I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress:
my God; in him will I trust.

(Psalm 91:2 KJV)

God offers us peace in all that we do.  He is our refuge throughout our daily activities of life.  As we go through life it’s His hands and His strength that enables us to go through it with an inner peace.

 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 1:8 KJV)

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Heavenly gates and landscape by our Magnificent Creator and loving God Almighty: Picture captured by Scott Birge

Hear Instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. (Proverbs 8:33 KJV)

For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD

(Proverbs 8:35 KJV)

The Lord is constantly watching over His children no matter the circumstances…which includes background, finances, race, creed, age, so on an so forth.  Yesterday was a prime example of God protecting and caring for all of His children.

My husband and I had finished an errand and upon reaching our car our hearts were drawn to a homless man.  He was in tattered clothes with a heaping shopping cart filled with his treasures, everything he owned was in that cart.  He had a look that I’ve seen many times during my career as a counselor in nursing homes, the look of desperation through a vapid stare. I told my husband he probably was one of the countless many that were “mentally ill” on the streets.  We both wanted to “help” him, but I knew he’d probably not be accepting of assistance.

My husband approached him gently with food and money…the individual started moving backward with flailing arms as he fervently sought to run from my husband, while shouting, “Not me, not me!”  I called my husband warning him not to go any further.  The wisdom of the Spirit began warning me from the beginning, and so it came to pass that the Spirit once again was undeniably correct.

My husband was a little stunned, and disappointed that he couldn’t help him.  I assured him that God was pleased with him for trying– however, He protected not only us, but the “homeless man” as well.  This homeless man had food in his cart, clothes, and other items that were somehow presented to him, in a way, and an environment that he accepted.   God is the sole provider of such provisions.  He knows how to care for all of His creation. As Jesus told lovingly told His followers, God takes care of everything and not to worry for anything.

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  (Matthew 6:26 KJV)

There is never a reason to worry or be anxious for anything.The Lord is in control, His wisdom and His protection and His love abound, forever and always.  He is the same as He was at the beginning as He is today and always…

 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  ⁷ And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 KJV)

We walked away with mixed feelings, sorry for that individual’s circumstances as we said a prayer aloud.  However, we realized that God will always provide for His needs.  He sees and knows what we as His children need.

We are all His children, yet different areas in terms of what we need. We may have different levels of education, different upbringing, and a different ways of getting through what we term LIFE.  For me, I am alive because of HIM, and He alone gave me LIFE.  Because without God, there is no LIFE.

That man yesterday, “our brother”  through Christ, may have an unconventional  way of existing, while getting through his time on earth. His cart was filled by our Father, again…the sole provider for all of His creation.

I thank the Lord for protecting us and telling us to “move along” quickly as it could have been a tricky situation to say the least.  The Holy Spirit prompted me, and we obeyed readily. So thank you my God…I love you.

In closing, although there are some situations that cannot be “changed” by man…we know with confidence through God—and only through God– can it turn around.  And although that homeless individual may or may not realize it, God has been providing for him all along and will continue to do so.

Regardless of our circumstances, we have one common denominator…we ALL NEED GOD.  Amen & Amen~

²⁷ Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? ²⁸ And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: ²⁹ and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? (Matthew 6:27-30 KJV)

Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled. Forsake the foolish, and live: and go in the way of understanding.  (Proverbs 9:5-6 KJV)

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Beautiful Landscape created by the Master picture captured by Scott Birge~

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 Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.  For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain, and, The laborer is worthy of his wage.” (1 Timothy 5:17-18 NKJV) )

A very special Pastor and scholar of the Word passed away recently, and we’re rejoicing and mourning at once.  Obviously, as Christians, we know where he is, and that he is at peace this very moment. But, fellow Christians who learned so much from his teachings will miss him greatly. He followed the Word and delivered the message with fervor and great love and respect…and during his sermons, you felt the anointing as the Word came into clarity, and we learned so much in the process…He will be sorely missed, but we will meet again one day where we shall celebrate for all eternity…

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The role of Pastors/Elders involved authority particularly, in the Word and Doctrine. The scripture in 1 Timothy 5:17 states giving “double honor” which means to plainly give “extra respect” to those who work hard in leading the church through preaching and teaching. While 1 Timothy 5:18 is a quote from Deut. 25:4…an owner was commanded to allow his ox to eat of the grain it was threshing.  The basic idea behind this is that a person who works hard at something should be able to benefit from it.  The labourer is then worthy of his reward, a direct quote from Luke 10:7, in which Paul was referring to recorded statements of Jesus as authoritative scripture.

God sends forth many of His children to serve Him in various capacities.  All are instruments for the Lord.  Some individuals are used by the Lord through acts of kindness,  some are encouragers, some have the role of counselor. And many are great teachers of the Word, scholars if you will.  Each of these roles–and various others–have deep significance, and each of these individuals are on the same level with God, as God is not a respector of persons.  God sees the heart and sees from the inside out…He doesn’t view us as man does.

The messages we bring with us, depending on the role the Lord has given us, are all important in their own way. The love we emote through our behavior are inherent rights of following Christ and His Gospel. His Spirit is within those who have accepted Him as their Savior—In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son inthe world, that we might live through Him. 1 John 4:9 KJV)

To each of us as we go forth on this earth, we should embrace the Gospel as it  was meant for us to do. Envision Jesus in all that we do, and act accordingly.  Feed His lambs and His sheep, care for His lambs and His sheep, and love His lambs and His sheep…Always.

The world lost an incredbile Pastor last week, but he left behind a legacy of righteous acts that followed him into the Kingdom of our Lord where he earned his long robe and crown. We will miss him with all of our hearts and remember him fondly.  He made quite a difference in this world,and we thank the Lord for lending Him to us for the amount of time He did.

 We have no doubt as Pastor returned home, the Lord embraced him warmly and said, “Well done my faithful and loving servant, well done…”

And, the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever… 1 John 2:17 KJV

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Magnificent landscape by GOD: captured in a photograph by Scott Birge~

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High…” (Psalm 92:1)

 Hear me Abba Father…Lord My God, we give You thanks for all blessings, seen and unseen. For You are the sole provider of such significance Amen                                                          

It’s one thing to recognize blessings, quite another to embrace those not fully seen. People will readily acknowledge the Lord when things go their way.  So many of us will give thanks to God when we’re really in need of an immediate response and we get it according to our timing.  But, it’s really His timing, not ours. If we look around and take a personal inventory of our lives we’ll see how many times we’ve been blessed without realizing it.

The Lord knew us before the foundation of the world, and we are His. He is constantly watching over us and providing what we need while imbuing us with His wisdom due to the Holy Spirit residing within. During a contemplative moment, I was overpowered by a keen awareness that God is always blessing us, and has been doing so since the inception of our very souls.

During our lifetime we’ll all experience significant paths and memorable moments in our everyday travels. Some of which will be sprinkled with heartache, and other times with happiness until our cup overflows.  It is during those in-between moments to which I refer. The times where God has lead us to the right decisions, or brought us to a path in which we’d otherwise have denied.

For example, “The house that someone wanted so desperately only to have it be purchased by another” — the house turned out to be close to a cataclysmic disaster.  That was God bringing you to another path, another house was waiting for you and it turned out to be a cream puff.

Or, the promotion you wanted guaranteeing a considerable raise along with a powerful position and office.  The person hired was let go due to a change-over and you were spared a lay-off. The Lord protected you as He knew what was going to happen.

The person that broke your heart in two…turned out to be unfaithful to so many others.  You met another and married and have been happy ever.  The Lord had someone equally yoked for you, and so He led you to that individual.

The above scenarios, and countless others, are all “unseen blessings” that were God’s gifts to His children. If we reflect upon past circumstances we’ll see where God’s Hands of Grace came into play. Although, at the time, the situations we battled and faced seemed beyond bearable, it was all for our own good.  God will always want what’s best for us. He wants us to be happy. He will often turn our “ashes into beauty” and bring about an origin in which we’d otherwise never see, unless we really ponder on the events that have transpired.

Go on think…And, give Him all of the glory, honor and praise…and then thank Him for all of the seen and UNSEEN blessings He has bestowed upon each and every one of us.  Amen!

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Personally the book of Psalms is one of my favorite books. So much action, so much glory to the Lord, and so much prophecy. And a place of praise and glory to His amazing name, our Sovereign and powerful Father, O how I love thee.

The Hebrew name for Psalms is tehilim, which means “praise.”  The English title is derived from the Greek translation(LXX) Psalmoi, which means “songs of praise.” More than one third of this book is made up of prayers to God, which is the primary emphasis of the book. Some refer to it as Israel’s hymnbook, which some  scholars say is partially true, but overall insufficient to account for all the content in this powerful and magnificent book…Praise and more praise to the almighty God.  Amen and Amen!

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Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before His presence with singing.  Know ye that the Lord He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with Praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting: and His truth endureth to all generations.  (Psalm 100:1-5 KJV)

“O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon His name, make known His deeds among the people. Sing unto Him, sing Psalms unto Him: talk ye of all His wondrous works. Glory ye in His holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord, and His strength: seek His face evermore. Remember His marvellous works that He hath done; His wonders and the judgments of His mouth…”  (Psalms 105:1-5 KJV)

Magnificent Sky created by God—Picture captured by Scott Birge