He Commanded and it Stood Fast...

 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and,

‘In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’ ”

8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.—Matt 4:5-11

Satan is the ruler of this world.  Our God, however, is sovereign.  He rules and overrules all in this world for our good and His glory.  His will cannot be thwarted. Nothing happens to us that has not first passed through His hand.  

18 We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.

19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.

20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.—1 John 5:18-20

Beloved, focus your heart and mind on those things that are above, not on the earthly. Keep your eyes on the prize. As it says in Psalm 37:

Trust in the LORD, and do good.  Dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness. Do not fret...it only causes harm. 

Psalm 33 is also perfect here...looking especially at verses 8-11.  Warren Wiersbe says this about verse 11.  

“The will of God for His children comes from the heart of God and is an expression of His love for them, so there is no cause for us to be alarmed or afraid (Jer. 29:11).”

❤️❤️

1 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous!

For praise from the upright is beautiful.

2 Praise the LORD with the harp;

Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.

3 Sing to Him a new song;

Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

4 For the word of the LORD is right,

And all His work is done in truth.

5 He loves righteousness and justice;

The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.

6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,

And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.

7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;

He lays up the deep in storehouses.

8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;

Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

9 For He spoke, and it was done;

He commanded, and it stood fast.

10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;

He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.

11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever,

The plans of His heart to all generations.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,

The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.

13 The LORD looks from heaven;

He sees all the sons of men.

14 From the place of His dwelling He looks

On all the inhabitants of the earth;

15 He fashions their hearts individually;

He considers all their works.

16 No king is saved by the multitude of an army;

A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.

17 A horse is a vain hope for safety;

Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.

18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him,

On those who hope in His mercy,

19 To deliver their soul from death,

And to keep them alive in famine.

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.

Rejoice!   If God is for us, who can be against us. This world is not our home. Believers are bound for heaven. Evildoers will be cutoff, but those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. 

It is Written....

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”—Matthew 4:4

Feed me, Father, with Your word. Teach me to trust You to provide for me in every situation and in every way.  You are the Great I AM. The One who becomes for me the answer to all  my needs.  (physical and spiritual...temporal and eternal) Your steadfast love toward me never ceases.

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;

We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans 8:31-39

But Noah Found Grace...

 5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.”  But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.—Genesis 6:5-8

Seek the LORD while He may be found,

7 Let the wicked forsake his way,

And the unrighteous man his thoughts;

Let him return to the LORD,

And He will have mercy on him;

And to our God,

For He will abundantly pardon.

8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.

9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways,

And My thoughts than your thoughts—Isaiah 55:6-9

But Noah found grace....

God is the same...today, yesterday and forever.  Beloved, God’s ways are truly not our ways.  Exodus 34:6-7 describes God this way. 

The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” (Ex. 34:6–7)

Jesus confirms this with His own autobiographical statement in Matthew 11:28-30.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 “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. 30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

The heart of God is drawn to the lowly...to the humble. 

Thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” Isaiah 57:15

Noah was saved in the OT the same way we are saved today...by faith.  First and foremost, Noah sought the Lord. Second, he recognized and acknowledged his sin and desired deliverance and forgiveness.  Third, Noah knew he was not able to save himself...Noah looked to God for mercy and found grace in His sight. 

Beloved...God did not just show grace to Noah alone.  He gave the people on the earth 120 years to come to Him, while Noah preached and built the ark. In the end most of the world (all but 8) refused his message and did not enter the ark built to keep them safe through the flood. 

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.—Hebrews 11:7 (NKJV)

and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;—2 Peter 2:5

Look to the Lord, beloved of God, and find grace.  He desires that none should perish, but that all should find eternal life in His Son.  

Antidote for Deception...

 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”

4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.—Genesis 3:1-7

Understanding this passage is key to understanding what the rest of the Bible is about. If the fall of man did not occur, then we don’t need a Savior.  There is literally no reason for the rest of the Bible...which is about the war between good and evil...God vs Satan...sin vs righteousness.  It’s words plead over and over in many many different ways for sinners (us) to turn from our sin and trust God.  

There is much in this portion of Scripture to study and understand regarding the wiles of the ruler of this world who disguises himself as an angel of light and deceives those who are not rooted and grounded in truth.  I am not going to go there.  Instead I will encourage you to take the antidote which is to drench yourself in the truth.   

Beloved, Satan wants to deceive our minds.  

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.—2 Corinthians 11:3

Guard yourself from the lie by filling your mind with the truth found in the word of God.   His truth is our shield and our buckler.  Use the weapons that our God has so graciously provided to defeat the lies of the enemy of our souls. 

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—Ephesians 6:10-18

And from Second Corinthians 10:

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Imitate Jesus, who when He was tempted answered Satan’s lies with the truth saying each time, “It is written.”

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."

4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"

5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

He shall give His angels charge over you,'

and,

'In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"

7 Jesus said to him, "It is written again, You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"

8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."

10 Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"

11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.—Matt 4:1-11

Immanuel...

 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”—Matthew 1:22-23

In my opinion, there are no more comforting words in the Bible than these...

Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

Beloved, as we enter a new year filled with unknowns let us draw comfort that we do not enter it alone.  HE IS WITH US...AND HE LIVES IN US.  

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.— John 1:14

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever--17 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

18 "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.—John 14:16-18

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.—John 14:23

Go thereforefn and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.—Matthew 28:19-20

Psalm 149; Malachi 1-2; Revelation 21

There was so much in today’s OYB readings.  They read like a beautiful symphony complementing one another in turn. 

Malachi reminded us of the ugliness of serving God with a heart filled with hypocrisy.

The actions of the priests and the people made it clear that their professions of love for God were empty and meaningless.  Instead of leading people to God, they turned the hearts of would be worshipers aside by putting stumbling blocks in their way.  Instead of honoring God’s name, they despised it by their actions.  

Revelation Chapter 21 stands in stark contrast.  John speaks here of the true temple in the New Jerusalem. 

But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. 24 And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. 25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). 26 And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. 27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.—Revelation 21:22-27

The true people of God here on earth worship God from the heart in Spirit and in truth.  Their love for Him is reflected in their words and their deeds.  They are the over-comers described in Revelation 21:7 who will inherit all things. John follows this up in verse 8 with a description of the people who were overcome by sin and whose destiny is not heaven but hell. 

“He who overcomes shall inherit all things,fn and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving,abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”—Revelation 21:7-8

Finally Psalm 149 describes both the temporal and the eternal spiritual beauty of the one who has faith in Jesus.  Earthly beauty always ends...spiritual beauty is eternal. 

For the LORD takes pleasure in His people;

He will beautify the humble with salvation.—Psalm 149:4

The Lord beautifies His true worshippers with salvation. As we behold His beauty, we become beautiful ourselves because we become like Him and reflect His beauty to those around us. 

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.—2 Corinthians 3:18

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.—1 John 3:2

To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”—Isaiah 61:3

Beloved, all that we do and all that we say that has meaning both temporally and eternally will flow out from a heart that worships God in Spirit and in truth.  Without Him we can do nothing good. Which brings us back to the book of Malachi. 

Awake, O north wind,

And come, O south!

Blow upon my garden,

That its spices may flow out.

Let my beloved come to his garden

And eat its pleasant fruits.—Song of Songs 4:16

May the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands.  

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus...

Psalm 148 is a beautiful exhortation to praise.  

Praise from the heavens above and all that is in them.  

Why?

5 Let them praise the name of the LORD! For he commanded and they were created. 

6 And he established them forever and ever; he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.

Praise from the earth beneath and all that is in it and praise from Israel, His special people.  

Why?

13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven. 

14 He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him. Praise the LORD!  

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;

Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

For He is our God,

And we are the people of His pasture,

And the sheep of His hand—Psalm 96:6-7

Beloved...

As the year 2020 comes to an end, the one thing that stands out above all the lessons the Lord has patiently attempted to impart to me is this one.  Stay focused on those things that are above...those things that are not seen.  Praise helps us do this because it adjusts not only our focus but our thinking as well.   It reminds us that He is God and we are not. It reminds us that He is the source of all that is good.  All that we have...even to our very breath...comes from Him. 

Our circumstances in 2020 seemed to change dramatically from day to day, but Jesus did not and does not.  He is our Rock of refuge.  He is our strong habitation to which we can continually resort.  He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Our citizenship is in heaven. Our goal is Christlikeness. Stand fast in the Lord, beloved of God, and, as you do, may His song of praise and thanksgiving be continually on your lips.  May we “live” today and every day that the Lord gives us, within the light and love of our Jesus.  Oh magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together! 

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His wonderful face

And the things of Earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace

The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by Him,

Who shelters him all the day long;—Deuteronomy 33:12a

3 You will keep him in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on You,

Because he trusts in You.

4 Trust in the LORD forever,

For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.—Isaiah 26:3-4

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.—Philippians 2:10-11

Psalm 147 - A Beautiful Encouragement to Trust...

 He does not delight in the strength of the horse;

He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy.--Psalm 147:10-11


I so love this.  What an encouragement for us to place our trust in Him!  Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him and hope in His mercy.  Our soul waits for Him...He is our help and our shield. Our hearts will rejoice in Him because we have trusted in His holy name. 

Our God's eyes search to and fro over the entire earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal toward Him. He knows and sees our inward man.  When we give Him our hearts and place our trust in Him...we give Him the glory...we magnify His name on the earth. We can shout for joy and be glad because we favor His righteous cause...we can say continually, Let the Lord be magnified who takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.  We who know we are wretched, poor, miserable, blind and naked can magnify His name by clinging to Him!  Are you seeing His mercy and grace to us in this.  How kind and tenderhearted of our Father to make the one thing that we really need to do anyway because of our wretched estate, the thing that glorifies His name.  Oh, but how we resist our weakness and fraility!  How often do we say in our own pride and arrogance instead,  I am rich and in need of nothing.  

Beloved, the God who made heaven and earth is the God of the poor and needy...of the broken and contrite heart. He delights when we trust in Him...when we depend on His wisdom and His power and place all of our hope in Him. Consolation...and I love that word because it reminds me of the kind of comfort you give a crying child...IS IN HIM.  Blessed are we if the God of Jacob is our help and our hope!!

He Raises Those Who Are Bowed Down...

Ps 146 begins and ends in the same way...Praise the LORD!  Verses 1 and 2 speak to the psalmist commitment to praise. What stopped me here...as silly as it might sound...were the words, “O my soul”.   You hear that a lot in the Psalms.  Sometimes I can read a phrase again and again and really not think about its meaning.  This was NOT one of those times.  The Psalmist is exhorting himself to practice what he preached!  Sometimes that is soooo hard.  My soul this morning was not in a place that lends itself easily to praise...a place of sorrow and grief.

Truth be told there IS much ongoing heartache and sorrow in my life that I am powerless to remedy.  The underlying song and background melody of my heart is joyful gratitude for all my God has done, but often my immediate presenting emotion is grief. In the past I have fought hard against this grief allowing myself to be deceived into thinking it wasn’t a big deal...that my grief wasn’t really that hard or even that sad...that I was just being a baby.  Condemnation is from the enemy.  Life IS hard and very often filled with sorrow.   There are and will be seasons where“Sorrow and Suffering” will be constant companions.   We ALL will face sorrows here on this earth...the difference is whether we face them with Him or without Him. I am so grateful that by His grace, I face my sorrows with Him!   AND THAT is where I began praising my God this morning. 

Beloved...Sing praises to God!  Sing praises to JAH...JEHOVAH!  He is the self existent One, who derives His being from none, but gives life to all.  Beloved, we serve an all powerful, all knowing, and everywhere present God who is so great that He rides on the clouds, but also so very very kind that He condescends to help the weakest among us.  REJOICE!  Our God is the One described in Psalm 146.  

—He keeps truth forever,

—He executes justice for the oppressed,

—He gives food to the hungry.

—He gives freedom to the prisoners.

—He opens the eyes of the blind;

—He raises those who are bowed down;

—He loves the righteous.

—He watches over the strangers;

—He relieves the fatherless and widow;

—He turns upside down the way of the wicked.

The God of Israel is He who gives comfort, strength and power to His people.  Blessed be God!

Only Goodness and Mercy...

 14 The LORD upholds all who fall,

And raises up all who are bowed down.

15 The eyes of all look expectantly to You,

And You give them their food in due season.

16 You open Your hand

And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways,

Gracious in all His works.

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 also will hear their cry and save them.

20 The LORD preserves all who love Him,

But all the wicked He will destroy.

21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD,

And all flesh shall bless His holy name

Forever and ever.—Psalm 145:14-21

As I read the above verses, my heart rejoiced and my spirit was glad. Despite my sins, despite my failures, despite my fears and my lack of faith....I can look back over the course of my life and see His goodness and mercy toward me. God does what He says...He can be trusted. I have been pursued by the Old Testament equivalent of Romans 8:28. 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD

Forever.—Psalm 23:6

I have read that the word “surely” in this verse can be translated only.  So “only” goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. I can’t outrun them.  They will always overtake me. What concerns me now in this moment, will be seen as His goodness and mercy when in the future I look back on it. 

My spirit testifies that this is true. As I look back over my life this morning, I can thank Him even for my worst trials because He, by His gracious Spirit living in me, has transformed them. He has made them beautiful blessings by filling them with the light of His love. 

So this morning then too, I will give Him thanks.  I KNOW I will yet praise Him who is the help of my countenance and my God.  In heaven, ALL WILL BE CLEAR.  For now I see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. There I will see all through His eyes.  There as I look back over my life here, I will see the exceeding and eternal weight of glory that my light affliction was working for me and my voice will be lifted up in praise.  

For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Rev. 7:17 NKJV)