Poem

 Namib

Water streams to shores of desolation

scattering bones on sun-seared sands.

Mirage mountains shimmer in heat.

An emerald oasis stands out with life.

Worn, gray bathers frolic in the waters;

mothers and calves shower in coolness

as evening overtakes the heat of day.

Verses For The Week

 John 15:17 -- "This I command you that you love one another."

II John 6a-- "And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments."

Weekend Sermon -- Zephaniah Part One

 Thank you for taking the time to read the sermon this week. I am thankful for the opportunity the Lord has provided to post this message.

As I mentioned last week, we are starting a short series on the Old Testament book of Zephaniah. Zephaniah is one of the Minor Prophets. They are distinguished from the major Prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah due to the brevity of most Minor Prophet's writings. Their message was not minor in any way. 

I have always enjoyed studying the Minor Prophets. In Bible college, I had the opportunity to to study the Minor Prophets for two full semesters.

Let's start with a little background on Zephaniah. He was a descendent of King Hezekiah making him a member of the royal family.

Hezekiah was a good King who followed the Lord and led his people to follow the Law of Moses. Unfortunately, when Hezekiah died, his heirs on the throne rejected the True and Living God and worshipped the false gods of the neighboring nations. 

Eventually, Josiah ascended to the throne, and this is when Zephaniah's ministry began. 

Zephaniah received a word from the Lord that judgment was coming on the Kingdom of Judah. The people and leaders had rejected God for decades. The Lord was patient, but He was no longer willing to overlook the people's sinful ways. 

God also told Zephaniah to pronounce a word of judgment on the surrounding nations due to their idolatry.

Shortly after Zephaniah's message from the Lord, Josiah turned to the Lord. He restored worship in the Temple, and he tried to lead the people back to God. While Josiah reigned, the people nominally served God, but they also tried to hang on to pagan ideas. When Josiah died, the Kings and people abandoned God. You can read more about this in the book of Jeremiah.

A few years after Josiah's death, Babylon conquered Judah. The Temple was destroyed, and many were taken into captivity.

So, what can we learn from the first part of the book of Zephaniah? First of all, we can see that a person can remain a servant of the Lord even when his family and fellow countrymen are abandoning God. Zephaniah's relatives ruled abominably, but Zephaniah remained faithful becoming a prophet of the Lord. 

We live in a world where it can often be difficult to honor God and His ways. However, those of us who are in Christ have the Holy Spirit indwelling us and providing His power to live a holy and overcoming life. We must immerse ourselves in the Word and be diligent in prayer in order to do what the Lord expects of us.

I also want to point out the patience of the Lord and His willingness to forgive. The Lord sent many messages through the Prophets to His people. He waited many years before bringing judgment giving people ample opportunity to turn back to Him. Even now the Lord is patient. One reason that the Lord delays His coming is that He is not willing that any should perish but that all might come to repentance. The Lord is always ready to forgive when we call upon His name. Amen.

Prayer Requests And Other Matters

Please keep praying for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Pray that the fires in the Western US will be brought under control. 

Please pray that those experiencing damage from storms will receive the aid that they need to recover.

We need to keep praying for peace in Syria and Afghanistan.

For our prayer focus countries, let's be pray for Jordan and Vietnam.

Please pray that the payment that I am expecting this week will come in with no problem.

Next week I will post the verses on Monday and the review on Wednesday. We will continue in Zephaniah on Friday. May God bless you all.

Two Recommendations

 Today, I would like to recommend a book and a DVD. The book that I would like to recommend is "Celtic Spirituality". This is a collection of writings from Ireland and Wales. There are devotional texts, sermons and stories about various saints. I found this to be a very interesting work.

I would also like to recommend a DVD I recently watched called "Valkyrie" starting Tom Cruise. This film is based on the true story of members of the German military who attempted to remove the Nazis from power. It was well acted and interesting.

Verses For The Week

 Matthew 13:20-21 -- "And again He said, To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of meal, until it was all leavened."

Weekend Sermon -- I Desire Mercy

 Welcome to this week's posting of the sermon. I am thankful to the Lord for this opportunity, and I am glad you have decided to read the sermon.

Today, we will be focusing on a statement by Jesus found in Matthew 9:13. This verse states, "I desire mercy and not sacrifice." This statement is also found in Hosea 6:6.

Let us look at the context of Jesus' words. Earlier in the day, Jesus saw Matthew at his both collecting taxes. Jesus asked Matthew to follow Him, and Matthew responded immediately. That night, Matthew held a banquet so that his friends could meet Jesus. Many of these were tax collectors and other people that the religious leaders considered to be sinners. They were highly critical of Jesus for eating with sinners. 

Jesus told them that He had come to call sinners and not the righteous. He also told them the words in our verse for our message today. 

What do these words of Jesus mean for us? There are two points that I want to make. First of all, I believe that Jesus is saying to us that we must not be so concerned about our church rituals and beliefs that we don't do any good in the world. Many go to church every Sunday, but they have never taken the opportunity to tell others that Jesus has come to seek and to save that which is lost. There isn't an effort to fulfill the Great Commission to go into the world and preach the Gospel. Many also don't want to reach out to those they consider to be great sinners. Jesus is calling us to go to everyone and spread the message of His love.

By this statement, I also believe that Jesus is calling on us to have compassion on those who are in need. Many that were rejected by the religious leaders of Jesus' day were the poor and the sick. Jesus calls us to reach out and help the hurting in His name. Remember, Jesus said that when we help the least among us, we have done it as unto Him.

Being a Christian is more than rituals. It involves following Jesus as Lord, and doing what He would have us do in this world. Amen.

Prayer Requests And Other Matters

In prayer this week, please pray that the fires in the Western US will be extinguished. Pray that those in the fire areas will stay safe.

Pray that those were affected by the hurricane in the Southeast US will receive the aid and help that they need. 

Continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic.

Please pray that things will start to go better with my job, and pray that I will have more time for writing.

Continue to pray for peace. Syria, Afghanistan and Yemen really need our prayers. 

For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those in Eritrea and Bhutan.

Next week, we will begin a short series on the book of Zephaniah. I will post the sermon on Friday. I will post the verses on Monday, and there will be a review on Wednesday. May God bless you all.

Book Review

The book that I am reviewing this week is "A Little History Of Philosophy" written by Nigel Warburton. If you don't know much about philosophy and philosophers, this book is one that will provide you with a great introduction.

In this book, the author uses short chapters that provide information about the lives of important philosophers and the major contributions they made to the world of ideas. The author does not use complex philosophical language, and he makes sure that each philosopher's ideas are presented in a fair manner.

I definitely recommend this book to all those who are interested in philosophy. If you're not, you should be. Those who are new to the subject will find this work most beneficial.

Verses For The Week

Matthew 7:1-2 -- Do not judge lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you."

Weekend Sermon -- Confessing Christ Before The World

 We have finished our study in the Psalms, so now it's the time to get back to the weekend sermon. Thank you for taking the time to read this message.

Today, I want us to focus on the words of Jesus found in Matthew 10:32-33 that state, "Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before my Father in heaven. But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before my Father in heaven. I would like to focus on what it means to confess Christ before the world.

To confess Jesus as Lord means that we acknowledge Him. We claim Him as our Savior and King. I believe that the first way that we do this is at our baptism. After we have turned to Jesus and received His forgiveness, we are to be baptized. At baptism, we are confessing to the world that we are leaving our past life of sin behind, and we are embracing Christ and His way. We are leaving the way of the world to follow the way of the cross.

We also confess Jesus to the world through our behaviors and actions. One of the signs that we follow Jesus is that we follow the golden rule that He established. We should do unto others as we would have done to us. We also acknowledge our Lord when when we love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and when we love our neighbor as ourself.

One other way that we confess Christ that I would like to point out is that we confess Jesus as our Lord when we obey the Great Commission and tell others about Him. This shows to the world that we are not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen

Prayer Requests and Other Matters

Please be in prayer in regard to the terrible fires in the western part of the United States. Pray that these fires can be extinguished, and pray for the safety of the firefighters. Pray that those in the path of the fire will be safe.

Continue to pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic.

Pray for peace in Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan.

For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for Thailand and Bosnia.

Please pray that things will go well at my work this week, and pray that the paycheck will come in OK.

Next week, we will have the sermon on Friday. In a couple of weeks, I hope to start a sermon series on Christian characteristics. On Monday, I will post the verses. I hope to have a review for Wednesday. May God bless you all.

30 Days 30 Psalms -- Day 30

Psalm 150

All good things must come to an end they say. This is our 30th Psalm on the 30th day. I've really enjoyed sharing this study with you. I hope that you have enjoyed and benefitted from reading along each day.

Psalm 150 really speaks to me because it is about praising the Lord with all types of musical instruments. Music is one of the most important things in my life. I can't remember a day in the last many years when music hasn't been part of the day.

I have been privileged to have the opportunity to learn to play the trumpet and the tin whistle. I have been able to use these instruments to play music that is honoring to God.

If you are a musician, try to spend some time each day using your instrument in the praise of the Lord. You may want to use your musical ability in your place of worship. It is important to use our talents and abilities for the glory of God.

A Note:
Now that the study has ended, our blog schedule will start to get back to normal. This week, the only post will be the Weekend Sermon on Friday. The following week, we will have the verses on Monday with a review on Wednesday. Thank you for taking the time to read 30 Days 30 Psalms. May God bless you all.

30 Days 30 Psalm -- Day 29

Psalm 148

This is a Psalm of praise. It calls upon all of the created order to praise the Lord who is the Almighty Creator and sustainer of the entire universe.

We don't often think about the other members of the created order praising God. But this Psalm even calls on inanimate objects to bring forth praise. If you remember the events of Palm Sunday, Jesus told the religious leaders that the very rocks would cry out in praise of Him if the people were silent.

When it comes to sentient creatures, it is my belief that they are in tune with God in a way that is beyond our current ability to understand. It doesn't surprise me one bit that the Psalmist calls upon the great sea creatures and smaller creatures to praise God.

Saint Francis of Assisi was one of the people on this Earth who followed the Lord Jesus very closely. St. Francis would often preach sermons to the birds calling upon them to sing praises to God. He knew that animals are important to God. God will make things right with the animal kingdom some day. John Wesley preached a sermon about this topic.

There are a couple of other instances in the Bible of all of creation praising God. One of these is found in Philippians 2. This wonderful passage about Jesus says that there is a day coming when every creature will declare that Jesus Christ is Lord.

As creatures made in the image of God, we were made to worship. We must praise and worship the Lord with all that is within us.

30 Days 30 Psalms -- Day 28

Psalm 136

His love endures forever is a phrase repeated over and over again in this Psalm. When reading Psalms, you always need to keep in mind that these are poems. It doesn't come across that way so much in English translation, but I feel that Psalm 136 has the most poetic feel in English translation.

Poetry often makes use of repetition to bring the point home. The poet is using repetition to express what God has done for His people, due to the fact of His unwavering love. There are many ways that the Lord demonstrates His love.

We can see evidence of God's love in creation. God created everything that exists in the universe. Out if His love, He allows us to enjoy this Earth as long as we don't misuse it.

God also demonstrates His enduring love by delivering His people from bondage. God promised Abraham that He would make his descendants into a mighty nation. God saw the suffering of His people in slavery, and He brought them out into the promised land.

Another way that God expresses His love is by suppling our needs. Verse 25 tells us that the Lord gives food to every creature. James tells us that every good and perfect gift comes from the Lord.

Every day, let us thank the Lord for His goodness to us. He has shown us His love on the cross. Let us show our love to the Lord by devoting our lives to His service.

30 Days 30 Psalms -- Day 27

Psalm 133

This Psalm speaks to us of the imperative of brotherly unity. This is a subject near and dear to the heart of the Lord Jesus. It was part of the focus of Jesus' prayer recorded for us in John 17.

Psalm 113 tells us that it is good and pleasant for brothers to dwell together in unity. This is true on both the temporal and the spiritual levels.

In the area of family relationships, a family relationship works the best, and causes the least amount of anxiety, when family members are in harmony with one another. This is also true in business relationships and in relationships between friends.

Where there is disunity, you have strife and chaos. This is evidenced in the relationship between Esau and Jacob. They were eventually reconciled, but their descendents became bitter enemies.

Were disharmony and a lack of unity causes real problems is in the church. I believe that this hurts the heart of Jesus. If you look at an encyclopedia of religions, you will see that there are hundreds of different church bodies and organizations. The vast majority of these came about when Christians disagreed with one another.

When the world sees a lack of love and unity in the church, it causes many to not want to be a part of it. It can cause people to not want to come to Jesus.

The Bible says that they will know we are Christians by our love for one another. When people see love and unity in the Church, they are drawn to the Savior.

30 Days 30 Psalms -- Day 26

Psalm 130

This Psalm holds many good memories for me. When I was in college, I was a member of the college choir. I went to a Christian college, so we often sang religious music as part of our repetoire. One of the pieces we performed was a musical setting of Psalm 130 composed by John Rutter. It led to a life-long appreciation of Rutter's work. I highly recommend his music to you.

This Psalm has a great message. It begins with, "Out of the depths have I called unto thee O Lord." No matter how far down we get in life, we can call on the Lord knowing that He will hear us. Even when we have turned from God for many years, when we call Him, He will come to us.

Verses 3 and 4 are among my favorite in the Bible. They tell us that the Lord is not extreme in keeping track of our sins. Instead, He forgives and is merciful.

God is not up in Heaven looking down and just waiting for us to do something wrong so He can punish us. This was the way that God was presented in the church of my youth. It is a distored picture of God that can hinder our relationship with Him.

God loves us. He is merciful and forgiving. That shouldn't make us want to sin more. Knowing how much Good loves us should cause us to do more of what pleases Him, and stop doing what displeases Him.