Praying Pint

 

2Timothy 4:8  Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

1Corinthians 15:48-58  As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

 

There can be no doubt that the Bible presents the death of the ungodly as being terrible. How differently, however, does it portray the death of the righteous. Even a hireling prophet like Balaam, bad as he was, recognised that there was something different about the death of the godly. Listen to his words in Numbers 23:10: “Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my end be like his” (NKJ). The book of Proverbs puts the same thought in this way: “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day” (4:18). I heard one preacher say that the happiest woman he had ever seen was a dying woman. She lay on her bed and clapped her hands at the approach of death. Very many people came to look at her bright countenance. “They tell me this is death,” she said. “It’s not death at all – it’s life.” People were converted by her bedside, including her son. A theologian by the name of W. Cosley Bell, when he sensed that he was about to leave this world, sent these words to the staff of the college where he was employed: “Tell the young men that I’ve grown surer of God every year of my life, and I’ve never been so sure as I am right now. Why it’s all so! It’s a fact – a dead certainty. I’m so glad I haven’t the least shadow of shrinking or uncertainty. I’ve been preaching and teaching these things all my life and I’m so interested to find that all we’ve been believing and hoping is so.” That is the way to die. One of John Wesley’s proudest claims for the early Methodists was this: “Our people die well.”. (Hughes)

Father, the empty tomb of Jesus makes all our fears lies, and all our hopes truths. That empty tomb is the birthplace of eternal certainty. Because He lives I shall live also. I am eternally grateful. Amen.

 

Ephesians 5:14  for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Romans 13:11-12  Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

1Thessalonians 5:6 -10 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.

Isaiah 60:1-2  Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.

1Peter 1:13-14  Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

Luke 12:3537  “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes….

 

Happy 4^th of July

It is good for us to remember the blessings of God in our country’s humble beginnings.
Oh, that a new awakening of reverence, dependence, and love for God would overtake our country, leaders, teachers, and most importantly each of us.

 

Psalms 121:1-8   I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

 

A believer’s relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ is one of trust in the faithful Keeper and Shepherd of the soul. Our lives reveal vulnerability, need, faith, and assurance, calling us to reflect deeply on the meaning of His divine care.

Human frailty exposes our helplessness and limited understanding in the face of life’s trials and spiritual challenges. Yet Christ’s sufficiency, love, and faithfulness stand in contrast as He remains the unfailing protector against every adversary. This calls believers to humble dependence—not on their own strength, but on the power and care of Jesus Christ, their divine Keeper.

Spiritual discernment is a gift: “thou distinguishes this still, small voice; the word of God is a lamp to thy feet.” Believers are called to listen attentively and respond to the Spirit’s guidance, finding direction and assurance in Scripture. Meditating on God’s Word day and night strengthens faith and brings clarity, joy, confidence, and hope for each new day.

The “shield of faith” recalls the imagery of spiritual armor and readiness against the “power and malignity of the adversary.” Through faith, believers recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit and remain steady amid worldly influences that lead toward fear, confusion, pride, greed, hatred, division, and anxiety.

In prosperity, adversity, and quiet seasons alike, God’s Word urges believers to continually seek the guidance and help of the Good Shepherd. This steadfast dependence—neither self-reliant in ease nor despairing in trouble—reveals a heart willing to listen, obey, and be sustained by divine grace.

Because Christ is the believer’s Keeper, there is unwavering assurance that He will preserve His people in serenity and security through every future trial. This is not a promise of escape from difficulty, but of His steadfast presence and protection within it.

The Shepherd’s care is complete and unwavering. Therefore, remain attentive, obedient, and trusting in His guidance. We are called to renew our willingness to be kept, to listen for His voice, and to rest in the assurance that we are secure in the hands of the Good Shepherd—now and in the days to come. (Bowen)

 

James 3:13    Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.

1 Peter 1:15    but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

1 Peter 2:12    Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

It is a sobering thought that none of us can say with certainty whether we will remain among the living when another day, week, month, or year comes to a close. The unpredictability of life — the simple truth that we “know not what a day may bring forth” — calls us to consider how we spend our time. (Tozer)

Given the uncertainty of tomorrow, wisdom suggests that we approach each day as if it were our last. This perspective is not meant to foster fear or anxiety, but rather to encourage intentional living.  Listen for the quiet whispers of the Holy Spirit directing our thoughts, words, and actions.

Embracing the reality of life’s brevity can transform how we live each day. It teaches us to value each moment God has given, to cherish those around us, and to live with a sense of honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ by our thoughts, words, and actions. Understanding the end of our life this side of eternity is for the honor and glory of Jesus in acts of compassion, love, generosity, kindness, rejoicing, and worship, while being thankful and mindful of the grace, mercy, and love, through Jesus, and each moment God has blessed us with.

 

 

2 Peter 3:11-13 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Psalms 50:23    The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”

Philippians 1:27    Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

1 Timothy 4:12    Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

What sort of people ought you to be in all holiness and godliness?

Be ever thankful for the grace, mercy, and love of God. Let your manner of life be an example worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

 

 

Heb 3:7-19      Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’ As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’” Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.  But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient?  So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

There is no middle ground with Christ. If you aren’t for Jesus, you’re against Him.

Frankly, turning your heart away from Jesus has very real implications not just for eternity, but for your life here on earth as well. If you look at Hebrews 3:7–19, you’ll see four serious consequences of turning your back on Christ.

Each consequence is actually a step in a progression leading you further and further from God:

Separation from God (v. 12). God is truth, and when we fail to believe truth, then we follow a lie. And a lie—by its nature—is separate from the truth. In a very real sense, our sin separates us from God.

We fall victim to sin (v. 13). As we allow sin to separate us from God, we begin to fall victim to the “deceitfulness of sin.” Simply stated, sin is tricky. Sin masks itself and never presents itself as it truly is. Because we are separated from Christ, our hearts become cold and we allow ourselves to be deceived by sin.

Our hearts grow hard (v. 15). As sin’s poison cuts to our soul, our hearts—which may have once been soft and tender—become spiritually calloused, like hard, dead skin. When we allow ourselves to be deceived by sin over and over again, and we wander far from God, we are no longer able to sense His prompting or guidance in our lives.

We become rebellious against God (v.15). When we allow our calloused hearts to go unchecked, embracing sin rather than being convicted of it, we are actually in a state of rebellion against God (v. 15). This rebellious heart causes us to further sin against God, and God will not tolerate it. The result is spiritual death.

You see, my friends, there are ramifications and consequences for our disobedience to Christ, both in this world and in eternity. But there’s Good News! You don’t have to live a life of callousness and rebellion. We serve a God of second chances, and even today, your heart can be softened. Regardless of where you’ve been or what you’ve done, you can surrender your life over to Him and begin a relationship with Jesus. He’s ready to welcome you with open arms! ((Graham))

(Believe, confess, repent, trust, obey, and follow Him with all your heart, mind, and soul.) Added to clarify what it means to surrender your life.

 

We love because He first loved us. — 1 John 4:19

Into the Word

There is a style of children’s cooking show where a child stands at the counter in a chef’s hat, beaming, while a pair of adult hands does everything dangerous just off camera. The adult chops the vegetables, manages the hot oil, times the dish. The child stirs once, sprinkles something, and presents the plate. And the whole kitchen erupts: You made this! You did it all!

Watch those hidden hands long enough and you begin to see how God works with us.

What God Left Unfinished

By the end of Genesis 1, God has done everything. Light, sky, sea, land, every creature in its place, a world He Himself calls very good. Nothing is missing. And yet He turns to the man and woman and speaks, and Scripture records the moment:

As if to say, there is one thing left, and I am leaving it for you.

What was left? On the surface, this command is arithmetic: children, generations, a world filling up with life. And the surface is real. But stay with the word fruitful for a moment. Fruit, everywhere in Scripture, is more than offspring. It is what a life produces when it is connected to its source — the fruit of the Spirit is love (Galatians 5:22). A branch does not strain to make fruit; it abides, and fruit comes. So when God says be fruitful to two people standing in a world He has just filled with His love, He is asking for more than population. He is asking for produce of the heart. The one thing God deliberately did not finish was the response. He had poured out love in every atom of creation; what remained was for someone to receive that love, grow up into it, and return it. The final brushstroke on the canvas was never paint. It was love, given back freely. And God reserved that stroke for us.

Notice how the verse begins: And God blessed them. Before the command, the blessing. The command is inside a blessing, because the command itself is the gift. By leaving one stroke unmade, God was reserving a place for us, not at the easel, but in the world of love the painting was made for. Not for lack of power, but for love of company. He made everything; we are asked only to love Him back. And yet when we do, He looks at our one small stroke and says, you did it, as if the whole canvas were ours. That is not a task He assigned. It is a joy He saved to share with us.

How Can Dust Love God?

Stop and feel the strangeness of it. The Creator of a hundred billion galaxies accepts love from creatures made of dust. The gap between Him and us is not the gap between a king and a peasant; it is the gap between the Painter and the paint. By every measure, our love should be too small for Him to notice, let alone treasure.

And yet He treasures it. He structured creation itself around receiving it. But notice the order, because the order is everything. We love because He first loved us. Our brushstroke is never the first stroke. Before we offered Him anything, He had already painted a universe of love around us, filled it, finished it, and signed it over to us as a gift. Our small obedience, our stumbling prayers, our one little stroke, these are not contributions to His work. They are recognition of it. They are the moment the child finally sees whose hands have been doing everything, and loves those hands back.

And when that moment comes, He responds the way those hidden hands respond to the child: You did it. Well done, good and faithful servant. He did the work and gives us the credit. That is not a flaw in His justice. That is the extravagance of His love.

Before We Move On

We spend so much of our lives trying to prove we matter, building résumés of effort, hoping someone will notice. Meanwhile the God of the universe has already finished the masterpiece, and what He holds out to us is not a job application. It is a brush. The stroke He invites is small: to love Him back, today, in the next obedience in front of us. And here is the rest we have been looking for: the painting does not depend on our stroke. He is not waiting on us to rescue His work. He is waiting on us to enjoy it, to recognize the Painter, and to add the one small stroke that was always meant to be a love note, not a labor.

The canvas was always His. The brush in our hands is not our burden. It is His embrace. (The Bibal Portal)

 

Hos 3:1  …… even as the LORD loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.”

Deuteronomy 7:6-7    “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.  It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples,

Nehemiah 9:31     Nevertheless, in your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.

Psalms 106:43-46     Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes and were brought low through their iniquity. Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he heard their cry. For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love. He caused them to be pitied by all those who held them captive.

Psalms 123:2    Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy upon us.

Isaiah 45:22     “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.

Micah 7:7     But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

Believer, pause and look back over your life’s journey. Recall the moments when God led you through barren places, providing for your needs when resources seemed scarce. Each day, He fed and clothed you faithfully, enduring your faults and complaints. Remember how He responded with patience to your longing for former comforts, much like the Israelites yearning for Egypt’s grain. When you needed sustenance, He brought water from the rock, and manna from heaven—grace that met you in your need. His kindness was dependable; His provisions, sufficient.

In every trial, God’s grace has been enough. When guilt and shame threatened, the blood of Christ was your pardon. Even as you faced discipline, His rod and staff brought comfort, never harshness. These mercies were not just for yesterday—they are ongoing, new each morning. Reflect: every time you stumbled, He lifted you up. Every time you doubted, He reassured you with His presence. Such unwavering love refreshes and strengthens the soul.

Now, let faith look ahead. The love of Christ is not confined to the past; His covenant and sacrifice guarantee future grace. He who began a good work in you will complete it. Christ is Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. When you face the valley of the shadow of death, you need not fear, for He is with you. When confronted by the cold waters of Jordan—symbolic of passing into eternity—remember, death itself cannot separate you from His love. (Spurgeon)

 

Psalms 103:8-15  The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;  as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field;

He will chide sometimes, or He would not be a wise Father for such poor, erring children as we are. When we fall short or stray from the path, God’s correction can feel deeply painful, especially to those whose hearts are sincere and aware of their shortcomings. We recognize that His chiding is not arbitrary; it is deserved, and we grieve because we know how wrong it is to cause Him sorrow. This awareness leads us to humble ourselves before the Lord, mourning that our actions have provoked His righteous anger.

Yet, amid the sting of rebuke, there is a profound comfort in the promise: “Not always” will He chide. God’s correction is not perpetual; it is tempered by His compassion and understanding of our frailty. If we come to Him in genuine repentance, broken for our sin and turning away from it, His demeanor toward us transforms. It is no pleasure for God to remain stern with those He loves; instead, His desire is for us to experience fullness of joy in His presence.

Let this assurance lift our spirits. There is no cause for despair or even for lingering discouragement. God calls us to seek His face, to embrace His discipline as an act of love rather than a reason for fear. As we turn back to Him, we will soon find His anger turned away and His comfort filling our hearts. The darkness of guilt and uncertainty fades, replaced by humble hope and the warmth of grateful remembrance.

The one who first pardoned us as a righteous judge will continue to forgive us as a loving Father. His love for us does not waver, even when we falter. In returning to Him, we rediscover His sweet, unchanging love—a love that delights in our joy and seeks reconciliation more than punishment. Let us rest in this truth, letting go of fear and embracing the peace that comes from being fully known and deeply loved by God. (Spurgeon)

It is good for us to know our sin. Our lives are thoughts, words, and actions, and we are affected by others’ thoughts, words, and actions. These aspects of our lives are all areas to keep watch over. If left to ourselves, we would easily drift away from what is pleasing into doing that which is not.  Praise God, He sent the Holy Spirit to fill us, teach us, comfort us, convict us, encourage us, lead us, give us power, mature us, etc…. We should continually tune our ears towards the quiet whispers of the Holy Spirit. And, when we are made aware of sin, confess it, repent of it (turn away), and seek to move forward in thinking, doing, and speaking that which Honors and Glorifies Jesus Christ.