Sunday, April 8, 2018

Recount

At churches we talk often of what God has done.  Do you ever stop and and ask why.  I mean we have hymns like "I love to tell the old old story" and "Sing the wondrous love of Jesus."  We remember Easter and Christmas and we retell passages from the Bible and pastors and teachers recount things of God.  Psalm 111 actually tells us to remember and ponder these things and gives us reasons why.  

1-4
"Praise the Lord!  I will thank the Lord with all my heart as I meet with his godly people.  How amazing are the deeds of the Lord!  All who delight in him should ponder them.  Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty.  His righteousness never fails.  He causes us to remember his wonderful works.  How gracious and merciful is our Lord."  

See pondering and remembering what God has done causes us to praise him and brings glory to his name.  It also encourages others and helps them draw closer to God.

Kim Hill is a Christian musician and she has this song that is called the "Nothing but the blood medley" and the first part of it fits here with what Psalm 111 says.  

"I want to proclaim your righteousness in the assembly 
I want to speak of your faithfulness to me
I want to proclaim and tell of all you've done for me
Reflect your glory."

Also this is a blog based on hope.  Little known fact but when you praise God, your focus shifts from your problems to him and he's bigger than your boogeyman.  

The old Christian music group the Imperials said it well.

"Praise the Lord
He can work through those that praise him
Praise the Lord 
For our God inhabits praise
Praise the Lord
For the chains that seem to bind you
Serve only to remind you
They drop powerless behind you when you 
Praise the Lord."  


Psalm 115:1 "Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness."  





















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Sunday, April 1, 2018

Future generations

Future generations 

There's a saying in the comic book world that Batman can beat anyone because he has plans upon plans.  Fictional character I know but God has more plans than anyone even considers.  If you study Genesis and Exodus, God always talks about the future generations of the people of Israel.  For five years I have been doing this online bible study blog and I have clung to these verses.  I'm just a feeble messenger who goofs up more than I get things right.  One thing I desire is to be the least important part of the blog because Zac's words don't matter God's word does.  Isaiah 55:8-10 says this.  "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," Says the Lord.  "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.  For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.  The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth.  They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry.  It is the same with my word.  I send it out, and it always produces fruit.  It will accomplish all I want it to, and everywhere I send it."

I've said it before I don't know who all reads this blog and who doesn't but I know God uses his word to teach others and I know he has prepared it for my generation and those after me.  How do I know this 
Psalms 102:18-22

"Let this be recorded for future generations, so that a people not yet born will praise the Lord.  Tell them the Lord looked down from his heavenly sanctuary.  He looked down to earth from heaven to hear the groans of the prisoners, to release those condemned to die.  And so the Lord's fame will be celebrated in Zion, his praises in Jerusalem, when multitudes gather together and kingdoms come together to worship the Lord."  

Before Adam and Eve were created God had plans in place.  Before the cross was considered a death penalty he had a plan in place.  Bibles have been printed and translated and when we start reading them and God starts working in hearts that was already in the plan.    You reading this blog well that was in the plan.  Well Zac how can you claim that?  See before I ever considered any type of bible study involving people working nights God had people in place to encourage me, before it went online same thing happened.  Before all that God placed me in a family where my dad would become a pastor and train me as best he could.  But you see God promised his word would last forever.  
1 Peter 1:24-25 "People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field.  The grass withers and the flower fades.  But the word of the Lord remains forever.". See even when I'm gone God's word will remain and he will still be working on people's hearts.  It's a plan within a lot of amazing plans.  God's plan at the cross is still in effect.  God is non-linear he can see through time and make plans that effect those of us on earth.  if you don't believe he has plans for you spend some time reading Psalms 139.  Specifically I would like to bring your attention to verse 16.  "You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book.  Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed."  He sees you and plans are in place.  




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Monday, March 26, 2018

The Look

The look

A few years ago I had cataract surgery done on both eyes and I asked for the Kryptonian package because sight like Superman would have been pretty darn cool.  But we need another way of looking at people.  The word of the day is Compassion.  You need the compassion package for your eyes.  

In Matthew 9:35-38 it says this.  "Jesus travelled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom.  And he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  He said to his disciples, 'The harvest is great, but the workers are few.  So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.'"

  See it says Jesus looked on the people with compassion and sometimes that's incredibly hard for us to do.  There's an old saying of if you're not part of the solution you're part of the problem.  I see three things here we need to do.  
1. Pray.  2.  Pray for more compassion in in interacting with people.  3.  Be willing to help with the harvest.  

Galatians 6:9-10 "So let's not get tired of doing what is good.  At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.  Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone-- especially to those in the family of faith."  

So I had most of this blog done on Tuesday afternoon and I've been praying asking God to let me see people with compassionate eyes.  So on Wednesday Marion sent me this post on Facebook advertising that Sonic was marking down medium slushes to seventy-nine cents so we planned to go the next night. We got a personal lesson in treating others with compassion when we went to Sonic.  We ordered our food and drinks by roughly 10:50.  Somewhere between us ordering and it being brought to us there was a big mixup that we still don't understand fully.  They thought we were at a different stall for food and that possibly we had left but we were still waiting.  This server Gabby saw us and came and asked us if we were waiting on an order.  Then she comes back to tell us they had closed and asked how we planned to pay.  We could've been mad.  The manager and cooks could have been mad.  No one ever got upset.  Because of the goof up we didn't get our food till 11:40 pm after they had closed mind you.  Gabby got a $5.00 tip from us.  Marion and I both were saying it was a situation that could have gone worse in so many number of ways.    Then that night I started praying for Gabby and the managers and cooks at Sonic asking God to help them have a better night and fix their eyes on Him.  So Friday I was driving to work and it hit me that God had helped both of us to be more compassionate and it was answered prayer.  




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Sunday, March 18, 2018

Purpose:Operation Perspective Shift

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.

I did this once a long time ago where I posted simply a chapter and said nothing and I had asked my friend Chris Godoy before doing so and he asked what my purpose was.  My purpose with doing this is to let God's word speak for itself as this is a chapter that can help anyone regardless of their situation because the reader's attention is shifted off of them and back to God.  See when your focus is shifted back to God it is then back on your foundation the Rock of Christ Jesus.  Matthew 7:24-27  "Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.  Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock.  But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.  When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash."  

" Though the winds may blow 
And though the floods may grow 
I shall not be moved, 'cause I am on the Rock "












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