First Thought on Psalm 112

1 a Praise the LORD!

Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,

who greatly delights in his commandments!

2His offspring will be mighty in the land;

the generation of the upright will be blessed.

3Wealth and riches are in his house,

and his righteousness endures forever.

4Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;

he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.

5It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;

who conducts his affairs with justice.

6For the righteous will never be moved;

he will be remembered forever.

7He is not afraid of bad news;

his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.

8His heart is steady;b he will not be afraid,

until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.

9He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;

his righteousness endures forever;

his horn is exalted in honor.

10The wicked man sees it and is angry;

he gnashes his teeth and melts away;

the desire of the wicked will perish!

What does it mean to be blessed? Occasionally, I’ll hear someone say something like “Have a blessed day!” Or when asked casually ”How are you?” might respond “Blessed!” While it’s nice, it might just be a sort of automated response, without a lot of thought given to it, or an expectation of a response or a reaction.

I wonder what would happen if I looked closely into the person’s eyes and asked “What would be a blessed day for me?” I would not, though. It might not go well. It might inhibit the person from ever blessing another person, a person craving some Word to come into his or her life and soul.

I remember Cindy, whom I met while working on a wildfire. She shared with me that she was in a horrible situation, trapped, desperate. Yet she simply didn’t believe she was worth helping out of it. Cindy told me an older woman approached her one day and said “GOD loves you!” Nothing more. Nothing more needed. Cindy’s soul was pierced that day. It wasn’t long before our LORD rescued her, getting her into a Christian shelter. She gave her soul to Jesus.

No, it is a lovely thing for GOD’s True Believers to bless brethren and the Worldly with a Word. Just one is enough if Spirit pierces the armor of the soul.

But my question persists. What does it mean to be Blessed?

Stay Tuned! Lord willin’ I’ll be allowed a part two.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine . . . And give you His Word to pass on to a lost and quietly desperate generation.

Trust: A Steep Learning Curve

Thinking about a million Israelis approaching the Red Sea. They were heading home to the land of their fathers. They had to be excited. Kids saying, “When are we going to be there?”

A little problem. Pharaoh on their tail. The people’s excitement turned into a great fear when they saw what was coming. They accused GOD of bringing them into the desert to die.

Ahead uncrossable water. No place to flee, up or down the coast. A raging army rapidly approaching.

“And Moses said to the people, ‘Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today.’ ”

They crossed the Red Sea. The Pharaoh and his army drown. And the people of Israel made it through that lesson. Ahead would come many more lessons, costly lessons.

Trust rides a steep learning curve.

In Whom Do You Trust?

Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge; for it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you; let them all be fixed upon your lips, so that your trust may be in the Lord; I have instructed you today, even you.

—Proverbs 22:17—19 NKJV

A question to self: “Do I trust in GOD?” As a younger man I would have said, “Yes, I trust in GOD!”

I’ve stumbled along this Christian journey. I look in Life’s rearview mirror. I admit I’ve not always trusted GOD. Maybe I could say, “I trust You, LORD; help me overcome my distrust.” But that’s a mask GOD sees through.

“LORD, I want to trust in You.” Now that’s better. That’s getting closer to honesty in self-examination.

Facing End Times

For the last month or so I’ve enjoyed listening to a series of sermons from Apostle Paul’s Letter to the Romans, delivered in the mid 1950s by Pastor Martyn Lloyd-Jones, M.D., at Westminster Chapel, London.

This past week I got through the Doctrinal portions of the Letter, arriving at the first verse in which the Apostle begins to encourage his readers in their new lives as Citizens of the Kingdom of G-D. [Yes, it has taken that long even though I’ve listened to at least five sermons each week.]

But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:13,14

While Pastor Lloyd-Jones elaborates the scriptures a verse at a time, he often spends the hour on a key portion of the verse, moving on in the following sermon to complete it. The series of sermons I’ve been listening to took place on Friday nights, and must have gone on for several years.

Most of Pastor MLJ’s sermons begin with a recap, often an extensive retelling, of previous sermons. He says all good teachers offer their students repetition to order to enhance learning. On several occasions, Pastor MLJ takes most of his hourly sermon to elaborate on a single word, or two, to ensure that he is clear on the meaning and its usage.

The word “unto,” for instance is used in the statement that we are dead unto sin. It is also used in the alternate, that we are alive unto Christ. Pastor MLJ wants us to understand that this word, which one particular dictionary states is archaic, does not mean “to,” despite that meaning given in another dictionary.

Anyway, Pastor MLJ could seem to belabor a point. And in today’s culture of the six-second sound bite, he would probably have only a few people willing to endure his preaching.

My point for today is that if we are not going to be deceived as we arrive at the very door to the End Times, we are going to need to refocus and delve much deeper into the Word of G-D.

I recommend the following great articles to stir us up:

Live Life BOLD

Staying Focused on the Mission

You can listen to the sermons of Pastor Martyn Lloyd-Jones at The MLJ Trust.

Numbers-6-24-26 - 1 — Numbers-6-24-26 – 1

Notes from Garden Times

It is the world in which we live that slowly dies. We live and we live on beyond all we now see, as beautiful or corrupt as it may be. And yet there are these things I hold dear. Things like mugs and items procured for their looks or comfort or utility, that I don’t want to part with as the world dies. These I hold as if holding on I may prevent the death of the known as I move toward an unknown no matter how wonderful and beautiful it may be beyond this day.

Destroyed section of Jerusalem's Old City (c) Wil Robinson 1986 — Destroyed section of Jerusalem’s Old City
(c) Wil Robinson 1986

Relics of a world that is for me passing away. For I am just passing through on my way to another world another place beyond time and space. Yet here I am wandering as a stranger in this world, in this time, in this piece of space. I wait.

While this is not my home, as Apostle Paul said, I am content in all situations as I await my destiny, my life in another Home, which is a Heavenly Home with Messiah YeshuaJesus. I wait for You, L-RD.

In the Garden, it is like Ham Radio and not always talking but listening, and listening carefully. Listening with openness and intent to the Words Spirit speaks to my heart.

O how I love Thee, L-RD!

Avinu Malkeinu

Our Father; Our King!