comes, first of all, with a

delight in God's Word. It is a pleasurable thing to do,

not an ought! It is letting a small portion of scripture--

a verse, a line, fill your thoughts throughout the day.

I read the Bible in basically two ways. I read it in 

large junks, but if something grabs me, I go back to

it and ponder. I have done chapters and even books

one or two verses at a time. For me it is important to

get my thoughts down on paper, read it over, add to it,

 then take the things I'm learning and bring it to mind 

during the day.

Reader, there are huge benefits to taking the time to

wallow in a verse of scripture. That is where I'm

going tomorrow...

To Resist or Surrender?

Back in college I read a small book by this title. It
matched the questions deep within. 'When do I
resist and when do I surrender?' I really didn't want
to look at this too closely. Scripture tells us to obey
and to surrender to God in everything. Frankly, I
often applied the resistance to things I did not like,
things that hurt, things that were straight from the
hand of God whose desires us to be conformed to
His image. He Himself is our shield and nothing can
reach us unless He opens the way: sickness, poverty,
loss, betrayal? YUK! I just want to be happy and
have a worry free life.

What are we then, to resist? The enemy of our souls,
who constantly misrepresents God and accuses us
of failure. Blah, blah, blah.

Peter says:
'Be sober, be vigilant; 
because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, 
walketh about
seeking whom he may devour: 
whom resist 
steadfast in your faith. (2 Peter 5:8,9)

Paul says:
'I beseech you therefore, brethren, 
by the mercies of God, 
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable, unto God 
which is your reasonable service. 
And be not conformed to this world, 
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, 
that ye may prove what is 
that good, and acceptable and perfect will of God. 
(Romans 12: 1,2)

Righteousness In Him

For the past few days and the last couple of blogs,
I have been pondering 2 Corinthians 5:21:

'For he hath made him to be sin
for us,
who knew no sin,
that we might be made
the righteousness of God in him.'

The righteousness of God? Me? Come now, how
can that be true? God can't mean this? Maybe a
mistake in translation? Maybe after I die?

Think of it from this point of view: God, the Holy
God, the Father, made His Son to become sin
for us...What a radical statement! What a radical
outcome!

The phrase, 'he hath been made' is the active voice
in Greek. This means that the act is accomplished
by the subject of the verb, and that what was
accomplished, continues.

God is the subject, and what He accomplished
continues to radically change lives down through
history.

How should we then live?
'Who his own self bare our sins in his own body
on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should
live unto righteousness...'

If we comprehend what God has accomplished for
us, we will live a changed life!

Re-Visit

For He (God) has made Him (His Son) to be sin for 
us, who knew no sin. 2 Cor 5:21

'He was smitten of God and afflicted'
'The Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all'
'It pleased the Lord to bruise Him.'

God initiated and carried it out. Jesus was the
object of His wrath, the 'Isaac' who was bound
to the altar.

Reader, I can't sweep this under the rug with a flip
comment. Nor can I ignore the sovereignty of God
in my own life when bad things come. If we can
only keep our suffering in context with the BIG
picture, we will go from a grumble to genuine praise!

Our greatest need is to have a far greater revelation
                    of our Lord.

The Gift

He made Him who knew no sin
to be sin for us,
so that we might become 
the righteousness
of God in Him. 
2 Corinthians 5:21

Through identification with His death I can be freed 
from sin, and have His very righteousness imparted
as a gift to me. The teaching is not Christ for me
unless I am determined to have Christ formed in me.
(OC)

Reader, the above is one of the most incredible
verses in the Bible. It is an easy read. The first
phrase is comprised of one syllable words, the
second half is also a simple construct. When do
we become the righteousness of God? When we
identify with His death, His righteousness is
imparted to us as a gift. Tell me, when have you
heard this clearly explained to you? Have you
ever heard that salvation is not for you unless it
is your determined desire that Christ be formed
in you? How does this happen? Through letting
go and letting God have His way regardless of
the cost. It cuts across all that I want for myself!

He--
the Creator of all,
the King of kings,
the Lord of Lords,
the Holy One,
became sin...

Sunny

'I am shut in so that I cannot escape.'
Ps 88:8

If all of life were sunshine,
Our face would long to gain
And feel once more upon it
The cooling splash of rain.
Henry Jackson Van Dyke

Reader, I have seen very little of rain in the past
three months--lots of sunshine and highs in the
triple digits. This poem caught my eye. Some of
you are also longing for a cool rainy day!