May 10th, 2020

“Praise the Lord O my soul” declares the psalmist in Psalm 104. He extolls God for the marvel of His creation. How God is clothed in light. How the the earth will never be destroyed by a flood again. Water was hard to come by at times in Israel so we see the prominent place it holds in this psalm. He praises the cyclical nature of God’s creation or ecosystems in modern parlance. He closes by saying he will praise God all his life. “Praise the Lord O my soul, praise the Lord.” God bless you this Mother’s Day.


May 9th, 2020

Today in Psalm 103 David begins with “Praise the Lord O my soul.” Later he points out how God is gracious even when He punishes us because “He does not treat us as our sins deserve.” God is aware of our weakness. Then in Ezekiel 22 God goes over the sins and crimes of Jerusalem’s leaders. God says He is looking for a man to stand in the gap of the wall on their behalf so God would not have to destroy the city and none was to be found. In Matthew 25 we have the parable of the ten virgins and the talents, closing with the second coming and the dividing of the sheep and the goats. The talents point out that the master gave to each servant according to his ability. If the servant with the one talent had even tried he would have been rewarded but instead he did nothing. As Christians we are given grace and ability. Do what you are able to in service to God. God bless you all.


May 8th, 2020

Good morning. We are just going to look at Matthew 24 today. It opens with the disciples admiring the beauty of the temple (considered one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world by some historians.) Jesus said a day would come where one stone would not be left on another. When will the end come? Jesus’ first words are “Watch out that no one deceives you.” There are many who will claim to be Christ and many who will say a man is the Christ. Jesus says the coming will be as obvious as lighting. He warns that the deception of the false prophets will be so strong that it could deceive the elect, “if that were possible.” The Holy Spirit indwells every believer. With the word of God as our guide we cannot be torn away from our faith. Jesus speaks of the abomination of desolation setting himself up as God in the temple as mentioned in Daniel. Some tried to say Daniel’s writings are merely history because they do not believe in prophecy. Jesus clearly points out that Daniel was talking about events yet to come. God bless you all in the name of our one true savior, Jesus Christ our Lord.


May 7th, 2020

Good morning dear people. In Psalm 102 an afflicted man asks the Lord to hear his cry. He speaks of the Lord rebuilding Zion. In verse 27 he observed that the earth wears out like a garment. “But You remain the same, and your years will never end.” In Ezekiel 21 God refers to the soon to come destruction of Jerusalem. He points out that it will take out both the righteous and the wicked. Tornados, floods, the flu take the righteous and the wicked. So let’s be careful not to characterize these things as God’s judgement. We will see that in Matthew 24, but now we are in Matthew 23,The woes upon the Pharisees. Their words and actions did not line up. Jesus says they are the descendants of murders and will pursue future prophets and teachers from town to town. Paul for example. God bless you all.


May 6th, 2020

Psalm 100 starts with “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.” The rest of the Psalm speaks for itself with line after line that we see in hymns and praise songs from today. In Ezekiel 19 we have a lament for Israel’s princes. An allegory of God as a lioness raising male cubs to be strong lions only for Egypt and Babylon to capture and imprison them. Closing with a withered vine in a “dry and thirsty land.” Then we come to Matthew 21 and the Triumphal Entry and Jesus cleansing the temple. Matthew is showing us that all are eligible for the kingdom of heaven if they repent. The son who said “no”to going into the field but then turned around and obeyed repented, the tax collectors and sinners who heeded John the Baptist’s message to repent versus the Pharisees and Sadducees who never did. Then finally the tenants who killed the vineyard owner’s son and the owner gives it over to new tenants who have done the right thing and believed in the resurrected Christ. All to show that salvation comes by believing the message and acting upon that belief. I pray all who read this have or will believe in Jesus, who is The Christ the Son of the living God.


May 5th, 2020

Psalm 100 starts with “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.” The rest of the Psalm speaks for itself with line after line that we see in hymns and praise songs from today. In Ezekiel 19 we have a lament for Israel’s princes. An allegory of God as a lioness raising male cubs to be strong lions only for Egypt and Babylon to capture and imprison them. Closing with a withered vine in a “dry and thirsty land.” Then we come to Matthew 21 and the Triumphal Entry and Jesus cleansing the temple. Matthew is showing us that all are eligible for the kingdom of heaven if they repent. The son who said “no”to going into the field but then turned around and obeyed repented, the tax collectors and sinners who heeded John the Baptist’s message to repent versus the Pharisees and Sadducees who never did. Then finally the tenants who killed the vineyard owner’s son and the owner gives it over to new tenants who have done the right thing and believed in the resurrected Christ. All to show that salvation comes by believing the message and acting upon that belief. I pray all who read this have or will believe in Jesus, who is The Christ the Son of the living God.


May 4th, 2020

In Psalm 99 it says; the Lord reigns, let the nations tremble. It speaks of Israel’s leaders of the past, and God’s relationship with them. In verse 8 it says “You were to Israel a forgiving God, though you punished their misdeeds.” The punishment is tempered by forgiveness. This theme is continued in Ezekiel 18, which states “The soul who sins is the one who will die.” God depicts the exiles as complaining that God is not just (modern version: “how could a loving God let _____happen”). God response “Is it not your ways that are unjust?” Good answer. In Matthew we have the vineyard owner hiring people for a just wage and continue hiring throughout the day. All get the same wages. The subject is salvation. If an unrighteousness person repents and turns to Christ latter in life he gets to go to heaven along with the person who served the Lord all their life. God bless you all.


May 3rd, 2020

Today we look at the 23rd Psalm. Out of my usual order but I felt the Lord wanted me to review it. The Lord is my shepherd. A personal relationship. God is my shepherd and yours. I shall not be in want. A shepherd cares for his sheep. He makes me go to green pastures and quiet waters for sustenance. Our soul is restored. For the believer our soul can be forever refreshed while our body slows down. He guides me ( through His word) in paths of righteousness for His names sake. God will never lead us astray. Walking through the valley of the shadow of death is made possible because God is with me and well armed with His rod and staff, as a result I will have no fear of evil. My enemies are no match for you as you sustain me in their presence. You provide healing oil and I have an abundance of what I need from my overflowing cup. Goodness and mercy follow me all my days if I follow my shepherd. One day I will enter your house and stay there forever. God bless all of you this blessed day.


May 2nd, 2020

Good morning dear people. In Psalm 98 we are told to sing to the Lord a new song. In verses 4-6 he speaks of shouting and singing with specific instruments. At times our worship should be with great enthusiasm. In public and in private as well. In heaven we will have perfect voices and harmony. How exciting. In Ezekiel 17 God gives the prophet an allegory about two eagles. The first takes Israel from a cedar of Lebanon and plants it as a vine by the river. But when the vine grows strong it seeks a different eagle (false gods) far away from the river and is destroyed. This represented Jerusalem at that time and the king’s rebellion against Babylon but more importantly his rebellion against God. In Matthew 19 we have the discussion about divorce and then we come to the rich young ruler. He asks what good thing he could do to inherit eternal life. Jesus points out there is only one “good” and that is God. Jesus tells him to obey the commandments and he asks “which ones?” Wow I missed the part with the pick and choose commandments. Eventually Jesus told him to sell all and follow Him. He left disappointed because he had great wealth. The mans problem was his trust in his riches not that he had them, Lazarus was rich, Nicodemus was rich, but they trusted in Jesus not their wealth. “Jesus paid it all,” says the hymn, “all to Him I owe.” Let us believe in Jesus as Paul told the Philippian jailer. God bless you all dear people.


May 1st, 2020

Psalm 97 again praises the Lord for His righteousness and justice which characterize His throne. “All who worship images are put to shame,” There is no other god than the one true God. “Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise His holy name.” In Ezekiel 16 we have God recounting the desperate condition Israel was in when He found her. The whole allegory speaks of Israel as an unfaithful wife who whored herself to other gods, sacrificed children, verse 20, and made Sodom look righteous by comparison. But since the covenant was eternal and depended upon God alone He offered Israel and by extension you and I, atonement for all they had done. In Matthew 18 Jesus spoke first about how we had to humble ourselves spiritually in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. The Jesus said Woe to the person who misleads children or anyone else spiritually, it would be better to lose the offending limb that to have your whole body cast into hell. We live in a world that promotes evil and targets children with that evil, i.e. “drag queen story hour.” Telling children there are multiple genders etc. Let’s not just tell children about Jesus but also live a life that reflects Jesus as best we can. God bless you all dear friends.


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