Praise. That’s right, starting off with just, praise.
Praise, and thanks. Gotta just let it all out. Gotta just let it flow in the small moments of time that I have.
And, really, I’m thankful for these small pockets. These interims.
Just as I’m thankful for the finished work of Christ. That’s right, we’re jumping into that right away… Because, really, nothing else matters.
Rather, nothing else matters, but Christ’s finished work precedes and makes everything else matter.
I’m thankful for the finished work of Christ. I’m thankful for His birth, death, resurrection and ascension.
I’m thankful for the birth of Christ – proof that the Son of God was willing to forsake His glory, and to be born as one of us. I thank God, because by the birth of Christ we know that He wanted to be with us. It’s no wonder that in announcing His birth, one title given to Him was Emmanuel – God WITH us.
I thank God, because by the death of Christ, He proved the absolute love that God has for us – He was willing, not only to forsake eternal glory, but also to forsake all of His being in this time and space bound existence, as a sacrifice and propitiation of our sin. His death proved He became our sin.
I thank God, because by the resurrection of Christ, He proved the everlasting aspect of God’s love for us – Just as it is a perfect love that casts out fear, Christ’s resurrection proves His eternal life casts out death. Christ’s resurrection was a signal of our dying and becoming new creations ourselves.
I thank God, because by the ascension of Christ, He expanded His presence – from being only with His disciples, to being with the entire body of Christ, all achieved by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Christ’s ascended, and, again, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon us.
Thank You, Lord!
August 16, 2025
Psalm 16
You Will Not Abandon My Soul
A MIKTAM OF DAVID.
1 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”
3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.
4 The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.
In everything that is going on, there is some solid concern and some real peace to be had and to be taken in from knowing that we have a God in whom we are firmly able to take refuge. In all that is uncertain, we are certain of a firm Foundation, and confident in a solid Rock.
No matter what we are led to believe, no matter what is going on in our own minds, we have God – the living God, the Creator of all things seen and unseen, the incomparably glorious Father – we have God as our refuge. We are safe in our Father.
Indeed, we can depend on Him, and we trust in Him – not only because we are safe in Him, but also because all that is good comes from Him. And we read more of this in other Scripture. In Proverbs 10:22 we read that God adds no sorrow to His blessings.
Thank You, Father – for now, as in always, we are safe in You, and we have all that is good from You.
We have all the more reason to delight in You, and sure as we continue to recognize Your goodness and Your greatness, we also continue to realize that You delight in us, as we are brought to delight in You.
Oh, that more and more in this world would allow their eyes to be opened to the Light, and their ears to not only hear, but to listen to the Word! Oh, that more and more would be rescued from sorrows, and more and more would be brought into repentance!
5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
7 I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.
8 I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
We give thanks to God, for Jesus Christ – for the only begotten Son forsook His glory, was born and lived as one of us. And beyond this, He was willing to take on the cup of wrath – yes, He became sin, and drained the cup of death and separation down to the dregs, that we would say that the LORD is our chosen portion, the Lord is our cup, and, indeed, our cup runs over.
He took on the cross, crying out, ‘My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?‘ – in order for us to say, ‘the lines have fallen for me in pleasant places, and I have a beautiful inheritance.‘
Because of the everlasting love of our Father, guaranteed to us by way of the only begotten Son of God, we are able to proclaim that we have the mind of Christ – not only is the counsel of the Lord spoken to us, but it is present in our mind. What a beautiful thought, a glorious consideration – that our God thinks with us, and we think with God. Our thoughts are made in Him, and His thoughts (higher than our thoughts, His ways deeper than ours) are made in our minds as well.
As we dream dreams and are brought visions, so this heart we now have in Christ instructs us, even as we rest.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.
11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Thank You so much, Father! Thank You for these realizations, and thank You for these meditations.
Indeed, may all our being and may all concerning us be ministered to and blessed,
and may our heavenly Father be greatly glorified in all that happens, and in all that is going on.
August 16, 2025
(written on some salvaged paper)
So apparently I still don’t know how to handle my Saturdays. I may not have anything going on, but Mom does. Lanz does. And my initial reaction is to hate it.
Maybe I’m just programmed to hate it. Maybe I’m just like this because I absolutely insist that I really shouldn’t be doing much on Saturday. Or, yeah, I’m led to remember that graphic that’s been on my social media feeds as of late – the one that says, ‘Don’t confuse rest for availability‘, or something like that.
No need for speculation. No need to analyze any further – No, right away, I call on the Creator of the Universe, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, and of Time and Space – I call on no less than my Wonderful, Everlasting FATHER to just help me, here and now. I’m not feeling so great, I don’t feel as accomplished as I expect; I want more done but at the same time I want to rest and recharge.
1 The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.
2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the spirit.
3 Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.
Proverbs 16:1-3
My trust is in my Everlasting Father, from whom the preparations of my heart, and the answer of my tongue comes from. I lift all my work endeavors, my business concerns, my ministry ideas, oh, I lift up ALL of me to the LORD, and I count on Him to establish my thoughts. Oh, LORD – Help me, please. Establish me, please.
9 The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.
Proverbs 16:9
Claiming the promise of the Word, here and now, that I have the mind of Christ. I am a New Creation, as Christ resurrected from the dead; I am in a New Covenant, (I am) made completely new from the inside out, filled with the Spirit of the Living God;
Thank You, Lord. Yes, I’m resorting to thanksgiving. I’m resorting to praise. I’m resorting to giving God the glory, in spite of the idle time. By the power of the Holy Spirit, I’m being brought to give thanks and praise to my Father, and to Jesus my Savior, no matter how bored, frustrated, anxious, restless – no matter how I am feeling, I am pushing my entire being to say, thank You, Father, thank You, Jesus, thank You, Holy Spirit.
Oh, thank You so much for Your faithfulness to me, in and through all my years of existence. Thank You, Father, for Your great love for me, here and now. Be exalted and glorified, Father. Be exalted and glorified in all things. Oh, praise and glory to Your name, thank You LORD, thank You for Life, for Light; Just, THANK YOU LORD! You’ve never left me, You’ve never given up on me, You’ve never let me go!
You’re here with me now, in all my thoughts and feelings; Minister to me, Lord, here and now!
Glory, GLORY to You, Lord!
August 17, 2025
Work’s not until tomorrow but as early as now I’m just getting my head straight.
The week’s technically started and I really shouldn’t just be focused on the three days of work, but also on the days after that, where I’m not necessarily resting, but available for other things.
But as early as now I’m just getting my head straight.
And as I’ve started this tirade, so I continue by just giving praise and thanks to God.
Paul tells us to rejoice always, so I’m rejoicing now. In spite of all my failures, shortcomings and stumblings, and in spite of all that I’m apparently dreading that’s to come, I’m rejoicing now.
I rejoice, as Paul rejoiced in, of all places, prison. Prison conditions here and now are bad, and I could imagine how things back then, while in incarceration, could do so much worse to a prisoner’s mind, body, and, well, his entire being.
I rejoice as Paul rejoices, giving all glory to God in all that is going on, in all that has happened, and fully aware of what is to come.
Indeed, it’s during these times of dread that we give more recognition to the perfect love of our Creator. It’s in darkness that we see the value of God’s eternal light. It’s in trial that we see the endless and absolute value of Christ’s finished work.
We praise and worship our God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – fully recognizing the terror and the pain and the anxiety, but also well appreciating the absolute and infinite superiority of our God, in all His glory and grace.
We praise and worship our God during these times because it’s IN these times that we know that He is with us, so close to us – faithful to us, never leaving us.
It cannot be avoided. Praise comes with thanks. And we give thanks as Paul prescribes, giving thanks and expressing our gratitude, with all that we have inside of us, and in spite of all that we are feeling – because, again, just as we praise Him, we thank Him for His faithfulness to us.
The world would turn its back against us, or if it does turn towards us, it is in hostility – but we keep on keeping on, giving thanks to God, knowing for a fact – rather, knowing the TRUTH that even and especially during these times, He is with us. He is as close to us as He could ever be, and we can breathe easily, knowing that we will always be with Him.
The more we thank God for His faithfulness, the more we find ourselves thanking Jesus for His finished work, and all He did in order for us to enjoy this presence, this absolute union and this forever reconciliation with the Creator of the Universe.
The more we find ourselves seeing the value of Christ, and thanking Him for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, who constantly reminds us, of our right-standing with God – in fact, indeed, we are so reconciled that we are able to call this Maker of all, this God of Israel, the only God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – we’re able to call this magnificent and awesome God our own Father.
I’ve oft said it to our congregation, and I’m telling myself now: There are more reasons to thank God that there are to complain. There are more reasons to give thanks than there is to give any further heed to fear and anxiety.
Christ is with us through is all, and we have a great Helper to guide us in all.
Thank You, Lord.
Indeed, I recognize, value and appreciate the Holy Spirit and His faithfulness in serving His role – to the world, and to me. He is faithful to constantly convict me of sin, righteousness, and judgment, just as He convicts the world. This means I am constantly reminded of the Truth regarding trusting in the Lord – We trust in Him for those who have yet to know Him, we thank Him for our forever right-standing with Him, and we trust and thank Him, knowing that sin and death and the enemy of our souls will eventually have its end, in God’s perfect time.
The Holy Spirit ministers to me at work, at church, as I drive, as I talk, as I think, as I write. I am in constant communication with the Father, and I am constantly, consistently being renewed, and consequently consistently transformed by the renewing of my mind.
It doesn’t matter where I am, who I’m with, what I’m thinking, and whether I’m flowing in success or wallowing in failure – the Lord has me, and I am the Lord’s.
Thank You, Father.
Thank You, Jesus.
Thank You, Holy Spirit.
Be honored and praised, now and forever. Be glorified in my mind, my body, my soul and the rest of my being; Be glorified in my past, my present, and my future.
Be glorified as You minister to me in the present, from the past and for the future… unto forever.
Thank You, for everything!
All in the name of Jesus, amen.
Let us all have a good and great and glorious week ahead.
Our Father be glorified.
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