Shalom,

Psalm 15:1:

¹LORD, WHO shall dwell [temporarily] in Your tabernacle? Who shall dwell [permanently] on Your holy hill?

Remember that the Old Covenant was in effect at the time that this psalm was written. Who can be in the presence of God? The only ones allowed into the presence of God were those who met ALL of these qualifications! The only person who never failed to meet all of these requirements was JESUS! When you were born again, receiving Jesus of Nazareth as Lord and personal Saviour, the price that must be paid to give YOU access to the presence of God was PAID IN FULL! So what are we saying? Receive ALL that is made available to you because of the precious Blood of Jesus! That includes being able to stand in the presence of God as though we've never done anything wrong! We CAN do this because Jesus paid the way! We MUST do this because the Word of God commands us to in Hebrews 4:16:

¹⁶Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

So let's do it daily and all day long! Be aware of His presence at all times and you will never feel alone again!

Matthew 15:1-3 is interesting to me:

THEN FROM Jerusalem came scribes and Pharisees and said, ²Why do Your disciples transgress and violate the rules handed down by the elders of the past? For they do not practice [ceremonially] washing their hands before they eat. ³He replied to them, And why also do you transgress and violate the commandment of God for the sake of the rules handed down to you by your forefathers (the elders)?

I love how Jesus would answer their questions with one of His own! Then He went further and said this in verses 6-8:

⁶So for the sake of your tradition (the rules handed down by your forefathers), you have set aside the Word of God [depriving it of force and authority and making it of no effect]. ⁷You pretenders (hypocrites)! Admirably and truly did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said: ⁸These people draw near Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts hold off and are far away from Me.

When you actually spend time in the Word of God getting to know Jesus, you realize that He hates religion! By that we mean all of man's attempts to get close to God by rules and regulations and works. It is the Gospel alone that has the power to save, heal and deliver! When Jesus went about preaching, teaching and healing, He was preaching the Word, teaching the Word and healing those who came in faith BECAUSE of the Word! Make sure that your "doctrine" comes from the Word of God and the Spirit of God and NOT man's traditions passed down from person to person! If you can't find it in the Word - FORGET ABOUT IT!!! AMEN!

In 2 Chronicles 10 we see Solomon's son, Rehoboam, make some not very wise decisions! He starts out wisely, in verse 6, by asking counsel of the elders:

⁶King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men who stood before Solomon his father while he was alive, saying, What counsel do you give me in reply to the people?

They gave him good counsel, but this is where he began to act unwisely in verse 8:

⁸But the king forsook the counsel which the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who were brought up with him and stood before him.

There are may cultures where the elders are revered for their experience, wisdom and knowledge. That does not seem to be the case in this country anymore! Youth is worshiped at the expense of the great things that can be learned from older, wise people! Now there ARE many older people who are far from wise! Anyone who does not love the Word of God is NOT wise, but a fool! Fools can be young or old! Don't be a fool and don't neglect the wisdom of the aged. Remember Proverbs 16:31:

³¹The hoary head is a crown of beauty and glory if it is found in the way of righteousness (moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation).

AMEN to that!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 14:1 says:

¹THE [empty-headed] fool has said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable deeds; there is none that does good or right.

"The fool" is the Hebrew word "nabal"! Does THAT bring anything or ANYONE to mind? This word "nabal" means: stupid, foolish, a dolt, foolish, senseless. The Amplified Bible says it well when is says "empty-headed fool"! What is one of the things that an empty-headed fool will do that shows his foolishness? He will say "there is no God"! This type of person may be very intelligent mentally. Their problem is not an intelligence problem, but a heart problem! They SAY there is no God because if they admit that God IS, then they have to deal with their response to Him! This is what causes them to become "corrupt", the Hebrew word "shachath", which means to to spoil, to ruin, to become rotten. They are putrid in the eyes of God! THAT is why they need a Saviour! Thank GOD for our Saviour and Redeemer, Jesus of Nazareth, so that all of us "fools" can become saints! AMEN!

Matthew 14 we have the disciples in the boat that was being tossed by the waves. Jesus comes to them walking on the water and they are scared! He tells them Who HE is and to not be afraid. There are many responses you could imagine them having, but Peter's would not be one I would have expected! Verse 28:

²⁸And Peter answered Him, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.

What other response could Jesus have given to that? He couldn't say it wasn't Him! He said the only thing that Peter's question demanded! And what happened? Peter walked on water! Yes, he got scared and started to go under, but why is THAT what people center on and NOT the fact that, other than Jesus, Peter is the only person I have ever heard of that walked on water! Only for a little while, yes, but longer than you or me! I, for one, will cut Peter a little slack here! Besides, I LIKE Peter! He reminds me of me sometimes! Oh, yea!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 13:6 says:

⁶I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.

"I will sing" is the Hebrew word, "shiyr", which means: to sing, to be sung, a singer, a songstress, (one of the definitions mentions a strolling minstrel). I take this to mean that we are to be in an attitude of praise at all times. Have you ever seen a movie musical where something is said and suddenly everyone breaks out in song? That's what I see here! The idea is that we are always filled with praise for Who God is and what He has already done in our lives. The fact that "He has dealt bountifully with me"! Do you have a song ready for Him? You SHOULD!

In Matthew 13 I can picture Jesus being crowded by the crush of people and getting into a boat on the Sea of Galilee! Then He proceeded to speak to the crowd in parables. His disciples asked Him in verse 10:

¹⁰Then the disciples came to Him and said, Why do You speak to them in parables?

Jesus answered in verses 11-15:

¹¹And He replied to them, To you it has been given to know the secrets and mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ¹²For whoever has [spiritual knowledge], to him will more be given and he will be furnished richly so that he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ¹³This is the reason that I speak to them in parables: because having the power of seeing, they do not see; and having the power of hearing, they do not hear, nor do they grasp and understand. ¹⁴In them indeed is the process of fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, which says: You shall indeed hear and hear but never grasp and understand; and you shall indeed look and look but never see and perceive. ¹⁵For this nation's heart has grown gross (fat and dull), and their ears heavy and difficult of hearing, and their eyes they have tightly closed, lest they see and perceive with their eyes, and hear and comprehend the sense with their ears, and grasp and understand with their heart, and turn and I should heal them.

Every person has the potential to know and understand the Word of God. They first MUST be born again, because the Word of God cannot be understood by the unregenerate person. 1 Corinthians 2:14:

¹⁴But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated.

Once a person has received Jesus of Nazareth as Lord and personal Saviour, they have the Holy Spirit living IN them Who will teach them the Word of God! What about us? Verses 16-17:

¹⁶But blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are your eyes because they do see, and your ears because they do hear. ¹⁷Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men [men who were upright and in right standing with God] yearned to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

We are SO blessed to be living here and now with the knowledge of God's Word that has been made available to us! Pay attention to what you hear and how you hear it! Treat the Word of God as precious and valuable to you and it will become more clear to you every day!

1 Kings 11:1-3 we see what happened to Solomon!

¹BUT KING Solomon [defiantly] loved many foreign women--the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. ²They were of the very nations of whom the Lord said to the Israelites, You shall not mingle with them, neither shall they mingle with you, for surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods. Yet Solomon clung to these in love. ³He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines, and his wives turned away his heart from God.

Verses 4-10:

⁴For when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not perfect (complete and whole) with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. ⁵For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abominable idol of the Ammonites! ⁶Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as David his father did. ⁷Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abominable idol of Moab, on the hill opposite Jerusalem, and for Molech the abominable idol of the Ammonites. ⁸And he did so for all of his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. ⁹And the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned from the Lord, the God of Israel, Who had appeared to him twice, ¹⁰And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods, but he did not do what the Lord commanded.

Solomon, who was the wisest man to ever live (besides Jesus of Nazareth) did not remain wise! For whatever reason, he left his first love for the Lord and filled the empty place with heathen women and false gods. Check your life to see if anything or anyone is coming between you and quality fellowship time with the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible! If you find something, change it! It only takes a moment to make a decision and the Holy Spirit will help you to carry it out! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 12 is all about words! Some good and some not so good! I found this in The Bible Exposition Commentary:

On some university campuses, what once was called "Home Economics" is now "The College of Applied Life Studies." In Tucson, Arizona, potholes are no more, because they're now known as "pavement deficiencies." In politics, new taxes are "revenue enhancements," and in military jargon, "retreat" is "backloading of augmentation personnel." If, while you're backloading, you get shot, the bullet hole is "a ballistically induced aperture in the subcutaneous environment." This kind of artificial evasive language is known as "double-speak" and its popularity in almost every area of human life is evidence that language and communication are in serious trouble. Our ability to speak and write words is a precious gift of God, and this psalm deals with the right and wrong use of that gift.

Verse 6 speaks about God's Word:

⁶The words and promises of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times over.

John 17:17 says that God's Word IS Truth! Now THOSE are the Words I want to hear and know! AMEN!

In Matthew we find Jesus doing what Jesus did! He went about teaching, preaching and healing! And, as usual, the Pharisees were right there to try and trip Him up! It is still amazing to me that Jesus did, in their midst and right before their eyes, things that they had never seen before! Signs, wonders, miracles, healings and deliverances were happening all around them and they were concerned with what day of the week it was! One key is what Jesus said to them in verses 11-12:

¹¹But He said to them, What man is there among you, if he has only one sheep and it falls into a pit or ditch on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? ¹²How much better and of more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful and allowable to do good on the Sabbath days.

They didn't really value the lives of the people! They didn't think that people WERE more valuable than sheep! If they did, then they would have been joyful over the people being set free! Amazing, isn't it? And to think that there are people with that same mindset today! We need to look at every person as precious and valuable because THAT is the way that God sees them! When we do that, we will walk in the love that NEVER fails that we read about in 1 Corinthians 13. I LIKE the thought of NOT failing, don't you?

2 Chronicles 8-9 recounts what we read earlier about Solomon. We know that he asked God for wisdom and we know that God gave him GREAT wisdom AND riches and honor besides. 2 Chronicles 9:22-23 tell us the extent of the wisdom that God had granted to Solomon:

²²King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. ²³And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom which God had put into his mind.

Now THAT is SOME wisdom! Amen! You and I have been given access to all of the Wisdom of God that Solomon had! Let's be better possessors of our wisdom! Let's show forth God's Wisdom to the world. They NEED Him!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 11 is another portion of Scripture that I love from the Message Bible. Here are verses 1-3:

^1-3I've already run for dear life straight to the arms of God.
So why would I run away now
when you say,

"Run to the mountains; the evil
bows are bent, the wicked arrows
Aimed to shoot under cover of darkness
at every heart open to God.
The bottom's dropped out of the country;
good people don't have a chance"?

The I love the response in verse 4:

⁴ But God hasn't moved to the mountains;
his holy address hasn't changed.
He's in charge, as always, his eyes
taking everything in, his eyelids
Unblinking, examining Adam's unruly brood
inside and out, not missing a thing.

And then verse 7:

⁷ God's business is putting things right;
he loves getting the lines straight,
Setting us straight. Once we're standing tall,
we can look him straight in the eye.

Remember, God desires that we have life, in abundance, to the full, until it overflows (John 10:10 Amplified)! He wants ONLY good for us, always!

I have liked Matthew 11:12 from the time I first read it from the Amplified Bible!

¹²And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize--a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion].

Are YOU seeking the Kingdom of God to be manifest on Earth with "most ardent zeal and intense exertion"? That should be our new goal! We'll be seeing in a few days that that the gates of hell cannot stand up under the violent attack of God's people! Let's continue to DENY the enemy access to our lives!

Then I like verses 27-30 in the Amplified Bible:

²⁷All things have been entrusted and delivered to Me by My Father; and no one fully knows and accurately understands the Son except the Father, and no one fully knows and accurately understands the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son deliberately wills to make Him known. ²⁸Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] ²⁹Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.³⁰For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good--not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.

Ecclesiastes 11:13 sums up what Solomon has learned:

¹³All has been heard; the end of the matter is: Fear God [revere and worship Him, knowing that He is] and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man [the full, original purpose of his creation, the object of God's providence, the root of character, the foundation of all happiness, the adjustment to all inharmonious circumstances and conditions under the sun] and the whole [duty] for every man.

That pretty much says it all!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

There are two thoughts I want to share with you about Matthew 10. The first is found in verses 29-30:

²⁹Are not two little sparrows sold for a penny? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's leave (consent) and notice. ³⁰But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Our Omniscient God knows EVERYTHING that is happening, EVERYWHERE that it is taking place! With our finite, human thinking, we cannot even begin to understand that concept! This is one of those wonderful Truths about God that we just accept, without understanding the HOW, just like Mary did when Gabriel told her that she would have a child! He knows, and cares, about the sparrows, and WE are far more valuable to him than they are! Don't let the enemy get you to think, for even one second, that this wonderful and glorious God, Who loves us and saved us, EVER has an evil thought against us! He even knows the number of hairs that we have ever had on our heads from the moment of our births until now! Do you realize how insignificant a single hair is to us? We lose them all day, every day and don't even give them a thought! But God does! If He thinks that much about our hair, just think how much His thoughts are filled with all of the important aspects of our lives! We should NEVER feel alone or without hope for the rest of our lives! God loves us with everything that is within Him! He wants US to love the world with the love He has put inside of us! They are hurting because they don't know this about Him! Let's be spreading THAT Good News! AMEN!

Then verse 34:

³⁴Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

SO many people that I have talked to think that Jesus is for peace at any cost! They have no idea how very wrong they are! The only peace that Jesus came to this Earth to bring is the peace between God and man that can only come when someone receives Him as Lord and personal Saviour! As long as there is evil in the world there will be war because evil people will try to rule over others and God wants people to defend themselves, and others, from wicked people. The only time there will be peace on Earth is when Jesus Himself rules and reigns here! Jesus said that He did not come to bring peace, but a sword! The sword that Jesus brought is His Word, and His Word divides! It divides believers from unbelievers. It divides Truth from error. It divides Light from darkness. It divides the things of the world from the things of God! Use the Sword of God's Word over your own life to separate the things that should be there from the things that shouldn't! I LOVE the Word of God! I hope you do, too!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 9:1-2 says:

¹I WILL praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth (recount and tell aloud) all Your marvelous works and wonderful deeds! ²I will rejoice in You and be in high spirits; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High!

I really like using the Amplified Bible for study as it usually has the word meaning right there, but I also really enjoyed these two verses in the Message Bible:

^1-2 I'm thanking you, God, from a full heart, I'm writing the book on your wonders.
I'm whistling, laughing, and jumping for joy;
I'm singing your song, High God.

Doesn't that just give a very REAL feel to this verse?

In light of the things that are currently happening in this country and around the world, I REALLY like verse 20:

²⁰Put them in fear [make them realize their frail nature], O Lord, that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

AMEN! Remind yourself that the things that are being planned right now are being planned by mere men who are being used by an already defeated devil! The ONLY way these plans will come to pass is if and when they line up with God's plan! As long as God's people, who are called by HIS name, will humble ourselves and pray, God will continue to provide for us through anything that takes place on this Earth! Be continually filled with the Spirit and continually feeding on the Word of God and you will NOT be kept in the dark about what GOD has planned! Remember that one of the things that the Holy Spirit lives inside of us to do is to show us things to come (John 16:13)!

In reading through Matthew again I have been amazed at how many "new" things I have become aware of that I hadn't thought about before! I know that part of that is having been to Israel where all of these things took place! We saw where the pigs went over the cliff, from yesterday's reading! These things REALLY did happen. They are not fairy tales or works of fiction! As I was reading today I realized that no sooner had the people chased Jesus away after the pig incident, but others were waiting for Him as soon as He returned "home" to Capernaum. Every individual person had there own story, need, desire. They all came to Jesus, sometimes all at once, and He cared for every one with the same attention and compassion! How do I measure up when it seems like "everyone wants a piece of me"? Don't tell me you've never felt like that! Jesus was never hurried or anxious. He KNEW Who He was and what He would do! I remain fascinated by Him! Aren't you? Then verses 37-38 reveal more of His heart towards the people:

³⁷Then He said to His disciples, The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. ³⁸So pray to the Lord of the harvest to force out and thrust laborers into His harvest.

We need to remember why we, as believers, are even here! We COULD be walking the streets of gold and swimming in the River of Life! We are here because it is more needful for THEM! Let's be asking the Lord of the Harvest for laborers and then obeying when He says "I send you"! AMEN!

I have read some commentaries on Ecclesiastes and many of them just don't get it! One of them said this:

while Solomon is doing his utmost to prove that life is futile and not worth living, the Holy Spirit is using him to show that these conclusions are the tragic effect of living "under the sun"--ignoring the Lord

They have the idea that Solomon is STILL in a "backslidden" condition. If you really read this, you see that Solomon has realized that he has wasted his life and God-given wisdom that he had as a young man. He says things like this in Ecclesiastes 7:5:

⁵It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools.

Solomon knows that he should have listened to the rebukes of his friends earlier on and he is wiser now! Then in verse 12:

¹²For wisdom is a defense even as money is a defense, but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom shields and preserves the life of him who has it.

and then verse 19:

¹⁹[True] wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers or valiant generals who are in the city.

He realizes one of the errors he made in verses 23-24:

²³All this have I tried and proved by wisdom. I said, I will be wise [independently of God]--but it was far from me. ²⁴That which is is far off, and that which is deep is very deep--who can find it out [true wisdom independent of the fear of God]?

In verses 25-26 he realizes the root cause of his turning from God and His wisdom:

²⁵I turned about [penitent] and my heart was set to know and to search out and to seek [true] wisdom and the reason of things, and to know that wickedness is folly and that foolishness is madness [and what had led me into such wickedness and madness]. ²⁶And I found that [of all sinful follies none has been so ruinous in seducing one away from God as idolatrous women] more bitter than death is the woman whose heart is snares and nets and whose hands are bands. Whoever pleases God shall escape from her, but the sinner shall be taken by her.

And then I go to the Message Bible for verse 29:

Yet I did spot one ray of light in this murk: God made men and women true and upright; we're the ones who've made a mess of things.

Amen to that! God is GOOD!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 8 begins and ends the same! Verse 1:

¹O LORD, our Lord, how excellent (majestic and glorious) is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory on [or above] the heavens.

and Verse 9:

⁹O Lord, our Lord, how excellent (majestic and glorious) is Your name in all the earth!

"O LORD, our Lord" is actually saying: "O Jehovah (the eternal self-existing One) Adon (our Lord, Master, Owner) how "excellent", the Hebrew word, "`addiyr", which means: large, powerful, excellent, famous, gallant, glorious, goodly, lordly, mighty, noble, worthy, is Your Name in all the Earth! That is OUR GOD! AMEN! Remind yourself daily that our God IS God and worship Him for Who He is! Then remind yourself who YOU are IN HIM! Spend every day living up to the Name you carry!

I love the story of the centurion in Matthew 8! He comes to Jesus begging for the healing of his servant boy.That shows a man of compassion and character, that he would come in person to find Jesus for the healing of a servant! But that isn't the most amazing thing about THIS centurion! When Jesus said, "I will come and restore him", the centurion replies:

⁸But the centurion replied to Him, Lord, I am not worthy or fit to have You come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant boy will be cured. ⁹For I also am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my slave, Do this, and he does it.

What was he saying? He was saying that it was the WORD of Jesus that would heal his servant! Many people, then and now, expect that when a healing or miracle occurs, it will be with great fanfare. They expect that someone will have to lay hands on a person and that person will fall out under the power of God or some other physical and demonstrative show. But it is the WORD that does the WORK! This centurion got it! Do you? If you have a hunger and thirst for the Word of God, if you believe that daily time spent in the Word of God is more important than natural food, if you would pay any price to get the Word of God you need for any and every situation, then you GET IT! You understand what the centurion was saying! And you WILL get the same results he got! What were those results? Verse 10 & 13:

¹⁰When Jesus heard him, He marveled and said to those who followed Him [who adhered steadfastly to Him, conforming to His example in living and, if need be, in dying also], I tell you truly, I have not found so much faith as this with anyone, even in Israel.

¹³Then to the centurion Jesus said, Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed. And the servant boy was restored to health at that very moment.

Fall in love with the Word of God all over again! Remember the time when you would give up anything to go to where the Word of God was being taught or preached? Sometimes having the Word readily available causes us to become apathetic to it. Stir yourself up and get back to a vital hunger for the things of God. Revival IS happening, as you read this, all over the world! Get it happening in YOUR life and among YOUR friends and family by stirring yourself up first! AMEN!

I know it may sound strange, but I have been LOVING Ecclesiastes this time through! I am seeing it through the eyes of one who really got himself off track over the THINGS in his life, then realized in the end that he had missed it big time! Some people have a problem with all of the negative thinking and speaking in this book, but that is the point! Solomon is speaking about the fact that ANYTHING in this world and in this life, whether good or bad, is equally useless and empty without the wisdom that comes from God and the fellowship we CAN have with the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible! THAT fellowship is what makes this life worth living! Fulfilling God's calling on your life is vital to walking in peace and joy in this life AND having that abundant entrance into Heaven! Keep this in mind as you continue through this book and I guarantee that you will get much more out of it! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

MY favorite verse in Psalm 7 is verse 17! No matter what you may be going through right at this moment, it is ALWAYS a great idea to praise the Lord! Sing it, shout it, share it, whisper it, but make sure that you always DO it! Praise and worship should be as natural to us as breathing, and it will be, when we really KNOW Him!

¹⁷I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His rightness and justice, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

Matthew 7:1-2:

¹DO NOT judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves. ²For just as you judge and criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you [use to] deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you.

I love the Message Bible here:

"Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own."

Now that's pretty clear! Don't judge and condemn! Jesus said that even HE didn't come for that purpose! John 3:17:

¹⁷For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.

In Ecclesiastes 1-2 we see the results of Solomon's ignoring of the wisdom God gave to Him! The man who had been given more wisdom than any other person other than Jesus is realizing the price he had paid for all of the distraction of his life! You can learn a lot from Ecclesiastes when you know that background! You realize what life without God and His Word would be like! At least Solomon realized by the latter days of his life and repented! Ecclesiastes 2:9-10 reveal what happened to Solomon:

⁹So I became great and increased more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me and stood by me. ¹⁰And whatever my eyes desired I kept not from them; I withheld not my heart from any pleasure, for my heart rejoiced in all my labor, and this was my portion and reward for all my toil.

Verse 26 is my favorite here!

²⁶For to the person who pleases Him God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and heaping up, that he may give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after the wind and a feeding on it.

I like that! Just be about pleasing the Lord and he will cause your enemies to be the ones to bless you! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

In Psalm 6 David is crying out to God for deliverance. The part we will be looking at is at the end, though. Verses 8-10 says:

⁸Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity, for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. ⁹The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord receives my prayer. ¹⁰Let all my enemies be ashamed and sorely troubled; let them turn back and be put to shame suddenly.

I LOVE how the enemy who taunts us continually, without letting up sometimes, WILL get his just rewards! When we refuse to give up and quit, whether the problems we face are from our own wrong-doing or just the enemies attacks, we will ALWAYS come out on top! Not so the enemy! I like what the Message Bible says here:

^8-9 Get out of here, you Devil's crew:
at last God has heard my sobs.
My requests have all been granted,
my prayers are answered.

¹⁰ Cowards, my enemies disappear.

Disgraced, they turn tail and run.

That's what the devil is! Among other things, he IS a COWARD! He usually only picks on believers who are down. He KNOWS that he cannot defeat a believer who knows who they are, in HIM (Jesus), what they have, in HIM, where they're going, in HIM, and what they can DO, in HIM! Get to know your Lord and Saviour better and you will have no problem dealing with the enemy!

One thing that I have found so interesting about the New Testament, which tells of, and instructs us in, our New Covenant with Almighty God through the Blood of Jesus, is that so many of the things that are required under the Old Covenant are still good things to do under the New Covenant! Sometimes we concentrate so hard on the things we are free FROM that we miss some of the very powerful things that will bring blessings to our lives. They will NOT bring eternal life, but they can make this life so much easier! Everything that Jesus is telling the disciples (under the Old Covenant!) to do will bring blessings to their lives and cause them to do well, prosper and find great favor! Verse 2:

²Thus, whenever you give to the poor, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites in the synagogues and in the streets like to do, that they may be recognized and honored and praised by men. Truly I tell you, they have their reward in full already.

Notice that He said "WHEN you give to the poor", NOT "if"! He expects the New Covenant believers to still do all of the GOOD and GODLY things they did before, but now do it for the right reasons! (So that blessings may come to someone!) Chapter 6 is filled with good things to do in the right way to bring glory to God and peace in the home! I especially like verse 33!

³³But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.

AMEN!

In 2 Chronicles 6-7 we see another account of Solomon offering sacrifices as the Temple is dedicated to the Lord. We should take the example here of reminding God of His word! God LOVES to hear His Word declared and proclaimed from the lips of one who KNOWS their God! It proves to Him that we're listening and treasuring His Word and His ways! Solomon says this in verses 40-42:

⁴⁰Now, O my God, I beseech You, let Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to the prayer offered in this temple. ⁴¹So now arise, O Lord God, and come into Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength and power. Let Your priests, O Lord God, be clothed with salvation, and let Your saints (Your zealous ones) rejoice in good and in Your goodness. ⁴²O Lord God, turn not away the face of [me] Your anointed one; [earnestly] remember Your good deeds, mercy, and steadfast love for David Your servant.

And THIS, in 2 Chronicles 7:1-2, is how God responded to Solomon's prayer:

¹WHEN SOLOMON had finished praying, the fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house. ²The priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord's house.

Then we see God's promise to Solomon, and us, in verse 14:

¹⁴If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

Notice that He did NOT say "if the government, the leaders, the wicked people, the unbelievers" would pray. He said if HIS people! That's us! Born again believers in Jesus of Nazareth are children of Almighty God and have the right to come to Him in prayer for ANYTHING that concerns us! Pay attention to what is going on in the world so that you don't get caught being apathetic. But DON'T get into doubt, fear, unbelief, guilt, worry. Instead, obey 2 Chronicles 7:14 and watch God get involved! AMEN!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

In Psalm 5:6 in the KJV we see a word that also appears in yesterday's Psalm 4:2.

⁶Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.

We are speaking of the word "leasing". This is the Hebrew word, "kazab", which means: falsehood, untruth, lie, a deceptive thing. Yesterday's verse asks how long will men love these lies and deceitful things. Today's verse says that God will not put up with it! How long? That is God's business! The question that we, as born again believers in Jesus of Nazareth, must ask ourselves is: Am I involved in "leasing"? Did you realize that anything we speak that is contrary to God's Word is a falsehood, a lie, an untruth? Speaking words of doubt, fear, unbelief, guilt, worry, hatred, bitterness, envy, jealousy, etc. are all forms of lies and untruth! Remember that we are not to even THINK on these things! (Philippians 4:8). What do we do? REPENT! Change your thinking to agree with God! CONFESS! (1 John 1:9) Receive you forgiveness from the Lord, forgive yourself, move on to think and speak and do the RIGHT things! Aren't you thankful that He has provided such a Covenant for us to live in? Thank You, Jesus!

Matthew 5 contains what is called "The Sermon on the Mount". We were able to see approximately where Jesus was when He gave this message on our recent trip to Israel! It makes the Word so much more REAL to be able to think back on those things when I'm reading the Word! I especially like verses 11-12:

¹¹Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous--with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of your outward conditions) are you when people revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely on My account. ¹²Be glad and supremely joyful, for your reward in heaven is great (strong and intense), for in this same way people persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Have you ever been persecuted by people for what you believe from the Word of God? Well then, REJOICE! What a great reward we have waiting for us in Heaven, and what GREAT company we are in, because they treated Jesus that same way!

Remember also that you ARE salt and you ARE light in the world! You just have to get out there where your bright and salty self can affect the people around you! You and I are not supposed to be trying to MAKE the light, we ARE the Light! Stop hiding who you are and let that Light of God's presence inside of you shine! That's' what He is waiting for us to do! He'll do the rest! AMEN!

In 2 Chronicles 4-5 we see more of the Temple being built by Solomon. There was such attention to detail in every aspect of building the Temple! We were able to witness that same passion and attention to detail when we visited the Temple Institute in Jerusalem! Every thing needed to furnish the 3rd Temple, when it is finally built, is already in place! I love it! I especially like 2 Chronicles 5:13-14:

¹³And when the trumpeters and singers were joined in unison, making one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and other instruments for song and praised the Lord, saying, For He is good, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever, then the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud, ¹⁴So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

Remember that the Lord said that the glory of this later house would be greater than the former? Haggai 2:7-9:

⁷And I will shake all nations and the desire and the precious things of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the Lord of hosts ⁸The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine, says the Lord of hosts. ⁹The latter glory of this house [with its successor, to which Jesus came] shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts; and in this place will I give peace and prosperity, says the Lord of hosts.

That's US! We are the carriers of God's glory here on Earth! Spend time in His presence getting to know Him and allow the glory of the Lord to flow through you to other people! God will get the glory and you and I will be so blessed!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Psalm 4:8 is a great verse to confess over your life and family every night!

⁸In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You, Lord, alone make me dwell in safety and confident trust.

In these "perilous" times in which we live, it is more important than ever that we BE the people of God's peace so that we give the people around us hope!

Matthew 4:1:

¹THEN JESUS was led (guided) by the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness (desert) to be tempted (tested and tried) by the devil.

Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. Some of the situations that you find yourself facing are situations that the Holy Spirit has led you into so that you can be a witness to the power and glory of God. Remember 1 Corinthians 10:13! The temptation He allows into your life is one that He knows you should be prepared to handle! Temptations, tests and trials DO NOT make us stronger, they simply reveal what is already inside of us! If we falter in these situations, it will be because we have failed to take hold of the Word of God that He has provided for us. Treat the Word of God as precious, valuable, powerful and VITAL to your well-being, because it IS! AMEN!

In 2 Chronicles 1-3 we have another account of Solomon asking God for wisdom to rule and of his building of the Temple. When Solomon asked for wisdom, God was well pleased and said so! Because Solomon had asked wisely and unselfishly, he not only received the wisdom he had asked for, but also riches and honor. What Solomon DID with what God had provided determined the course of his life. The same is true of us! What we do with God has given us will determine the kind of life we enjoy here in this life, AND the rewards and responsibilities of the next! Choose wisely each and every day!

Shalom in Him!

Shalom,

Every time I read Psalm 3 I remember Kenneth Copeland singing this song on his "WORD" album! I tried to find it online to post a link to, but couldn't find it anywhere. With his anointed voice, this song is VERY powerful! If you get a chance to listen to it you will understand what I'm saying! In these days of constant turmoil, catastrophe and terror, verse 3 is especially encouraging and uplifting!

³But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.

And then verse 6 is our anthem!

⁶I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me round about.

I know NO fear - in Him! AMEN!

In Matthew 3:2 John the Baptist is telling the people to "repent".

²And saying, Repent (think differently; change your mind, regretting your sins and changing your conduct), for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

That word has been one of the most misunderstood words! The Amplified Bible has it right here! It is the Greek word, "metanoeoo" and means: to change one's mind! We like to say: "Change your thinking to agree with God (agree with His Word)". When we do that, we are on the right track and moving in the right direction! God is very pleased with that!

In 1 Kings 9-10 we see that Solomon has built the Temple and his own home. His wisdom is renown and even the Queen of Sheba gives God the glory. 1 Kings 10:9:

⁹Blessed be the Lord your God, Who delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord loved Israel forever, He made you king to execute justice and righteousness.

I believe that Solomon's problems began after the Temple was built. Remember the verse that says "Where there is no vision, the people perish"? That is one of the Proverbs of Solomon (Proverbs 29:18)! The word "perish" is the Hebrew word "para`". One of the meanings of this word is to let loose, loosen restraints or show lack of restraint. I guess someone with 700 wives and 300 concubines could be said to have loosened the restraints, don't you think? I believe that it happened because Solomon had accomplished his long-standing vision of building a House for the Lord and he had no new vision to work towards. He just continued to add to his wealth and build himself one more luxury after another. What great good he could have done for his people if he would have asked the Lord for a new vision! But then we wouldn't have Ecclesiastes to read, would we! Solomon, what WERE you thinking?

Shalom in Him!