* Who to Believe?

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, "The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”
Lamentations 3:22-24 NLT

Skimming through the news and articles, it's all about the oil prices per barrel, and the shale market, and OPEC, and all the conspiracies behind this or that action. The political pundits are sure we're heading to destruction and ruin and the collapse of Wall Street. Others are sure we'll be just fine - just a little shaking down. So who do you believe? What do you believe?

The truth is - in this world, there's only one thing we can be sure of - and I'm not talking "death and taxes." Hebrews 13:8 NKJV reads,  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He's not moved by rising or falling prices of anything. He is God and we are not. Who are you going to believe?

Prayer:

Father,
         Thank You for Your written Word that remains alive and well and is not changed by anything. Thank You for the solid rock on which we can stand no matter what falls around us. We give You praise for these things and so much more. In Jesus' Name we pray.

Psalm 128 - The Lord Rewards His Faithful People *

The Lord will bless you if you respect him and obey his laws. Your fields will produce, and you will be happy and all will go well. Your wife will be as fruitful as a grapevine, and just as an olive tree is rich with olives, your home will be rich with healthy children. That is how the Lord will bless everyone who respects him.

I pray that the Lord will bless you from Zion and let Jerusalem prosper as long as you live. May you live long enough to see your grandchildren. Let’s pray for peace in Israel!
Psalm 128 Contemporary English Version

* What Time

What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
Psalm 56:3 KJV

I had something else planned to write this evening, but I keep coming back to this verse in King James. Maybe somebody needs to be reminded. 

Scripture doesn't tell us we'll never be afraid, but it does tell us not to fear. There is a difference. 

Fear will come - just like every other test and trial - but in God's Word, there is an answer - an antidote - for every one of them, including fear. 

The miraculous thing is the antidote is the same for each of them... trust in God.

Some might say that I'm over-simplifying the message. No, it's not easy to trust God in the middle of it all. It's quite difficult. It takes FAITH. Ask Peter. Ask Abraham. Ask Mary...and the list goes on and on.

What time? Every time, any time, all the time. Wherever, whenever. Trust in God. He not only has the answer, He IS the answer.

Prayer:

Father,
          Forgive us for not exercising the measure of faith You have given each of us. We choose to trust You - no matter the circumstance. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen. 

* Preparing for a Reunion

Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives across the valley from the Temple. Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him privately and asked him, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to be fulfilled?”

Mark 13:3-4 NLT

Several years back, my siblings and I planned to get together. For the occasion, we were going to a new place and my nephew advised me not to try to find it in the dark. It’s one of those places that is best found in the light of day. The clan began gathering Thursday, more Friday, others Saturday. And all of it was over on Sunday. So basically, it was a mini-reunion. However, the label of “mini-reunion” is a misnomer. There is no such thing as a mini when it comes to our family. It’s almost as if there was an unwritten law that Italian families had to have one member for each letter in their last name making it an acronym. If you knew how to spell your last name, you could name all the kids in the family… Dante Ilario Giovanni Imilia Anthony Carmine Isidro Nicholas Teresa Octavio… Thankfully, in the “Americanizing” process of changing the last name, some were shortened!

Acronyms are their own language. And now with IMs and texting, abbreviations and acronyms are in danger of running amuck. I’m all for a good acronym, but it can get a little crazy…  However, there is one I rather like: B.I.B.L.E. Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Actually, it’s not a true acronym, but it is a great backronym - a phrase constructed after the fact to make an existing word into an acronym.  And it is a good warning – we do need basic instruction before leaving Earth.

You see, God has planned a reunion. The family started gathering a long time ago, some not so long ago, and for others, just today. I don’t know about tomorrow though, because it’s not promised to anyone…but the day is coming when He’ll call us all home. Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him privately and asked him, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to be fulfilled?” The answer is in the Bible. We have to prepare. Do you have enough oil for your lamp? You can’t find it in the dark. You need the Light. It can only be found in the required B.I.B.L.E.

Is JC ur BFF? b/c He’ll BBIAB & AFAIK u can’t DIY. Pls, even if u r fubar, np. He LM & is w8ing 4u2 CHB. K? HTH… *

Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth and understanding. Your Word tells us that if we lack wisdom, we have only to ask You. Thank You for writing it all down for us. Birth anew in us the desire to study Your instruction manual. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

* Is Jesus Christ your best Friend forever? Because He'll be back in a bit and as far as I know, you can't do it yourself. Please,even if you are fouled up beyond all recognition, no problem. He left a message and is waiting for you to call Him back. Hope this helps...

* Daily Decision

So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.”

You call out to God for help and he helps—he’s a good Father that way. But don’t forget, he’s also a responsible Father, and won’t let you get by with sloppy living.  1st Peter 1:13-17 The Message

I was thinking about the toxicity of life and what could be done about it, when I remembered the parent's story of the teenagers still living at home who wanted to watch an R-rated movie. Mom said no. The teenagers began to whine and wheedle, "Oh, Mom, c'mon! It's not that bad. It only has a little cussing in it. And only one sex scene..." Mom said it would not be good for them, no matter how little it was. Teens wanted to argue about it, but Mom quieted them with a promise to sleep on it and let them know her final decision the next evening.

After school the next afternoon, the teens came home to the smell of fresh brownies in the kitchen. Oh, they were SO excited! Mom's brownies were the BEST! Before they took a bite, Mom said, "I want to let you know one little thing that's in there. I put half a teaspoon of dog poo in the batter, but it's only a little bit - half a teaspoon. It's not that bad."

Nobody would eat the brownies. None of us would, either, and yet we "eat" stuff day in and day out that is bad for us. Stuff that doesn't promote spiritual health and well-being. Think about it.

Quote from Alan Neel, "Discernment is a daily decision to determine what is toxic." Let's remove the toxins in our lives; including the two-legged ones, too.

Prayer:

Father, 

          Help us to see the true toxicity level of those things in our lives and give us the strength to cast them off and to not look back. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

On the Day He Comes *

Yes, my children, remain in union with him, so that when he appears we may be full of courage and need not hide in shame from him on the Day he comes. 

1st John 2:28 Good News Translation

 My children, the end is near! You were told that the Enemy of Christ would come; and now many enemies of Christ have already appeared, and so we know that the end is near. These people really did not belong to our fellowship, and that is why they left us; if they had belonged to our fellowship, they would have stayed with us. But they left so that it might be clear that none of them really belonged to us.

But you have had the Holy Spirit poured out on you by Christ, and so all of you know the truth. I write you, then, not because you do not know the truth; instead, it is because you do know it, and you also know that no lie ever comes from the truth.

Who, then, is the liar? It is those who say that Jesus is not the Messiah. Such people are the Enemy of Christ—they reject both the Father and the Son. For those who reject the Son reject also the Father; those who accept the Son have the Father also.

Be sure, then, to keep in your hearts the message you heard from the beginning. If you keep that message, then you will always live in union with the Son and the Father. And this is what Christ himself promised to give us—eternal life.

I am writing this to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But as for you, Christ has poured out his Spirit on you. As long as his Spirit remains in you, you do not need anyone to teach you. For his Spirit teaches you about everything, and what he teaches is true, not false. Obey the Spirit's teaching, then, and remain in union with Christ.

Yes, my children, remain in union with him, so that when he appears we may be full of courage and need not hide in shame from him on the Day he comes. You know that Christ is righteous; you should know, then, that everyone who does what is right is God's child. 1st John 2:18-29

Prayer:

Father,

         Make Your Word alive in our hearts! Help us heed Your instructions implicitly. Live large in us, Lord, so that we may accomplish all You have set before us BEFORE The Day You come. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Trip Advisory Thanksgiving

Do this and you will never ever be lost. In this way you will receive a rich welcome into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

2nd Peter 1:10b-11 CEB

Today is Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. - a national holiday. Lots of people travelling this week and returning home later in the weekend. Regardless of your mode of travel, I hope you have great directions for your final destination. 

When I travel on the road, I always like to have the AAA Triptik. They're great - maps laid out in a spiral flip binder in doable miles per page without being overwhelmed by the overall trip. The route to travel is clearly highlighted along with bits of vital information: the terrain is described (mountainous, flat lands, rolling hills), rest stops and road construction are marked, AAA-recommended hotels are noted with information to make reservations, etc. It will even warn you of speed traps! It's nigh on impossible to get lost while using a AAA Triptik.

As one who can get lost so frequently that all roads look familiar, I am thrilled to find today's promise - Do this and you will never ever be lost. Since our destination is the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, it would behoove us to follow the trip advisory that God has laid out for us. If we go back a few verses in our text for today, we find this vital information:

     By his divine power the Lord has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of the one who called us by his own honor and glory. Through his honor and glory he has given us his precious and wonderful promises, that you may share the divine nature and escape from the world’s immorality that sinful craving produces.

     This is why you must make every effort to add moral excellence to your faith; and to moral excellence, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, endurance; and to endurance, godliness; and to godliness, affection for others; and to affection for others, love. If all these are yours and they are growing in you, they’ll keep you from becoming inactive and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

These are the things we must do, so that we will never be lost. 

Peter goes on to tell us, Whoever lacks these things is shortsighted and blind, forgetting that they were cleansed from their past sins.

Let's not get lost. God has given us the directions for our journey - His Word. It has all the vital information we need. The route is clearly highlighted. Use it! Don't take one step without it.

Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for the ultimate Triptik. We are so grateful that You have paid the way for us to get to You. We want to be around Your banqueting table on the day You call us home. Keep us ever mindful of the trip advisories in Your Word. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Regardless of your mode of travel, please be aware of your surroundings and stay safe.