He is My Only Rock

 Psalm 62: 2 & 6
 He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.

Jesus Christ, “Rock of Ages, cleft for me. Let me hide myself in Thee.” On the solid Rock I stand, I shall not be moved. “Upon this Rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail.” As we walk this side of heaven, the foundations of our country are crumpling. The signs of the last days are coming to pass. We are witnessing a great divide among those who desire a return to the principles of God’s word, and a progressive ideology of Sodom and Gomorrah that has forsaken the Word of God. The banner of “Every man doing that which is right in their own eyes” is waving in the media and across the large cities of our land. Politics are polarized and faults can be found on both sides of the aisle. I like to believe that those that want our nation to return to God are in the right, but there are those who use God’s Word as a tool for their own advantage and political gain. As Christians, our faith in God, and knowledge that God is sovereign keeps us on the Rock. Charlie Kirk, as much as he tried to influence people to vote for the Republican Party, acknowledged that Jesus Christ is the only answer to the problems we face as a nation. The foundation of this nation may someday break apart, but for those who stand on the eternal Rock, they shall not be moved. We live in a messed-up world of people seeking to please their selfish desires. But we know that when lifting up Jesus, people are drawn to Him. He is our firm foundation. He is our only Rock, and those who stand on the Rock, shall not be moved.

Adopted Children

 Eph 1:7
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.

Predestination basically says that God is sovereign, He is in control, knowing all of what will happen in the future, and therefore is able to predetermine what man can and will do beforehand. There are two main thoughts in regard to how God predestined the outcome of human behavior. Either man has no say in what will happen, and therefore their fate is sealed before they are even born, or because God is all knowing, He already knows the choices that man will make and therefore salvation is predestined based on the fact that God knows whether a person will choose to believe or not believe.  All of this can be confusing to a person who is seeking God and desires to live pleasing to Him. I don’t claim to know or have any insight into the mind of God, but I know that it is God’s  desire that all who are born in this world come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I am also convinced that God does not determine the choices we make. History is made by the choices made by man and the effect of these choices can change the future. It is God’s good pleasure that all be saved and not perish. God has given us the gift of choice, we are free moral agents to do good or to do evil. The scripture is full of verses that support this. “ And let him who is thirsty come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” (Rev. 22:17) It is not just a select few who are predestined to come, but whosoever means anyone, anybody, leaving no one out. The message is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Come to Jesus, He has the answer to all our needs. Jesus speaks, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” God desires that we all become adopted into the family of God, and not only be a child of His creation, but a child through Christ.” But ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” (Roman 8:15). The joy of being part of the family of God, being adopted for His good pleasure. We are His children, He is our Father. Thank you, Jesus, for making this possible!

The Rock Higher Than I

 Psalm 61:2
From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

A popular church hymn, “The Rock That is Higher than I.” was written in 1871 by Erastus Johnson during a time of financial loss. Many have found financial security in the assets they have accumulated over the years, The want of food, shelter, and comfort is always available, and never denied. Their trust is no longer placed in God to supply their needs, they have put their trust in human strength and determination to achieve wealth and prosperity. There is no doubt that such virtues contribute to worldly success and gain, but history has taught us that God is in control, and He is sovereign, and is ultimately the One who is threading the fabric of life. Erastus Johnson realized this when all was lost, and He turned to the Rock who He knew would not sink. The Rock that was higher than the circumstance and struggles of the day. The world around us can change in a moment's notice, but God does not change, He is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. We can put our trust in Him, and stand on the solid rock. We can flee to the Rock that will not be shaken and will not move. When life is overwhelming, we serve a God who knows and understands our hurts and struggles. “To the Rock let me fly, to the Rock that is higher than I!”

Forsaken, but not Forgotten

Psalm 22:1,3 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me.. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabits the praises of Israel.

Forsaken, but not forgotten. I have never experiences multiple tragedies at one time. But I can imagine those who lose everything in life they love and cherish wondering where God is. “Why have you forsaken me?” are the spoken words cried out in anguish. The heart cries out for answers to know why. I don’t pretend to know all the reasons why God allows some people to go through such unfortunate events in life. I asked myself, “What would I do?” There is reason to be cast down and try to seek answers. It is within our human nature and emotional makeup to cry out and to question.  Like Job and David we seek to find the answers. In the end, it is not necessary that we know why, but it necessary that we know the one who is sovereign and know the beginning to the end. We rest in the glory of God that He knows what is best and trust that His will be done. This is not a cop out for all the suffering people endure, but a reality that we are finite and God is infinite and will do what is right.

I Believe

Mark 9:23  Jesus said to him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believe.

Believing that Jesus died on the cross to save me from my sins is not difficult for me. I believe in the love of God and His desire to have fellowship with man. I believe that God is good and that He has a purpose for all things that happen to me and in the world around me. I may not understand it all, but I believe. I also believe that He is able to take a broken body and make it whole again. A body broken down by disease or wrecked by sin. It is not that I don’t believe that God is able, but is He willing? Pain, suffering, sickness is part of life’s journey. People by the thousands die each day without any intervention from God. People cry out to God to see a miracle of divine healing, and to the most part, healing does not happen. Does that mean that our prayers fell short of God standard of believing? It is still a mystery to me when God chooses to heal and not heal. God’s ways are beyond my understanding, but this one thing I believe, that God’s grace is sufficient to bring us through any circumstance in life. I believe all thing are possible with God, and that He is sovereign in all things.

God is Good All The Time

Ps 119 68, 71 Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes….It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. 

God is good all the time, even during affliction. How can this be? If God is good, then we would always experience things in our lives that bring pleasure and happiness. How can God be good when every time I turn around something bad is happening to me or someone else. We look at life as a series of events. The events are either good, bad, or indifferent, they don’t make us happy or sad. But the sovereignty of God sees our life from the beginning to the end. To those who love Him and desire to fulfill His will, all the good and bad things in life work together to a good end. When going through hard times or difficult situations, it is not easy to say , it is good for me that  bad things are happening to me. For it is during these times, that I have learned to lean on Him. To trust in His word that He is in control.  God is good, all the time for He is the calm in the storm. 

Deliverance from Suffering

Hebrews: 1135b, 39 “…and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. -And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise,”-

Deliverance from God is not always escaping trails and difficult situations. When we pray for deliverance and still suffer hard times, does God still answer prayer? No doubt, many who suffered persecution for their faith, prayed that God would answer their cry for deliverance. There were some that were saved and their were others that still were tortured. These are questions that I truly don’t have a good answer. Accepting God’s will in all matters of prayer is submitting to His sovereign will. God is able, but it is not always His will. I don’t know why God chooses some to suffer and others to be delivered, but believing God is in control and He knows best is to demonstrate a faith beyond seeing a deliverance from pain and suffering. By faith, we can trust God that all things are working according to His will and purpose.

We Don't Understand

Job 38:4 “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding.”-

It is human nature to want to understand everything that happens to us in life. We seem to think if we can understand why some things happen, then we are more able to accept the circumstance that we face from day to day. Why God allows some things to happen is still a mystery to me. Like job, we question God’s judgment, we don’t see the purpose or good that will come out of it. Like God, we don’t see things from the beginning, we are not all knowing and can only live in the present. That is why we must put our trust in the one who is sovereign and controls the affairs of men. We need to learn to understand that we are finite and God is infinite. We have limitations that keep us from seeing the whole picture. It is not wrong to ask God to give us understanding. It is wrong to question God’s ways and blame God for all that goes wrong. God will not chastise us for crying out for help when we go through times of not knowing why. He delights in our willingness to give everything to Him, even those things we don’t understand. 

Tried in the Fire

But He knoweth the way that I take; when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”-

The refining and purification of gold requires that it be melted down to allow the impurities to rise to the top and be scummed and removed. Being placed in the fire of God’s refinement for whatever reason causes us to almost always ask, “Why?”. What is God trying to teach us or show us? We examine our hearts to see if sin is the cause. “Did we do something that has displeased God?” We reflect on our obedience to God and we have been faithful to live righteous lives. These were questions that haunted Job. He was left with no explanation and had only one recourse, and that was to trust God in spite of the circumstances. Job learned that God need not answer to any one, He controls the universe and the destiny of the world is in His command. He is sovereign and knows the beginning to the end. He is the alpha and omega, the first and the last. Nothing happen that He does not already knows and has it all under control. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but I know the one who hold tomorrow in His hand.