Lighten Up!

 

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

 "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.   This expression, "Yet once more", denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.  Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude by which we may offer to god as acceptable servicer with reverence and awe: For our God is a fire" (Hebrew 12:26-29).

 Hey Gang: I came across this 'Quote of the month" that rang my bell: "With hurricanes, record snow falls and freezing temperatures, first out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms  tearing up the country from one end to the other, and with the threat of bird flu, Ebola, and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"  Now ain't that the truth?

 As I was seeking a word from the Lord this morning on where He would have me go, He whispered in my ear and said, "Lighten Up". Many of your friends and neighbors, including you, are wound to tight.   Now ain't that the truth? 

 We spend far too much of our lives tied in huge knots worrying about things that we cannot control.  One elderly pastor once declared: "There are two days I do not worry about, yester-day, because it is too late to do anything about the creeping alligators, and tomorrow, who have not shown their colors yet so you do not have a clue from where the darts will come.”

 As exulted ruler of Eagle Village I never, never, never completed a day as dictated by my daily planner.  With a barn full of highly-wired teen-agers that were under my care because they had demonstrated their need for someone to teach them what boundaries were, I did not have a clue what challenges I would face, even before the day had a good start.

 If I did not get up early, before the troops were getting out of the rack and beginning their day, refill my batteries by spending time alone with the Lord and filling my batteries with the Word,  I soon found  that I was firing from the hip with an underpowered  gun.  

 I learned very early, in my tenure of working with young folks with hurting chest-cavities that God sent across my path, that I needed to out gun the powers of Satan that had a grasp on many of the kid’s lives.  I learned that, if I beat him to the punch by finding that one positive thing that I could build a relationship on when the alligators began nipping at their heels, I could cut him (Satan) off at the pass. 

 When a new youngster came into my life, I did not look at the case file to find out what he or she did wrong.  As a matter of fact, I did not break the seal on the case file until I found that one on which thing that I could build a relationship.  Why? Because I also learned early that we spend far too much time dealing the clinkers in our lives and not enough smelling the posies that God provides for us each day.

 Soooo, my young friends, if the rubber-hits-the-road today, and in all probability it will, take a minute or two, and do as God told Habakkuk to do, “Look around you and see what I am doing.”  If you are fortunate to have a clinker free day, thank Him who made that possible and share the good news with someone who is going through deep waters.

 

Blessings,  

Gramps

 This was my Devotion from CBN Israel today. It hit my heart, I thought it might be good for all.

.  

     Far from the Promise

​This was my Devotion from CBN Israel today. It hit my heart, I thought it might be good for all.

.  

     Far from the Promise

​This was my Devotion from CBN Israel today. It hit my heart, I thought it might be good for all.

.  

     Far from the Promise

​

 

“David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him” (1 Samuel 22:1 NKJV).

 

David found himself for a period of his life having to flee from Saul. Saul pursued him wherever he went. David felt so pressed that he even had to seek refuge with Achish, the Philistine king of Gath (Goliath’s hometown). As you can imagine, the Philistines mistrusted David and did not welcome him warmly. So, David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam.

 

The psalmists often used realities that people knew to illustrate and articulate what God or people were like. The Bible and the biblical mind functioned in concrete ideas and images instead of abstract ones, as we tend to do.

 

Adullam sits on the border between the Philistine territory of Gath and the tribal territory of Judah (David’s tribe). It overlooks the Elah Valley where David defeated the Philistine champion, Goliath.

 

So, David flees from Saul, unaccepted even by Saul’s enemies, and finds himself in the cave at Adullam overlooking the site of his greatest victory.

 

When David defeated Goliath, he found himself at the top. He defeated Goliath, saved Israel, defended the honor of God and Israel, and was taken into Saul’s court. Also, he had been secretly anointed the future king by Samuel. Things looked promising.

 

You have to wonder whether David thought his path from his victory in the Elah Valley to the throne was going to be a smooth, straight shot. To a certain extent, when he stood over the body of Goliath, cutting his head off with Goliath’s sword, the Philistine army fleeing with the Israelites in pursuit, he stood very close to God’s promise to him of the kingship, there in the Elah Valley.

 

When he found himself in the cave of Adullam, overlooking the same valley, the location of his greatest triumph, he was the furthest from God’s promise than he had ever been.

 

Every morning when he woke up, he looked over the scene of his greatest victory, and you wonder whether he found himself despairing of God’s promise. “Has God really said?” “Because I certainly don’t see the path from where I am today to what he promised me.” “Me, a king?” “I’m running for my life and living in a cave, hardly the house of a king.”

 

Have you ever found yourself in a place where you feel an overwhelming sense of despair? The vision that God gave you for your life seems like a million miles away, and God Himself seems even further away. You remember your victories, those moments when you felt triumph that God was right with you. But now all of that seems like a dream, and you find yourself in despair.

 

The cave of Adullam was not the end of David’s story. Nor will your times of despair be the end of your story. God is faithful. Rarely does He bring us straight from the victory field to the throne. Rather, He leads us on a winding journey where we learn to trust Him and His promises, even when He and they seem far away.

 

God is at work; therefore, we will not despair forever.

 

Prayer, Father, wherever we find ourselves, please lead us in Your ways and to Your promises. We choose to trust You. Amen.

Caves of En Gedi

 

“David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him” (1 Samuel 22:1 NKJV).

 

David found himself for a period of his life having to flee from Saul. Saul pursued him wherever he went. David felt so pressed that he even had to seek refuge with Achish, the Philistine king of Gath (Goliath’s hometown). As you can imagine, the Philistines mistrusted David and did not welcome him warmly. So, David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam.

 

The psalmists often used realities that people knew to illustrate and articulate what God or people were like. The Bible and the biblical mind functioned in concrete ideas and images instead of abstract ones, as we tend to do.

 

Adullam sits on the border between the Philistine territory of Gath and the tribal territory of Judah (David’s tribe). It overlooks the Elah Valley where David defeated the Philistine champion, Goliath.

 

So, David flees from Saul, unaccepted even by Saul’s enemies, and finds himself in the cave at Adullam overlooking the site of his greatest victory.

 

When David defeated Goliath, he found himself at the top. He defeated Goliath, saved Israel, defended the honor of God and Israel, and was taken into Saul’s court. Also, he had been secretly anointed the future king by Samuel. Things looked promising.

 

You have to wonder whether David thought his path from his victory in the Elah Valley to the throne was going to be a smooth, straight shot. To a certain extent, when he stood over the body of Goliath, cutting his head off with Goliath’s sword, the Philistine army fleeing with the Israelites in pursuit, he stood very close to God’s promise to him of the kingship, there in the Elah Valley.

 

When he found himself in the cave of Adullam, overlooking the same valley, the location of his greatest triumph, he was the furthest from God’s promise than he had ever been.

 

Every morning when he woke up, he looked over the scene of his greatest victory, and you wonder whether he found himself despairing of God’s promise. “Has God really said?” “Because I certainly don’t see the path from where I am today to what he promised me.” “Me, a king?” “I’m running for my life and living in a cave, hardly the house of a king.”

 

Have you ever found yourself in a place where you feel an overwhelming sense of despair? The vision that God gave you for your life seems like a million miles away, and God Himself seems even further away. You remember your victories, those moments when you felt triumph that God was right with you. But now all of that seems like a dream, and you find yourself in despair.

 

The cave of Adullam was not the end of David’s story. Nor will your times of despair be the end of your story. God is faithful. Rarely does He bring us straight from the victory field to the throne. Rather, He leads us on a winding journey where we learn to trust Him and His promises, even when He and they seem far away.

 

God is at work; therefore, we will not despair forever.

 

Prayer, Father, wherever we find ourselves, please lead us in Your ways and to Your promises. We choose to trust You. Amen.

Caves of En Gedi

 

“David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him” (1 Samuel 22:1 NKJV).

 

David found himself for a period of his life having to flee from Saul. Saul pursued him wherever he went. David felt so pressed that he even had to seek refuge with Achish, the Philistine king of Gath (Goliath’s hometown). As you can imagine, the Philistines mistrusted David and did not welcome him warmly. So, David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam.

 

The psalmists often used realities that people knew to illustrate and articulate what God or people were like. The Bible and the biblical mind functioned in concrete ideas and images instead of abstract ones, as we tend to do.

 

Adullam sits on the border between the Philistine territory of Gath and the tribal territory of Judah (David’s tribe). It overlooks the Elah Valley where David defeated the Philistine champion, Goliath.

 

So, David flees from Saul, unaccepted even by Saul’s enemies, and finds himself in the cave at Adullam overlooking the site of his greatest victory.

 

When David defeated Goliath, he found himself at the top. He defeated Goliath, saved Israel, defended the honor of God and Israel, and was taken into Saul’s court. Also, he had been secretly anointed the future king by Samuel. Things looked promising.

 

You have to wonder whether David thought his path from his victory in the Elah Valley to the throne was going to be a smooth, straight shot. To a certain extent, when he stood over the body of Goliath, cutting his head off with Goliath’s sword, the Philistine army fleeing with the Israelites in pursuit, he stood very close to God’s promise to him of the kingship, there in the Elah Valley.

 

When he found himself in the cave of Adullam, overlooking the same valley, the location of his greatest triumph, he was the furthest from God’s promise than he had ever been.

 

Every morning when he woke up, he looked over the scene of his greatest victory, and you wonder whether he found himself despairing of God’s promise. “Has God really said?” “Because I certainly don’t see the path from where I am today to what he promised me.” “Me, a king?” “I’m running for my life and living in a cave, hardly the house of a king.”

 

Have you ever found yourself in a place where you feel an overwhelming sense of despair? The vision that God gave you for your life seems like a million miles away, and God Himself seems even further away. You remember your victories, those moments when you felt triumph that God was right with you. But now all of that seems like a dream, and you find yourself in despair.

 

The cave of Adullam was not the end of David’s story. Nor will your times of despair be the end of your story. God is faithful. Rarely does He bring us straight from the victory field to the throne. Rather, He leads us on a winding journey where we learn to trust Him and His promises, even when He and they seem far away.

 

God is at work; therefore, we will not despair forever.

 

Prayer, Father, wherever we find ourselves, please lead us in Your ways and to Your promises. We choose to trust You. Amen.

If There Was Ever A Time......

Monday, July 13, 2015

 "When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice.   For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you, not destroy you nor forget the covenant with our fathers which He swore to them" (Deuteronomy 4:30-31).

 Hey Gang: If there was ever a time when it was imperative that we have all of the tools of our defense mechanisms spit and polished, it is now.  It is a time when absolutes have been placed in the 'good is bad file', and we have entered that period referred to as the "eat, drink and be merry time for tomorrow we die”, and anything that gets in that way is of the 'very old school'.

 I read a very soul- searching article by Charles Chandler in The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's Magazine, Decision, titled "Thy Word is Truth".   He listed five lies that have consumed the world and how God's truth trumps over them.  One does not have to be an authority on the Word of God to know that the father of lies, Satan, the accuser of God from the beginning of time, knows his days are short and is doing all in his power to take as make folks to the Lake of Fire with him.   It seems one of the most common question we hear today was one that he posed to Eve in the garden, "Did God really say that? 

 

Do you agree that the world is in all-out rebellion to God's Word, either by rebellion or eliminating those portions you do not like to believe or adhere to?  They form false gods in order to accommodate their fleshly desires. 

 Charles went on to identify five lies much of the world believes with a rebuttal from God's word.  

Lie Number One:  There is no definitive moral authority! God's truth: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  Read also Joshua 1:8 and 2 Peter 1:3-4.

 Lie Number Two: If it feels good, I can do it!   God's truth: "All the ways of man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weights the spirits" (Proverbs 16:2).  Read also Mark 7:21-23; Romans 3:10-12; Deuteronomy. 28:15.

 Lie Number Three: We are free to redefine marriage as we want.  God's truth:  "Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He bought her to the man.  And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.' Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." (Genesis 2:222-24).  Read also Matthew 19:4-6; I Corinthians 7:1-2; Hebrews 13:4.

 Lie Number Four!  Homosexuality is good and should be celebrated!  God's truth: "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman.  It is an abomination."  (Leviticus 20:13)  "If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both 0f them have committed an abomination." (Leviticus 20:13).  Read also Romans 1:26-28; I Corinthians. 6:9-10.

 Lie Number Five: It's my body; I can do what I want with it.  God's truth:  "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?  You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.  Do glorify God in your body." (I Corinthians6:19-20).  Read also Romans 12:1.

 Soooo, I repeat from where I began with the question: Has there ever been a time when we need to make sure our armor and tools of our defense are spit polished, as it is now?                          Today 2025? ?

Blessings,

Gramps

 

I Will Rebuke The Devourer For You?

 Wednesday, July 1, 2015

 "Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes," says the Lord of hosts." (Malachi 3:11).

 Hey Gang:  Before we move on we need to take a peek at Malachi 3:10. In a previous morning message, God challenged us to “bring it all (whole tithe) his storehouse and test Me now in this that I will supply all your needs.  But, notice in verse eleven He gives us the fabulous news that there is a fringe benefit attached to that promise - He will rebuke the devourer for us.   Is that not a fabulous promise?  

 There are two other fabulous verses in Malachi in the fourth chapter.  First a promise to those whose name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life: "But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from this stall" (Malachi (4:2).   We recently had a young lady who lost her battle with cancer; when I heard that she had won her reward and was with the Lord, I visualized her skipping like a calve that had been turned loose from the bondage of its stall for the first time. 

 Well, so much for the introduction; time to address the meat of this epistle.   About a year ago the Lord laid a burden on my heart that has only grown with concern and intensity since it first came into my mind and heart.   I believe we are in a day similar to the days of Noah,   Sodom and Gomorrah; a time when our nation has turned its back on God's chosen land, Israel.

  We are told by Jesus when all these things happen look up for your redemption draws near.  As we see "…everything that can be shaken is being shaken so that only those things that cannot be shaken will remain"(Hebrews 26b-29), one has to be totally blind and dumb not to see the "hand writing on the wall" is becoming more clear each day.

 Nothing could be clearer than to read the blessing and the warning given in God's words to Abraham in the form of a covenant.  We need to get it clearly in our minds this Covenant is an irrevocable agreement with God:  "Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go forth from your country and your relatives and from your father's house, to the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation and I will bless you and make your name great.  And so, you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you and the one who curses you I will curse.  And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed" (Genesis. 12:1-6).

 I believe our nation has been blessed because we have blessed Israel.  But today we have two dark clouds that have begun to gather, the one the ravenous beast referred to as terrorist, and the second our President’s refusal to bless Israel.    

 We could spend the next several days looking at this subject but that is not the intent of this epistle, but before moving on we need to examine one verse in Joel that should send concerns up our spines.  In Joel 3:2 we read "I, "God" will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there.  On behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; AND THEY HAVE DIVIDED MY LAND".

 Blessings, Gramps 

PS A lot has happened in Israel in the last 10 years. Particularly since October 11, 23. In the near future are we going to see “unwalled Cities? Ezekiel 38:11