Welcome to Pastor’s Chat! What an exciting day!!!!!! This is indeed “the day that the LORD has made, and we will rejoice and be glad and in it”. I believe this verse in Psalm 118:24 is a prophecy of “this day”, the day that we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! If there is anything that proves the Bible is true, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that everything that we read in the Bible is believable, and can be trusted, it is the resurrection of Jesus Christ! The resurrection proves Who Jesus is, and that God has accepted His divine sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary as the complete and final finished payment for our sins! Praise the LORD!!!! Hallelujah!!!! What a glorious day! I trust and hope that you are celebrating with us on this day the resurrection of Jesus Christ! I would dare to say that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the epicenter of the Bible, it is at the epicenter of human history and no doubt the greatest event ever recorded in human history. Jesus is risen from the grave! He is alive! I trust you will take the time to read the above passage again, and if you have time, read all four Gospel accounts of the resurrection today or some time this week. (Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; and John 20).  These passages should rekindle your excitement as you rejoice and have a heart full of thankfulness for your relationship with Jesus. And if you have never really settled the question of receiving Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, it is my prayer that you will do that before this day is over! If you need help in doing this, feel free to call or text me at 540-598-1351. Or you can email me at pastormike@pmiministries.org. It would the greatest joy of my life to assist you today in making this decision for Christ! Maybe the three greatest, most powerful words in our language are “He is Risen”. Three words that changed the course of humanity and history! Yes, my friend, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation of our Christian faith. Paul said this in 1 Corinthians 15:14-19: “And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up--if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” Everything we believe about God, Jesus, the Bible, and eternity hinges of the reality and fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ! The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most provable facts of human history. It is not a theory, a myth, or a made-up story!  It is a fact!!!! No one can prove that the resurrection of Jesus Christ did not happen! And history records that most of the people who set out to disprove the resurrection actually became followers of Jesus Christ! It changed their lives as they researched and studied it! Everything changed when Jesus came out of the tomb alive, and the promised gift of the Holy Spirit was given! The disciples who were fearful and denied Jesus before were now willing to die for Him and most of them did! The Church was born and is alive and well, and is another proof of the resurrection every Sunday they meet! For me, the greatest proof is that His resurrection personally changed and transformed my life on February 21, 1971, as a nineteen-year-old teenager! He is Risen!!!!! He is alive!!!! Jesus is waiting to come into your heart and life if you will receive Him! Why not accept Him today! God bless!

4m

Mar 31

The Saturday following Jesus’ crucifixion might be the most unique and overlooked day in the history of the world. It is the day between Jesus’ death and His resurrection. Less is written in the Gospels about this day than any other in the scope of this week known as Passion Week. But what makes it so unique is this: it is the only full day in history where the body of the crucified Son of God lay dead and buried in a grave. The day before, He was crucified. The following day He would rise from the grave. But what happened on Saturday? Though we may not know much about this day, when we look at the few verses the Gospels give us accounting for it, we find it was by no means a forgotten day to the Chief Priests who had handed Jesus over to death. During His earthly ministry, Jesus said many times that He would die in Jerusalem at the hands of the Chief Priests, but on the third day He would rise again (Matthew 12:40, Mark 8:31, 9:31, 10:34). Of course, the Chief Priests scoffed at this. But they didn’t forget it. On the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, Jesus’ prediction preoccupied their thoughts in such a way that they couldn’t leave it alone. Matthew 27:62-66 tells us the strange story of how the Chief Priests simply could not dismiss the possibility that Jesus might have known something they didn’t. They went to Pilate and explained that while Jesus was clearly an imposter, His disciples might try to steal His body and fake a resurrection. Pilate’s response was laced with poetic foreshadowing when he said, “Here is a guard of soldiers. Make the tomb as secure as you can.” Already, two of the hardest people to reach or come to Jesus for salvation, the rich and those who are religious, have openly professed their faith in Jesus Christ, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. No doubt they both were at the council that had condemned Jesus but possibly did not vote with the rest to have Jesus crucified. But at the same time, we have no record that they spoke up for Him. I believe that they must have witnessed the Roman soldiers mercilessly scourged Jesus with a multi-lashed whip containing imbedded pieces of bone and metal with 40 lashings (Matthew 27:26).  And watched as they pressed the crown of thorns into Jesus’ head, mock and spit on Him and ridicule him before they dragged Him to Golgotha. They witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus with the two thieves. They heard Jesus say, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” They saw the bright noonday sun go black…. And in that terrible darkness they heard the Savior cry out, “My God, My God why have you forsaken Me?” At 3pm in the midst of the darkness, as they stood nearby, they heard the voice of Jesus one last time as He cry out, “It is finished” and “Into thy hands I commit my spirit.” And He breathe His last! And they saw Jesus die!!!!!!!!! They felt the ground quake!!!! It is possible that they encountered each other at the cross when Jesus died and together decided to publicly take their stand with Him. Joseph might have said to Nicodemus, “I have a tomb nearby that Jesus can borrow for a couple of days, He said He would rise again on the third day, would you help me take Him down from the cross and bury Him?”   You can see why the Pharisees and the Pilate were concerned. That Saturday, as His body lay wrapped in linen in a grave, there were many around Jerusalem who sat with uneasy questions about whether or not there would be another chapter in Jesus’ story. His uncommon strength, coupled with the supernatural darkness that settled over the land during His crucifixion (Matthew 27:45), set on edge those who wanted Him dead, even after they’d succeeded. A resurrection would only cause people to believe in Him more. Yes, it is Saturday, but Sunday is coming!!!! Today, let us prepare for Sunday and the celebration of the greatest day in human history, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! God bless!

4m

Mar 30

MATTHEW 27:27-36 “Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.” LUKE 23:32-37 “There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots. And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God." The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself." Today is called by many “Good Friday”, the day we believe that our Savior was crucified outside the city walls of Jerusalem two-thousand years ago. In today’s chat I will attempt to give a brief account of the events of that day that led up to the cross. Remember it was probably late Thursday evening by the time the Lord finished the Passover Supper with His disciples. According to John 18:1, they left the upper room and went to the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed to His Father, “Not My will but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). It was then that Judas appeared with the multitude of the temple guard and betrayed Jesus with a kiss. They bound Jesus (Luke 22:47-53), and the following unfair trials and events took place starting sometime very early Friday morning. This is the best we can discern from all four Gospels: Christ suffers His first unfair trial as He appears before Annas (John 18:12-14, 19-23). Christ suffers His second unfair trial as He appears before Caiaphas the High Priest (Matt. 26:57, 59-68; Mark 14:53-65; Luke 22:54, 63-65; John 18:24). Christ is denied by Simon Peter (Matt. 26:58, 69-75; Mark 14:54, 66-72; Luke 22:54-62; John 18:15-18, 25-27). Christ suffers His third unfair trial as He appears before the Sanhedrin (Matt. 27:1; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66-71). Christ suffers His fourth unfair trial in His first appearance before Pilate (Matt. 27:2, 11-14; Mark 15:1-5; Luke 23:1-5; John 18:28-38). Christ suffers His fifth unfair trial in His appearance before Herod Antipas (Luke 23:6-12; Matt. 14:1-2) Christ suffers His sixth unfair trial in His final appearance before Pilate (Matt. 27:15-26; Mark 15:6-15; Luke 23:13-25; John 18:39-19:16). Christ suffers His scourging when He is turned over to the Roman soldiers (Matt. 27:27-30; Mark 15:16-19; John 19:2-3). Christ carries His cross to Calvary and is assisted by Simon (Matt. 27:31-32; Mark 15:20-21; Luke 23:26-32; John 19:16). Christ is crucified on the cross at nine o’clock in the morning (Matt. 27:33-50; Mark 15:22-37; Luke 23:32-46; John 19:17-30). At noon the sun goes totally dark for the next three hours till 3:00PM. Christ is forsaken by His Father as He bears the sins of all humanity. (Matthew 27:45-55). Christ's death introduces some supernatural events (Matt. 27:51-56; Mark 15:38-41; Luke 23:45, 47-49). Christ's body is removed from the cross and placed in a tomb by Joseph and Nicodemus (Matt. 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:31-42). We must never forget the suffering of our Lord Jesus on the cross that day! 1 Peter 2:24: “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed.” This would be a good day to read Isaiah 53 and meditate on it! God bless!

5m

Mar 29

LUKE 22:7-13 Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat." So they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare?" And He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters. Then you shall say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?" ' Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready." So they went and found it just as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover. As we look at the major events in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ in what is called “Passion Week”, we have come to Thursday. To get a full picture of all took place, remember it was on Wednesday that Judas Iscariot secretly went back to Jerusalem and sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver with the promise that he would betray Him. Now early Thursday morning in Bethany, Jesus sends Peter and John to Jerusalem to prepare the Passover Supper for Him and His disciples. So, most of the recorded events in the four Gospels that take place on Thursday must have happened late in the afternoon and evening.   We can’t be sure of the exact sequence of these events, but it appears to me that at some point during the supper, according to John 13:4, Jesus washes His disciple’s feet. This might have happened after Jesus overhears them arguing at the table who would be the greatest in the kingdom (Luke 22:24-30). Jesus is teaching them a practical lesson on humility. Keep in mind, Jesus knows that this Passover Supper is about His sacrificial death that will take place in just a few short hours.   Jesus already knows that Judas has sold Him for 30 pieces of silver, the disciples are expecting Him to set up an earthly kingdom very soon and they are seeking to be sitting next to Him on His throne. Jesus then gives the message on a heavenly kingdom in John 14 as He tells them that He is going to prepare a place for them, but He will come again (John 14:1-6).  Jesus also gives them the promise of the Holy Spirit in John 14 and 16. In John 15, Jesus teaches them the lesson on the True Vine and the importance as branches to abide in Him.   Then at some point Jesus also prays His High Priestly prayer that is recorded in John 17. All of this occurs on Thursday evening. Jesus also tells the disciples that one of them will betray Him and send Judas out. After the supper is ended, they sing a hymn, no doubt from the Psalms, and leave the Upper Room and make their way to the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane (John 18:1). Jesus also announces on the way there, that all of them would forsake Him and be scattered (Matthew 26:31).   Thursday evening ends with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane with His disciples. Jesus is praying but the disciples are sleeping.   I’m afraid that many of us are like the disciples on the eve of the greatest event in human history that will take place on Friday, the sacrificial death of Jesus on a cross, and we are arguing and being divided about things that really don’t matter!  Of course, the Resurrection of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit changed all that in the lives of the disciples and can transform us also!   God bless!

4m

Mar 28

Up to this point, we know that on Sunday Jesus made His triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem with His disciples. He was greeted by the crowds of common people with shouts of Hosanna, which meant “save us now”. For three and a half years they had heard messages on the kingdom and seen His miracles of healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, making lame men to walk, feeding the multitudes, and raising the dead! They sincerely thought that He was the Messiah who would save them from the hated Roman rule over them.   They wanted an external salvation of freedom but failed to realize that they must first have an internal salvation for their souls from their sins. This could only take place if Jesus fulfilled the prophesies like Isaiah 53 where He would bear their sins in His own body and died as the spotless Lamb of God, the Passover Lamb, in their place. In these last days just before His crucifixion, Jesus has privately been telling His disciples over and over again that He must suffer and that He would die and be resurrected.   Of course, this must have “troubled” the disciples (John 14:1), and particular one of them named Judas. We have already been told that he was a thief and was stealing from the common money the disciples shared. His dreams of ruling and getting a position of power and control in the Kingdom were falling apart and Satan puts it in his heart to get the most out of his position as a disciple and betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.   During this Passion Week, Jesus and His disciples were staying at the home of Mary and Martha in Bethany. Bethany is about two miles away from Jerusalem. The city would have been extremely crowded and chaotic during the Passover week. Jesus and His disciples walked those two miles each day to teach in the temple and then returned to Bethany for the night. We are pretty sure we know what Jesus did each day of this week, except for Wednesday. For that reason, this day has been called “silent Wednesday” by some scholars.   But most Bible scholars and commentators seem to agree and believe that Wednesday was the day spoken about in Matthew 26:14–16, Mark 14:10-11, and Luke 22:1-5, the day Judas chose to betray Jesus. Besides this we can’t find any other events that might have taken place. It is possible this is because the disciples needed time to prepare for the Passover meal. Did Mary and Martha help with that? The Passover celebration required shopping, cooking, and planning. Was everyone bustling around Jesus with important preparations while He was praying for the strength to make an impossibly difficult sacrifice?   We can imagine Jesus taking time on Wednesday to retreat to a quiet spot so that he could sit with his Abba and pray. It’s impossible to fathom what it would have been like for Jesus to be God incarnate, indwelling the limitations of a human body. He understood physical pain, he felt humiliation, He expected His death would be a horrendous ordeal for His human body to endure. He also knew that He was about to accomplish the purpose He had been born to do. He was going to provide salvation for anyone who would choose to believe and make Him Lord. What did Jesus pray about during that time with His Abba?   Maybe we should spend some of this day like Jesus did. Is there time in your schedule to simply turn the world off, take a walk, and spend some time with your Abba? If you are reading this on your office computer, take time during lunch or during the drive home to simply quiet your heart and think about what Jesus did that Wednesday—and the significance of the events in the days that followed.   Why doesn’t Scripture tell us what Jesus did that Wednesday? Maybe because it was the day Jesus chose to spend privately with God. Maybe we can consider doing the same. Your Abba would love to have that time with you . . . there is something He wants to tell you.   God bless!

4m

Mar 27

This week we are looking at the events in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ in what is called “Passion Week”, and what took place each day during this week. Remember that we should not be dogmatic about the exact chronology as we look at all four of the Gospel accounts, but we at least can get an idea of what was happening concerning the suffering of our Lord throughout the entire week. One of the events that took place on Monday was the cleansing of the Temple by Jesus. This must have infuriated the religious leaders and set up the scene for their confrontations with Jesus on Tuesday. Jesus did not attempt to avoid them and when He and His disciples He went directly to the temple for where they were waiting for Him with a plan to trip Him up in front of the crowd. Their goal is to discredit Him, shame Him or quiet Him. It’s time to show the people who's really in charge. As Jesus walked into the Temple, “the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, and they said to him, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?”’ (Mark 11:27–28) “Tell us Jesus, who do you think you are? We are the ones with authority here in the Temple—we are the high priests.” Jesus responds: “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? .... So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” (Mark 11:29–33) Their question backfired on them. The Sadducees take their turn and come up with a crazy story about a woman who marries seven brothers, one after the other as the previous one dies. They want to know which brother she would be married to in the resurrection. Jesus shamed them with His answer pointing out that they were ignorant of the Scriptures and the power of God. (Luke 20:27-33) Jesus was confronted with the question of the “Great Commandment” (Mark 12:28-34). He then confronts the religious leaders with His question, “Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: 'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool." ' Therefore David himself calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?" And the common people heard Him gladly” (Mark 12:35-37). Matthew’s Gospel tells us at the point, “And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions” (Matthew 22:42–46). Now in Matthew 23, with the priests and Pharisees silenced, Jesus lets them have it in front of the crowd. He spends 36 verses, which takes just under five minutes to speak out loud. He pronounces seven woes with specific accusations about their character, sin and condemnation. And He does it in the temple, in front of the crowd, to their faces. Jesus, then says to His disciples for all to hear, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation" (Luke 20:46-47). Then in contrast to these religious fakes, Jesus points out the widow and her meager offering of one mite (Mark 12:41-44). It is also possible that as He and the disciples leave the Temple and Jerusalem that Jesus gives both the Mount of Olivet Discourse concerning the end of the age (Matthew 24), and the parables of the ten virgins, the talents, and the judgment of the sheep and goat nations (Matthew 25). You can imagine the rage of the religious leaders now intent on putting Jesus to death! My friend, make sure you have a relationship with Jesus and not just a religion about Him. God bless!

5m

Mar 26

This week we are going to take a break from the book of Psalms and share the events in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ in what is called “Passion Week”. It is in these eight days that the greatest event in the course of human history takes place, and that is, the suffering, the death, the burial, and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t ever forget that Jesus suffered like no man ever suffered as He lays down His life as God’s perfect sacrifice for our sins! Because the four Gospels are not written in chronological order the Biblical scholars debate the exact order of events that took place each day of this week. I have chosen to use Dr. Harold Willington’s Guide to the Bible for our study this week. Dr. Willington was a dear friend of mine and I had to privilege to sit under his teaching during my time at Lynchburg Baptist College and even travel to the Holy Land with him on two occasions. It appears that after the events on Palm Sunday the Lord and His disciples spent the night in Bethany, a town about two miles east of Jerusalem just on the other side of the Mount of Olives (Matthew 21:17). This is where Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead, and his two sisters, Mary and Martha, lived. They were close friends of Jesus, and probably hosted Him and His disciples during their final days in Jerusalem. On Monday morning as Jesus and His disciples were crossing over the Mount of Olives Jesus saw a fig tree, and being hungry He stopped to eat some fruit from it but found only leaves (Mark 11:12-14).  He cursed it and immediately it withered away. Some scholars believe this cursing of the fig tree represented God's judgment on the spiritually dead religious leaders of Israel. But the truth is the symbolism of this event could extend to all believers, demonstrating that genuine faith is more than just outward religiosity; true, living faith must bear spiritual fruit in a person's life. Mark’s Gospel continues to tell us after that they continued to go up to Jerusalem. It was then that Jesus cleansed the temple. “So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a 'den of thieves.' " (Mark 11:15-17). It is so sad that many of our churches today have become places of entertainment and religious commercialism rather than houses of prayer. The thing we should do the most in our churches is the thing we do the least! I have a feeling that the Lord would be cleansing a host of our churches today as we promote everything but the Word of God and prayer! According to John’s Gospel it is possible that another event might have happened on this Monday in Jerusalem. “Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” (John 12:20-36) Jesus was of course speaking of His own death on the cross which would bear much fruit! He also added that the same truth can be applied to us. If will lose our life for His sake and we live for Him and not the world and ourselves, we will enjoy eternal life that will bring others to life in Christ too! This will glorify Jesus! (John 12:28) How healthy is your Spiritual life? God bless!

5m

Mar 25

We are going to take a break from the book of Psalms for the next eight days and share the events in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ in what is called “Passion Week”. It is in these eight days that the greatest event in the course of human history takes place, and that is, the suffering, the death, the burial, and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t ever forget that Jesus suffered like no man ever suffered as He lays down His life as God’s perfect sacrifice for our sins!  Actually, if we want to look back one day to Saturday, we will find that the Lord Jesus was anointed with oil by Mary.  “And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table” (Matt. 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:1-8). She was criticized by Judas and the disciples, but Jesus said, “She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her." (Mark 14:8-9). Jesus knew exactly what was going to take place in the course of this week! What a great place to start these devotions this week. We should be encouraged to know that the Lord takes great note of our sacrificial devotion, records it, and will greatly reward it! Today is called Palm Sunday. On this first day of the week, our Lord makes His triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matt. 21:1-11, 14-17; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-44). Luke’s Gospel tells us, "Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. (Luke 19:28-31) Mark’s Gospel informs us that this colt had never been ridden and it was tied (Mark 11:2-4). This is a beautiful picture of us as sinners. We are unbroken, rebelling against God, and to our sins! We are “tied” to our past, our guilt, our addictions, our bitterness and cannot lose ourselves. We need someone, sent by Jesus to tell us the story of His resurrection power and how He needs us to come into His family! Notice the colt was “by the door”! Remember Jesus is the door (John 10:9). The colt was We are outside the fold of safety. The colt was also When we are introduced to Jesus, we are at the crossroad of two ways. We must either choose Jesus, the Narrow Way, or reject Him and continue down the broad way that leads to destruction! When Jesus came into the City of Jerusalem, there was a great celebration by the people! When “much people …. heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem... cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.” (John 12:12-13) Both Matthew and Mark’s Gospel record this entry: "Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord"  "Hosanna to the son of David... Hosanna in the highest" "Blessed is the kingdom that cometh, the kingdom of our father David" (Matthew 21:9; Mark 11:9-10). It is sad to note, that in less than five days later, many in this crowd would be crying “crucify Him”.   The last thing we should note that took place on this day is the broken heart of Jesus over the city of Jerusalem. After the Pharisees criticized Jesus for accepting this praise he replied, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out." Then Luke also tells us “as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes….” (Luke 19:40-44). As Jesus faces the suffering of the cross, He is weeping over the lost condition of those who would crucify Him. May the Lord give us broken hearts like Jesus to pray and weep over the lost sinners around us today! God bless!

4m

Mar 24

Something interesting I just learned studying for this chat on Psalm 142 is that this is the last of the psalms attributed to David that relate to the years in which he was fleeing from Saul.  For other psalms that David wrote concerning this particular period of his life see, Psalms 7, 34, 52, 54, 56, 57, and 59. The title tells us that this is a psalm of David, written when he was in the cave. It does not tell us which cave, whether it is the one at Adullam (1 Sam. 22) or a cave in En Gedi (1 Sam. 24). We should also note that Psalm 142 is a maschil psalm, (a contemplation), a psalm that was written for instruction. David felt that the lessons he had learned in his troubles should be recorded to help and encourage others. For some reason this psalm did not find its way into the Hebrew hymnbook for a very long time. It was given its place probably by King Hezekiah, who could appreciate David's experiences, having gone through troubles enough of his own. For the background of this psalm, we need to remember David’s experiences up to this point. David's troubles as a young man came swiftly to a head at King Saul's court. After Saul had tried to have him murdered in his bed, he fled to Naioth. He had a secret meeting with his loyal friend Jonathan who promised to find out if it was safe for him to return home. Shortly afterward Jonathan returned for a clandestine meeting with David and warned him that his life was in danger. By this time King Saul was under the tormenting influence of a demon. Nine times in two chapters he tried to have David murdered (1 Samuel 19 and 20). Thoroughly frightened, David fled to Philistia for political asylum. It was a disastrous move and he escaped from Gath only by feigning to be insane himself. It may be that his friends even questioned his faith and his courage by doing something so crazy seek help from the hated Philistines, especially the ones at Gath where Goliath was from. Back in Israel, he sought refuge in the cave of Adullam, a big cave not far from the famous "valley of the shadow." It was a natural refuge for the beleaguered outlaw in a very dark and desperate time of his early years. David pictured this time as being in a “prison” (v. 7). But David finally did what God's people must always do in times of crisis: he looked to the Lord for help. He knew very little about Saul and his plans, but he did know about Jehovah and His great promises, and because of his faith in these assurances, he triumphed over both his feelings and his foes. In verses 1-2, David not only cried aloud with his voice, but he cried earnestly from his heart. He was a godly young man who had faithfully served the Lord and his king, and yet there he was in a cave, hiding like a guilty criminal. Later in life, David would understand more fully that during those fugitive years in the wilderness, God was equipping him for the work he would do the rest of his life, but at the time, his situation was miserable. His feelings were so pent up within him that he "poured out" his troubles (43:4; 62:8; 102 title) and his inner turmoil ("complaint"). God knew David's difficult situation better than he did, but the Lord has ordained that our prayers are a part of His providential answers. When we need bread, our heavenly Father wants us to come and ask (Luke 11:9-13). The word "trouble" means "in a tight place, in narrow straits" (Psalms 120:1; 138:7; 143:11). David would learn that those dangerous narrow places usually led to wider places and greater opportunities (Psalms 18:18-19; 4:1; 25:17). My friend, no matter how dark and deep the hole or “cave” we find ourselves alone in with our feelings of total abandonment from our family and friends, we can be assured that the LORD hears our prayers! God bless!

5m

Mar 23

It is obvious that David, the writer of Psalm 141, is being attacked by ruthless and evil people. It almost goes without saying, that as followers of Jesus Christ we will be attack by our enemy whenever we are determined to do the will of God and live a righteous and upright life like Noah or Job in an ungodly environment. Peter told us to be on guard because we have an adversary who goes about like a roaring lion. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). In this chapter we find at least five things that David did as he responded to these attacks. In verses 1-2, the first thing David does in his desperation is to seek the LORD. He prays and cries out to the LORD in his desperation.  In verses 3-4, the second thing David did was he made the choice and determined to keep himself from sin. He was tempted to say and do things that he knew God would not be pleased with and he asked the LORD to and keep his heart from being inclined to do evil and “practicing wicked works with men who work iniquity…”. In verse 5, the third thing David did was to accept God’s rebuke and counsel. David recognized that the LORD was involved in allowing this conflict or pain to come into his life. When we yield to God's will, the difficulties of life are tools that God uses to bring maturity to our lives. Often the Lord sends people to speak to us with a message of rebuke. Now in verses 6-7, the fourth thing that David did was to let God judge his enemies. These two verses have puzzled translators and expositors, but the general message seems clear. David continued to pray for his enemies, and he saw a day coming when God would judge them and vindicate his own cause (Ps. 138:8; 140:12). Perhaps it is best to translate the verbs "Let the judges be thrown down... let them learn that my words were true... let them say, 'As one plows.... '" To throw people from a cliff was a terrible form of execution (2 Chron. 25:12; Luke 4:29), but David is no doubt speaking in metaphorical language as in verses 1-5. When God has judged the leaders, their followers will agree that David's words were correct, especially when they see the unburied bones of those leaders bleaching in the sun. We need to allow God to do the same for us! Finally, in verses 8-10, the fifth thing David did in response to the attacks of his enemies was he was determined to keep going by faith. Fixing one's eyes on the invisible Lord means living by faith in His Word (Isa. 45:22; Heb. 12:1-2). God had anointed David to be king of Israel and nothing but David's own disobedience could frustrate that plan. God was David's refuge, and he was immortal until his work was done. If David had worried about the traps and hidden snares the enemy had set, he would have been paralyzed with fear; but he committed himself to the Lord and walked safely through the battlefield. Four simple words declare his faith, (v. 10). This reminds us of our Lord's experience in the synagogue at Nazareth, when the people became angry at His message and tried to throw Him from a cliff, “Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way." (Luke 4:30). Life goes on and there is work to do, so we must not allow tough situations to paralyze us but to energize us in trusting the Lord. Life's trials are not excuses for doing nothing; they are opportunities for claiming God's promises and experiencing His miraculous power. Satan obtained permission from God to attack Job’s family, his wealth, and his health. Yet Job responded, “The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). He went on to also say, (Job 13:15). May the LORD give us grace to keep our eyes on Jesus and have the patience and faith of Job and David! “But my eyes are upon You, O GOD the Lord; In You I take refuge…” (v. 8). God bless!

4m

Mar 22

5 Let the righteous strike me; It shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; It shall be as excellent oil; Let my head not refuse it. For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked. First let me say a thank you for your prayers these past couple days as we traveled back and forth to Roanoke to speak at Shelby Leonard’s home going celebration. It was a beautiful service honoring her godly life and her wonderful witness for the LORD. I’m sure she received a “grand entrance” into heaven this past Saturday night as she went from this earthly life to her eternal abode. Peter spoke about this in 2 Peter 1:10-11, “So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Thanks again for your prayers! Psalm 141 is written by David as he is responding to being attacked by ruthless and evil people. In this chapter we find at least five things that David did. In verses 1-2, the first thing David does in his desperation is to seek the LORD. He prays and cries out to the LORD in his desperation.   Yesterday we noticed in verses 3-4, that the second thing David did was he was determined and made the choice to keep himself from sin. He was tempted to say and do things that he knew God would not be pleased with and he asked the LORD to Now in verse 5, the third thing David did was to accept God’s rebuke and counsel. So often when we are attacked by someone, or we are facing a desperate situation, we respond in all the wrong ways. We might run to a friend or relative that we believe can bail us out of our trouble, or at least will take our side and feel sorry for us. Some of us might turn to drugs or alcohol to drown out our pain. David is determined to focus on the LORD and what He might be doing in his life. Actually, can also be translated "the Righteous One," referring to the Lord. David recognized that the LORD was involved in allowing this conflict or pain to come into his life. When we yield to God's will, the difficulties of life are tools that God uses to bring maturity to our lives. Often the Lord sends people to speak to us with a message of rebuke. Solomon would later instruct us with these words in Proverbs 1:23, “Turn at my rebuke; Surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.” Paul told Timothy that the Word of God was given for this purpose in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The major difference between King Saul and David was that Saul would not listen to rebuke and went from bad to worse. He made excuses, blamed others, or even if he acknowledged that he was wrong, he kept right on doing the same things. David was willing to turn at God’s rebuke and knew it was good for him. David knew that God’s rebukes, however they came to him, were like fragrant oil that cleansed him and brought healing to his soul and made him a better man!   As we face the problems and perils of the Christian life, it is important that we listen to wise counsel and obey it. God’s reproofs, however they might come to us, are a sign that we are God’s children and that He loves us! (Hebrews 12:5-11) God bless!

4m

Mar 21

This morning at 10am at Rainbow Forest Baptist Church in Troutville, VA, I will have the honor and privilege of speaking at the Home Going Celebration of Shelby Leonard. I met Shelby through her son, Alan Leonard around 28 years ago. I preached her husband’s, Fred Leonard, Home Going Service in 2013. Edith and I had many wonderful visits with her in her home over the years. She indeed was one of the sweetest and most humble ladies I have ever met. She was a saint in any way you could describe her. No matter what she was going through she always had the most beautiful smile and she always spoke kind and encouraging words to everyone. I just wanted to take a minute to honor her memory and celebrate her wonderful life with you in this chat! We are looking at Psalm 141 and thinking about how David, a man after God’s own heart, who throughout the psalms is crying out to God for help as he faces trials and tribulations time and time again in his life, from the beginning to the very end. But despite all his problems and challenges and failures, David was a man who continuously sought the LORD and desired to live for His glory. It appears that as David writes this psalm from wherever he was, he did not have access to the tabernacle at Shiloh where the priest led the worship and preformed the sacrifices, burned the incense and pray the prayers for the people. But David knew that no matter where he was or he might find himself, he could still make a holy sanctuary and a place of worship. We should follow his example and know that we can make even our times of pain, trial, disappointment, discouragement, a time we can seek the LORD for the grace we need. We can determine in our hearts that God will hear our prayer as we call out to Him in our desperation. This is basically what we read about in verses 1-2, as the first thing David does in his desperation is to seek the LORD. Now, in verses 3-4, the second thing David is determined and chooses to do is to keep himself from sin! As we already have said, this psalm is closely linked with the preceding one. Some expositors suggest that some of the courtiers in Saul's attendance were planning to get rid of Saul. There can be no doubt that Saul was anything but an ideal king. Under him the nation was going to ruin. The countryside was beset by outlaws: those in debt, those in distress, those filled with discontent. Many of these drifters later joined up with David, under whose wholesome influence they were transformed into an efficient body of fighting men. Saul himself was lashed periodically by fits of demonic, ungovernable rage. Worst of all, the nation was a constant prey to its enemies, particularly the warlike Philistines against whom King Saul had no success at all. Jonathan, twice the man his father was, vacillated between loyalty to Saul and love for David. In any case, he made no effort to conceal his conviction that he would never be king, that the throne belonged to David. Those who desired to get rid of Saul were possibly trying to use David to further their own ambitions. They would befriend him, play on his fears and ambitions, and use him to assassinate Saul. Then they would make short work of him and place their own man on the throne. The evidence for such a scenario is not historical but circumstantial but it fits with what we see in this psalm. David was under tremendous pressure and he faced a great temptation to compromise with the enemy, and he knew this was wrong. But, they were slandering him so why should he not slander them? But the problem was with his heart, not his mouth, and he prayed for a heart that would not be inclined to approve of their sins and imitate them (Prov. 4:23). David pictured his temptation as "eating their delicacies" (see Prov. 4:14-17). Times of testing become times of temptation when we stop believing and start scheming, and when we ask, "How can I get out of this?" instead of "What can I get out of this?"  God bless!

5m

Mar 20

It is hard to believe that we have now come to the last ten chapters in this wonderful book of Psalms. As I have been reading through the Psalms over the years and especially these past couple of weeks I have noticed a recurring theme throughout the book. David, who wrote more than half of the psalms is constantly crying out for God to help him as he faces difficult trials and desperate situations. It is a repeated theme, over and over again, that you can’t help but see. David did have some wonderful highlights in his life, like when he killed Goliath and became a national hero overnight. But for most of his life after that he was plagued with trouble, evil and wicked men who sought to destroy him, family issues beyond imagination with even his own son leading an insurrection against him. God had a special way of keeping David humble and totally dependent upon the LORD for deliverance and help. Honestly that is the best position to be in ourselves! When we understand that we desperately need God every day of our lives and in deep humility acknowledge our total dependance upon Him, we will find like Paul, that when we are weak then we are strong because it then that the power and glory of God is reveal to us and in us! God uses circumstances, uses people and a host of other things to get our attention so that we will keep our eyes upward looking to Him in our desperation for the help we need! Psalm 141 ties into the two previous psalms with this theme. In Psalm 139 after David speaks of how God marvelously and wonderfully created him, all of a sudden he cries out in verse 19, “Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.” Psalm 140 begins with, “Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men; Preserve me from violent men, Who plan evil things in their hearts; They continually gather together for war.”   Psalm 141 begins with, “LORD, I cry out to You; Make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You”. The enemy was after David again and he needed immediate help. It has been suggested that David wrote this psalm after his cave experience with Saul (1 Sam. 24), or perhaps he wrote it when he was away from the sanctuary during Absalom's rebellion. This psalm reveals David making a number of wise decisions as he faced the attacks of the enemy. He does at least five things. First in verse 1-2, David determines to seek the LORD’s help. Whenever the enemy caused trouble, David's first response was to pray. "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (27:1). He was a man with spiritual insight who understood that he could pray and worship God even if he was away from the sanctuary and had no priest to assist him. Each evening, the Jewish priest would offer a burnt offering on the brazen altar and also burn incense on the golden altar, but God accepted David's prayer and uplifted hands. Frankincense was usually included with the burnt offering. (See Ex. 30:1-10, 34-38; Lev. 2:2.) Incense is a picture of prayer going up to the Lord (Rev. 5:8; 8:4). David's hands were empty but his heart was full of love for the Lord and faith in His promises. Both Ezra (Ezra 9) and Daniel (Dan. 9) prayed at the time of the evening offering. After the second temple was built, this psalm was read when the evening sacrifices were offered and the lamps were lit in the holy place. My friend, in the time of our desperation the first thing we should do is also seek the Lord with our whole heart! “I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4) God bless!

5m

Mar 19

There are several things we have learned from Psalm 140 and at least four lessons we should take to heart. David wrote this psalm and gave it to the chief musician to be sung for generations to come. Our songs, poems, and hymns often are a story of our life experiences and should be passed down to our children to give them guidance for their lives. It appears that this collection of eight psalms at the end of the book were put together by someone years later for this very purpose. In verses 1-5, David is crying out for the LORD to deliver, preserve and keep him safe from evil and violent people. We can expect sinners, wicked and evil people to hate the righteous and attempt to destroy them. We shouldn’t be surprised! It has been this way from the very beginning of the human race. Cain murdered his brother Abel, “because his works were evil and his brother's righteous” (1 John 3:12). In verses 6-8, like David we can pray and trust the LORD to We can pray that the evil schemes of the wicked will fail. We definitely need to be doing this today! In verses 9-11, we can trust the LORD to return to the wicked what he intended to do to us. Our enemies think they are hurting us, but they are really hurting themselves. The trouble they cause us will only come right back on their own heads, for it is an inexorable law of God that people reap what they sow. We should always remember Galatians 6:7-9, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” The wicked dropped burning coals on David's head, but God would return the same to them. Verse after verse in the Bible assures us of this: (Psalms 11:6; 18:8; 120:4; Proverbs 25:22; Genesis 19:24). The destructive fires they lit with their tongues would burn them, and they would fall into the pits they had dug for David (v. 10). For more references to this look up Psalms 7:15; 9:15; 35:7-8; Proverbs 26:27. The wicked hunted David and set traps for him, but evil would eventually hunt them down and destroy them (v. 11). Num. 32:23) is a Biblical truth that will always be fulfilled. We should also remember, “If God be for us, who can be against us” (Romans 8:31). Finally in verses 12-13, we know the end of the story. We have read the whole history of the life of David and God’s people, so we know that God did maintain David's cause, defeat his enemies, and keep His promise to put him on the throne of Israel. David would establish a dynasty that would eventually bring the Savior into the world. He would write nearly half of the psalms, he would expand and defend the borders of the kingdom, and he would make the preparations necessary for the building of the temple. What a great man he was because he trusted in the Lord! David was grateful to God for His intervention, and he determined to live to glorify the God of Israel. David wrote, "The Lord will accomplish what concerns me" (138:8), and God honored His faith. My friend, you can be assured that for God's devoted people, the best is yet to come. (v. 13). We still have heaven to look forward to and experience the very presence of God forever (Psalm 23:6)! Yield to Him and He will accomplish what He has planned for you, and you will be satisfied. God bless

5m

Mar 18

6 I said to the LORD: "You are my God; Hear the voice of my supplications, O LORD. 7 O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle. 8 Do not grant, O LORD, the desires of the wicked; Do not further his wicked scheme, Lest they be exalted. Selah If there is one thing that we should learn from the life of David that we can apply to our journey as believers, it is that before we can wear the crown, we must experience the Cross. Jesus also exemplified this great truth of the Bible. Suffering always precedes a greater experience of the presence of God in our lives. The persecuted church leaders in China told us, “Don’t pray that persecution will stop, but that we will have faith, patience and strength to endure it. Persecution is good for the church; it keeps us purified.” Psalm 140 was born out of a time of intense suffering and persecution in the life of David. For 15 long years after he was anointed to be the next king of Israel by the prophet Samuel David experienced hell on earth as Saul became jealous and sought to kill him. When David still tried to serve on Saul’s court, he was surrounded by evil and violent men who hated him because of his righteous life and pure motives. In verses 1-5, we see what sinners will always do to those who live righteous lives around them. They will hate them and attempt to remove them. David was a light in the midst of great darkness and so are we today! Our lives expose the evil intents of wicked hearts, and they can’t stand it. A sinner will either repent or he will attempt deny even the existence of a holy God to cover his evil deeds and to enjoy the temporary pleasure he receives from them. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:7, “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world…”. A righteous life condemns the wicked around us and they can’t stand it. Jesus said that is why they hated Him and that we would be hated for the same reason. My friend we are experiencing this in America today as the media, Hollywood, and liberal politicians mock, deride and blame Christians for everything. In verses 6-8, David first responds to this persecution by affirming his faith in the LORD! We also must affirm our faith in the Lord and not be ashamed to confess it openly. We must humbly ask Him for the help we need to live and work among difficult people who hate us and want to see us fail. Also, whenever David found himself in that kind of a situation, he gave himself to prayer and asked God for the wisdom to know what to do and the strength to do it. Here he asked God to put a helmet on his head and protect him from deception and danger. This reminds us of Ephesians 6:17, “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” He also prayed for his enemies, that their evil desires would change, and their evil plans would not succeed. If they succeeded, they would only become proud and go on to do greater evil. Our prayers for godless people must focus on changing their character, and not just stopping their persecution of believers. In the New Testament we are taught by Jesus to do this: “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Someone must have prayed this for Saul in the book of Acts, and he became the great apostle who “turned the world upside down” with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. May the LORD give us grace to respond in this way today! God bless!

4m

Mar 17

1 Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men; Preserve me from violent men, 2 Who plan evil things in their hearts; They continually gather together for war. 3 They sharpen their tongues like a serpent; The poison of asps is under their lips. Selah 4 Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; Preserve me from violent men, Who have purposed to make my steps stumble. 5 The proud have hidden a snare for me, and cords; They have spread a net by the wayside; They have set traps for me. Selah The title of Psalm 140 informs us that David is the writer of this psalm which was given to the choir leader to be sung by God’s people. For sure, songs are a reflection of our personal stories that let people know what we experienced in life and how we responded to it. Songs also reflect our culture and our history. David lived around 1,000 years before Christ, which means he wrote this psalm over 3,000 years ago and it still exist today to give a glimpse of how he trusted the LORD in the midst of his troubles. It is obvious in these first five verses that David is dealing with difficult circumstances at this time in his life. He cries out to the LORD to deliver him, to preserve him, to keep him and again in verse 4, to preserve him from violent men. It seems likely that the circumstances behind this psalm occurred during David's years as a member of King Saul's official staff, when Saul's envy and paranoia were developing. In their attempt to please the king, some of Saul's officers spread lies about young David and even tried to set traps to make him look bad. They can just as easily relate to circumstances surrounding David in the tragic days of the Absalom rebellion. In this psalm it is evident that David was being slandered and that violence was lurking in the background, waiting to strike once slander had done its poisonous work. Some believe that it is possible that King Hezekiah had an old copy of David’s psalms and possibly put this collection of eight psalms together. He might have picked this particular one up and used it to pray when Rabshakeh's glib tongue was seeking to subvert the Jerusalem garrison (2 Kings 18). Or perhaps it was picked up and used by the restored captives when they returned and were surrounded by enemy forces as they attempted to rebuild the temple and walls of Jerusalem. God's people face similar situations today, for Satan is a murderer (John 8:44), a slanderer and accuser (Rev. 12:10), and a deceiver (2 Cor. 11:3). He is determined to discourage us, make us despondent and drive us into depression where we lose any hope that God cares about us and can help us. There are several lessons that we can learn from this psalm that encourage us to trust God and be faithful when Satan's servants oppose us. In verse 1-5, we must see that David's presence among Saul's leaders was like light in darkness (Eph. 5:8) and health in a hospital. When confronted by a godly man like David, Saul and his leaders either had to change their ways or get rid of him, and they chose the latter course. They were evil men (v. 1) who planned evil (v. 2), spoke evil (v. 3), and practiced evil (vv. 4-5). Note that verse 3b is quoted in Romans 3:13 as part of the evidence Paul assembled that proves the depravity of the human heart. The phrase "the evil man" (v. 1) is collective, for the pronouns in the psalm are plural (vv. 2-4, 6, 8). What David needed from the Lord was wisdom to avoid their traps and protection from their violent plans. You meet the "hunting metaphor" in Psalms 9:16, 31:4, 119:110, 141:9, and 142:3, and the "sharp tongue" image is found in Psalms 52:2, 55:21, 57:4, 59:7, and 64:3. As God's people in an evil world, we must expect the opposition of the enemy and trust the Lord to enable us to overcome (John 16:33). That is also why we should pray the model prayer every day in Matthew 6:9-13 asking God to God bless!

4m

Mar 16

PSALM 139:19-24 FOR THE CHIEF MUSICIAN. A PSALM OF DAVID. 19 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men. 20 For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain. 21 Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? 22 I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.  Today, we will finish our chats on Psalm 139, a great chapter that reminds us that our awesome God is both omniscience and omnipresent! David first looks at how God intimately knows him and his every thought. God knows where he is and there is no place he can flee or hide from His presence. Then he recalls in awe how God created him in his mother’s womb, designing every detail of his body and planning out His life! Realizing this David knows that there is no way we can deceive God, no way we can escape God, and no way we can ignore God! Therefore, the only conclusion is that the most sensible thing in all the world is that we should obey God! Suddenly in verses 19-22, David turns from his marveling at Who God is and what God has done in creating him and directing his life, to the evil world and the wicked people in it that choose to oppose God and dispute what He says about them in in His Word. David called these people wicked, violent, liars, blasphemers, and rebels, and he grieved because of them. Even as we should take the time and make the effort to set our minds and thoughts on heavenly things and God’s wonderful love and plan for our lives, we must also accept and deal with the reality of the wicked and evil world in which we live. David’s first response was to pray that God would deal harshly with them. The Scriptures teach that “God is angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11).  It might appear that they are getting by with their evil deeds, but God is keeping a record and is noting every detail that He will call them to account for one day. At the same time God also grieves over sinners and is not willing that any should perish (Ezekiel 33:10-11). The Father grieves over the wicked (Gen. 6:6). The Son does (Mark 3:5; Luke 19:41), and so does the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30). Yes, it is difficult to love rebellious sinners and still hate their sins, but we need more "holy hatred" in this day when blatant sin is a popular form of entertainment. For more verses on how we should respond see Psalm 11:5; 45:7; 97:10; Amos 5:14-15; and Romans 12:9, 19-21. Whenever we pray "Thy kingdom come," we are asking the Lord to judge the wicked, and then we must leave the matter in His hands. We also need to notice how David closed this chapter with a prayer for God to search His own heart, know his anxieties and concerns, forgive him, and lead him. We must be cautious as we examine ourselves because we do not even know our own hearts (Jeremiah 17:9). It is best to open the Word and let the Spirit search us and speak to us, for then we discover the truth about ourselves (Hebrews 4:12-13; James 1:21-27) We must never dispute with God, for He loves us and wants only the very best for us. Yes, my friend, God intimately knows us, He is always with us, and we should never ignore Him since He is the One who gives us our life and sustains it! And most of all He loved us so much that He gave His only begotten Son to die in our place for our sins (Romans 5:8). God Bless!

5m

Mar 15

America is facing a major crisis today as we deal with several generations of young people who have been taught that they evolved from animals, and human life is no different than animal life. Because we have devalued life, they are growing up with little or no purpose for living. As a result, we are experiencing the highest suicide rates ever, violence, anarchy, disrespect, looting, stealing, lying, drug and alcohol abuse, and many more destructive behaviors. Paul described it this way in Romans 1:28-32, “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” This is exactly what happens when we believe the lies of the Evil One and deny the existence of the Holy God Who created us in His image. Psalm 139 is one of the greatest passages in literature about the miracle of human conception and birth. There are several things we have already learned from this great chapter! In verses 1-6, we saw where God is omniscience and that He knows us intimately and we can never deceive Him. He knows our thoughts before we think them. He takes notice of every word we speak and searches us out in our innermost being. In verses 7-12, David reminds us that God is omnipresent and that He is with us constantly and there is no place we can hide from Him! Now in verses 13-18, David declares that God is present at conception and birth, and because we are made in the image of God and God has a special purpose for each person who is born. We live in and with our bodies all our lives, and we know how amazing they are. God formed us as He wants us to be, and we must accept His will no matter how we feel about our genetic structure, our looks, or our abilities. The verb in verse 13, means (see Isa. 32:12), and "skillfully wrought" in verse 15 is translated in Exodus. In the mother's womb, the Lord weaves and embroiders a human being, and abortion interrupts this miracle. What a tragedy! But the Lord did more than design and form our bodies; He also planned and determined our days (v. 16). This probably includes the length of life (Job 14:5) and the tasks He wants us to perform (Eph. 2:10; Phil. 2:12-13). This is not some form of fatalism or heartless predestination, for what we are and what He plans for us come from God's loving heart (Psalm 33:11) and are the very best He has for us (Rom. 12:2). If we live foolishly, we might die before the time God has ordained, but God's faithful children are immortal until their work is done. How can we ignore God when He has given us such a marvelous body and planned for us a wonderful life? Life is not a prison, it is an exciting pilgrimage, and the Lord has prepared us for what He prepared for us. Our responsibility is to yield ourselves to Him daily, ponder His thoughts found in His Word (Psalm 92:5; Isa. 55:8-9), and walk in the Spirit. God thinks of us! (Jeremiah 29:11). Should we not think about Him?  God bless!

5m

Mar 14

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me," Even the night shall be light about me; 12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You. Psalm 139 is one of the most notable of the sacred hymns. It sings of the omniscience and omnipresence of God reminding us that God knows all about us and that He is everywhere, and He is always with us! It also describes how God marvelously created each one of us and teaches us that life begins at conception and every human-being is of tremendous value to God! Some commentators believe that this psalm was written by David shortly after he had united the nation, defeated its foes, put its internal affairs in order, and settled down to be a shepherd-king to Israel. Then it occurred to him that the living God of Israel, the God he had hymned in scores of psalms, the God to whom he owed everything, still lived in a tent. He determined to build God a temple, a temple fitting for such a God as Jehovah. He shared his desire with Nathan the prophet, who gave immediate approval. But then God spoke to Nathan and informed him that David's son would build that temple. But God also revealed to Nathan that since David was concerned about God's house, God would be concerned about David's house. He would establish David's house as a permanent dynasty until the coming of Christ. The Davidic Covenant was established, and when David heard Nathan’s message about it in 2 Samuel 7and 1 Chronicles 17, the promise rang in David's soul. He told the Lord so, and his heart was overwhelmed at the greatness of God's thoughts toward him. It is possible that David might have gone to his room that night, not to sleep, but to write this hymn, Psalm 139. Maybe that is why he wrote in Psalm 139:17 & 18, “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand…” Yesterday in verses 1-6, we saw where God is omniscience and that He knows us intimately and we can never deceive Him. He knows our thoughts before we think them. He takes notice of every word we speak and searches us out in our innermost being. Today, in verses 7-12, David reminds us that God is omnipresent and that He is with us constantly and there is no place we can hide from Him! It is amazing that we think that we can hide from God! But because of the sin nature we were born with, when we realize we have broken God’s holy law, we attempt to run and hide from Him. Or we attempt to deny that there is even a God in heaven Who is aware of our deeds.  That is what most of America is doing today! But all the "escape routes" we go down are futile. David reminds us if we go up to heaven or down to hell or sheol, the realm of the dead, God is there. If we take the and we travel the speed of light to the east or west (the Mediterranean Sea was west of Israel), His hand will catch us and tenderly lead us. We cannot hide even in the darkness, for to the Lord, the darkness is as the light. God wants to walk with us and guide us, because His plan for us is the very best. Why should we want to run away and hide? Adam and Eve tried it and failed (Gen. 3:8), and so did the prophet Jonah, who only went from bad to worse. My dear friend, we need God's presence with us if we want to enjoy His love and fulfill His purposes. Take time to read Isaiah 43:1-7 and don’t forget Psalm 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” God bless!

4m

Mar 13

PSALM 139:1-6 FOR THE CHIEF MUSICIAN. A PSALM OF DAVID. 2 You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. 3 You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. Psalm 139 is one of the more well-known psalms in the collection of psalms. It answers so many questions about life, such as, who we are, where we came from, where are we going, what is our purpose, and what is our value. From the title we know that David was the writer. He is obviously a poetic genius and a man who knew and loved God. God is referred to by name six times and by personal pronoun thirty times. The psalmist refers to himself fifty times. It is a song of profound spiritual experience. All such experience is, by its nature, personal and intimate. David gave it to the “Chief Musician”, to be sung by the sanctuary choir in worship of our great and glorious God! It is important to remember that what we think about God and our relationship to Him determines what we think about everything else that makes up our busy world. How we view other people, the universe, God's Word, God's will, sin, faith, and obedience all come from our thoughts of God. Wrong ideas about God will ultimately lead to wrong ideas about who we are and what we should do, and this leads to a wrong life on the wrong path toward the wrong destiny. In other words, our theology, which is the right knowledge of God, is essential to a fulfilled life in this world. David contemplated God and wrote for us a psalm whose message can only encourage us to be in a right relationship with Him. First in verses 1-6, David reminds us that God knows us intimately and we cannot deceive Him. I’ve been told that the number one major that students chose to take in college is psychology. A degree that few will actually use in their professional life after college. The reason is that the students are at a stage in life where they are searching for themselves and their purpose in life. What would be better for them to know is that God is them according to verse 1. The verb means "to examine with pain and care." The Jewish people used this word to describe digging deep into a mine, exploring a land, and investigating a legal case. Our friends see the outside, but God sees the heart, and we cannot deceive Him. Adam and Eve tried it (Gen. 3:7-24), Cain tried it (Gen. 4:1-15), and even David tried it (2 Sam. 11-12), and all of them discovered that God knew all about them. "Understand" in verse 2 means "to distinguish and discern with insight" and not just gather raw data. " Comprehend " in verse 3 is a picture of winnowing grain, and in verse 23 means "to test metal." The fact that God knows us intimately and exhaustively is asserted in verses 1, 2, 4, 14, and 23. He knows our actions, our locations, our thoughts and words, our ways, and our motives. "All things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account" (Hebrews 4:13). But even more, He knows what is best for us and does all He can to guide us that way. He hems us in behind and before and puts His hand on us to steady us and direct us. In verse 5, the word translated means God has "enclosed" us and . In other words, God's knowledge and guidance are for our protection. What should be our response to this? We should be overwhelmed by the height and depth of God's knowledge and be thankful that He knows us perfectly. When David thought about this he could not help but exclaimed, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.” My friend, even with 8 billion people on planet earth, God knows you, loves you, and cares so much for you that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to make a way for you to know Him and experience an abundant life! You are of tremendous value to Him! God bless!

5m

Mar 12

Psalm 138 is about what happens when God answers prayer! And saying that, I want to thank you all for your many prayers these past several weeks as we traveled both to India and Jordan. Truly God answered your prayers keeping us safe, healthy, giving us strength and endurance, and blessing us with very successful and exciting opportunities to minister. I got back to my home in Sneads Ferry NC Saturday afternoon and was able to get some wonderful rest in my own bed. Again, I can’t thank you enough for your prayers and support which made it possible for me to be a part of two great ministry teams that were able to accomplish so much in so little time! Psalm 138 is the first of eight psalms attributed to David. They form a special collection just before the five "Hallelujah Psalms" that climax the book. The psalm probably grew out of the opposition of the neighboring nations when David became king of a united Israel (2 Sam. 5; 8:1-14). It was God's plan that David reign over Israel (v. 8), but the Jebusites, Philistines, and Moabites wanted a divided Israel with a weak leader. David knew God's will, prayed for God's help (v. 3), trusted God for victory (vv. 7-8), and defeated the enemy. The psalm does not mention the Lord until verse 4, but it is obvious that Jehovah is the object of David's prayers and praise. In this psalm we need to notice at least three things that happens when God answers prayer. First in verses 1-3, answered prayer glorifies God's name.  "The gods" in verse 1 are the false gods of the nations that attacked David (Ps. 82:7). His victories over their armies were God's victories, and David wanted Jehovah to have the praise and glory (Jer. 50:1-2). The word translated "temple" means "sanctuary" and was applied to the tabernacle at Shiloh (see 1 Sam. 1:9; 3:3). In verse 2, the phrase, “For You have magnified Your word above all Your name”, seems to mean, "I trusted your promises and prayed, and the Lord answered above and beyond anything that He promised." It is another way of expressing Ephesians 3:20, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us”. God answered David’s prayer and this brought glory to His name. In verses 4-5, we see that answered prayer gives witness to the lost world around us. Jehovah is not only higher than the gods of the enemy, He is also greater than their rulers. David's victories proved that. However, there were Gentile kings who rejoiced that David had won the battles—rulers such as Hiram (2 Sam. 5:11) and Toi (2 Sam. 8:9). David prayed that the day would come when all the kings of the earth would hear God's Word and praise the Lord for His promises to Israel. Beginning with Egypt, every nation that has opposed and persecuted Israel has gone down in defeat, as God promised to Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3). Then in verses 6-8, answered prayer accomplishes God's purposes in our lives. Jehovah is the Highest of the high and the Greatest of the great, but He is also willing to become the Lowest of the low and stoop down to meet our needs. To "look upon the lowly" means to pay attention to them and regard them with favor (11:4; 113:5-9; Isa. 57:15 and 66:2; Luke 1:47-55). David gave thanks that the Lord knew his need and came to his aid. In His covenant with David (2 Sam. 7), God revealed that He had a great purpose to fulfill through David's life, and He would not allow the enemy to thwart that purpose. This is true of believers today (Phil. 1:6 and 2:13; Eph. 2:10 and 3:20; Col. 1:29), and He will not forsake us. It has well been said that the purpose of prayer is not to get man's will done in heaven but to get God's will done on earth, and this was demonstrated in David's life. Praise the LORD as we have experienced God perfecting and accomplishing His purposes in our lives on these two trips and answering your prayers that have brought glory to the Name of our Great God! God bless!

5m

Mar 11

PSALM 138:1-8  A PSALM OF DAVID 1 I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You. 2 I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name. 3 In the day when I cried out, You answered me, And made me bold with strength in my soul. In verse 4 David said, “In the day when I cried out, You answered me, And made me bold with strength in my soul.”  David said that he prayed and cried out and God answered him and gave him inward strength to face his challenges. It is amazing how Psalm 138 is so fitting for our time in both India and Jordan these past several weeks! For sure the Lord has given us strength for this amazing journey! I can’t thank you enough for your prayers and support. Today is our last day and we are preparing to catch a flight back to the U.S. tonight. Our time here in Amman Jordan has been very interesting, exciting and rewarding! It is amazing what all can happen in such a short period of time.   We have participated in several distributions of food and household goods for several hundred refugees over the past week.  In each one we had the opportunity to share our testimonies and a message of God’s love and grace which was received very warmly. Our team of 6 divided up into two groups and probably went into at least 15 homes of refugees from Syria and Iraq. On many occasions we all went together. We listened to story after story of how family members were killed as they fled for their lives from ISIS in 2014. At the same time, we heard amazing testimonies about how the Lord brought them to salvation and miraculously answered their prayers and has provided for their needs. There were many tears as we heard them recount their suffering and even their present situations where unless a miracle happens, they have a very bleak future. In one of our last visits a dear older lady shared how her son and brother was killed one night by ISIS in Iraq. She went into detail about what she went through in her pain and loss but the whole time she had the most amazing smile, countenance and glow on her face! She shared how finally a pastor’s wife prayed over her and she was able to forgive the men who killed her son and brother and begin to pray for them. At that time a peace came over her that lifted her out of her despair and set her free with a peace that was indescribable.   We also spent three mornings visiting three different ministry centers where most of their staff took the time to share with us what they are doing to bring hope and hands on help for refugees and many who have suffered physical, emotional and mental trauma beyond our ability to describe. As we listened all we could do is weep and put our faces in our hands and pray. We plan on partnering with at least two of these ministries as they desperately need both financial, prayer and volunteer support! They have websites that we will share later.   Needless to say, because of Arab culture here in the Middle East, at every visit we were served tea, coffee, sweets and on many occasions full Iraqi, Syrian or Jordanian meals! I have gained several pounds but really enjoyed every moment of our time with these precious people. We have anointed many with oil and prayed over them for special healing. Again, Psalm 138 is an awesome reminder of how our God is still at work in His harvest fields. And we had the firsthand experience of seeing and hearing of the great movement of the Holy Spirit in opening the eyes and hearts and minds of multitudes of precious souls in this region.  Truly He is magnifying both His Word and His Name as He manifest both His lovingkindness and His truth to so many here and around the world today! God bless!

5m

Mar 08

TUESDAY MARCH 05 “I WILL PRAISE YOU…”   PSALM 138:1-8  A PSALM OF DAVID 1 I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You. 2 I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name. 3 In the day when I cried out, You answered me, And made me bold with strength in my soul. 4 All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O LORD, When they hear the words of Your mouth. 5 Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the LORD, For great is the glory of the LORD. 6 Though the LORD is on high, Yet He regards the lowly; But the proud He knows from afar. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. 8 The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.   Our team is having a wonderful time ministering to the refugees here in Amman Jordan. Yesterday we divided into two teams and visited their homes where we had the opportunity to listen to their stories and connect with them. Of course, we drank a lot of tea and coffee in each home, ate a lot of snacks and in one home we were served a full Iraqi delicious meal.   Most of them have been here at least 6 years waiting for a visa to go to another country. They are not able to work here and are totally dependent upon outside resources to survive. In our first home visit, the parents had three teenage daughters and the reason they left Iraqi was because the girls were not safe there. We heard that story many times. In this particular apartment there was only one bedroom, and the living conditions were very poor. I noticed in the very small bedroom that 5 thin mattresses were stacked up on each other with a pile of blankets nearby. I’m guessing that they simply spread out the mattresses out and cover up. The apartment was very cold. But the parents were still very joyful and thankful that they were alive and professed that they were followers of Jesus!   In the home where we were fed the awesome meal, we heard the story of how they had to flee from Isis. They left behind a beautiful home and a very successful business they had built up over 40 years. They grabbed their documents, jumped into one of their cars in the middle of the night with their three children and fled for their lives. They lost everything but their lives. This couple has been here as refugees for 8 years and are still waiting for a visa to another country. Yet they never quit smiling and being great host as they testified to God’s love and grace during this time. Our hearts were truly touched!   In our last home visit very late in the evening we experienced another large Iraqi family that also has been here for over 6 years having fled from Bagdad because it was unsafe for their daughters and ladies in the family. Through the ministry here they had also become believers and were rejoicing in the Lord. The dad shared how he now has read through the Bible 6 times since he has plenty of time! They openly witness to anyone who visits with them, and they shared the story with us of how the LORD answered their prayer with a miracle of healing a grandson who was declared to be blind and would never see.  The wife kept saying that all she prayed for was that the LORD would show them His glory! We thought we had gone by to bless and encourage them, but we were the ones who were blessed.   Thank you so much for your prayers! I’m afraid we take a lot for granted in America and in our comfortable lives there!   I will be starting to look at Psalm 138 in our Pastor’s Chat video today! I trust you will get a chance to view it and you will join David in his praise to the LORD for answered prayer!   God bless!

5m

Mar 05

Today we had the opportunity to worship at the Nazarene Church here in Amman. It was a wonderful and blessed experience with great music and a wonderful message from the Pastor. He preached on Jesus having compassion on those who are ignorant from Hebrews 5:2. When he gave the invitation and asked people to stand if they needed the compassion of Jesus and desired to repent it appeared to me that at least 20 people immediately stood up and prayed with him. The service was in Arabic and the pastor’s wife translated both the worship music and the message into English for us. She did an awesome job and we understood everything that was going on. Afterwards we were privileged to go the pastor’s office with him and his wife and spend about an hour with them over some tea and pastries. I can’t tell you how encouraging that meeting was as they shared their vision of ministry and Kingdom work with our team! Already they are very engaged with Grace Church and the ministry to refugees and have a genuine heart to make a difference in this part of the world and beyond as a missionary sending church! We were truly blessed! Afterwards we spent a couple hour with Pastor Wasim and Lillian in their apartment! We ate a awesome Egyptian meal with them and had a great time of fellowship hopefully encouraging them as much as they did us! It is amazing that Psalm 137 fits so well into our current time here in Amman. It is about the people of Israel who have been displaced from their homeland and currently living in a strange and foreign place where they have been taken as captives. They are hurting and have painful memories. The unknown psalmist is expressing both his thoughts and feelings about his memories of Jerusalem and how they are being treated by their captors. Music was also one way of expressing their grief and seeking the help of the Lord "who gives songs in the night" (Job 35:10). These former exiles remembered the times their guards demanded that they entertain them by singing one of the "songs of Zion." What biting sarcasm! The Babylonians knew how the Jews honored Mount Zion and the city of Jerusalem, and how they boasted of Zion's strength and security (46:5, 7, 10, 11; 48; 76:1-3; 87), but now, the city and temple were in ruins. In their sarcasm, the guards were asking, "Where is your God? Why did He not deliver you?" (See 42:3, 10; 79:10; 115:2.) The exiles had refused to obey; they did not sing for their captors. Why? For one thing, the Babylonians wanted "the Lord's song" (v. 4), and the Jewish people were not about to use sacred temple hymns to entertain the pagans. Their captors wanted "songs of mirth," and the exiles had no joy. They had lost everything but God and their lives, and being normal people, they were deeply pained in their hearts. Their city, temple, and homes had been destroyed, their people had been deported, and the throne of David had been cast to the ground. But even worse, they had seen the Babylonian soldiers get great glee out of throwing Jewish babies against the walls and smashing their heads (v. 9). It was one way the Babylonians could limit the future generation of their enemies. Yes, memories can bring pain, and the pain does not go away when we try to "bury" the memories. Denial usually makes things worse. But the fact that the exiles could talk about these painful things indicates that they were facing them honestly and learning how to process this pain in a mature way. It takes time for broken hearts to heal, and Jesus can heal them if we give Him all the pieces (147:3; Luke 4:18). Again, I remind you that we are ministering to precious refugees here in Amman this week who have tragic memories and a very painful past for the most part. Please keep us in your prayers as we share God’s love and His Son with them! God bless!

5m

Mar 03

1 By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, yea, we wept When we remembered Zion. 3 For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song, And those who plundered us requested mirth, Saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!" 5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand forget its skill! 6 If I do not remember you, Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth-- If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy. 7 Remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom The day of Jerusalem, Who said, "Raze it, raze it, To its very foundation!" 8 O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed, Happy the one who repays you as you have served us! 9 Happy the one who takes and dashes Your little ones against the rock! I am so thankful and grateful for your prayers for our current trip to Amman Jordan. We had a safe and long flight here with our wonderful team. We arrived last night around 5:30 pm and went directly to the GPPD Relief Center about 35 minutes away where we will be staying for the entire time here. We met with the Pastor of the Grace Church and went to our rooms for some rest. This morning we had breakfast with the team in Jon’s apartment and Kristi Robers gave us a wonderful and very helpful devotion from Joshua 5 called “Lectio Divina”. After that we had the opportunity to go across the street to the Relief Center and minister to over 25 Syrian women refugees in the first group. Kristi share her heart in a very moving way as she shared God’s love and hope with them.  Jonathan also shared a wonderful message with them. Afterwards, they all received a large bag of food items and another bag of cleaning supplies. We immediately received another group of over 25 Syrian women refugees. Anita Geiger share her testimony with them and assure this group also of God’s love for them during this difficult time of their lives. I was also about to share a few minutes with them about living a life that has meaning and value despite the conditions we might be going through! After I finished, they asked Jonathan how old I was. He asked them how old they thought I was and many of them replied that I was probably around 95 years old! Wow!!!! We all had a good laugh about that! We really felt like we connected to them and heard that they made many positive comments to our translator as they were leaving. They also receive the same relief items as the first group.   We met with the pastor of Grace Church and his wife and children for lunch together. They shared their journey of faith that brought them to Amman and how the Lord always marvelously has provided for them. It was very moving and inspiring! I wish everyone could have heard it that is reading this blog. Today, we also want to begin our chats on Psalm 137. Psalm 137 was probably written by a Levite after he had returned home from Babylon with the remnant in 536 B. C. Twenty years later, Babylon would be destroyed. It appears that the psalmist was with a group of former exiles (note the "we" and "us" in vv. 1-4), recalling some of their experiences from their time of captivity in Babylon.  Many of those memories opened old wounds and were very painful!  But from this encounter with the past, the psalmist learned some lessons about the human memory, himself, and the Lord.  You will notice that the words, "Remember" and "forget" are used a total of five times in these nine verses. This chapter will help us to learn to deal with our bitter memories God’s way so we might find healing for the bitterness they might have brought into our lives. We are ministering to precious refugees here in Amman this week who have tragic memories and a very painful past for the most part. Please keep us in your prayers as we share God’s love and His Son with them! God bless!

5m

Mar 02

Today I need to tell you that I am pre-recording this pastor’s chat, because by the time you see this chat I will be on a plane on my way to the kingdom of Jordan, leaving Thursday evening and will be flying over to Jordan to do some work with Syrian, Iraqi, and Palestinian refugees, just loving on people who have been displaced, over a million refugees in the city of Amman, Jordan alone. We have a great team, dear friend of mine Pastor Rick Flowers, several others from Roanoke, and my son Jonathan will be there. We have a great opportunity to reach out in love to some very hurting people and help them along life's way and the journey they're on but most of all to share with them the love of Jesus Christ.   Now what's interesting, we are going to be in the land of Jordan. That is where the people and especially around Amman and Mount Nebo just on the West side of the city of Amman, Jordan and then of course the Jordan river and then the land of Israel. All that area, that territory right there, that's basically where we are going to be. That is where the people were camping and that is where they fought with the king of Sion, the king of Hispon. As a matter of fact, we have found that little place Heshbon where this king reigned.  We go there on several occasions and stand on a desolate spot, nothing there anymore but a bunch of rubble. The mighty king that God slew because he fought against Israel and would not let them pass through the land, and then all king of Bashan was king a little bit further north and he was destroyed also by God.   We read about these two kings over and again some 50 times in the Old Testament. Here in verses 19 and 20, “His mercy endures forever. He slew these kings who stood in the way of God's people getting into the promised land.” But when we come now to verses 23 through 26 we find our God is not only our Creator, also He brought us forth, He gave us life, He's our Redeemer, He brought us out of Egypt, He brought us out of sin. As we look at the spiritual journey of our lives compared to the physical journey, the history journey of the nation of Israel, He brought us out and then He shepherded us, He took us through the wilderness 40 years. He took care of his people, He fed them, He watched out for them. He ministered to them through the Tabernacle and the sacrifices and then He conquered for them He took them in to the land and first He gives the east side of the land of Jordan to the half tribe of Manasseh and Gad and Reuban, then they go in and fight for the land where the people of Israel and they conquered the land those are verses 17 through 22.   But now the last few verses here, verses 23 through 25. What a great psalm. Now the people go into the land of promise and there they conquer all the land and they set up all the land, the people get their places get their inheritance, but guess what, they did when they were being blessed, they forgot God, they turned to idols, started living like the people that were amongst them and the next thing you know as God promised he had to punish them and they went into a lowly state but guess what? Go read the book of judges because these verses were found in the book of judges, the history is there, they cried to God in their misery and their despair and in their pain and guess what? His mercy endures forever. He heard them and remembered them and rescued them from their enemies, and my friend, we will fail God, yes we will and we will follow, we will be miserable but we could cry out to God and He'll rescue us too, and then He says who gives food to all flesh, ohh just reminding us that God is the one who sustains us, takes care of us, and we can trust Him because His mercy endures forever and then what can you say? Verse 26, “Ohh give thanks to the God of heaven for his mercy endures forever.”

5m

Mar 01

Again, just a reminder that today, Thursday February 29, I will be leaving for Jordan with a wonderful team to minister to Iraqi, Syrian, and Palestinian refugees. There are over one million refugees in the city of Amman Jordan. We sure would appreciate and covet your prayers for our team during this 10-day trip to a very special area of our world! This means that my daily pastor chats might not be so daily. I will do my best to post ministry updates, pastor chats, pictures and videos, as our time, schedule, and internet access permits. Once again, thank you for your patience and prayers during these next 10 days. We return on Saturday, March 9 and hope to get back to our daily chats as soon as possible! Psalm 136 describes creation of the world and the beginning and history of Israel all the way to the book of Judges in verses 23-25. But it also describes our spiritual journey as believers and followers of Jesus Christ. First in verses 1-9, we should never forget to remind ourselves that God is our creator. Next in verses 10-12, we rejoice that God is our Redeemer! He has brought us out of our bondage and set us free through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ! Yesterday we learned in verses 13-16, that God is our Shepherd Who brings us through the of life!   We have a God who not only created us, redeemed us and brought us out, shepherds us and brings us through, but in verses 17-22, we also have a God that conquers for us and brings us in! As the forty years drew to a close, Moses led the people back to the gateway into the Promised Land, and on the way, Israel defeated great and mighty kings and took their lands. In verses 19-20, two of them are mentioned by name, Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan. (Num. 21). These two kings are mentioned over fifty times in the Old Testament as a testimony of God fighting for and protecting His people! Several times when I was in Jordan, I have gone to a place located not far outside of Amman to a pile of stones that is called Hesbon, where Sihon had his fortress. You might remember that the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh claimed their inheritance east of the Jordan River (Num. 32; Josh. 18:7), but their men marched with Israel into Canaan and helped to conquer the enemy and claim the land (135:10-12; Josh. 22). The land belonged to the Lord, but He gave it to Israel as their inheritance (vv. 21-22), and they would enjoy its blessings as long as they obeyed the covenant. Believers today have been delivered from sin through faith in Christ and are now in the Col. 1:13). Canaan is not a picture of heaven, for there will be no wars in heaven. It pictures our present inheritance in Jesus Christ, an inheritance that we claim as we walk by faith and defeat Satan and his forces that want to keep us in bondage and spiritual poverty. This is the theme of Hebrews 1-4. Peter assures us of our inheritance with these words in 1 Peter 1:3-8, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory”. God bless!

5m

Feb 29

Just a reminder that tomorrow, Thursday February 29, I will be leaving for Jordan with a wonderful team to minister to Iraqi, Syrian, and Palestinian refugees. There are over one million refugees in the city of Amman Jordan. We sure would appreciate and covet your prayers for our team during this 10-day trip to a very special area of our world! This means that my daily pastor chats might not be so daily. I will do my best to post ministry updates, pastor chats, pictures and videos, as our time, schedule, and internet access permits. Once again, thank you for your patience and prayers during these next 10 days. We return on Saturday, March 9 and hope to get back to our daily chats as soon as possible! You should never forget the main emphasis of Psalm 136! If someone asks you what is in Psalm 136 you should be able to immediately reply, “For His mercy endures forever!”  Or, as some versions translate it, Psalm 136 describes creation of the world and the beginning and history of Israel all the way to the book of Judges in verses 23-25. But it also describes our spiritual journey as believers and followers of Jesus Christ. First in verses 1-9, we should never forget to remind ourselves that God is our creator, and He gives us breath in our lungs, hearts that beat, and a mind to think with! We are totally dependent upon Him for our very existence to enjoy this beautiful, orderly creation we live in! Never forget that God is our Creator who brought us forth into this world! Next in verses 10-12, we rejoice that God is our Redeemer! Because of sin we are enslaved and in bondage to Satan, like Israel in Egypt. But like God brought Israel out of Egypt, He has brought us out of our sinful state in bondage and set us free through the sacrifice of His precious Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ! All because Now, in verses 13-16, we find that God is our Shepherd Who brings us through the of life! One of the greatest miracles in history takes place when the Lord brought Israel through the sea that He parted so they could walk across on dry ground and at the same time He destroy the armies of Pharoah (vv. 13-15). God then led Israel through the wilderness (v. 16). A pillar of cloud guided them by day and a pillar of fire by night (Ex. 13:21-22). God first led them to Sinai where they remained for over a year while Moses received and taught the divine law and supervised the construction of the tabernacle. The nation needed the discipline of the law and the delight of worship before they were ready to enter Canaan and take the land. Israel's unbelief and disobedience at Kadesh Barnea sent them back into the wilderness (Num. 13-14) where that rebellious generation died during the next thirty-eight years of wandering. But even then, God miraculously provided food for them to eat by raining down Manna on them everyday and bringing water out of rocks for them to drink!  Moses commanded the new generation to remember those wilderness years and obey the Word of God (Deut. 8). My friend, as believers we are also on a spiritual journey through the (Exodus 16:1, 17:1), and we need God’s protection and provisions every day!  Indeed, we need not worry or fear because the Lord Jesus Christ is our Shepherd in this life (Psalm 23:1; 78:52-55; 80:1; John 10:11-14; Heb. 13:20; 1 Peter 5:4) and throughout eternity (Rev. 7:17). He is the true Manna sent down from heaven (John 6:41-51)! He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5-6)! Jesus knows us by name and if we will by faith follow Him, we can be assured of His “mercy and goodness that will follow us all the days of our lives” (John 10:3-4; Psalm 23:6).  Yes, today you can rejoice because “His mercy and steadfast love endures forever”! God bless!

4m

Feb 28

Every verse in this beautiful psalm ends with the refrain, “For His mercy endures forever”. Over the years as I have read this psalm my heart leaps for joy as I read this phrase over and over again, some twenty-six times! I don’t know about you, but I desperately need His mercy every day! I am so thankful that God’s steadfast love never ends or that He never gives up on me! He is so patient with me as I falter and fail over and over again! We definitely join this anonymous psalmist by giving thanks daily to triune God of heaven! Remember, the focus of Psalm 136 is on giving thanks to God for who He is and what He has done for His people. The psalmist begins by giving thanks to the LORD as the creator of the universe! The psalmist started at the beginning of time with the creation of the universe, recorded in Genesis 1. The Lord had the wisdom to plan creation and the power to execute that plan, and all He had to do was to speak the Word (Psalm 33:6-9). As you read these verses and think about them, it is hard to believer that there are people who call themselves atheist and say they don’t believe in God! Everything that God created had a special and unique design that had a specific purpose. It would take more than faith to believe that a big bang took place trillions of years ago and eventually everything we see and enjoy today somehow, or another just happened! I choose to put my faith and trust in the Bible and God’s record of creation and stand amaze at how awesome my God is! Because humanity refused to be thankful for creation, mankind began that terrible descent into ignorance, idolatry, immorality, and ultimate judgment (Rom. 1:18-32). In the day or the night, whether we look up at the heavens or down at the earth and waters, we should see evidence of the hand of God and realize that a Creator brought it forth from nothing. In this creation is all that we need for life and work, so let us thank Him! Not only did God create us He redeems us and brings us out of the bondage and slavery of sin. Only a couple chapters after the record of God’s creative acts in Genesis 1-2, man disobeys God and sins, and then faces the consequence of death. But God is not caught off guard and already has a plan to save mankind from his sin and it is through the nation of Israel. Through them we were given the Bible and a Redeemer and Savior. The psalmist quickly turns to this great act of God in the history of Israel and their deliverance. The psalmist wrote nothing about Israel's years of suffering in Egypt, or the Lord's judgments against the gods of Egypt (Ex. 12:12) but focused on the Exodus. is a phrase the Jewish people used to describe their deliverance (Deut. 1:27; 4:20, 37; 5:6; 16:1). By the time Israel crossed the Red Sea, the land of Egypt, its firstborn sons, its religion, and its army had been destroyed by the power of God. The Exodus marked the birthday of the nation of Israel, and from that time, the Jews looked back each year at Passover and remembered what the Lord had done for them. The Exodus is also a picture of the redemption we have in Jesus Christ, the spotless lamb of God who shed His blood to set sinners free (1 Peter 1:18-19; John 1:29; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14; Heb. 9:12). God's mighty arm was revealed at the Exodus (Ex. 15:16), but it was revealed even more at the cross (Isa. 53:1-12; Luke 1:51). Again, we must give thanks to the LORD and loudly proclaim, God bless!

5m

Feb 27

PSALM 136:1-3 1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. 2 Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever. 3 Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever: It’s great to back with you on Pastor’s Chat again! I really missed doing these daily chats from the Psalms. I first want to thank everyone for your prayers and support for our recent trip to India over these past two weeks. We traveled hundreds of miles by train and vehicles over both very good roads and very rough ones mostly in southeastern India. We spoke at believer’s meetings, passed out blankets and feed meals to widows in numerous villages, visited children’s homes playing games and interacting with them. In a mountainous area gave 185 chickens out at one village, 25 goats in another village, and 7 large water buffalo in another village to poor, precious people. We also dedicated 7 clean water wells that had been recently drilled in remote villages. But best of all we share the wonder message of Jesus Christ and His love and to these people in darkness and many responded to receive Him as their personal Lord and Savior! Praise the LORD! I will be leaving this Wednesday morning to go to the Kingdom of Jordan for 10 days with another team to minister to dear precious Iraqi, Syrian, and Palestinian refugees in Amman, a city with over one million refugees from surrounding countries that have been displaced by war and conflict. Please pray for our safety and traveling mercies as we make this trip. I’ll do my best to post to my Facebook pages to keep you updated during our ministry there. Today, I do want to begin looking at Psalm 136 which is one of my favorite Psalms that I read on the 16th day of each month. This Psalm does not have a title indicating who might have written it. Some have suggested that King Hezekiah wrote it but others believe that it was written after the exile from the Babylonian captivity. The divine title " in verse 26, suggests this date, for "God of heaven" was a title used frequently in that period in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. (Ezra 1:2; 5:11-12; 6:9-10; 7:12, 21, 23; Neh. 1:4; 2:4; Dan. 2:18, 19, 44). This is an antiphonal psalm, prepared to be used by a worship leader and a choir, or a worship leader and the congregation, or perhaps two choirs. The rabbis called it "The Great Hallel" (praise). The psalm reviews God's dealings with His people and turns history into theology and theology into worship. If our worship is not based on history—what God had done in this world—then it lacks a theological message and is not true worship at all. The refrain, is a familiar one. It was sung at the dedication of Solomon's temple (2 Chron. 7:3, 6), and also by King Jehoshaphat's singers when Judah was attacked by Moab and Ammon (2 Chron. 20:21). You will find it also used in other Psalms: 106:1; 107:1; and 118:1, 29. The focus of Psalm 136 is on giving thanks to God for who He is and what He has done for His people. The psalmist begins by giving thanks to the LORD as the creator of the universe! The God of Israel is Jehovah, the God of the covenant, and He is good and merciful. The nations had their gods and lords (1 Cor. 8:5-6), but Jehovah alone is the God of gods and the Lord of lords. The dead gods of the nations (135:15-18) could never do the wonders that the Lord did, nor were they good and full of mercy (lovingkindness, covenant love, steadfast love). The apostle Paul joined mercy and grace in 1 Timothy 1:2, 2 Timothy 1:2, and Titus 1:4, and so did John (2 John 3) and Jude (Jude 2). God in His mercy does not give us what we do deserve, and in His grace, He gives us what we do not deserve, all for the sake of Jesus Christ. No wonder the psalmist gave thanks to the Lord and so should we!!!! God bless!

5m

Feb 26