AMERICA: BLESSED NATION

By the word of the Lord were the heavens
made, their starry host by the breath of
His mouth. He gathers the waters of the
sea into jars; He puts the deep into store-
houses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let
all the people of the world revere Him. For
He spoke, and it came to be;
He commanded, and it stood firm. The
Lord foils the plans of the nations; He
thwarts(opposes) the purposes of the
peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand
firm forever, the purposes of His heart
through all generations(Psalms 33:6-11.)

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance. From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from His dwelling place He watches all who live on earth---He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everthing they do. No king is saved by the size of his army;no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death, and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You( Psalms 33:12-22.)

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ENCOURAGEMENT: Let us continue to praise the Lord for His holy word that continues to speak to us today as we study and hide it in our hearts. Just as we received Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior, we must continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as we are taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

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PEOPLE

Traveling through life from day to day,

we meet people of ev'ry type on our way;

Some are witty, some are wise,

there're those who may wear disguise;

Some who care,

and desire to share,

then... there're those who live,

who strain and strive to gain... but to never give;
There're those whose concern is always

for others,

who considers all mankind,

as sisters and brothers;

Then there're those who hate

for the sake of hate;

while others love

for the beauty of love;

People of ev'ry type

are stirred within society's mix,

some blindly walk in darkness...

falls for the enemy's tricks,

still...

they're contributors to this existence of life...

gossiping, complaining, criticizing,

and creating strife;

So, when or whatever part each person will play,

it's sufficient at that time...

for that day---

who can be the judge of this"people,"

and not consider self,

it behooves each of us...

to remember,

God has the final say.

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IGNORE ME NOW--SEEK ME LATER

How convenient for you to ponder,

"later I've not time,

talks too much,

I've things more important to do,

always in wonder of what's on my mind;

talking 'bout my soul and such."

Well... one day maybe,

you'll have time to see,

and then your heart will agree...

no one cares for you like me;

my soul purpose is that you will be,

happy, healthy, blessed and free;

not bound, not limited, and not abused,

sharing "only" what you desire

and what you choose;

able to stand firm and strong,

in the place where you belong;

ignore me now...seek me later,

you'll find me

in the shadows of your mind,

patiently awaiting your attention...

"thanks for sharing,

you're very kind,"

ignore me now...seek me later,

the latter is the greater;

remember, you're not alone

my roots are there...running deep

even when the tree is gone.

Living as Children of Light

As childen of God, we must no longer live as the unbelievers do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality(devotion to or preoccupied with the senses or appitites; deficient in moral, spiritual, or intellectual interests,) so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.

We, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely we heard of Him and were taught in Him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. We were taught with regard to our former way of life, to put off our old self, which was being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of our minds; and to put on the new self , created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, each of us must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to our neighbor, for we are all members of one body. In our anger we must not sin...must not let the sun go down while we're still angry...must not give the devil a foothold. We're not to let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom we were sealed for the day of redemption. Let's get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. We must be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave us. We should be imitators of God, as dearly beloved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Let us(Christians) be careful how we live---not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity , because the days are evil. We must not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. We must not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, we must be filled with the Spirit...speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs...singing and making music in our hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Let's submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

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Supporting Scriptures: Ephesians 4:17-29; 5:1;15;18-21

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TO STAY ENCOURAGED

This we can do in

the Lord,

By His power, His love,

His word;

He gave us Jesus,

Jesus gave His life;

bore the cross,

took the beating;

shed His blood,

He's our Savior;

He made us free,

from fear, doubt and defeat,

while walking in His love,

we're not lost;

we'll occupy 'til His return,

we'll study to show

ourselves approved

living what we learn;

ev'ry day,

we'll obey,

we'll worship,

we'll stand firm,

we'll also watch and pray.

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In The Heat of The Day

---I say

"get away from

crawly pest,

flying things;

and at best,

those that sting;"

---I say

"find a cool drink,

a spot to lay;

don't bother to think,

enjoy your day;"

---I say

"drift along,

within your mind;

hum a song,

you're special...one of a kind;"

---So, remember

in the heat of the day,

listen to your heart;

hear it say,

"take a rest

it's good for you,

also, I need it too."

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PAIN

Webster defines 'pain' as punishment; unpleasant or distressing sensation due to bodily injury or disorder; acute mental or emotional distress or suffering: Grief, the throes of childbirth; care, trouble; to make suffer or cause distress: Hurt. To put (oneself) to trouble or exertion. Syffer.

So when I say, "it pains me to see people troubled or giving in to problems and doubt," what I'm saying is, "I care." For us to experience ' caring' is to share a glimpse of how much we grieve our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As a parent, and lover of my children, it's grevious to witness their fears, doubts, and disobedience...knowing how much I care for them. Therefore, my concern is an experince that comes from the Lord and keeps me prayerful and growing in faith. This is truth and comes from the depth of my being...my soul!

You see only God (Who is Love, our Keeper, and our Source) places concern for us on the hearts and minds of His people (born-again, Spirit-filled Christians who are walking in the Spirit and hears and obeys the voice of the Lord) to pray for our safety, our peace, joy and strength; to keep us safe from all danger and destruction; to keep us free from worry; so that we can be happy, content and safe from falling into divers temptations and tricks of our enemy(Satan). We are sure to be blessed when God's obedient people pray. We NEED their prayers.

Our Father knows our needs, and He cares for us so much that He gave us His only Son; Jesus who shed His blood, suffered for us and gave His life. His shed blood is available to wash away our sins. His blood is the 'only' blood with cleansing power. His body carried our sins to the grave where they were buried with Him...and He left them there when He arose. He is the'only' Savior who arose from the dead and is still alive. He appeared before His followers to assure them that He had kept the Words of His Father and the promise that He had made to them. For a while He remained on earth with them; reassuring them of His promise and establishing them in the truth before ascending to His Father. He ascended higher than all the heavens in order to fill the whole universe.

We can refuse to 'grieve' our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He suffered for us and set us free by His death on the cross...only believe, accept and obey His Word. Just like David; I can attest to God's love for me. I had to face threats of my enemies, consequences of my sins, and challenges of deep sorrow. Through it all, I came to recognize God's healing power and unmerited grace. He forgave me, healed me, redeemed me, crowned me with love and compassion; He satisfies my desires and renews me daily. God provides justice and righteousness and is gracious and loving. He never leaves us. His love is unconditional. We NEED to praise Him; praising God puts hope in our troubled hearts. We are responsible for working out our own soul's salvation. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. We are God's children and He does not force us to love Him...He allowed us to choose life or death. Whatever the choice; He still loves us. However, we must keep in mind that we will reap what we sow and the consequences of our choices.

We as parents must not exasperate(irritate, make grevious) our children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Our children are to obey us in the Lord, for this is right. "Honor your father and mother...which is the first commandment with promise...that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."

We can live in obedience to God, by putting off the old self which is corrupted by its deceitful desires. We can be made new in the attitude of our mind by putting on the new self; created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

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Supporting Scriptures: Psalm 103; Matthew 28:1-8; Ephesians 4:9, 17-20; 6:1-4

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