Piece of Cake

Nun (Psalm 119:105-112)

Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
to keep your righteous rules.
I am severely afflicted;
give me life, O LORD, according to your word!
Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O LORD,
and teach me your rules.
I hold my life in my hand continually,
but I do not forget your law.
The wicked have laid a snare for me,
but I do not stray from your precepts.
Your testimonies are my heritage forever,
for they are the joy of my heart.
I incline my heart to perform your statutes
forever, to the end.* (or, statutes, the reward is eternal)

When I read this, I’m reminded of the many “start-overs,” I’ve had in my walk. The problem was that, first of all, I had not sworn that oath and confirmed it. Simply put, that’s making a firm choice/decision and confirming it by sticking to it. “Nope, that bed’s getting made!” You do hold your life in your hand. The choice is yours to make. God said, “Choose this day!” (Deut. 30:19) God’s not a bully, and the responsibility for you is yours. How bad do you want it to be better? Nothing can separate us from the love of the LORD/Lord. That’s what our heritage forever is. (Rom. 8:38) Inclining my heart means I’m circumcising my heart. I’m cutting off all the excuses, the fear, doubt, whatever it is that’s keeping me down and/or pulling me back. See, it’s not as hard as the devil wants you to believe it is.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Ah, The Ascents

We begin with Psalm 119 today. It is also called the Psalm, or Song of Ascents. It is quite a long one, and each different part brings us a revelation of God and His love for us, and affirmation or confirmation of what His Word does for our lives. Reading from the ESV.

Aleph (Verses 1-8)

Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD!
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart,
who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!
You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules.
I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me!

Why are we blessed when we walk in God’s law? God decreed it in Deuteronomy. We’re blessed because His testimonies are seed that is implanted in our hearts. God’s Word is alive and active, filled with power, and never returns void to Him. It accomplishes that for which He sends it. That one statement there taught me to actually pray the psalms.

When we keep His Word/His Precepts diligently, we are surrounded by them; protected by them. Praising God with an upright heart is actually a lot easier than some folks realize. Your heart is upright when it does not fear (be afraid) Him. Don’t fear (be afraid of) God, fear (respect) Him. It is a bold heart, that knows God’s love is unconditional, and His every intention toward us is love. Your heart, when you learn about God’s love for you, gets bolder and bolder as you grow closer to Him. When you have that kind of relationship with Him, you, in your spirit, will gladly run and throw yourself into His waiting arms.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Good To Praise, Indeed

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 92. It is a song for the Sabbath. That Sabbath rest is available to me every day as a child of God. So, this song is for every day.

Verses 1-4 confirm it. “It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre. For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.” Does that give you the impression that we are to remain at rest in the spirit? It does me; and the day I realized that, my life changed. My faith was strengthened so much, and a peace just filled me from head to toe. I know that I know that I know, that no matter what comes along, God’s got me.

Verse 6 reveals something to us, about God. “How great are your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep!” This is the very reason you can go back to the same exact scripture time and time again, and come away with something more. (Luke 24:44-45)

The psalm goes on to talk about how the enemies of God will all perish, and the wicked will fall. But, verses 10-15 tell us about the blessings of being a child of God. “But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; you have poured over me fresh oil. My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants. The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.” God anoints us daily with fresh oil, or power. If you haven’t seen the downfall of your enemies or evil assailants, you just haven’t heart it yet. Hang in there; God’s got perfect timing! When we are planted in the house of the LORD (firmly in His Word, and Way), we will always flourish and bear fruit, even in our old age. I read just today, in “Daily Bread,” about a woman who was still doing surgery at the age of 92. Is that awesome?! That’s God working in us. I absolutely love the last few words: “The LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” That tells me He will never steer me wrong, never let me down, never fail me. Oh, yes, it is good to praise Him, indeed!

Love you from Cafe du Mondiue

Strengthen Me For Them, Lord

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 51, and it’s a psalm King David wrote after the prophet Nathan came to him about his adultery with Bathsheba.

Verse 1 is David’s plea: “Have mercy on me according to your steadfast love, and your abundant mercy.” Blot out my transgressions. In terms of generational curses and life recovery, this is so crucial. Discipline coming from anger, frustration, even hatred, or self-loathing, is never, ever, effective. it’s destructive. Love builds up, these others tear down and tear apart. Love is merciful, and remembers the weakness and frailty of the soul. that’s why the first thing we do is make sure the person is alright, and assure him/her, reassure him/her that the world is not about to end. We need to do that with ourselves, our own souls, as well. Blotting out the transgressions is the act of not counting them against a person. (“This is the fifteenth time…,” “All you do is cause trouble and make messes…”) No, we wash that one from his/her iniquity (attitude about sin) through that reassurance and mercy. We cleanse that one from his/her sin by discovering the truth about the sin (motivation, what really happened, and how we can correct it). Verse 6 confirms that for us: “Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. (ESV)

Verse 7 brings us a revelation: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” I looked up Hyssop. {In the Old Testament hyssop was used to sprinkle blood as part of the Jewish Passover. Hyssop was mentioned in the Bible for its cleansing effect in connection with plague, leprosy and chest ailments and symbolically in cleansing the soul.- (arborgate.com) The word plague, when used as a verb, means to cause continual trouble or distress to. Does sin do that to us? -Yes, and to others in our lives, right? When I looked up leprosy, I found some symptoms that are common in sin and iniquity too: Symptoms include light colored or red skin patches with reduced sensation, numbness and weakness in hands and feet. (Mayo Clinic) I’ve spoken before about Jesus’ hands and feet being pierced by the nails. When you’re mind is hedged in (iniquity) your hands usually don’t achieve much-or not as much as you could. Your feet don’t get you nearly as far as you could go, and where they do lead you often, is into more sin. Those chest aliments can kill you. When it’s hard to breathe, it’s hard to live.

Verses 10-12 are the most important ones in this psalm. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. When we deal with our loved ones, and ourselves in the admonition of the LORD/Lord, we are creating a clean heart, renewing a right, or steadfast spirit. The presence of a loved one is a powerful weapon; especially in troubled times. The memory of that one brings that power back to us. The Holy Spirit is ever present with us, and counsels, guides, comforts, encourages, and builds us up. In Verse 13 David tells us why that’s important: “Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.” We want those loved ones to come to us for help, rather than end up in the wrong hands with the wrong people.

Finally, in verse 17 we learn the importance of being ready and able to receive that correction and instruction. (Matthew 13:4-9) I remember well how many times I turned around and did the exact same thing I’d done the last time…and regretted it…until I finally regretted it enough to actually want to receive the truth, correction, and instruction…and make the needed changes! Thank you. Lord, for your fathomless mercy, grace, and patience!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Yes, Over ALL The Earth!

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 47. It is a praise offering to the LORD, by the sons of Korah. The psalm is a short one, so I’ll post the whole thing here.

Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet.
He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah God has gone up with a shout,
the LORD with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! God reigns over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne. The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted!

Does that stir you up? It fills me with a deep and awesome joy; and I can’t help but praise Him! Verse 1 tells us God is a great king over all the earth. That means there is nothing outside of His control; nothing. Verse 4 confirms that God chose us! Not only that, but He chose us to be His children! Is that awesome?! Hallelujah! In verse 8 we are assured that He reigns over all the nations, and that He is definitely on the throne! In verse nine our royal status is confirmed. But, when Jesus died and rose again, He raised that status. We are kings and queens in the earth. We are, in Christ Jesus, seated at the right hand of the Father. That’s both awesome and more than a bit scary, isn’t it? It lets us know though, that we have a responsibility to the earth and its inhabitants. Remember Jesus’ words? He came to serve; not to be served. There’s a reference in this verse to the shields of the earth. When I researched it, I found that Jupiter, the magnetosphere, and the atmosphere are called shields of the earth. Here, actually on Earth, “a large area of exposed Precambrian crystalline igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks that form tectonically stable areas. These rocks are older than 570 million years and sometimes date back 2 to 3.5 billion years.” These are also called shields. They have to do with the earth’s crust, and plates that shift or don’t shift. Can you imagine God’s workload? These things are changed every time there’s a fire, flood, earthquake, or tornado and hurricane. (volume and weight) He has to adjust for all the depletion of the forests, the strip-mining, etc. WOWWWWW!!!!! Just think, if the weight of the earth was thrown all to one side? We could be careening through outerspace at breakneck speed and on a collision course with another planet. We might even be shot straight into the sun. No God? I beg to differ with you! This made me think of Psalm 104-a must read! That one will leave you awestruck and breathless.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Ooh, The Picture’s Clearer

Today’s message comes from Psalms and Proverbs 14. Both give us a clearer picture, yet, of evil, and evil doers. We’re also shown how easily we can backslide and get lost. We are reminded that the LORD is our refuge. He has restored our fortunes through Christ Jesus. Jesus redeemed us, and everything that belongs to us, when He died on Calvary for us.

Interestingly, Proverbs 14:9 tells us that fools have no conscience, or shame. Proverbs 14:19 is a three-fold revelation. “The evil bow down before the good; the wicked at the gates of the righteous.” First, this confirms our dominion over them/victory over them in Jesus’ Name. Secondly, they do this in mockery-so be on your guard. Thirdly, they cannot stand in the Presence of God, nor can they prevail against us. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31) This makes me think of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man sure changed his tune when faced with the truth, didn’t he?

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Learning To Wait

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that the waiting is the hardest part. I just had that little talk with Jesus this morning. I was praying and surveying some situations, and I said, “Lord, I need an acre of land. Jesus, please!” I could almost hear His laughter. That’s when He reminded me that He’s the boss; and that he knows better and has better timing than I do. Now, He’s hearing my laughter as I’m loving Him for confirming that little reminder of this lesson this morning.

Getting into the habit of just reminding myself of God’s sovereignty, wisdom, will, and power, helped me so much in this waiting area. It’s something I used to have to do quite often. After awhile, it gets you to the point where you can just say, “Never the less, Lord, not my will, but thine be done.” (Luke 22:42)

This message ties in with yesterday’s message about true success, and with my post from Oct. 28th, about looking for, or at, the glad surprises (the candy bar) in God’s pocket. Together, all three give us a clearer picture of God’s love for us, and empower us to learn the value of waiting on Him.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu