Daily Redemption

Psalm 130 (ESV)

Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!
O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared. *(Respected, honored)

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the LORD!
For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.
And he will redeem Israel
from all his iniquities.

When I read this psalm, I think of Jesus’ words, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you?” (Matt. 17:17) I also think of all the times His ear was attentive to my pleas for mercy. He’s never failed me yet. And, what I learned from all those times is that I need to know when I need to give myself a break. I need to know when I need help, and ask for it. There is always forgiveness with the LORD/Lord when we confess our sins to Him. There is also forgiveness when we confess our weaknesses to Him. (2Cor. 12:9) That’s when He leads us to His Word, or brings it to our remembrance. The last part is a powerful revelation about iniquities. God always deals with our attitude(s). That’s because they steer our actions and reactions. Sometimes, just changing your attitude opens up a whole new panorama of opportunities and ideas. There’s a saying, “The optimist sees the donut, but the pessimist sees only the hole.” Both are attitudes. Faith is positive; doubt and despair are negative. It comes back to the blessing and cursing, life and death thing. They are both choices. When things aren’t going like we think they should be, the first thing we need to check is our attitude.

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Saturday Silly – July 16, 2022

I am telling you, people, this financial crisis is giving rise to some of the craziest business ventures! I see one of the 7-Elevens here is now selling ATM machines. Cross my heart! The sign above the door: “Beer, ATM, Ice, EBT.”

I don’t know how well that’ll go over. I mean, why would you buy an ATM from a 7-Eleven? I’m pretty sure you’d have to fill it with money yourself. The ATMs at the bank already have money in them. Buy one from them!

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We Grow Up In Them

Psalm 129 (ESV)

“Greatly *(often) have they afflicted me from my youth”—
let Israel now say—
“Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth,
yet they have not prevailed against me.
The plowers plowed upon my back;
they made long their furrows.”
The LORD is righteous;
he has cut the cords of the wicked.
May all who hate Zion
be put to shame and turned backward!
Let them be like the grass on the housetops,
which withers before it grows up,
with which the reaper does not fill his hand
nor the binder of sheaves his arms,
nor do those who pass by say,
“The blessing of the LORD be upon you!
We bless you in the name of the LORD!”

Did you know that you weren’t born an alcoholic, drug addict, dysfunctional mess, etc.? Don’t laugh; a lot of people do not realize that. You were made that way by the people who raised you, influenced you greatly, mentored and taught you, and by the one(s) you loved -spouse, partner, boyfriend, girlfriend. You cannot give what you don’t have, so if those people didn’t have the right knowledge, right beliefs, right attitudes, and right ways, you learned the wrong ones. I’m talking about generational curses. Things like abuse are learned behaviors. Sloth is a learned behavior, as is lying, cheating, denial, and a mile long list of other things. We also “teach” ourselves ways of coping with abuse, disappointment, rejection, etc. We come away from hurtful situations with new insight(s); and not all of them are good for us.

In one of my first studies on generational curses, I separated sin from iniquity. Sin is a thing done wrong *(not according to God’s ways). Iniquity is your attitude about the sin. If you don’t believe it’s wrong to be slapped, or put down, or teased cruelly by a loved one, you will tolerate that behavior. Iniquity is shaped by the things we learn from the sins we commit, those that others commit against us, and from the sin present in the world. We begin to learn those things from the time we’re infants.

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Sow To What You Want To Reap

Psalm 128 (ESV)

Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways!
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the LORD.

The LORD bless you from Zion!
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life!
May you see your children’s children!
Peace be upon Israel!

First, let me apologize for the late post yesterday. I somehow had a 6:24 p.m. publish time on it. It worked out well for me, though, because I also forgot to put the title on it. Sorry, everyone.

I want to focus on the first two verses of this psalm. “Blessed IS everyone…” Notice that’s present tense; it means we live in a state of being blessed. (Deut. 28) Here’s the important one: you shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands. That sowing and reaping thing is a natural law. You can’t plant an apple tree and get oranges. When we sow discord in the house, we reap discord in the house. When we sow peace, order, steadfastness, cooperation, etc., we reap those things. We have to sow to whatever it is we want to reap. I want to have dinner every evening at 6 p.m. Therefore, I schedule my day accordingly, leaving myself enough time to prepare dinner in time to be served at 6 p.m. In a house full of children, that means we manage everyone else’s schedules accordingly. Here’s another example: I want to have my own business. Therefore, I will educate myself in business management, and all the things that pertain to the type of business I want to own.

When we sow to what we want to reap, we can see more clearly when things are not working like they should, and we can often plan correction strategies ahead of time. Remember, God knew the end from the beginning. We don’t for sure know the end from the beginning, but we can plan from the beginning, to achieve the end result we want.

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Build Your Family Up In The LORD

Psalm 127 (ESV)

Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain; unless the LORD watches over the city, it’s watchmen stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

When I read the first two verses of this psalm, I think about generational curses. We become prey to them when we don’t align ourselves with God’s standards and boundaries. It is vanity to expect our children to succeed if we have subjected them to chaos and faulty standards and boundaries. As for that city, this verse makes me think of Sodom and Gomorrah. Obviously, the standards and boundaries there, were not God’s. With verses 3 and 4 we see how our choices affect our children and their futures. We have to aim them toward their future. We don’t just go along aimlessly and haphazardly, and expect them to learn good things this way. We foster their desire to learn, their curiosity about things, and their interests. We must teach them who and whose they are, so they can grow in faith and strength in the LORD/Lord. A king wouldn’t train his son up to live as a stable boy. The last two verses have me thinking spiritually. We become spiritual parents when we lead someone to the Lord, and when we mentor someone in the Lord, and help them in their walk. Those enemies are the powers and principalities…and just like that rich man in torment, they’ll get theirs one day.

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You Have A Purpose

Psalm 126 (ESV)

When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad.

Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like streams in the Negeb!
Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.

This is one of the most powerful psalms in the whole book of Psalms. Verse 1 speaks to me of having vision, purpose, a hope for the future. (Jer. 29:11) Those things are part of our fortunes, along with the mercy, grace, and love of the LORD/Lord; and of course, His Word! (Psalm 33:11) When I think of the LORD restoring my fortunes, I think of His Word. All His promises, precepts, and His laws, remind me that I am His child; that I am blessed to be a blessing. (Deut. 28:12-13) This is why I will bear seed for sowing out of my weeping. This is what the Spirit was talking about in God Calling (A.J. Russell), when He told us to offer our suffering up as a sacrifice for someone else. Take your suffering, your struggle, your fear, etc. and make it your fuel. Use what you learn from it to make things better! God takes everything meant for evil against us, and turns it into blessing for many. (Gen. 50:20) That’s where those sheaves (the harvest) will come from. And, oh, what joy that harvest will bring! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! **You can access the messages from God Calling at twolisteners.org

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As For Me & My House

Psalm 125 (ESV)

Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the LORD surrounds his people,
from this time forth and forevermore.
For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
on the land allotted to the righteous,
lest the righteous stretch out
their hands to do wrong.
Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,
and to those who are upright in their hearts!
But those who turn aside to their crooked ways
the LORD will lead away with evildoers!
Peace be upon Israel!

When I read this psalm, I think about dedicating my home to the LORD/Lord. When we do that, we consecrate the ground, and Satan cannot prevail within the boundaries. The walls are fortified by the presence of the LORD/Lord. Notice that word, “scepter”. See who it is that’s trying to take your throne? Thank you, Jesus, for what you did for me!

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That Beautiful Name!

Psalm 124 (ESV) is a celebration of God’s mercy and goodness toward us; of His love for us. The verse that catches my attention here is verse 8: “Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” John 14:13 Jesus tells us, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified through the son.” There’s also affirmation of our right to access the throne of grace in that name in John 16:23. Some other references: (Eph. 2:18), (Eph. 3:12) (Eph. 3:14) “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.” Hallelujah!!! Don’t let anything shake your confidence in our Heavenly Father. You’ve got it all if you’ve got His Name! This is one of my favorite songs by Hillsong. I hope it lifts your spirit as much as it does mine every time I hear it.

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Saturday Silly – July 9, 2022

One of my favorite places here is Sunset Park, out by the airport. I love to watch the planes taking off and landing. Some of them come in pretty fast. You have to wonder whether they’re going to be able to stop or not. I know the folks at the airport have that all under control, though. I see they have a Runway Nail shop right there close by. Can you imagine those poor guys having to run out there and toss nails on the runway to stop the plane?

Hey, hey, today’s Kebab Day! Treat yourself to a fruit Kebab, made with chunks of watermelon, strawberries, and banana.

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He Draws Nigh

Psalm 123 (ESV) reminds me of what Jesus said. “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:23) I’m also reminded of Jesus’ promise, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20)

When I think about looking up, I think about looking for the better way; the higher mindedness that looks a little deeper, and strives to judge (discern) rightly. (John 3:31) It’s so much easier said than done. But it’s always well worth the effort. I’ve always felt like the victor, or like I came out ahead of the game, when I get it right.

The ones who are at ease are those who don’t feel the sting of their sin. They are the proud who have contempt for God’s Word and His Way. This makes me grateful that the Holy Spirit does show us the truth, and especially the truth within us; in every situation. (John 14:26) Thank you, LORD/Lord, for loving me that much! No wonder David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10) Amen and Amen, Lord; me too, please!

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