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Amazing God

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let Israel say: ‘His love endures forever.’ Let the house of Aaron say: ‘His love endures forever.’ Let those who fear the LORD say: ‘His love endures forever.’”
Psalm 118:1-4
 
Thanks be to you, my Heavenly Father, for your grace-filled work in my life; you are so faithful, so kind, so patient, so wise. You are the One whom I can trust. In contrast, my own thoughts, feelings and perspectives are so up and down, so unstable, so easily influenced by circumstances.
 
You, being perfect, are unchanging: always good, always wise, always loving, always firm, always gracious. You are continually at work for the good of your Name, the good of your children, the good of every living being on earth.
 
I praise you for the power of your Name, the might of your Arm, the strength of your Character. There is nothing that can resist your plan, prevent your proposals or withstand your purposes.
 
Yet in your total Sovereignty, you allow us to make genuine, significant moral and ethical decisions that affect eternity for us and for you. You give us a sphere of responsibility where we can decide to follow you or not.
 
Your Spirit does the work of giving spiritual sight, shining the light of the gospel into hearts, convicting of sin, righteousness and judgment, revealing the need of all for a Savior, working through blessing and difficulty, goodness and tragedy, dreams and visions, questions and statements. And in the end you offer us repentance and faith.
 
But still, we must respond: “…as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name…” (Joh. 1:12).
 
You want all unbelievers to come to you out of love, out of admitting their need, out of seeing your greatness, out of a desire for you. You woo and wait; then we either respond and rejoice, or we reject and will be rejected at the last day.
 
Your love is unbelievable, beyond conception, way above human thought, unexpected, incomprehensible, humanly speaking illogical, but amazing.
 
Praise be to you, the Lover of your enemies, the Redeemer of rebels, the Forgiver of your foes, the Transformer of the intractable, the Adopter of your antagonists!
 
What a God, what a Creator, what a Forgiver, what a Leader, what a Lord, what a King, what a Father, what a Brother, what a Spirit!! You are worthy of all worship, adoration and praise!!!
 
Prayer: “We give you glory and honor, O Lord; we bow before you, incredulous of your forgiveness and amazed at your grace; we rise up, rejoicing in your redemption and exalting in your love; we stand before you, surrendered in wonder, thankful in obedience. May you be exalted, magnified and lifted on high in our lives today—for you deserve it! Amen.”
 

Montana Encounter

Chapter 12 Unexpected Flashes of Light
 
Missoula, Montana. The last week and a half had been cold and rainy. I had either ridden or slept in the rain every day. Here in Missoula I was able to stay with a family my aunt knew, a welcome change to cramped and damp camping in the rain.
I rode my bike into the parking lot of the little restaurant my hostess had recommended for lunch. I walked in and looked around. There were two fellows who looked like college students sitting at one table. I walked over and asked if I could sit with them.
“Sure, have a seat,” one drawled. I sat in a chair that had me facing the entrance door.
“Where are you from?” asked the other.
‘I’m from Connecticut, on my way to Alaska.”
“What are you going to do there?” asked the first.
“Hopefully I’ll get a job with the BIA teaching in a village,” I replied.
Just then the door opened and a slight, dark fellow quietly entered. He appeared to be in his late teens. He looked around and brightened when he saw the three of us sitting at a table with a fourth chair empty. He came over.
“Mind if I join you?” he asked.
“No, have a seat,” said the first students.
“Thanks,” said the newcomer, “Say, could I tell you about something that changed my life?”
“Uh oh,” I thought, “He’s going to talk about Jesus right here in this restaurant!” The enthusiasm and the shininess were unmistakable.
“Well,” said the second student, “what is it that changed you?”
The dark stranger’s eyes shone, “I’ve been born again. Jesus has come into my life and totally changed me!” His face beamed.
“Jesus!” exclaimed the first student, “I use that as a swear word. How could He change your life? He’s dead. I suppose that means you got religion.”
“No, I got a relationship. Somewhere in the Bible it says that when we accept Christ as our savior, we become God’s children.”
I spoke up, “That is John 1:12; it says, ‘To as many as received him to them he gave the right to become the children of God.’”
“Are you a Jesus freak, too?” asked the first student.
“Well, ah, no. I was raised in a conservative church, that’s all,” I stammered, embarrassed with my own embarrassment. At the same time I was impressed with the boldness and sincerity of the new comer.
“Well, I don’t have any time for this religious drivel, however you define it,” snapped the second student.
“You sound as unhappy as I was before I believed,” the new comer answered quietly. “Jesus is not religion, He is reality. Somewhere in the Bible he said that He is Truth itself.”
“That’s in John 14:6 where He said, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life; no man comes to the Father but by Me.’” I put in.
The first student glared at me. “Why are you helping him out if you aren’t a Jesus freak?”
I shrugged. “I may not believe it as sincerely as this guy does, but I sure do admire his commitment and willingness to share.” I was really affected by this young believer’s joy and boldness. It made me envious, his being so wholehearted and excited about his faith.
My faith was more on the outside, more duty than desire, position without the inner power and shine this fellow had. His faith showed up mine for what it was: theoretical and weak.
I tucked this encounter away in my mind, along with the tornado, the bears and the near accident. I had a sense that God was doing something here.
 
“Whew, this sleeping bag is getting pretty ripe!” I said, as I got my bed ready for the night. “I’ll have to air it out when I get to Mrs. Anderson’s house.” Being alone so much, I had taken to talking to myself.
I lay down in the sleeping bag and rolled over on my side. Suddenly I realized that it was not just the sleeping bag that had an odor. I also was pretty ripe myself! This was embarrassing, even if no one else was around to be offended!
“Well, riding in the cold, sleeping in fields and not having had a shower in 5 days doesn’t help,” I mumbled as I drifted off to a strongly scented sleep.
I arrived the next day on a sunny evening at the address of my former high school teacher and her husband. They were away on a trip, but had told me I was welcome to stay in their condo.
I knocked on the neighbor’s door and introduced myself. The neighbor didn’t bat an eye at the scraggly, long-haired, leather-clad motorcyclist. I had the right name, so I got the key to the apartment.
I wheeled my motorcycle into the yard and let myself into the house. After unloading my gear, I went right to the bathroom and took a nice long shower. Then I had a hardy supper of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Before going to bed I had another shower. Even then there was some ripeness left, but I figured there was another day to wash some more.
I climbed into the guest bed, thankful to be there, and was out like a light. Great to have friends from the past.
My pastor had a friend who taught in a Bible college in Spokane and had made arrangements for me to stay with him. The professor seemed happy to meet me when I rolled in.
After a good supper, he looked me in the eye and asked, “So, this trip of yours and your plan to teach in Alaska, are they just a short term adventure, or are you in the process of making serious decisions about life?”
I was taken aback, not having thought at all beyond getting a job in Alaska and helping people there.
“Well, I want to help people and I figured this would be a good place to start,” I answered. That was all I could manage off the cuff, but that question stuck in my mind and later became a beacon, pointing me towards the Truth. Another signpost God put up in my life.
When I told my host that I’d like to buy a rifle, he took me downtown to a hunting supply store where I purchased a big old used 30.06 along with some ammunition and a scabbard to carry it in. I strapped it to one of the forks on my motorcycle and felt even more in control as the stock of the rifle was in constant sight.
Picture of today’s Missoula, Montana
Photos & Video | Destination Missoula

Marvelous God

You, Lord Jesus, are the King of glory, the God of goodness, the Prince of peace, the Shepherd of supply, the Lord of Love, the Light of life and the Bride-groom of beauty, the beauty reflected in the flowers in the picture below.
 
You are the Creator of All, the Sovereign of Eternity, the Shield of your sheep, the Stronghold of safety, the Fortress of faith, the Rock of reliability, the Arm of our armor, the Source of support, the Giver of grace, the Provider of power, the Widener of ways and the Protector of your people who take refuge in you.
 
Praise you, Lord Jesus, Savior of the universe, Redeemer of all people, Transformer of all who believe. You are active, powerful and on time in answering the cry of all who submit to your leadership.
 
You are deeply caring, wisely working, godly in guiding, persistent in protecting. You are the only One we can trust–all others and all else are shifting sands.
 
Praise be to you for your lavish love, your gracious goodness, your wise work, your firm faithfulness, your cherishing in chastening, your reasonable rebuking, your taking us through trials, your shepherding through suffering, your working through our weakness, your maturing us through miserable times.
 
You are marvelous, Lord Jesus, you are majestic, you are mighty, you are magnificent, you are worthy of worship and deserving of dedication. “I call to the Lord who is worthy of praise and I am saved from my enemies” (Psa. 18:3).
 
Praise be to you, Lord Jesus, gracious God, King of glory. May you be honored in my life today through faith, obedience, kindness, patience, wisdom and grace. Amen.

The Dark Valley of Depression

 
Written several years ago.
 
As Barbara and I pass through the valley of the shadow of her depression (which she is now out of), we can rest in God, knowing that “…the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son” (Heb. 12:6). This present suffering has brought out wrong thinking and values from my wife’s past so they can be corrected. This is proof that you, Lord, love us by taking the time to discipline us for our good.
I praise you, Lord, for your loving work in us, on us and through us, pointing out sin, wrong thinking, negative attitudes and unbiblical beliefs that keep us from really living: “…we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and [really] live!” (Heb. 12:9).
Thank you for chastening us through difficulties–so that we might share in your holiness. Thank you for correcting us, even though it may be painful, so that we might respond with faith, confession, surrender and obedience, thereby receiving the fruit of peace and righteousness (Heb. 12:9-11).
Praise you, Lord, for your care, your consistency, your chastening to bring patience and power, fullness and fruitfulness, maturation and more (James 1:2-4). Truly you are the perfect Father: wise, loving, good, firm, persistent and forgiving.
I praise you that you are wonderously full-orbed in ability, perfectly rounded in personality, flawlessly balanced in your character and wholly complete in your holiness. In your rich wisdom, you leave out nothing good when working in our lives–all that is needed comes: pressure and pleasure, loss and love, defeat and delight, wrenching and rest.
I praise you for what you allow, for what you send, for what you bring, for what you withhold. You are wise, you are good, you are loving, so we can trust you fully, praise you consistently, obey you whole-heartedly.
Today I want to praise you persistently, Lord, through rain and shine for your wonderful work in my life. May I glorify you by cooperating with you, joining you, obeying you all through this day.
 
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Romans 15:13, Trust

Thoughts on Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace, as you trust in him, so that your life may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Let’s look at each aspect of this verse.
“May the God of hope”
[Our God is the source of all we hope for, the spring of all positive possibilities, the well of all goodness, the fountain of hope. We should look to no other, put our hope in no other.]
May He “Fill you with all joy and peace”
[Joy and peace are what we all long and strive for, but fail to get on our own. Our heavenly Father, however, stands ready with ALL joy and peace, eager to pour them into our lives, if we will only join Him in the process, as the next phrase tells us.]
“As you trust in Him”
[This is our part: if we trust, we are given joy and peace; but conversely, failure to trust equals no joy or peace. If we don’t trust Him, we are, in our pride, trusting in ourselves. This means we are cutting ourselves off from His grace. “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). But if we humble ourselves and trust in Him, rather than trusting in ourselves, or some leader, or the goverment to supply what we need, then He has many blessings for us beyond joy and peace, as the last phrase tells us.
As it says in Psalm 68:6 “…he leads out the prisoners with singing (those who follow Him in trust out of the dominion of darkness into the Kingdom of light); but the rebellious (those who do not trust Him) live in a sun-scorched land (where there is no peace, no joy, no hope).
“So that your life may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
[As we trust God, we can then join Him in a new dimension, becoming “carriers of hope,” to all around us. We can be people of hope, just as He is the God of all hope–a hope that will splash over on all those around us. We will be “hope empowered” by the Holy Spirit, becoming more and more like Jesus, the God of all hope.
So let’s trust our eternal living God, follow Jesus, offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving in each situation and thereby become infused with joy and peace. Then we can become springs of hope, rivers of hope, carriers of hope to all we meet today and every day.
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Psalm 24:7

 
Psalm 24:7 “Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.”
 
[As the gates in those ancient cities where cranked upwards to allow entrance, so may the doors of our hearts, our thoughts, our souls be lifted up to allow you, Lord Jesus, entrance into every aspect of our lives, giving you the honor and glory you deserve.
May we be in submission to the reality that we were created to be dependent on you, to walk in obedience and trust, so that your power may be made perfect in our weakness, that honor may flow to you out of every situation, and that we may appear with you in glory when you come again.
You alone are the great King of Glory. Help us to live in the truth that what you are, what you do, and what you say all flow out of your glorious being and serve to bring you the exaltation you deserve before all the created hosts of the universe.]
Psalm 24:8 “Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.”
[This is you, Yahweh, the Holy One: completely other than your creation, totally complete in yourself, needing nothing, being both One and fully self-sufficient as the Trinity.
You are the Powerful One, the Warrior King, undefeatable and ever triumphant. You fight and win against every enemy–those who oppose what is good. You, Lord Jesus, came to destroy the works of the devil, freeing us from the fear he has used so effectively against us.
You have also defeated death and hell, sin and evil, rebellion and shame. You have replaced all these with love and light, with life and joy, with peace and hope. You are the mighty One, triumphing in your strength, wisdom and power.
So, we give you praise, honor and exaltation, for in your might, you are also the Pure and Sinless One, making no mistakes; you are the Just and Righteous One, bringing proper judgment on sin; you are the Gracious and Loving One, bringing forgiveness for all, especially to those who believe.
You are worthy of praise and we bow before you in worship, we open the gates of our hearts to your Kingly Presence and we rise up to go out with you out into the battle of today, knowing that you, the mighty One, will lead us safely through whatever will come.]
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Psalm 24:6

 
 
Written several years ago. Psalm 24:5, speaking of the person “who has clean hands and a pure heart,” goes on to say,
“He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior.”
[Thank you for this assurance, Lord, that you, my Vindicator, have saved me and will bless me by helping me live for you. At the moment, I do not see much blessing, with two difficult situations before me–but I can trust that you have a plan and will do what is best. I chose to run with endurance the race you have set before me.]
Psalm 24:6 “Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.”
[When we seek you, you grant us clean hands and a pure heart through the finished work of Jesus Christ; then you lead us aright, guiding us into obedience as we seek your face.
May we seek you first and always, O Lord, rather than pursuing being comfortable, or having possessions, or success, or our own desires. Instead may we seek you, the King of Glory, the God of Jacob—the Pure One who is willing to identify with those like Jacob and us who are by nature selfish, manipulative, stubborn, untrusting and proud.
Praise you for your patience in drawing us along into the warm and transforming embrace of your love. Praise you that you do whatever it takes to bring us to surrender in yourself, as you did with Jacob, taking away everything he valued, so he would face his need for you. And finally, in his old age, at 147, he surrendered: “Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff” (Gen. 47:31 NIV).
And so it is with us–you do whatever it takes to help us seek you first, so that you can bless us with a life in and with you: a new life, an eternal life, an abundant life, a pure life, a serving and productive life.
Help us to surrender to you quickly so you don’t have to take drastic measures as you did with Jacob. May we seek your face daily, so we can be useful instruments in your hands, bringing you honor now, not waiting until later in life.]

Storms on the horizon

Chapter 11 Storm Warnings
 
As I entered the Dakotas the weather grew hotter. I took off my shirt and rode bare backed. The roads wound through the badlands, the sun reflecting cruelly off the light colored sand.
 
That evening I decided to stay in a camp ground so I could get a shower. Exhausted from the hot day, I went to bed early.
As usual I laid out my plastic poncho on the ground, put my sleeping bag on it and then put the loose end of the poncho up over the motorcycle, making a little tent. I lay down and went right to sleep.
 
I was suddenly jolted awake. It was dark and a strong wind was blowing. I looked around and realized that my motorcycle had been blown over, fortunately away from me. I struggled out of the sleeping bag, picked up the motorcycle and headed it into the wind so it wouldn’t be blown over again.
 
I looked up at the dark sky and saw parts of the horizon lit up by lightning. I decided to go to the camp office, a little cinder block building at the entrance to the campground, and see what was going on. The wind, however, was so strong that I had trouble making headway, and at times was almost crawling.
 
When I finally made it in the office door, I found the rest of the campers already gathered there, listening to the radio.
“What’s happening?” I asked.
 
“According to the radio there’s a tornado coming right towards us,” replied the camp owner.
 
“What should we do?” I asked.
 
“There’s not much we can do,” said one camper. “We don’t know if the tornado will hit us or change direction. We’ve got nowhere to go underground, so we can only wait it out!”
 
I suddenly felt very small again: powerless and vulnerable. Things were totally out of my control here and there was nothing I could do to regain it.
 
I went to the door and looked out at the fantastic play of lightning that now was visible all around the horizon. I could not see any tornado, but the wind was stronger than ever, screaming past the building. One camper told me that according to the radio it was over 100 mph.
 
Time crawled by, with most of the campers sitting on the floor, waiting for the storm to pass, hoping the tornado would not hit the camp. At about midnight the radio announced that the tornado had played itself out. Everyone cheered.
 
Although relieved that nothing had happened, I for one was not cheered. This event had revealed again my inability to handle the bigger challenges life brings. Who can fight with a tornado?
I thought again of that close call at the intersection in Minneapolis. Just when things had seemed to be coming together for a new start in life after graduating from college, here was the reminder that life was more of a wild bronco than a comfortable motorcycle saddle.
 
As the wind died down, I made my way back to my camping spot, again picked up my motorcycle, remade my tent and crawled into my sleeping bag.
 
Mount Rushmore. It certainly was a rush to see the four Presidents carved into the mountainside. The size of the sculpture was overwhelming when seen from close up. How could a man plan and execute such a vision?
 
As evening was approaching, I checked in at one of the camping areas in the park. Near my spot was a pop up camper. The owner chatted with me as I set up my little “motorcycle tent,” and told me about the wildlife in those parts: lots of bears, coyotes, and even mountain lions.
 
I came away from that conversation feeling a bit unsettled. “That guy will go into his nice, safe camper while I have to sleep outside on the ground,” I thought, “Who knows what may turn up in the night to visit me?”
 
I climbed into my sleeping bag and was soon asleep. Later in the night I was awakened by something. I sensed a shape moving to the left of my head. I turned to look and an animal growled loudly in my ear! I was not sure what it was, but it was big and loud–possibly a bear!
 
A wave of panic swept over me; here I was, zipped into my sleeping bag and couldn’t possibly defend myself if I tried! Again I was forced to recognize my smallness, my being way too weak to handle this situation on my own; I could do nothing.
 
I heard the animal moving away and quickly got out of my sleeping bag, stumbling over my food box.
“Of course,” I said to myself, “it smelled my food! That was really foolish of me to keep that so near me.”
 
I took the box and put it up in the branches of a tree. “That may not be completely secure,” I thought, “but at least if another animal comes, it will go after this instead of me!”
 
As I climbed back into my sleeping bag I realized I was shaking from the intensity of the experience. “I sure hope that no other visitors come; I’ve had enough for one night!” I thought as I zipped up the bag.
 
Yellowstone Park! It was a beautiful, majestic, startling place. As I cruised the roads through the forest, I felt a sense of freedom and a regained sense of control.
 
When I reached the edge of a stretch of woods opening onto a meadow, all the traffic suddenly stopped. As I sat behind the stopped cars, I looked around to see the reason for the delay.
There, just 50 yards away, walked the reason: a big bear. He looked at the line of cars filled with tourists staring at him. Then suddenly he sniffed the air. He swung around and looked right at me and then began to lope in my direction.
 
I stepped on the gearshift, dropping it into first gear, cranked on the gas handle and moved out the line of traffic, putting the cars between myself and the bear.
 
The roar of the motorcycle startled the bear and he turned and loped off into the woods. Several tourists shook their fists at me as I went by.
 
“Yeah, easy for you to be upset,” I thought, “You are safe in your cars while I’m sitting here out in the open with my food box to attract the bear!”
 
Weakness again!
Picture from internet

Peace reigns as I rest in you

Praise be to you, Jesus, my Lord and God, for the privilege of waking up and knowing that I am at peace with you, that our relationship is grace-filled, good and gloriously positive.
Thank you for your wonderful unmerited love, ever flowing to me, over me, through me, and around me, as well as going before me.
Therefore, I can rest in your gentle grace, your positive power, your marvelous majesty, your wide and wonderful wisdom. I can rest in your great plans, your deep purposes, your plenteous provision. You are the glorious God of goodness, the majestic Lord of meaning, the strong King of hope. In you I have a future with stability and purpose.
These are all wonderful, but they are actually only the by-products of your much more significant gift to us: a wonderful relationship with you which is rich, warm, enthusiastic, filled with your delight, love and joy.
Peace reigns as I rest in you. Grace flows as I embrace my place of submission with humility. Joy deepens as I move forward in eager surrender to your wisdom, to your Word and to your ways.
Praise be to you, Lord Jehovah, Yahweh, the great Triune God, marvelous in majesty, glorious in grace and caring in compassion. You have made yourself my Father, my Savior, my King and my Shepherd. In you alone is rest, in you alone is peace and joy, for we were made to live in surrender in your embrace of love.
Help me to be in submission and sync with you all through this day, Lord, living in the light of your Word, in the direction of your Spirit and in the wisdom of your understanding, waiting for your timing in all. I praise you now for what you will do, for how you will use me, for all that you will bring into my life today.
 
Picture: a view of An.kara, where the Lord led us and blessed us with much hardship and joy.
 
 
 

Psalm 24:4c

Psalm 23:4c
 
“Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place?” He who does not “swear by what is false.”
[To put value on what is false is a serious sin. In the world, beauty and wealth, power and position are the predominate and false values. But the truth is, only what you, Lord, value is worth our time and energy–love and grace, your Word, prayer, service and goodness. I praise you that in you we can be free from what is false, for you are Truth itself and the truth sets us free.
You know all things, therefore your measure of truth is the one we should use. I praise and thank you, Lord Jesus, for shepherding us into freedom FROM falsehood, and into freedom IN Truth.
You are the wise God who, through your Word and Spirit, reveals to us what we cannot possibly discover with our feeble intellect. You are the great and wonderful God whom we can worship because you have opened the way into a rich and rousing relationship with you.
 
Help me to walk with you closely through the whole of this day, rejecting idols and obeying what I know to be true, honoring you.