OOPS

Reader, I failed to post the website for last
evening's blog. So sorry, but yesterday was
a day that matched, in some small ways, the
journey of the Israelites as they came to the
Red Sea and the Egyptians showed up. We
experienced one unexpected event after ano-
there, beginning with a car that simply shut
down and would not release the key...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs3fOjJAeZE&t=11s

Will be back in a couple of weeks!!!!

Fear Not

Reader I found a wonderful encouraging video by
Malcolm Smith for those of you who find yourself
intimidated by the news of the day. He is in Ex 14
where the Israelites are between the Red Sea and
Pharaoh's army with no where to turn. Some days
I feel that way! It was the perfect thing for me to
watch as we go into a new adventure.

I will be not be blogging for a couple of weeks.

Our Deeds; Our Motives

Except your righteousness shall exceed the 
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees,
you shall in no case enter the kingdom of
heaven.  Matthew 5:20

The characteristic of a disciple is not that he does good 
things, but that he is good in motive because he has been 
made good by the supernatural grace of God. The only 
thing that exceeds right-doing is right-being. Jesus Christ 
came to put into any man who would let Him a new here-
dity which would exceed the righteousness of the scribes 
and Pharisees. Jesus says--If you are my disciple you 
must be right not only in your living, but your motives, 
in your dreams, in the recesses of your mind. You must 
be so pure in your motives that God Almighty can see 
nothing to censure. Who can stand in the Eternal Light of 
God and have nothing for God to censure? Only the Son 
of God, and Jesus Christ claims that by His Redemption 
He can put into any man His own disposition, and make 
him as unsullied and as simple as a child. The purity 
which God demands is impossible unless I can be remade 
within, and that is what Jesus has undertaken to do by His 
Redemption.

No man can make himself pure by obeying laws. Jesus 
Christ does not give us rules and regulations; His teachings 
are truths that can only be interpreted by the disposition 
He puts in. The great marvel of Jesus Christ's salvation is 
that He alters heredity. He does not alter human nature; 
He alters its mainspring. Oswald Chambers

Reader, if you can grasp this message, it will set you free!

He Is Our Refuge

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present

help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

I once heard the following statement from a simple

old man, and I have never forgotten it: "When God

tests you, it is a good time to test Him by putting

His promises to the test and then claiming from 

Him exactly what your trials have made necessary.

There are two ways of getting out of a trial. One is 

simply to try to get rid of the trial, and then to be 

thankful when it is over. The other is to recognize

the trial as a challenge from God to claim a larger

blessing than we have ever before experienced, and

to accept it with delight as an opportunity of receiv-

ing a greater measure of God's divine grace.

In this way, even the Adversary becomes a help to 

us, and all things that seem to be against us turn out 

to assist us along our way. Surely this is what is 

meant by the words "In all these things we are more 

than conquerors through Him who loved us. Rom 8:37

A B Simpson

Not always OUT of our troubled times,

     And the struggles fierce and grim,

But IN--deeper in--to our sure rest,

     The place of our peace, IN Him.

Annie Johnson Flint

Reader, after I go through deep waters and God

has showed up, it is then I believe His promises. 

Ahhh, to grasp them in the going would be so 

much better. 

It is a Walk

They that wait upon the Lord...shall walk and not
faint. Isaiah 40:31

There is no thrill in walking; it is the test of all the sta-
ble qualities. To :Walk and not faint" is the highest
reach possible for strength. The word "walk" is used
in the Bible to express the character--"John looking
on Jesus as He walked, said, 'Behold the Lamb of
God!'" There is never anything abstract in the Bible,
it is always vivid and real. God does not say--"Be
spiritual," but--"Walk before Me."

When we are in an unhealthy state physically or emo-
tionally, we always want thrills. In the physical domain 
this will lead to counterfeiting the Holy Ghost; in the
emotional life it leads to inordinate affection and the 
destruction of morality; and in the spiritual domain if
we insist on getting thrills, on mounting up with wings,
it will end in the destruction of spirituality.

The reality of God's presence is not dependent on any
place, but only dependent upon the determination to set 
the Lord always before us. Our problems come when 
we refuse to bank on the reality of His presence. The ex-
perience the Psalmist speaks of--"Therefore will we not 
fear, though..." will be ours when one we are based on 
Reality, not the consciousness of God's presence but the 
reality of it--Why, He has been here all the time!

At critical moments it is necessary to ask guidance, but
it ought to be unnecessary to be saying always--"O 
Lord, direct me here, and there." Of course He will! If
our commonsense decisions are not His order, He will
press through them and check; then we must be quiet
and wait for the direction of His presence. 
Oswald Chambers

Reader, I so appreciate the final sentences. God has given
us understanding as to the normal day to day things. He
will let us know if we are getting off the track. Oh, yes,
He will let you know! The second thing I appreciate is
that life is not really a marathon, but a walk.

He Remains

You remain. Hebrews 1:11

There are so many people who sit by their fireplace
all alone! They sit by another chair, once filled, and
cannot restrain the tears that flow. They sit alone so
much, but there is someone who is unseen and just
within reach. But for some reason, they don't realize
His presence. Realizing it is blessed yet quite rare. 
It is dependent upon their mood, their feelings, their
physical condition, and the weather. The rain or thick
fog outside, the lack of sleep and the intense pain, 
seem to affect their mood and blur their vision, so
they do not realize His presence...So recognize the
presence of the Master. He is here, close to you, and
His presence is real. More so, the truth is a presence,
not a thing, a fact, or statement. Some One is present,
and He is a warmhearted Friend and the all-powerful
Lord. This is a joyful truth for weeping hearts every-
where, no matter the reason for the tears, or whatever 
stream their weeping willow is planted beside.
Samuel Dickey Gordon 

Reader, many of you are discouraged, lonely, and close
to despair. But near to you, in you, is a Presence who is
for you, regardless of what you feel, your lack of faith,
your faithlessness. He declares that He will NEVER
leave you nor FORSAKE you. He remains true.

Sow in Tears

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs 
of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying
seed to sow, will return with songs of joy,
carry sheaves with him. Ps 126:5,6

None who loves the Lord does not weep. Weep
with sympathy for sinners, weep with desire for
the glory of God, and weep with eagerness to 
overcome the enemy. Of course, those who have
no heart to please the Lord do not have such ex-
perience. But all whose hearts on the Lord's work
are bound to weep. 

Without a doubt tears are something we must have,
because this world is in great need of much tears 
by which to wash her. Many young believers need
to be nurtured and disciplined with tears. Spiritual
life needs to be maintained with tears. Numerous
sinners need to have the seed of the gospel sown in
their hearts with tears. 

If we shed tears for the work, what will be the out-
come? Do be aware of this, that tears will not be
shed forever, because there is a time for it to cease.
For please note this verse: "Thus saith Jehovah: 
Refrain they voice from weeping, and thine eyes
from tears; for thy work shall be rewarded, saith
Jehovah; and they shall come again from the land 
of the enemy" (Jer 31:16) Watchman Nee

Reader, turn your sorrowing tears into a plea to the
Lord for men and women to be saved. He will save
those tears to pour out upon the hurting sinners, for
He would have none to perish. 

The Line is Obliterated

"Therefore come out from them and be separate,"
says the Lord. "Touch no unclean thing, and I
will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and
you will be my sons and daughters," says the
Lord Almighty. 2 Cor 6:17,18

I do not believe that there is any doctrine more
needed today in the Christian church in America
than the doctrine of separation.

We have lost power because the line between the
church and the world has been almost obliterated.
A good many people profess Christianity, but their
profession does not mean much; the result is that
the world does not know what Christians really
believe.

For every unconverted man that reads the Bible, a
hundred read you and me; and if they see us hand-
in-glove with the ungodly they are not going to
have confidence in our professions...

I believe that the cause of Christ is suffering more
from this one thing than any other ten things put
together. God cannot give us power because we
are allied with the ungodly. The mirth that satisfies
the world will not satisfy the true child of God,
and yet how many of us are just looking to the
world for our pleasure. 
Dwight L Moody 1837-1899

Wow, reader, if it was bad two centuries ago, what
is the condition of the church today? We are adapt-
ing to the world instead of influencing the world. 

His Seal of Ownership

Now it is God who makes both us and you stand
firm in Christ. He appointed us, set his seal of
ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts
as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
1 Corinthians 1:22

Now what is a Christian? He is a man clear of death
and judgement, brought to God, his sins forgiven:
one who has a new nature, who has received the
Holy Ghost, and who has a new place before God
in Christ, of whose body he is a member; one who
knows he is a child of God, an heir of God, and a
joint-heir with Christ; who has nothing but glory
now before him, and is looking for the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ, to take him home to the rest
and glory of the Father's house. It is therefore a
wonderful thing to be a Christian: an unspeakably
blessed thing!  WTP Wolston  1840-1917

Reader, what a description of all God is to us and
all God is giving us! A saved Life from the moment
we exchange our poor sinful life for His! An eternal
life that has no beginning and no end for we are now
IN the eternal Son. He is our dwelling place.

If We are Faithless

If we are faithless, he remains faithful--
for he cannot deny himself. 2 Timothy 2:13

Jesus Christ does not want to be our helper; He wants 
to be our life. He does not want us to work for Him. He 
wants us to let Him do His work through us, using us 
as we use a pencil to write with--better still, using us as 
one of the fingers on His hand.

When our life is not only Christ's but Christ, our life will 
be a winning life; for He cannot fail. And a winning life 
is a fruit-bearing life, a serving life. It is after all only a 
small part of life, and a wholly negative part to overcome; 
we must also bear fruit in character and in service if Christ 
is our life. "He cannot deny himself;" He "came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister." An utterly new kind of
service will be ours now, as we let Christ serve others
through us, using us. And this fruit-bearing and service,
habitual and constant, must all be by faith in Him; our
works are the result of His Life in us, not the condition,
or the secret, or the cause of life. 

The conditions of thus receiving Christ as the fulness of
our life are:

1 Surrender absolutely and unconditionally to Christ as
Master of all that we are and all that we have, telling
God that we are now ready to have His whole will done
in our entire life, at every point, no matter what the cost.

2 Believe God has set us wholly free from the law of sin--
not will to do this, but has done it. Upon this second step,
the quiet act of faith, all now depends. Faith must believe
God in entire absence of any feeling or evidence. For 
God's word is safer, better, and surer than any evidence 
of His word. We are to say, in blind, cold faith if need be,
"I know that my Jesus is meeting al my needs now (even
my need of faith), because His grace is sufficient for me."

And remember that Christ Himself is better than any of 
His blessings: better than the power, or the victory, or the 
service that He grants. Christ creates spiritual power; but
Christ is better than that power. We may have Christ, 
yielding to Him in such completeness and abandonment
of self that is no longer we that live, but Christ that lives
in us. 

Will you thus take Him?  Charles Trumbull 1872-1941

Reader, this concise explanation of what brings victory
in the Christian life, is what changed my Christian life
about 13 years ago. I never want to go back into "oughts"
and "shoulds." There is such a freedom in serving if the
Lord is doing the work--through me! ( and I need to be
reminded periodically. :) )

How Great is Our God!

In the beginning God created the heavens and
the earth.  Genesis 1:1

Reader, I watched a video this week that was
breathtaking. The speaker is Louie Giglio and
the topic is the greatness of God. Giglio takes
us into the far reaches of the universe and then
into the tiniest part of the body--the cells. A
surprise tranfixes at the end of the film. Watch
it, be filled with wonder, and then share it!

http://nortonsafe.search.ask.com/search?chn=1000&cmpgn=vela&ctype=videos&doi=2018-11-5&geo=&guid=1130b45b-9dd8-4e66-840a-4d939e15a3f0&o=APN11957&p2=%5EEQ%5Evela%5E&page=1&prt=nfm&q=How+Great+is+Our+God+with+Louie+Giglio+full+video+YouTube&tpr=sbt&trackId=&ver=8.1.0f230


Chris Tomlin sings How Great is Our God
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKLQ1td3MbE

Surpassing Greatness

I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing 
greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose 
sake I have lost all things.     Philippians 3:8

Are there sorrows that sorely test our heart? Be assured
that our Father intends every one of them to be a road 
for us to Christ; so that we may reach Him and know 
Him in some character of His love and power, that other-
wise our souls had not known. C A Coates

Reader, we are going through this verse in our women's
Bible study and it is so rich. I would encourage you to
spend time pondering Philippians 3:7-10 in the coming
months. Such awesome words!

Where You Stand

...the place you are standing is holy ground.
Exodus 3:5

I was chatting one day with a dear friend who asked me, 
"Have you ever heard about Nat's sandpile?" When I 
answered in the negative he told me this story.

Nat was a building contractor. It so happened that in his 
city was a huge sandpile. To everyone else but Nat it was 
merely an unsightly, worthless sandpile. But Nat had a 
vision about this sandpile. He saw that every truckload he 
sold would bring him a dollar. And when the sandpile was 
gone the leveled ground would make a fine site for a busi-
ness block. So Nat bought the sandpile.

As word spread, many of his friends laughed at the idea
of his buying a worthless sandpile. But soon Nat's vision
began to come true. Week after week he sold sand. Soon 
the sand was gone, the ground leveled off, replaced by
a handsome business block. Before the year was over, 
a good part of the wholesale trade of the city had moved
into that block, and soon after he sold out, making a lot
of money on the enterprise.

Friend, your life may be obscure, untalented, and as 
worthless in your sight as that sandpile. But if you will
treat the spot in everyday life, as holy ground and give
that life to God in consecration, God will make of it 
a beautiful structure enduring for His glory through all 
time and eternity.  James McConkey

Reader, God sees the treasure in each one of us. If we turn
the "sandpile" over to Him, He can make concrete! :)
Or something else that is lasting and valuable to Him and
to us. The place you are standing on right now is "holy
ground."

An Ointment Poured Forth

For we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ.
2 Corinthians 2:15

The savor of the good ointments of Christ may flow
out through the holy lives of His people. Every trait,
every perfection exhibited by Himself in His walk
through this world may be reproduced in those that
are His.

Look, for example, at the precepts and exhortations
of the epistles. Every one of them has been perfectly
exemplified in Christ; and unless this is remembered,
so that they may be associated with Himself as the 
living Word, they will become hard and legal obliga-
tions.

Christ in us, Christ our life, as set forth in Colossians,
is to be followed by the display of Christ through us,
in the power of the Holy Spirit. For this we need to 
be much in His company; for the more we are with
Him, the more we shall be transformed into His like-
ness, and the more certainly will the savor of His
good ointments be spread abroad. And this will be 
a mighty testimony to who He is; for in this case His
name will, through us, be as ointment poured forth;
the sweet savor of the name of Christ will flow forth
from our walk as well as from our words.
Edward Dennett

Reader, have you ever encountered someone who drew
you to themselves just by being there? I remember a
speaker at a conference who so drew me that I was able
to share a quandary with him without fear of being
shamed for speaking to him. He quietly waited on God
and said a few words that filled me with joy. It was ob-
vious that he spent time with His Lord. He honored me.
The next speaker to arrive was very good, but his man-
ner was hurried and harsh in comparison.

Our Inheritance

In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, 
being predestined according to the purpose of 
him who works all things after the counsel of 
his own will.  Ephesians 1:11

We are constantly ensnared by looking at secon-
dary causes--we do not realize God in everything.
Were we more alive to the fact that there is not an 
event which happens to us, from morning to night,
in which the voice of our Father may not be heard,
His hand seen, with what a blessed atmosphere
would surround us! Man and circumstances would
then be received as so many agents and instruments
in our Father's hand; so many ingredients in His
cup for us. Thus would our minds be solemnized,
our spirits calmed, our hearts subdued. 
C A Coates

Wow, reader, I can hardly take it in. "God works all
things after the counsel of his own will." Just this
day, I was blocked from my iPad and Glen spent a
few hours trying to re-connect me. As a Believer,
this has significance and is an opportunity for God.
He works all things for good. What a place to rest
when life falls in, prayers are not answered, plans
are thwarted.  

The Individual

The King's heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs
it like a water-course wherever he pleases.
Proverbs 21:1

God works through persons, through individual souls, 
instead of committees, federated bands, or great organ-
izations. The strongest force on earth is the individual
soul. God conquers some one heart, and through that
heart He pours His purposes like a mighty river.

When men drift away from the Lord, the individual man 
counts but little, and confidence is placed in the majori-
ties, and heavy armies. The Tower of Babel was built by 
a natonal committee, who said, "let us build us a city and 
tower."

But God singled out one man, Abraham, and called him
to be a pilgrim, and the founder of a race of those who
had faith. Napoleon said, "That God was on the side of
the heaviest battalions," but something happened to pre-
vent his words proving true, and that something will in
the end be found to be a Divine touch on someone's 
soul. The history of the world is found in the lives of a
succession of individuals.

The King of Syria marshaled an army to capture the pro-
phet Elisha, but the lone prophet prayed, and the army
went blind, and He led them into Samaria.

Men are forever depending on armies, committees, and
a show of strength; and in the most quiet, simple and 
unexpected way, God gently and secretly inspires some 
one soul who outwits the wise, and carries out God's 
purposes in an undreamed way. G D Watson

Reader, we have no idea just how significant our life is to
God, and what He can do with it. I am sure that Abraham,
Dorcas, Timothy, Job, Jeremiah were unaware of the im-
pact they were having for God. When Abraham died, he
had but two grandchildren! The parents of Moses probably
did not live to see three of their children key leaders in the
Exodus. Maybe his mom thought her son lost to Egyptian
culture and gods. So take heart, the whole is much larger
than the parts we see on a daily basis. I know that I am
encouraged.

Celebrated

"My son," the father said, "you are always with me,
and everything I have is yours. But we had to cele-
brate and be glad, because this brother of yours was
dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."
Luke 15:31-32  

There's a story about a man who dreamed that he went
to a great palace, and was joyfully greeted at the door;
then he went in, and at each successive room he entered,
he was, each time, even more joyfully received. At last
he entered into the presence of a great monarch and was
there received with great acclamation. It is more than
that with the believer in Christ!

The prodigal son entering the Father's house demon-
strates the nature of our salvation. It is not simply for 
my benefit that I am there, but God has delight in having 
me there...Love delights to have me in its company.

If a Christian's need was the measure of Christ's work, 
human joys would be enough--but when divine love is 
the measure--the Father's house and the joys therein are 
the only thing that will satisfy.

It is the Father's good pleasure that His house should 
be filled, therefore, "We had to celebrate and be glad be-
cause this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; 
he was lost and is found." That is why the reception of 
the believer in Christ is so satisfying and completely full 
of joy. Every believer now has a home there. We are dwell-
ing on the joyful gain which is ours at the finish--what we 
are ultimately saved to.  JB Stoney

Reader, this is such a good word for the New Year. So 
many believe that when God looks at them, He frowns!
Nothing can be further from the truth as is depicted in
the story of the prodigal son. He came home in a bro-
ken state, with nothing to offer. But the Father greeted
him with a banquet and celebrated his home-coming.
The Father was full of joy just in having his son back!