Tag: choice

A Song of Ascent, Psalm 127

Psalm 127 by toniryp.com

The Bible tells us the children of Israel journeyed as families and ascended three times a year up to Jerusalem to gather for a week to celebrate the Feast of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.

They would sing the Songs of Ascents beginning from Psalm 120 through Psalm 134.

The songs lift the eyes of the heart to the LORD and God’s Word gives understanding to the soul, step by step, of the heavenly Father’s love toward His people.

The message was sent from God to everyone—the whole earth, every tongue, nation, tribe. What does God tell us?

“What about Psalm 127?” You ask.

“Unless the Lord builds the house,
    those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
    the watchman stays awake in vain.
 It is in vain that you rise up early
    and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
    for he gives to his beloved sleep Psalm 127:1,2.

“Let Me lead.” The Lord says basically, “Don’t fret about yesterday, don’t worry about tomorrow, let Me in. I make all things new.

Step by step I’ll direct your steps. I’m not saying, sit and let Me move, I’m saying ‘follow Me,’ I’ll show you the way.”

Opposite to our natural need to remain in control, God speaks and reveals:

“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
    the fruit of the womb a reward.
 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
    are the children of one’s youth.
 Blessed is the man
    who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
    when he speaks with his enemies in the gate” Psalm 127:3-5.

God’s ways are not like ours. Children are a lot of work, but God reminds us they are our heritage, our reward, our greatest blessing.

We want to make plans without hassle and difficulty, yet the Lord knows the “man is blessed whose quiver is full of children!”

We don’t want to have to trust God. We want to trust in ourselves. We want to “build our own house,” so to speak.

God says,
 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts” Isaiah 55:9.

God speaks to tell us His love, power, help, and hope. He didn’t leave us here as orphans to figure everything out on our own.

He allows everyone to make the choice to believe Him or not. Oh, yes. His ways are l-o-n-g . . . s-u-f-f-e-r-i-n-g. and gentle.

It’s like the ark of God with its door open wide, (there was only one door). (Yet only a family of eight walked in?) Amazing grace . . .

According to the Genesis account, everyone else stayed outside the door . . . and laughed.

To follow God will be the hardest decision of our lives. But the most rewarding.

The open Word is as a door to the soul when the Spirit of God is given entrance to move by faith. God calls:

“Today, if you will hear My voice, do not harden your hearts . . . “

To believe God is as . . . to walk through the Door.

Jesus, Himself said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out 

and find pasture” John 10:9.

“Yes, today. I want to “go in and out and find pasture.”

Today, I will follow Jesus. Not with one foot in and one foot out. I will enter the door. I’m in.

And you?

 “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out 

and find pasture.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. 

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. 

The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” John 10:9-11.

(Start your year and read the Book of John as if you join Jesus on each page. Decide for yourself. God gives no mandates, only grace for those who choose to believe.)

 

The Gift Giver

Notice, freedom to choose.

Given by God.

God gives, God gave.

 

Freedom to hate.

Choice has been given to man from God.

He’s the Creator above.

He’s the Author of life.

Choice was given, because God loves.

It’s so sad to see what we do to God.

Blame Him,

The Author of life. An eye for design, has gained pleasure with color,sound, shape, and line.
But His greatest joy, I believe I have learned, is when we choose to believe, receive and love Him back in return.
Then a song develops deep in our heart, and abiding in Him, strengthened by Him, joy returns with each day’s new start.
He’s a gift giver, our Father in heaven, reaches out His great hand. He sees, He knows, He is able … and He waits … ’till we reach out to Him.
If we don’t, we won’t see – that our Father in heaven sent Jesus to save us and the Holy Spirit of promise to keep, comfort, and help us.
The gift of God is gloriously expressed in heavenly sunsets, and sunrises. He is the Master Artist, the Author of life, and patient as He waits … for us to call Him beside us.
He’s the Creator of all that we see. He is Great. He is God. And we all have a choice. To live in the Spirit in fellowship with Him, or walk away from Him and follow the lead of our own voice.
Freedom to choose. God, the greatest gift giver.  Freedom to love. When we choose Jesus, we bring God complete pleasure.
Revelation 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
John 1:12,  Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

Guilty. But, Jesus

Adultery? Are we all guilty? We, believers in God through the Son He has sent- we are the  Bride of Christ. We are the Church. If Jesus is the Bridegroom, then aren’t we guilty of adultery as well, putting so much attention on stuff in this world and not giving attention to the wedding at hand?
So, the story is told in the Book of John, chapter 8,  that God has come into the temple, And He, Jesus in fact,  begins to write in the dirt: “This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.  John 8:6. Two thousand years before, it was the finger of God who wrote on stone tablets, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14.
The Religious Leaders came as policemen asking  about the punishment this woman, caught in adultery, should receive.  Jesus spoke: “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”
One by one, they slipped away, beginning with the oldest even to the last. (Yes, this is how it is written in John 8 verse 9). ‘And Jesus was left alone – with the woman standing in the midst. “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
This is the voice of the Lord.  And she answered, “No one, Lord.”
“Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” (These are the words of Jesus, no pointing of the finger in John chapter 8 verse 11.)
Do you think the woman lifted her head to look in His eyes?  Jesus comes today to forgive our sin.
Am I willing to hear Him and lift up my head? Am I willing to receive his forgiveness and go – and walk in the light? No more hiding in the night.
If Jesus is the Bridegroom, and we are the Bride if Christ, shall we go now giving attention to the wedding at hand?
“The marriage feast of the Lamb ” (Revelation 19:6) is coming! Is the Bride making herself ready? Our Bridegroom, Jesus – does He have first place in our heart?

 We’ve all failed to be faithful! We’ve all missed the mark. What are we to do? We must hear the voice of our Lord:

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord requires of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)
Are our ears open to hear His gentle and compassionate voice: “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
I pray for myself, I pray for you, that we lift up our chins and make this very choice.

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
    the Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and exult
    and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
    and his Bride has made herself ready;
8 it was granted her to clothe herself
    with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

9 And the angel said  to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” This is in the Book of Revelation, the Revelation of Jesus Christ. The Story is written, the invitations are going out! Revelation 19 reminds us: Let us be glad and rejoice, for the marriage supper of the Lamb has come.
Let us be a Bride that makes herself ready! Yes, no? We all have the choice.