Thank You

    ²²"Now consider this, you who^(A)forget God,
         Or I will ^(B)tear you in pieces, and there will be none to deliver. 
    ²³"He who ^(C)offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me;
         And to him who ^(D)orders his way aright
         I shall ^(E)show the salvation of God."

Psalm 50:22-23

In this Psalm, God is speaking about how He doesn't approve sacrifices from Israel because their hearts aren't tuned in.  They are offering bulls, goats, birds as offerings just to go through the motions; perhaps to show the people their religiousness.  But God can see right through the deception, He doesn't need any court or attorney to convict or prosecute, He is the Judge and will "testify against you" for He is God (v7).

We are lied to, believing things that aren't true all the time; sometimes by Satan and other times by our own sinful flesh.  If not presented to the Lord promptly we deceive ourselves and become blind to it.  When we come to the Lord presenting ourselves, we really need to ask the Holy Spirit to look deep within us search our motives, leaving no crevece unexplored.  We must never forget God; this includes His greatness and our sinfulness.  Forgetting the omnipresent character of God can simply mean not elevating Him to the status He deserves.  We forget when we fail to see Him as Creator, Healer, Counselor, Father and so many other names of God.  We remember when we are offering ourselves in thanksgiving.

We are so blessed to be called Your child.  So blessed beyond anything we could ever imagine and deserve.  Thank you, thank You, thank You a million times... still never enough.  Love you Jesus, amen!

Just Lost

    ¹⁴As sheep they are appointed ^(A)for Sheol;
         Death shall be their shepherd;
         And the ^(B)upright shall rule over them in the morning,
         And their form shall be for Sheol^(C)to consume
         So that they have no habitation. 
    ¹⁵But God will ^(D)redeem my soul from the power of Sheol,
         For ^(E)He will receive me. Selah.

This psalm talks to people who thinks their riches can save them from eternal separation.  The psalmist stresses that only those who know God intimately will be redeemed.

Although I don't support them I can see how people like the Pharisees got to the place of self-righteousness.  It's like how sheep lose their way one patch at a time, each generation loses the heard behind certain rules or customs and make it into something of an idol.  For example, I may setup some boundaries in my life preventing my heart from being led astray but then someone takes that and makes it his own, adding to the definition.  Like that communication game, the end result is very different to the original.

This passage reminds me that I need to be compasionate to those who have fallen away.  Some have chosen separation but many have just lost their way and their hearts are captive to lies and temptations.

Father God, help me be strong enough by the power of Your Spirit.  Strong to pray without judging or reservation.  I pray Lord that I may be a vessel You can count on, one that can be sent without hesitation.  Thank You Lord for Michelle and baby! You know my excitement, I pray for health and a spirit worthy of Your calling.  We are so blessed!  Thank You, Daddy, amen!

Gifts - Time & Place

however, in the church I desire to speak five words with my mind so
that I may instrust others also, rather than ten thousand words in a
tongue.

1 Corinthians 14:19

Paul was continuing to speak about spiritual gifts and how some gifts
are better than others. He didn't mean that some gifts aren't
important but that we should be asking for those that edifying
others. He made the example that speaking in tongues is great but it
does no good to the rest of the church unless they have the gift of
interpretation, that's self-edifying only and can be done in private.
But in a church setting, it's much more desirable to have the gift of
prophesy, instructing The people with God's message that moves to
transformation inside. These are the gifts Paul wants us to ask for.

I think about my spiritual gifts and wonder if I'm supposed to be
asking for the gift of prophesy. I know prophesy isn't about
predicting future events but God's messenger to deliver warnings and
relay other messeges to the people. So do I strive for this instead
of my giftings to pastor, teach, discern? Yes! Because seeking
prophesy seeks a closer relationship with Jesus. It allows for much
clearer and faithful relationship. I feel that pastoring, teaching
and discernment are connected closely but cover more of the human side
of the divine-human relationship. The desire to reach people by my
own close and personal relationship is critical.

In this season Father God, please help me to ask for this gift of
prophesy. To be able to hear You so clearly with the end result of
reaching Your people is desired. Lord I pray for this and other
precious gifts so that we can do our assignment in this short period
of time. Lord I continue to pray for Michelle and baby... I ask for
Your patience and mercy during this new season. In the precious name
of Christ Jesus I pray, amen!