“HEAR THIS!”

 Jeremiah 5:21                       (ESV)

    [21] “HEAR THIS”, O foolish and senseless people,

        who have eyes, but see not,

        who have ears, but hear not.”

When you have been to a place that few others have been, it gives you a “perspective” that others cannot easily comprehend.  You want them to see what you are able to SEE, but they won’t be able to grasp the reality unless they are where you have been!  Even though you try to make them understand, they cannot fathom what you are saying to them!

The verse of Scripture above says it very clearly that there are people “who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not.”  I cannot imagine not being able to see or hear?  But not being able to HEAR or SEE SPIRITUALLY has to be the most debilitating experiences in creation!  To not be able to communicate with our CREATOR is something that is unfathomable to me!  But there are those who EYES and EARS have never seen nor HEARD, and THAT is tragic!  

FATHER IN HEAVEN, I pray that those who are moving so fast that they can’t SEE or HEAR from YOU will have their EYES and EARS OPENED to experience YOUR GLORY!  Cause them to “HEAR THIS” MESSAGE from YOU and turn their lives over to YOUR PLAN!!!

“BE STILL!”

 Psalm 46:10                         (ESV)

    [10] “BE STILL”, and know that I am GOD.

        I will be exalted among the nations,

        I will be exalted in the earth!”

Today, as a dear friend is nearing the end of their earthly journey, I am led to simply “BE STILL”!!!

“PUT ME TO THE TEST!”

 Malachi 3:6-12                           (ESV)

Robbing GOD

“[6] “For I THE LORD DO NOT CHANGE; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. [7] From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from MY statutes and have not kept them. RETURN TO ME, AND I WILL RETURN TO YOU, says the LORD of HOSTS. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ [8] Will man rob GOD? YET YOU ARE ROBBING ME. But you say, ‘How have we robbed YOU?’ In your tithes and contributions. [9] You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing ME, the whole nation of you. [10] Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in MY house. And thereby “PUT ME TO THE TEST”, says the LORD of HOSTS, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. [11] I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of HOSTS. [12] Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of HOSTS.”

Since GOD is ALL KNOWING, HE “KNEW” that some of us were going to be “withholding” our tithes and offerings in an attempt to “pay our bills” or accumulate more wealth!  In the text above we are being told “PUT ME TO THE TEST”, in other words, LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT I CAN DO when you remove your interference and you ABSOLUTELY TRUST IN GOD above!

We tend to want to “figure” out things on our own, but GOD placed me in a seventeen day coma in 2007 so I COULDN’T “help” HIM!

When our EYES are OPENED and we understand that ALMIGHTY GOD has EVERYTHING under HIS CONTROL, then we are able to SEE the mighty and wondrous WORKS that ONLY HE CAN perform!  Our “help” isn’t required!  We just need to “PUT ME TO THE TEST” and watch HIM work!!!

“HEAR!”

 Deuteronomy 6:4-9                            (ESV)

“[4] “HEAR”, O ISRAEL: The LORD our GOD, the LORD is ONE. [5] You shall love the LORD your GOD with ALL YOUR HEART and with ALL YOUR SOUL and with ALL YOUR MIGHT. [6] And THESE WORDS that I command you today SHALL BE ON YOUR HEART. [7] You shall TEACH THEM DILIGENTLY to your children, and shall TALK OF THEM WHEN YOU SIT IN YOUR HOUSE, and WHEN YOU WALK BY THE WAY, and WHEN YOU LIE DOWN, and WHEN YOU RISE. [8] You shall BIND THEM AS A SING ON YOUR HAND, and they SHALL BE AS FRONTLETS BETWEEN YOUR EYES. [9] You SHALL WRITE THEM ON THE DOORPOSTS OF YOUR HOUSE AND ON YOUR GATES.”

………..and I think that spending a little bit of time most mornings in HIS WORD is a tremendous “sacrifice”?????

FATHER IN HEAVEN, forgive me for looking through the prism of “this world” and not looking through the Spiritual EYES YOU have given me!!!!

Cause me to “HEAR” from YOU, and NOT allow distractions and distortions interfere with YOUR VOICE!!!!

“OH THAT YOU WOULD BLESS ME!”

 1 Chronicles 4:9-10                    (ESV)

“[9] Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.”[10] Jabez called upon the GOD of Israel, saying, “OH THAT YOU WOULD BLESS ME” and enlarge my border, and that YOUR HAND might be with me, and that YOU would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And GOD GRANTED WHAT HE ASKED”.”

My self-centered mind is not focused on the THINGS OF CHRIST a lot of the time.  In the Scripture above, Jabez asked of GOD, “OH THAT YOU WOULD BLESS ME”, not with whatever might be placed in our minds, but that GOD would “enlarge my border, and that YOUR HAND might be with me, and that YOU would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!”

I am no doubt nearing the backside of my time on earth.  My prayer is “OH THAT YOU WOULD BLESS ME”, not so I can have “things”, but that YOUR NAME can be GLORIFIED to accomplish YOUR PLAN for my life!!!

“THERE ARE SOME OF YOU WHO DO NOT BELIEVE!”

 John 6:64-67                            (ESV)

“[64] But “THERE ARE SOME OF YOU WHO DO NOT BELIEVE.” (For JESUS knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray HIM.). [65] And HE said, “This is why I told you that NO ONE CAN COME TO ME unless it is granted him by the FATHER.”

[66] After this many of HIS disciples turned back and no longer walked with HIM. [67] So JESUS said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?””

There are those who DO NOT BELIEVE that JESUS IS GOD IN THE FLESH and HE CAME to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15), of whom I am the “foremost”!  The WORDS escape me, especially since the Brain Hemorrhage in 2007, but the Apostle Paul wrote in his first letter to Timothy that he was the worst of sinners, but JESUS left HIS THRONE in GLORY to redeem his soul, and this I can’t get over at times!

“THERE ARE SOME OF YOU WHO DO NOT BELIEVE” was spoken by JESUS, not by anyone else!  Our CREATOR said that some of us ones HE gives physical life to will reject HIM.  It isn’t as if they were oblivious, but they couldn’t SEE because their EYES were not OPENED!  

We need to understand that we are CHOSEN by GOD (Ephesians 1:4) before the foundation of the world, and THAT is the only way we can spend eternity with HIM!  We are no better than the rest of “this world”, but we are CHOSEN by HIM to praise HIM forever!  “THERE ARE SOME OF YOU WHO DO NOT BELIEVE” aren’t able to grasp any need for redemption, but WE CHOSEN have a HOPE that will NEVER PASS AWAY!!!

John 6:64-67

 John 6:64-67                            (ESV)

“[64] But there are SOME OF YOU WHO DO NOT BELIEVE.” (For JESUS knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray HIM.). [65] And HE said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to ME unless it is granted him by the FATHER.”

[66] After this many of HIS disciples turned back and no longer walked with HIM. [67] So JESUS said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?””