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Psalm 34

King James Version (KJV)

34 I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

² My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
³ O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
⁴ I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
⁶ This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷ The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
⁸ O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
⁹ O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.
¹⁰ The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.
¹¹ Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
¹² What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?
¹³ Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
¹⁴ Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
¹⁵ The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
¹⁶ The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
¹⁷ The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
¹⁸ The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
¹⁹ Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lorddelivereth him out of them all.
²⁰ He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.
²¹ Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.
²² The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

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King James Version (KJV

Challenging....

G.K. Chesterton wrote a poem:

You say grace before meals. All right.
But I say grace before the play and the opera,
And grace before the concert and pantomime,
And grace before I open a book,
And grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing;
And grace before I dip the pen in the ink.

It’s all a gift from God.

So is "religious" a good thing?

“I see that in every way you are very religious” Acts 17:22b NIV

One of the things I love about God’s Word is….

there can be a verse that I have read 100 times….

and on my 101^st time reading it….

WHAM !!!!

A truth strikes me that I failed to notice before.

God’s Word is an artesian well,

that never fails to produce life changing truth. 

Very often I have people tell me that they are either,

“religious” or “spiritual”. 

However, they have little time for God’s Word or church.

That is distressing because it means they have created a

belief system based on their own opinions, viewpoints,

life experiences ~ all of which change with time.

In these verses, Paul encounters people that considered themselves,   

 “very religious”. 

“You are saying some rather strange things,                               and we want to know what it’s all about.”                                                   

(It should be explained that all the Athenians

as well as the foreigners in Athens seemed

to spend all their time discussing the latest ideas.)

So Paul, standing before the council,

addressed them as follows:

“Men of Athens, I notice that you are

very religious in every way,

for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines.

And one of your altars had this inscription on it:

‘To an Unknown God.’

This God, whom you worship without knowing,

is the one I’m telling you about.

Acts 17:20-23 NLT

The Greek philosophers they were listening to ~

had a limited understanding of God ~

mostly based on the latest religious fads ~  

and what little they understood ~

contradicted God’s Truth about Himself.

Paul then pointed out that a deeper understanding of God encourages people to abandon their shallow false religious ideas ~

turn to God so He can transform their lives. 

I love Paul’s approach when he talked to the religious folk.

He acknowledges that they are “very religious”.  (17:20)  

Notice Paul doesn’t throw rocks at the confused shallow religious folks.

He doesn’t start nit-picking their confront their false beliefs or judge their sinful life styles, instead he  but acknowledges their interest in “God”.

I am sure that in his heart, Paul was very distressed by the fact that their worship was directed toward idols (17:16).

A working definition of an “idol” is anyone or anything that we go to for strength, comfort, and peace besides God. 

The term “religious” is vague and ambiguous. 

It can mean either “devout” or “superstitious”. 

I suspect Paul carefully chose the word “religious” so as not to offend his hearers while, at the same time, opening the door for him to confront the shortcomings in their beliefs and offer a clear understanding of the Gospel.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION:

Are you moving people closer to God

or pushing them away from God

by your attitude and words? 

Starbucks part 1 The frantic soul

If confession is good for the soul,
Then I confess that  I love Starbucks dark coffee.
No cream, no sugar, no flavors,
Simply strong enough to eat the bottom out of your cup if you don't drink it fast enough.
Louis L'Amour wrote that he enjoyed coffee strong enough to float a horseshoe in it.
So as I sit here drinking my coffee -- waiting on my wifey to finish her appointment and join me, I started watching people.  Apparently that too is something I enjoy.
I found myself praying for them as they pass -- each bearing burdens that are robbing them of their joy -- creating fear and doubt.
Some pass me on a run -- behind schedule -- frantic to be everywhere they are expected to be -- when they are expected to be there. Their frantic pace has robbed them of their joy and in the dust behi d them Is Gods still gentle voice -- unheard. Gods voice offering, peace, hope, comfort and strength -- unneeded.
So I pray and ask God to not remove their difficult circumstances but rather nudge their heart and cause them to hear HIS voice in the midst of the storm. Causing them to draw close to HIM.

Isaiah 40:31 NLT

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength, 

They will soar high on wings like eagles.

They will run and not grow weary, 

They will walk and not faint.

Thoughts on Church

Thoughts on Church

As I wonder around my favorite Bible books store in Spokane,              I often consider starting a “Bible Translation of the Month Club”.

It must be terribly confusing for seekers who are going in for the first time to buy a Bible.  The term “God’s Word” sounds pretty straight forward ~ until you hit the 15 isles of various Bible translations. 

I suppose the same could be true for churches.  

When I was growing up, most churches had some sort of title that identified what they believed.  This made selecting a church to visit a fairly “safe” venture.  

Today, pretty much everyone is a “Community Church”.                            

So that term really doesn’t reveal very much about who they are. 

Again, it must be terribly confusing for seekers who are looking for a church (God’s house) and find a myriad of options with no identifiers to work with.  

So how can we decide between what is pleasing to God and what is “man centered”?  Here are a few suggestions to consider. 

#1. Sermons are from God’s Word.  PERIOD.  

The sermon is God’s message to His people.                                      The pastor must not attempt to manipulate people.                      

 It is God’s work in hearts that defines success.  

“We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”  Hebrews 12:2 NLT

#2. God’s church builds people. PERIOD. 

God’s plan is NOT for people to build a Church empire. 

I teach that GVCC is a “hospital” for the broken.                                People can walk in the door, sit down, and experience the love of God.  If they can’t experience the love of God in church ~                   then where?   

Ask the pastor if he has a Spiritual Growth Bible Study.   

            

There must be ongoing Bible Studies for people at different stages in their Christian life.  

“You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.”  2 Timothy 2:2 NLT

#3. Church services are not for entertainment. PERIOD. 

We have 30 minutes of prayer & music ~                                         followed by 30 minutes of preaching from God’s Word.  

Think of searching for a station on your car radio.                                 You make an effort to search and fine tune until there is no static and you have a clear signal.                                                                   When you come to church, make an effort to remove all static that distracts you from hearing the message God has for you.  

“Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.” James 4:8 NLT

#4. Church requires a long term commitment. PERIOD.

Being a follower of Jesus Christ is a life long journey that seldom produces “immediate gratification”. 

Picture the Christian life as a marathon ~ not a sprint.  

Look for a church that focuses on INWARD change                             not a OUTWARD response. 

 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:37-38 NLT

#5. Church must encourage you to share your faith. PERIOD. 

Many people collect all they can, put it in the can, and sit on the can. 

However, when you were a child, someone taught you the little Sunday School song, “This little light of mine, I’m gunna let it shine, this little light of mine, I’m gunna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.”

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot          be hidden.  No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket.  Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house, In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your Heavenly Father."                     Matthew 5:14-16 NLT

These characteristics always mark a genuine church.