God's Works - Verity & Judgment

The Works of God are seen in His Word in many places and today we explore His Work in Verity & Judgment as spoken of in Psalm 111. It is a Psalm of Praise and gives reasons for Praising God with a “whole heart.” It also tells us this glorious Praise must be in the congregation of the upright. This is an awesome statement; there must be Praise in the midst of the congregation! This is a Truth! For Verity means: True, Steadfast, Sure, Faith and Agreement among other things. When Jesus said, “Verily, verily, He was giving a powerful meaning to His statement. In the Hebrew it meant: I Am speaking a Truth to you with an exclamation mark! There is no doubt in My Words.” Sometimes we read them, but we don’t take in the power of the Truth that is being said. Consider the Works of God. His Works are Eternal! In the eons of time John 16:28 Jesus tells us “I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again I leave the world, and go to the Father.” And then as we read Gen.1:1, we see the Beginning of the Works of God in the earth. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” The Message today is about Verity, verity, the Truth of God’s Works in the earth and in the hearts of His people. Here the Word of the Lord from the Book of Job: “God caused the Light of His Cloud to shine, He balanced the clouds and wondrous works of Him which is perfect in knowledge! ”The Works of God are often not known to us: From Eccl. 11:5: “As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. A good thing is to study His Word, for therein do we find the “Works of God!” John 6:28 admonish us “that we might work the Works of God by sharing the Life Giving Bread, which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ!” When Jesus was questioned concerning a blind man, they were told “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the Works of God should be manifest in him.” And I love to report from the Scriptures “Speaking in Tongues is the “Wonderful Works of God!! ~ Acts 2:4-11. With all the Wonderful Works of God there is Judgment. Ps. 9:16-17 “The Lord is known by the Judgment which He executeth: the wicked is snared in the Work of His own hands.  Selah. The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” Thus the Message of God to the World, There is powerful Truth in Verity, and there is Judgment! Praying in the Spirit for you and loving you, Pastor

Grace in the Wilderness

Grace, Glorious Grace, the most powerful commodity that ever given to a human! O let the Church be exceedingly thankful giving all Glory to our Lord Jesus Christ! Grace is: “Free and unmerited favor of God manifested in Salvation. It is the Salvation for sinners and Divinely giving favor and blessing.” This is such a small statement for the huge awesome power of God’s Unmerited Grace, given daily to every one who will believe in Him. The Wilderness is: “An uninhabited place of humanity, perhaps wild beasts; an empty pathless place; a bewildering situation to any who attempt to go there: Today’s Message is about the Wilderness experience that often occurs in the life of an individual. I’m sure it comes to all, but let us look at the Wilderness Experience that sometimes seeks to embrace the Christian.  Scripture reveals that Jesus was led of the Spirit into a Wilderness [Matt. 4:1] in Mark 1:12 we have a much stronger note, it says He was “driven” into the Wilderness. By this we learn, God had a plan for Jesus, a plan of preparation for His future. For in the Wilderness, it is a lonely place, perils of wild beasts, emptiness, and pathless-not knowing what is ahead. Jesus our greatest example has gone before us. Jesus experience in the wilderness lasted 40 days. Moses was led into the Wilderness and brought with him the Children of Israel. Their experience lasted 40 years! In Scripture there are many examples of “happenings” in the Wilderness. As I was in my devotions, I read in Jeremiah where God was dealing with the Israelites and the Prophet gave this startling comment: “The people which were left of the sword found Grace in the Wilderness!” And the Lord said unto them: “Yea, I have Loved thee with an Everlasting Love; Therefore with Lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” Immediately my thoughts went to “our” Wilderness Experiences, when we feel alone, perhaps attacked by the enemy, and for a moment we feel empty, desolate and “pathless.” That does not understand the “trial of our Faith.” Our God gives us an awesome Grace in the midst of a Wilderness Experience and we ultimately are victorious in Him, coming forth in the power of the Holy Spirit. “Jesus came forth from His Wilderness experience in the power of the Spirit!” He is our strength and our Joy and we are empowered by His Spirit that lives in us. O Church receive the “rushing mighty wind of the Holy Ghost!” It will bring us triumphantly through the difficulties, the adverse circumstances, the loneliness, and the feeling of emptiness. God has a plan-a path for us as we come forth in the Anointed power of His Precious Holy Ghost!” 

What Adorns Our Heart

What does it mean to “Adorn our heart?” To adorn oneself is “to make more beautiful or attractive.” Perhaps the question is “Why Adorn our heart?”  Of course the answer is God sees out heart. It is more important what God sees then what man sees. But in today’s world it seems mankind is more concerned with what humanity thinks of them then what God Thinks of them.  Last week in Worship we examined the “Principal Thing” that God requires. Prov. 4:7-9 “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt Wisdom, and she shall promote thee: Wisdom shall bring thee to honour …” If the Principal Thing is Wisdom and then Understanding, that truly would be a “thing” of the heart and the mind … perhaps it could be called the “inward appearance of the Christian!” Today’s Message continues as we keep in mind the “Principal Thing --- Wisdom and Understanding.” As we continue in Prov.4. Our life is to be a “Shining Light that shines more and more!” We are admonished to “attend to God’s Word and incline our ear to Hear Him.” Vs23 continues: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of Life.” As God looks at our heart, it should be beautiful in Spiritual things as well as in the natural things of life. A Christian’s heart should be attractive to God, that is “pleasing to Him, beneficial in quality, able to lead someone to acceptance of Him.”  If our life is a “shinning path” and we are working each day at being a brighter image, let us hear the Words of Wisdom from God’s Word. 1 Peter 3:3-5 admonishes us concerning this very Principal; “let it not be the outward adorning, but let it be the “Hidden man of the heart, even the “Ornament of a Meek and Quiet Spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.” The Ornament of the outward individual --- something that looks attractive but usually having no practical purpose, however the Ornament of the inward man is a quality of Grace, beauty and honour to the One who sees the heart.  As we understand Ornament it is a decoration that adorns our personage or our home, office, etc. But the question posed is: What Adorns our Heart? What is the Principal Thing that rules our heart? O Church may our Light so Shine that others may see Jesus in us as an Individual in whose heart Christ Lives supremely!   Loving you, Pastor

The Principal Thing

Let’s talk about “Principal Things!”  A “Principal Thing” – principal, meaning what is first in order of importance to us? Or, Who is the highest authority in our life? As we talk about “Principals Things” we think of the natural things that are important in our life. We also think of the People who are “Principal” or of great importance to us. The Word of God talks about “What is the Principal Thing!” Let us look at Spiritual Things, and meditate upon Proverbs 4:5-7 “Get Wisdom, get Understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the Words of my mouth. Forsake her [Wisdom] not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the Principal Thing; therefore get Wisdom: and with all thy getting get Understanding.” It is probable that as a Born Again Bible believing Christian, one has heard these Words before. Today we explore in depth the answer to “How to have Wisdom and Understanding” that we might please the Lord.” Job asked the question many years ago as he was being tried in his Faith; “Where shall Wisdom be found & where is the place of Understanding?” This discussion is found in the 28^th Chapter of Job. There it talks about the “price” of Wisdom being more than gold, silver, rubies, coral, pearls, onyx, sapphire, crystal, etc. Many decisions encamp about us as we journey through the life that God has given to us and often we just make the decision without asking God for Wisdom and Understanding. Yet the “Principal Thing” is to seek His Wisdom and His Understanding in the issues of our life. There is great discussion in God’s Word pertaining to His Wisdom that will bring Under-standing to the difficulties that we often face.  He is a Holy God and desires to embrace us with His Holiness, Wisdom and Understanding. Note Prov. 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom: and the Knowledge of the Holy is Understanding.”  The problem is: We often forget that the Holiness of God should prevail in our life. For with His Holiness we can partake of Wisdom and Understanding. It is about our Fear of God and our Love to follow the example of Jesus Christ our Saviour. I encourage Ps. 111 this week in our devotions. 
Let us pursue His Holiness together, Loving you, Pastor