Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD my God, you are very great!
You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
covering yourself with light as with a garment,
stretching out the heavens like a tent.
He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;
he makes the clouds his chariot;
he rides on the wings of the wind;
he makes his messengers winds,
his ministers a flaming fire.

He set the earth on its foundations,
so that it should never be moved.
You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
At your rebuke they fled;
at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.
The mountains rose, the valleys sank down
to the place that you appointed for them.
You set a boundary that they may not pass,
so that they might not again cover the earth.

You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
they flow between the hills;
they give drink to every beast of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
they sing among the branches.
From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

You cause the grass to grow for the livestock
and plants for man to cultivate,
that he may bring forth food from the earth
and wine to gladden the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine
and bread to strengthen man’s heart.

The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
In them the birds build their nests;
the stork has her home in the fir trees.
The high mountains are for the wild goats;
the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.

He made the moon to mark the seasons;
the sun knows its time for setting.
You make darkness, and it is night,
when all the beasts of the forest creep about.
The young lions roar for their prey,
seeking their food from God.
When the sun rises, they steal away
and lie down in their dens.
Man goes out to his work
and to his labor until the evening.

O LORD, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Here is the sea, great and wide,
which teems with creatures innumerable,
living things both small and great.
There go the ships,
and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.

These all look to you,
to give them their food in due season.
When you give it to them, they gather it up;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
when you take away their breath, they die
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your Spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.

May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD rejoice in his works,
who looks on the earth and it trembles,
who touches the mountains and they smoke!
I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the LORD.
Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
and let the wicked be no more!
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
Praise the LORD!

Wonderful Song of Praise to our Amazing, Gracious God!

You never asked me to stretch out my arms
No one put nails in my hands
I’ll never feel the weight of the world
Or carry that cross on my back
Nothing I do could ever repay
All that You did on that day
You took my place up there on that tree
You paid the price so that I could be free
You died for me
Now living for You
Lord, that’s the least I can do

You never send me out on my own
You’re always leading the way
All that You ask for is a home in my heart
And only a small seed of faith
I know You gave me all that I have
So why wouldn’t I give it back

You didn’t have to walk down that road
You didn’t have to rescue my soul
Lay down Your life just for me
I should’ve been taking those steps
It should’ve been my last breath
But You just want me to believe

Made Popular by:  Scott Krippayne

“That was the grandest funeral
That ever pass’d on earth,
But no man heard the trampling,
Or saw the train go forth–
Noiselessly as the daylight
Comes back when night is done,
And the crimson streak on ocean’s cheek
Grows into the great sun.

Noiselessly as the springtime
Her crown of verdure weaves,
And all the trees on all the hills
Open their thousand leaves;
So, without sound of music,
Or voice of them that wept,
Silently down from the mountain’s crown
The great procession swept.

Perchance the bald old eagle,
On grey Beth-peor’s height;
Out of his lonely eyrie
Look’d on the wondrous sight;
Perchance the lion, stalking,
Still shuns that hallow’d spot,
For beast and bird have seen and heard
That which man knoweth not.

But when the warrior dieth,
His comrades in the war,
With arms reversed and muffled drum,
Follow the funeral car;
They show the banners taken,
They tell the battles one,
And after him lead his masterless steed,
While peals the minute gun.

Amid the noblest of the land
Men lay the sage to rest,
And give the bard an honor’d place,
With costly marble dress’d.
In the great minster transept,
Where lights like glories fall,
And the organ rings, and the sweet choir sings ,
Along the emblazon’d wall.

This (Moses) was the truest warrior
That ever buckled sword;
This the most gifted poet
That ever breathed a word;
And never earth’s philosopher
Traced with his golden pen
On the deathless page truths half so sage
As he wrote down for men.

And had he not high honour, –
The hillside for a pall,
To lie in state, while angels wait,
With stars for tapers tall.
And the dark rock pines, like tossing plumes,
Over his bier to wave,
And God’s own hand in that lonely land
To lay him in the grave.

O lonely grave in Moab’s land!
O dark Beth-peor’s hill!
Speak to these curious hearts of ours,
And teach them to be still:
God hath His mysteries of grace,
Ways that we cannot tell;
He hides them deep, like the hidden sleep
Of him He loved so well.”

–George Henderson in the Studies in the Book of Exodus pg. 33-35

I hope that you all would read this because it shows us that there are so many things in life we will never understand like God’s grace. Leave me comments as to what you think about the poem. God Bless!

“He who offered his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Aminadab, of the tribe of Judah.”

I find it very interesting that the person who offered the offering on the very first day is a direct descendant of Jesus Christ. According to Ruth 4 and Matthew 1, Nahshon was David’s great, great, great, grandfather. Nahshon was doing partially only what his descendant could complete. Nahson’s sacrifice only was a covering of sin; his descendant Christ’s sacrifice was perfect in cleansing sin. Very interesting indeed.

“The LORD passed before him (Moses) and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.’  And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshipped.”

God is so amazing!  He is awe-inspiring because of His holiness, His mercy, His faithfulness, His love, and just for who He is.  God does forgive sin, slow to anger, and is faithful to His people.  It is us who is unfaithful; we are the ones who violate the relationship we have with God.  God is not soft by being slow to anger; He is patient and if we keep on living in sin He will bring serious consequences to us and maybe to future generations.  Be humbled today for who God is and break from sin to cling to His almighty, loving hand.  We must also have today the same response that Moses had; worship.  Worship the Lord for He is truly worthy of all our lives, our time, our energy, our resources, our everything.  I love God so much; how about you?  Grow in Him today!

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:  Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.  Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.  Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon.  Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse,  and Jesse begot David the king. 

David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah [Bathsheba].  Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa.  Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah.  Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah.  Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah.  Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.  

And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel.  Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor.  Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud.  Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob.  And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ. 

So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.
Matthew 1:1-17 (NKJV)

I hope that this Christmas season we remember that we are celebrating God coming down to earth as a humble baby.  He came to seek and to save the lost.  I have quoted the passage above because I have been thinking a lot about the geneologies of Christ given to us in Scripture.  Also, I am doing a play, as a reader, on the five women mentioned in Christ’s family tree.  I am so moved by these women who are mentioned because despite their failures and faults God used them to demonstrate His marvelous power and grace.  He used them to be a part of a plan that would include salvation for the world through His son Jesus Christ.  Amazing that He would use disreputable people for His purposes.  I pray that each one of us will take the time to read the stories behind Tamar, Ruth, Rahab, Bathsheba, and Mary.  We need to marvel at God demonstrating His mercy to these women.  I hope that we all reflect and see the ways God wants to use us in His plan.  Marvel at the grace that is given to us; without it we would be utterly hopeless.

Have a safe, warm, and peaceful Christmas!  Worship the Christ!

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! 
For His mercy endures forever. 
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, 
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, 
And gathered out of the lands, 
From the east and from the west, 
From the north and from the south. 

They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; 
They found no city to dwell in. 
Hungry and thirsty, 
Their soul fainted in them. 
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, 
And He delivered them out of their distresses. 
And He led them forth by the right way, 
That they might go to a city for a dwelling place. 
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, 
And for His wonderful works to the children of men! 
For He satisfies the longing soul, 
And fills the hungry soul with goodness. 

Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, 
Bound in affliction and irons– 
Because they rebelled against the words of God, 
And despised the counsel of the Most High, 
Therefore He brought down their heart with labor; 
They fell down, and there was none to help. 
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, 
And He saved them out of their distresses. 
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, 
And broke their chains in pieces. 
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, 
And for His wonderful works to the children of men! 
For He has broken the gates of bronze, 
And cut the bars of iron in two. 

Fools, because of their transgression, 
And because of their iniquities, were afflicted. 
Their soul abhorred all manner of food, 
And they drew near to the gates of death. 
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, 
And He saved them out of their distresses. 
He sent His word and healed them, 
And delivered them from their destructions. 
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, 
And for His wonderful works to the children of men! 
Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, 
And declare His works with rejoicing. 

Those who go down to the sea in ships, 
Who do business on great waters, 
They see the works of the LORD, 
And His wonders in the deep. 
For He commands and raises the stormy wind, 
Which lifts up the waves of the sea. 
They mount up to the heavens, 
They go down again to the depths; 
Their soul melts because of trouble. 
They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, 
And are at their wits’ end. 
Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble, 
And He brings them out of their distresses. 
He calms the storm, 
So that its waves are still. 
Then they are glad because they are quiet; 
So He guides them to their desired haven. 
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, 
And for His wonderful works to the children of men! 
Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, 
And praise Him in the company of the elders. 

He turns rivers into a wilderness, 
And the watersprings into dry ground; 
A fruitful land into barrenness, 
For the wickedness of those who dwell in it. 
He turns a wilderness into pools of water, 
And dry land into watersprings. 
There He makes the hungry dwell, 
That they may establish a city for a dwelling place, 
And sow fields and plant vineyards, 
That they may yield a fruitful harvest. 
He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly; 
And He does not let their cattle decrease. 

When they are diminished and brought low 
Through oppression, affliction and sorrow, 
He pours contempt on princes, 
And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way; 
Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction, 
And makes their families like a flock. 
The righteous see it and rejoice, 
And all iniquity stops its mouth.
Psalm 107 (NKJV)

When the LORD brought back the captivity of Zion, 
We were like those who dream. 
Then our mouth was filled with laughter, 
And our tongue with singing. 
Then they said among the nations, 
“The LORD has done great things for them.” 
The LORD has done great things for us, 
And we are glad. 

Bring back our captivity, O LORD, 
As the streams in the South. 

Those who sow in tears 
Shall reap in joy. 
He who continually goes forth weeping, 
Bearing seed for sowing, 
Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, 
Bringing his sheaves with him.
Psalm 126 (NKJV)

I hope that everybody has a very Happy Thanksgiving in just 6 days.  Please read the above passages and marvel at the wondrous grace of God.  Respond as these Pslamists did!  Give Thanks to Him because He is worthy of all our adoration.  Give thanks to God for He satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness.  Give thanks to God for He has freed us from the curse and enslavement of sin.  Give thanks to God for He has provided for His people.  Since He has provided for His people, we must or ought to sacrifice to God our lives.  We must declare to all those who we come in contact us the Greatness of God and His Wonders.  Give thanks to Him for He has brought us into the Family of God.  He has joined us together with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.  Let us worship Him together in community; knowing all that He has done for us.  Give thanks to Him because He has turned our sorrow into joy and our mourning into rejoicing.  Praise Him because He has pity on the lowly of heart and mercy to those who walk uprightly with Him.  Let us say with the Psalmist that “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad.”  Happy Thanksgiving. 

Here is a portion of this apology that I found to be quite interesting.  This apology was written around the second or third century.

“Caecilius speaks first, in defense of the heathen, and in opposition to the Christian religion.  He began like a sceptic or agnostic concerning the exhistence of a God as being doubtful, but he soon shifts his gound, and on the principle of expediency and utility he urges the duty of worshipping the ancestral gods.  It is best to adhere to what the experience of all ntions has found to be salutary.  Every nation has its peculiar god or gods; the Roman nation, the most religious of all, allows the worship of all gods, and thus attained to the highest power and prosperity.  He charges the Christians with presumption for claiming a certain knowledge of the highest problems which lie beyond human ken; with want of patriotism for forsaking the ancestral traditios; with low breeding .  He ridicules their worship of a crucified malefactor and the instrument of his crucifixion, and even an ass’s head.  He repeats the lies of secret crimes, as promiscuous incest, and the murder of innocent children, and quotes for these slanders the authority of the celebrated orator Fronto.  He objects to their religion that it has no temples, nor altars, nor images.  He attacks the doctrines of one God, of the destruction of the present world, the resurrection and judgment, as irrational and absurd.  He pities them for their austere habits and their aversion to the theatre, banquets, and other innocent enjoyments.  He concludes with the re-assertion of human ignorance of things which are above us, and an exhortation to leave these uncertain things alone, and to adhere to the religion of their fathers, ‘lest either a childish superstition should be introduced, or all religions should be overthrown.’”  (Heathen or Unbeliever Side of the Argument)

“In the second part, Octavius refutes these charges, and attacks idolatry; meeting each point in proper order.  He vindicates the existence and unity of the Godhead, the doctrine of creation and providence, as truly rational, and quotes in confirmation the opinions of various philosophers (from Cicero).  He exposes the absurdity of the heathen mythology, the worship of idols made of wood and stone, the immoralities of the gods, and the cruelties and obscene rites connected with their worship.  The Romans have not acquired their power by their religion, but by rapacity and acts of violence.  The charge of worshipping a criminal and his cross, rests on the ignorance of his innocence and divine character.  The Christians have no temples, because they will not limit the infinite God, and no image, because man is God’s image, and a holy life the best sacrifice.  The slanderous charges of immorality are traced to the demons who invented and spread them among the people, who inspire oracles, work false miracles and try in every way to draw men into their ruin.  It is the heathen who practice such infamies, who cruelly expose their new-born children or kill them by abortion.  The Christian avoid and abhor the immoral amusements of the theatre and circus where madness, adultery, and murder are exhibited and practiced, even in the name of the gods.  They find their true pleasure and happiness in God, his knowledge and worship.” (Christian’s Side of the Argument)                Phillip Schaff’s History of the Christian Church Vol. 2 p.836, 837

Enjoy and give feedback on what you think about the apology.  I found it to be quite informative that nothing really has changed between the world and Christian’s.

The LORD reigns;
Let the earth rejoice; 
Let the multitude of isles be glad! 
         
Clouds and darkness surround Him;
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
A fire goes before Him,
And burns up His enemies round about.
His lightnings light the world;
The earth sees and trembles.
The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD,
At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
The heavens declare His righteousness,
And all the peoples see His glory. 
         
Let all be put to shame who serve carved images,
Who boast of idols. 
Worship Him, all you gods.
Zion hears and is glad,
And the daughters of Judah rejoice 
Because of Your judgments, O LORD.
For You, LORD, are most high above all the earth;
You are exalted far above all gods. 
         
You who love the LORD, hate evil!
He preserves the souls of His saints; 
He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.
Light is sown for the righteous,
And gladness for the upright in heart.
Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
Psalm 97 (NKJV)

The sovereignty of God is to be adored.  It is to be praised and awed at because it is bigger than any of our imaginations.  He is sovereign over everything in this life.  Nothing happens without Him knowing about it.  I hope today you find yourself in awe of who God is and what He has done for you!

Pride goes before destruction, 
And a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18 (NKJV)

Now hear this, 
You heads of the house of Jacob 
And rulers of the house of Israel, 
Who abhor justice 
And pervert all equity, 
Who build up Zion with bloodshed 
And Jerusalem with iniquity: 
Her heads judge for a bribe, 
Her priests teach for pay, 
And her prophets divine for money. 
Yet they lean on the LORD, and say, 
“Is not the LORD among us? 
No harm can come upon us.” 
Therefore because of you 
Zion shall be plowed like a field, 
Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, 
And the mountain of the temple
Like the bare hills of the forest.
Micah 3:9-12 (NKJV)

I put these two passages up because I think it is important to think about where our Pride Meter stands.  I think that we are too ashamed to say that we are way too prideful in how we carry ourselves.  In the Micah passage, we see the degeneration of the nation of Israel.  These people were so cocky that they said that absolutely nothing could harm them because they were under God’s protection.  The children of Israel at this point in their history were so far removed from the right relationship with God that it caused great judgment to come upon them.  Judgment came not only because of pride but also because of their unfaithfulness to their God; they had wandered far away with false gods.  The consequences of their unfaithfulness and pride were the destruction of their nation and to scattered throughout the face of the earth.

As Christians today in 2008, we can be guilty of the very same things as Israel was 2000 years ago.  It has been very easy living here in America and as Americans it is very easy to be cocky in ourselves for our protection.  We can very easily get into the mindset, like Israel, that absolutely nothing can touch us because we are #1 in the world.  I’m afraid that this kind of attitude is pretty popular in our society.  If we are not careful and if we are not humble about where we are in life, then we will face the very same consequences as Israel.  One day, we could be wiped off the face of the earth as a nation.  I pray wholeheartedly that this does not happen.  I pray that America will wake up and see the error of our ways.  We need to be humble and praise the One who has given our liberties, and the easy living.  God has blessed us immeasurably.  We need to be careful that we are not filled with pride because we have arrived.  We need to be humble enought to recognize how we have arrived; only by God’s marvelous grace.  As the proverb says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit goes before the fall.”  I hope and pray that humility would be the characteristic of our lives.