Something to be thankful for

 Something to be thankful for 

God gives us mercy when we don’t deserve it.  In Romans 6:23 it says this.  

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”  

Before Christian musicians DeGarmo and Key stopped recording altogether they had a song called Selective Amnesia about God’s mercy and forgiveness.  Part of the song says this.

“He searches the soul and he pierces the conscience 

And I’m not proud of everything that he’s seen

But when it come to the past, he’s a mercy machine 

He knows it all and there’s news that’ll please ya

When it comes to the past, he’s got selective amnesia.”

We should be thankful that because of Jesus death on the cross we can be made clean and forgiven of our sins.

I want to show you Psalm 103:8-19 so you can realize you have something to be thankful for.  

“The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.  He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.  He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us , as we deserve.  For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.  He has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west.  The Lord is like a father to his children tender and compassionate to those who fear him.  For he knows how weak we are, he remembers we are only dust.  Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die.  The wind blows, and we are gone—as though we had never been here.  But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him.  His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments!  The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything.”

We definitely have something to be thankful for!  

I want to conclude with this by the group Hawk Nelson 

“In the wonder

In the heartache 

In the good times

And in the mistakes

No matter what I’m going through 

I can always say thank you

When the blessings 

Are in disguise 

Let gratitude open my eyes 

‘Cause I’ve just been given too much.”

Thank God for something by Hawk Nelson 

Thank you for the cross by Kathryn Scott

How great is the love by Meredith Andrews 

Selective Amnesia by Degarmo and Key

Your Comfort

 Your comfort 

I’ve been in work situations where people have said things really bad about me as a person.  I’ve even gone to work and each time I went it felt like spiritual warfare was taking place at that work site.  I’ve had things happen that caused me to often seek God.  Those that know me well know me to be a huge comic book fan and these verses I’m about share talk about God defending his people and I love that. There have been times I know God has fought on my behalf.

Psalm 94:16-19

“Who will protect me from the wicked?  Who will stand up for me against evildoers?  Unless the Lord had helped me, I would soon have settled in the silence of the grave.  I cried out ‘I am slipping!’  But your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me.    When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.”  

The psalmist had a problem.  Did you notice where he got help and comfort?  It wasn’t from drugs, alcohol, or another person.  It was hope and comfort he got from God’s unfailing love!  The passage was written many years before Jesus told the disciples that he would leave them with the Holy Spirit who is also called the Comforter.  This is a blog that has always pointed to Hope found in God’s Word.  I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it one of the most important verses in the Bible is 1 Peter 5:8

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 

Next I want to share some song lyrics from Cheri Keaggy and Addison Road that are helpful too.  

“Cause there’s a source of help

 in every need 

There’s a place to dwell

Down on your knees

And if I could tell you how to find peace

You’ve got to lay it down.”

“Everything rides on Hope now 

Everything rides on faith somehow 

When the world has broken me down 

Your love sets me free!”  

If you need hope, verses 18 and 19 are why you’re reading this blog or watching it as a video.  Every single one of us on this planet needs God.  

“I cried out, ‘I am slipping!’  But your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me.  When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me hope and cheer.”  

We’re all slipping! Where are you reaching out to for Hope?  God still offers it if you seek him!  

Hanging by a Scarlet thread by DeGarmo and Key

Hope Now by Addison Road 

Lay it down by Cheri Keaggy 

How he loves by Jesus Culture 

Too big to fail by Petra 

Shepherd of my heart by Sandi Patty 

Those Chapters

 

Those chapters 

 

In Isaiah 55:11 God says this about his word being shared.

“It is the same way with my word.  I send it out, and it always produces fruit.  It will accomplish all I want it to.  And it will prosper everywhere I send it.”

 

This is a promise I as a blogger latch on to because my words are feeble.  I do know that even if I simply read a chapter or email it to someone God will still use it to meet them.  I don’t have as much to say this week but I can still share God’s Word to remind you of who he is and share some song lyrics. 

 

Psalm 86

 

A prayer of David.

1Bend down, O LORD, and hear my prayer;

answer me, for I need your help.

2Protect me, for I am devoted to you.

Save me, for I serve you and trust you.

You are my God.

3Be merciful to me, O Lord,

for I am calling on you constantly.

4Give me happiness, O Lord,

for I give myself to you.

5O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive,

so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.

6Listen closely to my prayer, O LORD;

hear my urgent cry.

7I will call to you whenever I’m in trouble,

and you will answer me.

8No pagan god is like you, O Lord.

None can do what you do!

9All the nations you made

will come and bow before you, Lord;

they will praise your holy name.

10For you are great and perform wonderful deeds.

You alone are God.

11Teach me your ways, O LORD,

that I may live according to your truth!

Grant me purity of heart,

so that I may honor you.

12With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God.

I will give glory to your name forever,

13for your love for me is very great.

You have rescued me from the depths of death.a

14O God, insolent people rise up against me;

a violent gang is trying to kill me.

You mean nothing to them.

15But you, O Lord,

are a God of compassion and mercy,

slow to get angry

and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.

16Look down and have mercy on me.

Give your strength to your servant;

save me, the son of your servant.

17Send me a sign of your favor.

Then those who hate me will be put to shame,

for you, O LORD, help and comfort me.

 

Psalm 93

 

1The LORD is king! He is robed in majesty.

Indeed, the LORD is robed in majesty and armed with strength.

The world stands firm

and cannot be shaken.

2Your throne, O LORD, has stood from time immemorial.

You yourself are from the everlasting past.

3The floods have risen up, O LORD.

The floods have roared like thunder;

the floods have lifted their pounding waves.

4But mightier than the violent raging of the seas,

mightier than the breakers on the shore—

the LORD above is mightier than these!

5Your royal laws cannot be changed.

Your reign, O LORD, is holy forever and ever.

 

Your Kingdom Reigns by Meredith Andrews

 

Though we walk through the shadow of death
You will not forsake us
Though we fall, in Your arms we'd find rest
You will never fail us

You go before us, behind us
Yes You are the one who saves
You are our portion, our promise
Forever Your kingdom reigns

By Your blood, You have paid every debt
You are strong to save us
And by Your word, You will guide every step
You are ever faithful
Jesus, You are ever faithful

You go before us, behind us
Yes You are the one who saves
You are our portion, our promise
Forever Your kingdom reigns

You go before us, behind us
Yes You are the one who saves
You are our portion, our promise
Forever Your kingdom reigns

You will not be shaken,
God of our salvation,
You are, You are the rock we stand on
You will not be shaken,
God of our salvation,
You are, You are the rock we stand on
You will not be shaken,
God of our salvation,
You are, You are the rock we stand on
You will not be shaken,
God of our salvation,
You are, You are the rock we stand on

You go before us, behind us
Yes You are the one who saves
You are our portion, our promise
Forever Your kingdom reigns
You go before us, behind us
Yes You are the one who saves
You are our portion, our promise
Forever Your kingdom reigns
You go before us, behind us
Yes You are the one who saves
You are our portion, our promise
Forever Your kingdom reigns
You go before us, behind us
Yes You are the one who saves
You are our portion, our promise
Forever Your kingdom reigns

 

 

 

Your Kingdom Reigns by MeredithAndrews 

You alone by Kim Hill

Legacy

 Legacy 

I have a friend named Jason who showed Marion and I something about a month ago and it was humbling to say the least.  See his wife Rebecca was responsible for the Batcave blog going online.  He showed me a folder of all the blog emails I had sent out.  He mentioned that it kinda shows specific times when I’m inspired to write and post something.  He’s read them too.  My dad has the same folder in his email.    It got me thinking a lot about the legacy we as people leave. I never claimed to be a good writer or blogger I simply share what God lays on my heart and pray that God uses it to glorify himself.  Now I’m sharing this thing as a video and I still don’t feel qualified to do any public speaking.  I fumble my words every week when I post things.  But God wants people who are willing.  

I was about to go to sleep Wednesday morning because I work nights and the new house we live in used to be my grandparents.  There’s a story I don’t often tell.  My Grandaddy passed away due to congestive heart failure a few years ago.  The day before he died my friend Ryan and I went to see him.  With absolute certainty when I walked out of that bedroom that day before he died I looked at Ryan when we got in the car and said “That’s the last time I’m going to see him alive.”  And it was.  But this Wednesday morning I was looking in the same corner where his hospital bed had been and I was thinking about him and how he had lived.  My Grandaddy was a man of God.  He left a legacy of love for others.  He’s a man who loved his kids and grandchildren.  He worked with a group of Baptist men called Hammer Slammers who helped build churches.  The love he showed and shared spoke volumes.

In Acts 13:22 it says this.  “But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart.  He will do everything I want him to do.’”  

I don’t know what your long term goal in life is but I want to be like my Grandaddy and like King David and be a man after God’s heart and I fail so often.  

People are watching you and I and looking at how we live and the legacy we leave.  I have said it multiple times if you come to this blog looking for the weird guy Zac you missed the point because I’m trying to point you to God.  My goal is to glorify God and I’m the least important part.  Leave a legacy of being a man or woman after God’s heart.  

Ephesians 5:1-2

“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.  Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.  He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.”

Romans 12:1-2

“And so, dear brothers and sisters I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you.  Let them be a living and holy sacrifice— the kind he will find acceptable.  This is truly the way to worship him.  Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by the way you think.  Then you will learn to know God’s will for you which is good, pleasing and perfect.”  

Be a believer in deed.  

Believer in deed by Petra 

Live to Tell by Geoff Moore and the Distance 

Message Medley by 4 Him

Dare 2 B Different by DeGarmo and Key

True Believers by Phil Keaggy

Set Hope anew

 Set hope anew

 

I’ve been doing this weekly Bible study blog for nearly 9 years with an emphasis on Hope found in God’s Word.  He is our source of lasting permanent hope.  When one spends time with a goal of sharing God’s Word you have reasons for it.  I’ve been a person who at times struggled and looked for hope in certain situations.  The verses I want to share with you deal with something I as a security guard have to do.  I’m a parent to a dog only so I have no kids to pass information on to.  Security guards though have a thing we follow at the end of our shifts called a Pass Down.  You let the next shift verbally know what took place and what to expect.  The title of this blog is Set Hope Anew because it’s in the passage I will be sharing.  In case you lost hope it’s being shared once more with an explanation of why we pass down the things we do.   

 

Like Rich Mullins said

 

“Saints and children, we have gathered here to hear the sacred story”

 

Psalm 78:1-8 tells us why we share or pass down God’s Word to others.  

 

“O my people, listen to my instructions.  Open your ears to what I am saying, for I will speak to you in a parable.  I will teach you hidden lessons from our past— stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us.  We will not hide these truths from our children.  We will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his powers and mighty wonders.  For he has issued his laws to Jacob; he gave his instructions to Israel.  He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, so the next generation might know them— even the children not yet born—and they in turn will teach their own children.  So each generation should set its Hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands.  They will not be like their ancestors— stubborn, rebellious and unfaithful refusing to give their hearts to God.”  

 

As a Bible study blog writer I try to share hope and something very important and that is God’s Word.  

 

In 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 Paul said it best.

 

“I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me.  Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said.  He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day just as the scriptures said.”  

 

Most important!  That’s the goal of what I want to share with others.  I’m a person who could converse with you for hours about comic books, video games, pro wrestling and more but sharing the difference God can make in your life well that is what’s most important.  

 

So I want to show you something else that is most important.  If you are not a believer in Christ Jesus you are still an enemy of God.  But I want to show you how Jesus changes that status.  God gives us a chance to seek him because of love.  

 

Romans 5:6-8

 

“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.  Now most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good.  But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

 

God loved you and me his enemies so much he sent his only son to be the sacrifice for our sins to make us right with God.  

 

You want hope and what is most important set your hope anew on God!  

 

“Let Hope rise and darkness tremble in your holy light

And every eye will see Jesus our God

Great and mighty to be praised.”

 

 

 

 

You are Jesus by Sheila Walsh 

With Everything by Hillsong 

If I had to die for someone byPetra 

Here in America by Rich Mullins 

But as for me

 

But as for me

 

But as for me

 

This was a phrase I had seen in more than one verse.  It’s a transition phrase.  The author put thought into this decision you’re about to see.  It’s in the vein of storytelling and scene changes.  Every good comic book takes you from scene to scene then changes.  Think of it like this.  Things are going on in this one place and time.  Then we get to this person and the perspective has shifted in the story.  You’ve gone from an arching overview and now you settle on the first-person perspective in that character’s mind.  If you still don’t have the mental image, yet think of the narrator on the Powerpuff Girls cartoons saying, “Meanwhile the city of Townsville......”.  So, I read this phrase and it made me go to BibleHub.com and look to see if there was more than one in the Bible.  

 

This was the first verse I came to that started me thinking.  

 

Psalm 73:28

“But as for me, how good it is to be near God!  I have made the sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.”  

 

It says it’s a Psalm of Asaph and this writer thought about this choice before making it.

 

Here’s two more “But as for me” passages.  

 

Psalm 75:9

“But as for me, I will always proclaim what God has done; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.”  

 

Micah 7:7 

“But as for me, I look to the Lord for help.  I wait confidently for God to save me.  And my God will certainly hear me.”

 

But as for you the participants what has to happen to make you choose God today and seek Him.

 

 

 

I have decided by Amy Grant

I commit by Margaret Becker

My hope is in you by Third Day

People get ready by MistyEdwards 

I choose to follow by Al Denson

Great Warrior and Refuge

Great warrior and refuge

 

We as humans don’t always put the pieces together till much later.  We’re bound by time and we’re linear beings, but God is not.  When we seek his help for problems stressing us out we often miss the ways he’s at work helping us.  I’ve been guilty of it.  He knows about the problem way before it ever happens.  To say otherwise is to doubt God’s sovereignty.  God’s already provided the help we need in the Bible.  How do I know that?  Because there’s passage after passage of someone seeking his help and he provided it.  I’m going to show you what the Psalmist and Jeremiah said about God because they had trouble and turned to God.  

 

Psalm 71:1-6

 

“O Lord, I have come to you for protection; don’t let me be disgraced.  Save me and rescue me, for you do what is right.  Turn your ear to listen to me and set me free.  Be my rock of safety where I can always hide.  Give the order to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.  My God, rescue me from the power of the wicked, from the clutches of cruel oppressors.  O Lord, you alone are my hope.  I’ve trusted you, O Lord, from childhood. Yes, you have been with me from birth; from my mother’s womb you have cared for me.  No wonder I am always praising you!”

 

That showed us God is a refuge next I want to show you another aspect we often miss.  See if you have the mental concept that God sits on his throne and takes no action on behalf of his people who cry out to him then you’re wrong.  Jeremiah is about to introduce you to a mighty warrior.  

 

Jeremiah 20:11-13

 

“But the Lord stands beside me like a great warrior.  Before him my persecutors will stumble.  They cannot defeat me.  They will fail and be thoroughly humiliated.  Their dishonor will never be forgotten.  O Lord, of Heaven’s Armies you test those who are righteous, and you examine the deepest thoughts and secrets.  Let me see your vengeance against them, for I have committed my cause to you.  Sing to the Lord!  Praise the Lord!  For though I was poor and needy, he rescued me from my oppressors.”

 

“I thank God for the mountains 

And I thank him for the valleys

I thank him for the storms he brought me through.

For if I’ve never had a problem 

I wouldn’t know God could solve them

I’d never know what faith in God could do.”  

 

There’s a bad theology that says “God would never give me more than I could handle “ or “He gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers.”  That’s pride talking!  You get convinced you can handle things on your own.  Every problem though is a chance God can use to get us to seek him and trust him.  

 

I want to conclude with some of the lyrics to the song Defender by Francesca Battiselli and Steffany Gretzinger.   

 

“You go before I know
That You've even gone to win my war
You come back with the head of my enemy
You come back and You call it my victory, oh-ooh

You go before I know
That You've even gone to win my war
Your love becomes my greatest defense
It leads me from the dry wilderness

And all I did was praise
All I did was worship
All I did was bow down, oh
All I did was stay still

Hallelujah, You have saved me
So much better Your way
Hallelujah, great Defender
So much better Your way

You know before I do
Where my heart can seek to find Your truth
Your mercy is the shade I'm living in
And You restore my faith and hope again”

 

 

 

Through it all by Selah

Defender by Francesca Battistelli and Steffany Gretzinger

Warrior by Caedmon’s Call

Armed and Dangerous by Petra

Armed and Dangerous by DeGarmo and Key