Psalm 55:22 – “Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.”  NKJV

David said in Psalm 37:25 – “I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.”  In verse 24 he speaking of the righteous he said, “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds him with His hand.”  I do not believe there is any conflict in the three passages cited here or in the remainder of the biblical message.

Is this a guarantee that we will not have problems or that we could not as Paul described in 1 Corinthians 9:27 become a ‘castaway’ or ‘disqualified’?  Is this a guarantee that we will not or cannot as described in Hebrews 10:35 – “…cast away our confidence…”?  Is it a compilation of the promise in Romans 8:28 that “all things” are working together for our good?  I believe, strongly, that God has promised to keep us against that day and NOTHING can separate us from His love.  Although I am very aware that circumstances, conditions, events and assaults on our lives can bring us to the brink of despair that God has promised to NEVER leave us nor forsake us.  I also believe that this is descriptive that IF we ‘cast our burden on the LORD’ He will sustain us.  Do you see one small possible problem here?

The instruction is to CAST our burden on the LORD and that is a requirement for the remainder of the promise.  If we refuse to gather under the shelter of his wings as Psalm 91 describes and we trust the Arm of flesh rather than coming to him, taking His yoke upon us and allowing Him to be supreme in our lives we place ourselves outside the scope of the promise of the second portion of the verse.  BUT, if we do CAST our burdens on Him then we are assured that He will not permit us to be moved!  That is a powerful promise!

Therefore, IF we believe the Bible then would that not be an encouragement for each of us to be obedient in casting our burdens on the LORD?  In my humble opinion, IF one believes that by turning to the LORD, rolling our cares on Him and allowing Him to engineer the course of our lives according to His plan would afford security, safety and victory what sense would it make to not do so?  The only reason we would not is that we do not truly believe the Bible nor do we truly trust God’s promise.  I know that is a bit harsh and strongly stated but examine it before rejecting it.

When I consider the life of David I can readily understand how he would have developed a mentality of trust toward the LORD.  God repeatedly demonstrated His faithfulness to David and David either trusted or repented for failure and ran to the LORD.  Most of us, if not all of us, have experienced God’s faithfulness.  I know that in the times I have truly cast my burden on Him He has proved His Promises!  It did not always transpire as I thought it should or even in the time frame I had in mind but God NEVER FAILED and He NEVER WILL.

May God be with you as you go through this day!

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”  NKJV

Most of us are aware of the declaration of James that we are to rejoice in trials and few of us give consideration to the benefits that come from our trials and tribulations.  I am not trying to advance a doctrine that encourages or desires trouble but suggesting that trouble is going to come and if we can embrace it, there is a benefit to be gleaned.

Paul declares that our Heavenly Father is the Father of mercies and comfort!  Our Heavenly Father comforts us in ALL our tribulation with an objective in mind beyond enabling us to make it through the trial.  He comforts us THAT we may be able to comfort others who are experiencing trials and tribulation.

So when the enemy comes in like a flood and God raises up a standard against him bringing us through to the other side of the trial, rejoice.  Rejoice in the deliverance and comfort of God and rejoice in the reality that because you have experienced you will be better able to comfort others facing trials.  A man or woman who has been through battle can comfort those enduring trials far better than one who has lived in an ivory tower with no difficulties.  I am far more drawn to a person with a limp than a novice in the time of trouble.

We comfort others with the comfort we received from God.  We communicate His love, patience, longsuffering, guidance, wisdom and mercy.  We testify of God’s keeping power. We testify of God’s undying love.  We testify of God’s fulfillment of His promise to never leave nor forsake us.  We are living epistles known and read among men examples of God’s love, grace and power.

Therefore, next time the enemy targets you and it seems that everything that can go wrong does lift up your voice and your eyes and REJOICE!  Rejoice knowing that God will not fail and rejoice knowing that one day in the future you will be able to extend that comfort you are receiving from God to a brother or sister in this life.  Philippians 3 speaks of the ‘power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.’  We want the resurrection power without the suffering.  We want the crown without the cross but it will not come.

I do not know what you are experiencing at this time but if you are suffering consider the additional benefit of that suffering that you will be able to comfort another along the way.  If there is a lesson to be learned in the trial diligently attend to it but above all rejoice in God’s provision and protection and rejoice in the joy that you will be able to be a helping hand to another along the journey.

            God bless you as you go through this day!

John 8:31-36 – “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”  NKJV

You can be in chains and not be a slave or be without bonds and be enslaved.  Chains do not determine FREEDOM the heart and mind do.  Unfortunately nothing we do will eradicate human bondage and men will enslave other men against their wills in this life.  I can only imagine the physical, mental and even spiritual torture that being captive brings.  My heart breaks for anyone who has endured that condition either as a prisoner of war, a human slave, a hostage or anything of the like.

I know two men who though captives were never ENSLAVED in their hearts and minds.  One was a Japanese prisoner during WWII and escaped the other held in Hanoi by the Vietnamese and endured years of horrific inhumane torture and abuse.  Both professed that their faith in God and believe in the Word of God kept them FREE though in chains.  They were and are examples of TRUE FREEDOM.

The only TRUE FREEDOM is through the shed blood Jesus and the Grace of God.  If we receive the forgiveness of sin and are born again we experience TRUE FREEDOM.  A person that is thusly free can be imprisoned, chained and otherwise enslaved physically but they will NEVER be a Slave in their heart or mind because the Son has set them free!

Today, in America, we celebrate our Independence and yet myriads of people are still enslaved in some form.  Enslavement of the mind is possible worse than being enslaved in the flesh for if a person’s mind is captive the attitude and actions will reflect that condition.  Breaking free and living life to the full is virtually impossible because the mind is in chains to wrong thinking, victimization and false premises.  But if we receive the FREEDOM that Jesus came and brought we CANNOT be enslaved.  Remember, if God is for who can be against us or as a friend always says what difference does it make who is against us if God is for us.

God bless you and BE FREE in Jesus. 

Proverbs 20:6 – “Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man?”  NKJV

Through the years I have met many people who, when asked about their relationship with Christ, declared I am a good person.  They usually tell me what they do not do and some as justification and  will tell me their acts of benevolence, civic contributions or something of the kind.  Some will tell me that they go to church regularly and others relatively regularly.  I have found this passage to be incredibly true that most people view themselves as basically good or as good as the next fellow, as I was once told.  The man was a regular in church but had a propensity to hit the night spots and cavort with the ladies while his wife and children remained at home.  He made little secret of his lifestyle but because he considered himself “as good as the next fellow” he felt little reason to change.

In the many conversations with this individual he would point out the flaws in other people in the community and church and especially those in leadership.  It was mostly comparing apples with turnips but nonetheless it was his justification for allowed his conscience to become calloused guarding against conviction.  I understood his argument for I too held those views at one time.  The rural church I grew up in had flawed people (as to all churches) and I wrongly determined that if some of those people were going to heaven God could not send me to hell for I was “as good as the next fellow”.  I went to Vietnam with that mindset.  It was terribly wrong but it was the view I adopted because it allowed me to not deal with the pricks of the Holy Spirit.

On one of the occasions I had to talk to this individual the conversation came to the account in Mark 10 came up and I read to him the words of Jesus when He was called “Good teacher or Good master” and Jesus stopped the individual and said, “Why are you calling me good?  No one is good except God alone.”  He was shocked and I continued the account of how this rich individual had proclaimed his personal goodness when Jesus told Him to keep the commandments.  Jesus then informed the rich young man that he still came up short and this individual was a captive audience at that point.  I read to him the words of Jesus, “One thing you lack, go, sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. THEN come, follow me.”  The ruler was heartbroken and turned away because his possessions held his heart and his personal goodness was insufficient to save him.  It seemed for the first time he listened but without change at that time.

While many if not most of us would like to compare ourselves with others and declare that we are “as good as the next fellow” if we are honest we know that is insufficient.  Salvation is never earned it is by Grace through Faith.  God does not measure my life against your life but His standard is Himself, the Lord Jesus and His Holy Word.  In that light everyone knows we have been weighed in the balance and found wanting.  If we understand the standard we know all have sinned and come short of God’s glory.  If we understand the standard we know that the invitation of Jesus to “Come unto Me” is our only HOPE OF SALVATION!

            May God be with you as you go through this day!

Colossians 2:20-23 – “Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations —  21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” 22 which all concern things which perish with the using — according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.”  NKJV

Paul begins this passage with two important words “therefore” and “if”.  If we are to grasp and receive full benefit of the promises of God and the life that He has come to bring both these words must be reconciled in conjunction with the words of this text.

THEREFORE – If you truly died with Christ.  If you truly died from the basic principles of the world, WHY?   Why do you continue living as though you were subject to the regulations of the world?  Why do you continue to subject and subordinate your faith to the regulations of this world?  Why do you allow ‘self-imposed’ religion to mandate what you can eat, wear, think or do?  Why become ensnared with that which the enemy of our soul advances whether through unbelievers in some governmental regulations or unsuspecting church officials?  Why continue in things that have no value in helping you war against the indulgence of the flesh?  WHY?

The Big IF is the key.  If we have truly died in Christ and risen to newness of life through the applied blood of Jesus, by grace through faith that life is not our life.  Why allow things that are temporary and passing control your life?  You are a citizen of a new kingdom and your genealogy has changed from whatever you were to CHRISTIAN.  You are now an heir of God and a joint-heir with the Lord Jesus Christ.  You are now a Kingdom of Priest.  You are now a Royal Priesthood.  You are now a New Generation.  You have passed from death to life so why allow death to have supremacy over life?

IF… If we are who we claim to be through our profession of faith then Christ is IN US and if He is IN US He will live His life THROUGH US and manifest Himself in our thoughts, words and deeds.  Therefore, it is imperative that we turn or focus from those things that are earthly to Him who is at the Right Hand of the Father and declare our members now dead to the things that destroy and alive to the eternal things of God.  We put off the garment of flesh and put on the garment of faith.

IF… If we are born again believers it is time that we live like what we declare we are and allow the manifestation of Christ through the Holy Spirit to make us epistles known and read among me.  It is time to demonstrate, Christ in us the hope of glory!  It is time to walk out into the Abundant Life that Jesus came, lived, died, rose and ascended for.

God bless you as you BECOME that which He declares you to be!  Blessings!

Hebrews 9:27 – “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment…”

Proverbs 27:1 – “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.”

James 4:14-16 – “…whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”  NKJV

We should NEVER allow the FEAR OF DEATH to control our lives but we should ALWAYS be CONSCIOUS OF OUR MORTALITY.  Do not understand me to say that you should live every day with the thought of dying as an overriding thought for if you do it will dominate you, control you, paralyze you and eventually shipwreck you.  However, if you live as though you will never die (naturally) you face the danger of becoming complacent and neglect your assignment in life.  There is a balance that we should all strive for.

When I was in High School death was a reality albeit something that was relegated to older people even though some of my peers meet that fate.  In Vietnam death became a more current and visible reality and paralyzed some to the point they were almost doomed to meet that fate because of their attempts to save their own lives.  In my 30’s and 40’s death was a reality but not something I even considered on a personal level.  I was young, strong and in pursuit of my dreams and destiny.  In my 50’s and 60’s I have once again become conscious of the brevity of life and the need to live every moment as though it could be the last.  It does not dominate my thinking but it plays a role in the decisions I make.  Being conscious of the reality of natural death creates a desire within my heart to LIVE and encourages me to savor life.

We will ALL die (naturally) according to Scripture.  We do not know what tomorrow holds and most who meet untimely and sudden death were not expecting it.  Natural life can truly be compared to a ‘vapor’ or a ‘puff of steam’ for even if we live into our 80’s, 90’s or 100’s it is only a wisp of smoke on the eternal clock of God.  If we are conscious of our mortality without succumbing to the morbidity of dwelling on it in fear, I believe we will be more careful in our decisions, associations, words, deeds and the life we choose to live.  We will be more conscious of the opportunities to share our faith with others knowing this opportunity might be that person’s last chance to hear.  We will treasure our relationships in a new light and with a new zeal and vigor.  Like the commercial:  “You only go around once in life so grab all the gusto you can…”  I realize it was a beer commercial and not talking about what I am but in a small way it is applicable.  You pass through this life one time and where you are now you have never been before and will never be again so TREASURE THE MOMENT and SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITIES!

If you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior having received the forgiveness of sin you are ALIVE eternally although this physical tabernacle will perish one day.  As I prayed just the other day, tears welled up in my eyes and my heart was broken as I sought the Lord in David’s Prayer, “Create in me a clean heart, renew in me a right spirit and do not take the Holy Spirit from me.”  I want to be a vessel the Master can and does use.  I want to fulfill my purposes in my generation.  I want to be a deposit of God in this present world and when my time to depart comes what I leave behind will live in hearts elevating them to greater heights and a fuller life.

May God be with you as you go through this day!  LIVE LIFE!   God bless you!

Psalm 100:4-5 – “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 5 For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.”  NKJV

Although we are extended an invitation in Hebrews 4 to “come boldly to the throne of grace…”  I contend that there is biblical protocol for coming into God’s presence as there is for entering the presence of an earthly potentate or ruler.  Yet, we sometime seem to give me care to how one comes into the presence of an earthly king or ruler than the Creator of the Universe.  I find that interesting and disturbing at the same time.

I am convinced part of this flippant attitude toward God is partially rooted in the desire to make Jesus our buddy and God is nothing more than “Big Daddy” or “The Man Upstairs” rather than fully recognizing His Omnipotence, Omniscience and Omnipresence.  HE IS GOD and who He is deserves and demands proper reverence and recognition.  God wants us to be at ease in His presence but He also wants us to be conscious of His Holiness.

The Psalmist gives us a process by which we should come into the presence of God and it is worth time to consider even briefly.

• Enter His Gates with THANKSGIVING.

If we come before God ‘thankful’ we will at the same time be incredibly conscious of His Divine Sovereignty.  We will be conscious of His Covenants, Promises and the demonstrations of His acts of love, mercy and grace.  If we are anything less than truly thankful we will not regard Him properly.  Therefore the first step in entering the presence of God is “A Thankful Heart.” 

• Enter His Courts with PRAISE.

This is impossible unless we recognize Him in His Divine Fullness.  He is God the Everlasting One the Creator of All Things.  He is the provider of our redemption.  He is the extender of Mercy and Grace.  He is the Door.  He is the Way, Truth and Life.  His Name is above all Names and He is worthy to be praised.  A thankful heart can freely offer praise for it has a proper perspective of the object of the praise. 

If we enter the Gates of God’s Presence with THANKSGIVING and come into His Presence with PRAISE we will find that He is GOOD, His mercy truly EVERLASTING and His TRUTH infallible and unfailing.  Upon those foundations we can offer our petition to Him confident that we are there pleasing to Him and demonstrating a proper heart condition that allows the Holy Spirit to mold and shape our character and guide our steps into the right paths.

We sometimes make God a supermarket or Amazon and want to quickly place our order and run but if we were to approach an earthly potentate we would NEVER take that approach.  We would follow all protocol and exhibit proper respect and honor for that ruler before broaching our petition and once the petition is offered and that potentate has rendered a decision we would continue to follow protocol and give proper respect, praise and thanks.  Dare we do less with God and should we not do even more toward the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY?

In fact if we are THANKFUL we will find that PRAISE flows naturally from that heart and we will appreciate His position, person and power as well as the provision.  God help us to never forget that He is I AM THAT I AM.

            God bless you as you go through this day!

Romans 1:28-32 – “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.”  NKJV 

Each day as various newscasts, newspapers, blogs, articles and websites detail the happenings within our society, cities and various nations around the world I come to an arresting realization.  I realize that man is not getting better but the conditions in our world are growing darker by the day.  Here in Romans 1 the apostle Paul is addressing the unrighteousness of man and the wrath of God displayed toward it.  As I read this chapter I shudder thinking how like our present world this description is and if God’s wrath burned hot then how much more now?

In today’s Politically Correct world we are told what will soon become mandated by federal law that we must subject our core convictions to the will of various groups who discount the Bible and call good those things God calls an abomination.  We will be told that if we speak against sin we have engaged in hate speech and if we refuse to accommodate the practices that violate our convictions we face swift and severe penalty of law.  There will soon come a time when we must decide whether we will incur the wrath of man or the judgment of God and choose which path we will follow.

There are those in today’s world who resent even the mention of the God of the Bible and whose minds have become so debased they are vile, corrupt and engage in continual blasphemy.  Sadly there are those within Christendom who condone, excuse and justify those who practice sexual immorality, all forms of evil as the Paul’s list details.  Excusing sin and remaining silent when the core values of the Bible are trashed and trampled underfoot is, in my view, equal to those who do practice those lifestyles.

There comes a time in any society and individual life when God will give people over to their evil passions and desires.  We have come to a time when many have had their consciences seared as with a hot iron and no longer feel any remorse.  We have entire segments of society who no longer value human life and have no respect for the Bible or God.  Our world has become an increasingly more dangerous place and I tremble for the generations yet to rise to adulthood.  What kind of world will they encounter should God allow this world to continue?

There is a remedy for the problems of our world and that is Jesus.  Someone said, “Come to Jesus and your problems are over.”  The truth is that when we come to Jesus we just entered the battlefield of life and as He declared we become hated by the world.  Jesus will not remove all problems from one’s life but will afford a peace that is unknown to the world.  In the midst of the perilousness of our day we can walk in perfect peace and with supernatural power.  Man, as a whole, is not getting better but the Church of Jesus Christ is beginning to shake herself and is about to rise in power!

            God bless you as you go through this day!