For You have magnified Your Word above all Your name. Psalm 138:2c

Isaiah 40:5-8

5 The glory of the LORD shall be revealed,

And all flesh shall see it together;

For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

6 The voice said, “Cry out!”

And he said, “What shall I cry?”

“ All flesh is grass,

And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.

7 The grass withers, the flower fades,

Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it;

Surely the people are grass.

8 The grass withers, the flower fades,

But the Word of our God stands forever.”

a time to...

Isaiah 2:4

He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.

Joel 3:10

Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’”

Micah 4:3

He shall judge between many peoples, And rebuke strong nations afar off; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.

Ecclesiastes 3

1 To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
2 A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
3 A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
4 A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
7 A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak;
8 A time to love,
And a time to hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace.

Did you ever wonder

about the passage in Mark 7:31-37?

³¹ Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee. ³² Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him. ³³ And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. ³⁴ Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.”
³⁵ Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly. ³⁶ Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it. ³⁷ And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.” (Mark 7:31-37, New King James Version)

It always kind of bothered me as to why Jesus would do those gestures I've put in bold in the passage above. What about you??

To listen to a great exposition of this passage click here and scroll down to Sunday May 9, 2010 and listen to the message (free) To Speak or Not to Speak. I just loved it!!!!!

As it was in the days...

Luke 17:26-30

26 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will also be in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day that the Son of Man is revealed.

And likewise, we today eat, drink, marry, buy, sell, plant, build...so it will it be in the day that the Son of Man is revealed.

2 Peter 3:10-13

10 But the Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise; and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Psalm 10:12-18

Psalm 10

12 Arise, O LORD!
O God, lift up Your hand!
Do not forget the humble.
{Isaiah 66:2b
2b "But to this one I will look,
To him who is humble and contrite of
spirit, and who trembles at My Word."}

13 Why do the wicked renounce God?
He has said in his heart,
"You [God] will not require an account."
{Psalm 2:1-2
1 Why are the nations in an uproar
And the peoples devising a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth take their stand
And the rulers take council together
Against the LORD and against His
Anointed, saying,
"Let us tear their (the LORD and His anointed) fetters apart
And cast away their cords from us!"}

14 But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief,
To repay it by Your hand.
The helpless commits himself to You;
You are the helper of the fatherless.
{James 1:27
27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God
and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their
distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.}

15 Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man;
Seek out his wickedness until You find none.
{Psalm 11:4-6
4 The LORD is in His holy temple;
the LORD's throne is in heaven;
His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.
5 The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked,
And the one who loves violence His soul hates.
6 Upon the wicked he will rain snares;
Fire and brimstone and burning wind
Will be the portion of their cup.}

16 The LORD is king forever and ever;
The nations have perished out of His land.
{Isaiah 2:12
12 For the LORD of Hosts will have a day of reckoning
Against everyone who is proud and lofty
And against everyone who is lifted up,
That he may be abased.}

17 LORD, you have heard the desire of the humble;
You will prepare their heart;
You will cause Your ear to hear,
{Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit (i.e. humble, those with humility),
for theirs in the kingdom of heaven.}

18 To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
That the man of the earth may oppress no more.
{Isaiah 1:17
17 Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Reprove the ruthless,
Defend the orphan,
plead for the widow.}

looking to the future

Just to make you work a bit ~~ a Rod.

And ~~ Praise.

Praise to the Lord

Praise Him

shekina radiance

You note that in the NKJV translation of M. 5:16, Matthew says "and glorify your Father in Heaven". Some translations say "your Father who is in Heaven". "our goods works" of course will both glorify our Father who is in Heaven and our Father in Heaven; beautiful facets of Truth.

We do our good works before men because our godly lives, Biblical truths and the work of the Holy Spirit will bring men to a saving knowledge of Christ.

We will meet those in Heaven who will have been saved because we were obedient to the command in Matthew 5:16 to...

"Let your light so shine before men that they will see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

Incredible to think that we insignificant beings might be used as instruments to enable others to be in heaven to glorify our Father for eternity.

light

Let your light so shine before men that they will see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven. Matthew 5:16

thanks

Psalm 105

1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!

2 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!

3 Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!

4 Seek the LORD and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!

5 Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,

6 O seed of Abraham His servant,
You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!"

worldly riches

Job 28

1 Surely there is a mine for silver,
And a place where gold is refined.

2 Iron is taken from the earth,
And copper is smelted from ore.

3 Man puts an end to darkness,
And searches every recess for ore,
In the darkness and and the shadow of death.

4 He breaks open a shaft away from people;
In places forgotten by feet
They hang far away from men;
They swing to and fro.

5 As for the earth, from it comes bread,
But underneath it is turned up as by fire;

6 Its stones are the source of sapphires,
And it contains gold dust.

7 That path no bird knows,
Nor has the falcon's eye seen it.

8 The proud lions have not trodden it,
Nor has the fierce lion passed over it.

9 He puts his hand on the flint;
He overturns the mountains at the roots.

10 He cuts out channels in the rocks,
And his eye sees every precious thing.

11 He dams up the streams from trickling;
What is hidden he brings forth to light.

fallen world

Job 21
7 Why do the wicked live and become old,
Yes, become mighty in power?

8 Their descendants are established with them in their sight,
And their offspring before their eyes.

9 Their houses are safe from fear,
Neither is the rod of God upon them.

10 Their bull breeds without failure;
Their cow calves without miscarriage.

11 They send forth their little ones like a flock,
And their children dance.

12 They sing to the tambourine and harp,
And rejoice to the sound of the flute.

13 They spend their days in wealth,
And in a moment go down to the grave.

14 Yet they say to God, ‘Depart from us,
For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways.

15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him?
And what profit do we have if we pray to Him?’

the Rock

Psalm 95
1 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.

2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

3 For the LORD is the great God,
And the great King above all gods.

Augustus Montague Toplady

This English clergyman and writer, (1740-1778), is best known for his beloved and very familiar hymn, which was just one of many he wrote, but in his short lifetime he was known for his works of verse Poems on Sacred Subjects and best known for his polemical and dogmatic works. Toplady had been strongly influenced by the teachings of John Wesley but moved away from the Arminianism of the Methodists to the doctrines of Sovereign Grace of the Calvinist church and was licensed to preach in the Anglican Church, serving in the Anglican Church for the remainder of his life.
Two of his most influential and popular published works were The Church of England Vindicated from the Charge of Arminianism (1769); and The Historic Proof of the Doctrinal Calvinism of the Church of England (1774).
There was a constant and bitter controversy between the followers of Wesley who stressed man's free will and those who followed John Calvin's doctrine of election. In an article written for the The Gospel Magazine in 1776 Toplady wrote "he supported the doctrine of election by arguing that just as England could never pay her national debt, so man through his own efforts could never satify the eternal justice of a Holy God." (from Amazing Grace by Osbeck). Included with the article was a hymn which was the climax of his article which God has preserved over these 200 years to bless and encourage countless souls, including some precious Methodists I have known.
As you read through these words, you will find the Sovereign Grace that is the rock....
the Rock of Ages:

Rock of ages, cleft for me, left me hide myself in Thee;
let the water and the blood, from Thy wounded side which flowed,
be of sin the double cure, save from wrath and make me pure.

Could my tears forever flow, could my zeal no languor know,
these for sin could not atone -- Thou must save and Thou alone:
in my hand no price I bring; simply to Thy cross I cling.

While I draw this fleeting breath, when my eyes shall close in death,
when I rise to worlds unknown and behold Thee on Thy throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee.
Augustus Toplady

"For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea....they all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them and that rock was Christ." (1 Cor. 10:1,3,4)

words of encouragement from Paul 4

I separated out each verse, in order to allow for a savoring contemplation of the incredible, "unbelievable" truths articulated in each of them. It is just breathtaking...

Romans 8

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."

comfort

Psalm 94

12 Blessed is the man whom You instruct, O LORD,
And teach out of Your law,

13 That You may give him rest from the days of adversity,
Until the pit is dug for the wicked.

14 For the LORD will not cast off His people,
Nor will He forsake His inheritance.

15 But judgment will return to righteousness,
And all the upright in heart will follow it.

16 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers?
Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?

17 Unless the LORD had been my help,
My soul would soon have settled in silence.

18 If I say, “My foot slips,”
Your mercy, O LORD, will hold me up.

19 In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
Your comforts delight my soul."

What a blessing to trust and rest in the Lord.

words of encouragement from Paul 3

Romans 8
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

These. Three. Verses. Are. Breathtaking.

can you hear God now??

Psalm 94
1 O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongs—
O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth!

2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth;
Render punishment to the proud.

3 LORD, how long will the wicked,
How long will the wicked triumph?

4 They utter speech, and speak insolent things;
All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves.

5 They break in pieces Your people, O LORD,
And afflict Your heritage.

6 They slay the widow and the stranger,
And murder the fatherless.

7 Yet they say, “The LORD does not see,
Nor does the God of Jacob understand.”

8 Understand, you senseless among the people;
And you fools, when will you be wise?

9 He who planted the ear, shall He not hear?
He who formed the eye, shall He not see?

10 He who instructs the nations, shall He not correct,
He who teaches man knowledge?

11 The LORD knows the thoughts of man,
That they are futile.

hmmmmmmmmmm...

Job 12
24 He [God] takes away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth,
And makes them wander in a pathless wilderness.

25 They grope in the dark without light,
And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.

Sure looks like today's news to me...

words of encouragement from Paul 2

Romans 8
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
27 And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."

words of encouragement from Paul 1

Romans 8
22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?
25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance."