Not one word has failed from God

1st Kings 8:56 Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant.

As Solomon is closing his dedication to the Temple that was just built, we see what he tells Israel. Not one word has failed from God of all his good promises. How encouraging for Israel to hear as they just got a chance to see the glory of God fill the temple as well as an awesome prayer by their king. Solomon never mentioned anything about his duty to the people but the relationship betweeen God and His people. The prioirty and true relationship.

I have some wonderful opportunities to share with people that God’s word never fails. But it goes on further God never fails. What he promises will never fail. He is faithful even when we are faithless. He will never leave us or forsake us. He will not strike us dead out of the blue because he feels like it. He does not stop loving us, even when we are rebellious. It is most likely us who are the ones who run away from his love and think his word has failed us in times of need. But it does not. Solomon said from what was spoken from the mouth of Moses which was regarding what he was going to do with the nation of Israel. We have the promise of Christ.

I do not know how your day or week or maybe even month has been but can always count on Scripture being true. People may let us down but God’s Word to us never fails.

AMEN-

PJ

The Cloud that filled the House of the Lord

1 Kings 8:10-11~ And when the priests came out of the Holy Place a cloud filled the house of the Lord, so the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.

The presence of the Lord came in as a cloud. This could remind us when the tabernacle was dedicated (Ex. 40:34,35- See also Leviticus 9:23). Both times (Other places in scripture as well) the glory of the Lord was visible in a place of appearance. God was revealing His righteousness, truth, wisdom, and grace. What is interesting is that the priests came to bring the Ark of the Lord into the temple. After they put the Ark in the inner sanctuary of the house of the Lord we see the cloud came and it filled the house so the priest could not stand or even minister.

When it is the glory of the Lord we have to see that we are not worthy to stand and even though the priest had to be clean and sanctify themselves for this act, it does not matter we cannot stand in the presence of the Lord. Not only stand but lowering ourselves in praise and worship and doing nothing of ministering because the Lord was there.

Toay even though we may not have a cloud of God’s glory we are able to be in his presence because of what Christ did for us. It is easy to ignore the glory and be so involved in the work and ministering to one another that we forget the glory and just to stop or even stand. It is important that we do the ministering but sometimes that overshadows the true importance, the glory of the Lord.

Lord, may we never become ignorant of your glroy and may we be able to just stop and not minister when it comes to you. You are worthy to show yourself to others with or without us. May we not be focused so much on duty but more on desiring you so we can see your righteousness, holiness, truth, wisdom, and grace- Spread through the nations.

Truth

PJ

Newness!

Ezek 36:26~ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

I love fall! I like the feeling of the warm summer is leaving and there will be beautiful bearable days ahead. I love the cool nights so you can take a nice stroll around the neighborhood. It is almost a peaceful feeling of the weather. The coolness is approaching and the heat is passing away. I would rather have it cool than hot anyways.

When fall hits and how it feels like this newness of a season how can I not forget what God has done for me.

In Ezekiel, we see what God spoke to Ezekiel to prophesy about the nation Israel. He told them that he was going to act upon his Holy Name and gather Israel from all the nations and it shall show the surrounding nations who is God. He will give them a new heart and take their heart of stone away. In 2nd Corinthians 5:17 we see that is what Jesus did on the cross for everyone. The old has gone and the new has come. There is freshness in salvation, the heat passes away. There is newness in Christ.

May you never forget that you have a new heart, the old life has gone. Don’t forget the freshness that came from the saving knowledge of the gospel that heard for the 1st time.

Lord, I pray that we all are refreshed in your Son, may we see the newness and peace that comes from Jesus. Amen-

PJ

God’s glorious Wrath

Revelation 6:15–17~ then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselvesin the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on teh throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?

As we just got done teaching Revelation 6 on Sunday and the seal have been opened an we see God’s judgment on the earth.

This last section of Ch. 6 we see that all the powerful rulers of the earth and rich and even the poor during the tribulation (more towards the end) will want to be hidden from the wrath of God. It was Adam and Eve who hid themselves from God when they were in paradise and sinned. It was Elijah who ran away and hid in the cave for his life because of the evil queen Jezebel. It was Peter after he denied Christ who hid in shame.

Sin makes us hide from the wrath of God. Because of sin we know what the penalty is death (Romans 6:23). Those in the world may reject God’s Son and because of that they will see his wrath. For those who have the son we have a different type of fear, but not a dead fear. It is an awe inspiring fear of wanting to please our Father. Because of Christ we can stand before the Father (Hebrews 10:19).

May we desire God’s justice as well has His mercy and grace. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

PJ

The Wave of Trials

James 1:2–4~ Count it all joy my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that your testing of your faith produces steadfastness, And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing.

Have you ever had a test or trial and doesn’t seem that it is not just one it comes in waves? When they come you can feel out of control and not to know what do to. James tells us that we are to count it as joy. Paul wrote the book of Philippians and throughout those pages are words of joy and rejoice yet he was in chains and in prison. It is weird to say but when you lack everything and lean on the Lord through the trial you see God in it all.

1st Peter 1:7~ These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold.

The goldsmith heats up the gold to become liquid. As it becomes liquid the impurities rise to the surface. The goldsmith must remove these partivles so the gold can be pure. The goldsmith will not just do it once but he will pass it through the fire multiple times. And when he could see his reflection in the liquid gold, it becomes ready.

May God see his reflection in us as we face these trials and we stand confident that we serve an awesome God that will take care of these trials no matter how unpleasant and painful they are we know we grow closer to our KING.

“The wounds of God are sweeter than the kisses of sin”

PJ

If You Could Have One Wish What Would It Be?

And the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and god said, “Ask what I shall give you.” And Solomon said, …”Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people (1 Kings 3:5 and 9.”

If the Lord appeared to you and asked, “What shall I give you?” What would your response be? How long would it take you to answer? This would honestly be a hard question to answer. Think about it, our God and Creator over everything asks what would you lkke and I will give it to you and the Bible says he is faithful what would it be? You can think about all the endless possibilities that you could do, all the financial hardships that would end, yours and the people that you may be thinking about. You can think how life can be easier or whatever your mind may think of but what would it be?

After reading what Solomon did, he pointed everything to God and just asked that he would be a king that would govern God’s people God’s way. I am amazed that there was not a selfish motive but that he would just do a great job at the position that he was placed into. If you asked God that you could be the best example and discern what is right for his people think about what an amazing opportunity. In fact that opportunity has been given to us by Christ dying on the cross for us and we have a chance to be this example. Instead of wondering what “I” could get out of God’s will, the question should be, “What can I do and how can I be used? May we not neglect the opportunty that has been handed to us by the grace of God.

PJ