Psalm 91 is famous for the comfort it brings to the children of God. Verse one is a declaration about God’s Presence. “He who dwells in the secret pace of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I don’t know about you, but I sure like the sound of abiding under God’s shadow or presence. But there is even more good news. The Psalmist also declares that in God’s presence there is fulness of joy (Psalm 16:11). Joy, peace and protection, what more can you ask for? And it all comes from His Presence. This week we are going to continue the post we began last week on “How to Cultivate God’s Presence in Your Life.”
We often hear discussed in church circles the concept of growing spiritually. What does that mean exactly? What does a spiritually mature believer look like? The first verse of the first chapter of James contains some powerful truths which help us build an understanding of this question.
The Bridge Commentary consists of four sections: Definitions, Background, Comments and Questions. The
Definitions section explains all significant Greek words found in all the verses of this passage. The
Background section contains material which will help to frame the passage in it’s 1st century setting. The
Questions section includes queries you may want to ask of the text. Finally, the
Comments section contains observations of the verses sorted in word or phrase order.
This is a revision of the original post published in February of last year. It was rewritten to make the writing clearer and the flow of the document smoother. It was sectioned off so you may skip a section, like Definitions, if you wish. A block flow diagram was (click on the link right below) also added to help give clarity to the thoughts expressed.
Click on this link for a flow diagram of this passage.
In the book, the Art of War the following quote appears. “The opportunity to secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself” Sun Tzu must have gotten this piece of wisdom from reading the Bible. This is exactly what took place through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. In his week’s post, let’s look at the strategic nature of the the Throne of God.
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Jesus Name in Use at the House of Representatives
Rev. Gregory Goethals of Los Angeles closed his House opening prayer on May 19 by saying, “We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.” The prayer was another example of guest chaplains invoking Jesus’ name as the House began its day.
Nearly 18 percent of the prayers read at the beginning of each House session in this Congress have referred to Jesus, and all of those prayers have been given by guest chaplains. Of the 29 guest chaplains who have addressed the House in the 114th Congress, 13 of them have made a specific religious reference, all of them to Jesus. All but one of the guest chaplains have been Christian. Guest chaplains are nominated by members of the House, and, given that more than 90 percent of House members are Christian, the probability that a guest chaplain is Christian is high, because members typically invite clergy from their home churches.
For more on this see: http://blogs.rollcall.com/hill-blotter/praying-to-jesus-on-the-house-floor/?dcz=
In the first post of this series, “What to Do When You Feel Like Giving Up”, we looked at Elijah at Carmel. Elijah wanted to live life excellently and do great things for God. He had great dreams to bring Israel back to God. But things did not turn out like he thought and he was tempted to quit. We talked about how fatigue factored into this and the importance of keeping up with your physical needs. In part two of this series, let’s look at some other factors like comparison and focusing on facts instead of feelings.
A holy life will make the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns, they just shine.
“I have never met a person who took a test without wanting to know what to study. Nor have I met a soldier who was willing to go into battle without his gun. Also, I have never met a pilot who wanted to lose power while still in the air. But I have met Christians who were perfectly willing to live their lives without God’s power” . Living a Christian life without God’s power is as ludicrous as trying to drive a car without gas. Knowing about and seeing examples of spiritual power aids the believer in His walk. You can, then, have confidence in the strength of the Lord on your behalf.
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Marine Court-Martialed for Refusing to Remove Bible Verse from Work Computer
A United States Marine was convicted at a court-martial for refusing to remove a Bible verse on her computer – a verse of Scripture the military determined “could easily be seen as contrary to good order and discipline.”
The plight of Lance Corporal Monifa Sterling seems unbelievable – a member of the Armed Forces criminally prosecuted for displaying a slightly altered passage of Scripture from the Old Testament: “No weapon formed against me shall prosper.”
Sterling, who represented herself at trial, was convicted February 1, 2014 in a court-martial at Camp Lejune, North Carolina after she refused to obey orders from a staff sergeant to remove the Bible verses from her desk.
For more of this story see: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/05/26/marine-court-martialed-for-refusing-to-remove-bible-verse.html?intcmp=latestnews
The world is perishing for lack of the knowledge of God and the Church is famishing for want of His Presence. The instant cure of most of our religious ills would be to enter the Presence in spiritual experience, to become suddenly aware that we are in God and that God is in us. This would lift us out of our pitiful narrowness and cause our hearts to be enlarged . These are penetrating words from the pen of Tozer. Does your heart agree with these words? Do you hunger and crave the Presence of God? This is the first of a two part post on this important aspect of life in the Spirit.
How Not to Answer the Phone
A guy walks into work, and both of his ears are all bandaged up. The boss says, “What happened to your ears?” He says, “Yesterday I was ironing a shirt when the phone rang and I accidentally answered the iron.” The boss says, “Well, that explains one ear, but what happened to your other ear?” He says, “Well, I had to call the doctor!” 🙂
Fireworks are displays of stupefying light and sound. Do you look forward to seeing them? But, a fireworks show comparable to the happenings of heaven does not exist. There has never been a laser light show equal to the light and energy emanating from the Throne of God. Men have tried with various words to describe the awesome center of the universe. None of them satisfy. Until we see the Throne for ourselves, the best we have is the Bible’s description.
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Faith in our Government: The Religious Composition of the 114th Congress
Proverbs 29:2 (KJV)
2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: But when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.
When the new, 114th Congress is sworn in on Jan. 6, 2015, Republicans will control both chambers of the legislative body for the first time since the 109th Congress (2005-2006). Yet, despite the sea change in party control, there is relatively little change in the overall religious makeup of Congress, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center. More than nine-in-ten members of the House and Senate (92%) are Christian, and about 57% are Protestant, roughly the same as in the 113th Congress (90% and 56%, respectively). About three-in-ten members (31%) are Catholic, the same as in the previous Congress.
For more on this see: http://www.pewforum.org/2015/01/05/faith-on-the-hill/
