Justice and Righteousness

24but let the one who boasts boast about this:

that they have the understanding to know me,

that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,

justice and righteousness on earth,

      for in these I delight,” Jeremiah 9:24
The whole book of Jeremiah seems to be God talking about his people that have stopped following him. God is asking, why do they not return? He gives space for repentance, that is the plan to repent and turn back to God but they are not returning. If we know the Lord it seems this is saying we should have understood what God is about. I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on the earth.  I think in the US we have forgotten some of these things. Justice, we have said innocent until proven guilty, but if you look at how we are handling things,. that is not what we do. The Kavanaugh hearings were an example as is this most recent impeachment inquiry behind a closed door. We use to be about justice. About getting to the truth of a matter. So much of our government has been spinning their wheels on looking for one thing, how to overturn a rightfully elected President. It doesn't seem to stop. Kindness is no longer a norm, what I want is the focus of everything. I think we use to pride ourselves on Justice. We would rather a guilty go free than to condemn someone wrongfully. That avenue of condemning a President that we do not like didn't work so let's try a different approach. God delights in kindness, justice, and righteousness. I remember reading in Romans 13 during the Obama administration, about authority is given from God. I didn't vote for Obama and did not like his policies, but the Bible tells me he is still from God. I had to change my attitude and accept what God has given me. I repented of the attitude of my heart. I see the same thing in Christians today if we were Obama supporters and now we have Trump who is like the exact opposite. Obama was smooth with his words, he would tell you a lie and we liked it, he was articulate. This man Trump is not like that, he is not smooth, he tells you what he thinks, not what is pleasing to your ears.  He has a totally different personality. If you attack him, he will give it right back. Our world has had leaders like him before. those like Winston Churchill that did what was right in their day and brought their nation back from the brink of disaster. God wants justice, kindness, righteousness. Trump is doing what is best for our country, God put him there for that very purpose. Justice and righteousness for our land is his agenda. The border wall is good for our country, justices that look to the existing constitution not trying to change it. I think God is pleased with Trump's actions, they have been for the good of the people of this land. He is after all our President, not the President of the whole world.  We have been a leader in the world as we have pursued justice for our people. That is why so many people still come here. I think I read in the news where there has been a 250%  increase of Africans trying to come to our country through our southern border.  While inside our country we are still talking about racial inequality and everyone is a victim. How can foreigners see something better than what we see? They are living in the reality of real injustice in their land and poverty.  Ours is fake, meant to get more votes at the next election.  Our women are treated better than any other nation in the world. Our minorities actually have equal opportunities. A white friend was telling about his black son-in-law that worked at a bank.  His son-in-law had put in for a promotion at the bank and didn't get it. It went to a white person. This son-in-law automatically started saying I did not get it because I am black. There could be so many reasons, the other person could have had better qualifications, better attitude, better people skills, maybe even a different skill level that was needed. It could be so many other reasons, but to make something feel better it is so easy to put on the victim status. If we really have equality, the color of our skin should not be a requirement to succeed. We should not get the promotion just because we are black or white or whatever skin tone we have,  That is a thing of the past, we have progressed beyond that. In case anyone forgot, we had a Black man elected to the highest office of our land for two consecutive terms, and we should be proud of that progress.     God is pleased with kindness, justice, and righteousness. Let us seek those things in our lives and our land.  God bless, LVZ.

Muhammad

Do we check out what we are taught? Some years ago in a Baptist church, I was a member of, a Deacon said in a Sunday School class that Muhammad was briefly mentioned in the Bible. I didn't believe it when I heard it and searched to see if it was true. It is not true. This was before at least my days of knowing about Bible Hub on the internet where you can type in a word and find out where it is found in the Bible. I did have a concordance and checked it out. A concordance is a book 11 x 8 x 2.5 in small print. Muhammad was not found in the Bible. You can go to Bible Hub and type in "if" and or "to" and Bible Hub will give you many instances of scripture references where this word is found. You can type in any name listed in the Bible and you can find it. I tried to think of a name that is only once in the Bible and I can't think of it. I searched for a few and found several instances of them but I found Traconitis in Luke 3:1 and that is the only place it is found in the Bible.  There may be other names also but I just wanted to find one that is only called out one time.  If you type "Traconitis" into the search field of Bible Hub you will find it.  Anyway, I brought this Deacon my concordance the next Sunday to point out to him what he said wasn't true. It was just an offhand remark but it wasn't true. The Bible is true and that is where we get our basis of truth. It is not your truth or my truth that is important. The truth of the scripture, Jesus Christ, the truth and the way to God is the only way to God. You can defame, make fun of Jesus, criticize Christians and we will not seek to kill you.  But as we found out a few years back if you make a cartoon of Muhammad, you could end up dead. The Koran tells the followers of that religion to kill the people of the book. meaning Jews and Christians, the book being the Bible. That is why this killing of Christians has been going on for many years. The followers of the Koran are children/ancestors of Ishamael. The people of the book are children of Isaac, either descendants or grafted in as descendants by believing in Jesus. This idea came from a sermon I listen to by Bill Wolfson and I thought of the name Mohammad as he was preaching and that incident so many years ago. The thought today is that we check out what we are being taught and challenged it. I really don't mind being challenged and have been. One of my blogs I mentioned the Senate and Congress and a person corrected me and pointed out that the Senate and the House of Representatives are both parts of congress.  I do make mistakes, and that is why we need to check out what we read hear and say. It is important and I guess I objected to being challenged because of all I ever read on this person's blog was critical of something I wrote. But it wasn't wrong to challenge me it was just irritating because everything was about something I wrote in my blog. I don't necessarily appreciate being criticized for something I wrote but anyone should check it out for themselves. If everything you say is critical, I will not appreciate it. Actually, I do like to hear a word of encouragement now and then. The only point I want to make today is to check out what we read and hear. I listen to Dennis Prager a lot and I don't agree with every single thing he says but I do agree with a majority of it. I did on his website list at least one thing I disagreed with. I believe it had to do with respect and love having to be earned. I disagreed and told him my disagreement and why. At the time I was reading a book called Love and Respect. Actually, I am still reading it as I read some pages yesterday.  Anyway, it is good to check it out for yourself. I don't have a Koran so if I ever get one, I will try to check out those words for myself, but for now, I trust Bill. I am sure there must be an English version of the Koran. But it is not something I want to read or study and it has not been a priority to get one. Now I will probably get a different story from a believer of the Koran that I will get from a non-believer of the Koran. I think the same is in politics if all you read are liberal or conservative thought you will believe it as truth even if it is not. Such as this global warming narrative we hear so much about today from liberals. I believe the weather changes. Sometimes a trend up and sometimes a trend down in temperature. Socialism is easy to check out if you really want to.  It has failed every place it has been tried. And don't tell me about social security, without capitalism there would be no money for social security. You can't read a newspaper or listen to a major news service without hearing liberal thought. In fact, many commercials bombard us with liberal ideology.  Like Joe Namath and get all you deserve, and many more like it.  How I wish John Kennedy were still alive and his asking not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.  It is good to check out what we read and listen to.  God bless, LVZ.

Responding To Correction

, 23but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you. 24But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. 25From the time your ancestors left Egypt until now, day after day, again and again I sent you my servants the prophets. 26But they did not listen to me or pay attention. They were stiff-necked and did more evil than their ancestors.’

27“When you tell them all this, they will not listen to you; when you call to them, they will not answer. 28Therefore say to them, ‘This is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God or responded to correction. Truth has perished; it has vanished from their lips. Jeremiah 7:23-28
Here in Jeremiah are some sad words because God spent a period of time trying to correct his people but they would not listen.  When they came out of Egypt God promised them, obey my laws that it may go well with thee in the land God gave to him.  But they did not follow God's precepts. Thye followed other gods. If you do not follow God, you have set up another god in your life someplace. It may be you yourself are that God. Whatever you are putting before God is your god. When God the sovereign God tries to correct us are we listening? We live in an age where we are asking God to get out of our lives as a nation. We the remnant who believe and are still following must not give up. Often God has taken a small number to bring his victory.  When we left Egypt, when we got saved have we followed God's precepts, his rules, his ways, his commands? I look back on a time in my life when I looked a lot like the pre-Christians around me. I was very carnal. Knowing the word but living like the world around me. I was going backward not forward. We are calling evil good and good evil today in our nation. There should not be a Christian alive that is supporting a party that took God out of their party's platform. A party that is promoting so many things that are contrary to God's word.  We must not look at an imperfect candidate for one mistake where he said something in private to one individual. Look at what he has done over his life. I am talking about Trump. He did not continue in bad behavior to this present time. Some may want to compare him with Bill Clinton, but Bill continued his behavior all his life. It even looks like Bill was still taking trips with Epstein even into recent years.  Trump distanced himself from the same man and even uninvited Epstein to his places. Trump may not be a perfect man and we did not elect a national Pastor. He may say things we cringe at on almost a daily basis but look at the things he is doing for our country. I can live with his attitude, with his personality. He is rich but his whole life he didn't fit in with the elite of society.  He had more in common with the chauffers and workers he cam in contact with on the streets of New York City. Over and over his actions have shown that.  Over and over he has done things to support Christians. It is not that he has supported Christians to the courts, but men and women that support the constitution as written. He is not looking for activist judges to overturn anything, but just support the constitution that was set up by our forefathers. Our country is in trouble and we need to support Trump as long as he continues to do what is for the good of this country as it is.  We need to move forward not backward and Trump has been moving us forward one little step at a time. His action in Israel with building the Embassy in the capital, that is all it was just building the US embassy in the capital city. Other Presidents talked about it but he put it into action. Other presidents talked about our border security but he proceeded to build the wall. The IRS had been used as a weapon against conservatives, he put a stop to it. Are we responding to correction? Are we listening to God's commands and his ways? God has been trying to correct the US but are we responding?  Help us, God, to respond at the polls in this next election. Let us consider God's ways and God's truths in this next election. Abortion is one of the key battle lines that has been drawn by the other side. Abortion is a great evil and we must not support the party that supports abortion. It is wrong in the eyes of God. The removal of Roe VS Wade will not end abortion but send it back to the individual states, but it is a move in the right direction. Political correctness is not the same as godliness. It is more like godless. Sometimes it defies even common sense, like genderless bathrooms. As one liberal said there is no common sense, at least in the democratic party I believe he is right.  God bless, LVZ. 

Isaiah 43

10“You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD,

“and My servant whom I have chosen,

so that you may consider and believe Me

and understand that I am He.

Before Me, no god was formed,

and after Me none will come.

11I, yes I, am the LORD,

and there is no Savior but Me.

12I alone decreed and saved and proclaimed—

I, and not some foreign god among you.

So you are My witnesses,” declares the LORD,

“that I am God.

13Even from eternity I am He,

and none can deliver out of My hand.

       When I act, who can reverse it?” Isaiah 43:10-13
We Christians are sometimes criticized for believing there is only one way to God.  We are God's witnesses and we must tell the truth. There is not individual truth as we so many times we hear in our current age, Your Truth and My Truth, What happens when these two truths collide with each other. Whos truth supersedes the other person's truth? God is the Truth, the Way and the Life.  Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
There was no one before God, and there is no one coming later that will supersede God. He, God is the creator of all that is. There is no salvation in any other name. Eternity stretches as far as we can see forward or see into the past. Even from eternity,  I am He. There is no other god, there is not one that can reverse or overrule the acts of God. This again points to the sovereignty of God. 
1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1
Before anything was created God was there. He created all that is. We have a generation that is afraid of the future, they have been taught to believe that we humans are destroying the earth. It is in God's hands and the Bible even says there will be a new heaven and a new earth.  
Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth," for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. Revelation 21:1
I don't know when but in the future, this earth as we know it may pass away, but there will be something better for God's people. Yes, I think we should take care of God's creation, in fact that is why we were put here to have dominion over the earth.
Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." Genesis 1:26

There is nothing to fear when we are in God's hands. It is in his plan and you cannot reverse his plan. I don't know it all, but I believe there is nothing to fear when we put our trust in a sovereign God and in his son Jesus Christ.  God bless, LVZ.

   

The Simplicity Of The Gospel*

There is a story I would like to repeat here that I heard in a sermon by Bill Wolfson. It is about the simplicity of the gospel. In London England, a wretched old woman was dying in the worst part of the city. She had lived a sinful life and new she was going to hell.  She sent her daughter to get a minister to get her in.  The daughter ran out into the stormy night and went to the home of the minister of the largest church in London. The minister was about to retire for the night when the knock on the door came. The minister answers the door and here is a poor girl from the worst part of the city and is asking the minister to come and get her mother in.  He is not wanting to go and says perhaps there is a policeman that can get her mother in out of the storm. He is dressed for the storm. Then the daughter says, her mother is not out in the storm and she is not drunk but is at home in bed and is dying. She is wanting to know how to go to heaven. He suggests she finds the man from the gospel mission and he will know how to help her.  But the girl insists, that surely the minister from the largest church in the city would know what her mother needed to do. The minister puts on his coat and knowing if he is seen with this girl from the worst part of the city it will cost him his reputation to be seen with her.  They go through the storm to the worst part of the city, up several flights of stairs and down a long hallway to a little room. There is the mother that is dying and the daughter tells her to listen to the minister and do what he says and it will be ok. The woman had lived her whole life in sin and there didn't seem to be time for reformation and a change in lifestyle.  What words could this minister say to help her?  The minister thought about the words his own mother had said to him.  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16.  
 The woman asks what about my sins? The minister gives another scripture. 
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:17
Does the Bible really say that? Then that will work. The woman asks the minister to pray for her.  The minister kneels down to pray for the woman and in his memoirs, he writes both minister and old woman made it in.  In the sermon I did not hear the name of the minister, I wanted to look up this story for myself, but couldn't.  But it really is that simple. So much of the time we want to live a good enough life, we want to practice religion and I suppose that is OK. But to make it in does not require religion, it requires a simple faith that Jesus died for all our sins and he will cleanse us from all our sins. It really is that simple. The woman had no time to change her lifestyle, she had lived her whole life in sin and was now dying. But the interesting thing about this story to me was the minister a very religious person, who was concerned about his reputation just being there in the slums of the city with this sinner woman also required the same prayer the same faith to get in. It wasn't his works as a minister that would get him in, it wasn't his religion that would get him in. It really was that simple, believe in him, Jesus. God bless, LVZ.

Do We Think Things Through?

There are so many things happening in our day that just don't make sense. Do people actually think? I know when I was raised I was in a Church that today I really have issues with some things I was taught.  I think about these issues. I remember when my son was born, I thought it through and I didn't want him to know I was not his biological father. I have reverted back to that belief recently when I read about Baby Richard in Illinois in the early '90s.  Baby Richard was adopted by a couple when he was 4 days old and was raised by them as their son until he was 4 years old.  Then an Illinois court sent him back to his biological father and mother permanently and he had never ever seen them before. I read about this in Dennis Prager's "Think a Second Time". This four year old cried and cried to his adoptive mother and father don't make me go.  The courts were to blame, they made this four-year-old go with his natural parents and overturned the adoption. They probably messed up this kid for life. I was raised to believe divorce was almost the unpardonable sin, now having been divorced 4 times I am sure I could never belong to this church. But thinking it through I realize it is not the unpardonable sin.  I still believe that God wants ( His perfect plan) for one man and one woman to be married for life until death do part.  That belief has not changed, I just failed. Do we think things through? Do we read the word for ourselves or totally go by what a pastor or religious organization tells us? I know that in our country we are really divided between Trump haters and Trump supporters, but do we follow party lines or do we figure this out for our selves? I am wanting to get the faith community in this little town with about 11 churches to come together for prayer for our town and our nation. I understand that there are some that hate Trump and some that like Trump, but no matter which way they believe, I am pretty sure everyone agrees our nation is in trouble. Why can we not pray together for God to work in our city and our nation?  Does it really matter that much if you are a Trump supporter and you pray next to a Trump hater? We have this transgender issue in our nation and if we don't believe in it we are haters automatically. I believe God makes us the sex we are and perhaps one of us needs to change our thinking. Naturally, I am going to think it is them and they will naturally think it is me that needs to change. But God is sovereign, and perhaps we need to see things as God sees them. Am I right? I sure don't believe the same as I did growing up about a lot of things, but are we thinking things through? We often talk about our truth, what happens when my truth and your truth are at odds with each other?  Whose truth wins. Shouldn't it be a sovereign God's truth that wins? I know how I think already but I also know I don't see everything the same as I did even ten years ago. Am I open to God changing me or do I expect God to change to my view? I think there is comfort in having a sovereign God that is over all and working in my heart and life every day. I don't understand everything God does, but he does give free choice for us to make bad decisions as I have done. But I know he still loves me and allows me to learn from my mistakes. Do we really think things through? If God didn't allow free choice we would be no more than robots.  God allows us to think and make choices, what do we base our choices on? Is it a politically correct culture or do we think beyond this present age? What things do we listen to and read to make our choice? Do we go strictly by feeling?  I feel like ice cream today but I know I need to lose fifty or more pounds.  Are we thinking things through?  God bless, LVZ.

Wrong Side Of The River

"Wrong Side Of The River" is a book I just finished reading. The author is a friend of mine on Facebook. If I could write a book that good I would write one.  I had trouble putting it down.  One thing after reading the author Cliff Johnson's story, I appreciate the parents I had. Not perfect but certainly better than what Cliff had. It doesn't take you long in this life to find someone that had it worse than you growing up. I think it does show the grace of God overcoming the obstacles of life. We all have them. Often I thought of my family and the many things we overcame. I am proud of my family. We live in a dysfunctional world and some had better parents than others, and some had worse. Sooner or later we have to take ownership of our lives and it is what we make of it with God's help. Don't ever forget that God is sovereign.  We can blame parents or society all we want it is still up to us to do something with our lives.  I also went and saw the movie "Overcomer" last Sunday.  It was a good movie, I really enjoyed it. I suffer for the mistakes I made in life, I have no one to blame. I also have reaped the benefits of the good decisions I made in life. I remember when I turned 18 years old, I wanted to leave home right then and there. But I made the decision to stick it out for another 6 months until I finished High School. I look back and am so glad I did. That six months was nothing compared to the 48 years I have lived since.  I believe my life is better than it would have been had I not finished High School. But many decisions we make affect the rest of our lives. One of the core values of life is to be forgiving I have gone through some things and survived, and I am better today for the trials I went through. I once went through a month without pay to get a job at the Boeing Company. That was a hard decision but it has blessed the rest of my life. Some of the best decisions I made were really hard when I made them. Some of the worst decisions I made were easy and affected me negatively for the rest of my life also. I think there is a lesson to be learned in that. I once regretted not going to college, but seeing the idiots that come out of college today, I don't regret it anymore. If we can read we can still learn about anything we want to. A tech school would have been better. I believe the army would have been better. I am past all that now, in the last portion of my life. I am still learning and I believe we want to continue to learn and be a blessing to society when we can.  One thing it is good to listen to those older than us. they have had more experiences than we have had and have learned some lessons the hard way. It is better to learn from their experiences than to have all the first-hand lessons. Forgiving is a core value of life, as is being thankful and grateful for the blessings we have received.  I don't think you can be happy if you don't forgive and also if you are not thankful for at least the good things, and even being thankful for some of the hard lessons that have made life better. Something to think about.  God bless, LVZ.

His Favorite Child

I remember a person once saying when they came to know Jesus, they just wanted it to be her and Jesus. They wanted to be God's favorite child. A lot of our relationship with God depends on us. We are special to God. As Jeremiah 1:5 says:

5“Before I formed you in the womb I knew ^a you,

before you were born I set you apart;

I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

God knew us before we were born.  Then again in Psalms:
Your eyes saw my unformed body; all my days were written in Your book and ordained for me before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:16
God knew every one of our days before one of them came to be. When you really think about it we are that special to God. I remember at one church I attended and was an usher, the head usher would greet me, "My favorite usher".  I used to copy that just teasing, My favorite daughter, ( I only have one daughter), or my grandchildren, My favorite grandchild, etc. It only works if there is only one of them in front of you. The point is even though millions have come to know God through Jesus Christ, we are that special to God, just as if we are his favorite child. Each of us can have our own special relationship with God. When we come to him in prayer in our prayer closet, it is just me and God. God is concerned about me in particular. In that relationship, it is just me and God. The thing about God is he always wants what is best for us. God is more interested in the development of our character than in our comfort. A good parent is like that with their kid. They want what is best for their child, even if it hurts the child at that moment. It is like the story I heard many years ago when they would have a potbelly stove in the middle of the room and it can get very hot. Sometimes a parent would take a toddler and just barely touch the hot stove with a tip of a finger so the toddler would understand how dangerous it was and not end up putting their whole hand against the stove or worse.  Our God is like that, he has our well being in mind at all times. He never forgets us. It is like we are his favorite child. He changed my life forever the day I accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord. There have been hard times and good times but when I look back, he has always had my best interest at heart. It is like being his favorite child. I know he hears not only my prayers but everyone that has opened their heart to God has the same attention from God. We are each, his favorite child.  God bless, LVZ.

Isaiah 45

3I will give you hidden treasures,

riches stored in secret places,

so that you may know that I am the Lord,

      the God of Israel, who summons you by name.

3I will give you hidden treasures,

riches stored in secret places,

so that you may know that I am the Lord,

      the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
      6so that from the rising of the sun

to the place of its setting

people may know there is none besides me.

I am the Lord, and there is no other.

7I form the light and create darkness,

I bring prosperity and create disaster;

I, the Lord, do all these things.

9“Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker,

those who are nothing but potsherds

among the potsherds on the ground.

Does the clay say to the potter,

‘What are you making?’

Does your work say,

‘The potter has no hands’?

10Woe to the one who says to a father,

‘What have you begotten?’

or to a mother,

‘What have you brought to birth?’

11“This is what the Lord says—

the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker:

Concerning things to come,

do you question me about my children,

or give me orders about the work of my hands?

12It is I who made the earth

and created mankind on it.

My own hands stretched out the heavens;

I marshaled their starry hosts.

18For this is what the Lord says—

he who created the heavens,

he is God;

he who fashioned and made the earth,

he founded it;

he did not create it to be empty,

but formed it to be inhabited—

he says:

“I am the Lord,

and there is no other.

19I have not spoken in secret,

from somewhere in a land of darkness;

I have not said to Jacob’s descendants,

‘Seek me in vain.’

I, the Lord, speak the truth;

I declare what is right.

What I saw in this chapter is God is telling us he alone is God. We can create gods to worship out of stone or wood, silver, and gold, but they did not create you.  Over and over I see in the Bible that God is sovereign. He is the potter and we are his clay. He made us. Do we have the right to question God? This makes me think of abortion, do we have the right to tell God who to create and who not to create? God did not create this world to be empty. we worry about overpopulation, isn't this God's doing?  Isn't he the one that creates life? Do we have the right to question God or tell God what to do?  I don't think so, we see disastrous results when people tell God what to do. Do we plan and not invite God in our plans, Isn't that sort of a waste of time? We use to make his commandments visible but now we want to reduce God to nothing. Take ten commandments out of the public square, out of our schools. We tell God, we don't need you anymore. Then we ask why evil prevails, why the mass shootings, why the senseless killings all across our land. It seems like it happens every week someplace in the USA. What has changed since 1950? In the fifties, there was one mass shooting. Every decade since, it has increased dramatically, to where it seems to be almost daily. Are we really going to continue to tell God we don't need him, we can get along without him?  How is that working since the year 1950?  What will it take for us to know there is no other God but creator God? I say it is time for the USA to return to acknowledging  God everywhere,  God help us. God bless, LVZ.

Humble And Contrite

1This is what the Lord says:

“Heaven is my throne,

and the earth is my footstool.

Where is the house you will build for me?

Where will my resting place be?

2Has not my hand made all these things,

and so they came into being?”

declares the Lord.

“These are the ones I look on with favor:

those who are humble and contrite in spirit,

       and who tremble at my word. Isaiah 66:1-2
FEAR : profound reverence and awe especially toward God

These verses stood out to me this morning and also I was listening to a sermon on Fear the Lord.
The last line of verse 2 says "who tremble at my word," which is also like a reverential fear or respect.  I believe when we are humble and contrite in spirit we have respect towards God and recognize his sovereignty. This preacher stated in this day and age we have so many people that live like hell but have no fear of going there. Perhaps they don't believe there is such a place. I believe to live our best life on this planet, we need a healthy fear of God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom says Proverbs 1:7: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.   Once again referring to the definition of fear above, the meaning I attempt to convey is the profound reverence and awe towards God. God looks on with favor to those that are humble and contrite in spirit. We recognize God is sovereign. We respect his word (tremble).  Respect is lacking in our society today. We have much freedom and some of it is abused as we disrespect those we disagree with. Instead of listening, many try to shut out those they disagree with. There is a difference between listening to someone and shutting them down to silence their voice. If we listen we might find and verbalize those areas we disagree with, and probably even find some things we do agree with.  I believe if we have respect towards God we will also at least respect civil authority even if we disagree with it. I believe we will respect a President even if he is not the one we voted for. I hear or read of reports of people dumping water on public servants like policemen. How disrespectful can you be? I believe the gay lifestyle to be wrong in the eyes of God, but that doesn't give me the right to disrespect them, because I disagree with them. They are still human beings made in the image of God.  When we disrespect any of God's people, civil authority, those we disagree with, we disrespect God, because he made them in his image. He gave us civil authority to help us.  It doesn't mean we cannot disagree with the authorities that be. I do all the time. It seems I am always saying I disagree with what this man or that man says. But I will not dump water on him. I will not shut him down, I may choose not to listen but I don't have to beat them up because I disagree.  I remember an incident I heard about in a parade. A person wearing a MAGA hat was walking in a parade and a person I know walked up to them and dumped a bucket of water on them. Respect is really lacking in our day. Or we have congresspersons that tell us to disrespect, shout down, confront and tell those we disagree with you are not welcome here. Respect for people we disagree with is really seriously lacking in our country today. I think this respect starts with fear (respect) of the Lord. That is really lacking in our society today and it spills over in how we treat others with whom we disagree with. I see a person that will dump water on another person in a show of disrespect as arrogant and the opposite of humble and contrite. It is not that we need to fear in a bad way like we fear a snake, but simple respect, and it is really lacking in our society today. I would say we are wise if we learn to respect others. Fools despise wisdom and instruction, they don't want to hear an opposing view. It is my way or the highway, I know better than you. We have always had opposing views in this country but after the election, we move on and work together or at least try to convince others before the next election to vote a different way. Even if we didn't like the result of the last election, we should still respect the elected President. It happens both ways. Many disrespected Obama as well and even if we disagreed with his politics, we should have respected him as President.  And do as we did and vote a man in that is headed a different direction. Our congress has spent the last few years trying to overturn the last election and has done very little or nothing for the good of this country. Before Trump started to build a border wall they were for it.  Before Trump started pulling military troops back home they were for it. Can we just work together for the good of America instead of working to be in power? I'm sorry, my posts always seem to end up political.  God help us. God bless, LVZ.

A Piece Of Clay

Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8
We are like a piece of clay in God's hands. Or perhaps I should say we should be. We should be submissive to God's will and God working in our hearts. Perhaps that is why God doesn't always answer our prayers the first time we pray something. We would probably end up like the bratty kid we see in the store. Perhaps even like many of the people today that feel entitled. We want it like Burger King, your way. So many of our commercials go along the same line, get everything you are entitled to or deserve. I don't think that is the type of children we want to raise. They grow up not knowing what no is. I am reminded of the screaming twenty-something year old that was a writer for a magazine or some sort of published article. Her editor corrected what she had written and one of the things was her spelling of hamster.   She had written it with a P like hampster.  But I have always written it that way, then she proceeded to call her mom wanting her mom to set the editor straight.  Are we moldable in God's hands?  Are we unable to listen to a direction or even to compromise when necessary?  I understand that there are some things in God's word where we follow and it is not open to everyone's separate truth. But what about things pertaining to this world? I remember in my first house I wanted to build a fence, I started without consulting my next-door neighbor and what I started to put up was a white picket fence that I had gotten for free and his idea was a 6-foot privacy fence. I compromised. But how are we with creator God?  The very one that created us. Do we listen or do we try to conform to his will? This is a good word for me this morning as there is something I am trying to do and have asked for God's help and it is not exactly going easy. I am reminded of a friend that felt like God impressed him to start a Bible Study at his place of employment. He had done it before at another location some years earlier and tried to do it exactly the same way. It took him 15 tries to get it through the proper channels.  Perhaps even that story was meant for me to hear. It is not that it is my way or the highway, but can we work through some resistance when we know we are doing something good and our world just doesn't like it because it is conservative or Christian based. God may be trying to toughen us up for what is ahead. He is still the potter and we are clay. Are we teachable? This reminds me of the acronym F A T. Faithful Available Teachable. We are to be like clay in God's hands and be faithful, available and teachable.   God bless, LVZ.

A Hardened Heart

40“He has blinded their eyes

and hardened their hearts,

so they can neither see with their eyes,

nor understand with their hearts,

     nor turn—and I would heal them.”  John 12:40 
God hardens hearts. When we read the historical account of Moses talking with Pharaoh, we see God hardened Pharaoh's heart with each plague. 
And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go. Exodus 4:21
Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. Matthew 19:8
 A hardened heart is something we do not want. I look at the plagues that Egypt went through and it seems each one got worse.  I went through divorce and I prayed God don't let my heart become hardened. Sometimes it is easy to allow our hearts to become hardened. Difficulties come our way and we wonder why? There is something in that verse Matthew 19:8 that we often don't notice. It was because of the hardened hearts that Moses allowed divorce. Sometimes life will come at us hard and we don't understand why. Don't let it harden your heart. It is OK to have a tender heart, a heart that is opened to God. A heart that will allow God to work in it. A hardened heart is closed to God. Your eyes will be blinded and you will not understand. God wants to heal us but many times we refuse to allow God to work. I believe many marriages could be saved if we did not harden our hearts. I don't know why God hardened Pharoah's heart so many times, but God was working somewhere in a heart.  God uses adversity to change us. We need to keep our hearts tender to God. He can heal, God can fix things if we let him. As I went through my divorces, many times I prayed God don't let my heart become hard. I wanted to become bitter when I was wronged. I wanted to hold a grudge. You owe me, you did me wrong, is what I felt in my heart. God cannot fix a hardened heart. If you are not open to God if your heart is not open to God you can not see nor understand. God can do miracles and we will not see it because of hardened hearts. In this country by our actions, we have told God to get out.  It is time to soften our hearts and ask God to come back in and heal our land. God come back into our lives and heal our hearts.  God bless. LVZ. 

Isaiah 63:8

8He said, “Surely they are my people,

children who will be true to me”;

      and so he became their Savior.  Isaiah 63:8
God is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9) but still, he does not take away free choice. When you read the Bible you hear the good the bad and the ugly. We can read many stories like King David when he had his affair with Bathsheba, or when Ammon raped Tamar. These people had free choice, God did not make them be good. In Genesis 37 we read where Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery. In the good, the bad and the ugly we also find people who were true to God in the end. King David repented, Joseph maintained his integrity in very difficult obstacles. God became their savior. God looks on the heart. He looks for people that will be true to him. A lot of bad stuff happens in our world, we read it or hear it every day. But God is looking for children who will be true to him. God does not force his goodness on people. How gould we truly love a God that forced us to be good? Wouldn't we be more like robots than lovers of God?  God gives people free choice, they can choose to be evil or they can choose to be good. God wants to be our savior, he wants people that will be true to him.  God bless, LVZ.

When God's People Pray

Here in Isaiah, the prophet is telling about Jerusalem being under attack. Hezekiah is king and he has been a good king. The King of Assyria has sent threatening messages to Hezekiah telling him that he is going to overthrow Jerusalem just as he has so many other cities on his way there.  In Chapter 37, Hezekiah takes these threats to God in prayer,. He tells God yes the King of Assyria has conquered all the cities in his path. What are we to do?  Basically, God tells Hezekiah I got this. I will turn him back. The King of Assyria has blasphemed the true God with his words.  He will meet his death.  I think we should expect the same today. As I look at this, is not the USA, one country out of many on earth that have sought God in its creation.  I feel like God is protecting us once again from the powers that have overtaken Europe and seek to dethrone our government and create a failure of a government elsewhere. I know this sovereign God we believe in can save. He is overall, God reigns supreme over all the earth. God saved a remnant of his people in Jerusalem by his strength and his power. Though outnumbered have we not seen God protect his people. Hezekiah took these threats to God himself and sent his officials to seek out the Prophet of God to see what God had to say. Superior numbers do not mean the enemy of God's people win. Contrary to that we see God taking a small number and defeating much larger numbers many times in Bible History. God is sovereign and his people fall only when God wills it,  Armies are no match for God. Superior numbers do not mean anything to God. Over and over we see God win. Yes, there are times when God allowed his people to be overthrown but it is when they stray from God and do not call on God for protection. He is a sovereign God and his will prevails.  We need to depend on God for our protection and well being. All good things come from God. That was in about chapter 37, here again in chapter 62, we see God's people need to pray.
6On your walls, O Jerusalem,
I have set watchmen;
all the day and all the night
they shall never be silent.
You who put the Lord in remembrance,
take no rest,
7and give him no rest
until he establishes Jerusalemand makes it a praise in the earth.  Isaiah 62;6,7.

The explanation I read for these verses is that the watchmen are prayer warriors that do not cease praying. All-day and all night, giving the Lord no rest until he rescues his people.

In Luke chapter 18 we can read of the widow lady that kept going to the unjust judge with her request. The judge responded and gave her justice in the matter lest she wearies him with her constant requests. We are told to learn from this. Pray day and night that God will move and answer the need. Today I see that as a need to keep on praying. One of the biggest needs in our land today is this nation. I don't care what side of the political divide you are on, you will probably say our country is in trouble.  If you are a Trump hater or a Trump supporter, you feel our nation is in trouble. We see a divide that is probably as big as the divide during the civil war days, maybe even bigger. It is time for God people to pray. This nation became the greatest nation on the face of the earth because our forefathers sought God to direct them. We need to seek God once again for the direction of this nation. Give the Lord no rest until he answers. All-day and all night, indicates some serious praying going on. We have uninvited God in our nation and we need to invite God back in. Invite God into our courts for justice. Seeking truth and the needs of this nation and not just to be in power. If ever we needed the Lord before, we sure do need him now. Let God's people pray until God moves. God bless, LVZ.  

key verses

Genesis 22:18 All the nations of the earth will be blessed
Deuteronomy 6:4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth;
Psalm 18:2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear?
Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the LORD is good.
Psalm 34:18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
Psalm 37:4 And he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help
Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Psalm 89:1 I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever:
Psalm 119:9 How can a young man stay pure? By obeying your word.
Psalm 119:11 Your word I have hid in my heart, that I might not sin
Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalm 147:3 He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds.
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; lean not on your own
Proverbs 3:6 in all your ways acknowledge him; he will make your paths
Proverbs 30:5 "Every word of God is flawless
Ecclesiastes 3:1 To everything there is a season; a time to every purpose
Isaiah 9:6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us.
Isaiah 53:4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;
Isaiah 53:5 And by his stripes we are healed
Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray
Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper
Isaiah 55:8 My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you
Jeremiah 32:27 I am the God of all. Is anything too hard for me?
Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble;
Matthew 4:19 "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before men
Matthew 6:9 Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name
Matthew 6:19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
Matthew 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness,
Matthew 7:7 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find
Matthew 21:22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.
Matthew 22:37 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
Matthew 25:40 Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine
Matthew 28:19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,
Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure,
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son,
John 8:32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free
John 11:25 I am the resurrection and the life
John 13:35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples,
John 14:2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so,
John 14:6 I am the way and the truth and the life.
John 15:13 There is no greater love than to lay down one's life
Acts 1:8 You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you
Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else
Acts 17:11 The Bereans were more noble than the Thessalonians
Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;
Romans 5:8 While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life
Romans 8:28 In all things God works for the good of those who love him
Romans 8:37 We are more than conquerors through him who loved us
Romans 10:9 If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe
Romans 10:17 Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message
Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,
1 Corinthians 3:16 You yourselves are God's temple and God's Spirit lives in you
1 Corinthians 6:19 your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man
1 Corinthians 10:31 Do it all to the glory of God
1 Corinthians 13:13 But the greatest of these is love
2 Corinthians 4:18 We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen
2 Corinthians 5:17 if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation
2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us
2 Corinthians 12:9 My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith;
Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all
Ephesians 6:12 Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers
Philippians 3:13 Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything
Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful,
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
Hebrews 12:2 Looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
James 1:22 But be you doers of the word, and not hearers only,
James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray
1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
1 John 3:18 Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth
1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God;
Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending,
Revelation 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. 

I Churn My Own Butter

The things I write about come from many sources. If it was a recent sermon it was probably from Scooter Noland, my own pastor or from Bill Wolfson in Hemet CA. I am trying to read more and watch less TV.  So I get a lot of info from books also, but I don't know how people do it that write books and can keep such a good reference for their sources. Scooter made this statement recently, I get my milk from many sources but I churn my own butter.  It resonated with me because I know a lot of things I write I heard from somewhere or I am replying to something I read or heard.  If it was even more than a year ago when I heard it, good luck trying to remember where I heard it. So I think it sad when people sue for something they say is theirs, it could possibly be, but is anything really original in this day and age. I try to make it my own, churn my own butter. I remember jokingly telling my first wife that when Mom made homemade bread on the farm, that I ground the flour. I was joking of course, but some five to ten years later my first wife and mom were talking about baking bread and my first wife said ya, Leon told me about grinding the flour for you.  I had forgotten I had even said that. But I do churn my own butter in a manner of speaking. Not real butter, but the things I write. I go through spells, I one time I read every book I could find by George MacDonald, then there were some self-help type books by Larry Crabb years ago. Recently I have read some of Dennis Prager books and started listening to his fireside chats.  All of these have influenced me. If I read stuff I don't agree with, I probably won't read very far. Dr. Phil's life code, I don't think I finished it. I don't agree with Dennis Prager 100% of the time but he comes from Biblical values much of the time. Not being a Christian but  Jew, I am sure Dennis and I disagree about some things sooner or later. But I still glean a lot from his videos and his books. I bought a book recently and the author told me it has some bad language in it. It is probably not something I haven't heard before.  But I am sure without even trying I glean some things from so many sources, and I don't even remember where. I have failed to mention the Bible, a source I trust to lead me on a good path. It is ever before me. I read something in it every day. I use Bible hub and Blue letter Bible almost every day because it is easier to search for reference scripture and definitions than that good old Concordance which I still have.  As I was rearranging the office the other day I found books I intended to read but never finished. I was trying to make a list of books I want to get but I always lose the list. I said all this to say, I get my milk from many sources but I do churn my own butter. I do try to make it mine. I don't just try to memorize scripture but see if I can apply it to the way I live.  I have lots of room for improvement. God bless, LVZ.