Considering the Bible

1 Thessalonian Bits – 4:7

2026-06-13

A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.

As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

1 Thessalonians 4:7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.

We have just waded through a passage speaking of the believers call to a life of sexual purity, of abstaining from sexual immorality. It appears that Paul had a message to provide the church, and it may have been related to a known incident in the church.

This is incredible, given his high praise for the church at the beginning of the epistle, how it had such a great witness amongst the unbelievers, and that even the believers far away spoke highly of this church’s faith.

1 Thessalonians 1:7-9 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

Yet there seemed to be a dark spot in the Body, and Paul wanted to make sure they understood the severity of it.

Our verse this morning reminds us of the general truth of God’s call on our lives, specifically in the realm of sex. At first glance, purity seems to be the call of God on our lives. Note that is not specifically Paul’s message. Paul’s term of reference in opposition to impurity is holiness. He speaks of impurity as that which is to be avoided, but holiness as the goal.

Paul went from a specific arena of potential sinful behavior and expanded it to the whole of the believers life. He does not limit the goal of the believer as simply purity in the sexual realm, but holiness. A complete setting aside of a life to God, including, but not only, sexual purity.

As the life is set aside for the Lord, sexual purity will become one area of life the Lord can minister to. If the believer is consecrated to the Lord, the door of opportunity for the Lord to work in the believers life is wide open.

For some this morning, sexual impurity may be the issue that has to be addressed in your life. For others, it may be gluttony, or tardiness, or foul thoughts.

Fighting one sinful area, while ignoring other areas will only provide the saint a frustrated life. A willingness to bend the knee to Him in our lives, not just a specific part of our lives, is the secret to overcoming any particular sinful action. Of course, by this I mean a continual, repetitive giving of our lives to Him, repenting of our sinful actions and thoughts.

A single decision for Him decades ago is not His calling for His child. I must remember that!

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Names of God – HE WHO OPENS AND NO ONE WILL SHUT, WHO SHUTS AND NO ONE OPENS. – 288

2026-06-12

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

288

HE WHO OPENS AND NO ONE WILL SHUT, WHO SHUTS AND NO ONE OPENS.

Revelation 3:7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.

The concept of control is emphasized in this verse, of access to opportunities, to privileges and to greater blessings by the use of this terminology. It is somewhat common in the Word to find this over explanation of the authority over a situation.

Consider the Old Testament passage in Job

Job 12:14 If he tears down, none can rebuild; if he shuts a man in, none can open.

Centuries later, Isaiah picked up on this saying, expanded the emphasis and described the Messiah and His authority to provide access (or restriction) to the kingdom.

Isaiah 22:22 And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

This passage is the very passage John was referring to in our verse this morning. Isaiah is initially speaking of His “servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah”, and of how this man would be a “peg in a secure place”. It is a wonderful passage, speaking of the steadfastness and security of the Lord, that all the promises of God hang on God’s “Peg in a secure place” – that is the Lord Jesus in His ministry to His people.

A reiteration of a similar truth, that is of one having complete authority over a situation is recalled in Matthew when the Lord speaks to Peter this amazing promise.

Matthew 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

For our passage, the Lord is describing Himself with this name in the context of the Philadelphians being rejected from the synagogue. These young believers were being barred from the only religious community they had known, that they had grown up in, and that may still had many of their loved ones in.

Man, and any religion he is controlling, have just a few tools to influence their adherents. Peer pressure, fear and guilt are common, but their most powerful weapon is exclusion.

Take it from one who has been asked to leave a church body, a church body that we served in, we taught in, we gave to and we prayed for. People that we loved and prayed with, joined together under the church leadership and asked us to leave. It was heartbreaking, destructive and painful.

For these Philadelphians, they were rejected due to their allegiance to the Suffering Savior. The Jewish synagogue was committed in their denial of their Savior, and pain was the result.

Pain for the the Philadelphians, for they lost connections with loved one. Yet in the midst of this pain, they maintained a faith in the One who has the keys to the Kingdom, and not merely power over membership in a religious “club”. The Body of Christ is the greater good, the greater blessing, the greater connection. He is the One we need to look to for access that matters.

It is good to remember that the Body of Christ is a living organism that is not dependent on man’s rules, laws or organizations.

All of man’s religions have no authority like HE WHO OPENS AND NO ONE WILL SHUT, WHO SHUTS AND NO ONE OPENS.

Let’s be so thankful, that though we may pass through some rejection from those around us, He who is above us has provided us access!

May God’s name be praised.

I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Prayers of an ol’ fool – The Lord’s Supper and A BBQ

2026-06-11

Psalm 34:6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

As many who follow may know, I have had the privilege to know the Lord for over 40 years. During those decades, He has proved Himself to be a faithful, kind and loving Savior. And as I have learned to lean on Jesus, He has shown Himself to be a merciful Savior, never wavering, even in some very dark times.

This topical series will try to provide a snapshot of an ol’ fools prayers, the weakness and selfishness of his prayers, and the ever increasing goodness of God in His responses the those prayers.

I hope my witness to the goodness and faithfulness of God will be an encouragement to those reading, and will spur us all on to a deeper, more consistent time of being in the Lord’s presence.

Please visit with me as I tell the story of a faithful God and His care for an ol’ fool. Though David considered himself a poor man, I freely admit, I am just an “ol’ fool” looking to the Lord.

THE Lord’s Supper and A BBQ

The topic for this morning includes a somewhat convoluted application of my favorite story of the great missionary Adoniram Judson. The story goes that he was in prison, with little hope of ever being let go, and was allowed to receive an article from his wife on her next visit.

What did he request? The utensils to perform the Lord’s supper. The plate for the bread, and the holder for the wine. He was in a terrible prison, with little sustenance provided. Yet he had the faith to request the utensils for the church the Lord had called him to establish in Burma.

That is the story this prayer is based on.

Now to give you some background on how my twisted little mind works. Warning – this application of the story was honored by the Lord, but it may not have been the wisest use of the great missionaries example. The Lord is good.

Nevertheless, as I have mentioned earlier in my posts, our family were guests in the USA for many years, and in our efforts to attain citizenship, we encountered many disappointments. I have mentioned how three of our children were placed in deportation for periods of time, with one deported to Canada. This story is about my third son, and our experience during his time in the federal deportation prison.

His was a lengthy stay, as the legal system was exceptionally slow, with judges being transferred, lawyers dragging their feet and prison systems seeking to keep paying customers. Months and months passed, and with every visit, we became a little less hopeful. My second son had already been removed from the county, and we knew it was very possible for it to happen again.

Each visit, we were allowed to bring some books, writing tools, and funds to transfer into his account for phone calls, and treats from the commissary.

As mentioned, his stay was lengthy, and in my readings, I saw my son in a somewhat similar condition as Mr. Judson. A hopeless situation from all appearances. And then it occurred to me in my prayers, that we had to provide a physical anchor for my son to cling to for when he got out. Not if, but for when he got out.

Ok – so what would be appropriate for my son. He was not a believer, and to provide him the utensils for the Lord’s supper would make no sense, but the spirit of Adoniram’s request could be followed. So what to do? What to do?

My son has always been a cook. He has worked the kitchen since he was eight years old, providing a thanksgiving meal for the family. Yes – at 8 years old!

So, knowing our background, our mental state of being worn down, our concern over loosing another son to a bureaucracy, and having read the story of a great missionary, our prayers went from discouragement to hopeful.

What was the anchor that we provided to our son?

I brought a picture of a fancy bbq in on a visit, held it up to the glass and told him it was being delivered this week. I told him he would be using it when he got out. He somewhat made fun, and I understand that, but as he went away from that visit, I would like to think he had some hope.

The sausage he smoked on that BBQ the first weekend he enjoyed his freedom were some of the best ever.

Thankyou Lord for working in the prayers of an ol’ fool.

Thanks for joining and Considering The Bible with me. Your thoughts are always welcome, and I look forward to hearing of the faithfulness of God in your lives.

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Life of David – 41.01

2026-06-10

David’s Victories

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

2 Samuel 8:1-14
1 After this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and David took Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines.

As soon as David reunited the kingdom, the Philistines gathered together for a visit.

2 Samuel 5:17 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. But David heard of it and went down to the stronghold.

The most troublesome people group of the region were not going to let David get away with uniting the people of God, and becoming more of a threat to their dominance. This could not be, so they gathered their forces and marched to Israel, just like every other time in the past.

At that time, David sought the Lord for guidance, and soundly defeated the enemy.

Our passage this morning is short but indicates a turning of the tide for the nation of Israel. No longer was Israel the Philistines water boy, existing in the area under threat of another attack.

Yes David has shown defensive moves that effectively gave notice to the Philistines in chapter 5. Since then, he has taken Jerusalem as his city, and received the promise of his Son ruling forever, his family becoming a dynasty under God.

It is time to give notice that the kingdom of Israel is about to explode in the region, and the first (of many) recorded victories were against the Philistines.

There is a subtle but important item to notice in this verse that shows a mindset change in the Israelite army, and their commander.

David did not simply defend, he aggressively took a Philistine city.

David took Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines

Methag-ammah. I had never heard of this location during my readings, and assumed it was a small hamlet on the edge of the Philistine territory. A good first step in David’s dominance over Israel’s enemies.

But alas, I was wrong again. Methag-ammah, meaning “the chief city” was no small victory for David. As a matter of fact, according to a parallel passage in 1 Chronicles, the city was also known as Gath. A principle, arguably the most important city of the Philistines.

1 Chronicles 18:1 After this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Gath and its villages out of the hand of the Philistines.

This was no small victory. In one campaign against the Philistines, the Israelites dominated the entire people group of the Philistines, turning the tables and becoming the nation tribute would flow to. Influence, authority and respect had landed in the nation.

Israel was on the march.

For us today, this small verse has a challenge for us. Are we in a defensive position regarding some sinful attitude, or weakness in our Christian life?

David, knowing the promise of God, took the offensive stance toward his enemies. He overcame the resistance that had plagued the Israelites since they entered the land. David did not let the past dictate the future.

How about us? Are we excusing something in our life because that is how we have always done it? It is just the way it is?

I have been in a defensive mode with a certain behavior, and with David’s example and the help of David’s Greater Son, I want to turn the tides.

May we all find a habit or attitude we can consecrate to the Lord, commit to attacking the problem instead on simply asking forgiveness, and move on to more victories.

David did.

Remember, as believers, we only have one offensive weapon. To find the victory in any battle, we need a passage, portion or verse that will be the weapon to use against any sin.

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Names of God – HE WHO MADE THE PLEIADES AND ORION – 287

2026-06-09

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

287

HE WHO MADE THE PLEIADES AND ORION

Amos 5:8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the LORD is his name;

Amos is struggling with the people of Israel. He is pleading for them to repent, to consider the God they have abandoned.

His refrain throughout the first portion of chapter 5 is for Israel to “seek God and live”. Amos refers to Pleiades and Orion, major constellations referred to a number of times in the Old Testament and he speaks of the Lord making these two constellations. His hope is that the nation will understand the mighty Creator they have abandoned.

I’m afraid Israel did not “seek God and live”. Amos’ ministry was between 750 and 760 BC. Israel fell to the Assyrians, never to rise again, in 722.

They did not seek the One who made Pleiades and Orion, but another saint was challenged with these two constellations in his confrontation with the Creator God. That man was Job, and his encounter is worth considering, as we think of the Creator who made Pleiades and Orion.

God, in His response to Job’s whining, asks questions. A lot of questions. For our purposes, lets dwell on Job 38:3.

Job 38:31 “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion?

Notice that God is asking Job if he can “bind” Pleiades, or “loose” the cords of Orion? In my imagination, these were simply poetic declarations of the Lord when speaking of Job’s inabilities. Simply a statement regarding Job’s inabilities when compared to the Creator of all.

I understood that no further details were intended for Job. But thousands of years later, astronomers have found that Pleiades, a grouping of 7 stars sometimes called the seven sisters is considered a “gravitationally bound” grouping of stars. These seven sisters are always together, always in the same position with each other. They are a stable constellation.

Now when I read that verse in Job, and consider His question to Job, I no longer simply think He was demonstrating Job’s inabilities. He was provided Job information that that he may not have understood. Did the ancients know of this trait of Pleiades?

Well, sit down, for the loosing of the cords of Orion also has additional truths revealed to Job and his friends they may not have known.

For you see, Orion with it’s seven stars, is unlike Pleiades, for it is a constellation that is drifting away from itself, gradually “falling apart” from its form. It is as if the cords keeping the seven stars together are being loosed.

Now doesn’t that make you thank God for being the Great and Awesome Creator that He is. He not only made the great constellations, but has revealed to his saints details beyond our comprehension.

For our Savior, the One who bled and died for us, is HE WHO MADE THE PLEIADES AND ORION.

I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Psalms for Psome – Ps 75.03

2026-06-08

My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.

This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.

I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.

Psalm 75:6 For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up,
Psalm 75:7 but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.
Psalm 75:8 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.

I woke this morning, not knowing what topic was on my schedule to blog about. As I readied my black vitamin (my coffee) and prepared for my time with you, I was impressed about the topic of competition, and how the proverbs direct the saint to enter into competition.

Unexpected? Very much so. Yet I appreciated the nudge towards the topic, and scheduled the blog to be published tomorrow.

I then opened up my scheduled topic and found I was to be in Psalm 75. The verses to be considered this morning, after I had detoured into the proverbs on the topic of competition, were…

Psalm 75:6-7 For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up, but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.

How appropriate. I referred to the New Testament in my discussion on competition, when all I had to do was turn one book back in the Old Testament, and find our verses for this day.

Do we see the connection. It is from the hand of the Lord that even the saint is elevated or is put down. Granted, this psalm is global in its descriptions, for the psalmist is discussing the rising of one nation and the downfall of another nation, but is not the truth is applicable to the individual.

Effort, drive and desire are key elements in the success of the saint in pleasing the Lord. That cannot be denied. Yet the passage above defines the source. The Lord elevates and reduces nations and individuals.

In the midst of this discussion, it is important that remember that any humbling of the saint, whether by choice, or by circumstance, (which admittedly must be from the Lord), is to be taken with a thankful heart, for we know that the path of humility is the path to be taken for the saint.

For the nations, this is not so. Every kingdom, country and nation which has rose from obscurity has fallen. Great kingdoms have fallen in as little as one night – I’m thinking of Babylon, and some have taken centuries to fall – I’m thinking of the Roman empire.

Only one nation will endure forever, the kingdom of the Lord Jesus, and all other kingdoms must fall, simply because they are not the Lord’s kingdom. The righteousness of all other kingdoms are as wickedness when compared with King Jesus, and though each nation/kingdom will eventually take of the dregs of the cup of foaming wine, and the saint may be caught up in the trials of the fall, we can rest in the assurance that the eternal kingdom of the Lord is established on a firm foundation.

Let us be thankful for the King, and His righteous reign, and cling to the promises He has given us in the midst of any trials we shall endure.

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Proverbial Thoughts on Competition

2026-06-07

Thoughts on the topic of competition from the book of wisdom.

It was years ago, during a team building get together, when a Sunday School superintendent suggested a competition between Adult Sunday School teachers for certain goals within a certain time period.

As an adult Sunday School teacher, I walked out of that meeting somewhat confused about the entire message I had heard from a church leader. The topic of competition was one topic that took a back seat in my mind until I had wrestled with the bigger subjects of the night.

But the topic of competition rose it’s head again very soon, for it wasn’t many weeks later that we heard rumblings of some Sunday School teachers complaining of the conditions of their classroom, or the time slot they had been granted. If I recall, there were some who expressed concerns of fairness, of level playing fields and disadvantages they had to suffer.

Obviously, this should have been expected, for to set a brother against a brother (or a sister against a sister) in a competitive stance is to invite strife, conflict and dissension.

I can hear the leadership even today. But Carl, this is just a friendly competition. We need to exercise this competition with grace and kindness. Why introduce a topic such as competition that breeds an unhealthy relationship between brothers and sisters?

May I suggest that the Proverbs address competition by NOT mentioning it in a positive light. Topics related to competition such as envy, boasting, pride and selfish ambition are easily tripped over in the proverbs, but I couldn’t find any Old Testament proverb that encouraged or directed the saint to enter into a competitive relationship with a brother or sister in the Lord, or even with those outside of the household of faith.

As mentioned earlier, the proverbs address those emotions and motivators that erupt from a competitive stance. The New Testament is awash with guidance in how we as believers are to relate to one another. I leave my guests with the following passages to consider.

Philippians 2:3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,

Romans 12:16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

Galatians 5:26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

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1 Thessalonian Bits – 4:6

2026-06-06

A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.

As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

1 Thessalonians 4:6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.

Ok – lets get this straight. Paul is talking to believers, and he is bringing up the subject of the Lord being an avenger.

An avenger!

Before we dig into this verse, let’s remember the context. It has been a week since I have considered this passage, and the old memory glands (or whatever holds my memories these days), is kinda leaky.

So let’s review.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-6a For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter…

Ok so we have reestablished that Paul is addressing believers, that his concern is their sanctification, and this consecration/being set apart for God includes staying away from sexual immorality.

Now when Paul brings up the topic of sexual immorality (πορνεία porneía), he uses the broadest term available. This term is used when describing illicit sexual intercourse, adultery, fornication, incest, harlotry, bestiality and more. In my mind, any sexual activity outside of the bond of marriage would fall under this description.

This restriction was a massive challenge for the Greeks, as the culture they were saved out of reveled in this debauchery. Another example of this behavior was in the Corinthian church, a church which Paul continually expressed his amazement by their immoral sexual “freedoms”

For the Thessalonians, Paul had addresses this concern early on, warning them of the consequences, and that the Lord is the avenger.

Now it is important for the believer that all sexual immorality is to be abstained from. This is the base, or a foundational truth Paul has taught them, and that believers know is true. But in this passage, Paul adds a wrinkle we should take note of.

He speaks of transgressing and wronging his brother in this matter.

What? It is bad enough if there is a believer that is involved in sexual immorality, but Paul is speaking of a brother sleeping with another brother’s wife. Sexual immorality with a brother’s wife, a brother that he worships God with.

Consider the brother who is wronged.

Is it not incumbent on the Lord to deliver that brother justice for the wrongdoing? The betrayal this man felt must have been deep, and the Lord’s message to love his enemy placed him in an even deeper challenge.

Sometimes being a Christian is exceptionally difficult.

Consider the brother who sinned.

Now he has the hound of Heaven chasing him down, the Lord Himself being the wronged brothers avenger. The term used when Paul describes the Lord as an avenger is describing the one who exacts a penalty from the wrongdoer. The term also includes the concept of punishment.

Consider the only other time this Greek term is used in the New Testament.

Romans 13:4 ……But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.

The avenger in this case is the government, the civil authorities that use punishment as their management tool of the masses. When describing this avenger, the wrath of God is linked to the avenger. This is heavy stuff!

And what a mess! This one act, (if it was only one act by the sinful parties), has the capacity of completely destroying the work of the apostle, of decimating the church and of providing offence to so many in and out of the church,

The damage is great, and the Lord Himself is the avenger. This isn’t going to turn out well! The best possible solution is the complete repentance of the sinning party and full reconciliation of the damaged marriages. If this is possible, through the Lord’s mercy, there may be some recovery of church body.

But I surely would not want to be in the sinning brother’s boots. He has some hard times coming to visit him!

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Names of God – HE WHO MADE GREAT LIGHTS – 286

2026-06-05

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

286

HE WHO MADE GREAT LIGHTS

Psalm 136:7 to him who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever;

We are visiting Psalm 136 again, and it is fitting that we do, for the psalm is a repetition of God’s great love for His people.

Throughout this psalm, the author has a refrain for every act of the Lord He has performed for His people.

That refrain is “His steadfast love endures forever.”

This must surely, I thought be the same psalm that in other translations speak of “His mercy endures forever”. But I am mistaken! The psalm I am thinking of is Psalm 118, where the psalmist picks up the same refrain, praising God for His steadfast love (again!)

Throughout the Old Testament, the scoffer and unbeliever focus on tragic history that occurs in the narrative, some of which occurred to accomplish God’s plan. This is a common, (and somewhat justified) complaint of those who have never met the Messiah. It is a method of deflecting blame from their own sin problem, blaming God for something they (and I) don’t fully understand!

Yet, it is repeated over and over again, not only instatements, but in His actions, that the Old Testament describes our Master as the One who is steadfast in His love for His people. Once the soul has tasted that the Lord is good, all complaints of prior history fades, for He suffered more than any, and He suffered for all.

We must remember that those who may have seemed to have died prematurely in a battle, in a war, or in fights that extended an earthly theocracy, were souls that belonged to God, that He is sovereign, and though I personally have struggled with some of the stories revealed in the Old Testament, it is of the will of God that has not only allowed or directed difficult times, but the same God who has revealed these actions to His people.

It is wise to not sit in judgement on the Creator!

Nevertheless, to Him who made the great lights, the great lights are referring to the sun, moon and stars as the following verses describes.

Psalm 136:8,9 the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever; the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever;

I could speak of the sheer magnitude of His creation of the lights, especially the sun. How massive in size, and critical for our existence is the sun. Yet the sun is simply one of a hundred billion million gazillion (alot!) stars spun out into space, that the psalmist could not have known of, yet the Creator provided.

This alone should stop us in our tracks, considering the incredible, unimaginable vastness of the creation! Yet the psalmist speaks of these creations, these great lights as they relate to the day to day order for lowly men and women on the earth.

Each day, the sun provides light, heat, and specific time periods for mankind to have order and experience a consistency of expectations. Each day, the sun will provide light, each night the stars will provide guidance and beauty. God’s people can rely on the Lord’s creation, and this provides a comfort to the saint, knowing God has provided a faithful creation, reflecting a faithful God.

But the psalmist speaks of steadfast love being the reason for this faithfulness in the performance of the great lights. It is the motivation of the Lord that the psalmist highlights, and that which we might do well to dwell on this morning.

His intention to us is fuels by a great steadfast love through creation, through our daily lives, through the food He supplies and the rest He provides. God has made the great lights because of His great love for us, even though we go about without recognizing this great blessing

Take a moment this day, in your travels, in the quiet, in that alone time and consider the great lights, whether daytime or nighttime, and give the Lord the recognition He so richly deserves.

For He is the God who made the Great Lights, and has given us the Light of Life to know Him.

Thank you Jesus.

I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Proverbial Thoughts on SLEEP

2026-06-04

Thoughts on the topic of sleep from the book of wisdom.

Scientists have studied sleep and have yet to come to a conclusion as to what it exactly is. In my brief research, I find references to the mystery of sleep.

Most, but not all studies, suggest sleep is for the brain, and not necessarily the body, which surprises me, but then again many things surprise me!

One of the current findings is that sleep impacts cognitive abilities, or the brains abilities to process the acquiring of knowledge and understanding through thought, experience and the senses.

Whatever sleep is, it is spoken of in the proverbs as to it’s benefits and it’s possible abuse. As one who abuses this blessing, by taking an afternoon nap occasionally, I find the following passages worthy of considering.

3:24 If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

This is the only verse in the book of Proverbs that addresses sleep without a warning attached. It is good to see that the context of this verse is Solomon’s exhortation to keep sound wisdom and discretion. A fearlessness and a sweet sleep are the partners of a soul that seeks the Lord’s wisdom and direction.

This may be an indicator of why the sleep industry is so large in the modern world, for we must admit that some who suffer from a deprivation of sleep are those who have abandoned the wisdom of God for their lives. Many factors may come into play regarding a short term lack of sleep, but if we seek the wisdom of God, a sweet sleep will be one of many rewards.

Have I mentioned how I love a good nap! So sweet!!!

Proverbs 6:10-11 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.

And yet that love of sleep can be easily abused.

There have been times when I have known a task was required but the call of the comforters took me away. I cannot claim I know of any specific poverty that has taken me over, for the Lord is a Merciful and Kind Master, but I do realize if I succumb to the sweet, sweet horizontal position too much, many time sensitive tasks will be lost, goals will be missed, and things may simply fall apart, allowing poverty to pounce on our lives.

Our verse speaks of poverty, and the Word speaks of slothfulness in similar manner. For those interested, I have provided a discussion on that topic in four previous posts (See Proverbial Thoughts on Sluggards – A, B, C and D)

Back to the topic of sleep. To be drawn into a deep sleep, even now, sounds so tempting, and yet the day has been a busy one, one filled with tasks taken on and completed. I do not consider my day as characterized by slothfulness, but on the occasional day when I have few tasks ahead, (or purposedly avoid tasks), I will confess to the sweet allure of a nap.

Yet I sense this verse is not speaking of the occasional down day, when a nap may be a simple blessing of the Lord. Rest is an important gift the Lord has provided. No, this verse is speaking of a soul that is characterized by slothfulness, a sluggard, a man who works hard avoiding work!

Those who are lazy, are drawn to sleep to avoid many things, to escape the reality of their own choices. Slothfulness degrades the soul, and the soul wants to avoid this reality. Sleep provides this escape.

20:13 Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.

I leave this short post on sleep with wise words for those who may love sleep just a bit too much. As a lover of naps myself, this short verse reminds me that sleep has a purpose for us, but to be satisfied in life, sleep cannot be the focus of our being. It is simply a blessing from the Lord to enjoy, to reinvigorate our bodies and brains and to provide a fresh start in honoring the Lord the next day.

It is late tonight, and I will leave my gentle reader with those thoughts. I am off to visit with my wifey, to have a chance to review the day, and to nod off for a few hours before one more day.

Have a great day in the Lord, and enjoy the rest he provides!

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Life of David – 40.03

2026-06-03

David’s Prayer of Gratitude

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

Prayer of GRATITUDE – David’s God

2 Samuel 7:25-29

25 And now, O LORD God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken.
26 And your name will be magnified forever, saying, ‘The LORD of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you.
27 For you, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you.
28 And now, O Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant.
29 Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”

David has been informed he is to be the recipient of one of the greatest promises made to a mere mortal, a sinful man under the law, a man who has a heart for God but who has slipped into sin a number of times, and sadly will slip into egregious sin again.

At this point in his life, may I suggest, he understands his nature to sin, his propensity to wander and his ability to go against the God he loves. At times, David seems to be a man out of touch with his own time!

His prayer concludes with a focus on the Lord Himself, with the Lord’s abilities to perform the Word He has declared to His servant. David, after being told he will be the father of a dynasty, a man whose name will be remembered forever, since his Son will be on the throne for all eternity, speaks not of himself, but of the Lord’s name being magnified.

David repeats truths back to the Lord, speaking of God’s relation to His people Israel, and of His revealing the dynasty of God through David. But again, as a servant, David is taking the back seat, a passive receptor of the Lord’s goodness and mercy, of the Lord’s unbridled grace to a man who sees himself as a servant.

David had consistently taken the position of a servant in this prayer, not unlike that which the Lord described in Luke 17.

Luke 17:7 “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’?
Luke 17:8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’?
Luke 17:9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded?
Luke 17:10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

In taking this position of servant, David is now experiencing the greatest of gifts, and proves his commitment to a servant life by his humble reaction to this revelation.

In the last two verses, as David seeks to please the Lord in his prayer, he refers to himself as a servant three times.

David was a servant of the Lord, and the Lord’s name will be magnified in David, and even more so in the greater Son of David! For the house of David was to be established by the Word of God in this promise, and is blessed forever through the Son of David! Jesus the Messiah has fulfilled all the promises of the Word, and this promise to David is clearly fleshed out in the Son of Man, the promised Messiah.

May we also take the position of servant to the Most High, and seek to please Him in our daily efforts, walking in the Spirit, resting in His provisions and trusting His promises.

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Jesus in the Old Testament – Daniel – 9

2026-06-02

Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.

I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.

SEEING JESUS IN

Daniel

Sentenced to Death Unjustly

Daniel 6:4 Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him.

Mark 14:1 It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him,

For the last two posts, we have considered the sentencing of Daniel to the fate of death in two different aspects. First was the sentencing to death by an unwilling judge, and secondly the sentencing to death by envious enemies. Both foreshadowed the Messiah’s experience.

This post will consider the legality of the sentencing and not necessarily the connected emotions of those involved in the dastardly deed.

Now when I speak of the legality of the sentencing for Daniel, it just so happened in Daniel’s case that his life long practice of prayer became illegal though the passing of a temporary injunction. Yes formally, Daniel was sentnenced to death “legally” but in all appearances this was simply a method to exact the desired out come of an evil group of government ofificials.

Of course, for the Lord, the illegality of the sentencing is shocking. As I ventured through my research, I found a list of 21 of the Sanhedrin’s laws broken in order to condemn and crucify their Messiah. (Thanks to By Faith for this summary)

1. No arrest by the religious authority was to be arranged by a bribe.
2. No criminal proceedings were to be taken after sunset.
3. Judges and Sanhedrin members must not participate in an arrest.
4. No trial could take place before the morning sacrifice.
5. No secret trial was allowed – only in public.
6. Charges are not to be sought from a man after his arrest.
7. Trial procedure – first the defence, then the accusation.
8. All may argue for acquittal – all may not argue for a guilty verdict.
9. Any two witnesses must agree on every detail.
10. No allowance is made for the accused to witness against himself.
11. The High Priest is forbidden to rend his garments.
12. No charges are to originate from the judges.
13. A charge of blasphemy must involve the name of God.
14. No condemnation of the accused is allowed on the basis of his words alone.
15. A verdict could not be announced at night.
16. In cases of capital punishment, the trial and verdict cannot occur on the same day.
17. Voting for the death penalty is by individual vote – from the youngest to the eldest.
18. A unanimous verdict for guilt shows innocence.
19. The sentence for a guilty verdict must be given three days after the verdict.
20. The judges are to be humane and kind.
21. The person condemned to death must not be first beaten or scourged.

My friends – though Daniels sentencing was formally legal, the trap that was laid for him was not unlike that of the Messiah. Both men were brought before a wicked ruler and condemnation was declared unjustly.

Both men suffered though they did nothing illegal. The laws were ignored or twisted to gain the result of a wicked group of men!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Names of God – HE WHO KEEPS WATCH OVER YOUR SOUL – 285

2026-06-01

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

285

HE WHO KEEPS WATCH OVER YOUR SOUL

Proverbs 24:12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?

Feigning ignorance is so common. In this world of knowledge, access to knowledge, abundant facts and figures, calculations, methods of analysis and data accumulation, to claim ignorance is a difficult sell.

Yet the argument can easily be made that with the abundance of knowledge available to the modern man, two results can occur.

With the flood of data pouring into our eye sockets, we may be numb to the impact of any specific piece of knowledge. We often do not have the time to consider the data, the impact of the data of our lives, and the proper response, if any. By the time we have consumed that morsel of information, another piece of information is knocking at the door of our minds, screaming to get in.

It is all a bit of an information overload!

Beyond the sheer over-abundance of information available to the modern man, we have an additional problem. Crappy data.

Information that is simply worthless, merely a distraction at best. I would suggest this is the bulk of information that is available today, and the motive is to gain the attention of a consumer, that soul who may not discriminate the data or the claims of the salesman, and simply be led into an agreement that will cost them more than the purchased product is worth.

Now, don’t get me wrong on this point, as the worthless data that I refer to is not simply associated with goods and services in the practical, physical world. Worthless data may also be information that is intended to distract the reader from better, wholesome, spiritual information.

Of course worthless data may be lumped in with data that is intended to deceive, to lead astray or to destroy.

Nevertheless, to feign ignorance in this modern age is a hard sell for the average person. Too much information is available, and our problem nowadays is sifting through to find the correct, factual and edifying information to build a correct and godly life upon.

Of course the data we can rely on is the Word, but as we read this passage above, I do not think Solomon is addressing scientific facts, mathematical equations or general truths all who breathe can know.

Solomon is talking of the responsibilities we have to live properly in relation to those around us. To love those whom we know, to care for those we may not know well, and to relate properly to those who may be our enemy.

After all, Solomon mentions our soul and heart, those containers of our lives that hold the important “stuff”, the stuff that we cannot feign ignorance of if we care about God and men.

If we are honest with ourselves, and avoid the distracting relentless barrage of data, we can know what Solomon is referring to. I suggest the Word provides guidance in this area through a prophet called Micah.

Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

We know inside and the Lord provides the external data to confirm our responsibilities before Him and His people.

He is the God who keeps watch over our soul, and though we know the best, He is the One who provides strength, guidance and external verification of our internal data, so we may be sure before Him.

I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Psalms for Psome – Ps 75.02

2026-05-31

My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.

This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.

I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.

Psalm 75:2 At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity.
Psalm 75:3 When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars. Selah
Psalm 75:4 I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn;
Psalm 75:5 do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with haughty neck.’”

Even at the start of our discussion on the judgement of God which is the force and topic of this psalm, is God’s determination (judgement) of the appropriate time, of a set time that He appoints.

We have nothing to do with the timing of this judgement. God will pick the time, at His discretion and to His glory.

Before I get very far into this psalm, let me ask a question. Is it possible that the “set time” the Psalmist speaks of refers to the final judgement of all mankind? Although he may be referring to an immediate judgement in this Psalm (Sishak’s invasion of Rehoboam’s kingdom), as with many of the Psalm’s, a bigger picture may rise out of the immediate prophecy.

This is something to consider. If so, this speaks of His patience and willingness to wait (for millennia) for those who need to hear. It is good to remember that He will set a time when all our work is done, and we stand naked before Him.

Back to the Psalm though. As mentioned, He is described as the One who determines the time of judgement, and for verses 3-5, He speaks of His work of stabilizing a tottering creation. We do well to remember this creation is on a collision course with ultimate death, that the curse is a very real truth none can escape from. Yet as all of creation is careening towards the end, tottering and crumbling, the Lord is the One who steadies it’s pillars. He steadies the pillars!

Not only is He extending the existence of creation for His peoples sake, He is also extending the time for those who are wicked and boastful. He provides wise counsel, counsel that will be of benefit to them. He is not bringing any to judgement too early, but pleading with those headed to judgement to “not boast” and “not to lift up their horn”, or “speak with a haughty neck.”

Consider – He extends the time for repentance by supporting a dying world, ravaged by sin, pleading for those in rebellion to turn from their wicked ways.

When I first read this passage, I was somewhat reluctant to jump in, but as I read, I was enlightened by the mercy of God towards those He will ultimately judge.

I came away from this short passage, seeing our God as the One who seeks our best, as the God who set’s aside immediate judgement in order to provide opportunity for His creation.

A little later in the Psalm, the author speaks of a cup of foaming wine, with the wicked draining it to the dregs! What a horrible, terrifying picture of judgement.

John 18:11 But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?”

The wicked will drink the foaming wine, drinking it down to the dregs, drinking down the foulest portion of an already bitter wine. The wicked will drink it and what a horrible day that will be. But One Righteous Servant also drank the bitter wine, the cup of suffering, interrupting the wicked’s march to destruction.

The wicked will drink it. Don’t be fooled. But for now, there is time – Don’t be of the wicked. Turn to the One who drank the cup of suffering for you. Follow after Jesus, for He is the only hope we have in this toppling, crumbling world. He has set up a kingdom with foundations, setting the pillars right!

Hebrews 11:10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

God is the Judge and we, as the Psalmist spoke in the first verses, should be thankful for such a merciful and kind God!

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1 Thessalonian Bits – 4:5

2026-05-30

A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.

As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

1 Thessalonians 4:5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;

In our third verse of this chapter, Paul’s introduced the will of God for these believers, and the first topic was that of sex. How is a Christian to live honorably towards God in the arena of sex in his life. First off, Paul speaks of abstaining from sexual immorality. Don’t sin.

It is somewhat obvious that a Christian is not to sin, but Paul reminds us of this requirement in our calling. But he simply does not give us a negative, without providing a replacement for the bed. Enter verse 4, where he speaks of being self controlled, and as mentioned earlier, the core idea is to rest in the Lord, to dwell in Him in order for the fruit of the Spirit, which contains self control is provided as we walk in the Spirit.

Now in verse 5, we find he is dealing with the Thessalonians regarding their specific background or history prior to salvation.

Remember, the Thessalonians were primarily a church of converted gentiles, and when converted, many if not all of the church, had been steeped in the culture of the Gentiles, living in the passion of lust.

This condition is prevalent in our modern society, and the modern church has somewhat abandoned this demand upon new converts. If a new convert is in a compromising relationship with someone, it is not dissuaded or condemned. It might simply be ignored.

In some cases it is encouraged, as if the church was never to make any judgement on the life choice of the convert. This is foolishness, and the death of the church.

To live in the passion of lusts, is to be controlled by feelings and cravings, to be led about by desires that are dictated by an unregenerate heart. This is not the condition a believer lives in, and Paul reminded the Thessalonians they had been called out of that life.

Paul tailored his message to the needs of the congregation he was dealing with, and when he was teaching the Thessalonians, the lustful passions of their prior existence came to the forefront of the discussion.

This verse is the beginning of a harsh warning to the church. It is not a light subject, and Paul loved them enough to challenge those he cared for.

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Names of God – HE WHO IS MIGTHY – 284

2026-05-29

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

284

HE WHO IS MIGHTY

Luke 1:49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

Grade 4, and Lyle was my bully. As a matter of fact, he was everyone’s bully. As I try to remember the times of grade 4, I can’t remember a time when Lyle actually proved his might, to establish this bully persona. He was all talk and never exercised any of the bravado he spoke.

What a great talker, and the threats he made to keep his people in order were poetic, majestic and terrifying. Remember – I was in grade 4 and Lyle was my first bully, (other than my two big brothers).

In that little mind of grade 4 Carl, Lyle was mighty. He had the power , the authority and the right to rule over all the kids in Miss Claxton’s class.

But was he mighty? Or is the secret of the bully fear induced submission? I think so, and there are a multitude of religions that are based on this model. Fear induced submission, from a bully type God.

The problem for the bully is that when push comes to shove, the bully usually collapses. His reign of fear begins to crack, and eventually those under him realize it was a might not based on fact but on fear!

Not so with the God of Israel, for He is mighty, and He proves it. The write of this verse confesses that God has “done great things for me”.

There are some in the Christian community that would view God as a bully type of deity, one who demands rule keeping, using threats to create obedience in his people. Is this the God we serve? Is this the message we see in the Messiah as He walked amongst us?

In this verse the Lord is one who is doing great things for his people. No hint of threatening, or danger of “being beaten up” if not compliant to his wishes. Nothing like that is mentioned in this verse. It is not the Lord who is speaking great swelling words, seeking to induce a fear based obedience, but the recipient of God’s goodness declaring the might of God because of God’s actual work the saint experienced.

So different than Lyle. Bullies have no might other than fear. God’s might is actual, experiential and evident.

We need to understand He who is Mighty is the God who shows His might by providing for His people, doing mighty things for those who love Him and even for those who don’t know Him.

He who is Mighty is better than Lyle. So much better, in so many ways!

I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Conditional Security – Hebrews 10:19-25

2026-05-28

Hebrews 10:19-25

19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,
20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,
21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

The book of Hebrews has always been a challenge in my reading, as I am not a first century Hebrew, a saint who may pick up on nuances of truth the ancient saint might see.

But then again, those folk have passed long ago, and as long as we see Jesus in the book, I think we do well, for the book of Hebrews is brimming with statements, claims, truths and passages teaching of the superiority of the Christ over Old Testament saints, Old Testament covenants, Old Testament Temples, Old Testament rules, Old Testament promised lands, Old Testament Sabbaths…. Need I go on?

He is the culmination of all Old Testament teaching, the principal and only King over God’s Kingdom. There is no truth greater than we find in Jesus, and the outworking of His kingdom will only magnify Him more and more.

Our passage speaks of two results of His sacrificial offering on the cross, that He has provided for His people. Two results of His sacrifice are that we, an undeserving group are now able to enter before the Lord.

With confidence due to His blood
Through a new and living way due to His flesh

We have access before the Lord, the Holy and All-Powerful God of creation. This, at least in my life, has become such a “common” truth, I sometimes (most of the time) do not realize or appreciate the tremendous honor it is to have access before the throne of God.

Beyond that privilege, we have acquired through our faith in the Son, the Great Priest, One who rules over the house of God, One who represents us before the highest throne. He is not only the One who offered the greatest sacrifice, but became the sacrificial Lamb, and now stands before the Father, representing His brothers and sisters.

The apostle has laid it out once again in this book. God has performed His mighty work. He has lined out three blessings provided to us.

What are we to do?

He provides us three directions, each of them with the familiar “Let us”

Before we dive in to the three “let us”, I want to suggest this direction is given primarily for the church body to exercise as a body, and not as I often think of as direction primarily to individuals. Throughout these injunctions, the apostle continually address “us”, “we”, “our” and “one another” A definite injunction for body life.

So how does this apply for conditional security Carl? Good question my friend. As these injunctions, or commands are aiming for the outworking of faith in a body life, the claim may be made that any individual that is not partaking in Body Life (of some sort) is not exhibiting a grateful heart towards the One who has provided the previous blessings.

Let us consider the apostles three “Let us” commands.

Let us…

Draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
- Draw Near.
  - This is the response we are to have in realizing the blessing He has provided. A response, but also a responsibility, the appropriate response of the heart, mind and body towards the Great Priest.
Hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
- Hold Fast
  - This is the ongoing protection, and ownership of this blessing we have been granted. The term used translated as “hold fast” in this passage is defined within Strongs Dictionary as “to hold fast, keep secure, keep firm possession of” This speaks of responsibility on our part. We are to keep firm possession of this blessing!
Consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together… but encouraging one another
- Consider How.
  - To hold fast speaks of maintaining or keeping a position or possession. To consider how speaks of advancing the position, spurring others onto greater works of love. The apostle is not content to have these folk maintain. The march is to go forward!

Each of these “Let us” phrases speak of our responsibility before the Great Priest over the House of God who has provided us access to the Throne of God.

Let us hear His direction and respond accordingly!

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Life of David – 40.02

2026-05-27

David’s Prayer of Gratitude

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

Prayer of GRATITUDE – David’s Nation

2 Samuel 7:23-24

23 And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods?
24 And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O LORD, became their God.

David has just been informed by the prophet Nathan, of his kingly lineage being established as an eternal dynasty. Not only that his kingdom would be eternal in length, but the Messiah would be the King. The Deliverer would come through David’s bloodline. David’s dynasty would not just have an endless quantity of years, but the highest quality of rule.

But as any one who may recieve blessing from God knows, those recieving a gift automatically think of others in their lives that are also the recipients of God’s mercy. In this regard, David pulls into his prayer his nation over whom this dynasty will rule.

He speaks of Israel being redeemed by the hand of God two times in as many verses, and describes this redemption as great and awesome. He brought them out of Egypt, a slave state, and cleared the path for this people as they entered the land He promised.

As New Testament believers, we can look back at all of this tremendous work of God and realize this was looking forward to the Son redeeming His people. His people who have made the Lord their God. Even as David spoke of his gratitude to God for His many blessings, he was careful to describe Israel as God’s people, those who made the Lord their God.

24 And you, O LORD, became their God.

Was David thinking of the political nation of Israel? The theocratic kingdom? Or might he have been considering the remant within the nation that had an active and living faith. That remant that did not bow to baal, or ashtoreth, or any such abboration for the people of Israel.

David’s prayer was breathed from a man who was reduced to simple gratitude. It is interesting that throughout this prayer, He uses “I” only once, and that was earlier in describing himself as nothing. “Who am I?”

He constantly refers to himself as a servant though a king, a king who has just been informed his bloodline will rule for eternity. His bloodline will rule not only in quantity of years, and in quality of rule, but also over a people who look to God, a people who seek to honor the king and that bless others.

An ideal kingdom!

To those who have trusted the King, may we be the people David describes, a people who have made the Lord our God, reflected in our decisions each day as we live in the Messiah’s Kingdom.

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Jesus in the Old Testament – Daniel – 8

2026-05-26

Jesus in the Old Testament is a series of posts that will offer my readers a chance to consider pictures or shadows of Jesus in the Old Testament. As mentioned in the introduction to this series, some may be obvious, some may be not so obvious, and some may simply be a facet of the Lord those reading may not have considered previously.

I hope as we venture through this series, we will see the Lord in many wonderful pictures throughout the Old Testament.

SEEING JESUS IN

Daniel

Sentenced to Death out of Envy

Daniel 6:4-5 Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”

Matthew 12:13-14 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

If there is anything in the life of Daniel that reflects the life of the Lord Jesus, this one aspect stand out!

Daniel was a stellar man. The enemies of God admitted they could find nothing of a convictible nature in this man’s life. They would have to create a law that drove Daniel away from his God, and therefore corrupt him, or better yet, use the law to condemn him, and put him to death.

It had to be a trap that included a capital offence. Nothing less would do, for these men were frustrated with this Hebrew. He was rising through the ranks, and was fast becoming a favorite of the King. Take him out and the paying field is leverls out again.

It is amazing the twistedness of envy, for as envy sinks it’s hooks in a mind, the resulting thinking is completely without reason. These men would risk their own standing before the king in an effort to condemn a good man, a man favored by the king, and that would become obvious to the king of their intent after the trap had been laid.

This is absolutely crazy on the part of these “wise” men, but they had had enough. Envy had gripped thier minds and they were committed to killing Daniel in any way availalbe, and since they could not find a just reason, an unjust conviction suited them just fine!

Centuries later, the Greater Daniel was not rising in the ranks amongst government officials. That was not a condition Jesus ever experienced. But in the midst of rising in the ranks of the peoples admiration, the Pharisees of His day also sought a way to kill Jesus.

It was right after Jesus had healed the withered hand of a man, that the Pharisees had had enough. They let the demon of envy eat away at all sense they may have had, throwing caution and reason out the door, and ventured onto the path of lunacy.

They killed him using the Roman laws, twisting Pilate to their will by fear of exposing his lack of loyalty to Caesar. Political power. Religious envy. A righteous man. These three are always destined to a conflict, resulting in death.

May we be on the right side!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Names of God – HE WHO HAS PITY ON THEM – 283

2026-05-25

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

283

HE WHO HAS PITY ON THEM

Isaiah 49:10 they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them.

How often have we watched a poor sucker on the silver screen yell out “I don’t want your pity”, or “I don’t need your pity”? Admit it – even as this character is expressing his rejection of any pity, we tend to identify with him.

No one that I know seeks pity. Pity is a somewhat negative expression in our current understanding, toward those in a trial or difficulty. Pity in the English dictionary is defined as “sympathetic or kindly sorrow evoked by the suffering, distress, or misfortune of another”.

In our culture, to receive pity may be perceived as an expression of helplessness, of an inability to resolve a problem. It also places the one expressing pity as somewhat superior over the one receiving the pity, though I think this may be unintended many times. Nevertheless, the one receiving pity often considers the pity to be coming from someone who may never experience trials or troubles, and therefore cannot identify with them.

So when we see a passage such as today’s we may have incorrect thoughts regarding it. Let’s consider if this is a correct reaction.

First, for one to show pity, as expressed in this verse is to express compassion, as in a sharing of the burden. Per Gesenius’ Hebrew – Chaldee Lexicon, the term “pity” in Isaiah 49:16 has the idea of “cherishing, soothing, and in a gentle emotion of the mind, to behold with tenderest affection, to be compassionate”.

There doesn’t appear to be any expression of superiority in this display of pity over the one needing help. It is an expression of love. That is perty dang good news, if it was only in relation to those of our own peers. The simple understanding of “pity” in our verse as expressing “being with someone” in a trial is comforting to say the least.

To further assist in our correct reaction to this somewhat negative word is to consider the One offering compassion (pity).

He is superior, far above our condition and status, greater in every way, and if our understanding of pity was correct in the original discussion, we could assign it to the One above and it would correctly fit in expressing His possible reaction to those of us in trouble. All of us, that is!

But for the only One who is actually superior to us, He uses a different concept of pity, a pity that is better expressed as compassion in our understanding. He is “with us” in our trials. To have compassion is to be moved with the pity, to take action instead of simply feeling bad.

As the Lord walked this earth, He expressed compassion on many. Note that when He expressed compassion, actions accompanied this emotion.

Mark 8:2, 8 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat.
And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full.

So in summary, God truly is greater than us and in our current understanding of pity, could rightly express this emotion. Yet there is much more to this passage than applying our incorrect understanding of pity to our God.

He not only enters into our trial, but He takes action. It is not only an expression of emotion, but a solution provided, an action taken to assist in the trial.

For those Isaiah was preaching to, this assistance from the hand of God was His leading and guiding them through the wilderness and to the springs of water.

As I grow older in the Lord, this leading and guiding is becoming much more critical in my faith. To think the Sovereign of the Universe is willing, no, not only willing but desires to guide us is an incredible truth.

I will take His pity! I will seek His compassion. For HE WHO HAS PITY ON THEM has had much pity (compassion) on me.

May you find the compassion of God in His leading also. It is a blessing that should not be ignored nor rejected.

I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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1 Thessalonian Bits – 4:4

2026-05-24

A little while ago, I produced a verse by verse series in Philippians. I really enjoyed that exercise and have been wondering if I should take on another book. Well it turns out that 1 Thessalonians is the victim of my machinations, and hopefully, the thoughts produced by this fantastic book will edify and encourage the reader.

As with Philippians I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

1 Thessalonians 4:4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor,

Paul continues with his teaching about sexual immorality, reminding the people of Thessalonica of the will of God for them.

The first topic out of Paul’s pen is the topic of sex. He had taught them of God’s will previously (vs2), and now is reminding them of God’s will (v 3), getting in this verse very specific as to who this applies to.

Each one of them. He does not allow the readers to gloss over this specific requirement, as if it applies to someone else but not them.

Each one of them (us)!

Ok Paul, you told us to abstain in the previous verse, which is the negative command, the command to “not” do something. This verse addresses the positive command, that which we are to “do”.

Control our own body. Self control. A fruit of the Spirit. It is the flip side of just abstaining, in that this particular fruit of the Spirit is not produced merely by our efforts in the sexual arena, but in the relationship we have with the Spirit.

Are we controlled by the Spirit? If so, self control is a “natural” experience we experience from the Lord.

Our effort to obey? Abstain. God’s work in our lives? Self control, a fruit of the Spirit. Both are to work in the believers life to bring about the will of God for each believer.

This is a common refrain in the Word. Compare Paul’s expanded teaching on this topic of our work and God’s work in the believers life for the Philippians.

Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

We are to abstain, but if our abstaining from sexual immorality is a work of the flesh, the evil we seek to avoid will erupt in some other area of our life. Self, without the control of the Spirit, will not be stopped. It is a voracious consumer of all things not of God, and though some may find success in abstaining from sexual sin, unless we are controlled by the Spirit, the self will simply find satisfaction in some other area of sin.

Our effort is to abstain, but if we ignore the repeated command to be controlled by the Spirit, to dwell in the Lord, to walk in His strength, we will simply be chasing our tail, experiencing no victory in our lives.

Be controlled by the Spirit, and find self control in God!

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Names of God – HE WHO GIVES FOOD TO ALL FLESH – 282

2026-05-23

My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.

The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.

The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.

May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.

282

HE WHO GIVES FOOD TO ALL FLESH

Psalm 136:25 he who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures forever.

We find this Name of God in a psalm that begins by thanking God for His enduring, steadfast love.

Psalm 136:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
Psalm 136:2 Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever.
Psalm 136:3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever;

I have been considering what it means for His love to endure forever, and the implications are somewhat disruptive to my current thinking of our God, but for this post, I would like to consider one expression of this enduring, steadfast love of God.

This one expression of the steadfast love of God towards His creation (all flesh) is His continual provision of food.

Some may argue that this provision is simply the “circle of life” or the ongoing process of nature. For the non-domesticated animal, the wildlife all around us, God’s provision is evident.

Matthew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

These non-domesticated animals are wholly dependent on the Father, and all of creation exhibits this truth.

For the domesticated animal, farm critters that is, humans get involved, and these animals existence is directly dependent on a human intermediary. Of course this implies in both the man’s thinking, and the animal’s thinking (I assume) that man is the source of all provisions.

This passage forces us to reconsider that assumption. We will let the animal think what it wants, but for us who know the Lord, two things grow out of this statement.

A Thankfulness.

This is the natural, obvious result of a man or woman who understands all provisions come from the hand of the Lord. Whether it is through the sweat of our brow, (as a tradesman) or the pain of our brain, (as an office geek) or the reward of our labors (as a retired soul), each of us have been given in measure the ability, the energy, the desire and the work ethic to accumulate provisions for ourselves and for others. And we are thankful!

A Challenge.

In the day to day push and shove of all the trials in gaining our necessary provisions, we easily fall into the trap of thinking it is all about us. We go through the stress and worry (which is unnecessary and wrong), we go through the grind of employer’s and client’s expectations, and of course we endure the constant peer pressure of others. On top of all that, we may tend to want to escape, just to have a short time when the pressure has been removed.

No matter how much you may love your job, pressures mount, and we may very (very) easily fall into thinking it is all about us, that everything is dependent on our performance, our efforts, our work.

It takes a focused heart to reject that thinking and to see in each of our situations the hand of God providing (through our efforts) the good things we are provided.

Let me share a short story of my learning this truth a few years back.

I was fired from a job due to my wife being sick. A bit of a long story, but I gave my employer short notice, since the sickness did arrive abruptly, and he told me to get in to the office in 30 minutes or not come in at all. I lived 40 minutes away, but beside that, I was not about to leave my wife’s side!

For the next two months, we saw the Lord provide our needs, though we told absolutely no one of this situation other than Him. He was the One we prayed to, and He was the One who provided. In the end, He also provided a position with a firm that has given me opportunities beyond my imagination.

I am thankful for His provisions, whether it is through the sweat of my brow, the pain of my brain, or the direct intervention of the Father above.

He is good, and He is the One WHO GIVES FOOD TO ALL FLESH.

By the way, I saw that old boss at a conference lately. He thought I had died. (He is 15 years older than I!) Nevertheless, it was good seeing him and reconnecting!

I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

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Let Me Tell You a Story – Coppin’ an Attitude

2026-05-22

I had the best of intentions. I really did. At least that is what I told myself. And then I took it. It seems as soon as I could take it, I took it. Inside I knew it was wrong, but the temptation was incredible and I took it, and I kept it for days

I knew I shouldn’t have, and theoretically, in my mind, I knew that as soon as I took it, I was in the wrong. Everything fell apart after that.

But let me back up a bit and give you a bit of history

It was months ago when I was chatting with a brother on Whatsapp, when I asked a pointed question. He had repeatedly confessed great peace and joy in the Lord, and yet, even though we were texting back and forth, it seemed he was overstating his peace, exaggerating his joy. It seemed forced.

It may have been my dullness, or lack of empathy, or weakness in discerning my brother’s statements, but I blurted out a very practical question regarding relationships he should be enjoying, relationships with those close to him, those who have stayed with him for decades.

“Congratulations. I will never speak to you again.”

A drastic turn of events in my mind, and I was hoping it was a snap response that wouldn’t hold, but after weeks and weeks of reaching out to him via text, it became obvious things were bad.

I ached for a solution, and I simply had to call him. He is in a foreign country and super busy with his growing business but I had to take a chance.

One ring a dingy, two ringa dingy.

“Well Carl – how are you, I was just thinking about you last night.”

I was taken aback by the friendly answer, and let him know I was calling about the last text he had sent. Mentally I was off balance, and after a moment, the conversation drifted into him telling me I was in the wrong, I was “doing it again”. When I asked what he was talking about, he simply talked over my request, said he had no time for me, and hung up.

And that is when I took it. Yes, I took offence, all of it, gulping it down like a drowning man!

You see, I have struggled with this sin of taking offence for many years, and have thought I had some victory. Obviously not in this instance, for as soon as I got home, all my pride and hurt feelings came pouring out.

What is wrong with him? Why did he hang up on me? Did he not understand I was trying to repair a relationship? Did he not know I was going out on a limb for him?

Such are the thoughts of a man centered on self. If I was concerned about him, and not my own feelings or pride, my inner anger would not have reared it’s ugly head. But I did, and I took that offense, and let it feed my hurt pride, feed my anger and starve my peace into a slow death.

You see, when I speak of my taking offence, it is related to my inner stance towards those who have stepped on my pride, ignored my assistance or even slandered my thoughts. (I told you I struggle with this problem!)

Can I make my brother change by taking offence? No, it actually works against any ministry towards the healing of a relationship.

The only result of my taking offence was the slander I spread of my brother, and the loss of my own peace, my joy, and my sleep. I stumbled bad, and it took far too long to practice the forgiveness the Lord has provided us.

Psalm 119:165 Great peace have those who love your law;
nothing can make them stumble.

He has called us to peace, even peace within ourselves.

Proverbs 19:11 Good sense makes one slow to anger,
and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

He has told us to overlook an offence. This includes the swallowing of your pride, which is something I readily admit I struggle with.

Ephesians 4:2-3 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Humilty. Only by resting in the Lord can we experience the humility that is of Him, and not something we can take pride in. (If you connect with that thought, welcome to the club of the self humbled!)

He is good, and we all give offence, but we need not take offence. Not if we understand who the Lord is, and how He has acted towards us. Which brings me to a passage that haunts me in the midst of times of taking offense. Consider how He has “pleased not Himself”

Romans 15:1-3

We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.
For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”

May we all be a blessing to others, and not a curse to ourselves!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion

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Song Squawk – Sell Your Soul

2026-05-21

In the mid nineties, I had a little red Buick and a big ol’ bass box in the trunk, and would listen to “Christian Rock”, cranked to 11.

(What did you say? Huh? Can you say that again, I didn’t hear you….)

I have gotten away from that genre for many reasons, the least of which may be a loss of hearing, but some songs have stuck with me over the decades.

The artist’s I listened to sought to reflect Scriptural teaching for the most part. They ranged from “preaching” pop culture religion to significant theological teaching. As I listened to the lyrics, I found some to be quite challenging.

To be honest, I listened because I could justify the rock beat with “sanctified lyrics”.

Occassionaly I will post a song, supply the lyrics and make a comment or two. If you decide to listen to the tune, turn the speaker down unless you are already deaf. Some of the songs tend to have a certain “volume” about them!

This post will consider the song

Sell Your Soul – by Grammatrain

As you might be noticing, I come back to Grammatrain often in this series. Their lyrics and energy always hit me.

Sunsets fade to night
And flowers die away
The world is turning ’round
And you are turning grey
Money burns a hole
Inside the wealthy’s heads
Why do you insist
Pretending you’re not dead?

Sell your soul, sell your soul for
Sell your soul, sell your soul for free
Sell your soul, sell your soul for
Sell your soul, sell your soul for free

Bottles always empty
Leaves their prey alone
Lovers often leave you
Waiting by the phone
Nothing seems to satisfy
The need for peace
Jesus stands before you
Wanting you to see

Sell your soul, sell your soul for
Sell your soul, sell your soul for free
Sell your soul, sell your soul for
Sell your soul, sell your soul for free
Sell your soul, sell your soul for
Sell your soul, sell your soul for free

The song speaks of the never ending desire to find fulfillment in anything or anyone other than Jesus. Giving your life away, in an attempt to find fulfillment, only to realize

He is standing before you, wanting you to see

Take a listen!

Let me know what you think of the lyrics, and of the tunes!

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion

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THE Lord’s Supper and A BBQ

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Prayer of GRATITUDE – David’s God

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Prayer of GRATITUDE – David’s Nation

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