Give Thanks To The Lord

Psalm 107:1-9; 43

¹    Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love endures forever. ² Let the redeemed of the Lord say this— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, ³ those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. ⁴  Some wandered in desert wastelands finding no way to a city where they could settle. ⁵ They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. ⁶  Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. ⁷ He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. ⁸ Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men, ⁹ for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

⁴³   Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the Lord.

This Psalms looks at four different types of people who have been scatter throughout the world for one reason or the other. While I will only speak about the wanderer and lonely person in this brief message, the Lord will redeem them all from around the world; the north, south, east and west, to those who cry out to Him.

In this passage of scripture you find the lonely person wandering about in the desert wasteland. Today, many people are wanderers as well. They are confused, and very lonely. The longer this virus and pandemic goes on, the more people will be displaced, wounded and broken. Anxiety and depression is on the rise, as well as suicide. People are in lock down, and in a dry place with limited resources. Many no longer go to work. Many will be replaced. Many more will continue to be worried and fearful about their future and what is coming next and their life has ebbed away. In many ways, waiting for the cure is worse than this virus itself.

And while many people have gone hungry and thirsty around the world, waiting for supplies and provisions. God is saying, look to me. Cry out to me. Depend on me. These troubles should cause us to reflect and repent for our wayward ways. Many people have wandered away from the Lord. Many have despised his ways, and now he has removed his hand of provision and protection, and the sin and wrath of man has started to take over. We then see a turning of events as people turn towards God, and cry out to him for help and support. Verse 6 says “^“Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.

When you understand what the Lord has already done for your, and what he continues to do for you, it should cause you to give thanks to him for his unfailing love. It should satisfy you and fill the void in your hearts. And while people are thirsty and hungry in a natural way, God wants us to be thirsty and hungry for him in a supernatural way as well.

Psalm 107 ends with verse 43; “Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the Lord.” God’s love will endure forever. God loves you deeply, but so often we have denied and rejected his love by the way we think, live, and behave. Today that can all change. Cry out to him, and place your future and faith in him, and watch him show up in a powerful and mighty way.  God bless you.

Outnumbered          1 Samuel 14:6-7                                                                                     

⁶ Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.” ⁷ “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”

Have you ever felt outnumbered? Everything seems to be going wrong and many are against you. You are outnumbered, fearful, scared, and things are not going in your favor. What should you do, and who should you turn too? Jonathan turned to the Lord and said to his armor-bearer, “Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.”

Prior to this moment, the Israel army was dwindling. They went from around 330,000 men to now around 600 men. Many went into hiding, and were afraid, and their enemy was strong and they were greatly outnumbered, not only numerically, but in a sense, out gunned. The Philistine’s had superior weapons, whereas, Saul and Jonathan were the only ones on their side with weapons…The odds were against them, they were outnumbered.

But Jonathan had a heart of a warrior. He was awakened with a new vision and mindset to do something for the Lord. He had a willing heart to be used by God even if it meant death, even if it was hard work. He encouraged his armor-bearer to go with him into battle. They believed God would speak to them and be with them, and he was. They climb up and killed around 20 men. The ground shook, and their enemies started to turn on each other. The Israelites started to gather and give pursuit. They had a great victory that day, even though they were outnumbered.

When you are following God’s call and will for your life, even if you enemy is great, God is greater. Even if you are outnumbered, the battle can be yours. If God is for you, who can be against you.

God Speaks: Are You Listening?          John 8 

⁴⁷ He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

The primary way God speaks to us is through His revealed word. He also speaks to us through his son. He has spoken to us through our forefathers, and through the prophets at many times, and in various ways. He continues to speak to us; through prayer, through His Spirit, through the church, and pastors, evangelists, and ministers, and many different people, as well as through trials, and conflict, crisis, and circumstances. The important thing to know and understand is, God still speaks to us today. He loves you, and knows you better than anyone else, and he wants you to know him better.

Many will reject Jesus. Many will deny who he is. The Holy Spirit was sent to us by God, and now dwells in every believer, and he will continue to convict us of sin, and convince us that Jesus is the messiah of the world. Those who reject this truth, their father is not God. If he was their God, they would obey Jesus, and follow his ways.

The only way to the father is through the son Jesus Christ, and through the convicting and convincing power of the Holy spirit who will guide you in all truth. Anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Jesus did not come to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. Anyone who denies these truths are already condemned.

If you want a new start in life and recognize you have sinned, and broken one or more of the 10 commandments, and need God’s grace, mercy and love, just simply speak to him from your heart. Tell him your are sorry, ask him to forgive you and help you live rightly. Invite Jesus into your life, and simply speak with him from your heart, like you speak to a dear friend or family member. He will hear you, and see the hurt, and help you navigate life, as you read The bible and seek him with all your heart. Also, try the 90 day challenge as well.  Link to daily reading guide:  http://solidfoundation.biz/90-day-challenge-2/daily-reading-guide-3/

 The Great Garden               Genesis 2:8-18

8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” 18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” [1]

 Genesis chapter 1 gives us a chronological account & overview of things. We see this idea of form following function, and God creates the environment, and fills it with sea creatures, bird, animals, trees, plants, and Adam and Eve. We see the order of things taking place, as God, “Elohim”, declares it. In Chapter 2, the Lord God gives us a more detailed account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. He now shows up, not only as the all-powerful creator God, but now he shows up as “LORD” which originally was Yahweh or Jehovah. Yahweh now reveals himself in a very personal way with man and nature, and we see him walking in the cool of the day with Adam and Eve in chapter 3.

 The Lord God created this great garden for humans to enjoy and be with Him forever. They were free to eat from any tree, but if they eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would surely die. Humans wanted to do things their own ways, & followed his mate over his maker, and sin enters the world, and changed their heart. This was the beginning of human kind being separated from God. We long to get back what was lost, and through Christ we can have a new relationship with God.

The Great Creator             Genesis 1:24- 28 

24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27     So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

God spoke and declare this world into existence. And God saw that it was good. And he made things according to their kinds. But he made man in his image, to work, rule and have dominion over the earth. We are eternal beings, and we were designed to live forever. We are to enjoy God’s creation and the creator himself, and fulfill our destiny. Be fruitful and increase in number, and God blessed them.

 

The Great “I AM“

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

One of the great themes in the book of Genesis is Beginnings. In fact, Genesis means “In the beginning, the origin or coming into being of something.  It is believed by many, that Moses wrote the book of Genesis.  Obviously, Moses was not there when the world was formed and came into existence. So, how did Moses get this information? It was either passed on orally through Adam, to others, then to Moses. Or, Moses was told directly by God as he walked on the mountains, and spent time with God. Moses, like Adam, had a very special relationship with God. We can read about God speaking directly, and personally to Moses in Exodus ch 3:11-15. ¹⁴ God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” ¹⁵ God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.

 God, “Elohim” always was. God is the uncaused cause. He always was, and this name generally emphasizes his greatness. He called and spoked the heavens and earth into existence. Man, so often denies God, and this truth, because they want to live and behavior as their own master. They want to do what they feel, and live by no higher standard or authority, other than their own,

 So many say a big bang caused this earth into existence, not that it was God, and we came from monkeys, not God. Or they search for the “primordial atom” which all things were made from, and replace God as the self-existent 1^st cause which created that 1^st atom. In the end, the heavens declare God’s glory, and all mankind is without excuses. The Bible simply states, “In the beginning God.” The Bible doesn’t try to prove the existence of God, because, God simply, always was.

The Great Commandment

 Matthew chapter 22, verse 34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. ³⁵ One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” ^[1]

The book of Mark chapter 12, as well as the book of Luke chapter 10, add this 4^th element of strength. I believe all these passages are simply saying to love God with your entire essence, and being. In all that we do, we are to reveal the Love of God through actions. Our speech, our thoughts, our testimony, our actions, and our life. It is all about Jesus, and when we focus on him, and his love, we will learn how to love ourselves, as well as our neighbors. Pray: Lord teach me to love with your kind of love.

The Great Commission 

   Matthew chapter 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” [1]

Whenever you are confronted by Jesus, a decision to follow, to obey, to worship will arise. Some worshiped, and some doubted; this is the way it was then, and this is the way it still is today. We still need to make a choice, a decision, to believe and receive his gift or to deny this truth and reject his love. All authority and power in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus. He conquered death. He took the sting out of death. No power on earth could keep him down, and no authority is greater than his. Though Satan tried to kill him, murder him, and keep him down, this was only temporary. Satan thought he could kill Jesus at the cross, but he thought wrong; he wounded him for just a season, just a moment in time, but Christ overcame the grave, and is alive, and seated at the right hand of the father, and now commands us to go and make disciples to all nations.

My prayer, is that the church starts doing this again, with great passion. 

Great Love

Read Ephesians 3: 16-19

  ¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell  in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.                As we invite Christ to dwells in our hearts through faith, may we settle down and allow him to abode with us and in us. May we know and learn about his love. May we gain inner peace that passes all understanding and be strengthen through his Spirit. And may we be filled with this fullness that over flows, so we lack nothing. He has lavished us with every Spiritual blessings.     Thought for Today: Grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ towards you. Such great love. Such a great sacrifice. Such a great savior.

Pray and Listen

Read 1 Kings 20:1 through 22:46

Walking home from school, nine-year-old Caleb and his friends talked about going to the store and buying some candy. Caleb walked into the house and loudly asked, “Mom, can I go to the store and get some candy?”

His mother’s equally loud response echoed from the kitchen, “No, you’ll ruin your dinner.” But Caleb went to his room and robbed his piggybank and headed out to the store with his friends.

Later, when he sat down for dinner, Caleb’s mother served him his favorite meal, but he was so full of sugar he couldn’t enjoy it.

Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the Lord” (1 Kings 22:5).

Like children, we often ask of God, hear His response, then do what we want to anyway. We ask wisely enough, but we listen foolishly. It gives us no benefit to seek the counsel of the Lord if we fail to obey. We are not praying honestly when we are only willing to listen to what we want to hear. Getting what you want instead of what God wants for you, ruins more than your dinner.

Prayer Suggestion: Lord, help me to listen to You and act wisely on what I hear.

Quicklook: 1 Kings 22:4–9

Our Refuge

Read 1 Samuel 22:1,2; Psalms 57:1–11; 142:1–7

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed (Psalm 57:1).

Not even David, God’s anointed king, lived without troubles. He penned the words of Psalm 57 while hiding in a cave to escape Saul’s death threats.

We may never face challenges like David’s, but we all face troubles we’re incapable of overcoming on our own. In a world that takes pride in the power of humanity, we’d do far better to surrender our strength and run to God in challenging times. He will give us true victory.

Even David, who had killed bears, lions, and a giant, didn’t operate in his own strength. His writings confirm that he gave God the glory for every success.

Are trials and terrors troubling you? God has all the power you need to overcome the challenges. While you rest in His faithfulness—disasters will pass and an unwavering faith will emerge as you witness His might overcoming your enemies.

Thought for Today: God longs to be your refuge in troubled times.

Quicklook: Psalm 57:1–3

 

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