The LORD [is]

The LORD [is] far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous. (Proverbs 15:29)
Rejoice, O believer, for you are always given the privilege of speaking directly to the ear of the Father of heaven though the gift of His Son! He will hear your cry at every hour. Your every need is His own concern. Turn to Him with your every fear, your every trouble, and every prayer of thanks!

And I will

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:15)
This is the first promise of the remarkable salvation that would bridge the gap between sinful man and a gracious God. From the beginning of creation, God had a redemptive plan that would begin and end with Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, the promised Seed, entered the world with the purpose of bruising the head of Satan (Romans 16:20) and claiming God's children to be His own. Thus, Christ destroyed the power of the evil one and freed mankind from the tremendous bondage of sin. From this, His grace flows forth and draws us as believers to His side.

The LORD upholdeth

The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all [those that be] bowed down. (Psalm 145:14)
Ever is the Lord faithful to strengthen those of His who are wounded and bolster His children who are weighed down. His might is become our might. His sovereignty lifts our head in troubling times. Look to Him for your rest and comfort and ever shall you find it!

All things

All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew [it] unto you. (John 16:15)
By His Spirit, God will take that which belongs to Jesus and make it known to us. Amazing! Thank Him for the revelation of His Word that he spoke through the apostles; our God is an awesome God!

In all thy ways

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:6)
We must not simply believe that there is an all-powerful God, but we must also live a life of confidence in this hope. We must continually ask for His perfect guidance and immeasurable wisdom throughout our time on this earth. As Christians, we have a distinct honour: if we call upon His great name, He will make our paths straight. If we place ourselves to be under His wonderful direction, we will always benefit from His great kindness and goodness. What a wonderful promise to enjoy!

Jon Lucien - Hello Like Before

Phil Collins - You'll Be In My Heart (Live at Paris 2004) HQ

Phil Collins - Separate Lives (Paris 2004) HD

Phil Collins - The Ballads (Video Collection) (16 Videos) (HD)

Phil Collins - Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me

Abide in me,

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. (John 15:4-5)
We cannot do anything without the Lord. He is the vine; and just as the branches receive their life-giving nutrients through the vine, so we as Christians receive the things we need for life from Christ. When a branch is apart from its source of life, it is dead. And so it is with us-until we are grafted onto that eternal and life-giving vine of Christ. We abide in Christ by our faith in Him and the salvation he offers. By this faith, even we shall bear fruit.

And they shall

And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. (Jeremiah 31:34)
One beauty of the Covenant of Grace is this: we are promised intimate and familial knowledge of our Lord. No longer is He a God far-removed, approachable by a chosen few. No, in the New Covenant we are all kings and priests and are granted, in Christ, the most intimate access to the Father's throne-indeed, even access to the Father's ear by our prayers!

For all the promises

For all the promises of God in him [are] yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. (2 Corinthians 1:20)
God keeps His promises. No matter what His promise may be, He will keep it-and it will be a "Yes" in Christ. Because of His faithfulness through Christ, our proper response should be "Amen," in order that we give Him glory. This should be the goal of all who believe-the further glory of God.

There remaineth therefore

There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God [did] from his. (Hebrews 4:9-10)
Our gracious Father offers His children the beautiful promise of complete rest in Him. The author here makes an earnest plea to the recipient of the epistle—let us receive this abundant spiritual life that God has made available to us. May we take strength in His eternal rest!

What shall we

What shall we then say to these things? If God [be] for us, who [can be] against us? (Romans 8:31)
Fear not, O believer, for there is naught to stand against you! All potential powers and enemies pale in significance to the power of God. No mere creation can threaten to undo the work and will of its Creator. God is sovereign. He holds all things in the palm of His hand, He does whatsoever He wills to do. And He loves you! Therefore rejoice, for while God is for you, O child of faith, nothing can truly be against you. And He is with you to everlasting.

And ye shall

And ye shall seek me, and find [me], when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)
God promises to be found when sought after with our whole hearts. How wonderful then, that it is He who places that longing within us. It is He who gives our hearts of stone to be hearts of flesh. Glory to God that He is merciful to draw us near! Praise to the Lord that He first loved us! Live now as righteous, taking heart in the gospel joy of the Lord!

Sunday, September 7, 2014 The Wisdom of Respect

Sunday, September 7, 2014
The Wisdom of Respect
Titus 3:1-3
Dear Father,
Help me to have respect for rulers and authorities, to be submissive and obedient.
Help me to be ready for any honest work, and to speak evil of no one.
Help me to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy to every one.
Help me not to be foolish, disobedient, or led astray. Help me not to be a slave to various passions and pleasures, or to pass my days in malice or envy, hating others or being hated by them.
In the name of Jesus, the all-wise and blessed Savior. Amen.

For if ye

For if ye turn again unto the LORD, your brethren and your children [shall find] compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the LORD your God [is] gracious and merciful, and will not turn away [his] face from you, if ye return unto him. (2 Chronicles 30:9)
This verse simply states the wonderful character of the God we serve. He is abounding in grace and compassion as He is faithful to never leave His children. Could there be any better promise? To consider the gracious nature of our God only causes us to rejoice and praise His magnificent name!

For the LORD

For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. (Psalm 37:28)
Eternal is the abundant life of God's people! Praise God forever! We shall be preserved and we shall delight in glorifying God unto everlasting! Hallelujah! Fear no rejection for you are His and all things are bound together for your good. Trust in the incredible love of the Lord and proceed in that same love to preach this gospel of preservation to the ripened fields of the lost!

The LORD taketh pleasure

The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. (Psalm 147:11)
A Prayer: Oh Lord, may there be in our hearts, at the same time, both a reverence of Your majesty and a resting in Your goodness, both a believing dread of Your wrath and a believing expectation of Your favour; not that we must hang in suspense between hope and fear, but we must act under the gracious influences of hope and fear. May our fear save our hope from swelling into presumption, and our hope save our fear from sinking into despair. May we hope in Your mercy, even when we cannot find a particular promise to stay ourselves upon!

-Matthew Henry

And wisdom and knowledge

And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, [and] strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD [is] his treasure. (Isaiah 33:6)
What a faithful God we serve! By His tender love for us, our incredible salvation is our strength and firm stability. His wealth of infinite wisdom and perfect knowledge affords us the privilege of trusting in God throughout our lives. Surely we worship an awesome and great Lord!

Who gave himself

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 2:14)
Our redemption and future life is assured: for Jesus Christ, the Lamb, was stricken down for our sakes and so every spiritual blessing is even now granted us! Christ demanded Himself a people and so He duly paid for one! We are His people! We are His sheep! We are His workmanship! We who believe are assured our salvation for the winning of it lay in the hand of He who has already won it!