Nice band from Scandinavia

Kalevala quotes...

Reading the Kalevala for class.  Basically a series of Finish songs, or a long lay.  Here are a couple quotes I found today:


"God starts the race, the Creator determines the finish, not the skill of a human being, by no means the power of a strong man."


"I am not moving by virtue of my own muscles, I am moving by virtue of my Creator's muscles; I am not moving quickly by my own powers, I am moving quickly by the Almighty's power; I am not speaking with my own mouth, I am speaking with God's mouth.  If I have a lovely mouth, God's mouth is lovelier; if my hand is fair, the Creator's hand is fairer."

``Mercy means that you don`t receive the punishment you deserve, but grace means that you do receive the blessings you didn`t earn. This was all paid for when Jesus died on the cross. Jesus didn`t just die for you; He died as you.``
- ``Purity, the New Moral Revolution.` by Kris Vallotton.

The singing God

Zephaniah 3:17 "For the Lord your God is living among you, He is a might savior.  He will take delight in you with gladness.  With his love, he will calm all your fears.   He will rejoice over you with joyful songs."

When we look at the Old Testament it seems easy to look through its pages and pick out the times when God pours His wrath on the wicked people.    We tend to see the Old Testament as a time of God's anger, and the New Testament as that of God's grace and mercy.   But nothing could be further from the truth, as we can see in these few verses in Zephaniah.   

God gives hope to His people who have been in exile, exile brought onto themselves.   God restores his people, and we have one of the most beautiful passages in scriptures, and yet one that is hidden in a little book called Zephaniah. 

"With His love, he will calm all your fears.

He will rejoice over you with joyful songs."

Not only is God willing to take back His people after they have fallen away from him, but He gathers them with His love -- and He sings to them.

God is a singer!   God is a song maker, a singer to the lost, and those that feel far away.   How amazing this is.  We are not the only ones singing praise to God, but He sings joyful songs to us.

Somehow this has been lost in my thinking (or it has never come up before in my mind in the first place), and when we realize that we are a product of the likeness of God, then how could we not think that God sings, and that he sings joyful songs to us?

What a great image.    May we continue to dive into the word and come closer to the singer of our souls, the maker of songs!!

Beowulf (2114-24)

"The Lord disposes

all things on earth

and always will;

foresight, therefore,

and forethought are best,

and mental balance,

since men who inhabit

this weary war-ravaged

world experience

many good things--

and much evil"

1 Peter 4:1-6 Body dying, Spirit living

As we just celebrated Easter weekend, we can still have that vivid picture of Christ hanging on the cross, dying for our sin, and this can also be seen as a way of living for us today.   Not that we start hanging ourselves on a tree with spikes, but the illustration that Jesus was done with sin on the cross because it was His decision, His will to do that for us.   We too need to do the same and be done with sin.

Peter calls the church to not live as 'the pagans do', but to 'live according to God in regard to the spirit' (vs 6).   Peter does also talk about the fact that we are going to have to give an account at judgement time in regard to our actions.   We are not living to fulfill our desires, but to live according to the ways of God.  

That's what makes us different, and sometimes that's what makes life harder.    Peter encourages believers to live a holy life (1 Peter 4:4) and that some people will think us strange.   This is were the Church needs to encourage each other, lift each other up, instead of tearing down.   This is were we are called to encourage each other in our faith because we face the same choices every day .. whether or not to follow the ways of the world, the way of selfishness, or the way of holiness that God has set before us.

1 Peter: 3:18-22 Baptized in Freedom.

Christ died for our sins once and for all ... what a great promise/revelation.   That no longer are we bound by the laws of sin, with no choice of doing what is right, but we are now free from the bonds of sin that easily entangles us.   Peter also uses the flood in Noah's time as an illustration of baptism, how the old and corrupt of that world was washed away, so that Noah and his family could begin anew.    Christ has saved us from the old ways.   We now can have a new life, a new beginning because of what He has done on the cross for us.

This passage also mentions that Christ preached to the spirits in prison whom had rejected the ways of God back in Noah's time.    Jesus was proclaiming his victory over death, that sin no longer has hold over us.   I'm also wondering if he preached redemption to those spirits in prison (3:18-19).    What did he preach?    Peter doesn't tell us in this letter, but his emphasis was on the symbol of baptism, and letting us know that Christ is at God's right hand "with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him."   

Peter tells us that Christ is sitting at God's right hand with authority and power.    What a great hope we have in Christ, but it is real hope, not a hope that is wishful thinking, but a hope that is built on the promises of God, and the knowledge of what God has already done for us.

1 Peter 3:13-17 Know your faith, and live it.

"And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it."

1 Peter 3:15b

These verses are a call for us to be holy in everything we do, to worship Christ as Lord of our life (3:15).   It talks about doing good, so that no one can harm us, and even if they do, we know that God will reward us for our holy living.   A call for us to be ready for an explanation of our faith is also on order.   Always be ready to explain our faith that we have in Christ, and to do it in a gentle and respectful way (3:16) and to keep our conscience clear.

One of the hardest things for some Christians to do is learn how to defend our faith, that is the art of Apologetics, and learning how to deal with questions that people have for us.   We have an amazing faith, an amazing God, and a message of hope to share.   We need to be be ready for those times that will come up were people ask about the faith that we are living.

The bible is our first tool in apologetics, and then reading books that will help us defend our faith.   That is where the local Church need to be a resource in this area.   Our faith should never be blind, but should be with reason, because it is truth.   One thing that might help is to write out a testimony of what God has done in your life, because this is the greatest thing that you can say, and will have a great impact on people who are wondering about the gospel that we hold so dear too.

Be ready and able with the truth, to defend it, and to share it.

1 Peter 3:8-12 The Difference God makes.

These verses are a prime example of the difference that Christ can make in one's life.   When the scriptures tell us to "Don't repay evil for evil.  Don't retaliate with insults when people insult you.  Instead pay them back with a blessing.  That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it."

How different is that from the world's idea?   Or our own, if someone gives you the one figured salute, what do you do in return?  When someone criticizes you, what is your first reaction?   These verses are a call to holiness, and a reminder of our inheritance as a child of God.  Our calling is a higher calling, a higher standard of righteousness.   When we see the world as God sees it, when we realize that the people around us are not going into a better place unless they come to that knowledge of the loving savior, then how we react toward aggression to our faith changes.

In the midst of trial or persecution there are two things that happen:

1) either we grow, are strengthened, made resolute by our faith, or we give in to what the world wants, what Satan loves to see, us get angry and give into temptation.

2) If we give in to anger, the person that is persecuting us will think the gospel full of hypocrisy, and  their view of Christ is that he's is no different from anyone else.   But if we see people as God wants us to see them, and we bless them, not repaying anger for anger, but with the peace of the knowing God, then it opens a door for that individual to see Christ as they have never seen Him before.  They realize that Christ is different, there is love, redemption, and righteousness in this 'Christian' that is speaking to them.  This is when the power of the gospel can impact a life.

This is why we need to take 'loving our neighbor' to heart,especially when it isn't so easy.

1 Peter 3:1-7 Charge for wives and husbands

With wives Peter gives instruction about not worrying about outer beauty versus inner beauty  (vs. 3-4), but the hardest thing he proclaimed was for wives to accept the authority of their husbands ... even if they refuse to obey the Good news. (vs.1-2) .. and Peter says that they will be won over.   The Prayer of a wife to win over her husband is very powerful.    When I look at how my dad received the lord, through the years my mother had to put up with his negativity ... it's inspiring.   I've seen first hand how this has worked.   This is also a warning for women to know the person your about to marry, and to think of where that person is spiritually.

There is also a call for husbands to honor their wives (vs. 7) and Peter reminds them that wifes are an 'equal partner in God's gift of new life'.   This is a radical understanding for the Church to hear back then, and a reminder of the progressiveness of the gospel.   I like it when Peter says "Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered."  Men if your don't treat your wives with the honor she deserves, expect your prayer life to suffer, and your prayers to be hindered!

1 Peter 2:13-25 Endure what you need too

Initially when you read these verses, what comes to mind, at least to me is that Peter is saying for people to stay 'pro quo' don't fight for rights, don't bother changing the 'system' or look for betterment of the social order of things.    Slaves be slaves, I don't care, and authority ... heck don't fight oppression, just stand back and be little pawns in an unfair political system.    After all, Peter wrote this during a time of Jewish uprising against Rome, and just after the temple was burned down because of it.    Was Peter talking about 'crawling back' into your holes, be safe, just do your thing but nothing too radical?  Was he going back to the nature of when he denied Christ 3 times because of the threat of reprisal?

I think there are a few things that we need to learn from Peters gospel:
a) Living for Christ over-rules our political desires.   It overrides our own desire, versus living a holy life.   We don't commit crimes in the name of justice, because that is not the way of Christ.   We need to carry our cross during the hardest of times.

b) This is a call for Christian living, and testimony of Christ in us during times of trouble, whether political, or even as a slave.

c) Even though we are called to respect authorities, check out the call of authorities ... "For the king has sent them (officials) to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right."(vs. 12)   If the king and his officials don't do this, we are mandated to care for the orphans and widows, and to stamp out oppression.

We are called from a biblical standpoint to lift high the voices of the oppressed, but to do so without compromising the message.   For us though, we have to keep an eternal perspective on things, and realize that we do need to carry our cross.   It's a hard thing to do, but its what God has called us too.

God's Possession 1Peter 2:1-12

"Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors.  

Then even if they accuse you of doing

wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and

they will give honor to God when he judges the world."

-1Peter 2:12

These verses are talking about Christ being the 'living' cornerstone of God's temple, and we are living stones in God's temple.   We are also royal priests, and a holy nation, and God's possession as He has called us out of Darkness and into light.

Peter continues a theme that we are foreigners in this world, and in these verses, he lifts up the believer, letting us know that we belong to a different leader, different nation.   What does this do to any sense of nationalism that we may have for our own country?   I think this doesn't eliminate our nationalism, or pride we have in our earthly nation, but this isn't our home.    It's much like when a person becomes a citizen of another country, their loyalties and love change to the new country.   Thousands of people come to Canada because they have to flee their old country because of threats to them, or the living conditions, but immigration isn't so easy, if you want to become a citizen of Canada, you have to show that you can hold down a job, do something to be productive to Canada. It's the same way in a sense when we become a Christian.  We still love our earthly country, but our allegence is to God first, and when we are living for God, we need to be active ... to know that we are holy priests, that we are living stones of God's temple, that what we do in this world should reflect our citizenship with God.

The verse on top of this page is interesting, that our lifestyle, how we live not only gives praise to God in judgement, but the testimony of the people around us about us will give honor to God when he judges the world.  This could man that they will accept Christ because of our testimony also.   It just emphasizes that our lifestyle needs to reflect God's work in us. 

Give me Food ... NOW 1Peter 2:1-3

"Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you 

will grow into a full experience of salvation.  Cry out for this nourishment, now that you 

have had a taste of the Lord's kindness."

(vs. 2-3)

I find that its way to easy to NOT look into God's word, to NOT pray, to let the world and our own desires trump what we need to do to stay pure and growing in our relationship with God.   The 'craving' to grow in God, is partly due to discipline, and our need to better ourselves.   We have had a taste of the goodness of God, what it's like to have God work in our lives .. the Mountain top experience as it were.   But the test of our faith comes when we need to live out that faith, that desire to grow even when we don't necessarily feel that spiritual.

We can do a few things to combat this, whether its accountability with someone else, setting up a routine, or even as these verses mention ... thinking about the kindness of God already in our lives.    Knowing what God has done, and our deep yearning to see him continue to do it.    

2:1 says "So get rid of all evil behavior.  Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech."  All these things change through the transformation that God does in our lives the more we crave his righteousness.

I enjoy the book by Ed Dobson "The Year of Living like Jesus", were he tried his best for one year to live as Jesus would live.   The author even used beads as a way to meditate on God's word, and to help him change his mindset.   Now I'm not suggesting that everyone get prayer beads, but its a great example of someone that craved God's heart.   Changing something in our lives that helps to focus on Christ.

May we have heart that craves after God's righteousness, that longs to follow Christ, that waits anticipation for what God wants to do in our lives.

The Forever People 1Peter 1:17-25

"People are like grass;

their beauty is like a flower in the field.

The grass withers and the flower fades.

But the word of the Lord remains forever."

And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.

1Peter 1:24-25

We are 'Forever People', people who are strangers and foreigners in this land, we are bought and paid for by the ultimate ransom, not by money, but by Christ's blood (vs.18-20), we are slaves to sin no more.    These verses also talk about living in 'reverent fear of Him', of God.   Though we do acknowledge that we His children, there is something wrong to think that we are 'best buds' with God.  We can't loose the fact that there is a judgement coming, and though I believe that if you have Christ as lord and saviour of your life, you are secure in your salvation, but it is a reminder that our faith cannot be an idle faith, but a faith that is active.    We also need to realize that, as it says in vs. 17, God doesn't play favorites.   We are not judged on a scale based on what others have done, but on we ourselves have done with what is given.

I remember watching Oprah one day, quite a few years ago, and she said that she couldn't believe in  a God that  tells us to fear Him.    Yet how can we not have a reverential fear of the maker of worlds, designer of people, and of our salvation.   In the Old testament we have people in awe of God, afraid to show their face to Him, because of his holiness and awesomeness.    Though we are made pure through the blood of Christ, we cannot mistake our salvation for being able to treat our relationship with God like the relationship we have with our everyday friends and family.    Take time to remember the holiness of the Lord, and when we pray, give him the praise He is due.    Also, there is a warning given through the pages of 1Peter, a warning against complacency of our faith.   We need to remember what God has done for us, and live that out through our lives.

When I read 1Peter 1:24-25 I look at the poetic verses (originally Isa. 40:6-8) which I have used on occasion, and then I see what Peter added to it.  That the word that lasts forever is the Good News that was preached to us.    The truth of the Good News, that is what lasts forever.  Because of what Christ has done, we are 'Forever People', people with an eternal destiny with God because of the living word that was preached to us, and that lives in us through the Holy Spirit.   We are strangers and foreigners in this land, like Peter wrote, because of the Good News.   Everything changes for the believer ... our vision, our hope, the way we live our lives, our goals, our perspective on life, all because of the Good News, because of the living Word, Christ has changed us, transformed us.

May we not live in complacency, but in victory, may our vision not be limited to the hopelessness and despair of this world, but be lifted up to the hope, peace, and love of the next.   We are Forever People, people with a destiny.   The greatest thing about the word of God is that we can let people in on this hope we have.   We have limited time to share an eternal hope.

Bilbo would be proud...

Ok, so I have 111 posts up on this blog, and I'm surprised I've made it  this far.   For those that may of stumbled onto this site, here are a few pointers:

• These are all draft posts, done before I head to work in the morning.   Lots of grammar and spelling mistakes will need to be endured.  These are 'thoughts unplugged'.
• These posts are basically guidelines for me, for whatever day it is.   It's a way to get my head straightened out before I head out.   Sometimes there are big ideas, sometimes simple ideas, but either way it's nice to see that God has alot of work to do in me.
• I hope you are blessed by something that is written, and you are encouraged to go to the 'source' and check out God's word.
• Thanks for reading.

Holy Living Batman!! 1Peter 1:13-15

"So you must live as God's obedient children.

Don't slip back into your old ways of living

and satisfy your own desires.  You didn't know any better

then." 1Peter 1:14 NLT

Because of what Christ has done for us, because of the Good news and the work of the Holy Spirit, because of our trust in the salvation of our souls, we are called to holy living.   Why?  Because our hearts are to reflect the heart of God, like the moon reflecting the sun, so we are to reflect the Son of God.

We can be very judgemental of the people in the world who don't know Christ, but the fact is, they don't know the holiness of Christ, except through our lives, and our walk of faith.  Our old ways we were a slave to sin, only Christ has saved us, set us on a new course, a course that needs to be set to the holiness of God.    It is why we try to better ourselves, to read the scriptures, and practice what Christ demonstrated.  Our desires are new, our thoughts are renewed.   Yes we struggle with sin, but we do have a way out, that is found in the holiness of a righteous God.

The Christian life isn't an easy one, but the payoff trumps any struggle we have here.   Our hope isn't built on our desires, but what God desires for me.   What a great God we have, that He takes us out of the sludge of sin that we can find ourselves, takes our hand and lifts us out, cleans us, and then uses us to reflect the same holiness He is.   

1 Peter 1:10-12 Angel Party

"They were told that their messages were not

for themselves, but for you.   And now this Good News 

has been announced to you by those who preached in 

the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.

It is all so wonderful that even the angels are 

eagerly watching these things happen."

1Peter 1:12

Sometimes life doesn't seem THAT exciting, doesn't it?   It's not like everyday events should be written down and then put into a book, because our life is so exciting.   But here we have an account of were even the angels are waiting in anticipation of the Holy Spirit's work in our lives.

We have very much become a society that looks to the television for escapism, or the internet for the latest exciting thing, but the angels are waiting for what the Spirit does in our lives, much more than we are waiting for any Hollywood event.    What's important in the heavenly realm, is not what's important in worldly standards.  So what does this do with how I live today?

• Know that our faith has a great Heritage, and that what we take for granted, is what people have yearned for for thousands of years.   
• Live in anticipation of what God will do in you today.   The angels are waiting, and so should we.   We have the Holy Spirit working in us if we have made that life altering decision to give our lives over to Christ.
• Keep in mind that what we do for Christ here, is celebrated in heaven.   Nothing good gets unnoticed.

Facing the trials 1Peter 1:1-9

"You love him even though you have never seen him.  

Though you do not see him now, you trust him; 

and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.  

The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls."

Peter is lifting up the believers in what is today's Turkey.   Telling them about the salvation of Christ because of his resurrection, and then about the joy we need to have when facing trials, because of our great inheritance in heaven.    It's a motivational speech to those that are suffering, it's a hope to cling to when things look worst.

For the pessimist in us, we look at this and you want to think that Peter is just hoping that by saying positive things that the believers will stick it out.    The promise of a great reward at the end.   It's easy to promise something will come when your not the one supplying the promise.   So what's the difference between what Peter is saying versus what... lets say governments say to people to keep them in line, or what terrorist groups say to their suicide bombers?

Here are some marked differences:

• Peter was there when Christ was crucified, and he saw the risen Saviour .... along with over 500 other people.   This is why at the beginning of this passage, Peter emphasizes "because God raised Jesus from the dead.  Now we live in great expectation."    It's not that Peter came out of nowhere and promised these things, it's that he knew Christ intimately, he knew the truth of Christ, and the power of God.   
• Peter wasn't living in a vacuum, he wasn't having a good time of living out his faith either, there was persecution where he was, not just who he was writing too.   If history is correct, he probably suffered the worst out of the disciples, being crucified upside down on a cross.
• There is nothing earthly in his promise... there isn't a promise of something that doesn't line up with what we know of the hereafter.    It is salvation and the glory of God, not a new camel, or a thousand sheep and lots of women waiting for us, but the promise of the coming of Christ, salvation, and out of reach of change and decay.
• The people he is writing for are suffering, but they already have that joy, that inexpressible joy.   Peter is just lifting up the people for what they are already doing.  

Life isn't a cakewalk, and if it is, then your not angering the enemy enough, because 'carrying our cross' is one of the things that we as believers do.   But I do know that as much as life wants to kick us, there is joy in the Lord that allows us to stand throughout adversity.   We do have a hope, that is beyond this world.  We are foreigners in a strange land, and I look forward to the day when I can meet the Lord, and talk with the maker of my salvation.  What a great and real hope we have in Christ.

The Bitter Stew

*a rough cut of my sermon preached tomorrow*

The Bitter soup
Scripture: Genesis 25:19-34
One day, two monks were walking through the countryside. They were on their way to another village to help bring in the crops. As they walked, they spied an old woman sitting at the edge of a river. She was upset because there was no bridge, and she could not get across on her own.

The first monk kindly offered, “We will carry you across if you would like.”

“Thank you,” she said gratefully, accepting their help.

So the two men joined hands, lifted her between them and carried her across the river. When they got to the other side, they set her down, and she went on her way.

After they had walked another mile or so, the second monk began to complain. “Look at my clothes,” he said. “They are filthy from carrying that woman across the river. And my back still hurts from lifting her. I can feel it getting stiff.” The first monk just smiled and nodded his head.

A few more miles up the road, the second monk griped again, “My back is hurting me so badly, and it is all because we had to carry that silly woman across the river! I cannot go any farther because of the pain.”

The first monk looked down at his partner, now lying on the ground, moaning.

“Have you wondered why I am not complaining?” he asked.

“Your back hurts because you are still carrying the woman. But I set her down five miles ago.”

Dr. Anthony T. Evans, Guiding Your Family in a Misguided World



Genesis 25 - Abraham was the father of Isaac who married Rebekah (Gen. 25:20) and she couldn’t have children, so Isaac prayed for his wife, the Lord answered, and in fact gave them not one son but two.   This was quite unusual and so she asked the Lord what was happening, the Lord said “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the other will serve the younger.”


(Birth of Esau and Jacob)


A) Esau didn’t look at the big picture “What good is the birthright to me?”
The birthright was given to Isaac, by Abraham and given to the eldest son.    The inheritance was a divine appointment by God for the descendants of Abraham, and in turn, the descendants of Isaac, Abrahams son … “I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands my decrees and my laws.

In the Old Testament times, being the first born was a great privilege and responsibility to carry on the family, and to receive the blessings from your father.    Old testament law of primogeniture provided that at least a double share of the father’s property be given to the firstborn son when the father died.

Esau exchanged the inheritance promised to his father, by his father, for a bowl of lentil stew, because he was famished!   For a momentary want!!

“Look, I am about to die,” Esau said, “What good is the birthright to me?” (25:32)

“Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew.  He ate and drank and then got up and left.  So Esau despised his birthright.” (25:34)

Question: Who knew the true value of the inheritance?   Jacob or Esau?
Esau saw the stew, he said “let me have some of that red stew” the Hebrew word meaning Red was Edom…. Esau was red when he was born, and he made a pun saying that he wanted the red stew … meaning that it was meant for him.    But the inheritance he didn’t care for at the time.

Sometimes we treat our inheritance the same way …. We don’t realize how precious it is, other things take precedence.   What inheritance?

Our inheritance:
Heb 9:15 “that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance-now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant (ie.laws of Moses)”

Ephesians 1:11 “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order than we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.  And you also were included in Christ when you heard  the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.   Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession- to the praise of his glory.”

We have an ever lasting inheritance as a child of God.  Once we are marked by the Holy Spirit, once we have made the decision to follow the Lord, we can easily fall into the same trap that Esau did.

“Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.  They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever praised.” (Rom. 1:24-25)   We are tempted to put things before our relationship with the Lord.  Esau was no different.

Beware of the pitfalls in our heart, and the temptations around us that keep us from knowing the truth of salvation.    We have this inheritance, this promise from God, but we only see the now.


B) The Lost Blessing  In Genesis chapter 27 we find Isaac old and blind, and he tells Esau that he would like him to go out to the country and get some fresh game and “Prepare me  the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.” (27:4)

Rebekah who likes Jacob, and thinks that he should have the blessings, tricks Isaac by cooking two young goats, and covering Jacob in Esau’s clothes and covered his hands and neck with goat skins so that when Isaac ate the food and touched Jacob, he would think that it was Esau before him.

Blessing of Jacob
“May God give you of heaven’s dew and of earths richness-
An abundance of grain and new wine.
May nations serve you
And peoples bow down to you.
Be lord over you brothers,
And may the sons of your mother bow down to you.
May those who curse you be cursed
And those who bless you be blessed.”

Listen to Esau’s reaction when Isaac told Esau that he had given his blessing away … “he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, Bless me- me too, my father!” But he (Jacob) said “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessings”

Esau held bitterness in his heart towards his inheritance up to this point.   He really didn’t care to live the way his parents wanted him too, in fact he married two Hittite women which were “a source of grief  to Isaac and Rebekah” (Gen.26:35)

Maybe it was the prophecy that was told at his birth.  Maybe it was the teasing of some people about his red hair, or maybe it was that he couldn’t really understand the importance of the responsibilities of being the eldest son.   Sure he was loved by his father, but he was shunned by his, who liked Jacob better.   For a minute he probably thought that he could get it all back with this blessing.   But Jacob ruined that for him.

It’s easy for us to side with Esau, I mean the moral decision of Jacob and his mother were far from honest.    But then we look at what the bitterness cost Esau.    Esau who at one time didn’t care about his inheritance, about any blessing, dismissed it and gave it away to Jacob in exchange for some stew … a verbal oath that was binding between brothers.

We have choices that we make for ourselves, that we have to deal with.   We get bills for things that we pay for, we have debt for things we want, there is no one to blame for these things but ourselves.  The good and the bad.   When it comes to salvation, we need to put away those things that hinder us in our faith, put away our pride, our bitterness.
When we think about salvation, which is a free gift from God, that he gave to us through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, through no merit of our own, He showed us the way to salvation.    Romans 10: 9-10 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.   For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”


Esau begged for a blessings, his father gave him this one:
“Your dwelling will be
Away from the earth’s richness,
Away from the dew of heaven
Above.
You will live by the sword
And you will serve your brother.
But when you grow restless,
You will throw his yoke
From off your neck.”

Jacob was sent to Paddan Aram to get a wife, because Isaac instructed him to NOT marry a Canaanite woman, Esau went and married a Canaanite woman (Mahalath) (28:6-9) in addition to 2 Hittite women he married earlier.

The legacy of Esau was one of bitterness, and regret.   He was the father of the Edom nation that would later be subdued by Israel.   Esau let his past cloud his future.   He let things keep him from taking the inheritance that was due him.

Ephesians 4:31
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ forgave you.”

Three things we need to do to move on in our relationships.
1) Accept the gift of salvation and forgiveness that Christ offers.
2) Practice Compassion - Part of communication and empathy.
3) Forgiveness … accepting forgiveness of others, and forgiving others are all part of breaking down bitterness  Bitterness is the result of powerlessness in the face of anger.   Something happens and we feel powerless about it.   And then we get angry, and if carried further, it goes into revenge.

You might be like the one monk at the beginning of this message, holding on to bitterness, that keeps you from knowing Christ.    The inheritance is in front of you, the choice is yours.

Genesis 33:4 “But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him.   And they wept.”    God had done something in Esau’s heart to mend his relationship with his brother, even though the consequences of his actions would follow his descendants.

Whatever you have done, whatever you are holding on to that is keeping you from realizing the freedom and the inheritance that is waiting for us you need to allow Christ to break that down.   You have a chance right now to ask the Lord to work in your life, you have a chance that Esau missed.   Don’t be sidetracked by the trappings of this world, but find the freedom that can only come from Christ.

Steps of Christian maturity (1John 2:12-14)

These verses come as John is speaking about the light, and if you live in the light you don't cause one another to stumble.   John uses the dark and light analogy quite a bit in his writings, not only in 1 John, but also the book of John.

In these verses we see John writing to all Christians:

• because your sins were forgiven
• because you know the father

To young believers in the faith:

• who have won their battle with the evil one
• because you are strong
• God's word lives in your hearts

To mature believers:

• Because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning (repeated 2x)

Some people have a tendency to right away expect new Christians to know and accept everything right away.   I remember when I was running a youth center, on of the board members wanted me to teach on Creationism because it was so important.   But the thing was, the teens I was speaking too didn't even have a faith in Christ, or if they did, it was a very basic level faith.   We need to make sure we don't through new Christians into the pool, without having them first learn how to swim.

Here John is speaking the message of light, and of Christ to all types of believers.  Notice that the young believers have knowledge of the basics of the Christian faith -- their sins are forgiven, they know the father, God's word lives in their hearts, and they have won their battle against evil .. they have seen the victory against the evil one.. they know that they are 'saved'.    

Only when we grow into maturity (not age, in faith), is there a knowledge of more theological issues ... like John pointed out .. Christ existed from the beginning.  That's actually quite the statement, because that's all part of the 'trinity' which is hard enough to wrap our heads around.

Now some have become Christians by wrestling with theological issues eg. C.S. Lewis came into faith by having debates and talks with J.R.R. Tolkien, but in most cases that approach won't work, and Lewis and Tolkien were friends long before their theological talks.      

But I think we in the Church need to recognize where people are in their spiritual growth, and what type of 'food' they need in order to nurture that growth, and I think it's important to be conscious of this when we speak to unbelievers for the first time and as we cultivate friendships with them.

Language from the heart

"Don't use foul or abusive language.  Let everything you say be good and helpful,

so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them."

Ephesians 4:29

I don't want to focus on the foul language aspect of this verse, because for most of us in the Christian world, we know this.   But our focus needs to be on letting our words be good and helpful, because if we focus on what we should do, instead of what we shouldn't do, what we shouldn't do won't even be an option.   

I am surprised sometimes how unbelievers cheer when a believer messes up and swears ... especially at a work place.   What we say is born out of the feelings in our heart, and the discipline of the believer.   We need to concentrate, and make a concerted effort to be the voice of encouragement, and helpfulness.   The more we do this, the more of an impact we will have on those that don't believe.

There are some of those in the Christian church that do swear, thinking that this will help bring the Christ message closer to unbelievers, so that in the end the message would reach into their hearts, instead of being a 'stumbling block'.   Unfortunately the message become convoluted and watered down for the sake of compromise.

For me I think the message that is toughest to act on is always being a voice that is an encouragement, instead of sitting on the sidelines.   I need to seize moments of encouragement.   Not only to help those that are having a tough day, but also for the sake of my own heart and witness.   The more we practice being a light, the more the darkness of the world flees from the world, but also the more it is kept back from our own hearts.   

The transforming power of Christ, through the Holy Spirit works not only outside of us, but inside of us.   Thank you Lord!

God's Masterpiece

"God saved you by his grace when you believed,

And you can't take credit for this, it is a gift from 

God.  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, 

so none of us can boast about it.  For we are 

God's masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus,

so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."

Ephesians 2:8

Ephesians 1:11 says that God has chosen us in advance, and He makes everything work according to His plan.  

No matter what rough a day you might be having, or maybe the negative  feelings we may be rolling through, we are God's masterpiece!    Why is this so amazing?   a) because we didn't earn it.  There is nothing that one person can boast about ... We don't keep a chart of who did more good works than another person, there isn't a competitiveness in salvation, we are a masterpiece because of Christ, what He has done.    b) because he saw us and knew what we would be like before the creation of the World. (1:4)   c) It gave God great pleasure to adopt us into His family (1:5)  ... you are not just a masterpiece like an object to God, but we bring pleasure to God  d) We are with purpose .. to praise and Glorify God (what ever form that may entail)  What a great promise, and an encouragement to us today.

You and I are God's masterpiece for we live for Christ, putting away the things of this World, and giving Glory to God.

Watch for Opportunities

"Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 

Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord

wants you do do."

Ephesians 5:16-17

I was just reading these verses in Ephesians and I thought it might be a nice reminder today to keep these words in my mind.  Making the most of every opportunity, and to act according to the Lord's will, what He wants me to do.

It's so easy to do what we want to do each day, if fact that's usually how we screw things up in our lives, living day to day with our own intentions on how things should be.   And if we do that, we miss the opportunities that the Lord gives us to minister.

Verses 18-20  the message continues, saying not to be drunk with wine, but instead be filled with joy and thanksgiving, singing hymns and songs of praise.    These are the things that we can do, that will help us to understand what the Lord wants in our life.   Through the book of Psalms and even here we are reminded of how praise and worship are supposed to be active things in our lives, to help in our understanding of God.

May today be filled with joy in your heart, and may you embrace the praise of the Lord, and seek him out, so that we can make most of the opportunities He will reveal to us.

Psalm 20

"May he grant your heart's desires 

and make all your plans succeed.

May we shout for joy when we hear

of your victory

and raise a victory banner in the name 

of our God.

May the Lord answer all your prayers."

This is an encouraging Psalm for King David, and it comes to my mind is how often do we encourage each other in the faith?  Do we lift up people in their victories, or do we selfishly wonder why God seems to answer other people's prayers, and not our own?

Jesus prayed that there would be unity among believers, just before he was betrayed and taken to the cross.   Joy in each other's accomplishments is part of that unity.   Sharing moments of answered prayer, and thanking God for each other is not only what we do, but one of the best evangelism methods that we can have.   

We need to take time, to share in each others joys, and pains, and openly celebrate what God has done in each of our lives.  It's a great lesson of Psalm 20 of how we can lift people up.

Psalm 19

"How can I know all the sins lurking in my

heart?

Cleanse me from these hidden faults.

Keep you servant from deliberate sins!

Don't let them control me.

Then I will be free of guilt

and innocent of great sin.

May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing to you, 

O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.""

Psalm 19:12-14

^"23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. ²⁴ Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. ²⁵ For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, ²⁶ for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus."

 Ro 3:23-26

A few things popped out at me when I was reading Psalm 19.   David is asking God to keep him from deliberate sinning.   I'm looking into my prayer life, and though I confess my sins to God, I'm trying to remember the last time that I asked God to keep me from 'deliberate sinning'.    We do it all the time don't we?  Sin deliberately that is.. and then we have a slight pang of guilt, and only then realize that we need to ask forgiveness for those sins.

I need to start my day with this type of prayer.  David had it right.

Another thing that leaped up at me was the reminder of why we shouldn't sin. .... and it goes with the words "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be PLEASING TO YOU."  .. we don't avoid/stop sinning because of what the others may think, or even guilt, but because it keeps us from pleasing God.

That's the type of relationship God wants, that's why Christ was sent to dye so that our sin doesn't keep us from Him .. because whatever we do, both in deed and the meditations of our heart, need to be pointed toward pleasing God the Father.   

We can be focused so much on work, children, marriage, friendships, that we loose focus that everything we do needs to be  what?  Please the heart of God.   Refocusing our eyes to He who created us, His Son that Saved us, and the Holy Spirit that guides us into the path of .. Pleasing Him.  Why? Because He is our Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.  What a great reminder.  May we not let sin or anything else steer us off of that path.

Praise God!

Psalm 18

"You have given me your shield of victory.  

Your right hand supports me;

your help has made me great.

You have made a wide path for my feet 

to keep them from slipping."

Psalm 18:35-36

"The temptations in your life are no different from 

what others experience.  And God is faithful.  

He will not allow the temptation to be

more than you can stand.  When you are tempted, 

he will show you a way out so that you can endure."

1 Corinthians 10:13-14

At the beginning of the Psalm it tells that this is the song that David sang to God because of his victories over the trials, over the pursuit of Saul.  This is a Psalm of victory, of acknowledgement of what God has done in his life.   

I did like the verse talking about how God made the path for David's feet keep from slipping.   Not literally but figuratively (though, who knows maybe literally too with so many pursuers after him), but poetically, this is similar to what we face with temptations, and the fact that God isn't waiting for us to fail.  He isn't waiting for us to make a wrong move so he could strike us down with his finger.  No, God is cheering us on, God is giving us ways to succeed in life!!   What an encouragement that the God of the Universe isn't taunting us, or going against us, but he opens up ways for us to succeed.  God supports us, He lifts us up, He has given us a shield of victory, He helps us to make us great, He has made the path wide enough for our feet to NOT slip!!

 God doesn't stand by David, God didn't look afar at David!  God WORKED, God went INTO ACTION for David.   And he does the same for us!!  Praise God!!

On the side:

Upon reading 18:7-15  My imagination rang out,and it's a wondrous telling of the power of God, but it reminded me of Volcano's.   Now Israel doesn't have volcano's, but the illustration and the words echo of one.   Pretty funky stuff.   Any enlightenment?   Did David have the inspiration of writing these words upon witnessing or hearing about volcano's?    Maybe from traders?   Either way, it really doesn't matter, it's beautifully written, and tells of God's mighty provision in David's desperate times.   But it is interesting :)

Psalm 17 .. Wake me when this is done.

"Because I am righteous, I will see you.   

When I awake, I will see you face to face and 

be satisfied"

Psalm 17:15

For believers who's faith is in Christ Jesus, we are made righteous (Rom 4:4-8) which is amazing, that we are put right with God.   But I really love this Psalm when it talks about living in righteousness, and we are awakened.   Like the previous life was a dream.   In David's instance (before he later screwed up in life) he was counted righteous.   

Remember the old camp song "Row row row your boat"?  The song says "Life is but a dream", this may be truer than we know, especially when we compare it when we meet the Lord face to face.   Then we will be awake, everything will come alive, then we will be 'satisfied'.

The Rolling Stones sang "We can't get no satisfaction" no matter how hard they tried.   But it the presence of God, when we see him face to face, we will have that satisfaction, we will be awake in the fullest sense, and all will be revealed to us.   We all agree that in this world nothing makes sense, sin has distorted what God intended.    It's like going to a circus and looking at a trick mirror and everything about us is distorted, and mixed up.   But when we see the Lord, our eyes will of been opened we will be awake, we will be satisfied.   What promise!! What Hope we have in Christ Jesus!  

Psalm 16

"No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.

My body rests in safety. 

For you will not leave my soul among 

the dead

or allow your holy one to rot in the 

grave.

You will show me the way of life,

granting me the joy of your presence

and the pleasures of living with you forever."

Psalm 16:9-11

Psalm 16 is a Psalm of praise to God.   Most of the time when we pray we come with requests, and petitions, but David in this Psalm praises God for who He is.    David thanks God for his inheritance, for his land, for his guidance, for God being there for him, for godly people, for every good thing, for pleasures, for life eternal.   All these things come out of this Psalm.

Part of finding joy in life, is expressing your blessings to God.  A thankful heart melts away discouragement better than most medications.   Take time today to express to God your thankfulness ... and you will notice that your day will be filled joy that comes from knowing Him who created Joy!!

Psalm 15

"Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord?"

Psalm 15 is the call to holiness, a call to be a righteous person, a blameless person.   These are things spoken of that may not make us popular with the world, or may get us financially ahead in life, or may prosper us with a new car or anything like that.   These are people that are given the honor of worshiping in the sanctuary of the Lord.   For those of us who understand that our purpose in life is to worship the Lord, these are some things that David points out, that allow us the honor to worship the Lord.

These are all good things to do, I think most people would agree with the list of Psalm 15.  But I like vs 4's answer to who can worship in the sanctuary of the Lord ...

"Those who despise flagrant sinners,

 and honor the faithful followers of the Lord,

and keep their promises even when it hurts."

Keeping our promises, even when it hurts.  Can't help but smile as I read this, because it's so true.   Have we made promises to people that we realize that maybe we shouldn't have?   Do we go back on promises that we make because of how tough it is to keep?   Think of the context of marriage, or friendship, or family.    Maybe this goes to a commitment we made to help someone, but we backed out at the last minute, because if we kept that promise, we would lose something in the process.    You can use the example of helping someone move, and you promised them that you would, but as the day approaches you renege on that promise so that you could attend a hockey game with your friends.

The hardest part about being a Christian sometimes is realizing that we are set apart, that we are called to holiness, and righteousness.  Sometimes the cost of that includes some discomfort in our lives.   But the payoff is worth it isn't it?   Like the finish line at the end of a grueling foot race, and you know that if you keep on going, there is a trophy to be won.

Psalm 14

"The Lord looks down from heaven

on the entire human race; 

he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,

if anyone seeks God." 

Psalm 14:2

This Palm starts off "Only fools say in their hearts, "There is no God".   There are quite a few people that claim that they don't believe that there is a God, there rational is usually that if there is a God he would of done a great miracle, he wouldn't let evil into the world, and religion has brought so much violence in the world.   Of course these claims are based on ignorance because even if God did provide a great miracle, chances are that we'd forget about it, and make another excuse that there is no God.   There are disasters in the world and evil, out of our own doing really ... humanity has the potential to solve the hunger issues, and social issues, but so many people have their own agendas that nothing gets done.   Evil was brought on by freewill, first Adam's choice to do what he knew was wrong, and lets face it, even if didn't take the fruit, someone else would of.   God's grace gave us a way out of the bondage of sin, through His Son.

As of religions of the world, and their battles, humanity has a tendency to take what is meant to be pure, and twist it to meet their own political agendas.   But then again, we just have to look at the atrocities of Hitler, Stalin, and others in history to find examples of Atheistic leadership.

Some people who were Christians at one time and have turned their back on their faith, usually have a) done something they knew was wrong and refuse to turn their back on their sin  b) have issues of unforgiveness and bitterness that have festered in their hearts  c) Allowed so much of the world to corrupt their hearts, that they can't see God and his work.

Of course these are generalizations, but the Psalm tells of wisdom of those who seek God.   The wisdom of the world does not line up to the wisdom of God.   The world sees things as they want to see ... the vision is narrow, and can only see one thing at a time.   When we seek God, when we strive after what He wants in our lives, we are putting our faith in a being that transcends time, and who is .... in fact truth.   John 8:32 speaks of a truth that sets us free, truth in Christ.   That is why the truly wise seek God, because God is truth.   Outside of God we can only trust in human wisdom and understanding.

So the challenge today is for us to embrace the truth of God, don't trade that in for the foolishness of God.   Seek God, seek him in everything you do.   Yes we struggle, yes we have 'off days', but trust in God, in his truth in your life, and that's the first step in wisdom, and in a life that is separate from the world.

Psalm 13

"But I trust in your unfailing love.  I will rejoice because you have rescued me.  I will sing 

to the Lord because he is good to me." vs. 5-6

How often do we look into the blessings of our past?   In my previous blog I mentioned that we rarely bring up the bad stuff in our past ... but how often do we look to His faithfulness in our past?    This is something that we don't do enough, and yet this is why David sings.

David sees God's handiwork in his past, and realizes that God has rescued him, and because of this he sings to the Lord because the Lord has been good to him.    Maybe you've had a crappy past, maybe life has seemed incredibly hard and tough for you.   Maybe that is what is driving your future, being reminded constantly about something that's happened to you.   It can be easy to dwell on our past mistakes, but what gets us through is holding on the Promises of God, and recalling His blessings to you in the past.

Scripture is filled with recollection of God's work in the lives of the Israelites.   The Passover feast is a reminder of God's deliverance of his people from the Egyptians.   We are also reminded in Church of Christ's work in our lives through the celebration of Communion.    When we loose sight of what God has done in our past, we lose Vision of what God can do in our lives in the future.   It's so important to keep track of God's faithfulness, and to thank him for it.   

Psalm 12

12:1 "Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing!   The faithful have vanished from the earth!  Neighbors lie to each other, speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts."

"Gone are the good old days!" some people often say.  It's easy to look back and ponder our past and see how good things were.    We can look at society and think back to 'simpler' times and consider how good things were way back when we were young, as opposed to how they are now.    Truth is, there was no such thing as good old days.   Our minds have a tendency to play tricks on us, and keep up from remembering the 'not so good' events in our lives.   It's a survival mechanism that's God put in us to help us cope with certain situations and move on.

History has never been quiet (depending on who wrote the history textbooks), and in todays passage we see that David is crying out.    In vs. 1 he is saying much the same things that perhaps people are saying today in our congregations, and even in our workplaces.   But we don't, and should live in the past, or even in today.   David says (or sings) in verse 6 "The Lord's promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace purified seven times over"  We live for His promises His tomorrow today.

God's tomorrow is better than our best day, and that is something to look forward to.

Psalm 11 Still in Control

The world is going downhill fast, if you have looked at the news recently.  Trouble in Egypt, Sudan, Floods in Australia .. lets face it, there's alot to get stressed over, ontop of everyday life.   Times like this, I like Psalm 11 were it talks about the wicked shooting from the shadows, and "The foundations of law and order have collapsed." and the question that follows "What can the righteous do?"    Beyond screaming and yelling, jumping up and down, it doesn't seem like there's alot we can do.

But then comes vs 4 "But the Lord is in his holy Temple; the Lord still rules from heaven.  He watches everyone closely, examining every person on earth."    It continues to say that he sees the righteous and the wicked, and that his judgement comes upon the wicked.

We are never alone, the lord sees us, and examines our actions and attitudes, and in a way, it's a warning to us that we need to be careful of what we do, but on the positive, we are not alone.   Millions of dollars are spent to look for life in outer space, to see if we can find life out there.. so that we 'will not be alone in the universe'  But we aren't alone are we?   The Lord is with us, he sees us, and he comforts us, and he walks with us.  

It's also good to know that nothing in this world is really 'out of control', that the Lord has final say, that this world isn't just spinning out of control, and there is no hope.    With the Lord there is hope, there is a promise for us.   There is justice for the weak.

It is comforting to know that our hope doesn't lye in this world, or it's troubles, but the hope in Christ, and that he will return.   Very good thing to know, when we feel discouraged or lonely.

Psalm 10 - Cry of the weak

We in North America live in a protected bubble, and sometimes when we read the Psalms we can easily go into the trap of "Oh, here goes David again, complaining about being chased around, and the verses are once again talking about wickedness .. talk about something else would ya?!?!"   But the majority of the world get it, where we don't.   The majority of the world don't complain about internet access, or have a major decision of the day being how to juggle all the kids' after school activities.   One of the problems when we live in an overabundant society is that we don't understand the context of the scriptures, like some in other parts of the world do.

Take a look at an international news agency, like the BBC, and you begin to notice how blessed we are, but there are so many in the wold that are dealing with similar issues of 'wickedness' that David is singing about.   In vs. 10 "Their helpless victims are crushed; they fall beneath the strength of the wicked."; vs. 8 "They lurk in ambush in the villages, waiting to murder innocent people.   They are searching for helpless victims."  David is wondering why the wicked seem to prospering .. and then at the end of the song we have vs. 17-18 "Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless.  Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them.  You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them."

Some people ask "Where is God in all of this"; "Why doesn't God do something about this" ... yet that's our job isn't it?    That's what God has called us to do ... look after the oppressed, seek justice (Isaiah 58).    We can count our blessing and when we do, we need to realize that there is cost to the blessing, and that's to bless others ... pray for others.   Again the whole idea of Loving others as God loved us, and seeing the world as God sees it.

Psalm 9 - A Warning for the Nations, A shelter for the Poor.

As I was reading Psalm 9 I'm again reminded God's heart for the poor.  Encouraging verses like vs. 9 "The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble", and vs 12b "For he who avenges murder cares for the helpless, He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer".

I'm also reminded of the folly of nations that forget about their God in verse 5 "You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have erased their names forever."   This is in contrast to the book of life in Revelation 20:15 "And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire."   God is a God of Judgement as well as love.   Sometimes I'm reminded how trivial things are, how much stock we put into our nation, or into our 'things' and in the end that's not what matters ... but investing our time and energy in what God deems important needs to take precedence.

In 9:16 we have "The Lord is known for his justice.  The wicked are trapped by their own deeds."   We have a picture of God being just, but the wicked are always trapped by their own design.  It's so true, and though it's not necessarily a physical trap, people who insist on doing wrong suffer in their sin.   Thank goodness for the blood of Christ that restores us to God, and for His grace that sets us free.

The second part of verse 20 is interesting .. 'Let the nations know they are merely human.'   I think many people place too much faith in their nations sometimes, and in their leaders.   Some countries more than others.   But they are just 'merely human'.   During election time, politicians continue to remind us that they are working for us, after election is over, we sometime lift people higher than we should, and sometimes we lift up the ideals of a nation higher than we should.    Here is a verse that puts it all into perspective.   'They are merely human'.   Though I'm not one to lift up our nation into godhood, or put that much trust in my country ... it is a warning again even my person desires, and how I look at my life.   Putting God first in everything is such a struggle against pride, and yet that is what God calls us too.  To set aside our pride of country, of nation, of self, and lift Him up in everything.

When I say that you can say "YEAH I'M WITH YOU ... GOD'S AWESOME!"  But then the ramification of that is to .. love what God loves ... the poor, the orphans, the widows .... and to hate what God hates ... wickedness .. selfishness etc.   It's easy to say that I'm putting my life in the hands of God, it's another to actually embrace it, believe it, be molded in it, and walk with it.


Song today: Riding on a donkey by Great Big Sea.   I like at the end in London where the King with the golden crown ends up on a donkey.... big thought, but really who cares... this is a fun song. :)

Psalm 8 - Praise and our Place

A nice jazzy opening for this Wednesday as we look at Psalm 8 we see that it is a pure piece of praise, but we can also find some neat reflections in the word.

These verses tell of our place in this world ... it tells of children and infants praising God, telling people of his strength.   Sometimes I wonder why in Church services we tend to bring the kids 'downstairs' during the service, when we realize that God loves the children, and God has gifted children to be his ministers too.   Children are invaluable when it comes to showing their zeal for the Lord.   Christ told us in the new testament that our faith is to be like that of a child.   In the NLT version in 8:2 it says "You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength."    It's the same in parenting, we sometimes miss the role that God has for our children, and miss out on their ministry to us and others.

I love verse 4 "what are people that you (God) should think about them, mere mortals that you should care for them?"  (also Hebrews 2:6-8)  When I look at the newspaper or hear the news sometimes I'm wondering why God keeps us around.    We've messed up alot, and yet God not only keeps us around, but provides for us, and even sent his son to die on the cross for us.  

You look at vs 5-9 - you see that God made us a little lower than him .. or a little lower than the angels depending on the text, and we are crowned with glory and honor.    We are special creations of God, and but we are also care-takers of this world.  vs. 6-8.    I find myself sometimes wondering about some environmentalist views, but the fact is, is that we need to take our roles of caretakers and overseer's of this world very seriously.   Even before the fall of Adam we were created to take care of the animals and the earth, and just because of the 'fall of man' doesn't mean that this role was taken away from us.
Out of any area, this is probably one that we have failed the most, and by we I mean myself and the Church.   Many just put environmental issues into the court of Liberal politics, but the fact is, is that it is a God given role for us.

Psalm 6 - One of those days

As I read this, I'm reminded that it's alright to have an off day.   It's alright to cry out to God, heck, even Jesus cried out to the God in Gethsemane.   Here we have David just crying his heart out in this Psalm, we don't have a joyful song, we have a song full of lament.   Again at the end of the Psalm there is the knowledge that YES God hears my cry, and you evil doers better run, because God has listened to my prayers.

I like that these Psalms aren't always about the 'good times' that they are honest to whatever David is feeling, or the Psalmist is feeling in relation to David.   Sometimes we aren't as honest with ourselves or each other as believers, and yet here we have the King of Israel, the annointed one of God crying out to him.    We need to be honest to God, and the neat things about God is that he's so into having a relationship with us that sometimes he breaks us down to where we need to cry out to him.

In your lowest low, don't run away from God, run to Him knowing that He is the God that answers prayer and does see our tears, and He is a God of compassion and unfailing love.


Here's not a 10 stringed lyre by as this Psalm was meant to be done, with a choir, but a couple good rabbis who's music actually reminds me of this Psalm... times of joy, and crazyness that life brings.   Thought it was kinda cool :)

Psalm 5 - Shields of Love

It's funny how some people think that God has two sides when looking at the scriptures, like the Old Testament is a vengeful angry God, while the New Testament is a picture of a loving God.   But that's not true either, because we see in the New Testament that Jesus was angry at wrong doings in the Temple, and he did warn of the end times, and times of judgement.    In the Old testament we have verses that speak of the Love of God .... especially in the Psalms we have David seeking refuge in the Lord ... in verse 7 it says "Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; I will worship at your Temple with the deepest awe."   and in verse 12 "For you bless the godly, O Lord; you surround them with your shield of love."   A shield of love!

God's love doesn't fail those who seek Him, and His love is like a shield.   His love is a protection against the evil of this world, a shield that doesn't fail.

Notice something else about this chapter, in verse 3 "Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.  Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly"   I really like the last part about waiting expectantly, because alot of times we take things to prayer to God, but we don't wait expectantly for the answer.    Sometimes we get bogged down by the world, or our own problems, and we don't look for what the Lord is going to provide answers too.   God wasn't just alive in the New Testament, but God is very much alive in the Old Testament, and He continues to work in our lives today.    I think we all need to pray expectantly, knowing that He does answer.

For Closing, apparently this Psalm was supposed to be accompanied by a flute .. so here we go :)   

Psalm 4 - Joy and Peace

4:7-8 "You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine.   In peace I will lie down and sleep for you alone, O Lord, will keep my safe."

A great reminder of where our faith takes us, and the joy that is found in our Lord isn't it?  People can have all the money, all the riches of the world, but many times they are not satisfied with what they have.  They seek joy and fulfillment in this world but never find it.

I like that these two verses have references to Joy and peace.   In many liturgies in Churches we have the blessing of the 'peace and joy of the Lord by with you' and the response 'and also with you'.    It's a nice blessing and a reminder that even though we have hope of eternal life, but that while we are struggling with problems here, that the Lord does provide joy and peace to His people.

Psalms 3 - Victory from the Lord

I don't know what version of the bible your reading from, but I enjoy the New Living Translation though sometimes it is a little wonky.  Anyway, I love what the NLT says about 3:7  "Arise, O Lord! Rescue me, my God!  Slap all my enemies in the face!  Shatter the teeth of the wicked!"    That's like gangsta talk, but true dat!  lol, what I do get out of that is that David is leaving the vengeance to God isn't he?   God is the one in control, and He'll judge the wicked.    Sometimes we like to get all angry and puffed up, but things that upset us we've gotta give up to the Lord, instead of us doing God's work in the vengeance department.   Don't forget what we NEED to do, pray for our enemies... that's our roll... let God do his.  (Matt. 5:44)

Psalm Chapter 2

Here it talks about rulers that don't want to bow to God's authority, and try to plot against God, and his 'chosen king' (David) on the throne.  It talks about the joy people will have when they take refuge in that king.

In the NLT version I'm reading out of ..it says in vs. 12 "Submit to God's royal son." And David was the chosen king for Israel (Not Saul who was chosen by the people, not God).    For us, I can see this relation to submitting to Christ, who is God's chosen SON.   David sang about the refuge of God in 2 Samuel 22:2-4 "The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.  He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.   He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence.  I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies."

We have that same refuge in the Lord.  No matter what trouble comes our way.

Psalms 1:1-6 Strength of the righteous

I thought I'd dabble a bit in the Psalms, and check out some O.T. Truth.   In these six verses we see that that the difference between those who are wicked, and those who are righteous.   Here are a few things that keep us away from the path of wickedness.

-The don't stand with sinners or join in with mockers.
- those who delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on God's word ... thinking about what it means, and reflecting on the truth in its pages.

These verses tell us that those who do what is right are like strong trees, who's roots are along the riverbank, producing fruit year long.  

These verses are a call of reflection on our lives, and an encouragement to stop wickedness from crawling into our hearts.   It also warns that the path of the wicked leads to destruction, and that there is a time of judgement for those that do wrong.

Mark 16:9-20 Great commission

Here we have the Great Commission, Jesus first berates his disciples for not believing the witnesses who had seen him alive (vs.14) and then he tells them to go into the world, and preach the Good News to everyone.  "Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved.   But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned"  This is followed by some miraculous signs that are given to those who believe ...  handle snakes with safety, cast out demons, drink poison and survive, speak in new languages, place their hands on the sick and they will be healed.


Ok, I'll admit, I'm not quite sure about the snake thing, or the poison thing.... I do know though that the disciples were given the ability to do these miraculous things though.   Does that mean that we should all go and handle snakes and drink poison?  No, I don't think so, I do think this was protection for the disciples, instead of some carnival act for people.   Considering that the disciples were called to go into all the world, they would encounter harm from others, from the natural things ..like poisonous snakes.   This also goes with new languages as well right?  That makes sense.   But that's just me.   Also, you can place your hands and heal people, and cast out demons.   There's some serious power that comes to a believer, and God will use us as he will.

All these things and more, to bring the gospel to the world, and to show people who God is, and what Christ has done for us.   We are part of a living faith, children of a living God, and as children given the power to do his will to bring people into the saving knowledge of him.  Pretty potent stuff I tell ya.

Mark 16:1-8 He Is Risen

Here we have the risen Lord, conquerer of death.   When I was preaching yesterday, I was reminded of Mark 12:27 were Jesus is saying that God is the God of the Living, not the dead.  We tend to see things in a  carnal, in a human limited point of view.    Just to emphasize this Jesus is raised from the dead, and meets his disciples and tells them to spread the good news around the world (and yes, that's for tomorrow's lesson).

I love comics, and superhero's, its great to imagine what it would be like to fly or have other superpowers... but alot of that is based on Greek gods ... think of Wonder Woman as the best example... yet those are false gods, no Greek god rose from the dead.  You think of any other 'god' in the world, and none has the claim to rise from the dead, and walk among people, with 500 witnesses.

The resurrection is 'proof in the pudding' it has a solid case, and yet people still try to dismiss it.   Without the virgin birth, and without the resurrection the Christian faith would be meaningless.  

What a wonderful account we have in the gospels, and what a wonderful savior we have.   Reflect on the risen Savior today, and remember the hope we have lies a living God.

Sermon of the day ...

Here is the transcript, general notes of the sermon that I preached on today.   Enjoy.


Abraham, God’s Faithful.
Hebrews 11:8-19
11:1 “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.”


Genesis 13:1-13
At this point in the story as we read chapter 13, we have had relatively little information about these two men.  We gain some insight into the man Abram, but really little to this point has been said about Lot.

We know that Abram certainly had spiritual influences in the development of his world-view.  We know that the Lord spoke to him.  We know that he listened and was obedient and followed the Lord’s direction.  Well almost!

We know that he had shortcomings, lying to the Egyptian about his wife.   But we also see him on two occasions building an altar and calling on the name of the Lord.   So Abram had a world view that had a strong spiritual influence.  When he looked at the world around there was a spiritual dimension to what he saw.

To this point we know nothing of Lot really other than he should not have been there.  But in ch. 13 we gain an insight into Lot’s world view.

Abram gives Lot the choice of where his people could go, to solve the contention between their workers.   Abram didn’t have to do that, being his elder, but he chose to do it to save grief.   Lot is free to choose whatever he sees.

We need to remember that by the standards of the the culture around them, at this time they are both really wealthy, but when Lot takes a long look at the land (or as the KJV says, he lifted his eyes up) he saw only one thing.  His world view is dominated by the natural desires of human nature and the world around him.  He sees an opportunity to make more wealth, and become more prosperous.   His decision is made without any other consideration.

Even though Lot is making the biggest decision in his life, perhaps ever, definitely since he left his homeland with Abram, there is NO reference here that there was any consideration of spiritual guidance from God, he didn’t seek any direction from God.

Now lets read the rest of the story:

Genesis 13:14-18

Abram, but contrast to Lot who never considered the voice of God, the Lords leading; Abram has made a habit of listening for the voice of God, and following his leading.  His world view is one where he listens for, hears and sees God’s plan, God’s principles and obedience to God as the main decision making factor.

Secondly, I want you to note carefully here something you may not have noticed before. God tells Abram to look.  He includes every direction north, south, east, weest which would then include the land taken by Lot.  In essence he is saying Lot may have chosen the best land for now, but that concession will pass away,   all these lands will be given to him and his ancestors.

When we make our decisions based on material and human values and wishes,  they are at best temporal.  There is no eternal perspective.

VS. 12-13 Abram dwelled in land of Canaan, Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain.  But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the Lord”

There was something in his world-view that attracted him to Sodom.  We don’t know the reason for this attraction, it could have been the influence of his wife or children but before very many verses pass in this Genesis account we find Lot actually living in Sodom, and he is far away from the influences of Godly Abram and the place of altars,  and eventually the immersian in the culture of Sodom will take its toll.


- One of the tragedies of Christianity, is the number of people who claim to be the followers of Jesus, claim to be believers, claim to love the Lord, and yet their camp is firmly pitched in the direction of the world.

Their world view when it comes to priorities, when it comes to personal ambitions, their world view when it comes to God’s standards for Holy Living, their entrie world view is almost identical to the non Christians around them and has changed little as a result of their claim to have given their lives to Jesus.

When their faith is nothing but their personal fire insurance, when it comes to major descions in their lives, they see only their ambitious goals, money, how to get ahead in life, and they leave God out of the equation … and they don’t consider the affect that their descisions could have on their family and their future.

God has given us this wonderful gift of freedom.  This wonderful gift of choice.  Like LOT we frequently find ourselves lifting up our eyes and seeing choices before us.

Choice on where we live.  Choices on how we will earn a living, choices about where and what sort of work we will do.  Lifestyle choices, choices about relationships.   Will we adopt the standards of the world, or will we apply God’s standards on how we live?

You learn a lot growing up on a farm.   You cannot live and work in a barn without eventually smelling like a barn.   If we make choices in life that result in  us being constantly surrounded by the sin and values of the culture around us, it will eventually begin to creep in our lives.


2Corinthians 6:14 - This is NOT a call to isolation, but it is a clear call, a very clear call not to become so entangled in relationships, so immersed with the culture of the world that it will drag us down threatening our own spiritual welfare and the spiritual welfare of our families

Now, lets take a look at the ultimate impact of Lot ‘pitching his tent’ toward Sodom

1)14:11-16 - Sodom is overrun, Lot and his family are taken captive and it is only through the rescue at the hands of Abram that he is set free.   -- in those days, you can only imagine that that could have been like.

2) Genesis 19 - Lot even offeres his own daughters to satisfy the lustful urges of the men of Sodom

3) When God destroyed the city, his 2 sons-in-law mocked the warning and were destroyed leaving his daughters as young widows

4) Lot and his wife and two daughters escape, but Lot’s wife is still so attracted to the city and it’s ways that she looks back and dies

5) And so Lot escapes with his life but his herds are gone, his wealth is gone, his wife is gone, and his sons-in-law are gone

6) And then his only remaining family members, his daughters manipulate him into an incestuous relationship.

The reason that God calls us to seperation is to live in Holiness for Him.

When we really understand the cost at the cross, when the Holy Spirit connects with our Spirit and makes the truth come alive in our hearts, when we really understand what the Lord did for us to free us from the penalty of our sin, from God’s wrath that would have come our way had we not been forgiven, the natural and normal and healthy response would be a desire to set aside our desire, our attraction our tolerance for sin and the standards of the world and try our best to live in the Holiness that He calls us to.

But there is a very practical reason that he calls us to live in holiness as well.  He wants us to avoid the potential pain and heartache  that will eventually be ours if we allow ourselves to be entangled in the sinful practises of this world.

One last thing -- At some point Lot came to his senses.  Unlike his sons-in-law, he realized that if he remained in that place of sin, God’s judgement was indeed about to fall and so he was obedient to the call to leave it all behind.

Unlike his wife who apparently still was attracted to the place he, he was obedient and set his face in the opposite direction.   He didn’t look back, he realized that survival required a complete about face, survival required setting and persuing a new direction.


Hebrews 11:11-12  By Faith, Abraham had a son, not in herself, it wasn’t a thing that said if I really believed in myself, I will have a child in my 90’s … but, she had faith that God would fulfill His promise (Genesis 13:16)  “And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted.”  This was a promise to be fulfilled.   But Sarah wasn’t perfect, she did try to rush things by having her husband sleep with the servant girl which had bad ramifications later on, but God kept his promise, even though it took awhile for Sarah to grasp it.

We try to do things our way, instead of God’s.
(three men came visiting .. Angels? Vs. 18)
Genesis 18:12 “So she laughed  silently to herself  .. Vs. 13 “Then the  Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did she laugh?  Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?   Is anything to hard for the Lord?  I will return about this time next year and Sarah will have a son.”

ILL. Of Rob and Valerie.

Hebrews 11:17-19 By Faith, Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrafice (Genesis 22:1-19)
God asks Abraham to sacrafice his one and only son on Mount Mariah .. Which is a 3-day journey.   God calls out to Abraham Twice… to stop him from killing his son.

What’s interesting is in Hebrews, we get our eyes opened up about this incident.   Abraham had his faith in the promise of God … he knew that he was going to be the father of many nations.  So he placed his sons life in the hands of God, and that if he killed Isaac, God had the power to raise him from the dead.

Jesus talked to the Sadducees in Mark 12:18-27  where the Sadducees believe there is no resurection from the dead, they doubted the power of God to do this, because to Moses the Lord declared that “I am the God of Abraham, Jacob and Isaac.”   HE is the God of the living.

Do you have faith in the power of God, do you take his him at his word?   Because it affects our whole outlook on life.



God’s faithfulness in times of temptation:
1 Cor. 10:12 “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.  The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience.  And God is faithful.   He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand.   When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”  -- Abram could of said, I’ll take the land on the east, but he didn’t .. he was going to let Lot decide, and allow God to guide him.

God is Faithful even when we sin:  1Jhn.1:8-9 “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and  not living in the truth.   But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”

God is Faithful to protect you  2 Thessalonians 3:2-3 “Pray, too, that we will be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not everyone is a believer.  But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.”

God is Faithful to Change you  1 Thess. 5:23-24  “Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.  God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.