Psalm 121:1-2

"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from
whence cometh my help. My help
cometh from the Lord which made heaven
and earth."

The Psalms were songs written by different people throughout Israel's history. King David wrote a whole bunch of them as well as some others. This particular one is only eight verses long. The first two are the ones that stood out to me this past week. You see, we go through so much on a daily basis. Work, friendships, obligations, trials, tribulations, death and taxes! The list goes on and on. To be honest, there is so much going on now in this fast pace world, it would be easy to either get chewed up and spit out, or just throw in the towel. That's where God steps in. He is our help in time of need. How many times have you heard that? Well I submit to you, that He is our help at all times. I can't go a day without calling out to Him in some way. Most of the time it's because I am acting like a bafoon and need to repent for my actions, words, or deeds. Lately I have really been trying to make a conscious effort to thank Him for all things. Food on my table, bills being paid, mercy shown by Him when I deserve judgement. The psalmist knew that his help came from God and he gladly wrote and sang about it. The world has and is becoming more of a mad house every day. The pace of life is unbearable at times. We can get so caught up in the things that are not important and miss the ones that are. Jesus said in the last half of John 16:33 "but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." He was speaking on having tribulation in this world while here. The great news is that we who are in Christ, have nothing to worry about. He has overcome it with His death on the cross. He is now our advocate on a daily basis. The Holy Spirit living in us, provides us the strength to carry on. I mean come on, He made the heavens and the earth. What could be so overwhelming that He would say, oh sorry, that's too much for me, good luck. NOTHING!!!!! In my own life I have had experiences that I could not handle. I just went through one recently and had to ask Him to take control of the thoughts in my mind so they would not consume me. It was a tragedy of proportions that I think are still propagating some questions in my and others mind. It was a death of a young friend. At the end of the day, He was the one where I was able to receive strength from and remain on the level mentally. That's who God is. He wants to know us intimately and sent His son so we could. Time is wrapping up and the return of the King is soon. I urge you, if you don't know Him yet, make it a point to surrender your life to Him and start living for real. Be blessed this week and raise your eyes up to the one who will give you the strength you need.

Bob

Ephesians 3:20

"Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly
above all that we ask or think, according to the power
that worketh in us, "

Well, it's been quite a while since I last posted. Life got crazy and I got lazy. Plain and simple. This verse has been on my heart and mind for some time now. I have thought about it and pondered it a lot. The basic jist of it is this. God when He does what He does for us, does not cheap out. In other words, He buys the real Poptarts, not the generic brand. The two words exceeding abundantly mean just that. The three words used there in the Greek mean beyond measure to sum it up. That's just plain awesome! It also says that it is above all we could ever ask or think. That's an awful lot. On any given day, in any given circumstance, when we call on the Lord, He can respond with more than we need. That's the overflowing love and grace of God. Does it say He will? No it doesn't. There are times I can look back when God supplied everything I needed right away. Also though, there have been times that I have had to wait to see His plan unfold. It's a perfect model of parenting. Good parents give freely and without want of return because they love their children. They also withhold at times to build patience or character into their child. Bad parents give their children everything they want. They don't hold back ever and just give it to them repeatedly whether it is good or bad for them. I am thankful God hasn't given me all I ask for. It would have been disastrous!
Then there is the power that works in us. The word in the Greek is dunamis. It is where we get our word for dynomite! That means it is explosive and powerful. That's the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through us to guide our lives. So we have the power of the Holy Spirit, and the abundant provisions of God at our disposal in life. What more could we ask for? Just the knowledge that the one I serve has this in store for me, is enough to set my heart at ease and my soul to rest. Malachi 3:10 says this, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." When we come to God and give Him our lives completely, He has blessings in store for us that we could never comprehend. This week I encourage you all, God has the provisions, we can't do it alone or at all without Him. Seek Him and ask for the provisions that he so freely gives. In these dark days, get right with Him and run the race as if to win. For me and all, this is a sobering thought. Have a blessed week.
Bob.