“One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah.’” John 1:40-41 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter). Then, Jesus… found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” John 1:45 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” How do you know me?” says Nathaniel. “Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” And he said to him,…
Category: <span>God’s Psychology</span>
We often add sorrow to our blessings, but we should not because: “The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and He adds no sorrow to it.” Proverbs 10:22 These “blessings” are upon the head of the righteous as spoken in Proverbs 10:6. They are augmented with no “pangs” of grief, no cuttings or wounds. Yes, these “adorings” of God, these deep soul thanksgivings, these praise evokings, are without painful regrets, feelings of deceit, cautions of being cheated, or suspicions of fraud. There is no distortion, violation of rights, or irreverent treatment; as “violence” is on the mouth of those who receive unjust gain. Their mouths are well concealed as their intents are also — but the mouth of the righteous is a well of life, and his lips feed many. Proverbs 10:11 and 21 “The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver.” Proverbs 10:20 So, In John’s gospel we…
They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb! Oh the blood of Jesus — it will never lose it’s power. Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power, are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Would you be free from your burden of sin? There is power in the blood, power in the blood. “Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the Passover. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when…
“All of your days have already been written in God’s book; when you go through a disappointment, don’t stop on that page, stay the course, keep believing; you may be tired discouraged and frustrated, but don’t give up on your future, God is faithful.” Dee dee Gee. Quietly bearing wrongs done to us, we must continue unscathed . Easier said than done, we need desperately to find a way to be quiet. Some lessons on keeping quiet: Proverbs 14:7 All things are adverse to a foolish man; but wise lips are the weapons of discretion. (don’t speak in the heat of anger.) Proverbs 18:13 He that answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame unto him. (do you have all the facts?) Proverbs 14:9 Fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright enjoy acceptance. (Don’t make a joke about sin and rebounding from it.) Proverbs…
God’s handiworks fold up, but He never changes. This we know for sure. “And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but you remain; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.” Hebrews 1:10-12 Many, Christians and non, see this folding, and some see it today: Christopher Lasch has made this observation about our day, “the natural limits of human power and freedom… has become inescapable.” “Younger Americans today are perhaps the first generation to be certain that they are and will be ‘worse off’ than their parents.” “…optimism in progress is doomed.” I am convinced the prophets of doom have to be taken seriously. Maurice…
“The unjust conceives iniquity in his heart, there is no fear of God before his eyes. He is unwilling to see his sins forgiven, or to hate them. The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit, he is unwilling to do good. He devises mischief upon his bed, he walks in a way that is not good, that he may do evil.” Psalm 36:1-4 Lamsa translation . Have you met him? How did it happen to him? Easy, he simply followed the way of a human being. I saw this expression on a person’s sweatshirt: “Be better Human Beings.” Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha… Forgive me for laughing. This person has likely adjusted their soul to our Psalm 36 man: alarm free-living “Consciousness of sin” free-living. “Hatred for sin” free-living. God free-living. Mischief > evil. These do not understand the concept of “weight.” First,…
Some precious friends struggle with failure. Paul, God’s apostle to the Gentiles, learned it — His secret? Contentment. Together with godlikeness, Paul found a sufficiency in God’s grace. He had solved the mystery — to be humbled or to be exalted; to be hungry or to be well fattened. No matter the accompanying, conditioning, determining event, Paul discovered an alternate solar system, with new definitions for success or failure. Frankly, in this configuration, both abasing and abounding are absorbed into the all-defining substance — grace! See Philippians 4:11-12, 1Timothy 6:6, 2 Corinthians 9:8. How could Paul do that? He could manage it because he was filled with God’s Word of grace. In that indoctrination of the Eternal dimension, Paul learned to see harrowing happenings, planned shindigs, random competitions or happiness-determining encounters — all God-initiated, all God-allowed. Why? Because they comprise the tools of God’s forming work as Potter with Clay.…
On Christmas night all Christians sing, to hear the news the angels bring. News of great joy, news of great mirth, news of our merciful King’s birth. Then why should Men on earth be sad, since our Redeemer made us glad; When from our sin He set us free, all for to gain our LIBERTY. When sin departs before His face, then life and health comes in it’s place. Angels and Men with joy may sing, for all to see the newborn King. And out of darkness we have Light, which made the angels sing this night. “Glory to God in highest Heav’n, now and forever more.” Amen! Now and forever more.” Amen! Now and forever more.” Amen! Sussex Carol Leviticus 14:14-17 teaches: “And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of…
On this years Labor Day, I can only think of one laborer; our Merciful Savior. He came in the volume of the book to do the will of His Father. He finished the work that was set before Him, and faced a bloody cross and death. Do any of our “works” compare with His? His was “vicarious.” “performed or suffered by one person as a substitute for another or to the benefit or advantage of another.” Not like working for our families, friends, or government which deserves commendation when we do it, but He stood-in as a substitute for a deeper need, the redemption of our fallen souls. Without His work, a sacrifice which led to His death, all of our works would merit little — a few dollars and perhaps a good night’s rest. Yes, a few hours of peaceful mind often appears inviting, as life offers little rest.…
We scarcely know all that we have been delivered from, fellow believers. James Masterson lists ten “capacities” of the self life, in his book,”The Personality Disorders.” Among these we find the capacity for: spontaneity, one for entitlement: to appropriate experiences of mastery and pleasure and the entitlement to environmental support for these. the power for maintaining self-image, the power for commitment, the power for intimacy, the power for creativity. Masterson sees these as inherent in every man and also there are more listed. The problem that we have with these “capacities” lies in the truth which places them in that part of man which was crucified with Christ. The self. Dr. Stevens teaches in his booklet called, “A Living Faith,” “we may very well have an orthodox faith but not a correct faith. We may have the words of faith but a faith without the tune of grace. We may…