Praise Is Due To Him, Indeed

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 65, and I think this is one of my favorite psalms. I just love it every time I read it. Verse 1 tells us that Praise is due to Him; and our vows to Him shall be performed…in Zion. That tells me I can go up and praise Him on His Holy mountain! And that’s in verse 2: “O you who hear prayer, to you shall all flesh come.” Remember where John went in the Spirit?

Here’s what we have when we do come before Him; thanks to Jesus! This is verse 3: “When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions.” Jesus did that for once and for all time on Calvary! Now, we can overcome the darkness in this world, and be in Heaven *both eternally and here on Earth, in our living. That’s where verse 4 comes in: “Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!” We can dwell in His courts, and his house can be our house.

There are a couple of things to take away from the holiness of His temple. First, It takes me to the Commandment: “Worship the LORD your God and serve him only.” (Luke 4:8) (Deut. 6:13) I also think about being the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. In light of that, we must respect ourselves, and others when we can. A wise person once told me that if you can’t respect someone, you can still be respectful toward them. It also tells me that we should do nothing to debase, defile, degrade, demean, and destroy another’s dignity and self respect. *Notice, those words all begin with the first letter of the word “devil.”

Verse 5 tell us that God answers us by awesome deeds and with righteousness. That makes me think of when I’ve heard kids talking about how awesome someone’s parents are. God’s love is awesomely empowering, calming; inspiring love, courage, . In and through it, we are empowered to realize, accept, and respect our own authority over our lives. That reminds me of what Jesus said. “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

The rest of the psalm outlines God’s working in the world we live in; in His creation. It gives us a picture of the effects and results of His steadfast loving-kindness toward His creation.

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Increasing Your Days

Today’s message comes to us from Psalm 61. it’s a psalm of King David’s, and a short one, so I’ll post the whole thing for you.

(Psalm 61 -ESV) “Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah
For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations! May he be enthroned forever before God;
appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him! So will I ever sing praises to your name,
as I perform my vows day after day.

The NIV reads: Increase the days of the king’s life. I like that word better than “prolong.” Here’s the reason: Increase also means to make greater in size, intensity, or degree. This tells me that I don’t have to live an ordinary, or humdrum life. When we allow God to lead us to that rock that is higher than we are, we can increase in every way. -Dear Jesus, I do not need to increase an;y more in size, by the way. Jesus said, “The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all.” (John 3:31)

King David prayed that he might be enthroned before God forever. This is what Paul meant when he said, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23-24) In this way, we are truly enthroned before the LORD, because He sees our striving and serving.

When we allow steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over us, and to guide us, we learn to go the extra mile; we learn to give that extra whatever it is that makes for excellence. An example would be not only doing the dishes, but drying them and putting them away, cleaning the sink, sweeping and mopping the kitchen floor, etc. for Mom or Dad, or for your mate. That’s an increase in your thoughtfulness, in the quality of your work, and in your sense of self-worth-because you’re striving to do an excellent job. This is growth on your part. Can you see the increase? When we make a habit of following the path of love and faithfulness, we increase our days with so much love, peace, and joy. And in a family, we actually increase everyone’s days.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Saturday Silly – January 16, 2021

My goodness, what a week it’s been! I had my cardiology appointment; hit the floor running to make it on time. I don’t know why, but it seems as if the buses are crawling along at fifteen miles an hour whenever you need them to hurry. Then, some of them go at breakneck speed, only to jump on the brakes with both feet and all their body weight behind them. Passengers and baggage come up out of the seats. LOL I think they need to serve cocktails on some of those buses, just like they do on airplanes. Speaking of airplanes, I was on a bus the other day, and there was a car wash just short of the stoplight. This guy was out front waving a white rag like crazy. I couldn’t figure out if he was trying to flag us down, or land a plane…we are right by the Air Base.

There are some characters on the buses, too. We passed a construction site, and someone asked what they were building there. A lady on the bus said, “Its an Amazon Warehouse.” “Oh,” replied the guy, “what’s if for?” “It’s where they’re going to lock up all the strong and angry women,” replied the lady. LOL

I got my ID renewed recently. I couldn’t believe it when I got the new card. My goodness; I need to get some good facial serum and face cream. My grandbabies will be calling me Grandma Sharpei. Sure enough, I sent a friend a selfie – of myself, and he texted me back: “Can she sit up and beg?” Hmm, maybe I could get one of the kids to take me to the dog shows; I could use the money. Ah, never mind…I can’t wag my tail like that anymore. Besides that, I’m not going to sit up and beg for anybody!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Limit Yourself – Limit God

And vice versa. Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that we “have not because we ask not; or because we ask amiss.”(James 4:2-3)

There’s a statement in the message (quoting directly): “I desire to give you a gift, and if you are content with the poor, and the mean, and the sordid, then you are insulting Me, the Giver.” When I thought about this, I thought about all the scriptures dealing with money, and about what Jesus said about overly worrying about things like food, clothing, etc. (Matt. 6:30-32) He said that the pagans/gentiles run after all these things, and our heavenly Father already knows that we need them. We are to seek first, the Kingdom of Heaven. All that other stuff comes with it.

I believe the gift(s) God desires to give us are the many knacks, talents, ideas, strengths, and joys of creativity, peace, love, and joy He has put within us. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13) How much we cheat ourselves out of when we settle for mere survival. Jesus said, “I’ve come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly.” That’s the difference between two plates of food and two beverages on the table…and the same meal served on a table bedecked with a tablecloth, and perhaps a little candle light and/or a vase with a rosebud or some other flower(s)…perhaps a little music softly playing in the background to create an ambiance. There’s a glimpse of that creative and romantic spark within.

We limit ourselves when we don’t open ourselves to possibility, because God is possibility. Without Him, it would not be possible for us to be saved, and saved daily from so much. We limit God when we limit ourselves. Jesus said all things are possible with God. (Mark 10:27) Our poor world has such great needs; only a great, great God can meet them. We do Him a great injustice when we limit Him by limiting our vision, and our faith.

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One Step At A Time

Today’s message from God Calling – A. J. Russell, reminds us that the way we walk is one of uncertain future and faltering steps.

The Way is, however, not one of uncertain future. Nor do God’s steps falter. We are bid to put all fear aside and trust Him wholly. “Know,” says the message. We are admonished to walk assured of God’s promises; that He is leading, and that He will reveal Himself and His will and way to us.

The key to walking in assurance and power is to walk one step at a time. I don’t worry about whether or not God’s going to wake me up on this side – because I know that whether here or there, I will be with Him; and He will be with me. He is with us always, knows the end from the beginning, and has already prepared the victory for us. We have but to walk it out. And, the reason we do that, is to learn our true identity in Christ Jesus, and to master that identity as kings and queens in the earth. When we keep that mindset, holding fast to the truths in the Word of God, it gets a little easier to walk in assurance. One day, you realize that you’re no longer even wondering about the future, because you already know God is your future.

Someone asked me recently what I thought of all the suffering I’ve done. I told them, “I see it all practice to help me as a queen. -“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” (Matthew 2:15) You see, Jesus came to serve; not to be served. That’s the mark of a great ruler; don’t you think?

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You Cannot Serve Both

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, bids us to ask ourselves whether we are serving God, or serving money/riches. Mammon, it is called in the Bible.

As I read the message, I recalled a conversation I had recently, about someone being refused a meal because they wouldn’t give up their personal information and register. They were told the reason was that if they didn’t register, the church couldn’t get paid for the meal by the government. Jesus tells us, in Matt. 6:24, that we cannot serve both God and money. Either we will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. This is very true. We prove it. I don’t think there’s a Christian that hasn’t experienced this conflict in one way or another. And, the love of money will definitely cause conflict in your life. With it comes debt, deceit, stress, all kinds of stumbling blocks.

Some of us who have held down two, and sometimes three jobs, just to make ends meet, know what a cruel Lord money can be. Work, work, work; and there’s still nothing left over, and still no chance of getting ahead. Some of us have fallen into the prestige and power trap. We sold ourselves to the “up and coming crowd;” the “Haves.” Some of us got caught up in the money trap because we tried to replace our self respect and/or dignity with stuff, stuff, and more stuff. We have to be very careful with our attitudes about money/mammon, because mammon is a very sneaky adversary. I say that, because the spirit behind it and the world’s ideas of wealth, are at work for the powers, principalities, and hosts of spiritual wickedness in the heavens. In reality, it is only sidewalk. It’s what the streets in Heaven are paved with.

Solomon said that money answers everything. It does. It pays the rent, puts food on the table, fills the car with gas, etc. But, money is to serve us; not vice versa. Keeping our attitudes about it in line with God’s Word, and practicing good stewardship/management, are the keys to staying free of bondage to it. There’s also that checklist of things like pride, fear, greed, and the like, to reckon with. We can easily fall into the money trap by way of these.

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They’re Stepping Stones

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that those downfalls, those sorrows, those turbulent and tumultuous events, even the catastrophic events that happen in our lives, are all stepping stones, or safety lines.

It may not seem like it, but all those things can serve to draw us or draw us back to the Lord’s side. They’re like those road signs-great big arrows that say, “This way to…” -hopefully, the exit, right? Yeah, I can’t even count how many of those things I’ve seen. Fortunately, I finally learned to heed them. You still have to go through, but you know with God, you’re going to get through!

They’re not tests and trials that God puts us through. They really aren’t. They’re actually tests and trials that God gets us through. He’s not the tempter. But Jesus did say, “in the world you’ll have tribulation.” He overcame the world; so we can be confident that we can overcome. And each time we overcome, it brings us closer to the Lord. It gives us new and better understanding of Him. It strengthens our faith and our courage to walk in faith.

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Serving All Isn’t As Hard As May Seem

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that we are here to serve…just as Jesus came to serve us, and not to be served.

The message bids us to be a servant of all. The first time I read that, I scratched my head a couple of dozen times, and was still confused after I thought about it. Oh, my God, how can I possibly serve everyone? I don’t even know what some people need or want? What?! One day, I was reading about the woman at the well. I read the part where Jesus told her that God seeks those who worship Him to worship in spirit and in truth. That’s when it hit me. I am to have an attitude of humility, friendship, helpfulness, and kindness toward others in my world. I am to reject any notions that anybody owes me anything, that I am entitled to any honors, or preferential treatment, etc. The best King is the one who will fight right alongside his soldiers. Jesus never asks us to do anything He, Himself wouldn’t do. When He does ask us to do something, He equips us for the task.

That last statement gets me every time I want to put my hands in my ears and act like I don’t hear God. It makes me laugh at myself when I want to just fall to the ground and say, “I can’t,” or “I don’t want to.” “Do it anyway,” God says. When I change that attitude, and get the right one going, life is good. Things get done, friends are found, or new ones made, and I’m not disappointed. If you don’t expect anything, you won’t be disappointed.

Some might say that’s a negative viewpoint. It isn’t. It’s pure truth. We are not entitled to anything more than anyone else is, nobody owes us anything in the way of lauds and praises, or preferential treatment. We are all one in Christ Jesus. That’s why we’re told to honor one another above ourselves. When we do this, both you and the other person are honored. God has said that whomever humbles himself will be exalted, but whomever exalts himself will be humbled.

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What Are You Doing It For?

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us the we need to check our motives from time to time. It’s easy to get caught up in the “keeping up with the Joneses” game; easy to get caught up in all the right things, but for the wrong reasons.

The Bible tells us that we cannot serve both God and Mammon (money). Yet, the Bible also tells us that money answers everything. No, that isn’t a contradiction. Money does answer everything in this world. We need it to survive in this world. There’s rent to pay, bills to pay, we need food and clothing, etc., etc., etc. The world operates on money. The reason it’s called currency is that it keeps the economy flowing, The economy is part of life in this world. It’s the base from which society operates. However, in God’s plan, money is to serve us. We are to master our money, and not vice versa.

When we master our money, being good stewards in regards to tithing, giving, being financially responsible, etc., we are serving God with our money. God knows we have to have it to survive down here. But, God is till God over us, and over our money. God sends the supply; He is the source. The money is just a resource to be used as needed.

It’s easy to get caught up in the competitions for titles, in the race to “fit in” with the affluent crowd, and the putting on of all kinds of airs. That’s when you know it’s time to recheck your motives, and time to line yourself back up with God’s will for you and your money. I’ve known people who had to cut up the credit cards and take on a second or even third job because the clothing bill maxed out the cards…because it just wasn’t acceptable to be seen wearing the same outfit or even the same piece of clothing twice. What kind of people are you hanging around with? And what are you trying to prove? That’s living by the world’s standards; not by God’s. And, right there, you are serving Mammon-which also, in, and according to the world, signifies affluence. Yes, God does want you to have that beautiful dress, girlfriend. He doesn’t want you to be enslaved to a second or third job to get it, though. That’s why we have things like budgets, savings, and the like. Don’t get so caught up trying to “fit in,” in this world that you become a slave to it’s standards. Remember, you are the head, and not the tail. You are the master over the money; not vice versa. Make it serve you, so you don’t end up serving the wrong god.

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Make Sure It Serves You

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that a life with God is one of continuous service. We are to serve God, are to serve others as if serving Him, and we are to strive to serve the cause of Christ Jesus in everything we do.

What we don’t often think about is whether or not certain things serve us. We often get ourselves into situations that end up having us serving them. When I speak of this, I’m talking about bad situations, things that aren’t really good for us, people who really don’t have our best interests at heart. These situations serve to enslave us; distract us from our life with God. Those things that aren’t good for us serve to put us into bondage to them if we’re not careful. Those people are usually using us for their own interests and ends. Paul said, “all things are lawful, but not all are helpful.” (1 Cor. 10:23) We are to be mastered by none but The Master, Himself.

That scripture goes on to say that not all things edify, or build up. We are to build one another up, and we are to build ourselves up, as well. “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” That’s in the 10 Commandments. Therefore, I need to survey the situations, the things presented and offered to me, and the people I involve myself with. Then, I can best measure the distance I want to keep between myself and them. When we do this, we’re also serving God by setting an example and bringing encouragement to others who see us. We are building up the weak, the fearful, the shy, etc., and shining a light for the lost to see. “Let your light so shine before men that they see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven.” (Matt. 5:16)

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