“WHO IS THE LORD?”

 Proverbs 30:7-9                     (ESV)

    “[7] Two things I ask of YOU;

        deny them not to me before I die: 

    [8] Remove far from me falsehood and lying;

        give me neither poverty nor riches;

        feed me with the food that is needful for me, 

    [9] lest I be full and deny YOU

        and say, “WHO IS THE LORD?”

    or lest I be poor and steal

        and profane the name of my GOD.”

Solomon was the WISEST man alive, not by his own actions, but by the direction of his CREATOR (1 Kings 4:29-30).  According to most, he made some decisions that were not an example of Godly Wisdom, but his earthly smarts.  These verses, however, made a statement that Solomon understood that it is ALMIGHTY GOD WHO is over EVERYTHING, and HE leads us where HIS PLAN calls!  

Since Solomon was known to be a man that sometimes listened to “the dark side” of his intellect, he knew that reaping the rewards for his actions was a certainty.  That regrettably didn’t mean that his decisions were always the wisest, even though GOD had placed HIS wisdom inside of him for Solomon’s benefit and GODS Glory!

Does this make any sense for Solomon to reject Godly Wisdom and accept his choices?  He had Godly Wisdom, but occasionally he CHOSE to listen to his earthly desires rather than LISTEN to the Godly Wisdom that GOD had BLESSED him with at times?  

Do I sometimes do THE SAME THING?  We have THE WORD OF GOD, a testament of HIS instruction manual, and yet I get so “busy” in the things of “this world” that I listen the cares of my surroundings rather than slowing down and listening for DIVINE INSTRUCTION!!!  This lowly servant needs to be FOREVER making sure that I am asking “WHO IS THE LORD” when I am being presented with options for the choices for my future!  James 4:7 says “Submit yourselves therefore to GOD. RESIST the devil, and he will FLEE from you”.  Proverbs 28:26 “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a FOOL, but he who walks in WISDOM will be delivered”.  “WHO IS THE LORD” will be very clear when we submit to HIM!!!

“FAR MORE ABUNDANTLY!”

 Ephesians 3:20-21        (ESV)

“Now to HIM WHO is able to do FAR MORE ABUNDANTLY than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to HIM be glory in the church and in CHRIST JESUS throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

“WRETCHED MAN THAT I AM!”

 Romans 7:24-25                             (ESV)

“[24] “WRETCHED MAN THAT I AM”! Who will deliver me from this body of death? [25] Thanks be to GOD through JESUS CHRIST our LORD! So then, I myself serve the law of GOD with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”

This letter (book of Romans) was written by Paul to “all those in Rome who are loved by GOD and CALLED be saints” (Romans 1:7)!  In the 2,000 years since, “the enemy” has not been weakened, nor has he given up any of his tricks to deceive!  “WRETCHED MAN THAT I AM” that I allow myself to to be overtaken by the schemes of the evil one and cause pain and discontent in my life?  

Paul was a stalwart of Believers.  My level of commitment may never match his, but I am TREMENDOUSLY further along than I used to be!  FATHER IN HEAVEN, cause this “WRETCHED MAN THAT I AM” to SEE the traps of “the enemy” and focus on serving YOU!!!

“THE CLOUD AND THE DARKNESS!”

 Exodus 14:19-20                          (ESV)

“[19] Then the ANGEL of GOD WHO was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the Pillar of Cloud MOVED FROM BEFORE THEM and STOOD BEHIND THEM, [20] coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was “THE CLOUD AND THE DARKNESS”. And it LIT UP THE NIGHT without one coming near the other all night.”

The Children of Israel were CHOSEN by ALMIGHTY GOD to demonstrate HIS MIRACULOUS work to and through them!  But their “lack of FAITH” was always displaying itself in demonstrative ways when they needed show it most!  One might expect them to be prepared for an upcoming “trial”, but they were seemingly always caught off guard, not expecting “the enemy” to show up when he did!

In the passage of Scripture above, “the enemy” (the darkness) was rendered harmless by THE CLOUD (GOD) “without one coming near the other all night.”  THE DARKNESS create FEAR just by the sight of its presence, BUT JESUS is the LIGHT (John 8:12) of the world and FEAR has to flee when HE is present!  The Children of Israel had a choice between looking at “THE CLOUD AND THE DARKNESS”!  

We too have the option of looking at the DARK TRIALS of “the enemy” or looking at the LIGHT OF THE WORLD!  The option seems rather simple and certain when you don’t have THE DARKNESS around you.  But when THE CLOUD (GOD) abides in us we SEE DARKNESS, then FEAR has to flee!  

“GOD CHOSE YOU!”

 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15                  (ESV)

Stand Firm

“[13] But we ought always to give thanks to GOD for you, brothers beloved by the LORD, because “GOD CHOSE YOU” as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the SPIRIT and Belief in the TRUTH. [14] To this HE CALLED YOU our gospel, so that you may obtain the Glory of our LORD JESUS CHRIST. [15] So then, brothers, STAND FIRM and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.”

The following statement was written by someone who is “educated”, as the prefix before the author’s name was “Dr.”.  

“If this year were your last, would you spend the next hour mindlessly checking your social media, or would you read something that uplifts you instead? Would you compose a snarky comment on this article, or use the time to call a friend to see how she is doing?”

Having your EYES OPENED to SEE what lies in the future is a humbling, yet exhilarating thing!  KNOWING that I am one of the CHOSEN by the CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSES to worship and adore HIM for eternity gives me PEACE that is indescribable.  

The church at Thessalonica was who the Apostle Paul was writing to, but as Believers we benefit from his messages written in the first century following the sacrificial, atoning death, burial and resurrection of JESUS.  “But we ought always to give thanks to GOD for you, brothers beloved by the LORD, because “GOD CHOSE YOU” as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the SPIRIT and Belief in the TRUTH. To this HE CALLED YOU our gospel, so that you may obtain the Glory of our LORD JESUS CHRIST” cannot be improved upon, in my humble opinion!  “GOD CHOSE YOU” is the ONLY thing that sets me apart from the rest of Creation!  

We need to take the time to LISTEN to OUR CREATOR and let HIM give us guidance and direction for our lives!  Trying to figure out what we need to accomplish in “this world” is as futile as anything I can imagine.  The Apostle’s all left “this world” not owning much!  But they all left KNOWING “GOD CHOSE YOU” and that was enough!  What will you do with the knowledge that “GOD CHOSE YOU”???

“LISTENS!”

 1 John 4:4-6.                     (ESV)

“[4] Little children, you are from GOD and have overcome them, for HE WHO is in you is GREATER than he who is in the world. [5] They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. [6] We are from GOD. Whoever knows GOD “LISTENS” to us; whoever is not from GOD does not listen to us. By this we know the SPIRIT of TRUTH and the spirit of error.”

Recently I saw the following post on a social media site, “This goes out to all the people who had report cards growing up that read “talks too much”!  My thoughts immediately went back to before the Brain Hemorrhage, when my personality was quite different!  Hearing oftentimes that “You can’t learn anything with your mouth open” never sunk in to my “extremely confident”personality.  But ALMIGHTY GOD can change even the strongest of personalities, and we don’t have to give our consent to the change!!

The SPIRIT of TRUTH IS ABLE to change the hardest of hearts into a vessel that can be used for HIS GLORY!  Previously I was “extremely busy”, trying to be whatever I felt at the time I was being led to accomplish?  The concept of LISTENING hardly entered my thought process as I was TOO BUSY doing things, and not always for the Kingdom!  For me at the time, just remaining in the whirlwind of activity I was operating in was sufficient.  Apparently what it was accomplishing wasn’t that important as long as I was doing something???

Only recently have I discerned that he who “LISTENS” to the SPIRIT of TRUTH is in the quiet stillness of their prayer time is the one who is doing a worthwhile thing!  The one who takes time and “LISTENS” to the SPIRIT of TRUTH is the person that can HEAR the direction that they are being led.  

The word “LISTENS” is used above about those who “know GOD”!  Those who DO NOT know GOD cannot understand TRUTH!  1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us “The natural person DOES NOT accept the things of the SPIRIT of GOD, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are SPIRITUALLY discerned”!  A person CANNOT “LISTEN” to GOD unless he is CHOSEN!  Count your BLESSINGS if you are able to “LISTEN” to the CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSES!!!

“A HELPER FIT FOR HIM!”

 Genesis 2:18-25                           (ESV)

“[18] Then the LORD GOD said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him “A HELPER FIT FOR HIM”.” [19] Now out of the ground the LORD GOD had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. [20] The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found “A HELPER FIT FOR HIM”. [21] So the LORD GOD caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. [22] And the rib that the LORD GOD had taken from the man HE made into a woman and brought her to the man. [23] Then the man said, 

    “This at last is bone of my bones

        and flesh of my flesh;

    she shall be called Woman,

        because she was taken out of Man.”

    [24] Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. [25] And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.”

Briefly today, Scripture says that the LORD GOD made man, then GOD made “A HELPER FIT FOR HIM” and identity was named Woman!  Twice in the seven verses of Scripture above “A HELPER FIT FOR HIM” is used to identify the helper GOD made SPECIFICALLY for Adam!  How did GOD know what Adam needed?  HE is GOD ALMIGHTY, HE KNOWS EVERYTHING!!!

How did GOD “know” precisely what “Big Ray”

would need before HE placed “A HELPER FIT FOR HIM” in his life!  HE IS GOD ALMIGHTY, HE KNOWS EVERYTHING!!!  So if there is a weakness in my wife, I should step in and realize that “A HELPER FIT FOR HIM” has been ordained by the LORD GOD to complete me and me to complete her!  There is NO IMPROVING what GOD ordains and I need to understand that and eternally THANK HIM that HE CHOSE her to complete me!!!