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The Gift of Freedom

Psalm 146:7b “The LORD sets prisoners free….”

[Right from the beginning of our lives we are all imprisoned by sin in the web of Satan, where everyone is ensnared in his sticky strands of lies, fear and violence. Just being born into a broken and twisted world results in quirks and knots in our personalities that bring problems, difficulties, and oppression.

Then our upbringing and family culture with fallen parents, teachers and friends instill further dysfunctional thoughts, feelings, and desires into us. And then there is our culture’s worldview, with its unhealthy internalized values of materialism, selfishness and pride, locking us into destructive feelings, desires and goals.

All these lead us to emotional pitfalls, to accepting false answers to the great human thirst for love and approval, for significance and security, for fulfillment and belonging. These wrong answers then produce fear: fear of man, fear of the future, fear of failure, fear of pain, loss and hurt. Satan uses all of these to oppress, control, and in the end to crush us, killing all he can.

But You, Lord Jesus, have made a way out of this prison of oppression, opening the door to the cell of hopelessness, letting in the light of your goodness. You have called us to step out of the darkness of fear into the light of your Love, into the rich and warm relationship with you where our fears can be washed away in the river of joy. You call us to live in your forgiveness and goodness, your grace and glory. You don’t want to crush us, but to transform us and make us into a new creature.

The goodness of your heart, the love of your eyes, the goodness of your will all draw on to deeper surrender and trust so that we can fulfill the purpose of our lives:  honoring you. Help us to do that better today.

 

 

 

 

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!

 

 

Greetings! Today I will begin with two prayer requests.

1. We have a relative approaching death; to our knowledge he has never accepted Christ; pray that he will come to Christ before passing.
2. This weekend I have three speaking engagements; pray that God will empower, guide and use what I share to change lives. Thanks.

 The Gift of Beauty

Praise the LORD, for another sunny day with pleasant weather and a beautiful countryside: rich, warm morning sunshine streaming over the hills, casting long, deep shadows from the trees and buildings, bringing out every dip and rise in the land.

The trees are silver with dew, the river is clothed in shimmering wreathes of fog, flowers are peeking out from bushes, gardens and graveyards, the birds are joyfully flitting about and singing in the new day’s light.

You, O Lord God, are a lover of beauty, and are so gracious to share this visual feast with us, a breakfast for the eyes, a refreshment to the soul.

I praise you for your marvelous creativity, making all so practical and yet so beautiful. You could have made everything black and white, ugly and efficient—but you have chosen to clothe usefulness in gracefulness, practicality in beauty, efficiency in loveliness. You cover fruit trees with fragrant and colorful blossoms; you make water sparkling and pure; you give the hills and trees many shades of green.

Praise you that you do the same in our lives, making food festive, procreation pleasurable, worship wonderful, work rewarding, friendship fine and relationships rewarding.

May we walk in the lavishness of your love and the joy of your grace, enjoying your gift of beauty all day long.

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.

 

 

The Gift of Faithfulness

Psalm 146:6b “The Lord who remains faithful forever.”

[You, Lord, are the persistent God of Hope, forever pouring joy and peace into our lives as we trust in you (Rom. 15:13)–so that our lives may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and that we may live lives worthy of you.

For this I praise you, Lord Jesus, I exalt you, heavenly Father, I honor you, Holy Spirit, for your consistent, continual commitment to Truth, to Righteousness, to your Promises and, most importantly, to your rich and beautiful Character.

In the garden of Eden you promised a Savior who would crush Satan’s head. You prepared the way for His coming, choosing Abraham, protecting him and his off-spring through many years of danger, oppression and difficulty. Through Joseph you saved Judah from whence came the Christ.

And at the right time you arrived, Lord Jesus: in weakness and vulnerability, a helpless babe born to inexperienced parents in a dirty and sickness-filled society where infant mortality rate was high and enemies abounded.

You lived among sin-warped people, in evil systems, under oppression by Rome and rejection by your own. You willingly suffered unjust condemnation, torture, death and seeming defeat that you might save all who were willing to come into your shelter of faithful forgiveness and family, of love and new life.

You are the ultimate in faithfulness and therefore we can trust you fully each day to carry us through whatever will come, granting us opportunity to work with you in your plans and to give you honor by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving in each difficulty, disappointment and discouragement.

Help us to take up your out-poured grace, Lord Jesus, to live in the light of your love and to rest in the fact of your faithfulness, so you may be honored today before all human beings around us.

 

 

Psalm 146:6 “Blessed is the man whose hope is the maker of heaven”

[You made both the throne room of Heaven where you dwell, and the great expanses of space where all the starry hosts dwell: zillions of stars (and you know the name of every one!) placed in trillions of galaxies, spread across billions of light years of space]

“and [maker of] earth, the sea and all that is in them”

[You spoke the earth into existence with its mountains and valleys, rivers and streams, the seas with all their great expanse.

And you created the astounding myriad of plants and animals, ranging from the single-celled, up through insects, cats and dogs, to elephants, walrus and whales–plus the unseen spiritual creatures around us.]

You, Lord God, are amazing and awesome: powerful and creative, wise and all-knowing, all-seeing and all-present–the Creator, the Victor, our Savior and King.

From you alone comes real, sure, enduring hope, giving us the great certainty of having salvation from sin, a surplus of significance and security, and the assurance of a sinless eternity with you.

We can know that all which comes to us in this life will be for your glory, our good and the outworking of your triumph over evil.

To you be glory, honor and praise forever: may you be lifted up, esteemed and exalted today, in my life, in my motives, in my thoughts, words and actions.]

 

Psalm 11:7b “His countenance beholds the upright.”

[You, Lord, in your love and goodness, consistently look after us, your children–we who now stand in the righteousness of Christ. You are aware of every event that comes to us, you filter out what is truly evil and harmful, and you have equipped us to deal with whatever you allow into our lives.

You have qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of Light! You are carrying us forward on to glory, honor and praise as we respond to your direction in faith! Your love is wonderful and rich, pure and powerful, and it is a great privilege to live in it!]

Psalm 146:5 “Blessed is the man whose help is the God of Jacob”

[You work with us, as you worked with that rebellious rascal Jacob. You are patient and persistent, providing consequences to bring us up short, penetrating our lives at the right time with conviction and wisdom, and pointing us the way to full surrender],

“[Blessed is the man] whose hope is the Lord his God”

[Jacob kept calling you, “the God of my father” rather than his own God. It took a whole lifetime of self-imposed suffering, fear and loss before Jacob, on his death bed, finally bowed before you and worshiped you as “my God,” making you his personal hope. May we not wait so long to surrender! ]

Picture from internet

 

Psalm 11:7 “For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness;”

[Praise you, Lord God, that in you there is no evil, no darkness, no sin, no wrongdoing. You are righteous and love what is right. You cannot be corrupted and corrupt no one. You cannot be tempted, and you tempt no one. Instead, you call all to righteousness.

When we believe your Word and submit to you, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us. Then we get to grow in righteousness as we walk in obedience to what we know to be true:

–loving your Word by reading, studying, memorizing and meditating on it;

–listening to and obeying the conviction of the Spirit, that most often comes through the Word;

— working by and through prayer, living the truth that without you we can do nothing;

–participating in fellowship, knowing that in your church we will learn to give and receive help and be helped; we will both enjoy and be irritated by others, repent, and forgive, love as Christ loves us.

Help us to be faithful in participating in your righteousness, Lord, living worthy of you, as sons and daughters of the Most High King, the Creator and Sustainer of all. May our central and deepest goal today be to glorify, honor and please you.]

 

 

 

Psalm 11:5b “But the wicked and the one who loves violence, His [God’s] soul hates.”

[Here is one of those seeming paradoxes of the Bible: God loves all yet hates the wicked. Here are three possible understandings among several, all of them true:

–He hates what they do, but loves them as His creatures;

–He loves them, but when they refuse to come under His protection by surrendering to Christ, they fall under His hatred for sin;

–or here He is speaking of Satan and his hoard of demons.

The certainty is that, in God’s character there are no contradictions: He hates sin and will punish it yet found an extremely excruciating and expensive one way to redeem sinners within this context.

Psalm 11:6 “Upon the wicked He will rain coals; Fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup.”

[As part of your plan to eliminate evil, you, Lord God, will in your justice justly punish rebellious evil doers–those who refuse your gracious forgiveness and instead love violence, those who hate what is good, those who refuse to believe you and accept Truth.

This is what you did in Sodom and Gomorrah, what you did in Canaan to those who rejected you, and what you will do to all those who refuse your offer of goodness and grace. There can be no justice without the punishment of evil.]

Help us, Lord, to walk in your way and help others avoid the judgment to come.

Psalm 11:4-5 “The Lord is in His holy temple, The Lord’s throne is in heaven;”

[You are ever ruling, ever awake, ever alert. Nothing escapes your notice, and you always act in inexorable power at exactly the right time.

You rule wisely, wonderfully, willfully. You are moving events to the great conclusion of history, sweeping as many as are willing into your Kingdom and taking us with you, while giving those who aren’t willing multiple opportunities as well.]

“His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The Lord tests the righteous,”

[You watch every person, you test each one, giving opportunities for belief to the not-yet-sons. And to your children, who have been granted the righteousness of Christ, you give tests that are possibilities to grow, to give you glory and to display grace.

Ah, Lord, help us to remember that difficulties, disappointments, danger and discouragement are tests, each one an opportunity to take up your grace, rise up in praise and defeat the enemy on his own ground.

Help us to follow you on the path that you have laid out for us, like the one this picture. May we not fail in these tests but cooperate with you and join you for your glory!

Help us today to live in the light of your lavish love, trusting in your great and glorious goodness in each trial, fulfilling the purpose of our lives by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving in all.]