Psalm 12:5 “’Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,’ says the LORD. ‘I will protect them from those who malign them.’”

[Praise you, Lord, that you are the God of justice, that you will, at the right time, rise up to expose evil, judge righteously and protect powerfully. We pray that you will do this soon.

We cry out to you to expose the lies of Satan, self, and sin (beginning with we tell ourselves). Shine forth your righteousness as the light and our judgment as the noon day sun.

You, Lord God, love righteousness, and you love the righteous—those purified and forgiven in Christ—as well as all those who continue in darkness, believing the lies of the Devil.

Rise up and show your love in causing Truth to flow throughout the land, giving light to all, sweeping as many as possible into your Kingdom.] Psalm 62:1

Psalm 146:9 “The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow,

[You, O Lord, not only see, but act on behalf those who are weak, those whom men are so willing to plunder. You protect, provide, and guide the vulnerable, the hurting, the defenseless. I praise you for your graciousness in doing so, for it shows your mercy and love, your justice, your compassion at work in wonderful ways.]

“but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.”

[Praise be to you, Lord, that you actively intervene to block the desires of the evil one as he seeks to work through wicked people. You seem to let them prosper for a while–as Hitler did for twelve years–but then you bring them low.

Lord, act quickly against such evil desires and evil men; foil the plans of the nations and thwart the purposes of the people; bring instead your desires to pass.]

Psalm 146:10 “The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations.”

[Praise you, Lord Jesus, that you are the eternal King, ruling and over-ruling, inexorably moving history to the conclusion that you desire, the end you have ordained–undeterred by the rebellion of men, the failure of believers, or the resistance of the devil.

You reign, for you are the sovereign Lord, the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-loving and all-good God, worthy of worship, worthy of honor, worthy of glory, worthy of obedience.

So, Lord Jesus, I bow before you now, I eagerly acknowledge your right to rule in my life. I commit myself to give you glory and honor with my mind and mouth. And I rise up and go forth to obey you this day, with my heart and will, to bring you praise and thanksgiving by doing before men the good deeds you have prepared for me to do. May you be highly honored in my life today. Amen!]

Psalm 146:8 “…the LORD gives sight to the blind….”

[Praise you, Lord, that this is true both physically and spiritually. Spiritual sight is by far the more important one, for if we can see spiritual Truth now, even if our physical eyes are blind, we will see physically in heaven

Praise you that your desire is to take away the natural veil over each person’s eyes (2 Cor. 3:13-16), to allow them to see the spiritual reality of being sinners, of being under condemnation and of standing before you, the Righteous One, without hope of relief from their own efforts.

Then you give them the bright dawn of hope in your provision of pardon and release, of cleansing and transformation so they can become your beloved children! That’s really an eye-opening truth!\

I love John’s comment about this in 1 John 3:1 “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! AND THAT IS WHAT WE ARE!”] And His embrace proves it!

Greetings! Last night I got home too late to do a post. Sorry.

Tonight I want to do something a little different. I’ve been thinking about the Trinity, God being one God and three persons at the same time,  and the evidence for it in Scripture. This list is by no means exhaustive, but points us in the right direction..

1. The first hint comes in the first verse in the Bible: “In the beginning God…” The word in Hebrew for God here is “Elohim” which is a plural for three or more. Hebrew has a plural for just two, and then for three or more. And the Trinity is 3!
2. Then in Genesis 1:26 God says, “Let us make mankind in our image.” At every other stage of creation He just says, “Let there be…” But here He speaks to someone about this creature he was about to create, another clue to the trinity.

In Genesis 18:1  it says, “ The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day.” And when the Lord appeared to him,  in the next verse it says, “Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby.”  God appears as three people to Abraham.

1. It goes on to say, “When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by.”  Three people, and Abraham addresses them in the singular.
2. Genesis 18:17, the continuation, it says, “Then the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?”  Here the name is LORD, that is Yahweh, the unmistakable name of God. And he now speaks as one, although there are three of them.
3. In Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  Here is the Trinity:
   1. Wonderful Counselor:  the Holy Spirit
   2. Everlasting Father: God the Father
   3. Prince of Peace: Jesus the Son
   4. And then the combination: Mighty God meaning all of these are the mighty God.
4. In John 15:18  “… they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making HIMSELF EQUAL WITH GOD.
5. Then Jesus goes on and gives more than 10 ways in which he is equal to God, and does what only God can do.  Here are just three more points of evidence in John 5:21-23

A .For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.

1.  Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son,
2.  that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.
3. Romans 9:5 “ Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, WHO IS GOD OVER ALL…”  The Messiah IS God!
4. Then in Revelation the same or similar titles are used for both Jesus and God: First and Last, Alpha and Omega, Beginning and the end.

The Trinity is, of course, beyond human comprehension, which to me proves He is God, for to truly be the Creator God, He would have to be beyond our understanding.

And Here are 3 reasons why the Trinity is important.

1. Since God is love, if He were just one He would need someone to love, meaning He was not independent of His creation. But, being 3 in 1 He already has love, fellowship and communion within the Trinity, making Him independent from His creation.
2. The Trinity demonstrates the importance of division of labor: the Father plans, the Son carries it out, the Spirit finishes up.
3. And the Trinity is the ultimate demonstration of humility. The Son honors the Father, the Spirit directs worship to the Son, the Father loves His son with a limitless love. And we see the reflection of this is our beings, as God gives us different roles and abilities. It is built into creation as He has made us in our image.

For your edification!

Praise be to you, Lord, for your great and gracious heart. Praise you that you look down and see every single person on this earth, all at the same time, and that you are aware of each one’s needs, motives, desires, suffering, rebellion and anger.

I praise you that you work in the life of each person–believer or not–to supply their needs in an ever-flowing river of good: “… your Father in heaven…causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matt. 5:45).

You bring each one help on every level: “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psa. 34:18).

And most importantly you offer the opportunity for all to enter your Kingdom: “when he [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world [everyone] of sin, righteousness, and judgment…” (John 16:8-10) and “…whosoever believes should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16b).

We praise you that you are the loving “God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” True love,, True Grace, True Goodness. May we live every day in the light of your marvelous character.