GOD CARRIES US ALONG

Posted on December 15, 2020 by randscallawayffm

There will always be good times and bad times.  But God carries us along through it all.  David is adamant about praising God, no matter what, because he is assured that God is in all, knows what is going on, will come to the rescue and will provide victory for all God’s people.  And God does. 

David’s praise should be our daily wake up praise.  “Blessed be the Lord—day after day he carries us along.  He’s our Savior, our God, oh yes!  He’s God-for-us, he’s God-who-saves-us.  Read it again.  Rinse and repeat these words as you shower and get ready for this day.  Remember these words in the middle of the day.  Say them again as your head hits the pillow at night.  God carries us along.  God does all the heavy lifting in our lives.  I am reminded, just now, of the words to a very old hymn, sung slowly and soulfully, that help us leave the “carrying” to God.

What a friend we have in Jesus
All our sins and griefs to bear
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer

Oh, what peace we often forfeit
Oh, what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged
Take it to the Lord in prayer

Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness
Take it to the Lord in prayer

Reflect.  Do you really believe that what you believe about God is really real?  David believes.  Believe like David.  Take it all to the Lord and let Him carry you.  You know, Jesus IS coming back again to claim His own some day.  The final victory is coming.  This is our hope.  Jesus is our Life!  David throws this truth in his chorus of praise for good measure, too!  Yes, praise be to the God-for-us, the God-who-saves-us!  Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

Worship and Wisdom, Psalms and Proverbs

Psalm 68, The Message

A David Psalm

68 1-4 Up with God!
    Down with his enemies!
        Adversaries, run for the hills!
Gone like a puff of smoke,
    like a blob of wax in the fire—
        one look at God and the wicked vanish.
When the righteous see God in action
    they’ll laugh, they’ll sing,
        they’ll laugh and sing for joy.
Sing hymns to God;
    all heaven, sing out;
        clear the way for the coming of Cloud-Rider.
Enjoy God,
    cheer when you see him!

5-6 Father of orphans,
    champion of widows,
        is God in his holy house.
God makes homes for the homeless,
    leads prisoners to freedom,
        but leaves rebels to rot in hell.

7-10 God, when you took the lead with your people,
    when you marched out into the wild,
Earth shook, sky broke out in a sweat;
    God was on the march.
Even Sinai trembled at the sight of God on the move,
    at the sight of Israel’s God.
You pour out rain in buckets, O God;
    thorn and cactus become an oasis
For your people to camp in and enjoy.
    You set them up in business;
    they went from rags to riches.

11-14 The Lord gave the word;
    thousands called out the good news:
“Kings of the armies
    are on the run, on the run!”
While housewives, safe and sound back home,
    divide up the plunder,
    the plunder of Canaanite silver and gold.
On that day that Shaddai scattered the kings,
    snow fell on Black Mountain.

15-16 You huge mountains, Bashan mountains,
    mighty mountains, dragon mountains.
All you mountains not chosen,
    sulk now, and feel sorry for yourselves,
For this is the mountain God has chosen to live on;
    he’ll rule from this mountain forever.

17-18 The chariots of God, twice ten thousand,
    and thousands more besides,
The Lord in the lead, riding down Sinai—
    straight to the Holy Place!
You climbed to the High Place, captives in tow,
    your arms full of booty from rebels,
And now you sit there in state,
    God, sovereign God!

19-23 Blessed be the Lord—
    day after day he carries us along.
He’s our Savior, our God, oh yes!
    He’s God-for-us, he’s God-who-saves-us.
Lord God knows all
    death’s ins and outs.
What’s more, he made heads roll,
    split the skulls of the enemy
As he marched out of heaven,
    saying, “I tied up the Dragon in knots,
    put a muzzle on the Deep Blue Sea.”
You can wade through your enemies’ blood,
    and your dogs taste of your enemies from your boots.

24-31 See God on parade
    to the sanctuary, my God,
    my King on the march!
Singers out front, the band behind,
    maidens in the middle with castanets.
The whole choir blesses God.
    Like a fountain of praise, Israel blesses God.
Look—little Benjamin’s out
    front and leading
Princes of Judah in their royal robes,
    princes of Zebulon, princes of Naphtali.
Parade your power, O God,
    the power, O God, that made us what we are.
Your temple, High God, is Jerusalem;
    kings bring gifts to you.
Rebuke that old crocodile, Egypt,
    with her herd of wild bulls and calves,
Rapacious in her lust for silver,
    crushing peoples, spoiling for a fight.
Let Egyptian traders bring blue cloth
    and Cush come running to God, her hands outstretched.

32-34 Sing, O kings of the earth!
    Sing praises to the Lord!
There he is: Sky-Rider,
    striding the ancient skies.
Listen—he’s calling in thunder,
    rumbling, rolling thunder.
Call out “Bravo!” to God,
    the High God of Israel.
His splendor and strength
    rise huge as thunderheads.

35 A terrible beauty, O God,
    streams from your sanctuary.
It’s Israel’s strong God! He gives
    power and might to his people!
O you, his people—bless God!

TRUTH: “Blessed be the Lord—day after day he carries us along.  He’s our Savior, our God, oh yes!  He’s God-for-us, he’s God-who-saves-us.”  Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

Proverb 21:26-31, The Message

Sinners are always wanting what they don’t have;
    the God-loyal are always giving what they do have.

27 Religious performance by the wicked stinks;
    it’s even worse when they use it to get ahead.

28 A lying witness is unconvincing;
    a person who speaks truth is respected.

29 Unscrupulous people fake it a lot;
    honest people are sure of their steps.

30 Nothing clever, nothing conceived, nothing contrived,
    can get the better of God.

31 Do your best, prepare for the worst—
    then trust God to bring victory.

WISDOM:  Trust God to bring the victory.  God carries us along to His victory!

Abba Father,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the ways You carried us along, carry us now and will carry us in the future.  Our hope is in You.  Our trust is You.  Love comes from you.  You teach us all we need to know.  You lead and guide our path to victory.  You make good out of the bad every time.  You are God and we are not.  There is no one like You, the God-for-us and the God-who-saves-us and the God-with-us.  Thank you for Your Presence in our lives that lovingly and compassionately grows our intimate relationship with you.  That is victory!  Blessed be Your name.  We praise you for your faithfulness to us.  We don’t deserve what you give and what you gave, dear Jesus.  What a friend we have in You, indeed!  Thank you for carrying me along.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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NOTHING BUT PRAISE!

Posted on December 14, 2020 by randscallawayffm

There are times we just need to pause to praise and this is one of those days.  God has been so good to us, even through pandemics, floods, tornadoes and hurricanes.  How? He created a beautiful place for us to live.  He gave us the ability to love like He loves us.  When we messed up His best and holy plan, God loved us still.  God sent His One and Only Son to earth, in the middle of a messed up world, to save us by paying the complete debt of sin we should owe so we could live with Him forever!  No matter what, we have cause to bow down with gratitude and praise to Him!

“O Come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord” … It’s not just a song to a baby in manger!

People were struggling then, under Roman authority and submission.  God’s “faithful few” among His people were longing to hear from Him and to set them free of Roman rule.  It had been over 400 years since God had spoken to anyone.  God’s prophets were silent.  There were no pillars of light guiding them.  And then, at just the right time, as prophets foretold, God sent Jesus, in the form of a baby born to a virgin, who was already to complete her marriage with Joseph.  Jesus was delivered by Joseph in a stable cave.  No room anywhere else we are told.  Together, this couple who knew and loved God with all their hearts, minds and souls as commanded by God’s Word long ago delivered a baby boy.  God knew what He was doing when He chose Mary and Joseph to be the caregivers of His Son who was destined to deliver them both from the sin of the world and someday live forever with Him!  God always knows what He is doing!

“For He alone is worthy…Christ, the Lord”

Today, over 2000 years later, the Truth lives on whether we choose to believe it or not.  Some receive Him as Savior and Lord of their lives and some do not.  Life struggles in an imperfect world still exist.  Some of our loved ones and others are struggling with all kinds of trying circumstances, some are struggling to take a breath, many need a job to pay the bills, some need to restore a marriage or other family relationships because forgiveness and love got lost somewhere. But Truth still is…Truth.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  Jesus, God’s One and Only is our One and Only Savior of all our sin.  God’s people also called Him Emmanuel which means “God with us”.  God-with-us came down from heaven to save us. And God is with us now.

God wasn’t as concerned about Roman rule, rich or poor, sicknesses or other circumstances on earth.  God was passionate about our souls and provided a plan to save us.  God is indeed “with us” no matter what our circumstances.  God also provided knowledge of His profound, limitless, unconditional and relational love for us in this act of mercy and grace!

This life is only temporary.  A life lived with God is forever.  So, I would rather live it with God than without Him no matter what is happening around me or to me.  I am more concerned, like Jesus, about what is happening in me.  So, today…nothing but praise for the One and Only who saved my soul and is transforming me to be all He created me to be.

“Let’s praise his name together, Christ the Lord!”

Worship and Wisdom, Psalm and Proverbs

Psalm 67, The Message

1-7 God, mark us with grace
    and blessing! Smile!
The whole country will see how you work,
    all the godless nations see how you save.
God! Let people thank and enjoy you.
    Let all people thank and enjoy you.
Let all far-flung people become happy
    and shout their happiness because
You judge them fair and square,
    you tend the far-flung peoples.
God! Let people thank and enjoy you.
    Let all people thank and enjoy you.
Earth, display your exuberance!
    You mark us with blessing, O God, our God.
You mark us with blessing, O God.
    Earth’s four corners—honor him!

TRUTH:  Let all people thank and enjoy the God who saves us, protects us, provides for all our needs and hears us when we praise and honor Him!  Yes, and Amen!

Proverb 21:21, The Message

WISDOM: “Whoever goes hunting for what is right and kind
    finds life itself—glorious life!”

Abba Father,

Hallowed is Your Name.  May Your Kingdom come and reign supremely in us and all around us.  May Your Will be done in every detail of our lives on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day the desire and ability to do what is right and good in your thinking.  And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who hurt us.  Lead us not to temptations that distract us from you, but DELIVER us from all evil and evils schemes to bring us down.  Lift us up to where you are so we can see the world through your eyes.  Thank you!  All power is yours, to You be all glory, honor and praise!  In Jesus Name and by His power working in us, Amen!

“To you be all the glory, Christ the Lord…”

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LET ME TELL YOU

Posted on December 12, 2020 by randscallawayffm

“Let me tell you…” when one of my extended family members who loved directing our whole family would begin her next tirade with these words, we knew to either slink away, run or sit there and take what was about to passionately flow from those red lips.  If she had a “bee in her bonnet” about life, we were all going to hear about it.  “Let me tell you…” and the life lesson would begin.  Her opinion mattered greatly to her, but not so much to us because of the way it was delivered.  I prayed not to be like her when I grew up.  I wanted to be an encourager.  David shows us a better way.

“Let me tell you what God did for me!”, shouts David from the rooftops of his mind, from the depths of his love and from the innermost parts of his soul for God.  David writes a song of praise with gratitude for not only his past, present and future, but for all of God’s people!  “Let me tell you” …about all that God is doing and has done!  This is David’s passionate mantra for life with God!  David has a completely different focus.  I want that kind of focus!  Don’t you?

Worship and Wisdom, Psalms and Proverbs

Psalm 66, The Message

1-4 All together now—applause for God!
    Sing songs to the tune of his glory,
    set glory to the rhythms of his praise.
Say of God, “We’ve never seen anything like him!”
    When your enemies see you in action,
    they slink off like scolded dogs.
The whole earth falls to its knees—
    it worships you, sings to you,
    can’t stop enjoying your name and fame.

5-6 Take a good look at God’s wonders—
    they’ll take your breath away.
He converted sea to dry land;
    travelers crossed the river on foot.
    Now isn’t that cause for a song?

7 Ever sovereign in his high tower, he keeps
    his eye on the godless nations.
Rebels don’t dare
    raise a finger against him.

8-12 Bless our God, O peoples!
    Give him a thunderous welcome!
Didn’t he set us on the road to life?
    Didn’t he keep us out of the ditch?
He trained us first,
    passed us like silver through refining fires,
Brought us into hardscrabble country,
    pushed us to our very limit,
Road-tested us inside and out,
    took us to hell and back;
Finally he brought us
    to this well-watered place.

13-15 I’m bringing my prizes and presents to your house.
    I’m doing what I said I’d do,
What I solemnly swore I’d do
    that day when I was in so much trouble:
The choicest cuts of meat
    for the sacrificial meal;
Even the fragrance
    of roasted lamb is like a meal!
Or make it an ox
    garnished with goat meat!

16-20 All believers, come here and listen,
    let me tell you what God did for me.
I called out to him with my mouth,
    my tongue shaped the sounds of music.
If I had been cozy with evil,
    the Lord would never have listened.
But he most surely did listen,
    he came on the double when he heard my prayer.
Blessed be God: he didn’t turn a deaf ear,
    he stayed with me, loyal in his love.

TRUTH: “Take a good look at God’s wonders—they’ll take your breath away.”  Stop and list all the ways God has helped you, is helping you now and probably will help you in the coming days.  Have you told anyone about the wonders of God, about His saving grace through Jesus, His Son, or about the peace we can have through anything that will happen in this world?  Let me tell you…

Proverbs 21:4-8, The Message

Arrogance and pride—distinguishing marks in the wicked—
    are just plain sin.

5 Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run;
    hurry and scurry puts you further behind.

6 Make it to the top by lying and cheating;
    get paid with smoke and a promotion—to death!

7 The wicked get buried alive by their loot
    because they refuse to use it to help others.

8 Mixed motives twist life into tangles;
    pure motives take you straight down the road.


WISDOM: “Pure motives take you straight down the road.”  God is the purifier of our hearts when we give control over to Him through Jesus Christ is Son.  Let me tell you what God has done to consistently take away all that is not Him in me.  I once was blind but now I see all that God has for me and it is good.  Do all for God and He will always be there for You. 

Abba Father,

Let me tell You…I have decided to follow you, seek your wisdom and learn Your ways.  Obedience to you is what you desire most from me.  Pure motives in doing anything with or for you is what makes you smile.  You see our hearts, know our minds and cherish our souls.  At our request, you remove all that is not You.  Thank you, Lord for your continuing purification process that helps me live well for you.  I mess up, forget or get lazy from time to time, but you are there to pull me back in and teach me what is best for my life.  You are life to me!  I will tell, write, sing and shout of your greatest my whole life long.  Yes, and Amen! 

In Jesus Name, Amen

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SILENCE, OBEDIENCE, ADORATION!

Posted on December 11, 2020 by randscallawayffm

Well…

You know you make me wanna (Shout!)
Kick my heels up and (Shout!)
Throw my hands up and (Shout!)
Throw my head back and (Shout!)
Come on now (Shout!)

This secular song comes to mind as I read the lyrics of David in our next Psalm.  David would fit right into a genre of music today!  Right?  Truth be known MUCH of our music in church today comes from David’s original pen of praise.  But, what do we learn from David?

What is praise?  David tells in the first verse of his new song.  “Silence is praise to you.”  We need to stop all that is distracting us, all the tasks that are pulling us away and just stop to humbly bow down before our King and our Heavenly Father.  Be quiet.  Don’t talk, just listen.  Don’t overthink, or think at all.  Just be still.  Imagine Jesus sitting in a chair across from you if it helps you to listen intently.  Don’t open the Bible. Turn off the music.  For “silence is praise” to God.

Praise is also obedience.  When we become truly focused on God in the silence, He speaks to us.  If we work hard to be silent, (which is harder than you think when you stop everything, all of life, to be still and just listen), we finally hear what God wants, not our version of God, not what we want from God, but what He wants for us.  Then trust and obey what He says.  “Trust and Obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”  This old hymn of the past is still relevant for today.  Obedience brings the gift of peace from the Father.  David knows this peace and wouldn’t trade anything else for it.

Proclaim!  After the silence and obedience, enthusiastically proclaiming God’s attributes is the ultimate praise of God, the “icing on the cake”!  David’s silence and obedience to God burst into more verses of proclaiming in his song to God, for God and with God. David gives us a glimpse of our Savior, Jesus, who will come because “Our sins too much for us—but you get rid of them once and for all.”  Then he finishes singing God’s praise for all He has created, all He has done in the past, present and future for His people. 

“Come and worship” David finishes with a flourish and calls out to the world in his song of praise.  Shout, sing, dance you people who believe and love God!  Let God know how grateful we are!  All of this is, the humbled silence, the loving obedience and the proclaiming is praise to the God who loves us so much He sent us Son to save us!  Easy as one, two, three for the Three-In-One! 

Worship and Wisdom, Psalms and Proverbs

Psalm 65, The Message

A David Psalm

65 1-2 Silence is praise to you,
    Zion-dwelling God,
And also obedience.
    You hear the prayer in it all.

2-8 We all arrive at your doorstep sooner
    or later, loaded with guilt,
Our sins too much for us—
    but you get rid of them once and for all.
Blessed are the chosen! Blessed the guest
    at home in your place!
We expect our fill of good things
    in your house, your heavenly manse.
All your salvation wonders
    are on display in your trophy room.
Earth-Tamer, Ocean-Pourer,
    Mountain-Maker, Hill-Dresser,
Muzzler of sea storm and wave crash,
    of mobs in noisy riot—
Far and wide they’ll come to a stop,
    they’ll stare in awe, in wonder.
Dawn and dusk take turns
    calling, “Come and worship.”

9-13 Oh, visit the earth,
    ask her to join the dance!
Deck her out in spring showers,
    fill the God-River with living water.
Paint the wheat fields golden.
    Creation was made for this!
Drench the plowed fields,
    soak the dirt clods
With rainfall as harrow and rake
    bring her to blossom and fruit.
Snow-crown the peaks with splendor,
    scatter rose petals down your paths,
All through the wild meadows, rose petals.
    Set the hills to dancing,
Dress the canyon walls with live sheep,
    a drape of flax across the valleys.
Let them shout, and shout, and shout!
    Oh, oh, let them sing!

TRUTH:  Come and worship.  Silence, obedience, and our adoring proclaiming praise, in that order, is what God wants.  Join the dance and sing the song of praise to God!

Proverb 21:1-3, The Message

Good leadership is a channel of water controlled by God;
    he directs it to whatever ends he chooses.

2 We justify our actions by appearances;
    God examines our motives.

3 Clean living before God and justice with our neighbors
    mean far more to God than religious performance.

WISDOM:  Our belief is clearly shown in our behavior when under pressure in the world outside of the church walls.  God sees our hearts and knows our mind’s motives.  We are either for Him or against Him.  He knows what we choose daily.  Choose well.

Abba Father,

We join the dance and sing the songs of salvation, creation, gratitude and adoration!  Come and worship is the cry of David and it is our shout out today to a world that is lost and wandering around in confusion and despair.  Come and see is our song to those who do not know or believe.  But as for me and our “house” here on earth, we believe.  Being still before you this morning has lifted my soul to greater heights of holy thinking and praising.  You have put my feet back under me so I can on solid ground.  I will sing your praises all day long and I will obey what you have said to me!  I love you, Lord with all my heart, mind and soul.  Help us to love like you love, obey you quickly and proclaim your goodness and forgiveness readily.

In Jesus Name, Amen!

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WHEN I FALL DOWN

Posted on December 10, 2020 by randscallawayffm

You are my strength when I am weak
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my all in all

Seeking You as a precious jewel
Lord to give up I’d be a fool
You are my all in all

Jesus Lamb of God worthy is Your name
Jesus Lamb of God worthy is Your name

Taking my sin my cross my shame
Rising again I bless your name
You are my all in all
When I fall down you pick me up
When I am dry You fill my cup
You are my all in all

Jesus Lamb of God worthy is Your name
Jesus Lamb of God…

This heartfelt song of praise comes to mind as I read the lament of David, overwhelmed by his enemies.  David knows gossip maims and eventually kills relationships.  Gossip can bring down kingdoms!  Presumptions and assumptions planted in the minds of people are the devil’s most prized tools for the destruction of all that good and right.  But then David reminds by the end of his song of despair that God is to be praised for He will rescue us, protect us and bring us through the trouble and put our feet back on solid ground in our thinking, talking and walking with Him. 

David reminds us to worship as our habit, not as a ritual, but as a voluntary habitual response for all God is and does on our behalf.  With every breath we take in we should exhale gratitude for that breath!  Every time something good happens, do we first praise God or pat ourselves on the back?  Do we immediately look up and thank God for what happens in our lives that sets us free, heals our sickness, solves our problem, or restores a relationship?   To God be the Glory!  Thank you, Lord!

“When I fall down, you pick me up”, dust me off and set me back into motion once more!  Thank you, Lord for all you have done, are doing and will do in our lives!

Worship and Wisdom, Psalms and Proverbs

Psalm 64, The Message

A David Psalm

64 Listen and help, O God.
    I’m reduced to a whine
And a whimper, obsessed
    with feelings of doomsday.

2-6 Don’t let them find me—
    the conspirators out to get me,
Using their tongues as weapons,
    flinging poison words,
    poison-tipped arrow-words.
They shoot from ambush,
    shoot without warning,
    not caring who they hit.
They keep fit doing calisthenics
    of evil purpose,
They keep lists of the traps
    they’ve secretly set.
They say to each other,
    “No one can catch us,
    no one can detect our perfect crime.”
The Detective detects the mystery
    in the dark of the cellar heart.

7-8 The God of the Arrow shoots!
    They double up in pain,
Fall flat on their faces
    in full view of the grinning crowd.

9-10 Everyone sees it. God’s
    work is the talk of the town.
Be glad, good people! Fly to God!
    Good-hearted people, make praise your habit.

TRUTH: “Be glad, good people!  Fly to God!” “Make praise your habit”!

Proverb 20:27, The Message

God is in charge of human life,
    watching and examining us inside and out.

WISDOM:  Know God is in charge.  Know and realize that God knows our hearts.  Nothing is hidden from Him.  Know that He examines our motives and helps us to see what is right and good as He transform us.  That is God’s best work in us while is His best for us. To God be the Glory!

“Lord to give up I’d be a fool, You are my all in all…”

Abba Father,

Thank you for saving my soul.  Thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for transforming me to be all you created me to be.  I have not arrived, but I am not where I was yesterday or years ago.  I see your work in me.  I praise you for picking me up and setting me on firm, level ground.  I am grateful for all the lessons that you had to teach me to get me this far in life.  Thank you for your mercy and grace.  Thank you for you love and forgiveness.  Help me to love like you love.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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SO HERE I AM…

Posted on December 9, 2020 by randscallawayffm

There comes a time in life, in the middle of worry, anxiety, tension, and depression that we finally give in OR stand up and shout ENOUGH!  We don’t need another 5, 7, or 12 step plan or program.  We’re tired of platitudes and posters.  We’re tired of self-help books and googled articles that tell us what to do.  We’re just tired. 

We’re “hangry” and we’re starving.

We’re starving for the fullness of God’s glory to shine down on us.  We’re starving for a word from the One and Only who knows all, created all and is in all.  We’re hungry for God’s Presence in our lives.  Where did He go?  How did we miss Him?  In this state of limbo living, evil speaks all the louder to us because his intent is to starve and destroy our inner being while distracting our focus, turning our eyes from God to self.  We then become champions at self-loathing, self-pity, self-denial of the grace that is ours for the asking while starving for the food we need to be full once more.

David has stopped in his kingly responsibilities, his warring against nations out to get him, to simply and purely worship.  Is it any wonder that David is a “man after God’s heart”?  He cries out, “I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God…so, here I am to worship.”  What we learn from David this morning is how to feed our spiritual hunger.  We just cannot go too long without feasting on God’s Word, drinking in His glory, or coming to His Table of Grace.  Be still, let go and know God is God.  Then praise Him!

Don’t go hangry.  When we don’t eat physical food right away, according to our body clocks, we can become very “hangry”, a new invented word that describes how we feel perfectly.  That’s when the hunger of an empty stomach causes unrest until we feed it.  It is the SAME with our spiritual selves.  Anger, anxiety, tension, depression, blaming and gossiping cause a spiritual “hangry” that knows no peace without God’s Presence and intervention.

So, Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that You’re my God

Worship and Wisdom, Psalms and Proverbs

A David Psalm, When He Was out in the Judean Wilderness

63 God—you’re my God!
    I can’t get enough of you!
I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God,
    traveling across dry and weary deserts.

2-4 So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open,
    drinking in your strength and glory.
In your generous love I am really living at last!
    My lips brim praises like fountains.
I bless you every time I take a breath;
    My arms wave like banners of praise to you.

5-8 I eat my fill of prime rib and gravy;
    I smack my lips. It’s time to shout praises!
If I’m sleepless at midnight,
    I spend the hours in grateful reflection.
Because you’ve always stood up for me,
    I’m free to run and play.
I hold on to you for dear life,
    and you hold me steady as a post.

9-11 Those who are out to get me are marked for doom,
    marked for death, bound for hell.
They’ll die violent deaths;
    jackals will tear them limb from limb.
But the king is glad in God;
    his true friends spread the joy,
While small-minded gossips
    are gagged for good.

TRUTH:  Can’t sleep because your spiritually “hangry”.  Do what David teaches us.  “If I’m sleepless at midnight, I spend the hours in grateful reflection.”  Here I am to worship, O God!
 

Proverb 20:5 and 15, The Message

Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart;
    a wise person draws from the well within.

Drinking from the beautiful chalice of knowledge
    is better than adorning oneself with gold and rare gems.

WISDOM:  Eat and drink from God’s table of knowledge, grace and salvation.  Eternal life is a result. 

Abba Father,

Here I am to praise You, O My God.  I will praise you every time a take a breath!  I will thank you for the ability to take a breath in the midst of this pandemic.  I will not turn from You, O God, but run to You to be filled completely with all of you in me.  I will not go hungry for you are my food for life eternal. 

In Jesus Name, Amen

So, here I am to worship you in song, O Lord…

Light of the world
You stepped down into darkness
Opened my eyes, let me see
Beauty that made this heart adore You
Hope of a life spent with You

Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that You’re my God

You’re altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me

King of all days
Oh so highly exalted
Glorious in heaven above
Humbly You came to the earth You created
All for love’s sake became poor

Here I am to worship
Here I am to bow down
Here I am to say that You’re my God

You’re altogether lovely
Altogether worthy
Altogether wonderful to me

Well, I’ll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross…

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THE ONE AND ONLY

Posted on December 8, 2020 by randscallawayffm

Until God is all you have, you find out God is all you need.  This saying is not original but comes from those who have tried everything else and find God Alone is our salvation.  God is our Provider, Protector, Sustainer, Redeemer, Healer, Restorer of our hearts, minds and souls.  He truly is all we need. The Lord, God even fights all our battles.  While we “suit up” with His armor (Ephesians 6) and ready ourselves for our daily skirmishes with evil, we realize He has already won the war!  What a mighty God we have! 

There is no one like Him.  God is all powerful, knows all, and is Present everywhere, yet he bends down to listen to our every word in humble prayer to Him.  God can do anything but it must be in His best timing because of His love for us and concern for our growing and maturing in us.  God can take on any enemy with the wave of His hand for by His Voice alone Creation was built.  God, the One and Only, sent his One and Only Son to save us because of His great love for His created.  What a compassionate heart our God has!

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:16, NIV

So, it is with believing reverence, holy gratitude, and unconditional love that we wait on God, letting go of what we think we want or need, be still and let God do what He does best…care for His own.  And in this holy “stillness” we hear from God, learn His ways while standing on a firm foundation that will last for eternity.

Yes, God is, God was and God forever will be God.  The One and Only.

Wisdom and Worship, Psalms and Proverbs

Psalm 62, The Message

A David Psalm

62 1-2 God, the one and only—
    I’ll wait as long as he says.
Everything I need comes from him,
    so why not?
He’s solid rock under my feet,
    breathing room for my soul,
An impregnable castle:
    I’m set for life.

3-4 How long will you gang up on me?
    How long will you run with the bullies?
There’s nothing to you, any of you—
    rotten floorboards, worm-eaten rafters,
Anthills plotting to bring down mountains,
    far gone in make-believe.
You talk a good line,
    but every “blessing” breathes a curse.

5-6 God, the one and only—
    I’ll wait as long as he says.
Everything I hope for comes from him,
    so why not?
He’s solid rock under my feet,
    breathing room for my soul,
An impregnable castle:
    I’m set for life.

7-8 My help and glory are in God
    —granite-strength and safe-harbor-God—
So trust him absolutely, people;
    lay your lives on the line for him.
    God is a safe place to be.

9 Man as such is smoke,
    woman as such, a mirage.
Put them together, they’re nothing;
    two times nothing is nothing.

10 And a windfall, if it comes—
    don’t make too much of it.

11 God said this once and for all;
    how many times
Have I heard it repeated?
    “Strength comes
Straight from God.”

12 Love to you, Lord God!
    You pay a fair wage for a good day’s work!

TRUTH:  God is everything.  God is all we need.  God, The One and Only.  Our strength, wisdom, power, insight and understanding comes straight from God to those who believe.  Why trust in anyone or anything else?  God commands our loyalty because of His great love for us.  Don’t trust in that which falls apart and dies away.

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”  Matthew 22:37-39, NIV 

Love like Jesus loved us.  See also (Philippians 2)

Proverb 20:21-24, The Message

The Very Steps We Take

21 A bonanza at the beginning
    is no guarantee of blessing at the end.

22 Don’t ever say, “I’ll get you for that!”
    Wait for God; he’ll settle the score.

23 God hates cheating in the marketplace;
    rigged scales are an outrage.

24 The very steps we take come from God;
    otherwise how would we know where we’re going?

WISDOM:  Wait for God’s direction, solution, and guidance.  We are lost without Him.  Know God.  Know where you are going.

Abba Father,

You are indeed all I need for life here and life there with you.  You are God and I am not.  I cannot trust my own limited knowledge for life’s problems.  I need you every hour of every day.  AND you promise you will be with us always!  God, you are the One and Only who delivers on your promises!  So, I’m yours, God.  Show me what you want for me and from me today.  I am your servant.  I’m listening for your voice.  You are my confidence, strength and power.  You taught me to love unconditionally from a heart that was broken and restored.  Continue your transformation work in me for that is what will last forever.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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PAUSE TO PRAISE THEN LIVE THE SONG!

Posted on December 7, 2020 by randscallawayffm

We must daily pause in our battles with self and evil to give praises to God for all He has done, is doing and will do.  The battles sometimes distract us from the Lord who is fighting for us.  We might not know what God’s provisions and care, purpose and leading will look like tomorrow or the next day, but we know God.  We know God is worthy of all our pauses to recognize Him for Who He is.  God is I AM, the beginning and the end, alpha and omega, along with His Son who saved us from our sin.  We know He loves us and wants the best for us because of His mighty acts of grace to us. 

So, like David is doing in his psalm today, we join him to pause to praise in the middle of it all.  We take time to realize God, our Father, bends down and listens to our praise and prayers.  We trust that God is always at work.  We have faith knowing that nothing gets by the attention of God.  When we pause to truly realize the depth of His love and greatness of His power over all, we humbly bow down, showing gratitude for our Creator who cares to listen to us! 

We learn from David, in this pause to praise, that we need to stand to sing a new created song to God.  Every time we hear and learn from God, we add another verse to our life-song.  This song includes verses of gratitude for saving our souls, dusting us off when we fell, washing us clean from the world’s dirt.  As we realize what we have in God at a much deeper level, the song becomes more compassionate.  We become more passionate about tenaciously LIVING the song with what we know and have learned from His Word and heard from God through His Holy Spirit living in us!  Yes, we want more and more of God and less and less of ourselves. 

Like David, “I’ll be the poet who sings your glory—and live what I sing every day.”

In Jesus Name, and By His power living in me, Amen.  I believe.

Worship and Wisdom, Psalms and Proverbs

Psalm 61, The Message

A David Psalm

61 1-2 God, listen to me shout,
    bend an ear to my prayer.
When I’m far from anywhere,
    down to my last gasp,
I call out, “Guide me
    up High Rock Mountain!”

3-5 You’ve always given me breathing room,
    a place to get away from it all,
A lifetime pass to your safe-house,
    an open invitation as your guest.
You’ve always taken me seriously, God,
    made me welcome among those who know and love you.

6-8 Let the days of the king add up
    to years and years of good rule.
Set his throne in the full light of God;
    post Steady Love and Good Faith as lookouts,
And I’ll be the poet who sings your glory—
    and live what I sing every day.

TRUTH: “You’ve always taken me seriously, God, made me welcome among those who know and love you.”

Pause to thank God.

Proverb 20:12, The Message

Ears that hear and eyes that see—
    we get our basic equipment from God!

WISDOM:  All we are and all we have comes from God!

Pause to thank God for all He has given to help us sing His song.

Abba Father,

Thank you, thank you, thank you!  Hallowed is Your Name.  May Your Kingdom come and reign supremely in us and all around us.  May Your Will be done in all the details of our lives here on earth as it is in heaven.  Yes, give us this day all you know we need to know.  Lead us not into temptations but draw us closer to you.  Deliver us from all evil and evil’s schemes to snatch us away.  We know you can and we know you will.  Thank you for fighting all our battles, growing our minds, loving us deeply and settling our souls with your perfect peace.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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SURPRISE ATTACKS

Posted on December 5, 2020 by randscallawayffm

It happens to all of us.  It happens among friends and family members.  It happens in God’s church, that group of people, collectively, that you thought you could trust.  Surprise!  An attack on your character, your teaching, and on your own family for good measure, surprises you from behind the scenes.  What just happened here?  Why the attack?  And why find out through the gossip mill that finally made its way to you?  That compounds the hurt!  Surprise attacks are painful down to the core of our being. 

What is the best action to take?  Call on God.  Sounds simplistic, I know, but HE is the One and Only to be trusted.  With God all things are possible.  With God is true victory over the evil one who is at war with God.  Our enemy is limited for the only tool he has is to drive a wedge of hurt among his people with deception.  Evil uses deception in all forms and assumptions of character by planting seeds of doubt.  His goal is to demolish the relationships of family members and friends.  His ultimate goal is to destroy God’s church established by His Son, Jesus Christ by attacking each family in the church.  Those reconciled to God through Jesus are under constant, immediate attack.  The best line of defense is to not be surprised with it happens and be prepared for the battle.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”  Ephesians 6:12-13 ESV

David had a surprise attack from the enemy to the south while he was fighting diligently in the north.  He sent his best men to win the victory over the enemy.  But first, David  called on God with immediate honesty, passionately asking for His help.  This “surprise attack” was of no surprise to God.  David’s faith is seen at the end of his request, “In God we’ll do our very best; he’ll flatten the opposition for good.”  David knows that God is with him to the end.  In David’s heart, faith was conquering fear.

David didn’t trust in himself or in his capable officers or his valiant soldiers (v. 11). He trusted fully in the Lord, and the Lord honored his faith. The enemy would be completely defeated.  David looked forward as a leader, not backward.  He encouraged those who fought with him with his extreme faith in God as the ultimate Victor.

All of our attacks, sudden unforeseen changes in our lives, loss of friends or family relationships, are of no surprise to God today.  Go to God for help.  Run to God for the victory over doubt.  We will find He is already at work on our behalf.  Let His Holy Spirit settle our minds with peace in and through each battle for our souls.  No regrets when we do!

Worship and Wisdom, Psalms and Proverbs

Psalm 60, The Message

A David Psalm, When He Fought Against Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah and Joab Killed Twelve Thousand Edomites at the Valley of Salt

60 1-2 God! you walked off and left us,
    kicked our defenses to bits
And stalked off angry.
    Come back. Oh please, come back!

You shook earth to the foundations,
    ripped open huge crevasses.
Heal the breaks! Everything’s
    coming apart at the seams.

3-5 You made your people look doom in the face,
    then gave us cheap wine to drown our troubles.
Then you planted a flag to rally your people,
    an unfurled flag to look to for courage.
Now do something quickly, answer right now,
    so the one you love best is saved.

6-8 That’s when God spoke in holy splendor,
    “Bursting with joy,
I make a present of Shechem,
    I hand out Succoth Valley as a gift.
Gilead’s in my pocket,
    to say nothing of Manasseh.
Ephraim’s my hard hat,
    Judah my hammer;
Moab’s a scrub bucket,
    I mop the floor with Moab,
Spit on Edom,
    rain fireworks all over Philistia.”

9-10 Who will take me to the thick of the fight?
    Who’ll show me the road to Edom?
You aren’t giving up on us, are you, God?
    refusing to go out with our troops?

11-12 Give us help for the hard task;
    human help is worthless.
In God we’ll do our very best;
    he’ll flatten the opposition for good.

TRUTH:  In God we’ll do our very best.  God will fight our battles.

Proverb 20:6-9, The Message

Lots of people claim to be loyal and loving,
    but where on earth can you find one?

7 God-loyal people, living honest lives,
    make it much easier for their children.

8-9 Leaders who know their business and care
    keep a sharp eye out for the shoddy and cheap,
For who among us can be trusted
    to be always diligent and honest?

WISDOM:  Keep a sharp eye out for who can be trusted!  God will help us to see integrity in others if we ask Him.

Abba Father,

When the surprise attacks come, as they have and always will, may we immediately run to you for help.  May our surprise attack be a lesson in living expectantly, faithfully knowing that you are with us always.  Continue to grow your character traits in us.  Change me.  Transform me to be all you created me to be.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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GOD SHOWS UP AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME

Posted on December 4, 2020 by randscallawayffm

As we read the stories about God delivering His people over centuries of time since the very beginning of creation, we learn that He is God and we are not.  God’s love has never changed and will not change.  God’s love and care of His people is eternal.  His love never stops, never changes and never gives up on us!  Since the sin decision of Adam and Eve, our imperfect world, challenges our walk with God every day. 

This daily battle is led by the Prince of Darkness, the fallen angel thrown out of heave because he wanted to be God and take charge.  Satan is tenaciously bent on snatching us away from the One who loves us most—God.  But his powers are limited.  He uses shiny objects of pride, ego and greed as a few of his distracting tricks to take our focus from God to ourselves.  Once we focus on self, the attack becomes stronger still to destroy who we are as children of the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Saul is a fallen child of God who seeks to destroy David who has now been called of God and anointed by Samuel, God’s priest, to lead the nation of Israel.  Saul’s pride, ego and greed has affected his mental state leading him to a hunger for the murder of David.  Saul is now the enemy of David.  The Spirit of God has left Saul because for Saul, life is all about Saul and has nothing to do with God.  This is the back story of David’s song today. 

Worship and Wisdom, Psalms and Proverbs

Psalm 59, The Message

A David Psalm, When Saul Set a Watch on David’s House in Order to Kill Him

1-2 My God! Rescue me from my enemies,
    defend me from these mutineers.
Rescue me from their dirty tricks,
    save me from their hit men.

3-4 Desperadoes have ganged up on me,
    they’re hiding in ambush for me.
I did nothing to deserve this, God,
    crossed no one, wronged no one.
All the same, they’re after me,
    determined to get me.

4-5 Wake up and see for yourself! You’re God,
    God-of-Angel-Armies, Israel’s God!
Get on the job and take care of these pagans,
    don’t be soft on these hard cases.

6-7 They return when the sun goes down,
    They howl like coyotes, ringing the city.
    Then suddenly they’re all at the gate,
    Snarling invective, drawn daggers in their teeth.
    They think they’ll never get caught.

8-10 But you, God, break out laughing;
    you treat the godless nations like jokes.
Strong God, I’m watching you do it,
    I can always count on you.
God in dependable love shows up on time,
    shows me my enemies in ruin.

11-13 Don’t make quick work of them, God,
    lest my people forget.
Bring them down in slow motion,
    take them apart piece by piece.
Let all their mean-mouthed arrogance
    catch up with them,
Catch them out and bring them down
    —every muttered curse
    —every barefaced lie.
Finish them off in fine style!
    Finish them off for good!
Then all the world will see
    that God rules well in Jacob,
    everywhere that God’s in charge.

14-15 They return when the sun goes down,
    They howl like coyotes, ringing the city.
    They scavenge for bones,
    And bite the hand that feeds them.

16-17 And me? I’m singing your prowess,
    shouting at cockcrow your largesse,
For you’ve been a safe place for me,
    a good place to hide.
Strong God, I’m watching you do it,
    I can always count on you—
    God, my dependable love.

TRUTH:  God shows up to protect those who love Him.  “I can always count on you”, says David.  We can, too!  God shows up at just the right time.  God knows the time and place to show up.  God knows exactly what we need and when we need it.  We who really believe that God is really real and loves us more than we can imagine can count on this truth!  “God, my dependable love.”

Proverb 20, The Message

Deep Water in the Heart

Wine makes you mean, beer makes you quarrelsome—
    a staggering drunk is not much fun.

2 Quick-tempered leaders are like mad dogs—
    cross them and they bite your head off.

3 It’s a mark of good character to avert quarrels,
    but fools love to pick fights.

4 A farmer too lazy to plant in the spring
    has nothing to harvest in the fall.

5 Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart;
    a wise person draws from the well within.

WISDOM: “Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart; a wise person draws from the well within.”  Jesus said, “whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14, NIV 

Jesus is our well of wisdom within to draw real, eternal life.  Jesus has the solutions to all of life’s problems.  “Ask God for wisdom”, says James, and He will give it. “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:5, NIV

Abba Father,

We are so easily distracted by life stuff.  If we pause to settle too long on things of this world, we lose track of You and Your best for us.  I repent of lingering where my thoughts and actions should not be.  Like David prays, “Cast me not away from Your Presence, Oh Lord, but restore the joy of YOUR salvation in me. Renew a right Spirit in me.”  Cleanse my heart, mind and soul.  Make me holy before you.  Help me to hear YOUR voice above all other voices.  Keep me focused on You, first and only.  I love you, Lord with all that is in me.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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