A Psalm of David: a devotion for our lives!

Psalm 13

3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;

light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,

4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”

lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. (ESV)

Lord, let this be our prayer, a prayer to which announces the true light we have in our lives: Jesus. You are our light, light up our eyes, and restore the light to my eyes! May Jesus be our main focus everyday, our light amongst the darkness, our inextinguishable light that keeps us illuminated to be more and more like him. May our lives reflect him in every way to all, least my enemy say, "I have prevailed over him," least my foes rejoice because I am shaken. Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; that we should be reminded of your love, your joy, and your grace. For if we know Jesus as our personal Lord and Saviour, if we are born again with such a new birth: you give purpose to our everyday. When we fall, you pick us back up. Our rejoicing lifted high because you have rescued us. Our only Rescuer, our only Redeemer, our only Saviour!

Even when it may seem like our enemies have the upper hand and sorrow dwells within the heart - let this be made known, through trusting in him and knowing we have been rescued, we will continually be rescued everyday and can rejoice, because he has been so good to us!

Scripture X3: II

(Continuing from "Scripture, Scripture and more Scripture")

Many of these verses to begin with are ones that I am sure seem very common and familiar to us all; ones that we have known since the beginning of our faith journey with God. Although, the further we move along, I'm sure the bulk of newer verses will gradually sound less familiar; and the point here is to make the unfamiliar: familiar!

Before I post the next ten verses I would like to share what Richard J. Foster states from his Book, "Life with God." He says that when he comes across a particular scripture (after the reading of a certain passage) "will often write out that excerpt on an index card and carry it with him throughout the day for reflection whenever he has the chance to read it again." He continues to say that, "This is one way of seeking the gentle leading of God's Spirit. Such humble submission to the text allows God to shape the attitude and posture of our hearts." This is huge while each of us personally makes the time for Bible study and memorization of the written Word. Just one or a list of verses helps us to see the importance behind memorization - like a grocery list helps one when shopping. What I mean is that the routine of opening the saved list of verses on my iPod, increasingly helps me to realize that I must master theses verses so I will not have to constantly reach for a Bible; because you and I will not always have a Bible at the tip of our fingers. Consequently, I should have them memorized so for whatever circumstance arises, I will be ready and willing to share off the tip of my tongue what God has helped me store within my heart.

11.  "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

12. "And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).

13. "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12).

14. "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,  for those who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).

15. "The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world" (John 1:9).

16. "Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth" (Genesis 1:26).

17. "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship" (Romans 12:1).

18. "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

19. "And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matthew 28:18).

20. "Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).

(All ESV Translation)

Sad News....

This news item was released today by the Associated Press, and was posted on thespec.com this afternoon. I find this incredibly disheartening. I find it very sad that in North America we have made such a pill so widely available - not only available but socially acceptable. This pill will soon be widely accepted as a common form of 'birth control'.

I fear for the generation that is now entering their pubescent years, and for the generations that follow. Surely a pill like this will be so common and accepted by the time they reach their teen years, that many will not give it a second thought before swallowing it, and possibly murdering a child.

17-year-olds can get morning after pill in U.S. without prescription

April 22, 2009

A U.S. health official says the Food and Drug Administration will allow 17-year-olds to get the "morning-after" birth control pill without a doctor's prescription.

An official said the agency will announce today it's complying with a federal judge's order.
Last month a federal judge ruled that Bush administration appointees let politics, not science, drive their decision to allow over-the-counter access only for women 18 and older.

Plan B is emergency contraception that contains a high dose of birth control drugs. Religious conservatives say it's the equivalent of an abortion pill.

I find it interesting that they add "religious conservatives" at the end - as if we're the only population that might oppose such a pill. Maybe we are... I'm not sure anymore.

My heart is heavy this afternoon as I reflect on how many children are aborted, no - aborted sounds too clinical - these children are murdered - in North America each year. The statistics are nauseating. We've now made it easier than ever. God help us.

Father, forgive us - forgive our nation and our evil intentions. Forgive our nation, and our neighbors for not valuing life... forgive us for indulging ourselves - for engaging in sexual sin that would lead many to use such a pill. Forgive us for our idolatry - many will worship idols of money, careers, travel, and other selfish desires that would cause them to murder their unborn children. Oh Father, forgive them... forgive us.

EDIT: I just wanted to add that after checking out Plan B's Canadian website - this 'treatment' is available at almost any pharmacy. Nothing on the website indicated that you had to be a certain age to purchase it. On one page, I found a picture of a young lady, obviously in her teen years, with this caption: "That's life. Accident's happen, we make mistakes, and some things are out of our control."

Yeah... right.

The End Times?

Just some interesting facts within the pages of Joel C. Rosenburg's book, "The Last Days."

Author Joel C. Rosenberg writes "The Last Days" - sequel to the explosive New York Times bestseller "The Last Jihad." Despite the fact that I have not read either book, my Dad has and shared with me an interesting excerpt describing what you may say: Revelation foretells as signs of the end times. Also, the book "The Last Days" is fictional; however, it remains with the intention of arising to the reader factual past and present conflicts around the globe that stress the end times. Furthermore, I will quote a section of dialogue, which too both of us, striked as amazing proof that the end times is real and is coming fast!

“Well, think about it, Jonathan – like ‘wars and revolutions’ and ‘kingdom rising against kingdom.’ Just look at the twentieth century.”

“Yeah, but Eli, come on, man has always had wars and revolutions.”

“World War One, the war to end all wars? The Russian Revolution. World War Two. Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Six million butchered by Hitler, and that’s just counting the Jews. The rise of the Evil Empire. Twenty million slaughtered by Stalin alone. Half the world enslaved by Communism. Korea. Vietnam. Pol Pot. All the Middle East wars. China and India. India and Pakistan. The rise of nationalism. Tribal warfare in Africa. I could go on and on and so could you. Of course there have been wars and revolutions throughout time. But never anything on the scale we saw in the twentieth century.”

(Bennett considered that for a moment, but wasn’t ready to concede the point).

“And what was another one, earthquakes? You can’t just say because we’ve had a few huge quakes in the last few weeks that we’re living the ‘last days.’”

“Fine. Do the research.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean ask the U.S. Geological Service. They say there are five hundred thousand earthquakes every single year. A hundred thousand that can be felt. A thousand that do serious damage. At least a hundred registering seven point zero or higher on the Richter scale. That’s a serious earthquake almost every four days. And the more urbanization occurs, the more damage a quake can do, the more people a quake can kill, the more costly these earthquakes are. In 1990, almost forty thousand people died in a quake in Iran. In ’76, a quarter of a million people died during a massive quake in China. The ’94 earthquake in Northridge, California was the most expensive in American history so far. Caused forty billion dollars in damage. Got the picture?

“I guess so.”

“You could say the same thing about ‘famine and pestilence.’ Just look at Africa. Ethiopia, Somalia – hundreds of thousands of people died of starvation. And disease? We’ve got ten million AIDS orphans in Africa alone, the numbers are climbing every day. Are we supposed to do nothing? Are we supposed to say, ‘Oh well, it’s just a sign of the end times’?”

“No. Of course not.”

And to that I must answer with Matthew 28:19: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Not only do we have to help the dying and suffering, but we must also spread the good news of the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to all!

"The magnitude of these problems and the convergence of all these signs and events in the same century and right up to the present moment should be all the evidence we need."

Scripture, Scripture, and more Scripture.

Just the other day, I so happened to stumble across a "Bible Verses" application for my iPod. For this simple free application, each and every time I launch it, a new Bible Verse appears. Each verse is then saved in a Bible Verses List for future reference. Today I would like to post the first 10 verses, because to me they have been most encouraging, thought provoking, and powerful. As far as I'm concerned there seems to be no means of the order to which they come, just simply and randomly - inspirational. Still, after the viewing of the first 10 I can't help but think that there is definitely "method behind such madness"(ha-ha). I hope you too feel the same way about the profitableness that each of these verses bring. That like similar lists of verses you may have or have had in the past, this also reflects for you, verses that will come in handy in any situation, in any circumstance, where you may be sharing the Gospel, talking with another believer or just personal meditation.

Lastly, before I post the first 10 (and will continue to post more weekly), I would like to share Numbers 15:37-41.

Tassels on Garments

37 The Lord said to Moses, 38 “Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner. 39 And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after. 40 So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God. 41 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the Lord your God.” (ESV)

With that said, like the people of Israel who wear tassels on their garments to help them remember the commandments, we should too have ways of keeping scriptures with us where ever we go to remind us of God's love, mercy, and grace. You may have some around the house, in the car, or at the office, but I pray that when all is said and done, we can have them memorized and stored within our hearts. Memorization is definitely hard and most challenging for all, but simply doing it is the only way we will get better. For instance, not to long ago, Dr. Odame talked about the importance of exercising our muscle memory capability, which is the only way for us to have any type of betterment with memorization, just like a child learns, grows, and develops. Let us therefore be like children, as we have all once been before, who continue to have memory work as a part of their growth with Jesus.

1. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1).
   
2. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
   
3. Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).
   
4. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19).
   
5. "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
   
6. "For by grace you have been saved a through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).
   
7. "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).
   
8. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
   
9. "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16).
   
10. "because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

(All ESV Translation)

Selfless and Edification to Victory

Judges 7:2-3

2 The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength. 3 Therefore, tell the people, 'Whoever is timid or afraid may leave and go home.'" Twenty-two thousand of them went home, leaving only ten thousand who were willing to fight. (NLT)

Now, buttoned up in Judges 7:2 we can see that the LORD points out, "If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength." Therefore, it is clear for us to see how God thinks, works, and foretells salvation - that through salvation it is nothing of our own (our own strength) which saves us, but the strength of his Son Jesus and the cross; how he enters into our hearts (our lives) if we just trust and believe in him. Next, if we read on God continues to say, "Whoever is timid or afraid may leave and go home." This to me demonstrates the condition of the heart. There are always constant pressures around us that scare, distract, and ultimately bring us down. I am reminded immediately about what Dr. Mason said during last weeks Sunday school lesson. He was reminding us about how these situations in our lives should lower and humble us for the sake of reawakening His power and ourselves to God and to persevere, endure, and continue to trust in Him. How true, but also quickly forgotten. We must commemorate and cherish that Satan has no control; he cannot intercede because Jesus already inhabits our hearts (the hearts of those who believe in him). Although, we can be tempted..., but 1 Corinthians 10:13 says,

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it"(ESV). I also like the wording of the NIV translation, "he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

It is my prayer that we go away refreshed knowing that with temptation there is a way out so that we can stand up under it. Knowing again that "with the temptation [God] will always provide the way of escape" and that we can learn to endure through those times of temptation because there is such a path, a way out, and an escape. Let ourselves seek it as a challenge or test more so than temptation for the means of strengthening our faith, and the escape is through it. May we meditate on these passages for our own sake and for the sake of others; so we can better hold these truths to our hearts and for the purpose of sharing them with others and communicating the Gospel.