Connecting Points

Thursday, December 06, 2012

Today’s Topic: Surviving Affliction                                                     

Today’s Text:  Psalm 119:89-93 (ESV) ⁸⁹ Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. ⁹⁰ Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast. ⁹¹ By your appointment they stand this day, for all things are your servants. ⁹² If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. ⁹³ I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life.

There’s that word again. It’s showing up as frequently as automobiles do that are the same color as the one you just bought. This is the fifth time so far in the one-hundred-nineteenth Psalm that it has appeared. I discovered that it will be used two more times before the chapter is over, but I’m not up to those occurrences yet. The usage of the word up to this point is what contains the challenge and blessing for me.

If you read the title of today’s Connecting Points you already know the word. (I’ll wait as eyes flash back to the top of the page to see what it is.) It’s a word that describes life for our family over the past two months. It’s a word that describes the current delivery method of God’s grace to my heart and has produced deeper intimacy with the Lord. We generally seek to avoid the conditions covered by this word, but I am discovering the incredible gift of love from God that comes with those conditions. The word, and the condition, is affliction.

Let’s review the incredible promises the Psalmist has delivered to us so far for our times of affliction.

Psalm 119:50 (ESV)   This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.

Psalm 119:67 (ESV)  Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.

Psalm 119:71 (ESV)  It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.

Psalm 119:75 (ESV)  I know, O LORD, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

Psalm 119:92 (ESV)  If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.

Five times the Psalmist refers to affliction, and every time there’s an incredible promise attached:

1. The promises of God give comfort to us during affliction because in them are found true life. Life is not found in the temporal, but in the eternal, and when affliction comes it is God’s design to teach us to fix our eyes more on the eternal and less on the temporal.
2. Affliction is also designed by God to correct us. We all need correction. None of us is walking perfectly with the Lord by faith alone. It is in the afflictions that the Holy Spirit convicts us of any cause that might be our own, and leads us to a deeper obedience of the commands of God that we already know.
3. In addition to more obedience of the commands we already know, affliction causes us to learn even more of the statutes of the Lord. It is in the times of deepest need that we come to know the deeper things of God. That’s what Psalm 42:7 says when the waves of affliction are breaking over us – Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me.
4. Affliction also reveals the character of God. In his faithfulness He has afflicted us. He is faithful to Himself to express every aspect of true love, for He is love, and in love He disciplines those He loves. He is faithful to us by working to cleanse from us everything that hinders our perfect fellowship with Him and to create in us a pure heart and clean hands. Affliction is the purifying fire of faith.
5. Then today, the relationship between affliction and the Word of God becomes even more clear as I digest the truth that affliction can lead to death if not for the delight found in God’s words. You see, the stress of affliction can cause serious physical consequences. Worry can cause not only physical disease but emotional despair. Heartbreak can become permanent. If our hearts and minds are fixed on the affliction then the affliction will defeat and potentially destroy us. But if our hearts and minds are firmly fixed on the Word of God, the delight it produces will give us life. There is hope to be found in the law of the Lord that cannot be found from any other source. There is joy to be found that surpasses any earthly joy and conquers all earthly fears. There is love to be found in the abiding presence of Christ that supplies every need of our heart – from identity to acceptance – and that is the fulfillment of life.

I know I would be a basket case without my Lord and His Word. But His law is my delight, and I am ALIVE!!!

Connecting Points

Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Today’s Topic: What Are We Living For?                                          

Today’s Text:  Psalm 119:88 (ESV)  In your steadfast love give me life, that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth.

What’s on the agenda for today?

The picture you see is of the construction team meeting this morning to discuss the next week’s work schedule on our new church. The steel joists will be arriving for the roof and they will be set in place this week. These men are really focused on this project, and we praise God for their work.

What’s on your agenda for today? As you woke up this morning I’m sure you had a mental list of things that you wanted to accomplish. There’s the list of business and employment tasks, personal tasks, household tasks, and who knows what else. Life fills up pretty fast with all of the responsibilities that result from our choices.

Hey wait a minute! Suddenly a conversation breaks out in my mind. It’s more like an argument.

My choices? Life is thrust upon me. Other people are to blame. I didn’t choose this.

Really? So other people determine my priorities? Other people choose for me what I invest my resources and time in? My circumstances get to dictate my agenda?

Well, when you put it that way, it does sound like I have no control over anything, and that’s a pretty foolish way to go through life.

Look carefully at what was going on in the life of the Psalmist when he wrote today’s verse:

• He was being persecuted and was running out of strength. How long must your servant endure? When will you judge those who persecute me? (Verse 84)
• He was surrounded by people rejecting God’s law who were setting traps for him. The insolent have dug pitfalls for me; they do not live according to your law.(Verse 85)
• He was being lied about and cried out for help. All your commandments are sure; they persecute me with falsehood; help me! (verse 86)
• His life was almost ended by the attacks of others. They have almost made an end of me on earth, (verse 87)

Now look how he responds – In your steadfast love give me life, that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth. Do you see it? He asks God to grant him more life so he has more opportunity to obey and experience the testimonies of the Lord. His priority is to live every day in the experience of the presence of the Lord. He doesn’t change his priorities because of the circumstances. He doesn’t allow people to dictate his agenda. He doesn’t ask God for more life so he can accomplish more of the things he wants to do. He says, Lord, give me life so that I can experience more of your love, obey more of your commands, and experience more of you!”

So let me ask again, What’s on your agenda for today?

Connecting Points

Monday, December 03, 2012

Today’s Topic: Elasticity and Flexibility                                             

Today’s Text:  Psalm 119:83 (ESV)  For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, yet I have not forgotten your statutes.

When I first started playing baseball as a young boy, I was very insecure and very nervous. To compensate, I would chew on one of the leather ties on my baseball glove. Every lull in the action was met with a spontaneous movement of my left hand towards my mouth, and the salty taste of the tanned leather would occupy me until the next pitch was thrown. By the end of the game the top of the thumb of my glove was a slobbery mess. My goal, other than diverting my attention from my insecurities, was to get that leather strip as wet and soft as possible without breaking it.

When it came time to use the glove again, the string would be dry and hard and stiff, which provided another challenge that would keep me occupied during the next game or practice.

Then one day it happened. The string broke below the knot that held the webbing to the thumb. Try as I did to pull the extra through the whole so there would be enough to tie another knot, the string was too stiff. Every attempt to tie it was met with another crack or break. The leather had become unusable because it had lost its natural flexibility and elasticity. I had to buy new leather strapping and restring the glove.

Wineskins were made of animal skins – leather – that had been properly tanned so that it would remain soft, flexible, and elastic. New wine would be placed in the skin, and as it continued to ferment the wineskin would expand to accommodate the gases being released during the process. That’s what Jesus is referring to when He said, “No one puts new wine into old wineskins.” In order for the wineskin to properly accomplish its purpose it had to remain elastic.

Most wineskins were hung from the center pole of the tents in which the people lived. But as the smoke from the cooking and warming fires would rise upward in the tent to escape out the roof, the wineskin would be affected by the smoke. It would start to char and turn black, and would become stiff and rigid. Wineskins had to be constantly replaced because of the effects of the smoke upon them. They were unusable when they lost their elasticity, and heat and smoke caused it to happen.

The Psalmist relates to us that he feels like a wineskin hung in the smoke because of the trials he is experiencing in his life. The fires of affliction have started to minimize his elasticity. Prior to the afflictions, he was flexible and able to expand with the increased stress. He absorbed the bubbles of his fermenting foes and contained them. But the constant heat and smoke of the fires is starting to harden him. There are cracks developing. There is no more room for expansion. One more issue could cause him to burst.

Can we relate to him? Is that how life feels right now? But unlike wineskins that cannot be returned to a state of elasticity once the leather has become hard and stiff, the Psalmist understands that his heart can be restored through the statutes and promises of God. Trust in God’s Word is the salve that saves when rubbed into the heart.

In the modern world we have so refined the tanning process that leather is now used for car seats, gloves, and multiple other applications where flexibility, elasticity, and durability are all required. Leather treatments have been developed that when rubbed into the leather help preserve the natural qualities of it. But if not cared for, the leather will still dry out and crack. Just check out the leather on the driver’s seats of both my cars. And no matter how much rubbing of leather protectants I do, the cracks won’t go away.

But when the Word of God is rubbed into our hearts, elasticity returns. We are restored to functionality so that we can absorb the bubbles of fermenting foes again. We are given back our elasticity so we can handle the unforeseen stresses that fire up in our lives each day. God’s promise of His steadfast love and faithfulness to us are the protectant we need from the smoke of sin that surrounds us every day. God’s Word keeps us soft, supple, and strong.

So when you notice, or when someone else loves you enough to tell you that they notice, that you are getting hard and brittle, let the Word of God become the healing salve that restores your elasticity. The wineskin is not responsible for what is put into it, or for what outward circumstances influence it: it is only responsible to remain elastic and flexible. Don’t let the issues of life make you hard. Let the Word of God keep you elastic.

Connecting Points

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Today’s Topic: New Mercies                                                             

Today’s Text:  Psalm 119:76-77 (ESV) ⁷⁶ Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant. ⁷⁷ Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight.

I have discovered in a new and fresh way the solutions to misery and despair.

Now that I have your attention, let me tell you that I hesitate to share them for fear that they be minimized to a self-help system rather than be honored as the God-given process of restoration that it is. But I will share it anyway, and trust that the Holy Spirit will guide you in the application of these truths from a humble and surrendered heart and protect us all from the pride of using these steps to simple serve self.

1.    Admit that there is nothing we can do to change the situation. Don’t go on to number 2 until you really understand this first one. Years ago my brother and I painted barns in North Dakota during the summer to help pay for college. I hated heights, but faced my fears and climbed those 25 to 40 foot extension ladders anyway. I remember one time when I was on the top of a ladder about 20 feet high, and needed it moved to reach the next section of wall. I did not want to come down and face the fear of climbing it again. So in unison, my brother tried to move the base of the ladder as I pushed off from the wall and moved the top. We quickly discovered the danger of that move and I climbed down the ladder and moved it.

 That’s exactly what God has said to me in the past twenty-four hours. “I won’t move the ladder as long as you are on it. Get off and I’ll put it in a spot where you can climb out of the hole you are in.” Not mostly off. Not just on the bottom rung. Get completely off the ladder. You can’t change the situation, but God can.

2.    Focus on God’s promises rather than on possible solutions. Once you get off the ladder, let God put it where He wants. He did not ask you to get off the ladder and give Him directions as to where to put it. He alone knows where it should go. Stop trying to advise God. At this critical time of surrender, the reinforcement of pride is NOT what is needed. Suggesting solutions strengthens self, and that is exactly what God desires to suppress. Deny the desire to determine the outcome, even if we can justify it by claiming that we are only making suggestions.

3.    Allow the love of God to overwhelm your hatred of what is happening. It is not the solution that ultimately satisfies us – it is the reality of the love of God for us no matter what happens that completely satisfies. His steadfast love is our comfort. Not His power to work a solution. Not His judgment on those who have sinned. Not even the memories of His past work. His love alone is what sustains us. The incredible experience of His arms of love wrapped around my hurting heart is what gives life when all that I could see was the darkness of death.

4.    Choose to serve Him no matter how you feel. Yesterday morning started out for me with the recognition that the teacher needed to be taught. I was a mess of emotions. (see yesterday’s Connecting Points if you missed it at https://lifelinkdevo.wordpress.com/2012/11/29/overwhelmed/ ) What really bothered me was the knowledge that I had several very important appointments coming up during the day. I wanted to cancel them all, but knew I shouldn’t. I choose to not let my emotions dictate my service to my Lord, even though sometimes I forget that and cancel anyway. But yesterday I was determined to live for my King even though I didn’t feel like it.

10:00 AM – I went to the hospital to sit with the family of a long-time friend who was having serious cancer surgery. For the next two hours I would have the opportunity to visit with several member of the family and share spiritual wisdom with them directly from the Lord. It was a blessing to see how God is working behind the scenes in their lives to draw them into a closer and more personal relationship with Himself.

4:00 PM – I met a college student for coffee. She has been struggling with an emotional issue of her own, and it was absolutely amazing to see how the Holy Spirit filled me with words designed specifically for her situation. It is so good to be constantly amazed by God.

7:00 PM – I led a Bible Study in the book of First Peter with a small group of people that meet every Thursday night. It is absolutely my favorite way to serve my Lord. I love to teach. The release that God gave me as I led the group to understand the deeper truths of Scripture was refreshing and restorative. After the meeting I received an encouraging email from one of the participants in the group, and it blessed me immensely. I experienced the mercies of God that are new every morning, and today I am alive again.

Four steps to renewal, each contingent upon the previous and upon surrender to the Holy Spirit. Don’t turn it into a quick-fix plan for every emotional moment of your life, because soon you will be worshipping the plan rather than the Person who designed the plan. Fix your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Today’s Topic: Tough Assignment                                                    

Today’s Text:  Psalm 119:79-80 (ESV) ⁷⁹ Let those who fear you turn to me, that they may know your testimonies. ⁸⁰ May my heart be blameless in your statutes, that I may not be put to shame!

I am the teacher, yet need to be taught;

I have some questions about what life has wrought.

I want to be blameless, Your Word have I sought;

Yet deep in my heart a war is being fought.

I know that with blood my life has been bought;

But all of my joy is slipping to naught.

A fresh sense of hope and love must be caught;

I am the teacher, yet need to be taught.

Dear friends,

I am behind closed doors. I am struck down in my heart with the reality that right now, I am sure that those who fear the LORD cannot turn to me and see His testimonies.

Tragedy has struck my family in ways I cannot fully explain, but is testing every fiber of my faith. I know in His faithfulness God has afflicted me, but anger and fear are overwhelming the application of truth.

I long to be blameless and not bring shame to my LORD in how I respond, but I don’t know if I can righteously balance justice and grace. I know God will show me the way, and as I wait on Him my strength will be renewed. God knows I need those intellectual truths to captivate my heart, and I surrender to the work He is doing.

Is it hard? Beyond description.

Is it debilitating? My emotions are raw and thin.

Is it impossible? My mind opposes the promise of God that with Him nothing is impossible.

Is there hope? If not, I would not be writing to you and baring my soul.

Please pray for me and my family. Satan is doing all he can to destroy the work of Jesus Christ. The enemy has now made it personal. I need to know how to stand in the promised victory of God.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Today’s Topic: Wasted Energy                                                         

Today’s Text:  Psalm 119:78 (ESV)  Let the insolent be put to shame, because they have wronged me with falsehood; as for me, I will meditate on your precepts.

I don’t have the energy I once did. Age, weight, and conditioning all contribute to the problem. I get tired far too fast.

Yesterday I helped my son track down a deer he had shot on Sunday evening. Up and down the ridges I went, circumventing trees and deadfalls, all the while looking for that tell-tale sign of blood in the leaves. After finding the first one, we went looking for the second one. When we saw the first drop of blood there was a surge of renewed energy that motivated both of us, because this was the deer we really wanted. All my son could remember seeing was lots of tall, widespread antlers.

We followed a very sparse trail of sporadic drops of blood up the hill for about thirty yards, and then it was gone. So we started a grid search of the area. I walked, and walked, and walked. I took every possible escape route the deer would have taken along the side of the huge forested ridges. Up and down and around we went for over an hour, but not once did either of us see any sign that the deer was mortally wounded. He’ll be bigger next year.

There was a valid purpose for expending that amount of energy, and the possible outcome kept us motivated. But I have discovered in my personal life that I expend far too much energy on things that deserve none. Those things make me tired. If I had to classify all of those things under one heading, I would label it “Fixables”.

I think I am a fixer. It is a fleshly flaw. I will no longer try to justify it. I reject it as sin. I have never been nor will I ever be given the responsibility of fixing anyone but myself. And I am certainly not responsible for fixing what other people do, even if they do it against me.

I have wasted so much energy in my life trying to fix situations and people. I have wasted even more energy trying to fix my own image when someone else has done something to destroy it. I react very poorly when a lie is told about me, and I immediately attempt to fix it. What I have not accepted in the past is that the choice to fix is a product of the belief I have chosen that I have the right and responsibility to fix it. How wrong!

Read today’s verse carefully. Here’s the New Living Translation to help – Bring disgrace upon the arrogant people who lied about me; meanwhile, I will concentrate on your commandments.

The Author responds in two ways to the wrongs committed against him:

1. He tells God what happened and asks Him to handle it;
2. He goes back to studying God’s Word and will for his own life.

No wasted energy. How refreshing. How much more time I am going to have to do the will of God because I’m not wasting time doing work I am not called nor equipped to do. Imagine how much more is going to be done for the glory of God because I’ve stopped trying to protect the glory of self. Just think – more time and more energy, capped off by more peace because I know the outcome is in the hands of the One who in His faithfulness has allowed this affliction to happen to me.

So today begins an exciting adventure of faith. The first step is to let go of the belief that I am supposed to fix wrongs. Once I let go of that, I can stop spending the energy it would have taken to do what I am not responsible to do. Then, having let go of my security ropes, I can fall into the arms of my Lord and enjoy His peace that passes all understanding, because I know – I KNOW – that He has it under control.

I’m energized!

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Monday, November 19, 2012

Today’s Topic: Be Thankful For It                                                      

Today’s Text:  Psalm 119:67-68 (ESV) ⁶⁷ Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. ⁶⁸ You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.

We arrived at the hospital yesterday at 1:45 PM and were met in the hallway as we got off the elevator by Tim’s sister and her husband and son. After hugs and greetings, they showed us to the waiting room where the rest of the family was gathered. There were many tears as we greeted each member of our family and then were introduced to the members of Barb’s family.

Barb is my cousin Tim’s wife who had undergone heart valve replacement surgery just four days earlier. She wasn’t going to survive, and the family had come together to say goodbye to this 59-year old servant of Jesus Christ. The reports from the doctors were that she had less than a few hours to live. She was being kept alive by a heart/lung machine and respirator.

For the next ninety minutes additional family members arrived and we listened and shared as we all tried to comfort one another. Then, following a time of devotions and prayer in the waiting room, the nurse came in and said they were ready in the Cardiac Critical Care room where Barb was. The family filed down the hallway and into the room, circling the bed. I asked the nurse for time for the family to say goodbye. After some powerful prayers of thanksgiving – that’s right, thanksgiving – for the grace of God, the faithfulness of Barb’s life, and the certain hope of glory for all who trust Jesus as Lord and Savior, we sang a song…

I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say “Amen”, and it’s still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

And I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

Praise You In This Storm by Casting Crowns

Then it was time. One by one all of the medications were shut off, followed by the heart/lung machine, and finally the respirator. Eight minutes later the heart monitor read zero, and Barb was in the presence of her Savior Jesus Christ. No more suffering, no more pain, and never any experience on her part of death, for Christ has conquered death for all who believe and it had no power over her.

The afflictions of this life are God’s powerful invitation into deeper intimacy with Himself. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.  This one thing I know now more than ever – I can count it all joy when I meet trials of various kinds,  for I know that the testing of my faith produces steadfastness. (James 1:2-3)

God is good, and always does good, so I can truly thank Him in all things at all times.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Friday, November 16, 2012

Today’s Topic: Walking the Walk                                                      

Today’s Text:  Psalm 119:66 (ESV) Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments.

Just moments ago Pastor Dennis Pond passed this bit of wisdom on to me. It may surprise you, as it did me, where it came from. I’ll tell you after you read it.

It’s impossible to bring about the kind of effectual change you want to see around you without truly living out your values in a personal way.

So, now comes the question: What kind of effectual change do you want to inspire around you?

[We are to have an] ever-present sense that we are not here to simply survive life.  We’re here to preserve and protect it; and we’re here to teach others to do the same so that they might live full and satisfied lives.

If you haven’t begun to apply your values and beliefs into action, I want to challenge you to begin today.  And just to be clear: Standing and living for what you believe in doesn’t mean becoming a fanatical zealot.  It starts with simply preparing and protecting yourself and those around you.  From there, you share your experiences and knowledge with those who will listen.  Once the process begins, you’ll see a remarkable thing begin to happen:  Your beliefs and passion will become a natural part of your life and community.   You will begin to see yourself “become the change you want to see…”

This short challenge to live out one’s beliefs came from Tim Schmidt, the publisher of the Concealed Carry Report and founder of the United States Concealed Carry Association.

The spiritual application is obvious. We must “become the change we want to see” in our culture. But unlike the patriotic pursuit of our right to bear arms including concealed weapons, it is time for Christians to stop concealing the spiritual truth we carry. It is time for us to walk the walk and talk the talk, and to do so publicly. Unless we understand that in Christ we are here not simply to survive this life, but to preserve and protect people’s lives from the coming destruction of sin, there is no real hope of change.

Thanks Pastor Dennis for this great reminder, and thanks be to God who teaches us good judgment and knowledge through our belief in His commandments. May we inspire change around us by how we live.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Today’s Topic: God’s Integrity                                                           

Today’s Text:  Psalm 119:65 (ESV) You have dealt well with your servant, O LORD, according to your word.

Two little girls were counting their pennies.

One said, “I have five pennies.” The other said, “I have ten.”

“No,” said the first little girl, “You have just five cents, the same as I.”

“But,” the second child quickly replied, “my father said when he comes home tonight he would give me five cents, and so I have ten cents.”

Trustfully, she counted what her father had promised.

What a Father we have in heaven, who always, without fail, deals with us according to His Word! Imagine what it would be like if He didn’t. Well, he would be like us then, wouldn’t he? We are those who make promises and then do not follow through. We use words to pad the pleasures of the present with no promise intended. We make statements of intention designed to validate our external image in the eyes of others, but quickly destroy all such validation when we do not do what we said we would do. Imagine if God did that.

Author Peter Eldersveld tells of a rich Christian who had a large company of employees, and many of them owed him money. He was constantly trying to teach them something about Christianity, and one day he hit upon a plan. He posted a notice for his employees to see that said,

“All those who will come to my office between eleven and twelve o’clock on Thursday morning to present an honest statement of their debts will have them canceled at once.”

The debtors read the notice with a great deal of skepticism, and on Thursday morning, although they gathered in the street in front of his office, not one of them went to the door. Instead they gossiped and complained about their employer, and ridiculed the notice he had posted. They said it didn’t make sense.

But finally, at 11:45, one man jumped forward, dashed up the steps into the office, and presented his statement.

“Why are you here?” the rich man asked him.

“Because you promised to cancel the debts of all those who would come as you instructed,” the employee replied.

“And do you believe the promise?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Why do you believe it?” persisted the employer.

“Because, although it was too much for me to understand, I know that you are a good man who would not deceive anyone.”

The rich man took the bill and marked it “Paid in full,” at which time the poor man, overcome, cried out, “I knew it! I told them so! They said it couldn’t be true, and now I’m going out to show them.”

“Wait,” said his benefactor, “it’s not quite twelve o’clock. The others are not entitled to any special proof of my sincerity.”

When the clock struck twelve, the forgiven debtor ran out waving his receipt in the face of his fellows. With a mad rush they made for the door, but it was too late. The door was locked.

God deals with us according to His word – forgiveness for those who ask, and judgment for those who don’t. His Word is never not fulfilled. There is perfection in every action of the Father. He never has to overlook one word to accomplish another word. He never compromises His Word for anyone.

And for me, that is praiseworthy, for the Father is dealing well with me!

 Pastor John

Additional Scripture References:

Ps 119:17 — Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word.

Ps 13:6 — I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Ps 16:5 — The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.

Ps 16:6 — The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

Ps 18:35 — You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great.

Ps 23:5 — You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Ps 23:6 — Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Ps 30:11 — You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,

Ps 116:7 — Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.