kingdom travelin'

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains …

be moved into the heart of the sea, …

though its waters roar …

and foam, …

though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah” …

– think on this –

… “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah”

‭‭If we will dwell in the word daily, remembering these truths, our loving Father, the surgeon and healer of our souls will use these words of God as a sharp scalpel and a prescise needle with the finest golden thread to change our thinking from a philosophy of fear – the default of SO MANY – to a mindset of faith.

The sun will rise, the waves will come and they remind of his faithfulness…

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Selah.

Dwell in Him.

Thanks be to God.

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭46:1-3‬, 11 ‭ESV‬‬ http://bible.com/59/psa.46.1-3.esv

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”

‭‭Zephaniah‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/zep.3.17.esv

I’m reading a book about the working of the mind. (Over on the right you can see quotes in my Twitter feed.) One thing I’ve taken from it is the importance of memory and remembering to our personal discipleship. Consider this thought in the following as the psalmist carries on a conversation within Psalm 42.

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? 

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. 

My soul is cast down within me; 

therefore I remember (emphasis mine) you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭42:5-6‬ ‭ESV‬‬)http://bible.com/59/psa.42.5-6.esv

To dwell in Scripture is to soak up and build memories that we may rely on when struggle comes. 

Turn from temptation to God!

Today brothers from many places in Serbia, from 4 different kinds of church backgrounds. Pentecostal, Calvary Chapel, Nazarene, and Christian Fellowship (E. Free) gathered. I was honored to share from Scripture about the admonishment to hold on and not grow weary in well doing. We had a great lunch (thanks to the supporters of CEO!) and then a boat ride. We completed the day with a time of sharing and prayer.

“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭133:1‬ ‭ESV‬‬)http://bible.com/59/psa.133.1.esv

I took this shot on the second half of my walk around Senta (see pic below for general location) this morning. It was about 5:30. This guy seems to have been there awhile. The river’s flow was quiet this morning. He was there early, among the other fishermen hoping to catch something.

He rose early, did his part, and hoped to be blessed, with a catch.

We would be wise to follow this example, rise, do our part and look for a catch… of truth to change our hearts and minds.

(Map courtesy Google Maps)

It would appear that one of the ideas behind the counsel of Job’s friends is to “just do better.” 

If we think of this as good counsel we’ve lost sight of the gospel. If we could do better, The Father would have not needed to send Jesus.

Let’s resolve not to try harder or do better. Let’s resolve to respond to the gospel and receive his peace that comes from grace. As David said..,

“The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭37:39-40‬ ‭ESV‬‬ http://bible.com/59/psa.37.39-40.esv