PSALM 145 cont.

Continuing our time of meditation in Psalm 145…

Psalm 145:10-12 All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee.  They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.

The Hebrew for saints makes reference to “godly men, kind, and holy.”  These are the people who will humble themselves before God on bended knee in humility and adoration.  Saints are those who will tell others about the glory and splendor of God’s kingdom and of God’s amazing power.   They want other people to know all about God’s amazing miracles and the blessings of yielding to Him as Lord in your life. 

Can the world identify you as a saint in light of the truth of this scripture?

Psalm 145:13 “Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.”

One of the most amazing things about God’s kingdom is that it will never end; it will go on forever.  Those who are part of His kingdom will be a part of it forever.  I remember one definition for “forever” from another study—“time out of mind.”   That said it best to me, because even though we think we understand it, I don’t think we really comprehend it.  Our life here is such a minute speck on the “timeline” of eternity.  If we could really comprehend that truth as Christians, I don’t think we would struggle so much with temptation by the temporary pleasures of this world compared to the spiritual treasures that will be ours for eternity.

Psa. 145:14-16 The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.  The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.  Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.

The truth is that YHWH is ready, willing and able to strengthen, encourage, and comfort every person, but that encouragement/enablement is only given to those who have accepted Him as their Lord.

Acts 10:34-35 “Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:  But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.”

Psalm 18:30 “As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.”

1Timothy 4:10 “For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.”

These verses follow in context with those that are describing God’s Kingdom.  In God’s earthly kingdom there will be no citizen who suffers from lack of needed strength, comfort or provision.  “Every living thing” embraces plant and animal life as well.   Point is made that in God’s Kingdom He is the source of all strength, comfort and provision.  Every one in His kingdom will recognize that truth.  Though we know that some will reject him and join league with Satan in one last rebellion during the first 1000 years of His earthly kingdom, none will be able to deny that He is Almighty God.

Psalm 145:17 “The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.”

The LORD’s character never changes.  He is a God of justice; everything He does is right and good.  Everything He does is holy, kind and merciful (from the Hebrew).  It is this truth that answers all the questions that skeptics like to pose; e.g., what will happen to those that haven’t heard the gospel, etc.

Psalm 145:18-19 “The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.  He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.”

These verses help clarify the context of the preceding verses.  YHWH is ready and waiting to provide for those who accept Him as Lord.  There are many times that we don’t have simply because we do not ask.

James 4:2 “…yet ye have not, because ye ask not.”

Nahum 1:7 “The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.”

2 Chronicles 16:9 “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.”

Psalm 145:20 “The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.”

Scripture is clear all the way through that there is a different eternal destiny for those that love God and the wicked, those that reject Him as Lord.  One of my favorite Christian authors is George MacDonald, and he seems to believe in universalism, the view that everyone will eventually be saved.  I just don’t see where he gets it.  He creates characters that challenge me as I consider my own testimony before others, yet he seems to reject such an obvious truth.  No one likes the thought of fellow human beings suffering for eternity, especially Almighty God, but the holiness and righteousness of God demands that those in His kingdom be holy and righteous as well.  Wickedness and evil will not be a part of His eternal Kingdom.  He went to the extreme of coming Himself in human flesh to provide redemption for every man who will acknowledge Him as Lord.  The choice belongs to every person.  Each one that accepts Him is imputed the very righteousness of God.

2Corinthians 5:20-21 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

There are just too many scriptures to ignore the truth of eternal life and eternal condemnation.

Psalm 9:17 “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”

Matthew 10:28 “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

John 5:28-29 “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Revelation 20:15 “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Psalm 145:21 “My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.”

David confidently counted himself among those who acknowledge YHWH as Lord and who praise His name.  He was determined to publicly proclaim his praise of God.  His admonition:  All flesh should choose to honor God’s name forever and be counted as saints of His Kingdom.

I am not ashamed of speaking about my love for my God or declaring His truth.  I often struggle, however, with how to give a public witness more effectively.  I pray for the Lord to make me aware of every opportunity and to take hold of my mouth every time I share. 

INSIGHTS FROM PSALM 145

Psalm 145:1-2 “I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.  Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.”

This psalm is identified as a psalm of David.  David was proud to acknowledge God as “his God,” the supreme authority in his life.  Whether others recognized Him as such or not, David acknowledged God as King of His creation.  David declared his desire to praise God daily “forever and ever.”  This should be the mindset of every true believer today!

David expected to live for eternity; he expected to have life after death.  The Hebrew for the word bless made reference to kneeling and adoration and reveals David’s humbleness before God.

Psalm 145:3-4 “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.  One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.”

According to Webster the word great is an acknowledgement of many things.  It acknowledges YHWH, the LORD, the self-existent eternal God, as the Supreme Being, a being of the greatest strength and power, and a being of supernatural ability.  In David’s consideration, YHWH is worthy of great praise and His greatness beyond our ability to understand, as the prophet Isaiah so clearly states.

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

And the Apostle Paul…

Romans 11:33 “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”

David was confident that each generation would proudly share with their children the mighty acts of God on behalf of Israel.  The scripture is full of those mighty acts, including:

·      Delivering them from Egypt through ten supernatural plagues and parting the Red Sea in the process.

·      Providing manna during the wilderness wanderings.

·      Providing water from a rock.

·      Parting the Jordan River.

·      Causing the walls of Jericho to fall.

·      Causing the sun and moon to stand still so the Israelites could defeat the Amorites.

·      Sending fire from heaven to light the sacrifice offered by Elijah to expose the false god Baal.

·      Blinding the Syrian army in answer to Elisha’s prayer.

Psalm 145:5-7 “I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.  And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.  They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.”

This is basically another expression of the truth already expressed in the form of Hebrew poetry.  “Glorious honor” and “majesty” are references to excellence in goodness, beauty, magnificence and grandeur.  It’s like David can’t think of enough words to convey the praise he wants to shower on “his God.”

How often do we overflow with such awe, love and gratitude to do the same?

It’s interesting that David describes the mighty acts of a good God to be terrible (inspiring awe, fear and reverence); but it’s true.   How else would you describe turning water into blood, dust into gnats, causing ash thrown into the air to produce boils on all the Egyptians, sending locusts to destroy the crops, sending a plague of death that affected only firstborn sons, causing the earth to open up and swallow Korah and his followers, and sending a plague of fiery serpents in judgment on His own people.  These were all acts of righteous judgment by a holy, righteous God of love and mercy.

When God very boldly and publicly proves His authority and power, His people can’t help but talk about it.  The Jewish people have every reason to relish the memories of God’s goodness on their behalf. 

Psalm 145:8 “The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.

After speaking of God’s mighty “terrible acts,” David balances that with declarations of God’s…

·      Goodness – virtue, strength and potent power

·      righteousness - moral and just

·      graciousness - disposed to show kindness or favor.  This is actually grace in action—the desire to bless us when we don’t deserve it.

·      compassion - I liked Webster’s definition for compassion, “literally, suffering with another.”  I really wasn’t thinking about it in that way, but as a parent I can certainly identify with feeling pain with your child when they are in pain and feeling disappointment when they are disappointed, etc.  And we know that God is the most loving and caring of Fathers.

·      slow to anger – patient - I think we don’t truly appreciate God’s character trait of being “slow to anger.”  He doesn’t lose His temper and act without thoughtful purpose.  He recognizes our human limitations and our sin nature and gives us every opportunity to repent and obey before judging.

·      mercy – Webster defines it well:  “Forbearance to inflict harm under circumstances of provocation, when one has the power to inflict it; compassionate treatment of an offender or adversary.”  This is the other side of the coin with grace—withholding punishment when we deserve it.

As I think about these characteristics of God and His heart toward us, it is truly shameful that He is generally treated with more dishonor than honor, more rejection than acceptance, and more rebellion than obedience.

Psalm 145:9 “The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.”

I think that in the first part of this song David has been thinking more in terms of the nation of Israel.  At this point I think his thoughts are embracing all of mankind.  YHWH is good to all.  He makes the sun to shine, the rain to fall, and the earth to produce for both those that accept Him as Lord and those that reject Him.  He blesses every individual with natural talents and abilities.  Why?  Scripture tells us that it is God’s goodness that draws one to faith and repentance. 

Romans 2:4 “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”

In Hebrew the phrase “tender mercies” is a reference to the way a mother cherishes the child in her womb.  God cherishes all His creation, but scripture is clear that man is the special treasure of His creation that He created in His own image.

Genesis 1:26 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

Psalm 8:4-6 “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?  For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.  Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet….”

(to be continued…)

AN EASTER MEDITATION

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 10:11–18 “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep….As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep….Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.”

Isaiah 53:3–11 “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief….But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth….Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him….He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.”

Matthew 27:22–31 “Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children….Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall….And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.”

John 19:16–30 “And they took Jesus, and led him away.  And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:  Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.  And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS….After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”

Mark 15:37–39 “And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.”

John 19:38–42 “And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.”

Matthew 27:62–28:8 “Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.”

1 Corinthians 15:1–7 “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand….For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.”

John 20:24–29 “But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.  And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”

Acts 1:1–11 “The former treatise have I made…of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God…. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.  And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.  And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”

John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

John 14:1–3 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

1 Corinthians 15:50–57 “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

Behold, I shew 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Revelation 22:20 “….Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

THE RICHES OF GOD’S GRACE

For this post I am going to use an excerpt from my journal on Ephesians that reveals God’s great love for us and gives us a reason for living.

Ephesians 2:4-7 “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”

Almighty God, our Creator, is an amazing Being.  His defining characteristic is love. 

1John 4:8 “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”

Nothing about our God is small or limited in any way; He is rich in every attribute.  His love is great and His mercy abundant.  Beyond my understanding, His love toward every sinner is “great”—so great that He determined to provide for our spiritual rebirth through His Son, Jesus Christ, before He created anything.  God loves every sinner with the greatest love even though He hates their sin.  It’s by His grace, His gracious loving influence on our heart, that we are saved from His wrath, the just judgment of our sin.

I never get tired of repeating the precious old adage that grace is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.

God has created man to think in reference to time.  “The ages to come” is a reference to what we would call broad segments of time.  Because the context is in reference to our sitting in heavenly places, I believe this is a reference to eternity.  I don’t think one can discount the evidences of the richness of God’s grace towards His children in this life, but scripture seems to indicate that these riches are nothing compared to what is to come.

1Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

We are going to be blown away and greatly humbled as we consider how little we evidenced our gratitude in this lifetime for such provision.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

“By grace” – God’s divine influence upon your heart

“are you” – the sinner

“saved” – delivered from the wrath of God to restored fellowship with Him

“through faith” – implicit belief in God’s truth and authority

“and that not of yourselves” – Absolutely everything necessary to provide our            

      salvation is done by God.

“it” – your salvation

“is the gift of God” – an undeserved present from God the Father that only needs

      to be accepted

“not of works” – There is absolutely nothing we can do to add to the value of    

      God’s gift.  His gift alone is sufficient to redeem us.

“lest any man should boast” – It is God’s purpose for man to recognize that his whole life is dependent upon God.  Nothing man can do is a basis for bragging or considering himself deserving of glory.  ALL glory belongs to God. 

Isaiah 42:8 “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another….”           

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

I love the way the NLT expresses this verse:  “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

God is the master of everything He does, and it stands to reason that His workmanship produces only work of the highest quality, a masterpiece.  I couldn’t help but think of the lyrics to one of my favorite songs, “A Picture of Grace” by the Gaithers.

How skillful the hands of the artist
Who painted this picture of me
He saw with the eye's of a master
How beautiful my life could be

Where once was a portrait of gloom and despair
This masterpiece hangs in it's place
It's signed with his blood and it's framed with his glory
This beautiful picture of grace

Because we have been created anew in Christ Jesus, we have been imputed His righteousness and declared of the greatest value to God the Father.

2Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

2Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

John 16:27 “For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.”

Each person that places his/her faith in Christ Jesus as Savior has been created to follow His example and do good works.  In fact, it is only in Christ that we can do “good” works—works that have eternal benefit.  Any actions men perform on this earth that we classify as “good” I think is better classified as kind.  It may bring temporary benefit to the flesh for the recipient, but has no eternal benefit unless it leads to salvation, restored fellowship with the Lord or encouragement and edification in the body of Christ.  It has no eternal benefit to the “doer” unless done “as unto the Lord.”

“God hath before ordained” – Again, this goes back to God’s omniscience—an attribute I can define, but I can’t really comprehend.  God knows everything there is to know and has always known it.  I know that there have been many in Christendom who have denied that God could have known every choice we would make, reasoning that such knowledge would deny man’s ability to choose since what God “knows” is locked in, so to speak.  I strongly disagree with that reasoning.  In my thinking they are limiting God’s abilities—not man’s.  They are reasoning with man’s logic and labeling God with the same limited reasoning ability.  Not so.  His ways and understanding are far beyond our capabilities to understand.

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

BE OF GOOD CHEER…I HAVE OVERCOME!

The headlines are full of bad news these days.  They tout very little that is good in comparison.  The truth is that Jesus warned us His disciples that this would be the norm.  He told them to expect tribulation and trouble in this world.  He told them that His followers specifically would face hate and persecution—just as He did. 

John 15:18–20 “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.”

Christians in the United States have been allowed to experience a long period marked more by respect than persecution, but the tide is quickly turning.  Those who choose to follow Jesus as Lord and are trying to live their lives in accordance with the word of God are being singled out for persecution for those beliefs to the point of having to choose between their livelihood and their faith. Those who truly try to live according to God’s will as revealed in His word are considered radicals that are categorized with terrorists.  The influence of the forces of darkness is growing at an alarming rate. 

Thankfully, the Christian can rest in the truth that God is still sovereign and His plan is unfolding exactly as He has purposed.  When the time is right, the Lord is going to return in power and great glory and eliminate those forces forever.  The future of the Christian is one of peace, joy and abundance in the presence of God for eternity.

 (designed by my granddaughter Christine)

 (Click on pics for larger view)