Psalm 147

¹⁰ His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
       nor his delight in the legs of a man;

 ¹¹ the LORD delights in those who fear him,
       who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Its not in what you can do that He delights

Its not in what you achieve

Its not even in what you are

What does He desire?

What does He want?

Not what do I or you want?

What does He want?

For in knowing the answer to this you find the answer to what you want.

If He delights in Himself and He is still totally humble and holy

How amazing must He be?

Father, Son, Spirit

Delighting in each other

For each give to each other with no hesitation

Each love without merit

Each glorify without end

If Jesus can delight in doing only what the Father wants how much more should I delight in putting all my hope in His unfailing love.

Un...........failing.........

The psalms loves putting things in couplets - ie. saying the same thing twice in two different ways

So He is not into the strength of the things we own - horses

He is not into your legs....or where you can go or what you can do - your ability

So what he wants is for you to Fear Him

Which is to put your Hope in Him which is all of your wanting being placed in His unfailing Love

So what he wants is for you to Hope in Him

Which is to fear Him which is realizing He is what this 'whole thing' is about and loving that

Don't love that?

Simply turn back to Him and behold His glory

Repent.

The gift of repentance is the gift to know Him.

Right now that gift is before you to be opened.

Something like this "Jesus you are God....and I am sorry.....forgive me Lord....thankyou....you know my heart...I place my faith, hope and love in you today....help me to follow you with all that I am...with all of my life....so that I might know you and others might see you"

Your turn.

It all hangs on this...

+jk

Where can we go? Our brothers have made us lose heart.  They say, 'The people are stronger and taller than we are;the cities are large, with walls up to the sky...Deuteronomy 1:28


Where and what has God called you to?  Is it bigger than you? Is it impossible?
Good. 
It might just be about His glory and not yours.
Good.

Possessing the promise land for the Israelites was God's design, it wasn't their idea.
Their question therefore 'Where can we go?' or 'What way can we go up into the land?' was not based on what God desired but rather what man feared.

If the fear of what others think is louder in our hearts than what God desires we will lose heart.

What is it to lose heart?
To lose heart is to lose courage.
Courage is always coupled with the purpose of God.
Courage is always coupled with His glory.
Discouragement is always coupled with self, seasoned with victim mentality, blaming others for our lack of heart.

Courage.

Two spies came back with a positive report, ten negative...difference...faith.
Believing what God says is true. 
Faith always results in courage.
Its a gift because you know it is possible even though you have done nothing and logically it is totally impossible.

The cities we are called to reach are intense.
Its real.
It will eat you up and spit you out.
Its imposible.
Its too difficult.
Its too dark.
Its too large.
Its too...
Its too...
Its too...

It was His design not your idea.
He commanded you, you didn't ask.

It is not your fear driving you to reach a city it is His heart for humanity to know His glory.

You lose sight of His Glory you lose courage, you lose courage, you lose heart, you lose heart, you lose purpose, you lose purpose, you lose.

Our Heart His Courage.

Our Heart His Love.

Our broken hearts His unending Grace.

As we live for His glory courage comes like a flood.

Do not lose heart friend, lose your heart in His glory.


It all hangs on this...


+jk

PSALM 46:1 God is our refuge and strength,

     an ever-present help in trouble.

I am a refugee in this world

Searching for a place of peace in amidst the war that rages on the inside and outside

Everyone needs a refuge

Everyone needs strength

Everyone is in need

Everyone is in trouble

All have fallen short and need catching

We need catching today

We need arms that can catch us

We need help now

The present is always now

Our need is ever+present

Where do we go for our refuge?

Where do we go for a little bit more strength?

What thoughts invade our minds to help us survive another war torn day?

Our refuge

Our strength

Our trouble

Our present

It is all connected…

Can you see it?

Humanity is hurting

Our hearts need changing

Our hearts are fallen

Our hearts are holding on by a thread of pride

It won't hold.

Wait.

For.

He.

Who.

Is.

Ever+present.

In the beginning He was present

In the end He is present

Now He is present

JESUS.

THE PERFECT MAN.

EMMANUEL.

GOD WITH US.

CHRIST.

SAVIOR OF HUMANITY.

OUR REFUGE.

OUR STRENGTH.

EVER+PRESENT.

THE CROSS CROSSES ETERNITY TO REACH INTO MY HEART NOW.


LORD YOU ARE MY REFUGE + STRENGTH

WHERE THE EVER MEETS MY PRESENT

IT ALL HANGS ON THIS.

+jk

Luke 20:38
He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive."


If you read this scripture in context it is truly fascinating.

The Sadducees try to stump Jesus with a question about the resurrection because they did not believe in the resurrection...their belief reflected that their hearts were dead.

For hearts that are alive bear witness by the Holy Spirit that the resurrection is true

Jesus said that even Moses gave witness to the resurrection for Moses engaged with God as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob...

These were physically dead guys...but in Christ they were not

Even though Abraham was dead he was alive for the faith that God gave him to believe made him alive in Christ even before Christ died on the cross and rose again for God saw the beginning and the end because He is alpha and omega...

We are children of the resurrection, children of the alpha and omega, confident that we will live forever with our creator, for Christ was the first to rise from the grave...

He is the God of the resurrection

He is the God of life

He is not the God of the dead for there cannot be a dead God

Many believe in dead gods and therefore are dead

Our God took on the sin of the world, the punishment for our sin, died on a cross and still death could not hold him down

Live today with the boldness that comes from believing in a God who makes all things alive

Saddducees had no more questions, they were stumped...

Man made religion and idols lead to death

God made believers, live forever

Believe.


it all hangs on this
+jk

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”- Joshua 1:9


I love that God asks questions...that makes me smile.

It is interesting what God commands of us
Sometimes in religious piety we are tricked into thinking God has commanded us to be weak and afraid...
But perhaps what we miss is that we are weak without being commanded to be weak - that's why we need grace

God's saving work through the CROSS+ is so confronting to me
I realised last sunday that I murdered God

Seriously...

Yet the Father allowed His son to take all our murderous sin upon himself
Jesus did it willingly out of love for His Father and for a fallen humanity

Who do I think I am to be afraid or insecure when a Most Holy & Perfect God died for me?

So today I receive the command of God...

BE STRONG & COURAGEOUS
DO NOT BE TERRIFIED
DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED


Why and How?

Because the CROSS+ has shown me that the Lord God will always be with me wherever I go.

He meets me at my point of weakness everyday through the cross, looks into my eyes and commands me to:

BE STRONG & COURAGEOUS
DO NOT BE TERRIFIED
DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED


it all hangs on this
+jk