The Beauty of Holiness.  

Isaiah 6:1-3 “….I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple.  Above it stood the seraphims:….

                   And one cried unto another, and said,  Holy, holy, holy  is the Lord of hosts:  the whole earth is full of His glory.”

Revelation 4:8 “….Holy, holy, holy,  Lord God Almighty,  which was, and is, and is to come.”

Holiness in Scripture is the completion of the character of God:

which is Light…..not darkness…(James 1:17).  He is sinless, He is Mercy,

is Peace,

is Grace,  

is Love, 

is Supreme Goodness, and our Refuge,

Is Wisdom, and Judgement, and so much more.

We think of Holiness, and sometimes tremble……because we are sinful…..even with our sins confessed, and cleansed…..we can remember the terrible things we have done against Him,….and that is when “Holiness” puts weakness into our hearts….

Isaiah when he heard the “Holy, holy, holy”……..

Isaiah 6:5  “Then said I,  Woe is me! For I am undone;  because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips:  for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”

When Peter saw the “great multitude of fishes” the Lord gave, after a night of catching nothing……

Luke 5:8 “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying,  Depart from me; for I am a sinful man,  O Lord.”

In scripture the Lord is called Holy, seventy times.  Twenty-eight times in Isaiah, alone.   Sixteen times in the Psalms.

(If God were not Holy,  there would be unspeakable horror for consequences:  He could not save sinners….nor could He have power over the unrighteous works of darkness.   There would be no Heaven….where every tear shall be wiped away, and no unclean thing, will enter.   Chaos, not order, would rule.)

But in this, we are going to speak of the Beauty of Holiness…..for surely God’s Holiness is beautiful.

It is an attribute of splendor….spreading out like a rainbow, unto abundant goodness.  

And, that He would plan a Way for us to share in His goodness, by Jesus Christ….is blessing….twice blessed for us.

That He has made a Way to come to Him;……..we as sinful creatures, to come to the Most Holy God,……by the expiation of our sins…..has not changed His Holiness;…

…..but rather enhanced it; showing to us, by the abundant sacrifice of His Son, how Holy He is.

When we think of the price Jesus paid,  that we might “be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21)…..

…….we again tremble at the Holiness of our God, Who would allow His Son to die to wipe away our sin,…….and not allow any,  but those who receive Christ Jesus, as Lord and Savior,……to come near to His throne, and dwell with Him.

Isaiah 33:15-17 “He that walketh righteously,  and speaketh uprightly;   he that despiseth gain of oppressions,    that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes,  that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood,    and shuteth his eyes from seeing evil; 

                        He shall dwell on high;   his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks:   bread shall be given him;    his waters shall be sure.

                        Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty,  they shall behold the land that is very far off.”

God’s Holiness is worthy of all our praise.    For as He is lifted up above all things,  so He raises us up,  in Christ….to sit in the heavenlies. (Ephesians 2:6)

But for what purpose, are we raised to newness of life?   

To be to the praise of His glory.  To find our satisfaction in Him.

(Colossians 3:1-2 “If ye then be risen with Christ,  seek those things which are above,  where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God.

                 Set your affection on things above,  not on things of the earth.”)

1 Chronicles 16:29 “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His Name:  bring an offering and come before Him:  worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”

2 Chronicles 20:21 “……..he appointed singers unto the Lord,  and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say,  Praise the Lord;  for His mercy endureth forever.”

God’s Holiness is beautiful,…..and He calls us to worship Him for it…..and to set ourselves aside to Him,…..to be “partakers of” it. 

Hebrews 12:10 “For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure;  but He for our profit,    that we might be partakers of His holiness.”

“Partakers” here, means to accept and use.

In Christ, we are made righteous;  given a new nature.   And we are to accept our new life and “use” it…..we are to bring forth the fruit of His holiness within us…..the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)

We are to spread out within us the manifold goodness of God, by the fruit of His Spirit, and use it, to have joy, peace, love, gentleness, etc.

Psalm 29:2 “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto HIs Name;  worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”

Psalm 96:9 “O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness:  fear before Him all the earth.”

God is Holy, holy, holy…..in the Trinity.   And praise God, that He is.

Which seemeth right

Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man,  but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

Notice that it begins in a way which seemeth right….and ends in the ways of death.

          Sin and self multiply.   

          What begins in a small giving in to the flesh….ends either in repentance and a complete change about….

…or ends in growing into multiple ways….all leading to the death, as Christians, of our spiritual growth and life. 

(Not that any true Christian loses his eternal life….but that he can lose his reward, and the joy of light and life,  here.

           My husband once preached on these verses, and said:   “Isn’t it a sad thing to see a miserable Christian?   Christ is our portion and all our spiritual blessings….what is the matter with us when we are unhappy with our lot?     What cloud has come between us and the Lord that we can not experience His love and mercy in our days and nights?)

Proverbs 16:25 “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man,  but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

Twice in scripture this verse is given….and two is the number of witness.   Nothing could be accounted worthy of death without two witnesses:

          Deuteronomy 19:15 “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in a sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two or three witnesses,  shall the matter be established.”

God is establishing the rightness of the sentence against sin….He has warned us twice.

Any way which is not God’s Way….even though it seemeth right….leads to ways of death.

          (And again this death is not eternal death for Christians….but death of joy and peace,  death of blessings,  death of truth.)

Proverbs 14:8 “The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way:   but the folly of fools is deceit.”

In Proverbs, there are four types of people:

         The wise….those that hear and learn from instruction from God’s Word. (Pro. 1:5, 2:6)

    The foolish….those that hate knowledge, and instruction. (Pro. 1:7, 22)

         The scorners….those that mock and revile those that seek to learn from God’s Word (Prov. 1:22).

     The simple….those that do not know the Word, and are caught in many temptations because of it. (Prov. 1:22, 7:7)

Our hearts are deceitful….and desperately wicked….

Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things,  and desperately wicked:  who can know it?”

But, praise God,   He has left us a Way to escape the leanings of our own hearts….

Jeremiah 17:10 “I the Lord search the heart,  I try the reins,  even to give every man according to his ways,  and according to the fruit of his doings.”

The Lord will search our hearts….He will try our wills….that He might show us our way…and His Way….and give us “according” or to the measure that we bear the fruit of repentance,  faith, and obedience.

Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

“Seemeth right”.   How much that phrase covers!    

          How many times have we been tripped up by those things that “seemeth right”….things can look good….can sound good,  but it only “seemeth right” for us…unless….that is where the Lord is leading us.

           “Unto a man”.    Here is where we can see our error.

For our Way,  is to be led by the Word and the Holy Spirit,  not by us.(Jeremiah 10:23)

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;  and lean not unto thine own understanding.

            In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”

This is a verse we often use for direction and help….but as the Lord pointed out to my husband….it is….”in all thy ways  acknowledge Him”.      All our ways, not just when we are in trouble or feel the Adversary’s fiery darts (Eph. 6:16)…but in all our days, and ways.

Psalm 86:11 “Teach me Thy Way,  O Lord;  I will walk in Thy truth:  unite my heart to fear Thy name.”

Here is a prayer for the Lord to take us by the hand and “teach us”….as His children,  to lead us into His truth in everything concerning ourselves….and others that we must deal with.

And here also is the reason for so many missteps:     Unite my heart to fear Thy name.

          A divided heart.

Matthew 6:24 “No man can serve two masters:  for either he will hate the one, and love the other;  or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.   Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

And that is what we are called to do:      to serve.  

        As Christians, we can only have One Master….Jesus Christ.   He is to be our Lord and Savior.   Our hearts are to love and obey Him.

If we lean on our own understanding….the way that seemeth right,  will lead us astray.

But if we repent, and seek Him….letting Him search us,….and then acknowledging Him in all our ways….He will direct our paths…and all HIs Ways are paths of peace and life. (Psalm 25:8-10)

In the beginning

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

I want to speak a moment about our God….Who is Almighty….Who is our all.

God has no beginning,….so when He speaks of a beginning,  here, He is speaking of the beginning of the earth.  

          Out of nothing,  God created the heaven and the earth.   Only God can create out of nothing.   

          We can take materials, and design, and build, and decorate….but God speaks and it is done.  Something is created, at His Word and Will.

Psalm 19:1-4 “The heavens declare the glory of God;  and the firmament sheweth HIs handiwork.

           Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.

There is no speech nor language,  where Their Voice is not heard.

          Their line is gone out through all the earth, and Their Words to the end of the world…”

All creation manifests that there is a Creator…..all creation manifests HIs command to:

        “Let all things be done decently and in order.”  (1 Cor. 14:40)

After man’s sin, and man became separated from God….his heart was darkened.

         The Light through a promise of a Savior was given (Genesis 3:15).    Would they receive this promise, and look for this Savior?  Would they seek to walk in the Light of this promise?

A trial had to be made to see whether man would return to His Creator in worship…

…..but man refused.  (Although God always has a believing remnant…those that seek and love HIm)

         Romans 1:20-21 “For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen,  being understood by the things that are made,  even His eternal power and Godhead;  so that they are without excuse:

         Because that,  when they knew God,  they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful;  but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

Man’s heart became darker and darker…..

….the only light and bright spot in our history is God revealing Himself and His Will in HIs Word…

….for, as I said,  God always has His believing remnant….those that are drawn to the light, to the truth,  to God in faith and love.

And then (and we should all say “Amen!”)….

…..when the fullness of the times was come…..then…

        Galatians 4:4-6 “But when the fulness of the time was come,   God sent forth HIs Son,  made of a woman,  made under the law,  

        To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

        And because ye are sons,   God hath sent forth the Spirit of HIs Son into your hearts,  crying  Abba, Father.”

The announced and promised Savior came….and He redeemed all who believe on Him,  from sin, self, and the devil….to give us an adoption as sons of God.

Romans 8:15-16 “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear;  but ye have received the Spirit of adoption,  whereby we cry,  Abba, Father.

         The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”

And when we became sons of God,  adopted children of God….He did something wonderful within us.

         “In the beginning” of our new birth….He created a new creature…He implanted within us a new nature…a holy nature.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:  old things are passed away;  behold, all things are become new.”

And why did God create a new nature within us?   Because He could not use our old nature…the nature that rebelled against Him is to be set aside,….denied.

         Ephesians 4:22-24 “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man,   which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

         And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

         And  that ye put on the new man,   which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”

We are now,  created in Christ Jesus, to grow in grace and love…..till we, with all the saints manifest Christ Jesus in His fullness … .in the darkness of this world.

         Ephesians 4:13, 15  “Till we all come in the unity of the faith,  and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man,  unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

         But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things,  which is the head, even Christ:”

We started this with “In the beginning”….the creation of the heaven and the earth….

….and we have talked of the beginning of the new creature in Christ…

But these were just the beginning…..and God is Alpha and Omega….the beginning and the end.

          If He has begun a good work in you….He will bring it to the end,  that He wants.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,  saith the Lord,  thoughts of peace, and not of evil,  to give you an expected end.”    

          (“expected” here means a cord bound or twisted together.    God’s end for us….is bound up in Himself.   We were never meant to have a life away from HIm.)

1 Corinthians 1:4, 8-9 “I thank my God always on your behalf  for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;

          Who shall also confirm you unto the end,  that ye may be blameless in the day of  our Lord Jesus Christ.

          God is faithful, by Whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.”

           (confirm you unto the end…..”confirm” means stabilize….make sure.)

God’s Word is sure…..God is faithful….His promises are in Christ Jesus….and we, if we are born anew,  are in Christ Jesus.

          2 Corinthians 1:20 “For all the promises of God in Him are yea,  and in Him  Amen, unto the glory of God by us.”

From the beginning  to the end….God will see HIs Will done.   Let us seek our place in His Purpose and yield to HIs faithfulness in bringing us to HIs expected end.

By My Spirit

Zechariah 4:6 “Then He answered and spake unto me, saying,   This is the Word of the Lord  unto Zerubbabel,  saying,   Not by might,  nor by power,  but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.”

Zechariah was a young man who God called as a prophet, along with an older man….to go and awaken the returned remnant of Israel to the work of the Lord.

           Having returned to Judah and Jerusalem,  the people set to work to make a House for the Lord.    To rebuild the Temple….not as grand as Solomon’s….but a place to worship and sacrifice to God,  after so many years (70) in which they had no sacrifice.   

But, having begun,  they were stopped by adversaries which frightened and hindered them.  

         These adversaries lied to the king of Persia about the returned remnant…and what they were doing….and caused a letter from the king to stop the work of building the Temple.

          So the people concentrated on their own farms, and houses….and left the building of the Temple, undone.  

          God sent them Zechariah and Haggai to correct their fear, and selfishness….and bring them back to their Purpose, here.

Zerubbabel was of the line of David, and he was the “governor”  under the king of Persia…..but like the others,…. he too left off seeing to the Temple.

How many times have we let troubling circumstances hinder God’s Purpose for us?    

           We think that if God wanted it done….He would see to it right away!

But what God wanted them to do….was continue the work.   And let God take care of the king and the letter.

           For in fact,  when they did get back to work….God saw to the king’s letter, by reminding him of the decree about the Temple that Cyrus gave.  (Ezra 1:1-3)   

          And instead of stopping the work….he encouraged and funded it!!

          Ezra 6:6-8 “Now therefore,…be far from thence:  Let the work of this house of God alone;  let the governor or the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in His place.

          Moreover I make a decree what ye shall do for the elders…for the building of this house of God:  that of the king’s goods,  even of the tribute beyond the river,  forthwith expenses be given unto these men,  that they be not hindered.”

(Here is an example of:

Proverbs 16:7 “When a man’s ways please the Lord,  He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.”)

In all this power-play…..Zechariah heard:   Tell Zerubbabel…..”Not by might,….nor by power….but by My Spirit saith the Lord of hosts.”

And he relayed the message to Zerubbabel.   The deliverance was to be by obedience to His Word….and Will…

…and it would be by God’s Spirit that it would be worked out!

What of us?    What hinders the Lord’s purpose for us?   

          Have we failed to be consistent in our testimony of Christ Jesus?

Have we failed to continue the work we have been called to…..even if there is very good reason!?

When my husband got sick,  and he could not stand and preach anymore….we thought everything was over….as far as our ministry was concerned.

         A year or so later,  we began this blog…this page.   

(I laugh now at the mistakes we made in getting a blog set up!    We are not tech-savvy.)

        And we have had some “bumps” along the way….

….but we feel….that as long as we have breath….we were called to preach and teach HIs Word.

And to Awaken Christians to God’s claims on their lives.    

Christ Jesus is to be King….now….in us.    Certainly He will be King…reigning over the whole earth, some day (Hasten it,  O Lord)

        But now,  our job is to be His servants,….do our ministry….as we can.    And to speak HIs Word faithfully.

Not by might….we can not “make” people love Christ….but we can show them how lovely He is.

Not by power….we have no influence….except the Holy Spirit’s working through HIs Word.

But by  My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.

       As Lord of hosts,  He has armies of angels….armies of hornets…and, yes,  He has the army of HIs church, praying and being obedient…..

….but all the work is done  by HIs Spirit through all and any of these.

Let us, as Christians, get back to work,…let us tell the good news,   let us finish our course….for it is by HIs Spirit that the deliverance will come.

And yet there is room

Luke 14:22-23 “And the servant said,  Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.

              And the Lord said unto the servant,   Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that My house may be filled.”

I want to speak for a moment about:    the compelling time.

In this parable,  Jesus tells that every effort had been made to bring the invited guests to the “Great Supper”….but they had refused to come. 

           (This we know was Israel refusing their Messiah)

             So the Master of the house had told His servants to go into the streets and lanes of the city (Jerusalem),  and bring in the poor, the maimed, and the halt and the blind.

            (This we believe is the first of the believers under the power of the Holy Spirit,  being brought into the church on the day of Pentecost….and ever outward.)

             The church down through the ages have been made up of those that know they are poor and in need of Christ’s life…

……or maimed, or halt in need  of Christ to make us whole….

……or blind and in need of Christ’s sight.    

But then the servants come and tell the Master that there is still room!     After all the going out and bringing in….there is still room.

And yet there is room.

So what we will deal with….is what the Master says to the servants,  now.   What should be done?   Are the places at His great supper to be only partially full?

Luke 14:23 “And the Lord said unto the servant,   Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in,   that My house may be filled.” 

This, I believe, is the Master’s final call, through HIs servants,…. to a world…..

highways: those traveling down a weary road,….or speeding along in the fastest car…

…and hedges:  those hiding behind fences, walls,  or hiding from the truth.

The servants of the Lord are to go out and stop them….seek them….and compel them to come into the Lord’s house.

Compel here means to necessitate….to constrain.  

           This is the work of the Holy Spirit….through us.

            We must concentrate on the fact that we are the Lord’s servant….what we are doing (whether preaching, teaching or witnessing) is because the Lord wants us to.

            Because the necessity,  the constraint is upon us……we must show Jesus Christ…..or  speak about the Lord Jesus Christ….to all we meet…lest we find ourselves with bloody hands when we stand before Him at the Judgment Seat of Christ…

….having failed to be what we should have,   or do what should have been done….or failed to speak what should have been said.

(One time, my daughter and I went to visit a lady that absolutely did not want to hear anything about the Lord.    Several times we had talked to her,  she had pretended to fall asleep!  Or tried to change the subject!

          Praying about going to see her,  I received that I should go through all the verses that we use to bring someone to the Lord….whether she acknowledged them or not.

          So, we went and talked for a while…..

….. and then I just started to read the scriptures about Jesus saying all must be born again (John 3:7-8)….about all being sinners (Romans 3:23)…that the wages or what we earn from sin,   is death….but that God has offered a free gift of Eternal life,  through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

         That when a person receives the Lord Jesus,  God gives the power (grace) to become born again (John 1:12).    That to all who would receive Him, they must believe in their heart and confess with their mouth (call upon Him) and they would be saved (Romans 10:8-13)!

         At the beginning she closed her eyes….I did not ask if she understood what I was reading, but let the Lord speak to her through HIs Word.

         By the middle, I frankly thought that this was useless….but I kept at it, as the Lord had said.

         By the end,  when I would normally ask if they wanted to receive Christ Jesus and if they would pray and ask Him to come into their heart and life…I went to stop and the Lord said….ask her.

        Now I will tell you, that she had pretended to not listen….she still had her eyes closed….but I did what I was told…

….and she said,  “yes, I will pray!”       And so she did, confessing that she was a sinner, and  asking the Lord Jesus Christ into her heart and life!     

Truly a miracle!   Truly the Holy Spirit compelled her to come into His house!)

              The time is short (Romans 13:11-12)….and the Lord has prepared a great supper for all the elect.   The places are set,  things are prepared…

….shall we,  as HIs servants, go with that compelling invitation?    

If we would stress the Sovereignty of God…and indeed He is Mighty to save!….

…..we must also stress the responsibility of man….for God has ordained us to walk in good works. 

              And the greatest “good work” is to:

Pray for,  witness to,  and lead someone to Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior.

2 Peter 3:9-11 “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness;  but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish,  but that all should come to repentance.

              But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also  and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

             Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved,  what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,”

Let me remind all of us……there is still room.

Thou wilt

Isaiah 26:3 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,  whose mind is stayed on Thee:  because he trusteth in Thee.”

Perfect here means without blemish, complete, sincerely sound.    It comes from when a sacrifice was to be offered….it was to be without blemish….complete….sound, not sick…. to be offered to the Lord.

And here,  Isaiah is saying that the Lord gives us peace,  the same way. 

              He does not give partial or  wobbly peace….but peace which is firmly grounded on Himself and His Word,  which is Eternal and cannot be changed.

“We can wobble on the Rock….but the Rock does not move under me.”

But the Lord calls our minds to be “stayed” on Him….to Trust in Him.

            (Notice it is our minds which are to be “stayed” or placed, appointed on HIm.   How easily our thoughts can race from one thing to another,  especially in times of trouble.   How easily our minds can think all sorts of scenarios…..when we can’t see what is ahead!)

That is why we are to Trust in Him.     Trust is hanging onto Him and HIs Word….to us.

            It is the steadying influence in our thoughts…

…..”I do not know what is ahead,  I do not know what is even going on now, behind the scenes…..but I do know the Lord Jesus, and His love for me….and I am going to place myself at His disposal in this situation….and hang onto Him for dear life.”

Peace, like a steady flowing river can push everything else away,  and we can be at rest in His circumstances.

(My husband and I were told once to…..”Place the yea and the nay” at the Lord’s disposal….whether the situation seemed to work out,  or whether it seemed to fall apart….everything was to be placed on the Altar of His Word and Will.

             Right after that,  we had this come against us….and that come against us….and we did indeed tremble on the Rock of Christ.     But He kept working…in us, and in the situations….and we realized we were growing stronger in His Word and grace.)

            Trust is for us,  not as a life-preserver…..but as the sure Hand of God reaching down, as He did to Peter, when he was sinking.    We cry to Him….but it is HIs hold on us, that saves.

Isaiah 26:4, 8-9 “Trust ye in the Lord for ever:  for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength:

             Yea, in the way of Thy judgments,  O Lord, have we waited for Thee;  the desire of our soul is to Thy name, and to the remembrance of Thee.

             With my soul have I desired Thee in the night;  yea, with my spirit within me will I seek Thee early:  for when Thy judgments are in the earth,  the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.”

Trust in the Lord leads to peace in the circumstances….

…..….leads to waiting on the Lord that He might accomplish His Will,…..

…..praying in the night during pain and trouble….

…..praying in the Spirit that the glory and honor which is the Lord’s due, might be manifested in my life,….

….and through this situation.

“Thou wilt”…..Isaiah was confident in the Lord.    And Isaiah lived through the reign of many kings of Judah….some good,  others wicked.

            Yet he went about his ministry…walking right up to….and speaking to good and wicked alike….knowing this peace….trusting in the Lord.

“For the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.”      We need to lean on the Everlasting Arms (Dueteronomy 33:27)….and….

…we stand on the Rock of Christ (Matthew 7:24)which cannot be moved.

We can all learn to say….”Thou wilt” for the situation we are in…..and get that perfect peace He has for us.

A New Thing 

Isaiah 43:18-19 “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

                              Behold,  I will do a new thing;  now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?  I will even make a way in the wilderness; and rivers in the desert.”

Of course these verses first apply to Israel;  but the Lord gave these verses to my husband for our work,  years ago.

He told him:

Remember not the former things….successes or failures;  neither consider the things of old…they are back there in the past—forget them…

And get on with the Lord’s Will for your life now.

It is easy to get “stuck” in the past….thinking about what should have happened;  or patting ourselves on the back for something that went right.

But it is spinning our tires, spiritually,  when we do…just making a rut for ourselves.

We should commit each day into the Lord’s hand,  asking His Will done in it.

Psalm 37:5 “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him;  and He shall bring it to pass.”

This “commit” is “Roll thy way, works, thoughts, upon the Lord”

Proverbs 16:3 “Commit thy works unto the Lord,  and thy thoughts shall be established.”

We should live each day as if it were our most important time.  The past we can do nothing about.

The future we do not have.

But we can live for Him, today.

We should seek His blessing, guidance and His supply for this day.

Psalm 90:12 “So teach us to number our days,  that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.”

“Number” here means “to weigh out”.   Each day has value,  as if you were weighing silver.    The Lord wants us to see this day, that way.

If we are to truly apply our hearts to wisdom, it will be on a daily basis;  with the Lord.

Spiritual wisdom is really practical skill to make pointed decisions.

Jesus had this wisdom,  so much so, that people wondered at it. (Matthew 13:54,  Mark 6:2).  And we should get it from Him 

Luke 2:40 “And the child (Jesus) grew,  and waxed strong in spirit,  filled with wisdom;  and the grace of God was upon Him.”

James 3:17 “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure,  then peaceable,  gentle,  and easy to be entreated,  full of mercy and good fruits,  without partiality,  and without hypocrisy.”   

(Doesn’t this describe our Lord so well?!)

James 1:5 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God,  that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not;  and it shall be given him.”

The Lord will give us the practical skill for this day.  

“Behold, I will do a new thing;”.   Today is a new day,….and Jesus says,…..Come with Me in it.

“Now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?”  I will give the wisdom you need, it will “spring up” by My Holy Spirit within you….and make you to know My Will.

“I will even make a way in the wilderness; and rivers in the desert.”

He will make a way, today, for you…clearly marked with each step you take;  and He will supply His Spirit as a river within you,…in whatever desert place you go.

We are in the world, but we are not of it….we are His, and He is ready to work within us in a new way,  today. 

A new thing…shall ye not know it?

He is asking you:  will you know it?    

If you will, it will come in constant fellowship, Divine companionship, and His overcoming wisdom in your life, as you yield to Him.

Eli’s failure, and yet,…

1 Samuel 3:11-13 “And the Lord said to Samuel,  Behold, I will do a thing in Israel,  at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.

               In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house:  when I begin,  I will also make an end.

               For I have told him that I will judge his house for  ever for the iniquity which he knoweth;  because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.”

Only one thing to mention here,….”and he restrained them not.”    This was the cause of the final rejection of Eli and Eli’s house.

Eli was a high priest,  who had two sons.   (“Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial;  they knew not the Lord.” 1 Samuel 2:12).    These sons began to commit a trespass against the offerings of the Lord, and against God’s people:

“….Give flesh to roast for the priest;  for he will not have sodden flesh of thee,  but raw….thou shalt give it to me now: and if not,  I will take it by force.”  1 Samuel 2:15-16

1 Samuel 2:17 “Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord:  for men abhorred the offering of the Lord.”

This was a thing that stood between Eli and the Lord.   If Eli had honored God…..he would have stoned his two sons….at the mouth of two or three witnesses.

              He spoke to them:

1 Samuel 2:23-24 “And he said unto them,  Why do ye such things?  For I hear of your evil dealings by all this people…..it is no good report that I hear:  ye make the Lord’s people to transgress.”

But, as high priest,  his ministry was to the people of the Lord….to keep the sacrifices and offerings pure….and holy to the Lord.

             We need to speak and warn God’s people….but then,  we need to keep the Lord’s Word…and separate ourselves from those who “abhor the offering of the Lord.”   (Matthew 18:15-17)

As high priest,  his ministry was to throw out those who had defiled the offerings….yes,  even stone them….so that Israel might know the purity of the offerings and the power of HIs Word.

This he knew….but God in mercy sent a prophet to Eli to warn him of what would happen because of this injustice.   

“Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering,  which I have commanded in my habitation;   and honorest thy sons above Me,  to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?”   (1 Samuel 2:29)

“And honorest thy sons above Me.”     Here was the problem…Eli was not putting God first.

“To make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings”.   Eli, too, had eaten the roast meat.    He had sat with his sons….and ate what they ate.

The offerings were to be sacrificed in a certain way, with a certain amount going to the priests.    Boiling the meat….burning the fat to God…and the priest taking their part…after these things,  was according to the way God set it up.

Yet Eli had tried to correct them….but again,  not in the way God had appointed. (Deuteronomy 17:6-13)   The priests were to be the final judges on the evil in Israel….but if they were evil,….then the people would come to “abhor the offerings of the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:17)

            Which is what happened here.

Eli’s two sons were indeed killed….but by God, through the Philistines (1 Samuel 4:11)…

….not in justice of God’s Word, by Israel….which should have been seen to by Eli.

God will see His Will done….but He always wants us to honor Him in the means used….to stand with Him in His Word.

But God had already set up another intercessor….Samuel.   Though not of the priestly family….yet because they had sinned….he became the prophet which led them through this period.    

But it is interesting to note:  Samuel was given to the Lord by his mother as a child.   

And it was Eli that kept Samuel with him….trained him….and helped Samuel understand about hearing the Word of the Lord:

1 Samuel 3:1, 7-10 “And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli…

              Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord,  neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him.

              And the Lord called Samuel again the third time.  And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I;  for thou didst call me.   And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.”

Twice, from beside the Lampstand in the holy place,  (where Eli slept at night to keep the light from going out)…God had called  Samuel.   But Samuel did not yet know the Lord or His Voice….and so he ran to Eli, thinking he called him.

But Eli realized that the Lord was calling Samuel….and explained what Samuel should do….how he should answer this call.      And Samuel did….hearing the Lord for himself….knowing the Lord,  for himself.

But though Eli failed with his own children, he submitted to reaping and sowing (Gal.6:7).   He said…”It is the Lord, let Him do what seemeth Him good.”   In the end, Eli cleared up the things between him and the Lord.

              And he went on and helped to show Samuel the way to God.   And Samuel “grew up in the Lord”

1 Samuel 3:19-21 “And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.

               And all Israel….knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord.

               And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh:  for the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the Word of the Lord.”

God will not “show Himself strong” on the behalf of those who are not dealing with the things that come between them and the Lord.

He will speak….and speak….but then He will see HIs Will done….

…for He has promised to “rebuke and chasten” (Revelation 3:19)  His own.

Let us hear HIs Word to us….and help others hear it as well.    And if they will not hear,  let us pray for them,  and give them into the Lord’s hands….and go on in our work,

             That He might be praised, and honored by us.

Prayer, Prayer, Prayer

Luke 18:1 “And He spake a parable unto them to this end,  that men ought always to pray,  and not to faint;”

Now to faint means to cave in…to give up!  To become so discouraged in our minds that we think about stopping.

          Now there is no comparison between Our Father God and this unjust judge….

…but if an unjust judge would see to a widow,  who had no influential friends to speak for her,….

….how much more will our Heavenly Father do for His own,   who are being obedient?

Luke 18:7-8 “And shall not God avenge His own elect,  which cry day and night unto Him,  though He bear long with them?

          I tell you  (and this is Jesus Christ telling us!)  that He will avenge them speedily….”

Here is a request that will never be denied!

        “Avenge me of mine Adversary.

This is a call for help to Him,  Who is “able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20)….according to the power,   we let work in us.

Prayer is our help-line….and it is the action the devil will fight against most.   

        When we are faced with doubt….when we are having problems with our prayers.

When other things always try to intrude.

        When instead of clear direction…we have muddled thoughts and all sorts of direction…every which way…conflicting ways….

…then:

         “Avenge me of mine Adversary, and give me freedom and liberty to do Thy Will, O Lord.”

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear;  but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Fear, in a Christian, is of the devil,  so when there is fear present there is a good chance of his influence….

….and being afraid, you can play easily into his hands.

         The spirit of fear is not of the Lord….”but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath torment.  He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”  (1 John 4:18)

But God hath given us the Spirit of power….power (grace) to do what we ought.    To think what we ought!       

         And to be what we ought….to both do and be the Will of God.

But God hath given us the Spirit of power    and of love.

        1 Corinthians 13:4-8 “Charity (love) suffereth long,  and is kind;  charity envieth not;  charity vaunteth not itself,  is not puffed up,

         Doth not behave itself unseemly,  seeketh not her own,  is not easily provoked,  thinketh no evil;

         Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 

         Beareth all things,  believeth all things,  hopeth all things, endureth all things.

         Charity (love) never faileth:….”

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of love…..and He is within us…for power (grace)….and love.

“And of a sound mind”

         This sound mind covers a great deal that we have through the Holy Spirit.

 Of good judgment….and the courage to discipline ourselves, and get self-control….so that when we act…

….we do not react to what others are or do….but what the Lord wants said, or done.

         All this is a sound mind….all this is by the Holy Spirit within.

Again,   Prayer is our help-line.    When things are impossible….of course we pray;   but when the day is rushing along,  or circumstances suddenly change,   or we lose the closeness of HIs Presence by defilement in the way….

….then….

…Prayer,  prayer,  prayer is the answer.    Starting with,   “Heavenly Father,  Avenge me of mine adversary, and give me freedom and liberty to do and be your will….now.”

Crying out for help in prayer,  by prayer!

         He will indeed avenge us against our adversary’s influence.   We will know His help.

Our Lord has stated plainly that our Father will issue such degrees and that right speedily.

        “I tell you that He will avenge them speedily….”  (Luke 18:8)

Colossians 4:2 “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.”

         Prayer can escort you into the Throne room of God….where we can come as petitioners to our King….for grace and mercy (Hebrews 4:16)….for peace to garrison us (Philippians 4:6-7)….to enable us to watch and pray till He comes…

Mark 13:33-35 “Take ye heed, watch and pray:  for ye know not when the time is.

        For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey,  Who left His house, and gave authority to HIs servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.

       Watch ye therefore:  for ye know not when the Master of the house cometh,  at even,  or at midnight,  or at the cockcrowing,  or in the morning:”

Let us continue in prayer….seeking Him and His Will done.

We know

1 John 5:13-15 “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God;  that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

             And this is the confidence that we have in Him,  that , if we ask any thing according to His Will, He heareth us: 

             And if we know that He hear us,   whatsoever we ask,  we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.”

1 John is the “fellowship book”…it shows us how we attain this fellowship and how we maintain it.

“This is the confidence”…..and “we know”.

           This is the reality of fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is to know the reality of your faith…and walk with Him.

1 John begins by talking of the walk of fellowship….it is in the Light…

          1 John 1:6-7 “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

          But if we walk in the Light, as He is in the Light,  we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

When we are first born again….we eagerly rush forward to experience the care of our Father,  and learning to be His servant.    These experiences lead us into more maturity….and into a simple walk, everyday with Christ.

When we picture a walk with someone….we picture side-by-side.  Perhaps talking,  perhaps enjoying the view around us,  perhaps going someplace together.    

          Each picture is a picture of our walk.   But it must be in Light…..His Light.

Genesis 5:24 “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not;  for God took him.”   

If you read the fifth chapter of Genesis….it begins with Adam, stating his son’s name….and then the fact that….”and he died”.

          Each progressive son….would have a son, ,…and then,  “and he died”…..except one,  Enoch.

          Enoch walked with God….this means that each day he separated himself from the world’s growing darkness and unbelief in God….

….and walked in fellowship with the Lord. 

           In all the tasks he performed,  the  means of feeding his family,  the conversations he had  (and he warned those around him, which were turning to idols and darkness, and speaking contemptuously of God….. of God’s coming judgment.   Read Jude 14-15)….

…..in all these ways, and in all these days….Enoch walked with God in fellowship.

         When I read of his “rapture” or translation….I picture Enoch out walking in prayer and fellowship….and God just taking his arm and leading him up to Paradise…still talking and walking along.   God and Enoch walking on out of this scene….into God’s Presence.

A walk with us is always what the Lord wanted….from the first,  till now with us.

Sin is our greatest enemy…..and it comes through temptations from the world, the flesh and the devil.

1 John 1:8-9 “If we say that we have no sin,  we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

         If we confess our sins,  He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,   and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

         Light….Christ’s Light,   shines on sin….on the darkness in our lives….and when we receive the Light….we are illuminated by faith,  hope,  and begin to trust the Lord.

That is why we need to:

            Come to the Light….that we can confess our sin.

            Stay in the Light….that the Lord can show us everything about our sin.

            Walk in the Light….that the fellowship with the Lord will keep us from sin.

This is to know the reality of our profession of faith…..this is to have Light and Love, and Life.

           These three things are the backbone of fellowship with the Lord Jesus.   To have His light…to love Him, knowing He loves us…..to know His life, by the Holy Spirit in us and in our living everyday.

1 John 5:12-13 “He that hath the Son hath life;  and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

            These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God;  that ye may know that ye have eternal life,   and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

John is  plainly saying to those that believe on Christ….that they should know, and can know that they have eternal life in Him….and that because they know….that will encourage and strengthen their faith,  their trust,  by believing on His Name….the name of the Son of God.

           For prayer,   for trials,   against sin,   for fellowship in life….for the next step with Jesus Christ.

To have confidence in….to know;   this is a firm foundation against sin, and the darkness it brings.

(My husband told the testimony of when the Lord was dealing with him about a certain sin in his life,  when he was very young.

           The Lord showed him the sin, and told him to get it out of his life.    

           Some sins are hills….and some are mountains,  having been formed over many years…and this was one of them.

Well,  he ran away from home…..all the way across the country.  But his sin was still with him.  He was hitchhiking,…

…..till out on a lonely stretch of mountain road one day….he knew that he belonged to the Lord….he knew the sin in his life….

….and all of a sudden the Lord thundered in his soul…”Get this out of your life!”

He tells that he was going to walk on….and consider just what the Lord said….

…when the Lord said,   “Now!”

            And he quickly took a step back….he did not want to even consider a step forward without getting this taken care of….getting the sin out of his life.     And he did remove that which stood between him and the Lord.

           For him, he believes,  it would have been a sin unto death if he had not…then…got this out of his life.)

1 John 5:16 “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death,  he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death.   There is a sin unto death:  I do not say that he shall pray for it.”

When a Christian sins a sin unto death….they have become unusable…and will be set aside in death.   The life they should have had will be done.    

           To refuse the Lord so many times,….when He gives us HIs Light,  when He shows us HIs love….when He is ready to give us His life, by the Holy Spirit in the situation….is very serious.

God has a Purpose for each of HIs own.

              For each one He has saved, there is a Way to go….but not by ourselves (Praise God!)…for we are called to walk with the Lord.

“Ring out the old….ring in the new.

          Another day is through.

Someone slipped and fell, 

         Was that someone you?

You may try another day,

        your courage to renew,  

Do not be disheartened, 

        for I have news for you…

It is no secret,  what God will do,

        What He’s done for others,

He will do for you.

        With Arms wide open,  He’ll welcome you.   

It is no secret,  what God can do!”