Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

PASSWORDS OF PRAISE

Posted on December 16, 2018 by randscallawayffm

Psalms – Prayers of Honesty and Praise

Do you have trouble remembering all the different passwords to your accounts and computer programs. Passwords “secure” what you have so well that if you forget them, YOU can’t touch what you know, the account you need to pay, the fun of a game or even open your phone to get a call. You must have a password for everything in this life. That’s why I am a bit amused at Eugene Peterson’s paraphrased words in our next psalm…

“Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise, who shout on parade in the bright presence of God.”

As we read the whole prayer of praise, which also asks why at the end, we learn that the “passwords” are trust and obey…for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. (Yep, everything reminds me of a song.) When we don’t know and live these passwords of praise in our lives, God will allow us to live with the consequences of our disobedience until we mature in His ways. But, know this, He never leaves us. He always loves us.

“Delighted, they dance all day long, they know who you are, what you do–they can’t keep it quiet!

Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us–you’ve been so good to us! We’re walking on air!”

“All we are and have we owe to God.

Holy God of Israel, our King!”

“Blessed be Yahweh forever and always!

Yes, Oh, yes.”

Psalm 89, The Message

An Ethan Prayer

1-4 Your love, God, is my song, and I’ll sing it!

I’m forever telling everyone how faithful you are.

I’ll never quit telling the story of your love—

how you built the cosmos

and guaranteed everything in it.

Your love has always been our lives’ foundation,

your fidelity has been the roof over our world.

You once said, “I joined forces with my chosen leader,

I pledged my word to my servant, David, saying,

‘Everyone descending from you is guaranteed life;

I’ll make your rule as solid and lasting as rock.’”

5-18 God! Let the cosmos praise your wonderful ways,

the choir of holy angels sing anthems to your faithful ways!

Search high and low, scan skies and land,

you’ll find nothing and no one quite like God.

The holy angels are in awe before him;

he looms immense and august over everyone around him.

God-of-the-Angel-Armies, who is like you,

powerful and faithful from every angle?

You put the arrogant ocean in its place

and calm its waves when they turn unruly.

You gave that old hag Egypt the back of your hand,

you brushed off your enemies with a flick of your wrist.

You own the cosmos—you made everything in it,

everything from atom to archangel.

You positioned the North and South Poles;

the mountains Tabor and Hermon sing duets to you.

With your well-muscled arm and your grip of steel—

nobody trifles with you!

The Right and Justice are the roots of your rule;

Love and Truth are its fruits.

Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise,

who shout on parade in the bright presence of God.

Delighted, they dance all day long; they know

who you are, what you do—they can’t keep it quiet!

Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us—

you’ve been so good to us! We’re walking on air!

All we are and have we owe to God,

Holy God of Israel, our King!

19-37 A long time ago you spoke in a vision,

you spoke to your faithful beloved:

“I’ve crowned a hero,

I chose the best I could find;

I found David, my servant,

poured holy oil on his head,

And I’ll keep my hand steadily on him,

yes, I’ll stick with him through thick and thin.

No enemy will get the best of him,

no scoundrel will do him in.

I’ll weed out all who oppose him,

I’ll clean out all who hate him.

I’m with him for good and I’ll love him forever;

I’ve set him on high—he’s riding high!

I’ve put Ocean in his one hand, River in the other;

he’ll call out, ‘Oh, my Father—my God, my Rock of Salvation!’

Yes, I’m setting him apart as the First of the royal line,

High King over all of earth’s kings.

I’ll preserve him eternally in my love,

I’ll faithfully do all I so solemnly promised.

I’ll guarantee his family tree

and underwrite his rule.

If his children refuse to do what I tell them,

if they refuse to walk in the way I show them,

If they spit on the directions I give them

and tear up the rules I post for them—

I’ll rub their faces in the dirt of their rebellion

and make them face the music.

But I’ll never throw them out,

never abandon or disown them.

Do you think I’d withdraw my holy promise?

or take back words I’d already spoken?

I’ve given my word, my whole and holy word;

do you think I would lie to David?

His family tree is here for good,

his sovereignty as sure as the sun,

Dependable as the phases of the moon,

inescapable as weather.”

38-51 But God, you did walk off and leave us,

you lost your temper with the one you anointed.

You tore up the promise you made to your servant,

you stomped his crown in the mud.

You blasted his home to kingdom come,

reduced his city to a pile of rubble

Picked clean by wayfaring strangers,

a joke to all the neighbors.

You declared a holiday for all his enemies,

and they’re celebrating for all they’re worth.

Angry, you opposed him in battle,

refused to fight on his side;

You robbed him of his splendor, humiliated this warrior,

ground his kingly honor in the dirt.

You took the best years of his life

and left him an impotent, ruined husk.

How long do we put up with this, God?

Are you gone for good? Will you hold this grudge forever?

Remember my sorrow and how short life is.

Did you create men and women for nothing but this?

We’ll see death soon enough. Everyone does.

And there’s no back door out of hell.

So where is the love you’re so famous for, Lord?

What happened to your promise to David?

Take a good look at your servant, dear Lord;

I’m the butt of the jokes of all nations,

The taunting jokes of your enemies, God,

as they dog the steps of your dear anointed.

52 Blessed be God forever and always!

Yes. Oh, yes.

WE LEARN…

Does God no longer keep His promises? The faithfulness of the Lord is the major theme of this psalm (vv. 1-2, 5, 8, 14, 33, 49). Of course, God’s great promises to David have their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the son of David (Luke 1:26-38, 68-79). The psalm gives us four assurances about the faithfulness of the Lord.

1. God Is Faithful in His Character–Praise Him (vv. 1-18).

2. God Is Faithful to His Covenant–Trust Him (vv. 19-29).

3. God Is Faithful in His Chastening (vv. 39-45).

4. God’s Faithfulness Will Never Cease–Wait for Him (vv. 46-52).

HEART CHECK:

How does nature praise the Lord?

How can your words glorify the Lord? How can your life praise Him?

Dear Heavenly Father,

You have gotten inside us. Your Presence is always with us as you, in good times and bad, just as you promised. We praise you above all gods and kings. You are our God and we are not. We don’t even come close. We repent of going our own way. We live to praise you. We live to trust and obey, focused on you, keeping in step with your steps. Help us, still, Lord. I’m listening. I’m right behind you, Lord!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Blessings, Christian Living, Christian Perspective, Encouragement, Faith, Forgiveness, Grace, harvest, Holy Spirit, Hope, Jesus, joy, Leadership, Listen, lost but found, Love, marriage, Mercy, ministry, Praise, Prayer, Psalms, relationship with God, Revelation of Jesus, Salvation, Searching, Teaching, Thanksgiving, Training, Transformation, trust in God, Truth, Uncategorized, Unconditional love, waiting on God, wisdom | Tagged Christian, Christian Living, Church, Comfort, Conversation, encouragement, Faith, Family, Focus, Freedom, Friendship, future, Give life, Go, Gratitude, Happy, Heart, inspiration, joy, Justice, Kindness, LIfe, LIfe Lessons, Love, management, Marriage, Ministry, Motivation, Peace, ponder, Power, Praise, prayer, Purpose, Relationship, Relationships, Spiritual, Teaching, Theology, Thinking, Training, Truth, Understanding, Virtues, Waiting, work | Leave a comment

DEPRESSION

Posted on December 15, 2018 by randscallawayffm

Psalms – Prayers of Honesty

Depression, thinking all is lost, and assuming you are lost and forgotten by others is bad. But when you sink to the depths thinking that God has forgotten you, your name and circumstances, then it is time to refocus! Why? Because these are lies. These misconceptions of Who God is to us, his created, are mind suggestions put there by Satan himself.

Our next Psalm is depressing to read. The writer is honest and gritty. The writer feels all is lost…but it isn’t. God has not changed. But he feels even God is against him. Who is the overcomer in this one sided conversation with the Creator, the One who moves heaven and earth to save us?

Who wins your thoughts for the day when you give in to replays of current and past hurts and painful circumstances that bring you to your knees?

Depression. Darkness. It happens to all of us. To Whom do we go for help, clarity, focus and TRUTH? To Whom do we trust…no matter what? How long do we wait?

“I’m standing my ground, God, shouting for help, at my prayers every morning, on my knees each daybreak.”

“…the only friend I have left is Darkness.”

Psalm 88, The Message

A Korah Prayer of Heman

1-9 God, you’re my last chance of the day.

I spend the night on my knees before you.

Put me on your salvation agenda;

take notes on the trouble I’m in.

I’ve had my fill of trouble;

I’m camped on the edge of hell.

I’m written off as a lost cause,

one more statistic, a hopeless case.

Abandoned as already dead,

one more body in a stack of corpses,

And not so much as a gravestone—

I’m a black hole in oblivion.

You’ve dropped me into a bottomless pit,

sunk me in a pitch-black abyss.

I’m battered senseless by your rage,

relentlessly pounded by your waves of anger.

You turned my friends against me,

made me horrible to them.

I’m caught in a maze and can’t find my way out,

blinded by tears of pain and frustration.

9-12 I call to you, God; all day I call.

I wring my hands, I plead for help.

Are the dead a live audience for your miracles?

Do ghosts ever join the choirs that praise you?

Does your love make any difference in a graveyard?

Is your faithful presence noticed in the corridors of hell?

Are your marvelous wonders ever seen in the dark,

your righteous ways noticed in the Land of No Memory?

13-18 I’m standing my ground, God, shouting for help,

at my prayers every morning, on my knees each daybreak.

Why, God, do you turn a deaf ear?

Why do you make yourself scarce?

For as long as I remember I’ve been hurting;

I’ve taken the worst you can hand out, and I’ve had it.

Your wildfire anger has blazed through my life;

I’m bleeding, black-and-blue.

You’ve attacked me fiercely from every side,

raining down blows till I’m nearly dead.

You made lover and neighbor alike dump me;

the only friend I have left is Darkness.

SEEK TRUTH…SEEK LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS!

In the Hebrew text, the psalm ends with the word hoshek, “darkness,” and there is no closing note of triumph as in other psalms that begin with pain and perplexity. The psalm speaks of darkness (vv. 1, 6, 12, 18), life in the depths (vv. 3-4, 6), the immanence of death (vv. 5, 10-11), feelings of drowning (vv. 7, 16-17), loneliness (vv. 5, 8, 14, 18), and imprisonment (v. 8). Heman was a servant of God who was suffering intensely and did not understand why, yet he persisted in praying to God and did not abandon his faith. Not all of life’s scripts have happy endings, but that does not mean that the Lord has forsaken us. From Heman’s experience, as recorded in this psalm, we can discover four instructions to follow when life falls apart and our prayers seemingly are not answered.

1. Come to the Lord by Faith (vv. 1-2).

Heman’s life had not been an easy one (v. 15), and now it had grown even more difficult, and he felt that death was very near (vv. 3, 10-11). But he did not give up! He still trusted in God. No matter how we feel and no matter how impossible our circumstances, we can always come to the Lord with our burdens.

2. Tell the Lord How You Feel (vv. 3-9).

There is no place for hypocrisy in personal prayer. One of the first steps toward revival is to be completely transparent when we pray and not tell the Lord anything that is not true or that we do not really mean.

3. Defend Your Cause before the Lord (vv. 10-14).

Before he went to the sanctuary to assist in the worship, Heman prayed to the Lord for healing and strength, and at the close of a busy day, he prayed again. During his daily ministry, he heard the priestly benediction: “The Lord bless you, and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace” (Num. 6:24-26 nasb)–but the blessing did not come to him! He felt rejected and knew that God’s face was turned away from him. But he kept on praying!

4. Wait for the Lord’s Answer (vv. 15-18).

The darkness was his friend because it hid him from the eyes of those who observed his sufferings and may have said (as did Job’s friends), “He must have sinned greatly for the Lord to afflict him so much!”

But he continued to pray and to look to God for help! “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15). “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord” (Ps. 27:13-14 nasb). The Lord always has the last word, and it will not be “darkness.” We should never doubt in the darkness what God has taught us in the light.

HEART CHECK:

The psalmist, Heman, endured pain and suffering, yet he kept on praying.

How do you explain the fact that some believers experience ongoing pain and suffering despite their prayers?

Did the Lord promise us an easy road?

What did He promise (see Matt. 28:20)?

Heman questioned the Lord’s fairness (v. 14).

Why do you agree or disagree that it is all right to question the Lord’s fairness?

THINK ABOUT IT…

(Help from Sarah, “A Penny of a Thought” blog)

Suffering is no stranger to humanity. Millions of people are trapped in human trafficking. Countless suffer from a physical, mental, or emotional disability that ostracizes them from society. The stress of losing a job, paying bills, natural disasters, broken relationships, unmet longings, or the loss of a loved one plague us on a daily basis.

Suffering’s complexity has been responded to with a complexity of answers. For some suffering is an illusion, a figment of our imagination. For others, it’s simply a way of life. It is what it is, therefore we should grit our teeth and bear it. Still others see suffering as punishment for past misdemeanors or current behavior (we get what we deserve), while others claim it is for our good to make us better people. Yet these answers tend to leave the sufferer tossed on a sea of pain, with no hope of anchor.

Despite this song’s darkness, principles to be applied shine from its anguish. First, this song gives individuals permission to be honest with God in persistent prayer. It is an uncomfortable fact that feelings of divine and human abandonment are common among God’s people. Yet it is often the case that when individuals are at their lowest, others try to tell them they should “just believe,” thereby indicating that the struggle of and for faith is inappropriate. This song encourages us that in times of darkness we can have confidence to speak honestly to God, expressing our pain, anguish, confusion, and even anger.[19] The darkness is an opportunity to pursue more vigorous, urgent petition.[20] Even in the face of silence, like Heman we can continue to honestly cry out day and night before the Lord.

Second, this song reminds us that the Church needs to be Christ’s physical presence to those who feel abandoned by God and by others. Isolation and loneliness from human abandonment are realities for many who suffer from affliction, be it physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. Yet Jesus Christ has called his Body to be ambassadors for him and to carry the burdens of others, thereby demonstrating his love and presence.[21] Contrast this with the experience of Heman, who was shunned and abandoned by those who knew him. How might his response to God have been different if the community of faith had surrounded him with support and care?

A third principle to be drawn comes from the assurance that our experiences do not always align with reality. Specifically, while we may experience what feels like abandonment by God, the truth is that for those who have trusted in Christ, he is there even in the darkness when he cannot be perceived. Furthermore, Jesus Christ is the only one who truly experienced Psalm 88, legitimately and fully shunned by God and humanity.

This Christ who experienced true abandonment has promised to always be with those who have trusted in him, and to never leave or forsake them.[24] For those who are his, their story does not end in the darkness of Psalm 88 but in the light of Revelation 21-22.

Each of these principles related to Psalm 88 raises a unique challenge for those who are suffering. They are bombarded with questions regarding God’s character, often face the agony of abandonment (whether intentional or unintentional), and experience the pain of isolation. Unfortunately the discomfort we, including myself, experience with this song reflects the discomfort we feel towards those who are deeply suffering. We are afraid of it. Therefore, we run from it, ignore it, or briefly acknowledge it and then casually pass on by. It takes the courage of the Holy Spirit and the love he imparts to encourage others to be persistently honest with God and to cling to the hope of Revelation 22. It takes Christ’s strength to be present with those who sit in darkness.

Psalm 88 is desperately dark. We need to allow it to communicate that message because the faithful community of God often experience the perception of divine abandonment and the reality of human abandonment. Yet while Psalm 88 ends in darkness, the story of God’s people ends in his presence where there will be no more darkness and every tear will be wiped away. Therefore, let us cling to him and never stop trusting him.

Dear Heavenly Father,

When darkness falls over us, You are there to lead us to Light and Life. Thank you for this honest, depressing psalm that changes my own thinking about today. I came to you with my own darkness and You turned me around. I will always trust you with my life. I trust you with my mind, heart and soul. Thank you, Lord for these thoughts that lift us up to where you are so we can get a glimpse of how You think and perceive our suffering and dark times.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Blessings, Christian Living, Christian Perspective, Embrace, Encouragement, Faith, Forgiveness, Grace, Holy Spirit, Hope, insight, Jesus, joy, Leadership, Listen, lost but found, Love, Mercy, ministry, Praise, Psalms, relationship with God, Revelation of Jesus, Salvation, Searching, Teaching, Thanksgiving, Training, Transformation, trust in God, Truth, Uncategorized, Unconditional love, waiting on God, wisdom | Tagged Christian, Christian Living, Church, Comfort, Conversation, Criticism, Darkness, Depression, encouragement, Faith, Family, Focus, Freedom, Friendship, future, Give life, Go, Gratitude, Heart, inspiration, joy, Kindness, LIfe, LIfe Lessons, Love, management, Ministry, Motivation, Peace, ponder, Power, Praise, prayer, Purpose, Relationship, Relationships, Spiritual, Teaching, Theology, Thinking, Training, Truth, Understanding, Virtues, Waiting, work | Leave a comment

WE’RE MARCHING TO ZION!

Posted on December 14, 2018 by randscallawayffm

Psalms – Prayers of Honesty and Praise

We’re marching to Zion

Beautiful, beautiful Zion

We’re marching onward to Zion

The beautiful city of God!

I hear this chorus ring in my memory from childhood as I read our next psalm of praise and victory in knowing God and meeting Him on His terms.

The psalmist was not indulging in arrogant nationalism but only seeking to glorify the God of Israel and the blessings He bestows. The psalm must be read on two levels. It is a prophecy of the future kingdom, when all nations will come to Jerusalem to worship, and it is also a picture of the heavenly Zion where the children of God have their spiritual citizenship. When we come to know Christ and follow Him as Lord, our name goes in The Book of the heavenly Zion where God resides and where we will live forever with Him. Hallelujah!

We’re marching onward to Zion…the beautiful city of God!

Psalm 86, The Message

A Korah Psalm

1-3 He founded Zion on the Holy Mountain—

and oh, how God loves his home!

Loves it far better than all

the homes of Jacob put together!

God’s hometown—oh!

everyone there is talking about you!

4 I name them off, those among whom I’m famous:

Egypt and Babylon,

also Philistia,

even Tyre, along with Cush.

Word’s getting around; they point them out:

“This one was born again here!”

5 The word’s getting out on Zion:

“Men and women, right and left,

get born again in her!”

6 God registers their names in his book:

“This one, this one, and this one—

born again, right here.”

7 Singers and dancers give credit to Zion:

“All my springs are in you!”

THINK ABOUT IT…

The psalmist shares three wonderful truths about the city of Jerusalem. Comments by Warren Wiersbe help us to understand the full extent of the meaning and importance of Zion, “the city of God”.

1. The City Is Built by God (vv. 1-3).

David chose Jerusalem for his capital city (2 Sam. 5:6-10), and the Lord validated that choice by putting His temple there. The nation of Israel was to be separate from the other nations both politically (Num. 23:9) and geographically. That is why God called Jerusalem “my city” (Isa. 45:13) and “the Holy City” (Isa. 48:2; 52:1) and Zion “my holy mountain” (Isa. 11:9; 56:7; 57:13). It is “the joy of the whole earth … the city of the great King” (48:2).

It is His foundation from which He has built His great work of redemption (Isa. 14:32). “Salvation is of the Jews,” said Jesus (John 4:22); and were it not for Israel, the world would not have the knowledge of the true and living God, the inspired Scriptures, or the Savior. Jesus died and rose again outside the walls of Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit descended on the church meeting in Jerusalem on Pentecost, and it was from Jerusalem that the early Jewish believers scattered to carry the gospel to the nations.

*NOTE: We do not worship the place of God but The One and Only God of the place. (Just thought I would throw that in for clarity.) Too many people worship where they were saved, like church campgrounds or at “the little church in the woods”, instead of the God of salvation through Jesus, His Son. Be careful.

The phrase “the gates of Zion” refers to the city itself, a city God loves above all cities in the Holy Land. (See Deut. 7:6-9; 2 Chron. 6:5-6; Isa. 60:11-12; Zech. 1:14.) In Jerusalem was not only the temple of the true God, but also the throne of David, and it would be the Davidic line that would give us the Savior, Jesus Christ.

In the end times, Jerusalem will be a center of controversy and conflict, but the Lord will rescue His beloved city (Zech. 12:1–13:1). But the prophets have written some “glorious things” about the future Jerusalem, and the apostles have written even more glorious things about the heavenly Jerusalem!

2. The City Is Inhabited by His Children (vv. 4-6).

The Lord is described as a king taking a royal census and registering individual names (“this one … that one …”), but the remarkable thing is that these people are Gentiles and that God is making them His own children and citizens of His Holy City! Even more, the nations named are the avowed enemies of the Jews! The emphasis in all three verses is on birth, indicating that the people who enter the future glorious kingdom will experience a “new birth” and belong to the family of God.

The Old Testament prophets promised that believers from all the nations of the earth would be included in Messiah’s reign and so did the psalmists “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14 nkjv)

3. The City Enjoys His Abundant Blessings (v. 7).

As citizens of Zion and the children of God, the Jews and Gentiles not only live together, but they also sing together and play musical instruments as they rejoice in God’s blessings.

HEART CHECK:

Why is Zion, Jerusalem, so cherished by the Jews? What future will Jerusalem and its inhabitants ultimately enjoy?

Why is the place where you were “born again” and decided to follow Jesus so important to you? Do you remember the people who pointed the way to Jesus for you? Who are they? Name them one by one…and thank God for them.

Jesus provides living water for His followers. Describe the satisfaction you have in Jesus, and contrast it with the thirst unbelievers experience. If not born again…to whom are we marching?

Dear Heavenly Father,

We are indeed marching to Zion…to You. Thank you for saving us, making us whole, restoring the joy and peace Your salvation gives. Thank you for your plan that was created with your creation! Thank you for life eternal in the city of You! Keep me focused and on the right road to You.

In Jesus Name, Amen

And I’m singing…We’re Marching to Zion (by Isaac Watts, 1707)

Come, we that love the Lord,

And let our joys be known;

Join in a song with sweet accord,

And thus surround the throne.

We’re marching to Zion,

Beautiful, beautiful Zion;

We’re marching upward to Zion,

The beautiful city of God.

The sorrows of the mind

Be banished from the place;

Religion never was designed

To make our pleasures less.

Let those refuse to sing,

Who never knew our God;

But children of the heav’nly King

May speak their joys abroad.

The men of grace have found

Glory begun below;

Celestial fruits on earthly ground

From faith and hope may grow.

The hill of Zion yields

A thousand sacred sweets

Before we reach the heav’nly fields,

Or walk the golden streets.

Then let our songs abound,

And every tear be dry;

We’re marching through Emmanuel’s ground

To fairer worlds on high.

Posted in Blessings, Christian Living, Christian Perspective, Embrace, Encouragement, Faith, Forgiveness, Grace, Holy Spirit, Hope, insight, Jesus, joy, Leadership, Listen, lost but found, Love, Mercy, ministry, Praise, Prayer, Psalms, relationship with God, Revelation of Jesus, Salvation, Teaching, Thanksgiving, Training, Transformation, trust in God, Truth, Uncategorized, Unconditional love, waiting on God, wisdom | Tagged Christian, Christian Living, Church, Comfort, Conversation, David, encouragement, Faith, Family, Focus, Freedom, Friendship, future, Give life, Go, Gratitude, Happy, Heart, inspiration, joy, Kindness, LIfe, LIfe Lessons, Love, management, Marriage, Ministry, Motivation, Peace, ponder, Praise, prayer, Purpose, Relationship, Relationships, Spiritual, Teaching, Theology, Thinking, Training, Truth, Understanding, Virtues, Waiting, work | Leave a comment

THIS IS AMAZING GRACE!

Posted on December 13, 2018 by randscallawayffm

Psalms – Prayers of Honesty and Praise

We have all been to the point of disgrace and humiliation in our lives. If you have not, then you are either to young to know, too lazy to work hard enough fail, to make someone jealous or mad, or you are in complete denial about life. It happens to all of us if we admit the warfare we are in daily. We go our own way for just so long, then BAM, God steps in to set us right again–if we let Him.

This is called amazing grace by the Creator of the world who loves us enough to confront us or lets us live, for awhile, in the consequences of our sin, before calling us back to Him. Are we waiting on Him or is He waiting on us to call to Him? Mm.

As we read David’s prayer of praise to the One and Only who brought him through war and back again, in the center of God’s love and care, we hear this song in our own hearts as call to the Lord in times of trouble…

Who breaks the power of sin and darkness

Whose love is mighty and so much stronger

The King of Glory, the King above all kings

Who shakes the whole earth with holy thunder

And leaves us breathless in awe and wonder

The King of Glory, the King above all kings

This is amazing grace

This is unfailing love

That You would take my place

That You would bear my cross

You lay down Your life

That I would be set free

Oh, Jesus, I sing for

All that You’ve done for me

Who brings our chaos back into order

Who makes the orphan a son and daughter

The King of Glory, the King of Glory

Who rules the nations with truth and justice

Shines like the sun in all of its brilliance

The King of Glory, the King above all kings

This is amazing grace

This is unfailing love

That You…

Psalm 86, The Message

A David Psalm

1-7 Bend an ear, God; answer me.

I’m one miserable wretch!

Keep me safe—haven’t I lived a good life?

Help your servant—I’m depending on you!

You’re my God; have mercy on me.

I count on you from morning to night.

Give your servant a happy life;

I put myself in your hands!

You’re well-known as good and forgiving,

bighearted to all who ask for help.

Pay attention, God, to my prayer;

bend down and listen to my cry for help.

Every time I’m in trouble I call on you,

confident that you’ll answer.

8-10 There’s no one quite like you among the gods, O Lord,

and nothing to compare with your works.

All the nations you made are on their way,

ready to give honor to you, O Lord,

Ready to put your beauty on display,

parading your greatness,

And the great things you do—

God, you’re the one, there’s no one but you!

11-17 Train me, God, to walk straight;

then I’ll follow your true path.

Put me together, one heart and mind;

then, undivided, I’ll worship in joyful fear.

From the bottom of my heart I thank you, dear Lord;

I’ve never kept secret what you’re up to.

You’ve always been great toward me—what love!

You snatched me from the brink of disaster!

God, these bullies have reared their heads!

A gang of thugs is after me—

and they don’t care a thing about you.

But you, O God, are both tender and kind,

not easily angered, immense in love,

and you never, never quit.

So look me in the eye and show kindness,

give your servant the strength to go on,

save your dear, dear child!

Make a show of how much you love me

so the bullies who hate me will stand there slack-jawed,

As you, God, gently and powerfully

put me back on my feet.

YES…THIS is amazing grace!

THINK DEEPLY ABOUT THIS AMAZING GRACE…

At a time of danger, when he felt inadequate to face the battle, David found three encouragements in the Lord that also help us today!

1. God’s Covenant Is Secure (vv. 1-7).

David pleaded for help on the basis of his covenant relationship with the Lord, just as believers today pray in the name of Jesus and on the basis of His covenant of grace.

There are at least fourteen personal requests in the psalm, which suggests to us that effective praying is specific. David “cried [called]” and the Lord answered.

2. God’s Character Is Unchanging (vv. 8-13).

David had learned much about God’s character and the way He works in the lives of His people. God is great in who He is and what He does, and the false gods of all the nations are nothing.

David focused on his own walk with the Lord. After he was delivered from danger, he wanted to walk so as to please and honor the Lord.

A perfect heart is a sincere heart that loves God alone and is true to Him (James 1:8, also Deuteronomy). David, also a prophet, promised to praise God forever for delivering him from the grave, a hint here of future resurrection of Jesus!

3. God’s Glory Shall Prevail (vv. 14-17).

David’s enemies were proud of themselves and their abilities, violent, and totally ignorant of and indifferent to the God of Israel. But David looked away from them to the Lord, who had saved and guided him all his life.

The apostle Paul tells us that knowing these attributes of God ought to lead people to repentance (Rom. 2:4). David wanted his deliverance to bring glory to the Lord and to demonstrate to the nations that Jehovah alone was God. It wasn’t just warfare; it was witness, a “sign” of the goodness of the Lord to David. It was his way of praying, “Hallowed be thy name” (Matt. 6:9). When our requests are in God’s will and glorify His name, we can be sure He will answer.

Often my prayers for help end in, “May YOUR (God) glory be seen in this!”

Yes, this is amazing grace!

HEART CHECK:

This psalm depicts David as inadequate to face a battle. Is a sense of inadequacy helpful or harmful when we face life’s battles? Explain.

What characteristics of God, cited in this psalm, strengthen your faith?

Why is it good to know “there is none like you, O Lord”?

David asked God to grant him His strength. For what specific task or trial do you need God’s strength?

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for your amazing grace that is given daily in all the details of our lives. You are The One and Only God…and we are not. There is no one like You, dear Lord! I love you with all my heart, mind and soul. I am listening for you. I will be looking for you around every corner of today. May your glory be seen in me. Thank you for saving our souls and making us whole.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Amazing Grace

How sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost but now I’m found

Was blind but now I see!

My chains are gone

I’ve been set free

My God, my Savior has ransomed me

And like a flood His mercy reigns

Unending love, amazing grace

This is amazing, reckless love…

Before I spoke a word, You were singing over me

You have been so, so good to me

Before I took a breath, You breathed Your life in me

You have been so, so kind to me

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine

I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah

When I was Your foe, still Your love fought for me

You have been so, so good to me

When I felt no worth, You paid it all for me

You have been so, so kind to me

And oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine

And I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah

There’s no shadow You won’t light up

Mountain You won’t climb up

Coming after me

There’s no wall You won’t kick down

Lie You won’t tear down

Coming after me….

Posted in Blessings, Christian Living, Christian Perspective, Embrace, Encouragement, Faith, Forgiveness, Grace, Holy Spirit, Hope, hospitality, hugs, insight, investments, Jesus, joy, Leadership, Listen, lost but found, Love, marriage, Mercy, ministry, Praise, Prayer, Psalms, relationship with God, Revelation of Jesus, Salvation, Searching, Teaching, Thanksgiving, Training, Transformation, trust in God, Truth, Uncategorized, Unconditional love, waiting on God, wisdom | Tagged Christian, Christian Living, Church, Comfort, Conversation, David, encouragement, Faith, Family, Focus, Freedom, Friendship, future, Give life, Go, Gratitude, Happy, Heart, inspiration, joy, Kindness, LIfe, LIfe Lessons, Love, management, Marriage, Ministry, Motivation, Peace, ponder, Praise, prayer, Purpose, Relationship, Relationships, Spiritual, Teaching, Theology, Thinking, Training, Truth, Understanding, Virtues, Waiting, work | Leave a comment

COME NEAR TO US

Posted on December 12, 2018 by randscallawayffm

Psalms – Prayers of Honesty

Picture two different groups of people who call you friends. One group is loving, kind to each other, smiling, and laughing while helping someone in need of finishing a project that was too much for one person. They are celebrating the completion of the project with high fives all around, thanking God for helping them.

The other group is huddled around a table in the local Starbucks. They, too, are laughing and talking loudly as they belittle and mock one of their “friends” who is struggling with life. They judge and criticize while tearing down this person in many ways. Their words are harsh, unkind and unloving.

Which group do you come near? Which group will give bring joy to your heart? Which group do you think loves YOU? Which group will be awkward for you?

Now, picture God choosing between the groups. Who will He come near and help? Who will bring a smile to His face? Who will He want to bless? Who will HE want to hang around? Which group of friends brews anger from the heart of God?

Psalm 85, The Message

A Korah Psalm

1-3 God, you smiled on your good earth!

You brought good times back to Jacob!

You lifted the cloud of guilt from your people,

you put their sins far out of sight.

You took back your sin-provoked threats,

you cooled your hot, righteous anger.

4-7 Help us again, God of our help;

don’t hold a grudge against us forever.

You aren’t going to keep this up, are you?

scowling and angry, year after year?

Why not help us make a fresh start—a resurrection life?

Then your people will laugh and sing!

Show us how much you love us, God!

Give us the salvation we need!

8-9 I can’t wait to hear what he’ll say.

God’s about to pronounce his people well,

The holy people he loves so much,

so they’ll never again live like fools.

See how close his salvation is to those who fear him?

Our country is home base for Glory!

10-13 Love and Truth meet in the street,

Right Living and Whole Living embrace and kiss!

Truth sprouts green from the ground,

Right Living pours down from the skies!

Oh yes! God gives Goodness and Beauty;

our land responds with Bounty and Blessing.

Right Living strides out before him,

and clears a path for his passage.

SOMETHING TO THINK OVER…

We cry out for God to draw near to us but are we ready for Him to come into our world of hate and unkindness? If we do not follow His ways of treating others with unselfish love which directly is in correlation to how we treat God, do we wonder why He looks away? It is AWKWARD at best for God to hang around a people who are self centered and unkind to each other and to others they do not care to know, just as it is awkward for us to choose to be like the group who tears down others.

I hear you saying, “Well, Jesus hung around sinners and unkind people.” Yes, He did. He loves us all. But He came to seek and to save lost and misguided people. From a place of love He pointed them back to God. He did not become like them. He showed them a better way. Then He laid down his life for all of us. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you was the mantra of Jesus.

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8, NKJV

TO PUT IT EVEN MORE CLEARLY….

“7-10 So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.” James 4:8-10, The Message

God’s people did not always obey the Lord or show kindness to each other, but they did make a new start. The Scottish preacher George H. Morrison said, “The victorious Christian life is a series of new beginnings,” and he is right. It is a sin to disobey God and fall, but it is also a sin to stay fallen. We must always make a new beginning, and this psalm gives us some instructions that we can follow after times of failure with God’s discipline.

This prayer psalm of honesty teaches us to:

Give Thanks to the Lord (vv. 1-3).

Ask Him for Renewed Life (vv. 4-7).

Listen for God’s Message to You (vv. 8-13).

HEART CHECK:

Verse 6 links revival, resurrection with joy. Do you believe revival or spiritual renewal always produces joy? Explain.

What picture of Jesus’ person and work do you see in verse 10: “Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other”?

How does it help you to embrace the future knowing “the Lord will indeed give what is good” (v. 12)?

Dear Heavenly Father,

We need to give you plenty of room for your passage through our lives. You will draw near to those who follow you. You will bless those who you call Friend and obey You. I am reminded of the old hymn, Lord, that was a favorite of Grandpa Lacquement who led the congregation to sing it with every person’s baptism, declaring new life in You…”Trust and Obey” for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. Yes, you make it clear. Continue to teach and transform us to be and do all you intended for us. I say yes to you!

In Jesus Name, Amen. I believe

And I’m singing…“Trust and Obey”

(By John H. Sammis, 1887)

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,

What a glory He sheds on our way!

While we do His good will, He abides with us still,

And with all who will trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,

But His smile quickly drives it away;

Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,

Can abide while we trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,

But our toil He doth richly repay;

Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,

But is blessed if we trust and obey.

But we never can prove the delights of His love

Until all on the altar we lay;

For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,

Are for them who will trust and obey.

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,

Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;

What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;

Never fear, only trust and obey.

Posted in Blessings, Christian Living, Christian Perspective, Embrace, Encouragement, Faith, Forgiveness, Grace, Holy Spirit, Hope, hospitality, hugs, insight, investments, Jesus, joy, Leadership, Listen, lost but found, Love, Macedonian Call, marriage, Mercy, ministry, Praise, Prayer, relationship with God, Revelation of Jesus, Salvation, Searching, Teaching, Thanksgiving, Training, Transformation, trust in God, Truth, Uncategorized, Unconditional love, waiting on God, wisdom | Tagged Christian, Christian Living, Church, Comfort, Conversation, Criticism, devotion, encouragement, Faith, Family, Focus, Freedom, Friendship, future, Give life, Go, God, Gossip, Gratitude, Happy, Heart, Help, inspiration, joy, Kindness, Leadership, LIfe, LIfe Lessons, Love, management, Marriage, meditation, Ministry, Motivation, Peace, ponder, Power, Praise, prayer, Promises, Purpose, Relationship, Relationships, sarcasm, Spiritual, Teaching, The Cross, Theology, Thinking, Training, Truth, Understanding, Virtues, Waiting, Whining, work, Worship | Leave a comment

“HEY, CHURCH!”

Posted on December 11, 2018 by randscallawayffm

Psalms – Prayers of Honesty and Praise

A new family came through the doors of the church where Randy was beginning his first pastorate years ago. I knew the couple with the small toddler. They were teachers in the school district where I taught. We became closer friends as they began attending church. Their little boy was so cute and was trying to figure life out in his way. He loved coming and seeing the people and the attention this congregation gave him. They loved on him. They loved on his parents. He especially loved Randy.

One day, while grocery shopping, we ran into this couple. Their little boy was the first to notice us. He yelled to his parents, “Look, look, mommy…there’s Church!” Then he yelled to us, “Church, church, I’m over here!” We all laughed for that was his name for Randy. He didn’t know what the word pastor meant but he knew for sure what “Church” meant to him. Randy was Church.

What does church mean to you? Is it the building that attracts you? Is the music? Is it the pastor’s messages?

I volunteer to be one of the VIP representatives of our church. That means I help first time visitors feel like they are coming into new friendships in a loving, accepting environment. We don’t point out where to go, we TAKE them on the journey, showing and telling who we are and what they can expect. We show them where to get coffee, where the restrooms are, give them a program and help them find seats in the worship center that they prefer. Our church has many visitors each Sunday, so my “shift” keeps me hopping. I run back and forth to pick up the next visitors as quickly as possible so no one is missed. Others help in this process.

Two Sundays ago a woman came in with a friend. I began the VIP tour but as we talked I learned she was going through chemo treatments for her cancer. I stopped the tour and we had prayer, right there in the middle of the worship center. She came back this past Sunday with a huge smile on her face. She brought her son who, at first, had that “deer in headlights” look on his face. I worked to put his mind at ease quickly and his mom said, “See, I told you how loving they are.”

I tell these stories to express, once more, that WE are the sanctuaries of the Lord. We are His Temple. We are “church” to those who are not yet “church”. The Psalmist knew only the place where He could meet God on His terms. “God in full view”. “Zion, the beautiful city of God” is what the people longed for and made pilgrimages to see.

Psalm 84, The Message

A Korah Psalm

1-2 What a beautiful home, God-of-the-Angel-Armies!

I’ve always longed to live in a place like this,

Always dreamed of a room in your house,

where I could sing for joy to God-alive!

3-4 Birds find nooks and crannies in your house,

sparrows and swallows make nests there.

They lay their eggs and raise their young,

singing their songs in the place where we worship.

God-of-the-Angel-Armies! King! God!

How blessed they are to live and sing there!

5-7 And how blessed all those in whom you live,

whose lives become roads you travel;

They wind through lonesome valleys, come upon brooks,

discover cool springs and pools brimming with rain!

God-traveled, these roads curve up the mountain, and

at the last turn—Zion! God in full view!

8-9 God-of-the-Angel-Armies, listen:

O God of Jacob, open your ears—I’m praying!

Look at our shields, glistening in the sun,

our faces, shining with your gracious anointing.

10-12 One day spent in your house, this beautiful place of worship,

beats thousands spent on Greek island beaches.

I’d rather scrub floors in the house of my God

than be honored as a guest in the palace of sin.

All sunshine and sovereign is God,

generous in gifts and glory.

He doesn’t scrimp with his traveling companions.

It’s smooth sailing all the way with God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

“I’D RATHER scrub floors int he house of my God than be honored as a guest int he palace of sin.”

That joy turned sour when The Temple was used for everything in the world instead of meeting God. God, at just the right time, sent His One and Only Son to earth to straighten out human thinking. Jesus came to seek and to save confused, lost, depraved people in and out of the Temple. Jesus came to earth and taught us about what God really wants, how He loves and Who He really is. He taught how to love like God loves us. Then Jesus laid down his human life as the once and for all, final sacrifice for our sin. Jesus defeated death, rose again and lives in us who believe and accept what He did, and commit to follow Jesus’ teachings about God’s love. We are the Temple that Jesus builds in each of us. We are “church” to a world lost and still confused.

Like the Psalmist, I’d rather be with others who are “church” with me than with anyone else. I love being with those who love God as much as I do. I love being with those who love me back. But I also love telling others who don’t know about Jesus. I love being “church” to those who are not yet church.

If you don’t get by now…church is a person with a group of persons who seek to find, love and follow Jesus.

If you are church you know…

You are loved.

You are enough.

You are accepted.

You are redeemed.

Now, “Church”, go tell someone else!

Dear Heavenly Father,

You are amazing! Thank you for these thoughts that bring clarity to who we are in You. Thank you for telling us more and more about Who YOU are for us and in us. Thank you for loving us beyond what we deserve. Thank you for saving our very souls. Continue to speak to my heart and transform my thinking.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Blessings, Christian Living, Christian Perspective, Embrace, Encouragement, Faith, Forgiveness, Grace, harvest, heaven, Holy Spirit, Hope, hospitality, hugs, insight, investments, Jesus, joy, Leadership, Listen, lost but found, Love, marriage, Mercy, ministry, Praise, Prayer, Psalms, relationship with God, Revelation of Jesus, Salvation, Searching, Teaching, Thanksgiving, Training, Transformation, trust in God, Truth, Uncategorized, Unconditional love, waiting on God, wisdom | Tagged Christian, Christian Living, Church, Comfort, Conversation, David, encouragement, Faith, Family, Focus, Freedom, Friendship, future, Give life, Go, Gratitude, Happy, Heart, inspiration, joy, Kindness, LIfe, LIfe Lessons, Love, management, Marriage, Ministry, Motivation, Peace, ponder, Power, Praise, prayer, Purpose, Relationship, Relationships, Teaching, Theology, Thinking, Training, Truth, Understanding, Virtues, Waiting, work | Leave a comment

BEST WEAPON FOR VICTORY!

Posted on December 10, 2018 by randscallawayffm

Psalms – Prayers of Honesty

When seemingly surrounded by unbelievers who are ready to drag you down daily because you believe, we cry out to God. We ask for His help and guidance. When the teasing and manipulating gets really tough, we ask for God to take them out (of our lives, not out of existence!) Asaph is praying a very similar, sincere, honest pray to God. We discover that prayer to God is the best weapon against our enemy who works through the lives of those who do not believe. As we pray, believing in God, we understand and are assured in our conversation with God that He is in control. He never sleeps and He is always at work. He hears us when we call out to Him.

Psalm 83, The Message

An Asaph Psalm

1-5 God, don’t shut me out;

don’t give me the silent treatment, O God.

Your enemies are out there whooping it up,

the God-haters are living it up;

They’re plotting to do your people in,

conspiring to rob you of your precious ones.

“Let’s wipe this nation from the face of the earth,”

they say; “scratch Israel’s name off the books.”

And now they’re putting their heads together,

making plans to get rid of you.

6-8 Edom and the Ishmaelites,

Moab and the Hagrites,

Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,

Philistia and the Tyrians,

And now Assyria has joined up,

Giving muscle to the gang of Lot.

9-12 Do to them what you did to Midian,

to Sisera and Jabin at Kishon Brook;

They came to a bad end at Endor,

nothing but dung for the garden.

Cut down their leaders as you did Oreb and Zeeb,

their princes to nothings like Zebah and Zalmunna,

With their empty brags, “We’re grabbing it all,

grabbing God’s gardens for ourselves.”

13-18 My God! I’ve had it with them!

Blow them away!

Tumbleweeds in the desert waste,

charred sticks in the burned-over ground.

Knock the breath right out of them, so they’re gasping

for breath, gasping, “God.”

Bring them to the end of their rope,

and leave them there dangling, helpless.

Then they’ll learn your name: “God,”

the one and only High God on earth.

SOMETHING TO CHEW…

Israel has been the object of hatred and opposition since their years in Egypt, but God has kept His promises and preserved them (Gen. 12:1-3). Pharaoh, Haman (the book of Esther), Hitler, and every other would-be destroyer of the Jews has ultimately been humiliated and defeated. This reminds us that the church of Jesus Christ is likewise hated and attacked by the world (John 15:18-19; 17:14), and like the Jews in Asaph’s day, our defense is in prayer and faith in God’s promises (Acts 4:23-31).

Commenting on this psalm, Alexander Maclaren wrote, “The world is up in arms against God’s people, and what weapon has Israel? Nothing but prayer.” But is there any better weapon? As he saw the enemy armies surrounding Israel, Asaph lifted three heartfelt requests to the Lord:

1. “Lord, See What Is Happening!” (vv. 1-8). We pray to get God’s attention and to clarify the situations for ourselves. We call to the One in charge.

2. “Lord, Do What Is Necessary!” (vv. 9-15). We offer suggestions in our hurt, but ultimately leave the work to God. God is all knowing, all seeing, all powerful. He is God and we are not. HIS glory will be seen in victory.

3. “Glorify Your Name!” (vv. 16-18). When we pray, believing that God will do what He promised, we praise Him for Who He is. We thank God for all He has done, is doing and will do in our lives. These honest prayer conversations restore the joy of His salvation in us while assuring us He is indeed at work.

HEART CHECK:

If Asaph’s prayer seems vindictive, remember that he was asking God to protect His special people who had a special work to see on earth. Asaph remembered how God had defeated the enemy before and knew He could do it again! He is recalling such victories in his passionate plea to God as the enemy surrounds God’s people.

Are we vindictive in our prayers about our enemies?

We need to be careful. We need to remember what Paul said to the Ephesians in similar situations, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Our war is with Satan and this army who work diligently through all people to bring down the work of God in our lives. SEE the real enemy and don’t let him get a foothold in our own lives as we work to do what is right, God guiding us.

Jesus reminds us to turn the other cheek and to return kindness for evil. If you sling the mud back that was thrown at you, you get as dirty as the mudslingers!

Jesus also said to pray for our enemies. We show the love of Christ when we pray for those who persecute us and try to get us to be more like them and less like Christ. It is hard to stay angry at someone you are praying for God’s best in them.

Prayer. Conversation with God. Priceless.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We get all bothered by those who mock us because of what we believe. Ah, but you know how that feels for you were mocked when you lived among humans. You were ridiculed, slapped, tortured and much worse, sentenced to die on a cross.

You could have stopped the whole parade, but you didn’t. You loved and love us enough to do what was seriously necessary to save us from our own sin debt. You paid it all…willingly. You went to hell and back…for us! What a profound love you have for us. What a grand, once and for all, victory over sin and the enemy who thrives on sin and self. We realize who the real enemy is when we talk with you. We realize the overwhelming, never changing, always winning, mighty Victor! We pray for those who don’t know you yet. We pray for their salvation from sin and self.

In Jesus Name, Amen. I believe.

Posted in Blessings, Christian Living, Christian Perspective, Embrace, Encouragement, Ephesians, Faith, Forgiveness, Galatians, Grace, harvest, heaven, Holy Spirit, Hope, insight, investments, Jesus, joy, Leadership, Listen, lost but found, Love, marriage, Mercy, ministry, Praise, Prayer, Psalms, relationship with God, Revelation of Jesus, Salvation, Searching, Teaching, Thanksgiving, Training, Transformation, trust in God, Truth, Uncategorized, Unconditional love, waiting on God, wisdom | Tagged Christian, Christian Living, Church, Comfort, Conversation, Criticism, David, encouragement, Faith, Family, Focus, Freedom, Friendship, future, Give life, Go, Gossip, Gratitude, Happy, Heart, inspiration, joy, Justice, Kindness, LIfe, LIfe Lessons, Love, management, Marriage, Ministry, Motivation, Peace, ponder, Praise, prayer, Purpose, Relationship, Relationships, Spiritual, Teaching, Theology, Thinking, Training, Truth, Understanding, Virtues, Waiting, work | Leave a comment

ORDER IN THE COURT!

Posted on December 9, 2018 by randscallawayffm

Psalms of Honesty

Justice. We all want it. Some of us demand it–as long as the decision falls in our favor. We want life to be fair–for us. What is fair for us might not be fair for others. We want to be the judge. We judge without thinking about it.

It is easy to judge as our actions reflect daily. We judge the clerk at the store as we wait to be checked out. We judge people walking around the store buying things WE don’t think they need. We judge how people dress at Walmart. We judge who comes to church. We judge our friends decisions as well as those who are strangers. We decide who a person is and what is in their hearts at first glance. We are corrupt, can be “bought” or bribed, guided by society norms. We can be just as corrupt as the judges the Psalmist is talking about this morning.

Psalm 82, The Message

An Asaph Psalm

God calls the judges into his courtroom,

he puts all the judges in the dock.

2-4 “Enough! You’ve corrupted justice long enough,

you’ve let the wicked get away with murder.

You’re here to defend the defenseless,

to make sure that underdogs get a fair break;

Your job is to stand up for the powerless,

and prosecute all those who exploit them.”

5 Ignorant judges! Head-in-the-sand judges!

They haven’t a clue to what’s going on.

And now everything’s falling apart,

the world’s coming unglued.

6-7 “I commissioned you judges, each one of you,

deputies of the High God,

But you’ve betrayed your commission

and now you’re stripped of your rank, busted.”

8 O God, give them their just deserts!

You’ve got the whole world in your hands!

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT…

Asaph prays that God will bring justice to the whole earth. Between these statements, the Lord Himself speaks to the judges.

Could God be speaking to us as we judge harshly, unfairly without knowing each person’s story, ignoring God’s Law?

Since God is the Lawgiver, He is also the Judge (Isa. 33:22), and the Judge of all the earth does what is right (Gen. 18:25). He presides over the congregation of Israel and over the judges of the nation. The Lord is not sitting at a bench, patiently listening to the presentation of the case, because God is Judge and jury and needs nobody to tell Him the facts. He knows what people are doing on the earth and will execute judgment righteously (11:4-7). In His court, there is no “defense” or “appeal.” He is omniscient and His verdict is final. It is an awesome occasion: He is standing and about to announce His decision (Isa. 3:13-15).

ONLY God knows all the facts, we do not.

It is a great responsibility to represent the Lord on earth and seek to execute justice by applying the law correctly. Civil servants are “ministers of the Lord” and will answer to Him for what they have done (Rom. 13).

“God calls the judges into the courtroom, he puts all the judges in the dock.”

“And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Mic. 6:8). These judges did not do justly (v. 2) or love mercy (vv. 3-4), and they walked in defiance of God’s will (v. 5). The pronoun “you” in verse 2 is plural, for the Lord is addressing all the guilty judges. They championed the causes of the guilty because they were bribed, and they failed to care for the orphans and widows.

Are we guilty of judging without mercy and kindness?

When God the Judge ceased to speak, then Asaph added his prayer that God would bring justice to all the earth and not just to Israel (v. 8; 9:7-8). When the Lord comes to judge the earth, no one will escape, and His sentence will be just. Asaph’s prayer echoes the church’s prayer: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).

NO ONE will escape. God is the Judge. He knows the whole story.

Asaph prayed that God would bring justice to the earth. Do you believe Asaph’s prayer will be answered? If so, when and how?

If a nation’s leaders reject God, what are some likely consequences? What do you believe Christians can do to encourage their national leaders to honor God?

Dear Heavenly Father,

Help us to behave like we say we believe. Help us to obey your law for is it perfect, right and fair. When others do not, you will be the judge and jury. Help us do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with you, Father! When called upon to judge (make a decision that affects others) may we be led by you with wisdom, insight and understanding of YOUR law, not by human first impressions without knowing the whole story. May we always follow your law. We are so glad that you, indeed, have the whole world in your hands!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Blessings, Christian Living, Christian Perspective, Embrace, Encouragement, Faith, Forgiveness, Grace, harvest, heaven, Holy Spirit, Hope, hospitality, hugs, insight, investments, Jesus, joy, Listen, lost but found, Love, Mercy, ministry, Praise, Prayer, Psalms, relationship with God, Revelation of Jesus, Salvation, Searching, Teaching, Thanksgiving, Training, Transformation, trust in God, Truth, Uncategorized, Unconditional love, waiting on God, wisdom | Tagged Christian, Christian Living, Church, Comfort, Conversation, David, encouragement, Faith, Family, Focus, Freedom, Friendship, future, Give life, Go, Gratitude, Happy, Heart, inspiration, joy, Justice, Kindness, LIfe, LIfe Lessons, Love, management, Marriage, Ministry, Motivation, Peace, ponder, Praise, prayer, Purpose, Relationship, Relationships, Spiritual, Teaching, Theology, Thinking, Training, Truth, Understanding, Virtues, Waiting, work | Leave a comment

OUR DAILY BREAD

Posted on December 8, 2018 by randscallawayffm

Psalms – Prayers of Honesty and Praise

I love the smell of fresh baked bread! I love making bread. There is a big reason that this occurrence happens often in my home now that I am retired from teaching full time. It is the aroma that prompts pleasant memories of waking up on the farm to that fresh baked smell while spending nights with Grandpa and Grandma Lacquement. She was a great bread maker. Because they had milk cows, she also made her own butter to go on that bread. Being a devout believer, she gave thanks for that bread.

She also gave away much of her bread to family members and others who loved to remember what “homemade” tastes like. It is the good memories of our childhood that make us smile when we are older as we miss the ones who loved us unconditionally pass from this life to the next.

What if you are an orphan whose only memory is hunger? During the bomb raids of World War 2, thousands of children were orphaned and left to starve. Some were rescued and placed in refugee camps. But, even though they now had food and care, many of these children could not sleep at night.

They were afraid of waking up to find themselves once again homeless and without food. Nothing seemed to reassure them. Finally someone hit upon the idea of

giving each child a piece of bread to hold at bedtime.

Holding their bread, these children could finally rest. The bread reminded them, “Today I ate and I will eat again tomorrow”. Holding the bread they could say, “Today I ate,

and I will eat again tomorrow.”

Most of us do not need to hold a piece of bread in our hands at night, to rest assured that we will be able to eat tomorrow. Most of us cannot fathom what it’s like to be a refugee in the time of war.

In our world there are people desperate for food, who go to bed hungry each night…There are also people who have plenty of food on their tables, but who feel just as hungry;

they feel empty in a different way.

Sometimes these groups don’t understand each other…

The rich say to the poor, “How can you still be hungry? There is more than enough food for everyone in the world!”

The poor say to the rich “How can you still be hungry?

You have so much already.” The Israelites are refugees in the wilderness. They know what it is to be hungry. They start to complain…all of them at once. The reading from Exodus says that the “whole congregation” begins to complain that there is no bread.

God hears their cries and promises them bread – manna raining down from heaven – every night. All they need to do is gather up enough for one day, one day only, and wait for God to provide the next day. But they can’t do it.

Like the children in WWII they are afraid that there won’t be enough so they hold onto the bread – more than they need for the day, just in case, just so they can sleep.

When Jesus crosses over the Sea of Galilee into Capernaum, the crowds who follow him shouldn’t have been hungry. He’d just fed over 5000 of them with the bread and fish and there had been leftovers!

But they too are afraid. They want more – more physical food, just in case, just so they can sleep. Jesus looks at them with their hands out for bread, and I think he’s disappointed. There’s no doubt that Jesus wants those who are hungry to be fed. For those who are physically hungry, he wants their stomachs to be filled. But now he’s confronted by people who aren’t hungry for physical food, their needs are spiritual – and he wants them filled too.

“Don’t you understand?” he says.

Yesterday’s bread goes stale; it gets moldy. Don’t set yourselves on that kind of food. Now that your basic needs are met, now that there is physical food in your body, here’s your chance to search for soul food. Look for the food that can satisfy that inner part of you which you know is longing for something more, something deeper, something more meaningful.

The people ask Jesus, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

And Jesus responds, “I am that bread. I am the bread of life.”

We eat some of that Jesus bread every time we come to the Lord’s Table “in remembrance” of what He did for us to save us all from our own sins. But as it disappears into our bellies and becomes part of us, sometimes we forget that it’s there.

Jesus’ bread can satisfy. Forever. We can be assured that we can daily go to Him and hear Him speak to us through His Holy Spirit and God’s Word. We will never go “hungry” spiritually unless we decide we don’t need Him. I can’t imagine not getting my fill of Jesus bread each morning before I begin my journey living on this earth.

The Psalmist brings to mind all of the benefits of God “I took the world off your shoulders, freed you from a life of hard labor. You called to me in your pain; I got you out of a bad place. I answered you from where the thunder hides, I proved you at Meribah Fountain.”

He ends with foretelling the Bread of Life, Jesus, who will come and fill us. “You’ll feast on my fresh-baked bread spread with butter and rock-pure honey.” (See God like home-made bread, too!) God knows what we need. We need a Savior.

Psalm 81, The Message

An Asaph Psalm

1-5 A song to our strong God!

a shout to the God of Jacob!

Anthems from the choir, music from the band,

sweet sounds from lute and harp,

Trumpets and trombones and horns:

it’s festival day, a feast to God!

A day decreed by God,

solemnly ordered by the God of Jacob.

He commanded Joseph to keep this day

so we’d never forget what he did in Egypt.

I hear this most gentle whisper from One

I never guessed would speak to me:

6-7 “I took the world off your shoulders,

freed you from a life of hard labor.

You called to me in your pain;

I got you out of a bad place.

I answered you from where the thunder hides,

I proved you at Meribah Fountain.

8-10 “Listen, dear ones—get this straight;

O Israel, don’t take this lightly.

Don’t take up with strange gods,

don’t worship the latest in gods.

I’m God, your God, the very God

who rescued you from doom in Egypt,

Then fed you all you could eat,

filled your hungry stomachs.

11-12 “But my people didn’t listen,

Israel paid no attention;

So I let go of the reins and told them, ‘Run!

Do it your own way!’

13-16 “Oh, dear people, will you listen to me now?

Israel, will you follow my map?

I’ll make short work of your enemies,

give your foes the back of my hand.

I’ll send the God-haters cringing like dogs,

never to be heard from again.

You’ll feast on my fresh-baked bread

spread with butter and rock-pure honey.”

SOMETHING ELSE TO THINK ABOUT…

Think about how you might “hold onto Bread” as you go out into the world this week. Just as the fragrance of my grandma’s bread catapults my memories of love, may the memories of the love of Christ and our behavior be a fragrant offering back to God and others!

May even the sight as well as the smell of bread, gluten free or not, be a strong reminder of the “Bread of Life”, Jesus, that fills our hungry spiritual souls to the brim.

HEART CHECK: What difference might it make in you?

Maybe like the children in the WW2 refugee camp, you’ll find that holding on to this Bread makes you less fearful.

Maybe you’ll find that holding this Bread helps you be more forgiving to others. Maybe you’ll find that holding this Bread makes you more thankful for what you have. Maybe you’ll find that holding onto the Bread of Life helps you to be more generous.

Jesus feeds us with His bread. The bread of life brings peace, forgiveness, gratitude, generosity…soul food.

“Take and eat; this is my Body…given for you. –Jesus

So these are the thoughts that come to mind as we read our next prayer of honest and praise to One and Only who longs for us to remember all that He as done, is doing and will do in our lives. He is the great I AM. He is God and we are not.

“I’m Yahweh, your God, the very God who rescued you from doom in Egypt, Then fed you all you could eat, filled your hungry stomachs.”

God provides our Daily Manna, Jesus. Jesus is our Bread of Life who forever fills us. We will never go hungry in our souls.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for saving our souls. Thank for a daily filling from You, our Savior and Lord. Thank you for physical provisions that remind us of your love, care and blessings. Thank you for all you have done, are doing, and will do in our lives with your daily manna. Continue to feed our souls, make us whole and holy and send us to tell others about you. I will cling to You, dear Jesus, my Bread of Life! But I will also share You with others.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Blessings, Christian Living, Christian Perspective, Embrace, Encouragement, Faith, Forgiveness, Grace, harvest, heaven, Holy Spirit, Hope, hospitality, hugs, insight, investments, Jesus, joy, Leadership, Listen, lost but found, Love, marriage, Mercy, ministry, Praise, Prayer, Psalms, relationship with God, Revelation of Jesus, Salvation, Searching, Teaching, Thanksgiving, Training, Transformation, trust in God, Truth, Uncategorized, Unconditional love, waiting on God, wisdom | Tagged Bread of Life, Christian, Christian Living, Church, Comfort, Conversation, David, devotion, encouragement, Faith, Family, Focus, Freedom, Friendship, future, Give life, Go, God, Gratitude, Happy, Heart, Help, inspiration, joy, Justice, Kindness, LIfe, LIfe Lessons, Love, management, Marriage, Ministry, Money, Moses, Motivation, Peace, ponder, Praise, prayer, Promises, Purpose, Relationship, Relationships, Spiritual, Teaching, The Cross, Theology, Thinking, Training, Truth, Understanding, Value, Virtues, Waiting, Whining, work, Worship | Leave a comment

SMILE YOUR BLESSING SMILE

Posted on December 7, 2018 by randscallawayffm

Psalms – Prayers of Honesty

I am remembering a particular day in my first grade teaching career that happened many years ago. Our own kids where school age. Our morning that day was filled with unfortunate mishaps. One girl couldn’t get her hair just right and cried. Our son made a mess of breakfasts eating then couldn’t find all he was supposed to have for school that morning…and didn’t really care. The youngest decided she was sick…and she was. Randy drove off to his job earlier. I am trying to get everyone in their places so I can be at work in my classroom before the kids arrive. (I’m getting queasy just writing this as I remember!)

I was not smiling when I came to work. I was not smiling when I was preparing for class, restocking all the learning centers with the lessons of the day. I was behind schedule. Nothing had gone right. My routine was thrown off. I didn’t have time to meet my little first graders at the door with smile as I normally did.

The energy and excitement of the arriving first graders did not sway my mood. But I affected their mood. Trouble brewed in every learning center. Kids became unkind and unruly every where I turned to look. I knew what was wrong. I halted the insanity with “Stop!” “We need a do over!” All eyes were on me to figure out what the crazy lady was going to do next. They knew they weren’t doing all that is right but didn’t know how to stop.

I told all of them I had a bad morning and what was happening in our classroom was mostly my fault. “Here is what we are going to do. We are going to begin this day all over again. Get your coats and book bags.” I then sent them all into the hallway. I told them I was going to shut the door for just a bit, then reopen the door and greet them properly…with a smile.

They eagerly but cautiously followed the teacher’s direction and lined up in the hallway to wait. I opened the door after breathing deep and asking for God’s help to reset this day. The students immediately calmed down after seeing the smile they were accustomed to seeing each morning. A bad day ended well and good, thanks to God. The mood of disruption transformed to peace once more. God changes everything.

Psalm 80, The Message

An Asaph Psalm

1-2 Listen, Shepherd, Israel’s Shepherd—

get all your Joseph sheep together.

Throw beams of light

from your dazzling throne

So Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh

can see where they’re going.

Get out of bed—you’ve slept long enough!

Come on the run before it’s too late.

3 God, come back!

Smile your blessing smile:

That will be our salvation.

4-6 God, God-of-the-Angel-Armies,

how long will you smolder like a sleeping volcano

while your people call for fire and brimstone?

You put us on a diet of tears,

bucket after bucket of salty tears to drink.

You make us look ridiculous to our friends;

our enemies poke fun day after day.

7 God-of-the-Angel-Armies, come back!

Smile your blessing smile:

That will be our salvation.

8-18 Remember how you brought a young vine from Egypt,

cleared out the brambles and briers

and planted your very own vineyard?

You prepared the good earth,

you planted her roots deep;

the vineyard filled the land.

Your vine soared high and shaded the mountains,

even dwarfing the giant cedars.

Your vine ranged west to the Sea,

east to the River.

So why do you no longer protect your vine?

Trespassers pick its grapes at will;

Wild pigs crash through and crush it,

and the mice nibble away at what’s left.

God-of-the-Angel-Armies, turn our way!

Take a good look at what’s happened

and attend to this vine.

Care for what you once tenderly planted—

the vine you raised from a shoot.

And those who dared to set it on fire—

give them a look that will kill!

Then take the hand of your once-favorite child,

the child you raised to adulthood.

We will never turn our back on you;

breathe life into our lungs so we can shout your name!

19 God, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, come back!

Smile your blessing smile:

That will be our salvation.

SOMETHING TO CHEW…

The smile of the teacher is such a rich blessing and a sign of peace to students eager to please and do what is right. God’s people missed His smile (their teacher, guide, protection, and provider) during their many bad days of being attacked and ridiculed. The Temple, their place of peace and meeting God, had been destroyed. Their normal wiped out. The Psalmist cries out,

“God of the angel armies, come back!

Smile your blessing smile; THAT will be our salvation.”

The “vine”, the legacy of God’s people is at risk of being cut off in their minds. The enemy has come to destroy. Oh God, “breathe life into our lungs so we can shout your name!” “Smile your blessing smile, THAT will be our salvation.”

Heart Check:

Think of the time you felt God was not smiling on you. What did you do about it?

Does the countenance on our face cause others to wonder to whom we belong or what is wrong? What can we do about it?

God puts a smile on our faces that is genuine and natural because of the inner joy that is unspeakable and full of His glory…even on bad, unhappy days. We just need to call on Him to help us, knowing that our look reflects who is in our hearts.

Don’t “fake it ’til you make it” either, (my pet peeve phrase that is detestable to me). Smile, make them wonder what you’ve got (Newsboys) and then TELL them who put that smile on your face. The smile of God IS a true blessing! Our smile can be the blessing a tired person in retail needs today! Be that blessing.

Dear Heavenly Father,

This life has trouble, anxious moments, challenging situations but you promised, with a smile on your face, to always be with us and help us. Your ways are perfect in every way. We turn to you. Smile your blessings smile on us so we will reflect Your smile on our faces…so others will know You.

In Jesus Name, Amen

And I’m singing…

Shine. (or Smile!)

Make ’em wonder whatcha got.

Make ’em wish that they were not

On the outside looking bored.

Shine.

Let it shine before all men.

Let em see good works and then

Let em glorify the Lord.

Posted in Blessings, Christian Living, Christian Perspective, Embrace, Encouragement, Faith, Forgiveness, Grace, heaven, Holy Spirit, Hope, hospitality, hugs, insight, investments, Jesus, joy, Leadership, Listen, lost but found, Love, marriage, Mercy, ministry, Praise, Prayer, Psalms, relationship with God, Revelation of Jesus, Salvation, Searching, Teaching, Thanksgiving, Training, Transformation, trust in God, Truth, Uncategorized, Unconditional love, waiting on God, wisdom | Tagged Christian, Christian Living, Church, Comfort, Conversation, David, encouragement, Faith, Family, Focus, Friendship, future, Give life, Go, Gratitude, Happy, Heart, inspiration, joy, Justice, Kindness, LIfe, LIfe Lessons, Love, management, Marriage, Ministry, Motivation, Peace, ponder, Power, Praise, prayer, Purpose, Relationship, Relationships, Smile, Spiritual, Teaching, Theology, Thinking, Training, Truth, Understanding, Virtues, Waiting, work | Leave a comment

Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

PASSWORDS OF PRAISE

DEPRESSION

WE’RE MARCHING TO ZION!

THIS IS AMAZING GRACE!

COME NEAR TO US

“HEY, CHURCH!”

BEST WEAPON FOR VICTORY!

ORDER IN THE COURT!

OUR DAILY BREAD

SMILE YOUR BLESSING SMILE

Archives

Meta

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Archives

Meta