October 31 --

The last day of the month has arrived, and for the majority of people in our nation, October 31 means Halloween with tricks and treats.
To others, this day is remembered as "All Saints' Day" by commemorating all the saints of the church.  The origin cannot be traced with certainty, and has been observed on various days in different places.
And for our family, it means it is time to sing "Happy Birthday" to my daughter-in-law, Mandy, with our best wishes for a lovely day!

As we begin the month of November and look ahead to the Thanksgiving season, may we take time to often "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.  For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations."  Praise the Lord!

"Thank you, Lord, for your blessings on me."    

COME ---

"O come, let us SING unto the Lord -- let us GIVE unto the Lord -- let us WORSHIP the Lord!"
It is a beautiful Monday morning -- the sun is brightly shining and glistening on the beautiful leaves in their fall colors, making me want to cry out with the Psalmist:  "O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker."

The book of Psalms is a glorious book!  It seems like no matter what difficulty, problem, trial or sorrow we may find ourselves in, we can find guidance, consolation, encouragement or whatever we might be in need of at any particular time in this wonderful "prayer and praise book of Israel"!

As I was reading in the Psalms last week, my heart was very blessed as I read Psalm 120 through 130.  None of these wonderful little Psalms are over eight verses, and they all have some wonderful verses to bless and encourage your heart through the week.  I thought I would pick out one phrase or verse from each Psalm to begin your week today, and maybe that will whet your appetite to read each Psalm and meditate on them through the week.

120 -- "In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and He heard me."  (I am so very thankful His ear is always open to my cry!)
121 -- "The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore."  Praise the Lord!
122 -- "I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord."  Amen!  Let us be faithful in our attendance!
123 -- "Unto Thee lift I up mine eyes, O Thou that dwellest in the heavens."
124 -- "Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth."  (And He never fails!)
125 -- "They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever."
126 -- "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy."  (I am thankful for this sweet promise.)
127 -- "Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is His reward."  (Amen)
128 -- "Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord, that walketh in His ways."
130 -- "I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in His word do I hope."

May God bless you as you live in His Word through the week!  Jesus never fails! 

God's Benefits

In Psalm 103:2, we read:  "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits."This Psalm of David is a very blessed Psalm, and such a comfort to my soul as I meditate on the wonderful truth in these verses.  As we think about the great and marvelous benefits of the Lord, may our gratitude and appreciation for them be enhanced and strengthened.
In a little devotional booklet I have, the writer listed these seven benefits:

     1.  Forgiveness.  "Who forgiveth all thine iniquities" (v. 3)
     2.  Healing.  "Who healeth all thy diseases" (v. 3)
     3.  Redemption.  "Who redeemeth thy life from destruction" (v. 4)
     4.  Glorification.  "Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies" (v. 4)
     5.  Provision.  "Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things" (v. 5)
     6.  Strength.  "Thy youth is renewed like the eagle's" (v. 5)
     7.  Protection.  The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed" (v. 6) 

Of course, the greatest benefit of all is the wonderful gift of salvation, and as we read on in this great  Psalm, we see the lovingkindness and tender mercies of our Lord which seem to climax in verse 17 when the Psalmist declares -- "But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him."  It is easy to understand why this great and lovely Psalm begins and ends with --
        "Bless the Lord O my soul!"

May God bless you today as you love and serve Him!!

CONSOLATION!

I love this beautiful exhortation in II Thessalonians 2:15-17:
     "Therefore brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.  Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work."
 Praise the Lord!  This wonderful scripture seems to fit the following poem by an unknown author and entitled, "Consolation".

     "There is never a day so dreary but God can make it bright,
And unto the soul that trusts Him, He giveth songs in the night.
      There is never a path so hidden, but God can lead the way,
If we seek for the Spirit's guidance and patiently wait and pray.

      There is never a cross so heavy but the nail-scarred hands are there
Outstretched in tender compassion, the burden to help us bear.
      There is never a heart so broken, but the loving Lord can heal.
The heart that was pierced on Calvary doth still for His loved ones feel.

      There is never a life so darkened, so hopeless and unblessed,
But may be filled with the light of God and enter His promised rest.
      There is never a sin or sorrow--there is never a care or loss,
But that we may bring to Jesus and leave at the foot of the Cross."

Remember ---
     "No one understands like Jesus when the days are dark and grim.
No one is so near, so dear as Jesus; Cast your every care on Him."    

"The Calm Before the Storm"

It is a beautiful fall morning here in Indiana where I live.  I saw the farmer across the road bringing his huge combine a few days ago getting ready to harvest his corn.  Today, my little world is full of joy and peace as I count my many blessings and reflect upon the beautiful music and good messages of my pastor yesterday on the Lord's Day!
But yesterday, I also thought of a song that my daughter sang years ago when she was in High School.  I don't recall ever hearing anyone else sing this song, but along life's way we will all face some storms.  If you are facing a storm in your life today, I trust that this song by Mark Lanier will minister to your heart.

     "Sometimes the way gets too hard to handle --
The storms of life keep heading your way;
      The strong winds and rain keep bringing the pain,
Till you lose hope for a better day.

      But I know a peace that passes all understanding,
And a shelter to keep you from harm;
      Before the winds come your way -- look to Jesus today;
He's the calm before the storm!

      When you need some peaceful assurance --
He's the Rock you can hold on to;
      Don't wait till the winds start blowing --
Never doubt what my Father can do!

      He'll be the shelter through the hard times --
And thru the good times He'll keep you from harm;
      Just trust Him today---He won't go away,
He's the calm before the storm!"

Remember these beautiful words from the from the 43rd chapter of Isaiah:
     "Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.  When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.  For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour!"   

My Whole Heart!

In Psalm 119:145-146, we read these wonderful words:  "I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord:  I will keep Thy statutes.  I cried unto Thee; save me, and I shall keep Thy testimonies."
What a blessed privilege it is to come before the Lord, our Maker, and pour out our heart unto Him!
How wonderful to know that His ear is always open to our cry!

It is interesting to note that this was not a half-hearted prayer -- the Psalmist prayed with his whole heart!  His prayer was not just a little routine utterance.  In the next two verses, he said:  "I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried:  I hoped in Thy Word.  Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in Thy Word." Whatever drove him to his knees to seek God's face had kept him awake all night!

Perhaps these verses in Psalm 119 are what inspired the songwriter, Mosie Lister, to write these words:
          "How long has it been since you talked with the Lord
            And told Him your heart's hidden secrets?
            How long since you prayed, how long since you stayed
            On your knees till the light shone through?"

Jeremiah gives us a wonderful promise in Jeremiah 29:13 --"Ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart."

       "Not just a part, or half of my heart -- I will give All to Thee!"   

"Sunrise In Canaan"

I was so excited when my son found a couple of boxes containing some of my favorite books!  The little book, "Sunrise in Canaan" has a holiness scripture verse and comments for every day in the year.  I hope to share some of them from time to time.

In Acts 5:29, we read:  "Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men."
     "Peter and John had been in prison.  An angel had delivered them.  At once, they returned to the Temple and commenced anew to preach Jesus.  The rulers asked the reason why, when they had been "straitly charged not to teach this Name?"  This was their heroic answer:  "We must obey God rather than men."  Pentecost gives loyalty to God, which is proof against unholy authorities and prison rigors.  Let us be clad in Pentecostal armor!" 
                                                                    --George Hughes
     Give me Thy strength, O God of power,
            Then let winds blow, and thunders roar --
      Thy faithful witness will I be:
             'Tis fixed;  I can do all through Thee.  

Seven Things

This Monday morning finds my heart filled with praise and thanksgiving!  What a blessed privilege it is to be part of the Family of God!!  It makes me think of that wonderful old song about heaven -- "We'll have a grand Homecoming week the first ten thousand years!"

We have seven days this week (God permitting), so perhaps it would be well for us to meditate each day on this challenge from Carl Yoder which he entitled -- Seven things I have tried:

     "Laughing at difficulties, and found them disappearing.
      Attempting heavy responsibilities, and found them growing lighter.
      Facing a bad situation, and found it clearing up.
      Telling the truth, and found it the easiest way out.
      Doing an honest day's work, and found it the most rewarding.
      Believing men honest, and found them living up to expectation.
      Trusting God each day, and found Him surprising me with His goodness."

May God bless you as you trust Him for the future -- He knoweth all the way!
 

The B - I - B - L - E

The little children like to sing -- "The B I B L E--yes, that's the Book for me ----"  Even though I have not been a little child for many years, I still like to sing, "The B I B L E"!  God's Holy Word is such a blessed lamp for our feet and light for our path, whether we are young or old.

There are some very interesting paradoxes in God's Word that, on the surface, might seem rather absurd or self-contradictory.  Let's look at some!  In Proverbs 11:24, we read:  "There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty."  So we see the paradoxical message of this verse is, "To get, we must give."

Let's look at some others:
     1.  To really live, we must die.  Galatians 2:20 says:  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me."

     2.  To save one's life, we must lose it.  "Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it."  Luke 17:33

     3.  To be wise, we must become fools.  "If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise."  (What an interesting verse found in I Corinthians 3:18).

     4.  To reign, we must serve.  "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things."  Matthew 25:21

     5.  To be exalted, we must become humble.  "And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted."  (So we see that the way up is down)!  Matthew 23:12
     6.  To be first, we must be last.  "So the last shall be first, and the first last."  Matthew 20:16

"Thank you, Heavenly Father, for your Holy Book --- 'The B - I - B - L - E'!  May we be careful to hide it in our heart that we might not sin against Thee!" 

My Hand in His!

Jesus said in the 10th chapter of John -- "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.  My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand.  I and My Father are one."  This beautiful scripture reminds me of this poem by an unknown author.

     "The day had gone:  Alone and weak,
I groped my way within a bleak and sunless land.
      The path that led into the light, I could not find ---
In that dark night, God took my hand.

      He led me that I might not stray,
And brought me by a new safe way I had not known.
      By waters still, through pastures green,
I followed Him.

      The path was clean of brier and stone.
The darkness lost its strength;
      My waiting eyes beheld at length
The streaking dawn.

      On!  Safely on!
Through sunrise glow, I walked --
      My hand in His!  And, lo --
The night had gone!"

Praise the Lord!  It makes me think of this wonderful song by Charles Jones:

     "I will make the darkness light before thee;
I will make the crooked straight before thee;
      I will spread My wings protecting o'er thee;
And the high place I'll bring down.

      When thou walkest by the way, I'll lead thee;
On the fatness of the land, I'll feed thee;
      And a mansion in the sky I'll deed thee;
And the high place I'll bring down."

HUMILITY!

It is a beautiful Monday morning, and my heart is filled with praise to our wonderful Lord!!
In our mid-week Prayer and Praise service on Wednesday evenings, our pastor has been giving a devotional on different character traits.  Last week, the character trait was "Humility,"   This illustration that he gave spoke to my heart,  and I asked him if I could share it on my Blog.

     "In 1784, Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter to the son of Cotton Mather, sharing an incident he had with his father when he was 18 years old.  He writes,

          He received me in his library, and, on my taking leave, showed me a shorter way out of the
          house through a narrow passage, which was crossed by a beam overhead.  We were still   
          talking as I withdrew, he accompanying me behind, and I turning partly towards him, when
          he said hastily, 'Stoop, Stoop!'  I did not understand him till I felt my head hit against the
          beam.  He was a man that never missed an occasion of giving instruction, and upon this he
          said to me, 'You are young, and have the world before you: STOOP as you go through it,
          and you may miss many hard thumps.'

Franklin then adds --
      This advice, thus beat into my head, has frequently been of use to me; and I often think of it, when I see pride mortified, and misfortunes brought upon people, by their carrying their heads too high." 

Let us remember the solemn warning in Proverbs 16:18 -- "Pride goeth before destruction, and an
haughty spirit before a fall."
And let us embrace the sweet command in Micah 6:8 -- ". . . .and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God."

The Cottonwood Tree

I recently read a little story by Cleta Jeffries.  I thought it was a great illustration of our need for deliverance from inbred sin, and wanted to share some of it as we look to the coming Lord's Day.

     "The old cottonwood tree had stood for many years, weathering storms,  but one early snow, before the leaves were gone, had broken many branches.  I remember hearing the crack of limbs popping and falling with a whoosh of accumulated snow.  Many were still partially attached, but fatally damaged.  Little by little more branches died.  Disease set in, and we were afraid that a strong wind might cause it to fall against our house.

      Our son decided he would tackle the job of cutting down the old tree.  Eventually the job got finished, and we were left with a stump.  We hired a person with stump removal equipment to take out the stump.  We supposed that would be the end of it, but to our consternation, toadstools or mushroom-like growths began regularly appearing.  We would mow them, and still they came back.  We would pick them off by hand, slimy as they were, and still they came back.  I thought of how like the roots of the old carnal nature it is.  Everything visible is gone, but still those old roots keep producing and being a regular nuisance --- and ugly beside!  Nothing we can do seems to completely destroy those old roots activity.

      I'm so glad our loving Heavenly Father has a remedy for the ugly old roots of the sin nature that Adam passed down to us.  Unlike the old cottonwood tree, we can be done with it once and forever, if we pay His price -- a complete surrender of our will to Him."

Praise the Lord!  It is still for us all today!  I'm so thankful I have found these blessed words of the songwriter to be true in my own life:
          "Nothing sweeter can be known than full surrender,
     To the perfect will of God eternally.
            Like a bird that's found its nest,
      So my soul has found its rest -- in the center of the will of God."

"In A Small Place"

 I like this poem by Annie Johnson Flint:

     "Fret not because thy place is small --
Thy service need not be,
      For thou canst make it all there is
Of joy and ministry.

      The dewdrop, as the boundless sea,
In God's great plan has part --
      And this is all He asks of thee
Be faithful where thou art.

      In thee His mighty hand can show
The wonders of His grace.
      And He can make the humblest room
A high and holy place.

      Thy life can know the blessedness
Of resting in His will;
      His fullness flows unceasingly
Thy cup of need to fill.

      His strength upon thy weakness waits,
His power for thy task.
      What more, O child of all His care,
Could any great one ask?"

      So let us say with the songwriter---
"I'll go where You want me to go, dear Lord --
      I'll say what You want me to say --
            I'll be what You want me to be!"

God Provides!

I think I should begin by thanking the Lord for the sweet wife He provided for my grandson, Ashton, and today is their 2nd wedding anniversary!!  Best Wishes for a lovely day!!

In the 34th Psalm, we read these wonderful words:  "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.  O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.  O fear the Lord, ye His saints: for there is no want to them that fear Him."

What gracious promises for the first day of a new month and the beginning of a new week!  We are protected!  We are blessed!  We are satisfied!  Praise the Lord!!  We have so much at our disposal as children of the King!!  Listen to these wonderful words from the 7th chapter of Matthew:

     "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for everyone that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.  Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a serpent?  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?  The Apostle Paul told the Philippian church -- "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

As we walk with Jesus this week, let us thank Him for His wonderful promises of provision  -- and maybe we would like to carry with us this sweet promise from the Psalms:
                           "They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing."