God Keeps His Promises…

  “God is not a man, that He should lie,

Nor a son of man, that He should repent.

Has He said, and will He not do?

Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

20 Behold, I have received a command to bless;

He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.—Numbers 23:19-20

Here in the context of book of Numbers, God is reaffirming His faithfulness to the Abrahamic Covenant and his purpose to bless Israel. (Genesis 12:1-3). For us today it is a reminder that our God always keeps His word. All of the promises of God, the Bible tells us, are yes and amen in Jesus, His Son.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but the word of God will by no means pass away. It abides forever.  

As I read verse 19 then, my heart was glad!  God is NOT a man! I am a human and without the Spirit of God in my heart, I am full of every manner of sin...unreliable, insufficient, weak, hopeless and helpless.  

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

The Hebrew word for  “desperately wicked” can be translated “incurably sick”.  We are totally depraved...Romans illustrates this point well. 

“They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”—Romans 1:29-32

“What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.’ ‘Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.’ ‘The poison of vipers is on their lips.’ ‘Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.’ ‘Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.’ ‘There is no fear of God before their eyes.’”—Romans 3:9-18

Are you beginning to see why my heart rejoiced as I read Numbers 23:19?  God, in stark contrast to us, is holy.  He is faithful...even when we are not.  He cannot lie and He does not change. He is the SAME...yesterday today and forever.  How comforting is that!!  What He says, ALWAYS comes to pass.  We can trust Him.  

Beloved, the condition of our human heart is without an earthly remedy.  God’s supernatural intervention is needed...without it we are destined for an eternity in hell. 

For the wages of sin is death—Romans 6:23a

The Lord, in His love, mercy, justice and grace, however, has provided a way for us to be healed and to live forever with Him in heaven.

but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans 6:23b

Because of His great love, I stand before Him justified and forever grateful. He has shown me the path of life. In His presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand pleasures forevermore. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD

forever.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.—John 3:16-17

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.—Ephesians 2:1-10

1 I waited patiently for the LORD;

And He inclined to me,

And heard my cry.

2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,

Out of the miry clay,

And set my feet upon a rock,

And established my steps.

3 He has put a new song in my mouth—

Praise to our God;

Many will see it and fear,

And will trust in the LORD.

4 Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust,

And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

5 Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works

Which You have done;

And Your thoughts toward us

Cannot be recounted to You in order;

If I would declare and speak of them,

They are more than can be numbered.

6 Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;

My ears You have opened.

Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.

7 Then I said, "Behold, I come;

In the scroll of the book it is written of me.

8 I delight to do Your will, O my God,

And Your law is within my heart."—Psalm 40:1-8

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.—Jeremiah 31:33

20 Our soul waits for the LORD;

He is our help and our shield.

21 For our heart shall rejoice in Him,

Because we have trusted in His holy name.

22 Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us,

Just as we hope in You.—Psalm 33:20-22

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.—Romans 8:1-11

On Continuing…2 Timothy 3:14-17

 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 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 3:14-17 (NKJV)

These verses answer the question, How should believers respond to the perilous times of the last days as human behavior becomes increasingly evil?

We continue in what we have learned from God-breathed Scripture. Why? So we may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

This is the diametric opposite of the despondency toward which our flesh leans when we see all the deception abounding in this world. The enemy wants us hopeless and overwhelmed focusing on Goliath rather than the God of Jacob.

The Bible is the only weapon we need to be strengthened and mount up on wings of eagles. The Word, enlivened by the Spirit, equips us for every good work. It is the most immediate means by which our God fortifies and empowers His saints to continue, despite what looks like overwhelming odds.

Scripture is the only true source of endurance and comfort. Through it we draw closer to our Lord, especially in times of uncertainty and opposition.—by Bill

You Cant Run and You Can’t Hide…

 "So they went to the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the LORD. And they went as far as Tahpanhes. Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying,  “Take large stones in your hand, and hide them in the sight of the men of Judah, in the clay in the brick courtyard which is at the entrance to Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes;  and say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I will send and bring Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will set his throne above these stones that I have hidden. And he will spread his royal pavilion over them.  When he comes, he shall strike the land of Egypt and deliver to death those appointed for death, and to captivity those appointed for captivity, and to the sword those appointed for the sword."---Jeremiah 43:7-11 

Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,

People run from marriages, neighborhoods, churches, schools and social settings, because they think these  are what is causing their unhappiness and discontented spirit.  The people of Judah ran to Egypt despite Jeremiah's warnings to stay put and trust in God's love and care for them. Their impulse was to flee from the problem and in fleeing they thought they could outrun it.  We have all done this...we change the backdrops of our lives in hopes that we will then find the peace we are seeking for our hearts. Some of us live our lives this way.

Running away from a problem or a situation does not work...in fact it usually causes more problems. The problem in your life is not the backdrops or the people God has placed on your particular stage.  The problem is your heart.  You bring yourself wherever you go.  You can't run or hide because you can't run from who you are.  What these people needed was a new heart.  It didn't matter where they went.  In fact the Lord told them clearly that by running to Egypt they would meet with the very same man they were fleeing.  He would find them in Egypt.   Many of us think if I just did this it would be better or if I moved here things would work out or if I had a different husband...the list is endless.  The reality is, however, that things will only work out if God is at the center of your life and on the throne of your heart.  You bring who you are with you where ever you run...

Love

Mom 

Matthew 11:28-30  Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 

 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Jeremiah 33:3 'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'

FOREVER SETTLED….

 Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.--Psalm 119:89

Your word, Father, You have founded forever.  FOREVER!!  My heart finds such comfort and rest in these words!  The world roils as the sea but Your word, O God, is forever settled...immutable.  You pull me up out of the deep mire and the rising flood waters and set my feet on the rock of Your word.  Nothing about Your word is uncertain...it is fixed and sure and is true from the beginning.  Every one of Your righteous judgements endures forever.  Mercy is built up forever and Your faithfulness is established in the heavens.  All that is in Your word...every jot and every tittle...will be fulfilled.  Heaven and earth will pass away but Your word will not.  These words play in my heart, Father, as such a joyful theme filled with glad tidings!  So much of my world changes constantly.  Time waits for no man...but the word of my God is from old the SAME!!!  

O Father, set my heart to gaze upon You...to behold the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world and grants us His peace forever.  When my spirit is overwhelmed within me, You are not...You know my path!  Help me to think and meditate on the promises found in Your word and the hope I have in Your Son.  No matter how dark and unsettled things become here...my refuge and shelter is in You who rules over them all. All of Your word is settled forever in heaven as are all of Your purposes for me.   Renew my mind with Your word and likewise a steadfast spirit within me.  

“Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; --Deuteronomy 7:9

PSALM 100

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

For You Shall Enlarge My Heart…

 GIMEL

Deal bountifully with Your servant,

That I may live and keep Your word.

18 Open my eyes, that I may see

Wondrous things from Your law.

19 I am a stranger in the earth;

Do not hide Your commandments from me.

20 My soul breaks with longing

For Your judgments at all times.

21 You rebuke the proud--the cursed,

Who stray from Your commandments.

22 Remove from me reproach and contempt,

For I have kept Your testimonies.

23 Princes also sit and speak against me,

But Your servant meditates on Your statutes.

24 Your testimonies also are my delight

And my counselors.

25 DALETH

My soul clings to the dust;

Revive me according to Your word.

26 I have declared my ways, and You answered me;

Teach me Your statutes.

27 Make me understand the way of Your precepts;

So shall I meditate on Your wonderful works.

28 My soul melts from heaviness;

Strengthen me according to Your word.

29 Remove from me the way of lying,

And grant me Your law graciously.

30 I have chosen the way of truth;

Your judgments I have laid before me.

31 I cling to Your testimonies;

O LORD, do not put me to shame!

32 I will run the course of Your commandments,

For You shall enlarge my heart.—Ps 119:17-32

Are you getting the picture here that God’s word to David was the only weapon in his arsenal and the answer or remedy for whatever he faced?  David’s prayer is to God alone...it is both direct and personal.  He makes it clear from the first verse (17) that without God’s mercy and grace toward him he could not live, no less serve Him and keep His word.  It was God who opened David’s eyes to see the wondrous things contained in His word.  Because David understood this, his soul broke with longing for it   The keeping of His word was both the objective and the joy of the psalmist’s life. It was his meditation through every circumstance he faced.  David was desperate for God’s truth, and his desire for it wasn’t for show.  David truly understood  that without God he was a dead man walking and his future without hope.  The Lord’s testimonies were his delight and his counselors.  When he was bowed down, it was His word that revived him.  When his soul was melting from heaviness, it was His word to him which strengthened him.  David’s heart purposed to walk always in the truth of His God. He clung to His testimonies and trusted that God would use His word to energize his heart and enlarge it...literally...and I love this...set it free to obey His commandments. 

May Your Tender Mercies Come to Me…

73 Your hands have made me and fashioned me;

Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.

74 Those who fear You will be glad when they see me,

Because I have hoped in Your word.

75 I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right,

And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.

76 Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort,

According to Your word to Your servant.

77 Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live;

For Your law is my delight.

78 Let the proud be ashamed,

For they treated me wrongfully with falsehood;

But I will meditate on Your precepts.

79 Let those who fear You turn to me,

Those who know Your testimonies.

80 Let my heart be blameless regarding Your statutes,

That I may not be ashamed.—Psalm 119:73-80

Father…Your hands have made me!  You know everything about me!  You are my light and my salvation…the Author and the finisher of my faith.  To You and to You alone will I pray…Give me understanding.  Teach me Your statutes and show me Your paths.  

Thank you for the believers You have providentially placed in my life to encourage, strengthen and surround me. Oh, Father…May they be glad and heartened when they see me because I have hoped in Your word. 

Help me and sustain me through the trials of this life knowing that You are my faithful Creator and it is in faithfulness that You have afflicted me. May Your word be my comfort.  Thank you that You Father are good and do good. Thank you that when Your waves and billows go over me, You will command Your lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night Your song shall be with me. Be my strong refuge, to which I may resort continually. 

❤️As a father pities his children,

So the LORD pities those who fear Him.

For He knows our frame;

He remembers that we are dust.❤️

No matter my circumstances, may Your precious word be my hope and my meditation both day and night. May my prayers to You be prayed with understanding and in accordance with Your will. 

Surround me with Your beloved ones who also love Your law. Give me a clear conscience and a blameless heart as I make You word my delight. 

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting.—Psalm 139:23-24

Trust in Him at all times, you people;

Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us. Selah—Psalm 62:8

Boasting in My Infirmities…

 2 Corinthians 11:16-33...

In chapter 10, verse 18 Paul says this about self-commendation.  

For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.

Clearly, Paul did not want to boast as the false apostles were doing, but Paul was not boasting in himself, but in God.  He was not boasting to protect “his” ministry or “his” good name...Paul was boasting as a means to protect his Corinthian flock from rejecting the true Gospel for a false one. 

Here in verses 16-33 Paul comes back to what he had been speaking of in 10:18 and in Chapter 11:1-6.  As I read, what hit my own heart and gave me pause were verses 28-30.

Read verses 22-30 paying special attention to those three verses...

Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. 24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— 28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?

30 If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity.—2 Corinthians 11:22-30

What bothered Paul the most in ALL of his sufferings for the gospel of Jesus Christ, was NOT the physical suffering he faced, but the ever-present mental and emotional burden of concern he felt for the people of God.  Oh, to have a heart like Paul’s...a heart so filled with Christ’s compassion, concern and love for the people in my own life, that it eclipses not only my physical sufferings but also my self-focus...my me, myself and I, thinking.  

Paul knew what he said in verse 30 was true...He could boast and would boast in his infirmity because doing so magnified God’s power which worked in him mightily.  

I didn’t sleep much last night because my own heart was faint and burdened for those I love. Both Paul’s words and example here in Chapter 11 were a good reminder for me this morning to always pray and not lose heart...to boast in my weakness and in my infirmities because that is when the power of Christ’s may rest on me.  God’s word in Romans 8 tells me that the Spirit also helps me in my weaknesses, saying:

For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 

When I am weak, He is strong. When I don’t know how to pray for the people I love, it’s okay...He does.  I TRULY CAN do all things THROUGH CHRIST who strengthens me. 

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.—2 Corinthians 12:9-10

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death is working in us, but life in you.—2 Corinthians 4:7-12

To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.—Colossians 1:29

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. 21 Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.—2 Timothy 2:20-21

The LORD is MY PORTION!

 HETH

57 You are my portion, O LORD;

I have said that I would keep Your words.

58 I entreated Your favor with my whole heart;

Be merciful to me according to Your word.

59 I thought about my ways,

And turned my feet to Your testimonies.

60 I made haste, and did not delay

To keep Your commandments.

61 The cords of the wicked have bound me,

But I have not forgotten Your law.

62 At midnight I will rise to give thanks to You,

Because of Your righteous judgments.

63 I am a companion of all who fear You,

And of those who keep Your precepts.

64 The earth, O LORD, is full of Your mercy;

Teach me Your statutes.—Psalm 119:57-64

Such beautiful words on which to meditate! 

The LORD is MY PORTION!

There are no words in any language that can convey the awesome wonder contained in those words.  The One who made Heaven and earth is mine.  He is my portion!  May nothing else ever satisfy me. 

David’s words here reflect a steadfast, united heart that is fully trusting in His God.  I so want this in my own life. 

Oh Father, teach me Your statutes!  Help me to keep Your word.  

I want YOU. I want Your truth, Your mercy, Your promises, Your blessings, Your will in every part of my life. I want to honor and glorify You in “good” times and in “bad” times. May You and Your word be where my help comes from. May it ALWAYS be my comfort in my affliction. Father, as I lift up my heart to You, may Your mercy, grace and peace surround me and cause my heart to fill and abound with thanksgiving and praise. May many see it and fear and place their trust also in You. ❤️

Refrain Your Voice from Weeping and Your Eyes from Tears...

15 Thus says the LORD:

"A voice was heard in Ramah,

Lamentation and bitter weeping,

Rachel weeping for her children,

Refusing to be comforted for her children,

Because they are no more."

16 Thus says the LORD:

"Refrain your voice from weeping,

And your eyes from tears;

For your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD,

And they shall come back from the land of the enemy.

17 There is hope in your future, says the LORD,

That your children shall come back to their own border.

18 "I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself:

'You have chastised me, and I was chastised,

Like an untrained bull;

Restore me, and I will return,

For You are the LORD my God.

19 Surely, after my turning, I repented;

And after I was instructed, I struck myself on the thigh;

I was ashamed, yes, even humiliated,

Because I bore the reproach of my youth.'

20 Is Ephraim My dear son?

Is he a pleasant child?

For though I spoke against him,

I earnestly remember him still;

Therefore My heart yearns for him;

I will surely have mercy on him, says the LORD.—Jeremiah 31:15-20

These verses never fail to bring to my mind my Father’s love and mercy for me, His child.  As a parent, I can relate, also.  Truly, we pour our heart into our children and love them as much as we are able in our fallen state.  God was a good Father to Israel...the very best there is...but, tragically, they still went the wrong way.  They rejected Him and rejected His word to them.  And yet in verse 20 He says this.

      Is Ephraim My dear son?

      Is he a pleasant child?

      For though I spoke against him,

      I earnestly remember him still;

      Therefore My heart yearns for him;

      I will surely have mercy on him, says the LORD.

Beloved, there is no one who understands the pain and suffering of a mom or a dad whose child has turned to his own way like our Lord.  He is our Father.  He hurts and grieves when His children walk away from Him and put themselves in places where He cannot minister to them, bless them, and comfort them with His love.  The Bible from the beginning to the end is about the Father's love, care and wooing of Israel,  His firstborn.  It starts in Genesis, and the final restoration occurs in Revelation. 

It is so good for me to remember that my God KNOWS my heart for my children. He KNOWS MY DESIRES for them. He also understands my yearning for the one I miss daily.  It comforts me to know that He loves her more than I do. My God’s love is perfect, and His desires for her (and for me) are only good.  He died for her so that she could have Him with her always.  As a mom, I love knowing that He is always with her and will never leave her.  That HE WILL complete that good work He began in her and in me.  John 17 tells me that He prays for her. What a comfort this is to my heart.  Jesus prays for both of us.  My prayers and my love can be tainted with my desires for me...His love and His prayers only desire her good, as well as mine.  

All my springs are in you, Father!  Praying this morning for mercy...for both of us.  That forgiveness would reign and restoration occur.  God has no greater desire and joy than to see His children walk in truth and come home at the end of their journey.  

There is hope in your future, says the LORD,

That your children shall come back to their own border.—Jeremiah 31:17

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.—Jeremiah 29:11