Scripture Tuesday - Romans 12:21

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Our natural bent is to be overcome by evil. When someone does harm to us, we harm them back. Indeed, the

very idea of "turning the other cheek" is repulsive to our flesh. (Of course, there are many things in the Bible
that are offensive, perhaps the chiefest of which is the gospel itself. But I won't go down that rabbit trail.)
  Back to the point, haven't we all seen how effective this principle is? For example, when a small child doesn't
get his way, he usually throws a temper tantrum. Now, when you've got some red-faced little kid kicking and
screaming in your face, you tend to forget anything you ever learned about keeping your calm, and have the
overwhelming urge to let him have it. All joking aside, I have seen myself the power that a calm and loving,
albeit firm, response has to soothe the proverbial beast.
  Paul Washer has also talked about this before, referring, I believe, to 1 Peter 3:1-4. He described a situation in
which he arrives home from work worn out and finds the house in chaos. He then turns to his wife and protests
angrily. Now here is the important part. If she decides to reply in kind, they simply get into a verbal brawl. But if
she responds humbly and kindly, explaining why things are out of order, he picks himself up off the floor,
excuses himself politely, crawls out to the woodshed, and proceeds to whack himself upside the head with a
two-by-four before crawling inside and asking forgiveness!
  In any case, we can see that no matter what our flesh says, if we fight evil with evil, we will be overcome by it. So let us make it our goal to "strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see
the Lord" (Heb. 12:14), for in so doing, we will be able, by the grace of God, to overcome evil with good.

Scripture Monday - Psalm 119:11 (And Song)

"I have stored up your word in my heart,

that I might not sin against you."

God's word is the Christian's primary weapon in battle. Indeed, it is called "the sword of the Spirit, which is the

word of God" (Eph. 6:17). How can we expect to lead godly lives if we do not bother to meditate on, and

memorize, scripture? Jesus said that "temptations to sin are sure to come" (Luke 17:1), so we would be wise to

prepare for them; to have the truth in our minds and on our lips, so that when we are tempted, we may expose

it as a lie (and thereby spare ourselves a great deal of pain). Surely, we all know of the rationalization that

comes with temptation. Its purpose is to dull your senses, to lull you into thinking that sin will satisfy. Yet a well-aimed passage of scripture, being "sharper than any two-edged sword" (Heb. 4:12), will cut through this

dark cloud. Like cockroaches that scatter when you turn on the light, evil cannot stand in the face of God's

truth. Let us pray, while we study the Word, that the Holy Spirit will bring to our mind the scriptures that we

need at the right time, and that He would speak with such power that we would be unable to ignore it.

  But I return to the main point of this post, which is that we, as Christians, must be in the scriptures. They are

as food for our souls, a light for our path, and a deadly weapon in the fight against sin. So I challenge us all,

myself included, to search ourselves and discern our weaknesses, then search the scriptures for passages that

deal with those things, committing them to memory, so that the next time we are tempted, we may expose the

lie and put Satan to flight. 

(Now, here is a new song)

Scripture Tuesday - Psalm 115:3

"Our God is in the heavens; He does all that He pleases."

If we could truly comprehend the size and power of God, we would surely be different people. If we were

constantly aware of His presence, always considering the fact that He is a jealous and just God, would we not

tremble in awe and fear? Were it not for our finite minds, limited and stained by the fall, surely we would! Yet

praise God that He allows His people glimpses, flashes of recognition, although we are thus handicapped. No,

we cannot comprehend His magnitude in this lifetime, but when we enter our glorified state, we will finally be

able to learn with an unfettered mind. Of course, we will never know all there is to know about Him.       

  Nevertheless, until then we ought to strive after knowing Him as best we can, meditating on the scriptures,
seeking Him earnestly in prayer, not so we can have an emotional experience, but so we can carry this
conviction in our hearts; that our God is great, and He is in control. He will be swayed by no one, for His purpose stands firm. He does all that He pleases, and we can be sure that whatever He pleases is good and perfect. So let the Devil persecute us, let him come with his fiery darts! We will not be moved, for "Our God is
in the heavens; He does all that He pleases."

Scripture Monday - Psalm 40:1

"I waited patiently for the Lord;

He inclined to me and heard my cry."

It's hard to be patient, especially when waiting on God. Our flesh will usually say something like, "He's God!
Can't He just zap me and get rid of my problem?" Obviously, God doesn't work like that, which is just to say
that He is not a vending machine. When a problem comes up, we just want it to go away so we can get on with life. But what if there is a vital message in the problem, one that we would never learn if we just eased through life? I believe that God will send us problems, not to make our lives horrible, but to teach us something. He may teach us to "not lean on your own understanding (Prov. 3:5)", and to "Be still, and know that I am God (Ps. 46:10)". He may also be letting us know that we're getting off track. I ask, how can we expect to have a strong
faith if it is never tested? And how can we expect to be tested without going through some discomfort?
  Maybe God is teaching this very thing to some of you right now. If so, don't lose heart. Wait on the Lord, and you will soon say with the psalmist,

"I waited patiently for the Lord; He inclined to me and heard my cry.

He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog,

and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord."

(Psalm 40:1-3)

Scripture Tuesday - Psalm 119:140

"Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it."

The Psalm are full of praise for God's laws and promises. Here, the Psalmist expresses his confidence in God's
promises and the delight that he finds in them. We can be sure that whatever God promises, He will bring to
pass, although it may not happen the way we think it should. God is outside of time; He is all-knowing and all-
powerful; He is loving and merciful, and does not lie; He is, for lack of a better term, God. We have no need of
fear or worry as regards the future, for the Lord provides for His own; and that is just one of the promises He
has made to His people. He also promises that "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Rom. 10:13), and that "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins" (1 John. 1:9). There
are many more to be found, but that is a post for another day. Back to the main point, I am sure that we can all
look back to times in our lives when God's promises were proven trustworthy; situations where we were
tempted to go against His direction, but persevered, and found that, indeed, "The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul" (Ps. 19:7). King David, when he was in "a time of trouble", did this very thing. He called to
remembrance the many works that God had done, and His faithfulness to Israel. (The Psalms are filled with
examples of this, but chapter 77 is a good place to start.) In the end, he was filled with praise and hope in the
most trying circumstances. may we also do this, remembering that God's promises are well tried, and they will
always be found trustworthy.

Scripture Wednesday - 1 John 2:17

Okay, it's not Tuesday, but yesterday was busy, so here ya go:

"And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever."

This world is temporal. It's not meant to last forever, and we see evidence of this all the time. Things decay

and break, things die. Indeed, "the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until

now" (Rom. 8:22). Granted, these things are part of the natural order of creation, but they still serve as

reminders that nothing in this world lasts forever.

  Yet the meaning of this verse is deeper than just the physical creation, as we can see from the context:

"15 Do not love the world or the things in the world.

If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of

the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.

17 And the world is passing away along with its desires,

but whoever does the will of God abides forever."- I John 2:15-17

In light of this, we understand that John is speaking of the corrupted world system that we live in, and also the sinful desires and cravings that permeate it. As Christians, this should give us courage, because we know that

the corruption and injustice that we often encounter in this world will not last. It may prosper for an age, but it

will fall on the last day. Also, the desires of this world are fleeting and vain, promising happiness or fulfillment,

and although they may seem to make good on those promises, they don't last. If you devote your life to gaining riches, neglecting your soul, your family, and your health, what use are they then? Sure, you can buy whatever you want, you can have lots of toys to pass the time with, but it's just a pile of icing with no cake to go on.

  So, if this world and all the cool stuff it has to offer can't be depended on, what do we do? We strive for

things eternal, to be in right standing with our Creator. The one who does God's will builds up treasure for him-

self in heaven, "where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal" (Matt. 6:20).

And he does this not to fulfill his worldly desires, which pass away, but because he has been born of God's

Spirit, delighting in Him and in doing His will, and because God delights in blessing those who fear Him. This

individual also lives forever to enjoy these blessings, and God Himself, not because he worked so hard to please

God, but because he put his trust in Jesus Christ, who is the only way to the Father.

  Let us therefore seek to do God's will, because He is the rock of our salvation that will never pass away!

Scripture Monday - 1 John 2:3

"And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments."

Lots of the time, people like to stress the grace of God in salvation to such an extent that they obscure the

imperative that we must obey His commands. It truly boggles the mind. Jesus is our Savior, but He is also our

Lord. And what good is it, calling Him Lord, if we disregard His laws? It is preposterous! Just read all of 1 John,
read James. Read the Gospels, for cryin' out loud!  You can't get around it. God does not deliver us from the

judgment our sins deserve, only to give us the "freedom" to pursue those same sins. I mean, see here:

"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?

By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know

that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that,

just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father,

we too might walk in newness of life." - Romans 6:1-4

We clearly see throughout the bible that there is an expectation that christians will obey the law of God! Once
again, read the Psalms, the Proverbs... It's all over the place. One specific thing I would draw your attention to
is this: Jesus never said that all we have to do is "ask Him into our heart", and then we'd be good to go. He said,
"Follow Me". He also said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand". And what does one repent of but sin?
 At the same time, I must have at least one disclaimer here, to avoid a misunderstanding. All this is not to say
that if you sin, you are not really a christian. Christians sin. That is reality. What this does mean is that a true
christian, i.e., a person that has repented of his sin and depends entirely on Christ for his hope and salvation,
also has a desire for, and a growing inclination towards, righteousness. This person knows that there is nothing
good in his old nature, and that he must obey the One who is his only source of life, for He says, "Follow Me"! 

Scripture Tuesday - Ephesians 2:13

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ."

Under the old covenant, the Israelite people were God's people; His chosen race that was shown the way of

salvation. Us gentiles were pretty much left on our own! Yet through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross,

we "who once were far off have been brought near". I believe that this is spoken of in Isaiah 43:18-21:

'"Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches,

for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert,

to give drink to my chosen people,

the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise."'

Jackals and ostriches are mentioned throughout the bible in relation to despair and cruelty, yet here they

honor God! Were there was once death and corruption, there shall be life. And His people shall declare

His praise. Let us never forget that we were once far off, far from the promise of life, far from God. Christ's

blood was the only sufficient sacrifice that could atone for our sins and make us upright in God's eyes. By His grace have we been grafted in, made one people in Christ. Again I say, let us never forget what mercy He has

shown by offering us this salvation; we who were by our nature alien to the things of God, and who were

rightfully condemned to Hell. This is our God, the One whom we serve!

Try-Again Tuesday - Romans 13:14 (And Song)

"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."

I have always loved the phrase, "make no provision for the flesh". It brings to my mind the idea of gaining the

higher ground in a battle, keeping your enemy at a disadvantage. Another example would be mice. If you
don't want an infestation, you don't keep your food out uncovered, and you keep your house clean. If you fail
to do those kinds of things in your spiritual life, the "mice" will move in and start claiming more and more
space, and you will lose ground fast. That is the way the devil works. He gets you to start making tiny
compromises, things that seem of little consequence, but it always escalates. One thing leads to another, and
before you know it, you've done things that you would have never imagined doing before.
  I have deliberately focused on the latter part of this verse in order to now say that we cannot accomplish this
unless we first "put on the Lord Jesus Christ". We must trust in Christ for our strength, for we are weak, and our
flesh is bent toward sin. We must go to Christ in prayer, confessing our sins and embracing Him as savior. We
must meditate on His word with fear and trembling, and we must keep this in the forefront of our minds every
day:

"Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.

For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know

how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles

who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter,

because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.

For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards

not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you." - 1 Thess. 4:1-8

FYI, starting next week, I will be moving my weekly expository post to Monday. Why, you ask? Sundays are

usually pretty demanding anyway, but especially so when we record, and I think I'll be able to post more

promptly if I wait 'till Monday. I know, it doesn't make an aliteration, but it rhymes with Sunday, so there

ya go.

Here is our latest song:

Scripture Sunday On Wednesday - Proverbs 4:23

Yes, I got home pretty late last night, so here it is today...

"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." - Proverbs 4:23

The heart referred to here is, of course, not the organ that pumps blood; it is the center of our being, from
which comes our will and our emotions. The point here is that what we put in there matters.
  "From it (the heart/mind) flow the springs of life" - this statement echoes something that Jesus said in
Matthew 15:18-20, no?

"But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

  All through the gospels, we can see that where the religious leaders of the day emphasized the external,

Jesus taught that sin begins in the heart/mind. Even under the old covenant, we can plainly see that God's

ultimate concern was the heart/mind of His children: see Deut. 6:5, 1Sm. 16:7, 1 Chron. 28:9, Ps. 7:10; 51:17;

Ps. 66:18, Is. 26:3, Jer. 31:33. In the new testament, there are many references to the heart/mind: see Mt. 5:8,

Rom. 2:29; 8:7, Phil. 4:7, Col. 3:2, Heb. 4:12; 8:10; 10:22.

  As pertains to the fight against sin, we must guard our heart/mind, and "take every thought captive to obey

Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5). Otherwise, we will continue to fail. Make no mistake: what is on the inside will reveal itself.

Of course, this statement, while intended as a warning, should give us encouragement, because we know that

if we guard our heart/mind according to God's word, it will not be half as hard to obey Him on the outside.

Make Up Monday - Psalm 119:52

"When I think of your rules from of old,

I take comfort, O Lord."

We ought to take comfort in knowing that God has shown us what pleases Him. He didn't have to give us this

Bible, or give us a savior, but His love for His creation is so great that He freely gives us this grace. Just think

about this for a minute; that we don't have to guess. He tells us what is good, and what is bad. We don't have

to feel our way through life, hoping that the scales will tip in our favor. Can you see what a blessing this is?
All we have to do is look in His word, and it will show us the right thing to do. What a gracious God we have! Yet, even greater than this, He has given us the way of salvation in His Son. Let us praise Him every day for His
mercy and provision!

(I know we haven't put up a new song in a while, but here's something to tide you over)

Scripture Sunday - Psalm 103:2

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits"

We bless God by speaking of His glory and His mercy, His power and strength. We bless Him by singing His

praises (even if your voice is not-so-angelic). We bless Him by recalling the many mercies He has shown us,

and the many blessings that He gives us daily. The very act of breathing is a testimony to His mercy and grace, because we do not deserve to breathe the air that He has made; we do not deserve to see the morning day

after day. And this is because of the guilt that we all, as descendants of Adam, are born with. Yet how richly

has He shown "His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us"!

  Therefore, let us remember all the benefits that He has given, and still gives, to us. Let us go to His Word

and see what He has done in times past, and look forward in faith, blessing His holy name. 

PS: Yesterday, I was able to drive with an instructor, and actually managed to drive on the interstate! That right

there is proof positive that God still works miracles! B) Anyway, I'll be going again tomorrow and Tuesday, so

I would covet everyone's prayers for safety, calm nerves, and especially that I don't make any stupid mistakes!

Try-Again Tuesday - Acts 4:12

"And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven
given among men by which we must be saved."

There are lots of nice people out there. Lots of people who do good things. And lots of "Spiritual" people.
The (perhaps) inevitable question is, how can God send all of these nice people to hell? Even though I know
that's the wrong question to ask, it still pops up in my mind every now and then.
  The key in responding to this "dilemma" is to then ask the question:

What do they do with Jesus?

  What, indeed? Do they believe Him to be just a good moral teacher? Or better yet, a prophet? Do they believe
Him to be a created being, or Lucifer's half-brother? I will not attempt to refute any of these beliefs here, but
this I will say; that Jesus is God, He is the judge of all people, He has standards, and nobody can satisfy them
completely. And I mean nobody. So, in conclusion:

"But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,

and that by believing you may have life in his name."

Make-Up Monday - Proverbs 27:12

"The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple goes on and suffers for it."

We should strive to be prudent people. Much sorrow can be avoided by examining our situations through the

lens of God's word. If any situation requires, or tempts you to compromise on God's standards, you need to

get out.

  In scripture, it is clear that we are to guard our heart, to keep it and our ways pure and pleasing to God.

We have a responsibility before Him to stay away from things that are displeasing to Him and, by definition,

dangerous to us.

  As parents, and to a higher degree, as fathers, this responsibility extends to our families. By God's decree,

fathers are the leaders of the family, and He holds them accountable for how they lead their families.

Do they lead with wisdom and humility, teaching them the word of God? Do they discern danger and heed

warnings, so as to protect their families?

  This responsibility also extends to our brothers and sisters in Christ, our fellow believers. We are commanded

to build one another up in love, and one of the ways we do this is to, if necessary, refrain from doing certain

things or going certain places that would be a stumbling block for them. Another way is to look out for sinful

and destructive behaviors that they may fall into, and go to them, in love, showing them their error with scripture.

  Following this line of thought, I am reminded of the responsibility we Christians have to proclaim the gospel,

to shine the light of the truth, so that those whom God will save may hear and believe, and that all the rest may
be without excuse.

  This is our responsibility, our calling; to be a prudent and holy people in a foolish and fallen world.

Scripture Sunday - Proverbs 19:27

"Cease to hear instruction, my son,

and you will stray from the words of knowledge."

It is the very nature of humans to forget instruction. We need to be almost constantly reminded of
the truth to walk in it. This is just one of the reasons that Christians need to find a good church in
order to truly grow, because we need to hear the word preached. Not just in personal study,
but examined and put forth rightly in the pulpit. We need the interaction, the encouragement, and
the accountability. But even in addition to that, we must still immerse ourselves in the Bible,
studying the truths therein, or we will be out-of-touch, ineffective, unable to properly discern or
defend with scripture. (2 Tim 3:16-17)
  I believe another way of looking at this passage is that "cease to hear instruction" can also mean
"Refuse to accept rebuke". Our flesh doesn't like rebuke, it wants to have its own way. And besides,
"Rebuke is a mean word. It's just not nice!" (said in a whiny voice) Well, about that...

"Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life,

but he who rejects reproof leads others astray." - Proverbs 10:17

"A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding

than a hundred blows into a fool." - Proverbs 17:10

"Better is open rebuke

than hidden love." - Proverbs 27:5

So, we need rebuke. It may not be pleasant, but it is an act of love, and one that is needed in the church.

  The lesson of this verse is that we must be in our Bibles, we must be studying the truth to walk in it.
And we must have an attitude of humility, so that if we must be rebuked, we may see our error,
repent of it, and seek to walk again in the truth. 

Sorry about the mess, Blogger is having some problems... it is at times like these when I wonder how
hard it would be to switch to WordPress... B)

Make-Up Monday - Ephesians 4:30

"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."

Just this evening, the power at our house went out for an hour or so, and as I began to write, a thought came to

Me: How often do we Christians ignore the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit that would have shown us the

right way to go, and instead pull back into the darkness of our old self, trying to get around by our own power,
and by our own plans? If my own life is any indication, too much.
  A very great gift has been given to us in God's Holy Spirit, a gift of new sight, of guidance, and of strength.
By Him we are sealed, we are pardoned and set apart. We are made His. Yet we can so often refuse to hear His
warnings, which are given so graciously, and we can so often refuse the light that He gives so freely. We
cannot expect to grieve His Holy Spirit again and again without consequences, and if we do not continually
repent of our sins and surrender to God, our hearts will surely end up cold and dark, estranged from God and
hardened towards Him.
  If nothing else, let us constantly call to remembrance what mercy God has shown to us, that we sinners
could be called His children. Let us remember the darkness that He delivered us from, and may He grant us
soft hearts to receive His word, and faith to walk by His Spirit!

Here is a new song from Blane Jr: (Lyrics are on the YouTube page)

"Try-Again" Tuesday - Hebrews 10:23

(I failed to write Sunday and Monday, so I have "tried again", and succeeded, today)

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering,

 for He who promised is faithful."

There are a lot of pressures and cares in this world, the bulk of which I have not personally experienced yet,
being as young as I am. But now, especially after going through drivers-ed, I am starting to get real glimpses of
the responsibilities I will soon bear. Of owning and driving a vehicle. Of having a job. And yes, of having and
providing for a family. I have learned much in the past few years about these things, so I have come to this
point understanding that these are goals that I am to work toward. However, it is one thing to learn about and
accept these ideas, and another thing entirely for them to become realities that must be navigated with faith,
prayer, and perseverance.
  All this to say that sometimes, the idea of "growing up" just about scares me silly, but I am reminded that
God is in control, and that if I concentrate on pleasing Him, He will bless my feeble efforts and guide me in
the way I should go.
  My prayer for all of us is that we would indeed hold fast to Him who is the assurance of our hope, even when
we don't feel hopeful. That we would always remember that even though all else should seem a bleak, heavy
burden, He who promised to "never leave nor forsake" us is faithful and will never go back on His promises.

Now, on a not so different note, here is a new song we recorded Sunday:

We had done another, an excellent new song from Blane Jr, but after further review decided to do it over next Sunday. Until next time, Grace & Peace!

Make-Up Monday - 1 Samuel 15:22

"And Samuel said,

'Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,

as in obeying the voice of the Lord?

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,

and to listen than the fat of rams."

To obey is better than sacrifice. How many of us, when God tells us to do something that we don't like, seek to

do some work that is more "palatable" to us, under the false idea that God will overlook what we didn't do,

because we did something else that was "just as good" in our own eyes? Nothing can replace plain obedience to

God's word.

  In this chapter, King Saul is told by God to destroy the Amalekites completely, not even sparing the animals.

Yet Saul feared the people, and allowed them to spare some of the animals to use for sacrifices. God set up the

sacrificial system to point to Christ, and it was the appointed way of worshiping Him before Christ came, but

Saul used it, and the will of the people, as an excuse to disobey God's command.

  God rejected Saul as king because of this, because Saul rejected His word. Let us make no mistake, the Lord

is a jealous God, and He expects His people to give Him alone the praise He deserves, and to obey His voice.

All the more reason to fall on our faces and worship Him, because we do not do what we ought, and yet He

bears with us. Praise the Lord, for He is good!

(I have returned alive and well from a week of driver's-ed, thanks be to God, and am now an official person-

-who-knows-how-to-drive-but-can't-yet!)

Scripture Sunday - Psalm 68:19

"Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up: God is our salvation. Selah"

This verse contains a "Selah", which indicates a pause in the psalm, to meditate on what was said. I intend to

do just that. The KJV renders this verse with the wonderful phrase, "who daily loadeth us with benefits", which

could be a sermon in itself, but I will stick with the ESV for now...

  "Blessed be the Lord," Let us give Him honor and praise, fame and glory. Let His name be held in reverence,

and magnified by all people!

  "Who daily bears us up;" Because He daily, without fail, gives us mercy upon mercy, forgiving our sins and

failings, and keeps us from calamity, guiding our very steps by His Word and Spirit.

  "God is our salvation." In Him only have we our life and breath, and He is our strong foundation that can

never be shaken!

I will end with a familiar hymn...

"Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son & Holy Ghost!

Amen!

Scripture Sunday - John 8:44, Plus a Treat

Well, we're back! As hoped, we did have a very good time enjoying fun & relaxation with family. There is a
slideshow going up on the family blog soon, so I won't post any pictures. ;) Anyway, here is this week's
installation of Scripture Sunday:

"You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

I believe it's safe to say that all of us have had, or will have, "epiphanies" relating to our Christian walk. Moments when God allows us to see something that we didn't see before. Well, this is one of mine. In 

temptations to sin, the battle is in the mind, and Satan will use every trick he's got in order to make the sin look

good. But then we remember that he is a liar!

  Does he whisper that you are too sinful for God? It is a lie - Jesus came "not to call the righteous, but sinners".

(Matt 9:13)

  Does he promise pleasure and fulfillment if you give in to the desires of your flesh? It is a lie - Sin's pleasures

are fleeting, and they bring only corruption and death, while "the pure in heart, they shall see God", who is our

ultimate fulfillment. (Heb 11:25; Jas 1:15; Matt 5:8; Col 1:16-18)

  Does he tell you that you need not seek God's will in all things, saying, "Surely, He will overlook such small,

innocent indulgences!"? Once again, this is a lie - Every facet of our lives is to be "a living sacrifice" to God,

and He will by no means overlook any disobedience. (Prov 3:6; Col 3:17; Eccl 12:14)

  The enemy is cunning, and he will not hesitate, if the opportunity is given, to try to deceive us. Yet we take heart, knowing that we have the truth, and the truth will set us free!

And now, the afore-mentioned treat, fresh out of editing. Thanks to Blane for handling all the technical stuff.