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In His Hands
In His Hands
Betty and I have had a very busy week. We are honored to serve our family and friends, along with our community. Always acknowledging this awesome group of people and your faithfulness to God.
I am not a good time manager. However my thoughts are almost always on God’s work. Listening, reading, praying for revelation and understanding.
I often think of the past while praying. Mostly my past and the awesome love and grace of God. At times it brings me great sorrow. The pain you feel when you realize you could have done better. Then that feeling turns into tears of joy when I begin to worship and praise the God who has forgotten my past, and moves me forward in His amazing purpose.
Micah 7:19 Message, “And compassion is on its way to us. You’ll stamp out our wrongdoing. You’ll sink our sins to the bottom of the ocean.”
In Prayer, when I began to write notes and research scriptures for this message a phrase came to mind. I stopped in my tracks, lifted my eyes towards the heavens and said, “Jesus, Were It Not For You”
“Can you think on that for a moment?”
Psalms 31:14-15
14 But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord, I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me.
Verse 15 says my times. It literally means, my days, hours, weeks, years. MY TIMES
The Message says, “Hour by hour I place my days in your hand, safe from the hands out to get me.”
“In His Hands”
Jesus said.
John 10:27-30
27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;
28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.
29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
“Do we really understand what this says?”
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them”= speaks of mutual recognition.
“They follow me, and I give them eternal life” = speaks of reciprocal activity.
“They shall not perish forever, and no one shall pluck them out of my hand” = this is an authoritative assurance, and its promise and justification.
“This stuff is awesome. What promises God has provided for us.”
“He knows us, He has given eternal life to us, and nobody can take us away from Him.”
Job said this in describing his cataclysmic loss of family and wealth.
Job 12:9-10
9 “Who among all these does not know That the hand of the Lord has done this,
10 In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?
“Do we really understand the presence and power of God that keeps us, and empowers us.”
Isaiah 49:14-16
14 But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, And the Lord has forgotten me.”
15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child And have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.
16 “Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.
David shared this from Psalms 139.
Psalms 139:9-10
9 If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
Psalms 138:7
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me.
“The safety and power of the promises we have inherited as we live our lives, in His hands.”
Wisdom Vindicated
Wisdom Vindicated
I am old enough to understand the meaning of Wisdom. I, like many others have found wisdom in the mistakes we have made in our lifetime. Not that this is useful to anyone but you personally.
It’s like when you see your kids or a friend fixing to do something that in your experience was a mistake. Probably the same thing happened when you advised them of the possibilities that could come from their choice. Someone advised you against your decision and you did it anyway. After you cleaned up the mess you could say with confidence that you have embraced wisdom about that situation.
Wisdom comes from life events. Things we do, things that have been done to us. Every life event is a teaching tool. It can reveal good, or bad.
Knowing that, is defined as wisdom.
Wisdom in the New Testament is taken from the Greek word, sophia. It is defined broadly as, “full of intelligence, and the knowledge of very diverse matters.”
I want to just share a little on Jesus and His attempts to teach the religious community. He was trying by visible experiences to teach them the wisdom of God.
All of us have learned many of these Biblical principles the hard way.
Matthew 11:19
The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
What is Jesus trying to say?
I believe He is saying just watch what happens when people embrace Me. When I open a door for the very ones that you reject.
How many times have you wondered how in the world that someone you knew ever changed their life and embraced Christ with everything they have. You may have believed that nothing could reach them.
What happened was an encounter that helped them understand God’s eternal love, and that He had a purpose for them. This was wisdom at it’s very best.
Here is the story that says it better than me.
Luke 5:29-32
29 And Levi gave a big reception for Him in his house; and there was a great crowd of tax collectors and other people who were reclining at the table with them.
30 The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?”
31 And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.
32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
Many religious folks, even today do not really understand the heart of Jesus. Yes if you have been in church for a while you have heard His word. You know who the sinners are and the failures of life.
Jesus tried to teach us that these folks were the reason He came.
Luke 5:32 Amplified
I did not come to call the [self-proclaimed] righteous [who see no need to repent], but sinners to repentance [to change their old way of thinking, to turn from sin and to seek God and His righteousness].”
Message
“Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I’m here inviting outsiders, not insiders—an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out.”
The wisdom that has been vindicated by the work of Jesus goes far beyond the rules and regulations the religious folks impose on people.
It is very important to the followers of Christ that we learn His heart. His love for the sinner, the afflicted, the sick, and the hopeless. It was His heart for them that moved Him beyond religion.
“Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
This Generation Needs Us
This Generation Needs Us
What a fellowship, what a joy Divine; Leaning on the Everlasting Arms. What a blessedness, what a peace is mine, leaning on the everlasting arms.
This song came to mind when I thought of the journey that I have been on, and also your journeys as well.
We are here today because God has a plan. This moment in time, and the work we do was planned long ago. I am speaking broadly because this is true for every ministry committed to His name. In the name of Jesus we live, move, and have our being.
David said in Psalms 139. “ For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.”
He went on to say, “17How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.”
Psalms 71 author is not determined but theologians believe David penned it as a result of growing old.
Psalms 71:17-21
17 O God, You have taught me from my youth, And I still declare Your wondrous deeds.
18 And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come.
19 For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You?
20 You who have shown me many troubles and distresses Will revive me again, And will bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
21 May You increase my greatness And turn to comfort me.
It seems to me that David is saying that as long as we have breath, we have a purpose. The longer we have followed Christ the more victories we have to share. Our understanding and revelation should be clearer.
If there has ever been a time in our history that needed a clear vision of who Jesus is, it is now. His story has been buried in theological principles that mean nothing to someone who has never heard the message of the cross.
Psalms 119:110-112
110 The wicked have laid a snare for me, Yet I have not gone astray from Your precepts.
“111 I have inherited Your testimonies forever, For they are the joy of my heart.”
112 I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes
Forever, even to the end.
Psalms 119:111 Message
I inherited your book on living; it’s mine forever— what a gift! And how happy it makes me!
The Word of God will change our world.
We have a responsibility. A God given call to share the word with every generation. Passing it on from a firm foundation. Declaring the principles of faith, love repentance, righteousness. On and on. Every promise in the book. Accountability
Daniel 4:3
How great are His signs And how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom And His dominion is from generation to generation.
Message
His miracles are staggering, his wonders are surprising. His kingdom lasts and lasts, his sovereign rule goes on forever.
Luke 1:50
And His mercy is upon generation after generation Toward those who fear Him.
Everyone who follows Christ at any level has a story. You may be a fire burning saint who declares Him at every opportunity. You may be a quiet person who shares one on one when God puts you in a position to do so. A quiet person who prays for God to send someone to those who need Him. There are all levels in between.
Yet there is a story to be told.
Psalms 63:5 Amplified
My soul [my life, my very self] is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises [to You] with joyful lips.
Psalms 145:14-21
14 The Lord sustains all who fall And raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to You, And You give them their food in due time.
16 You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all His ways And kind in all His deeds.
18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.
19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.
20 The Lord keeps all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, And all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.
Verse 21 Message, “My mouth is filled with God’s praise. Let everything living bless him, bless his holy name from now to eternity!”
We live in a world that expects immediate gratification. Immediate results. Waiting has not been embraced by much of the culture today. “I have never embraced it”
Isaiah 40:31 KJV
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Psalms 17:15 Message
And me? I plan on looking you full in the face. When I get up, I’ll see your full stature and live heaven on earth.
There must, at some point in our lives, come a realization in our heart and mind to pass on what we know. What we have learned by following Christ, and understanding His Word.
“For it to mean any thing, you have to believe it yourself.”
Called to Engage
Called to Engage
I love to talk about Jesus and His church. I do my best to share the Biblical principles regarding salvation, and the relevance of Jesus to the world today.
From time to time I get very broad with my pronouncements but it is what it is.
Many people refer to their opinion when explaining the story of Jesus and the church. I am one of the many that believes these things should not be referenced as an opinion. These principles are easily understood.
I will be the first to admit that there are things in the Bible that are not easily understood. With much study and prayer the best we can do is come up with an educated opinion.
The story of Jesus and the structure of the church is not one of these things. Jesus and the purpose of the church have been made clear Biblically. So clear that they can be taught with authority throughout every generation.
Keep your opinions of a persons lifestyle and destination to yourself. You can’t save them, so don’t judge them. Tell them the story of Jesus.
Regarding the church, when you remove accountability you have become rogue. No longer following the Biblical principles of Apostolic ministry and authority.
The Father created the church to be a living breathing organism in each community. Bringing the story of Jesus. The work of the Holy Spirit. The ministry to the poor and the hurting. Teaching the need to follow Christ and then making them disciples of Christ. So these folks can change the world they live in.
These, we are all one body groups, are doing their best to reject the Biblical principles of the New Testament church. I do believe they love Jesus but without accountability there is too much confusion. Everyone goes their own way. Believing in their own opinions.
Pray with me for these good folks, and the entire global church as well. The enemy is roaring about, and without a strong foundation of accountability. So many folks are left all alone to deal with the life events that come to all of us.