abandoned to Christ.

Evil will always do what evil does—deceive, destroy, devour. But thanks be to God that He is good, and therefore, always does what is good—deliver us from darkness, and into the marvelous light of Jesus Christ where truth, justice, and mercy reign. Though a tumult of wickedness may surround us. Though we have distress within and war without; those of us who repent of our sins and trust wholly in the name of Jesus Christ, the only and holy Son of God, alone, are free to find refuge and peace in Him. For in this world, Christ promised that we will have trouble, yet, we are of good courage because we do not fear all that is frightening, but rather, we fear the Almighty alone, and therefore, we are safe and have the peace of God that transcends all understanding (Jn 16:33, 1 Pet 3:6, Php 4:4-7). We are wild olive shoots, whom God has had mercy on, so that we may be nourished and strengthened from the Root of Jesse who was cut open, that we might be grafted in Him, and receive...

This exhorting article from R.C. Sproul took me back to a time nearly 30 years ago, when I was quite discontented with being single. I'd wanted to be married as long as I could remember. I was also discontented with my job, believing it wasn't using all my God-given computer skills and causing them to wane (because I didn't have to use a computer, I had secretaries for that). But that wasn't all; I was quite discontented with a number of things. It seemed everyone else around me was generally, happier than me because they had all they desired...and I felt owed, though I'd never admit that. I'd properly admit as a Christian, I know I'm only owed Hell. Yet, my discontented state proved my words of religiosity, to be false. Then I came to the throne of grace, as did Asaph when he was miserably discontented as I, "But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God... ...

Today's Psalm is a beautiful expression and demonstration of what true repentance looks like—an honest look at self, in the sight of the only living, holy, and awesome God. In Psalm 51, King David pours out his heart to God Almighty; taking full responsibility for his sins against the Lord, Bathsheba, and her now deceased husband, Uriah. He makes no excuses. And he asks for nothing but God's forgiveness, knowing he is powerless to redeem himself. King David was a mighty warrior. He was a man of valor. He was also very arrogant, an adulterer, plotter of evil, a murderer, a lackadaisical father. Essentially, he was a wretched sinner like the rest of us. But then why did God give him one of the greatest compliments by calling him a man after God's own heart? The heart of the Almighty does not murder, is not arrogant, lackadaisical in regards to His children, etc.? Why would God refer to King David as someone who chases hard after the LORD? My guess is because King...

Peace is not the absence of conflict with people. Peace is the absence of conflict with God. Leviticus 7:11-15 says, "And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings that one may offer to the LORD. If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the thanksgiving sacrifice unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and loaves of fine flour well mixed with oil. With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving he shall bring his offering with loaves of leavened bread. And from it he shall offer one loaf from each offering, as a gift to the LORD. It shall belong to the priest who throws the blood of the peace offerings. And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering. He shall not leave any of it until the morning." (ESV) Those of us who have been granted the gift of repentance that leads to saving faith in Jesus Christ, had the only acceptable pe...

Depending on your relationship with God, today's Psalm will either be the aroma of life, or the stench of death to you (2 Cor 2:14-16). You will either read Psalm 49 and have your soul refreshed, comforted, and filled with joy and hope; or you will read this Psalm and it will expose your pride and illusions of self-sufficiency, which will cause your soul to become embittered, angry, and insulted. For those of us who repent of our sins and trust in Jesus for this life and the next, this Psalm is another beautiful and comforting reminder of God's love and faithfulness to us because of His Son. Because I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God who willingly disrobed Himself of His glory in Heaven where He was perfectly worshiped, honored, and obeyed; came to earth in sackcloth and ashes (skin and bones); to pay the high cost of the ransom for my soul drenched in sin, by suffering the punishment I justly deserve from God Almighty, and dying the second death (spiritual) ...

Rarely do we hear anyone saying that they rejoice because of God's judgments. Rarely do we hear anyone saying they enjoy and rejoice because of any kind of judgment...from anyone. It's not exactly the popular thing to rejoice and be glad about. Strangely enough, everyone wants justice for themselves or their loved ones, but they do not want others to get justice when they themselves are the perpetrator. This hypocrisy evinces the depravity of our hearts and minds without Christ. But thanks be to God our Father for giving us His Son. Thanks be to God for choosing to free us from this depraved and hypocritical state, so that we might delight in God's just judgments and rejoice when anyone receives justice; even when we are in the wrong. Thanks be to God for the freedom and strength to repent—to humble ourselves before the LORD Almighty and receive His loving discipline, or His merciful reprieve from our enemies. Today's Psalm exhorts us to rejoice in the n...

As you can see, I'm a bit late on posting my #PsalmSunday this week. But the saying, "Better late than never" is true...and especially in this case. It's always better to encourage one another's hearts to sing praises to our Lord Jesus, the King of kings and the Lord of lords; late, rather than never. So what happened that this week's #PsalmSunday is so late? Life. That's what happened. Most days it's very difficult for me to simply get of out of bed, let alone live "normal" daily life. And lately, there's been quite a bit happening around here, good things in God's sight, that's left my frail body quite exhausted. Again, a good thing in God's sight, so no complaints here—just thanksgiving to our awesome God and Savior who allows me to participate in His holy and magnificent work of being able to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 4:6). This week's psalm,...

#PsalmSunday: When the LORD God Almighty walled up the waves of the Red Sea to provide the Israelites safe passage, He never says that He also kept the Israelites from experiencing the sound of the rushing waters, and the power of the mighty winds that He used to restrain the sea (Ex 14:21-31). I imagine it might've been like the eye of a hurricane—the safest place to be in a hurricane, yet, not without the frightful sound, and hint of the great power of the winds and waters that swirl about. If the Israelites feared the winds and the waves more than they feared God, they would've never crossed over to the other side to safety. Just as the Israelites' fear of the LORD prevailed, we too, must trust the LORD's steadfast love and faithfulness regardless of the torrential times we live in; within our homes, communities, or anywhere in this world. Our fear and love for the LORD must prevail because the Father has lovingly walled us up, that is, hid us in His Son,...