Nuggets – Song of the Rock

Posted on March 18, 2019 by

Song of the Rock
“And David spake unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul.” (2 Samuel 22:1) 

This is the first verse of a remarkable poem inserted here near the end of 2 Samuel. With certain significant exceptions, it is the same as the 18th Psalm. David wrote many wonderful psalms, but this is the only one also found in the historical books and so must have special significance. In view of 2 Samuel 23:1-2 (“these be the last words of David”), it may even be David’s last psalm, as slightly modified by him from Psalm 18, just before his death.

In 2 Samuel 22:2-3, he ascribed nine wonderful names to God: rock, fortress, deliverer, God of my rock, shield, horn of my salvation, high tower, refuge, Savior. In the midst of this unique list of metaphors appears his statement of faith: “In him will I trust.” Although this psalm flows from David’s personal experiences, these words are quoted inHebrews 2:13 as coming from the lips of Christ in His human incarnation. Thus, the song is actually also a Messianic psalm. Its testimonies go far beyond the experiences of David, reflecting the mighty events of Christ in creation, at the judgment of the great Flood, and His work as our Redeemer. It is significant that the concluding name in David’s list is Savior, which is the Hebrew yasha—essentially the same as “Jesus.”

Two of the names (Hebrew cela and tsur) are translated “rock,” but refer to different kinds of rock. They are the same words used for the rocks from which God provided water for His people in the wilderness (Exodus 17:6; Numbers 20:11), except that the order is reversed. One is the great rock of provision, the other the smitten rock of judgment. Our God of creation, Jesus Christ, is our daily sustenance but first must also be our sin-bearing Savior. HMM

From the Institute for Creation Research

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Nuggets – The Mercy of the Lord

Posted on March 17, 2019 by

The Mercy of the Lord
“The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.” (Psalm 145:8) 

Not one of us deserves God’s mercy, for “we have turned every one to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6), and “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). What we deserve is death and eternal separation from the God who made us. Nevertheless, “it is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not” (Lamentations 3:22). “He hath not dealt with us after our sins. . . . For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him” (Psalm 103:10-11).

It is by His mercy, not our merit, that we are saved. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us” (Titus 3:5). “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;)” (Ephesians 2:4-5). It is “according to his abundant mercy” that He has “begotten us again unto a lively hope” (1 Peter 1:3).

In fact, one of the very titles of God is “the Father of mercies” (2 Corinthians 1:3). Over and over the psalmist assures us that “his mercy endureth for ever” (26 times in Psalm 136:1-26; also Psalm 106:1; 107:1; 118:1; etc.). His mercy is not only infinite, but eternal.

How can one possibly reject His mercy? “Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering?” (Romans 2:4). Sadly, most do. Instead, the divine challenge is: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:1-2). This is our logical response to God’s great mercy! HMM

From the Instittute for Creation Research

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The Battle in the Mind–from “Conversations with the Seer”

Posted on March 16, 2019 by

Immortality Road

(Formerly in Israel, if a man went to inquire of God, he would say, “Come, let us go to the seer,” because the prophet of today used to be called a Seer.  I Samuel 9: 9)

I didn’t have to say anything.  I’m sure that my countenance said it all.   The Seer once told me that my face telegraphed quite clearly what was in my heart.  And yet he asked, “What is troubling you?”

I said, “I’m not sure.  I think some doubts are creeping in about God and things.”

“Doubtful thoughts are a formidable weapon that our enemy uses.  They are like mortars hurled at us during those long blackouts that we must endure.”

“It is worse at night.”

“Yes, under the cover of darkness, the doubtful thoughts charge onto the battlefield of our mind.  And the battle insufferably rages on.  Two opposing armies of thought are clashing.  Each is establishing a beachhead in our mind.  Both…

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Nuggets – Destroy Them, O God

Posted on March 16, 2019 by

Destroy Them, O God
“Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.” (Psalm 5:10) 

No less than 20 of the psalms contain what are known as “imprecations”—that is, prayers to God to judge and destroy the wicked—and this verse is the first of them. As such, it sets the pattern, helping us to understand why the Lord would include such vindictive prayers in His inspired Word. At first, they seem incongruous with a God of love and mercy who has told us to love our enemies, but they help us to understand that God also must judge sin—especially the sin of rebellion. In them, we are taught to see the sin of rebellion in its true light—through the eyes of a loving Creator who has been rejected to the point of no return.

It is one thing to commit an act of wickedness when overcome by temptation; it is quite another thing for men to deliberately rebel against God Himself, seeking by their “counsels” to turn others against Him, and even, if it were possible, to destroy Him and His Word altogether.

This is the age-long sin of Satan, as well as that of the leaders of both ancient paganism and modern evolutionary humanism. Like the psalmist David, we must pray for God to defeat them and their counsels, for otherwise they will continue to lead multitudes of others into their own transgression. There is still room for forgiveness of individual sinners, of course—even among such as these—if they come in true repentance, but most such rebels are already irrevocably hardened against God and His Word. The appropriate prayer in such a case is (as David prayed in another of the imprecatory psalms): “Scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield. . . . let them even be taken in their pride” (Psalm 59:11-12). HMM

From the Institute for Creation Research

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Strongholds: Joshua 17

Posted on March 16, 2019 by

chhose God’s promises versus com- promises and win!

Bible in a Year Blog

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Today’s reading: Joshua 16-18.

I built snow forts when I was a boy. They offered good protection from the other guy as you lobbed snowballs into his fort. But one thing I never realized about snow forts back then: you were a sitting duck as you huddled in your fort. Today many Christians allow spiritual fortresses in their lives. These strongholds offer the enemy safety as he lobs spiritual darts into our heart. All the while many of us put up with the attacks, never realizing that the enemy is a sitting duck. The Israelites made the same mistake as they settled Canaan.

Manasseh also had Beth Shan, Ibleam and the people of Dor, Endor, Taanach and Megiddo, together with their surrounding settlements… Yet the Manassites were not able to occupy these towns, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that region. However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they subjected the…

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The Big Clean-Up

Posted on March 16, 2019 by

My family is in the middle of a comprehensive basement cleaning project that has now stretched into its second month. When we built our house, I insisted on a ranch lay-out so that I could avoid endless days of climbing stairs. Clif agreed so long as we had a full basement shop area under the living space. Sounded like a great idea, and it would be if it were neat and organized. But before this project commenced, our basement was a total mess, euphemistically and only slightly hyperbolically, referred to our ‘unlicensed landfill.’ It was (and still is) filled with all kinds of stuff of varying degrees of usefulness.

Our cleaning project has uncovered outgrown toys, set pieces for long-closed high school theatrical productions, boxes of keepsakes, homeschooling curriculum, stored furniture, all kinds of tools and hardware (I’m convinced we have at least one of every kind of fastener ever made), art supplies, kitchen cast-offs, plus building supplies including, paints, stains, air ducts, ventilation fans, sheet rock, plywood, 2x4s, and various trash-diving finds. I mean, we even have an elevator door down there. It’s crazy! I’m not kidding when I say that you barely even walk down there, much less find anything.

Unloading at the Landfill

But now, thanks to my oldest daughter who’s spearheading the massive project, it’s a lot better. We’ve given away, stored away, and thrown away so much stuff! In fact, the last trip to the dump helped us shed 1860 pounds of useless garbage. Now, I’m thrilled to say we can even see most of floor!

But as we crawl along with this project, digging our way out from under this massive heap of junk, a thought came to me…

Our basement is kind of like a Christian’s soul.

Continue reading →

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Nuggets – No King in Israel

Posted on March 15, 2019 by

No King in Israel
“In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 17:6) 

Four times in the book of Judges we are told that “there was no king in Israel in those days” (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25), indicating that the book must have been compiled either by Samuel (the last judge) or someone else of his or a later generation. The first and last of these (which is the final verse in the book) add that “every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” With no centralized government, there were only tribal leaders. Occasionally, one of these would acquire followers from other tribes; these were the “judges” whom God raised up to lead the people out of bondage on the occasions of widespread repentance and prayer.

The intervening periods were times of oppression by enemies and moral and spiritual chaos among the people. They did have a King, of course, but they refused Him, as did the men in the parable who “sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us” (Luke 19:14). When they finally requested a human king, Samuel rebuked them for saying, “Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the Lord your God was your king” (1 Samuel 12:12).

Lest we be too critical of the ancient Israelites for rejecting God as their king and going each his own way, that is essentially what people are doing today. “There is no fear of God before their eyes,” and they are “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God” (Romans 3:18; 2 Timothy 3:4). When every man believes what is comfortable and does as he pleases, he in effect becomes his own god, and this is nothing but humanism. But just as this ancient humanism was empty and the people soon desired a human king, so modern atheistic humanism will also revert to pantheism, and the world will then yield to a humanistic king to lead them on to a final deadly confrontation with the true King of kings. HMM

From the Institute for Creation Research

 

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Nothing like old news!

Posted on March 15, 2019 by

Time and tide waits for no man . We must enjoy the ride.

Grandpa's Stories for Young Boys

Ah, to be a paperboy again!  This dates back about 75 years ago when I was a whippersnapper. …….  Today, I may be a poet.

My ears fill with the metered hiss

Of the wound- tight newspapers

As they sail into the porches

Of my Beachmont  route

Composing a riff of rhythmic thuds,

as they break the silence of the moist Kentucky morn

Now and then an impatient subscriber ventures out

To retrieve or catch the news in flight;

Their robes clutched about them

And, treating me to an occasional wave,

Each paper, a payment on my self esteem

And, a sponsor of a fresh doughnut…..

First-customer delivered , for my trip home

Along the long downhill bridle path

Recently, I visited those same spaces

Some seventy years hence, via the internet

All of those sweet little houses

That once relished fresh news

Had gone sour with the push of time;

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Gates of Hell

Posted on March 14, 2019 by

gates

In biblical times gates were extremely important. Continue reading →

Posted in A CLICK A BLESSING TODAY, Christian Teens Blog JF, CHRISTIAN TEENS BLOGS, Christian Teens Blogs - He is my Peace, Christian Teens Blogs - He is my Peace, Light and Refuge, STRONGHOLD SMASHERS | Tagged , | Leave a comment

ChristianBlessings needs two Filipino/a bloggers

Posted on March 14, 2019 by

As readers from the Philippines have increased much, ChristianBlessings would like to recruit two Philippine national writers to write especially to encourage the expatriates away from home

– from village to towns and cities

– from Home country Philippines to the rest of the world – in America, Middle East, Southeast Asia and on the highseas with tour ships et al

We would like to encourage one another  in the marketplace, workplace, family, church and homes.

If you are interested to share your walk with the Lord with others in blogging please write confidentially to me  ( ptl2010 Administrator of ChristianBlessings ) at

christianblessings10@gmail.com

To save time and allow me to select the best among us, could you please furnish the following information :

Your

– full  name n address n email

– age, occupation , probable topics you specialise in or would blog about

– if you have a blog – your blog reference

– if you do not have a blog , why you  should  be the selected Philippino ChristianBlessings contributor and attach a recent sample blog you have written .

I shall respond / reply to every applicant and look forward to introducing our new Contributors soon. Thank you.

ptl2010

 

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