THE GREATEST BIRTHDAY GIFT O LORD, God of my salvation… —Psalm 88:1             It is March 28th in the Year of our Lord 2021. Wow!   How did 66 years pass by since I was born? In all those years what is the greatest gift I have ever received?   “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).  I remember receiving that gift in February of 1979… just before my 24th birthday.             That is when God became the God of my salvation— salvation from sin and saved to a relationship with Him through Jesus. There…

GOD IS GOOD, FORGIVING, LOVING AND PATIENT For you, O Lord, is good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you. Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace. —Psalm 86:5-6 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious; slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. —Psalm 86:15              There is none good but God alone (Mark 10:18).   “There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.   All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Their…

CHARACTER IS CONNECTED TO YOUR NAME Let not my lord regard this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. —I Samuel 25:25             A person’s character is connected with his name. In the case above Nabal’s name actually means “to be senseless or foolish.” When David sent his servant to receive substance from Nabal, Nabal acted senselessly and foolishly. David’s men had protected Nabal’s servants and livestock. In return Nabal was ungrateful and even railed harshly against David. So his name surely is connected to his character.             We see this same thing in a positive way…

DESIRE’S FOCUS How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. —Psalm 84:1-2 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you! —Psalm 84:10-12 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNLHdnzFqNI             Oh what better place…

FEAR… Saul was afraid of David because the LORD was with him but had departed from Saul. —I Samuel 18:12 But when Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him, Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David’s enemy continually. —I Samuel 18:28-29             Isn’t it interesting that it was because the Lord was with David that Saul feared David? It was because of the fear of David that Saul tried several times to kill him. Fear can cause people to act in a violent way in reaction to the fear they have.             Think about it— when you fear…

GOD SEES YOUR HEART’S MOTIVES! Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. —I Samuel 15:23 Man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” —I Samuel 16:7             The Lord Jesus did not entrust Himself to any man, nor did He need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person” (John 2:25). Man has the tendency to look on the outward appearance in making choices. This is seen easily with what man approves. Look at the wicked things he approves by outward appearances: movie stars, pornography, music stars, leadership at all levels, religious leaders, political personalities……

DISOBEDIENCE LEADS TO DARKNESS But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels. —Psalm 81:11-12             To not listen to what our Lord says or submit to Him will not end well. If and when He gives a people over to their stubborn hearts then they end up following their own counsels. Now really, is it better to follow the counsel of the Lord or man’s counsel? “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.”—I Samuel 15:23             Look what happens when our Lord gives a people over…

WHO OR WHAT ARE YOU TRUSTING But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, ‘Set a king over us.’ —I Samuel 10:19 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”   But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as…

MY CHILDREN AND YOU… FOLLOW HIM! When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice. —I Samuel 8:1-3             One of the greatest joys a parent who follows Jesus can have is to see their own children commit their lives to following Jesus themselves. On the other hand it is a great heartache for a parent who follows Jesus to see their children follow the ways of this world.  …

NONE LIKE OUR LORD…NONE! There is none holy like the LORD; there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. —I Samuel 2:2-3             There is none like our Lord… none! He is holy and pure.   All His motives are perfect. He never does anything wrong. He can be fully trusted. Man is very proud and speaks arrogantly. You do not have to look too far to see that on our planet or in our life’s sphere of movement.             Jesus…