* Love Never Quits

Thank God, who did it all! His love never quits!
Psalm 136:26 The Message Bible

I was a child the first time I read this Psalm in the King James Version. Instead of His love never quits; it was his mercy endureth forever. And yes, it's from the same Hebrew word - Checed - that I've mentioned before.

I really hated reading this one as a child. I couldn't seem to hear the Thank God parts of it because every other line was his mercy endureth forever - or now in the Message, His love never quits. As a child, it obliterated the rest of the psalm for me because of the constant repetition.

As an adult, I can't seem to remember all the other parts, but for a totally different reason. Now, I LOVE this Psalm!! His mercy endures forever!! His love never quits!!! He did it all and through all of it - His mercy endures forever!! His love never quits!!! THINK ABOUT THAT! Let it soak into and manifest in your spirit. His mercy endures forever!! His love never quits!!! Praise His Holy Name!!

1-3 Thank God! He deserves your thanks.
His love never quits.
Thank the God of all gods,
His love never quits.
Thank the Lord of all lords.
His love never quits.

4-22 Thank the miracle-working God,
His love never quits.
The God whose skill formed the cosmos,
His love never quits.
The God who laid out earth on ocean foundations,
His love never quits.
The God who filled the skies with light,
His love never quits.
The sun to watch over the day,
His love never quits.
Moon and stars as guardians of the night,
His love never quits.
The God who struck down the Egyptian firstborn,
His love never quits.
And rescued Israel from Egypt’s oppression,
His love never quits.
Took Israel in hand with his powerful hand,
His love never quits.
Split the Red Sea right in half,
His love never quits.
Led Israel right through the middle,
His love never quits.
Dumped Pharaoh and his army in the sea,
His love never quits.
The God who marched his people through the desert,
His love never quits.
Smashed huge kingdoms right and left,
His love never quits.

Struck down the famous kings,
His love never quits.
Struck Sihon the Amorite king,
His love never quits.
Struck Og the Bashanite king,
His love never quits.
Then distributed their land as booty,
His love never quits.
Handed the land over to Israel.
His love never quits.

23-26 God remembered us when we were down,
His love never quits.
Rescued us from the trampling boot,
His love never quits.
Takes care of everyone in time of need.
His love never quits.
Thank God, who did it all!
His love never quits!

Yes!! Thank God, who did it all! His love never quits!

Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You that Your mercy endures forever and that Your love never quits, because we are in constant need of both. Let this Rhema Word come alive in us! Thank You for Your Word to us to carry us through. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Heart Check

Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you have it; it’s yours!
Mark 11:24 The Living Bible

This was Jesus' response to Peter's being amazed at the fig tree being withered - the one Christ had cursed the day before. As Christians, we love to quote this Scripture! We like to just jump right in there and pray for anything and think we should get it. After all, isn't that what it says? Actually no, it isn't.

The spoken word is powerful, no doubt, but let's do a heart check on this. Knowing Christ for who He is, we know that everything He says and everything He does are always in the will of God. That's where we start.

What are we praying for? Does it line up with the Word of God? Does it oppose the Word of God in any manner? If whatever we're praying for does NOT line up with the Word of God, it definitely is not the will of God, so it's not happening. It doesn't matter how much you pray or how much you believe... which brings us to the next checkpoint.

Believing. He didn't say, "Pray for anything and think you should get it, and it's yours." He clarified BELIEVE. If it lines up with the Word of God, you pray for it and must believe. Not wait and see if it happens. Not wishing and hoping. Not crossing your fingers. Actually believing in faith that it is done!

That's not the end of it. Verse 24 is taken out of context when just uttered on its own. The whole reference includes verses 22-26 - the before and after factor I've mentioned in previous posts. Let's read it here:

In reply Jesus said to the disciples, “If you only have faith in God—this is the absolute truth—you can say to this Mount of Olives, ‘Rise up and fall into the Mediterranean,’ and your command will be obeyed. All that’s required is that you really believe and have no doubt! Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you have it; it’s yours! But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive you your sins too.”

Our faith must be in God. We must not doubt. Okay, so our petition lines up with the Word of God. We truly believe. Our faith is in God... what about verse 26? But when you are praying, first forgive... Heart check! Are we holding a grudge against anyone?

Unforgiveness is a deal-breaker. Not only are our prayers not answered, but we can't be forgiven of our sins, either. I don't know about you, but I need forgiveness on a daily basis. Dear Ones, let's check our hearts.

Father,
           Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for always making clear what it is You want us to know. Please give us wisdom, according to Your Word, so that we may understand You and all that You would have us do. Check our hearts, Father. Reveal to us the error of our ways. Remove that which alienates us from You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Love and Mercy, Mercy and Grace *

I'm gonna start with Scripture a little differently this time. I am captivated by the varied interpretations and yet the same interpretation of this passage in the selected Bible versions below.

18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. 
Proverbs 33:18-22 English Standard Version

18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.
22 Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.
Proverbs 33:18-22 King James Version

18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
19 to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.
20 We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.
22 May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.
Proverbs 33:18-22 New International Version

18 But Adonai’s eyes watch over those who fear him, over those who wait for his grace
19 to rescue them from death and keep them alive in famine.
20 We are waiting for Adonai; he is our help and shield.
21 For in him our hearts rejoice, because we trust in his holy name.
22 May your mercy, Adonai, be over us, because we put our hope in you.

Proverbs 33:18-22 Complete Jewish Bible

I read it first in the English Standard Version, and decided to look up "steadfast" of  "steadfast love." When I started to read it in the different versions, I realized how widely the Hebrew word - Checed - was translated, and yet they all define God's character and who He is to us and what He has done for us! 

Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. 

Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.

May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.

May your mercy, Adonai, be over us, because we put our hope in you.

The Truth of the matter is He is ALL those things and the ONLY reason we can put our hope in Him.

Prayer:

Father,

          Let Your Name be glorified!! May Your steadfast love and mercy, Your unfailing love, Your grace and Your mercy be over us, O God, because we put our hope in YOU.  In Jesus' Name we pray.

Watching and Waiting *

Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors.

Proverbs 8:34 NKJV

Every time I read this verse, I think of Joshua, son of Nun. I know I've mentioned it before - how he waited at the entrance every time Moses went to meet with God. Always serving Moses, obedient and attentive to his every directive. Joshua knew his place, his position and his purpose. And he served in each with excellence.

There is no record of Joshua moaning and groaning about his position. He did NOT bring back a bad report or commiserate with the other ten spies who said they were like grasshoppers in their own eyes. He aligned himself with what the Lord had declared, and would profess nothing less. 

Do we serve God the same way? Do we align ourselves to be in His presence at every opportunity? Do we align our mouths to say only what God has to say about any given situation? Do we align our spirits to say "Yes, Lord!" at His every expectation of us?  If not, why not? These are not rhetorical questions. Stop and think about how you will answer.

Prayer:

Father,

          O that it would be said of us that we listen, watching daily at Your gates, waiting at the posts of Your doors. What wisdom we would glean! Help us, Father, to make it be so! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

It's a Set Up *

The Lord said to Moses, “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you: 

Exodus 31:1-6 ESV

When God first told Moses to go to Pharaoh, Moses kept spouting excuses as to why he couldn't do that. Who am I to do that? Who are you? I have a speech impediment, I can't speak to Pharaoh or the elders. God assured Moses He made the mouth, He would make it work. Even though Moses couldn’t get past his own inefficiencies, God equipped Aaron to go with Moses. (You can read that part of the story in Exodus, chapters 3 - 4.)

So, here we are in chapter 31, and God has laid out all the instructions for making the mobile Tabernacle, and He has commanded many minute details of Moses and Aaron – neither of whom were capable to do all that He commanded. Moses didn't have the background or ability to create what God had given him to do. So what did God do?  And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you...

How many times has God asked us to do something and we say no because we don't know how? What is God thinking? Doesn't He know my background? Is He setting me up to fail? No! No! And No!

God in His greatness, in His goodness, in His faithfulness, knows what we can and cannot do. However, He doesn’t leave us in our inabilities. If we are obedient to Him, He gives to us everything we need to carry out His plan and purpose for our lives – be it ability in us or the ability of those He puts in our lives.

People fail, that's true. People’s plans fail; but God’s plan never fails. The Word assures us God can NOT fail. No matter what you see; no matter what you hear; no matter who is in leadership on the earth. Even when you don't understand it. God is in control. He has the plan and He HAS set us up! 

To succeed! 

Prayer:

Father,
          Too often, we believe our shortcomings and what we see more than we believe Your Word. Forgive us, O God. Forgive us for doubting You and for questioning Your every move. Lord, we surrender our will and our way to Yours. Help us to remember our walk is a walk of faith, and that faith is in You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

* Dream Come True

So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.  James 2:17-22 NLT [underline emphasis is mine]

This passage is about living out our Christian walk. We can't just say we're a Christian. The testimony - the witness - is what people observe in our walk. Just saying it and not living out the tenets of true Christianity is wasting the air it takes for us to say it. 

I also believe this same principle applies to the God-placed dreams and desires in our hearts. What is your dream? What is it you want to do or accomplish while on this earth? Are you just wishing it would happen? Are you praying? In addition to praying, what are you doing about it? Yes, I said 'doing'! 

Okay, first we have to be sure it lines up with the Word of God. We can't expect God to honor anything that opposes or compromises His Word. Make sure the dream coming true would honor God. Stay true to its holy intent. 

Second, follow Scripture. To start, read Psalm 37, and NOT just verse 4, (Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart). Notice the word 'also' in that verse, then when we read the chapter, we find it means 'in addition to' delighting ourselves, there is also trusting God, committing to Him, not fretting, not envying, etc.

I've said it before, but it bears repeating: There is a huge difference between asking for something and actively seeking it. What are YOU doing toward making it happen? You have to do something - you have to be an active part in it. If you want to be a motivational speaker, an executive, a parent, a teacher, a musician, a writer, a singer - are you doing something about it EVERY day? Are you learning? Are you actively seeking to build your skillset for whatever it is? If and when the opportunity arises, will you be ready? Are you making preparation - all the while trusting God?

You may think too much time has passed and you're too old now. Just as a reminder: Abraham was 100 years old; Sarah was 90 and past the age of child-bearing. That didn't stop Isaac from being born. Why? Because Abraham believed God and kept planting seed. 

What is YOUR dream? What are YOU doing about it?

Prayer:

Father,
         Ignite us again! Blow on the dying embers of our dreams and desires. Fan into flames those with holy purpose. Burn off the ones born only of human desire. Fit us for the purpose that You have placed deep within hearts. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Every Last Detail

My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the Lord. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT

There are passages in the Old Testament where I tend to struggle to stay focused. In the early years, especially, I thought, "Why is this in here? What relevance does it have to now?" All the strange names of fathers and sons I couldn't pronounce, all the generations and how many there were... Did you ever wonder?

I've read about the Tabernacle in the wilderness with all the minute details of each piece and post, and the linen ephod, and the outerwear, and even the underwear for the priests. Without meaning any disrespect, my observation was that it seems somehow tedious. However, now instead of wondering what relevance it has, I want to know WHY it is relevant. And I find myself asking, "Father, what is it You want me to learn in this?"

Let's face it. I'm not going to build a mobile tabernacle in the wilderness. I'm not going to sew linen ephods and add precious stones for the twelve tribes of Israel, but God chose to include all those details in His Word. And knowing that God wastes nothing, what is the purpose of all the details? And then I got it...

It is relevant because of the details. He is I AM - the God of everything. The God of details. Every little thing matters to Him. He has a plan for everything and He wants it done according to HIS standard. He wants the best. He wants perfection. And His way is exactly that.

When He planned our salvation before the foundation of the world, He chose perfection. He planned every last detail. Yes, He provides us mercy and grace, but those are not to excuse our sin. Christ's death and resurrection did not make excuses for us; He made restitution for our debt of sin. Christ gave His WHOLE self for us. We, in turn, owe Him our life. All of it. Every last detail.

Prayer:

Father,
            As we come before You, help us to be open and give You all the details of our lives. Help us to understand that we must bring everything - our whole self - as an offering to You so that You can make us new. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen