CHARACTERISTICS GOD DESIRES IN OUR LIVES O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved. —Psalm 15:1-5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27C4cQCb6mM…

GOD’S PLAN ALWAYS PREVAILS! Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. —Genesis 45:3             Joseph was 17 years old when he was sold into slavery by his brothers because they hated him. They hated him for the dreams he had told them about of them bowing down to him.   Yeh, sure, that would never happen.   They wanted to kill him, the favored one of their father Jacob.             Joseph spent 13 years between serving Potiphar and time in prison. At 30 years of age he was…

OUR LORD’S STEADFAST LOVE IS AMAZING! But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me. —Psalm 13:5-6             I am trusting in my Lord’s love for me.   “We love because he first loved us” (I John 4:19).  Really, I do not understand why He would love me before I even acknowledge Him, before I even loved Him. I do not understand how the Creator and Sustainer of all things could love me, but I am so grateful that He does!             I am trusting in my Lord’s salvation and I rejoice…

OUR HOLY LORD GOD ALMIGHTY But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death… What he did was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death also. —Genesis 38:7, 10             People may think our Lord is some “wishy-washy,” Santa Claus, permissive grandfatherly figure who allows people to do whatever they want and will reward them anyway regardless of what they do. He is nothing like that at all. People who think like this have a wrong perspective of what sin is and a wrong perspective of the holy, righteousness of our Lord.             In the passage above two brothers were “put to death”…

KINGDOMS OF EARTH CRUMBLE, GOD’S KINGDOM LASTS FOREVER! If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” —Psalm 11:3 The LORD tests the righteous. —Psalm 11:5  For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face. —Psalm 11:7             Brother and sister when the foundations of a society crumble, what are you and I to do? Well, this will be a test of our faith. When the foundations are destroyed our Lord is still righteous. He has not changed and we are to remain faithful to Him to live and act rightly. That does not change for the follower of Jesus.             In the…

JESUS REIGNS! The LORD is king forever and ever. —Psalm 10:16 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jvsK798Lbs             Jesus is Lord and King and He reigns forever and ever— “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15). Brothers and sisters we are part of a kingdom that can never be shaken so let us be thankful and worshipful (Hebrews 12:27-28). Those things that are created will be shaken and removed “so that what cannot be shaken may remain.” What is it that will remain? All those who will remain are those who have called on the Name…

WOMEN’S DESIRE FOR CHILDREN When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I shall die!” Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” —Genesis 30:1-2             There are those women who truly desire to have children and actually envy those who can have children. How sad it is for those who want to conceive, but cannot? Yet it is God who enables women to have children or not. In the verses above Jacob got angry with Rachel when she said,…

  CHILDREN IN THE WOMB FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the LORD. And the LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.” When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. —Genesis 25:21-24             There…

PASSING GOD’S TEST Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”   “Here I am,” he replied. Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said…

INFLUENCE Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?” He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.” —Genesis 18:32 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them. —Genesis 19:16             How are you affecting people? Are you affecting people? What type of a witness are you? Who are you discipling? Whose life are you involved in? Are we being faithful to our Lord in what He…