Freedom Is Responsibility

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 82. God’s reminding us that freedom is responsibility. Status, no matter how small or how great, comes with expectations, with standards, and with boundaries. Every king and queen must know this.

“God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
“How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.” Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations!” (ESV)

When you look at this from God’s vantage point, you can see that He sees us much differently than we see ourselves. How many times I was in “invincible” mode. How many times I thought I could handle it all. Oh, yeah, and that period in my life when I thought I knew it all. LOL I can laugh now, but boy was I a mess when I realized I wasn’t the one who knew it all. And, that the One who does know it all, knew me even better than I knew myself. And He still does! I’m not shocked anymore, but I sure have to laugh with Him sometimes when He reveals me.

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Glorious & Majestic

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 76. It is a beautiful song, written by Asaph. Verse 4 stands out for me. “Glorious are you, more majestic than the mountains full of prey.” When you know that, not only does God know you, but that you know Him, glory and majesty are exactly what you feel within. Then, when you read all the things in the Word of God having to do with His glory and majesty, you will begin to see the king or queen you were created to be. I hope you’ll read the whole psalm for yourselves; and I hope it stirs you to look into the glory and majesty of God in His Word.

Thank you, Third Day, for this beautiful song. It’s one of my favorites.

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Here’s To The Royal Couple

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 72. The heading reads, “Of Solomon,” but by the time we get to the end of it, we can see this was a prayer of King David, possibly for his son, Solomon. The whole thing is absolutely awesome! It’s a long one, so I’m not going to post the whole thing, but I hope you read it for yourselves. When I read this, I think of the duties of Kings and Queens; the expectations God has of them, and the tremendous weight on their shoulders. I also think of Jesus; King Jesus, laughing with joy at the children, and actually touching a leper…and weeping for a bereaved mother. We are kings and queens in the earth, ruling and serving-in our households, and our communities. There are some great points to ponder in this prayer.

Verse 1: “Give the king your justice, O, God” that we might judge rightly and righteously. Verse 4: “May he defend the cause of the poor of the people” that we might crush the oppressor. Verses 5 is for parents and grandparents, great grandparents…and so forth. “May they fear you while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!” We all leave a legacy to the generations coming up behind us. May it be a legacy of love and faithfulness, strength, and faith in God. Verses 6&7 tell us a king and queen see to the needs of their people and cause peace to abound. Peace is twofold; peace within helps promote peace round about us. Verses 12-14 tell us the lives of the people are precious in a king/queen’s sight, and speaks of compassion and faithfulness to save the poor and needy from oppression. Verses 18&19 remind us who the King really is, and how awesomely privileged we are to be His hands and feet int he earth; to be charged with caring for His creation. I think I’m going to print this one out, frame it, and hang it up in my next kitchen. I want to see this reminder every morning.

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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.

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Maybe He’s Doin’ You A Favor

Today’s message comes to us from Psalms and Proverbs 30. Psalm 30 is King David singing to the LORD. The whole thing is beautiful! (Psalm 30:6-7)”As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.”
By your favor, O LORD, you made my mountain stand strong; you hid your face; I was dismayed.” (ESV) This one really caught my attention. I’ve had three or four of those mountains in my life. There’s a twofold revelation here. First, we can get so caught up in our success(es) that we forget who got us there. “King/Queen of the hill, I am.” You’re already in trouble the minute you think it. I know; you think God would say, “Oh, yeah?” He doesn’t. God says, “Oh, no!” He knows what you’re in for. The devil loves to knock you down. That’s where the second revelation comes in. “By your favor,” O LORD, you made my mountain stand strong.” Oh, oh; what happened to my mountain? My high place just turned into a desert wilderness! It’s a mountain of sand! And here comes the storm! “God, why did you let that happen? God, can you hear me down here?! GOD, ARE YOU LISTENING?!! GOD, HELP ME!” “Yes, my child, I am listening. Now you’ve got it right.” (Matthew 5:1-14) (ESV)

Proverbs 30:1-9 reinforce Psalm 30. It’s almost like a small recap of Job. “I’ve learned my lesson, and I’ll just shut up and praise you now, LORD/Lord.” LOL Proverbs 30:7-9 go on with a short request by Agur, of the LORD. Then the rest of the proverb gives us some observations Agur has made. He ends with a bit of wise advice.

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Advice For The Royals

Today’s message comes to us from Proverbs 29; and since you are a king or queen in the earth, it’s for you.

Proverbs 29: 2 tells us “when the righteous flourish, people rejoice, but when the wicked rule people groan.” Proverbs 29:14 “If a king faithfully judges the poor, his throne will be established forever.” That tells me that there is joy in the admonition, encouragement, instruction, and discipline of the Lord. It also tells me that my children will benefit much more if I raise them under the admonition of the Lord. Just as people groan under wicked rulers (parents, boss, supervisor, mate, leader), all of creation is apt to suffer because of wicked rulers. The reason for that is found in Proverbs 29:7-“A righteous man knows the rights of the poor; a wicked man does not understand such knowledge.” This why we have things like pollution, affecting air, water, earth, and the ozone layer that protects us from the sun. Proverbs 29:4 tells us that a king builds up his land by justice, but one who exacts gifts, or *taxes heavily, tears it down. Justice is not only the aim in a court of law; it includes weighing all things out correctly, looking at a thing from all sides, in order to achieve what’s best for all. Exacting a gift is forcing someone to give something to you. This is the cause of most rebellion; even in our children. Force, or duress, is not conducive of peace, which is necessary for learning. Proverbs 29:15 tells us that the rod and reproof give wisdom. The rod, in this case, is used to measure growth, progress, correctness of action. Reproof is instruction meant to correct thinking and action. Isn’t it much easier to learn something when you are made aware of your error(s) and helped to understand the correct way? Proverbs 29: 19 addresses that. “By mere words a servant is not disciplined, for though he understands, he will not respond.” But, by instruction, and with help, correction can come about. The spilt milk example fits well here. We help the child to clean up the mess, and then figure out how to avoid spilling the milk again. Punishment needs to fit the crime. {You broke the window, and must pay to replace it.} Proverbs 29:12 is an admonition to be careful who you surround yourself with; and to check facts. “If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will be wicked.” Proverbs 29:22 shows us the value of peace. “A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression. Ever wonder why your children seem to go from being in trouble to being in more trouble, to being in even more trouble? There’s a difference between loving discipline and harsh punishment. Proverbs 29:23 tells us that “One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.” I think of (Matt. 20:28) when I read this one. Jesus came to serve; not to be served. He gave His life to ransom all who believe and receive Him. Proverbs 29:25-26 “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe. Many seek the face of a ruler, but it is from the LORD that a man gets justice.” This is a warning against falling into “people pleasing,” or even expecting people to be pleased with you, actually. Trust in the LORD because He teaches us justice. (Right understanding, correctly weighing things out).

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Today I Have Begotten You

Today’s message comes from Psalm 2 and Proverbs 2. I hope you’ll feel closer to the LORD/Lord when you finish with it. See how much the Father loves us.

Psalm 2:7-9 tells us: “I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Is that awesome?! This is David speaking by the Spirit. He was speaking of Jesus and you and me. Jesus is the One who gave us the power to become God’s children in His Name. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.” (John 1:12-13)

Proverbs 2:1-5 tells us: “My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.” One must accept the offer Christ gives us, and receive Him in our hearts. Jesus taught about receiving God’s Word into our hearts and applying them, in Matthew 13:3-9. Proverbs 2:6-15 explains to us why we need God’s wisdom to live by. We are kings and queens in the Earth, and if we are to rule over our lives according to God’s Word, we need His wisdom to overcome the evil and darkness Satan has brought to the earth. Jesus called him the “ruler of this world.” –The world that does not know Christ Jesus, or has rejected Him; that is. It’s also the world that we may have grown up in, or may have gotten ourselves into. With God’s love and His wisdom, we can overcome all three. Here’s Red Letters by David Crowder. I hope it blesses you as much as it does me-every time I hear it. If you don’t know Jesus, you don’t know what you’re missing! He loves you so very much! Don’t stay in that darkness; call out to Him and come out into the sunshine of His love, His peace, His joy! He loves yo, and so do I!

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That Kingdom Is Yours Here Too

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“Behold, the Kingdom of Heaven/God is within you…”

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that we will have trials and tribulations…but we are still kings and queens in the Earth, even then. The message bids us to accept the trials and tribulations, and to step into the kingdom that’s been prepared for us-even in the midst of them.

I don’t know how many times I’d read that same message before I finally caught that. That Kingdom has been prepared for us, right here on Earth too. Jesus, although He came in human form, was still God. He was King of kings when He was making His way through the birth canal. He was Lord of Lords hanging on that cross, and dying on that cross. If He wasn’t, He wouldn’t have risen from the grave.

Just as Jesus defeated, even death, we can defeat every dead thing in our lives. We can defeat death; break it off of our families, our marriages, our own souls. “Behold, the Kingdom of Heaven/God is within you.” (Luke 17:21) Nobody can take it away from you! No trial, no tribulation, no sickness, no death can take if from you! That’s what Jesus did for us, even long before He died on the cross. Just think, you were a king or queen in the making, from the very beginning!

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Connecting The Steps To The Summit

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Today’s message from God Calling -A.J. Russell, reminds us that we need to take our eyes off the problems, long enough to see how they’re leading us to the goals.

Each day brings with it little irritations, little chances to give up, little difficulties to excuse doubt. The list goes on and on. We’re not to pay too much attention to those little things. We’re not to allow them to throw us off track, that is. We are to connect them to the goal we’re trying to reach. The ultimate goal is to maintain our authority over our circumstances, and to remember we are kings and queens in the earth. We rule; the circumstances don’t. They shouldn’t, anyway.

The way we connect those little things to the goals, is by building a stairway leading upward to the goals. We do this when we see those little irritations, difficulties, etc., as opportunities to practice our authority wisely. Remember Solomon? He asked God for wisdom. He wanted to rule over his world wisely. That attitude, or mindset, changes us immediately from being victims of the circumstances, to being masters over them. *We practice this best when we slow down long enough to remain in the driver’s seat. All that rushing, rushing, rushing, can throw you right into the rumble seat, if you don’t watch out.

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