“Make haste, O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O LORD.
Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt. Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say, Aha, aha.
Let all those that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee: and let such as love Thy salvation say continually, ‘Let God be magnified.’ But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: Thou art my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying.” Psalm 70:1-5 (KJB)
Deliverer
The Mind and Counsel of the Lord
“And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, ‘There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is My covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.’ As concerning the gospel, enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, beloved for the fathers’ sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all.
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! ‘For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been His counsellor? Or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?’ For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” Romans 11:26-36 (KJB)
References: Psalm 14:7; Isaiah 27:9; Daniel 9:24; Numbers 23:19; Romans 3:9; Jeremiah 23:18; 1 Corinthians 8:6
GOD Knows the Foolish Heart
“The fool has said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that does good. The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that does good, no, not one.” Psalm 14:1-3 (KJV)
How often do we hear, “He is a good man”? I have said it myself, yet I know in Scripture God tells us that we are evil (Jeremiah 17:9), and the above verses. The very fact that God sent His sinless Son to die on a cruel old wooden cross for our sins is evidence enough that we need a Savior, and we are told that Jesus Christ is the only one available to us.
I have written a couple of days ago of the “Children of Men” and we can see in the world that there is evil in the hearts and lives of Adamkind. We have what some see as good people who have become addicted to drugs; legal, illegal, or illegally obtained pharmaceuticals. Some have become addicted due to doctors prescriptions; some just for a kick or an high. That in itself should say to us that we are a corrupt people, we are evil and in need of a Deliverer, a Savior, and that God has provided for us a marvelous, wonderful Redeemer, Savior, and Lord.
There are many people who profess that they believe in God. So do the demons of Hell (James 2:19). Believing in God is a good place to start, but you must also believe what He says. For our salvation we must believe that He sent His Son Jesus to die for us, believe and accept His work on the cross, His burial and resurrection.
We do not understand when we refuse to seek our own way, do our own thing, believe our own belief, and refuse the wonderful gift of God’s grace in His Son Jesus. It just might be more beneficial to be an non-theist, than to believe in God, yet reject His Son. Both the believer in God who has rejected Jesus, and the non-theist will be cast into eternal torment.
Does Adamkind do good things? Many times good things are done by our kind. Does it do anything to honor and glorify GOD? Most times they do not. What GOD does and accomplishes in those who are His will honor and glorify His name. His saving us through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus glorifies Him. Isaiah the prophet said, “…All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).
Do not live as an unbelieving fool. Turn to Christ Jesus and live your life for Him.
Day Two Hundred Sixty and Three
What do I want for Christmas?
I want all the Nation of Israel to know that God has your back; He is watching over you; and I want you to know that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and God the Son, and that one day you will look upon Him, bow before Him as your King and Messiah.
And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is My covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” Romans 11:26-29 (KJV)
“And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD. As for Me, this is My covenant with them, saith the LORD; My Spirit that is upon thee, and My words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.” Isaiah 59:20-21
To Rule
“Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian. And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.” Judges 8:22-23 (KJV)
The people of Israel had been under the rule of the Midianites; a ruthless, demon worshipping body of people who caused fear in God’s people because they were not right with God due to disobedience.
Gideon had been threshing wheat, which had been grown secretly, then was being threshed secretly (6:1-24). At our current reading we find Gideon through the power of God had defeated the Midianites, set them to flight, and destroyed many of them. Gideon knew from where the victory had come.
The response of the Israelites was to make Gideon their ruler; maybe their king; but Gideon would have none of it. He made the correct decision: “The LORD shall rule over you”.
As followers of Christ today we must realize it is not for men to rule others. The rule of mankind must be God’s. The Great Leader of all times – the King of kings and Lord of lords is coming soon. Mankind may have leaders; but godly leaders lead others to God, not themselves; and not by force.
Nations today cannot prosper with despots and dictators; nor do men or women want weak leaders. People need leaders, but leaders who will not lie, cheat, steal; but who live on the same level, go by the same rules, and laws as we all do.
Evil; After the Flood
We live “After the flood”. Was that news to you? 🙂 We all know that. The flood did not eradicate evil; is what I am saying. It did however stop the progressive flow of evil that was going on and continuing in the days before. God would continue to have a people, a nation and a Deliverer and Saviour for His people and the world.
As we look at Scripture from my reading for today I read;
“And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, ‘Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly.’ And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, ‘Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.’ And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, ‘Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.’ So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.” Genesis 11:1-9 (KJV)
In this passage of Scripture, and several years following the flood we see the people gathered together in one place; contrary to God’s command of “Multiplying and filling the earth”. This in effect was a rebellious act against the Creator; and if the people were not going to cover the earth, then God would do it by confusing their languages.
There is only one way for the people of earth to be one in God, Peace and Unity; and that is through Jesus Christ. It is not through building monuments of human effort such as statues, churches, mosque, temples, or skyscrapers, etc. Nor, is religion equal to the task. It is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus that will bring us together, keep us together for eternity.
Pray for peace. Yes! First pray for what God has given us guidance and command to pray for; and that is “the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6).
-Tim A. Blankenship
The King and the Sheep
The King Meets the Need of the Sheep
“And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:35-38 (KJV).
Jesus has gone through the cities and villages and taught and preached and given healing, deliverance from the evil of demons. Yet, he looks with compassion on all and sees a great multitude in need. He sees them as being in need of a shepherd. They have no shepherd. Jesus sees a “Harvest”, a time for reaping, and bringing in the crops. This harvest represents people who are ready to be delivered from their condemned status. Their sins weigh heavy on them and they are eager to trust Jesus as their Savior, their Deliverer.
Multitudes of people stand awaiting judgment from our holy and righteous God. How will they stand before Him? On the right hand or on the left hand? Does it make a difference? It seems to make a difference according to Matthew 25:33 – “And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.” (NKJV); “Then He will say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels…” (Matthew 25:41 NKJV).
The abundance of the harvest exceeds the sufficiency of the laborers. Jesus says, “Pray for laborers for the harvest”. One cannot sincerely pray for laborers without eventually realizing they are being sent. This word “Sent” can mean; to thrust out. Awakened to the need; out of our comforts; out of our apathy; out of our complacency. We ought to be praying that we lose everything that hinders us from being laborers to a people who are on the wrong end of God’s judgment. A double barrel, twelve gauge shotgun is a wonderful instrument; unless you are on the wrong end of it. The same with the judgment of God. The only way of being on the right end of His judgment is to be in Christ Jesus.
The Fire and Hammer 