Month: September 2024
It Is Well
“When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!
And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.”
Horatio Gates Spafford was an American lawyer and Presbyterian church elder. He is best known for penning the Christian hymn “It Is Well With My Soul” following the Great Chicago Fire and the deaths of his four daughters on a transatlantic voyage aboard the S.S. Ville du Havre.
Parable of a Lost Sheep
Once a shepherd had a flock of 100 sheep. Shepherds love their sheep. Sometimes they even have names for the sheep. A shepherd leads his sheep to nutritious green grass to eat. He looks for nice clean water so his sheep can have a drink when they are thirsty.
A shepherd watches after every sheep and takes care of them. Sometimes dangerous animals like bears and lions would come and try to hurt his sheep. The shepherd protects the sheep and chases all the dangerous animals away from them.
At other times the sheep would wander away from the rest of the sheep and the shepherd had to call out the sheep’s name. When the sheep heard the shepherd’s voice he would run back to the shepherd.
The shepherd loved every one of his sheep. He even had names for his sheep. Every night he would count his sheep to make sure that all 100 were there.
Jesus continued talking about the shepherd in the parable. One day the shepherd counted his sheep and found that there were only 99 sheep instead of 100. The shepherd was so worried. One of the sheep must be lost.
Even though 99 of the sheep were safe the shepherd was so concerned about the 1 sheep that was lost. Immediately, he left the other sheep in a safe place and set off looking for the lost sheep.
The shepherd searched everywhere. What if the sheep were hurt? What if some wild animals had attacked it?
Finally, he found the lost sheep! The shepherd was so relieved and happy.
The shepherd lifted the sheep up onto his shoulders and carried him all the way back to join the rest of the flock.
Every sheep is important to the shepherd. Even if only one is lost he will search everywhere to find it.
In the same way, people are important to God. He does not want anyone to be lost either. Every person is important to God.
Do you believe that people are important to God? If we know that someone is missing, what do you think we should do?
Scripture Reference: Matthew 18:10-14 and Luke 15:1-7
Ecclesiastes 5:18-20
The Message
18-20 After looking at the way things are on this earth, here’s what I’ve decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life. And that’s about it. That’s the human lot. Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what’s given and delighting in the work. It’s God’s gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now. It’s useless to brood over how long we might live.
Announcements from the Angelic Host
Essay By Dan
It has been my observation that angels are remarkable creatures, God created a wonderful group of beings that quietly move with power and grace behind the spotlight. I read a while back in a Billy Graham book they could be called God’s Secret Agents, not seeking to draw attention to themselves, but to do God’s bidding. One of the reasons I think we may not be personally aware of angels in our life is because they are able to do their job without a revelation to us. The Bible cites a limited number of instances when God has given us a glimpse of these beings at work.
The Bible does not precisely say how many angels exist. It was a “multitude” of the heavenly host that told the shepherds of Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:13). Daniel 7:10 tells us — Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. (NIV). That would suggest there are at least one hundred million angels—I suspect the host of angels is a force too vast to imagine. Perhaps that is why Job 25:3 asks — Can His forces be numbered? (NIV).
I wonder sometimes why Scripture does not provide a precise description of how angels look. We do have some verbal imagery; therefore, we know they can appear in different forms. Occasionally angels appear as ordinary humans; we are told it is possible to interact with angels without knowing. Hebrews 13:2 tells us — Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it (NIV).
Even though angels can be overwhelming in appearance, we should not worship angels. John tells us in Revelations 19:9-10 — the angel said … ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ And he added, ‘These are the true words of God.’ At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! It is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus’ (NIV).
A second time in Revelation 22:8–9 John tells us — when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. Then he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God’ (NIV). The angel would not accept John’s worship.
It seems prudent to mention Lucifer. I am not interested in promoting his role, I shall not magnify his feral rebellion. But it is necessary to mention him because we may encounter an angel with a message at some point in our Walk with God. We know there are holy angels and unholy ones (fallen angels or demons). If an awe-inspiring angelic being were to appear to us right now, we would be inclined to believe just about anything he said—it is hard to not be awestruck by something so powerful.
What do we do? Scripture tells us to assess any so-called angel’s message (or a teaching from any source) with what we find in God’s Word. “But even if we, or an angel from Heaven, preach any other teaching to you than what we have preached to you, let him be cursed” (Galatians 1:8 paraphrased). Simple? Ya. But we need to guard our hearts. We need to keep our wits about us. Test first. Evaluate any message that appears to be from a heavenly source before you commit. Align the message you are hearing with scripture. If it does not align with scripture, then discard the message. The Word of God does not lie, it is absolute truth. Trust the Logos. Trust the Word of God over all other messages.
I choose Jesus.
1 John
Hovering over the Waters
Essay By Dan
It has been my observation while Walking with God that the more you learn about the Holy Spirit the easier it is to hear his voice, feel his nudge, and recognize when he is influencing or pressing to influence a decision you are making. When did the Holy Spirit first appear? In the second verse of Genesis, we read — In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters (Genesis 1:2). Before anything was created, the Spirit was present, hovering, observing, and pondering on us. Us!
After the escape from Egypt, the Hebrews wandered about the desert for 40 years. They could have made the journey in about 11 days. But they were a stubborn lot and God kept them wandering to bring them under control. Noting the struggles of Moses, God took steps to reduce his workload.
In Numbers we read — The LORD said to Moses, gather for Me seventy men whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them. I will take the Spirit that is on you and put it on them; they will share the burden of the people; you will not be alone (Numbers 11:16-17 paraphrased). This action really helped Moses govern the Hebrews. Notice the presence of the Holy Spirit.
There are other places that provide a clear signal that the Holy Spirit was on the job. For example, King David was very personable; he was charming, open, and appreciated by his people in his early years. David tells us — The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; His word was on my tongue (2 Samuel 23:2). Once again, we see decisive guidance by the Holy Spirit provided to people who had faith. David learned to be responsive to the nudge of the Holy Spirit.
Yet there were problems. David struggled with desire. Uriah was one of the mighty men who surrounded and protected David from trouble in the early years (2 Samuel 23:39). Uriah had a strikingly beautiful wife. David, overcome by foolishness, had Uriah killed to take Bathsheba for himself. Not a good plan. David repented. Elohim forgave David. But his failure to listen led to consequences.
After Bathsheba, things went south for David (see 2 Samuel chapter 13-24). Bathsheba’s first born died seven days after birth. (2 Samuel 12:15–23). Nathan said — The sword shall never depart from your house (2 Samuel 12:10). David found his kingdom constantly in trouble and shredded by two civil wars. Nathan said — I [the Lord] will raise up evil against you out of your own house (2 Samuel 12:11–12). David’s sons Amnon and Absalom were very violent, life was cheap in those days. Yet, Bathsheba, David, and Solomon were specified in the DNA lineage defined for Jesus (see Matthew 1:6). That is Forgiveness!
God was not done with us. Isaiah wrote — A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from His roots a branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him — the Spirit of wisdom, of understanding, counsel and might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD (Isaiah 11:1-2 paraphrased).
This message makes it clear the Holy Spirit knew about the new covenant, even as he hovered above the waters in Genesis 1:2 (God’s foreknowledge). Jesus, in the bloodline of David and Bathsheba, was to be the one true living King, the Messiah. Jesus exuded the wisdom, power, clarity, and knowledge of God.
Learning to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice was an issue for Moses, David, and Isaiah. They all figured it out. They all found a way to differentiate between the Holy Spirit and their internal self-talk. You will figure it out too. Knowing the voice of God is part of how we are designed. Start now, listening, evaluating the message with scripture. Grow close to the nudge and voice. He will talk to you. He will. Be still and listen.
I choose Jesus.
Shalom Talk 