Your righteousness is found in Christ

Psalm 18:16-24

“He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.  He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.  They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support.  He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands, he rewarded me.  For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.  For all his rules were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me.  I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from my guilt.  So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.”

Verses 7-15, are describing a theophany where God reveals His power through natural phenomena such as an earthquake or a thunderstorm.  (Taken from page 896 in the HCSB).  We also see David describing God acting as a warrior, who fights for His people.  If one has any doubt of this visit Israel and talk with the pilots, who watch the enemy’s planes fall from the air when they were not shot at in the six-day war.  Israel was outgunned and the enemy had three times as many aircraft, but when God fought for Israel, the war was soon over.

As we now begin with the descriptive language of David telling how God reached down and fought for him and his people when they were trapped, and in great distress, we begin to see David’s dependence on a big God.  David like the old man praying by the bridge understood something that many of us who go by the name of Christian need to grasp.  God does delight in us not because we are performing well, but because we are His children when we enter into Christ, and He comes into us.

David was living under the Law of Moses, and he had a performance-based acceptance whereas today we no longer are under the Law but grace.  It’s sad when we try to earn what we already have by doing good works.  Our righteousness is not found in our action, but Christ who is our life.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Two Channel - It always a Choices

Psalm 18:1-6

“I love you, Lord, my strength.  The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies.  The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.  The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.  In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help.  From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.”

Are we not told that David had just encountered a significant victory over all his enemies and King Saul, who feared him and wanted him dead.  All of us who are in Christ, who are followers of Christ, should be rejoicing for in Christ we are also overcomers for Jesus defeated our enemy at the cross.  It is a done deal, Satan is a defeated foe, and we are free to choose the ways of the world that is under the devil’s authority for a while longer or to walk and seek after God.

My dear friend Bill Gillham who is now living with the Father and is a victor with all his enemies under his feet said; “You and I have a choice each day to tune into Channel One the deceptive channel or Channel Two the Holy Spirit.  And therein lies our battle, for Channel One is the voice that sounds just like ours.  Often Channel One tells us we deserve better than we are getting, or we have little or no worth and we buy the lie.  It is a very loud volume on Channel One, whereas Channel Two is a very soft and quiet voice and will confront and encourage, and convict you of following the foolishness of the world.

But like David, it is our God who loves us and gave His only Son to pay the full price of all sins and in Christ is the Victory that overcomes the world.  Has He become your praise as David is proclaiming in verse 2 and 3.  The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies.  And like David you will proclaim to the Lord, I love you, Lord, my strength.  

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A Judge with Complete Clarity

Psalm 17:1-7

“Hear me, Lord, my plea is just; listen to my cry.  Hear my prayer—it does not rise from deceitful lips.  Let my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right.  Though you probe my heart, though you examine me at night and test me, you will find that I have planned no evil; my mouth has not transgressed.  Though people tried to bribe me, I have kept myself from the ways of the violent through what your lips have commanded. My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not stumbled.  I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.  Show me the wonders of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes.”

David is bringing his case before the only judge that has complete clarity, which can look beyond the act and see into the heart, and he is fully aware of this fact.  He knows the Judge has looked into his heart and would know if he was deceitful, and David also understood this is the only one that can vindicate him.

So unlike many who go by the name of Christ, David was asking God to examine his thoughts and heart and to see if he passed the test.  He unlike many in the church was not going to allow the culture or power to turn him from integrity with both God and man. 

David is not asking for the witness of men, for he is aware that only God can verify and declare him innocent.  To the best of his understanding David has not broken a command nor left the path God has put him on.

David’s hope is in the Lord, and he has no need of being politically correct, he is not fearful of losing power for David understands whose authority he is under.  So he does what a wise man would do, he praises God for His love and faithfulness.

I’m so thankful that I am revisiting the Psalm, not reading them to check off I read a Psalm and a Proverb, but to ask the Lord to open my eyes to see if I’m walking in integrity before God and man.  It is so important to study to show yourself a workman that need not be ashamed, that rightly handles the Word of God.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Ponder these Verses

Psalm 17:8-15

“Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings from the wicked who are out to destroy me, from my mortal enemies who surround me.  They close up their callous hearts, and their mouths speak with arrogance.  They have tracked me down, they now surround me,
with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.  They are like a lion hungry for prey, like a fierce lion crouching in cover. Rise up, Lord, confront them, bring them down; with your sword rescue me from the wicked.  By your hand save me from such people, Lord, from those of this world whose reward is in this life.  May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies; may their children gorge themselves on it, and may there be leftovers for their little ones.  As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.”

I began to ponder on these verses, and it dawned on me that King David was so wise, he did not ask for God to show him how to fight and win over these enemies, no he ask God to do it all for him.  And this thought flooded my mine, and maybe David knew God in a more personal and dependent way than I do?  Could it be as a boy on that hillside or down in the meadows under the stars or with a overcast sky and rain, the young boy David kept his fathers sheep and recalled Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

When the bear and the lion came for his sheep, he stood and killed them as he did with the 6’9” Goliath who mocked the army of Israel and their God.  Yes, David learns that he was to trust and not fear, and as he looked to God and depended on Him, he was the victor.

I’ve never thought to ask my Father to make me the apple of His eye, and yet today I’m doing that, as my bride goes into surgery in a few hours we are not in fear for like David we are hidden with Christ in the Father. 

It reminds me of a story, a story in the Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning, where Brennan tells of a priest coming upon an older man praying by a bridge.  When the priest said, you and God must have an excellent relationship, the reply from the man was; yes He is very fond of me.  Do you have that kind of relationship with Christ do you understand you are the apple of His eye?

One thing David knows without any doubt God is with him and someday he will stand in the presence of his LORD.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice 

Pride always at the door

Psalm 69

As I began to read Psalm 69, it reminded me of the time as a teenager hunting for ducks in what was called the Salt Flats or Mud Flats in Corpus Christi, Texas.  My friends and I were having good day hunting and for some reason, not sure the reason at this stage I may have gone after a duck we shot, I went out in the water.  At first, the bottom was just a little muddy then it was like the bottom fell out and I was up to my waist in mud, and as I tried to get back to my friends the deeper I sank.  I recall I used the shotgun like an oar to help me keep from sinking deeper and one of my friends found a dead limb and walked out in the water till I could reach it and he pulled me out.

At that time, I was a Baptist but had no personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and I was not looking to God for help, no I was counting on Bob and a friend, not Jesus.  But that only gives me a picture of what the Psalmist is referring in the physical but there was a time in my thirties and I had entered into Christ and He had entered into me, I was blessed in so many ways that I became prideful and sin greatly against God.

 I also prayed but for a while it was all about me, but over about six months, I came to the understanding that many young people and even couples were being affected by my desire to get my needs met outside of Christ, and that when I ask that God would not let my sinful life cause others to stumble.

“

But as for me, afflicted and in pain—may your salvation, God, protect me.  I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.  This will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hooves. The poor will see and be glad—you who seek God, may your hearts live!  The Lord hears the needy and does not despise his captive people.  Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them, for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. Then people will settle there and possess it; the children of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will dwell there.”

The Psalmist understood what many in Church do not, that affliction and pain or because we living in a world in rebellion against God and His authority.  This reminds me of a godly Lady named Marty, who for about 12 years fought cancer, and when ask if she got angry because she had cancer, her answer was; “why not me.”  As we had the privilege of seeing God do amazing things over many years with this saint, we knew this; Marty was finishing strong.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Gift - The Cost - The Freedom

Psalm 14: 1-7

“The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.  All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the Lord.  But there they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous. You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge. Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!  When the Lord restores his people, let Jacob rejoice, and Israel be glad!”

Before you dismiss this Psalm as talking to someone other than you for you are a believer in God, the word fool is used as a person who is morally deficient.  As you think on this recall, Jesus’ words on what adultery is in Matthew 5:27-28,  “You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery.  But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”  Are do you recall the words of the rich young man who came to Jesus and called Him a good teacher?  What was Jesus reply; why do you call me good, for only God is good?  Now maybe it is time to go back to Psalm 14 and look at it in the light of what Jesus said.

This morning before writing on this Psalm, I looked at page 100 in “The Valley of Vision,” a Puritan prayer and it was titled Freedom let me share a few lines in the prayer.  “O Holy Father, thou hast freely given thy Son, O Divine Son, thou has freely paid my debt, O Eternal Spirit, thou hast freely bid me come, O Triune God, thou dost freely grace me with salvation.

Prayers and tears could not suffice to pardon my sins, nor anything less than atoning blood, but my believing is my receiving, for a thankful acceptance is no paying of the debt.  What didst thou see in me?”

The gift and the cost of that gift are beyond my understanding, but Christ who lives in me desires to proclaim what freedom I have in Christ, and how His blood has covered all my many sins.  If you are buying into the deception Channel, I call it Channel One; you will not look at the Psalm above that was for other people in the old days, long ago.  Or you will be very religious and work hard to pay God back for His goodness to you, but you will not by faith receive the free gift of God’s only Son.

All who by faith that God has given them and has received the gift of salvation must see that Salvation proclaimed to all who will listen.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

God has not forgotten You

January 30, 2019

Psalm 13:1-6

“Lord, how long will You forget me?  Forever?  How long will You hide Your face from me?  How long will I store up anxious concerns within me,
agony in my mind every day?  How long will my enemy dominate me?

 Consider me and answer, Lord my God.  Restore brightness to my eyes;
otherwise, I will sleep in death.  My enemy will say, “I have triumphed over him,” and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.

But I have trusted in Your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance.  I will sing to the Lord because He has treated me generously.”

After reading the first verse have you felt that way or do you know someone that is going through such a time as you read this?  First, we all need a reminder that  feeling or not facts, and if you are in Christ you have these promises;  ^“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”  So on the authority of Scripture, you can be absolute God has not forgotten you.  Do you recall in Acts 17:27, we told, “He did this so they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.”  Please remember that feeling is a roller coaster one day your on the mountain top and the next down in the deepest pit, but, “He is not far from each one of us.”  There also promise like the one in Timothy 3:12, that most of us read by as if it’s not in the Scriptures.  “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Not by God but by evil and sinful world system that does not want a moral authority ruling over them.

My prayer is that when these times come, and they do come, you will have the victory like King David; in verses 5-6, “But I have trusted in Your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance.  I will sing to the Lord because He has treated me generously.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Nothing New under the Sun

Psalm 12:1-8

“Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.   Everyone lies to their neighbor; they flatter with their lips but harbor deception in their hearts.  May the Lord silence all flattering lips and every boastful tongue—those who say, “By our tongues, we will prevail; our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”  

“Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord.  “I will protect them from those who malign them.” And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.  You, Lord, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked, who freely strut about when what is vile is honored by the human race.”

Often, I've heard; there is nothing new under the sun, or are they set on evil?  You may think, if only King David lived today in our modern world with its technology and excellent education, he would not feel this way.

I’ve never met the Smith family, but my grandson has, and their only child, a son, and a senior in high school, soon to graduate and yet his life was taken by it seems at this time two middle school kids.  Why, no one knows, was he somewhere in a bad part of town?  No, it was a nice area, was he a bad kid, no my grandson said he was an excellent student, one who might have had a great future?

I have never prayed so often and so much for a family, I have never met, but my heart is broken for them, and yet everyday we get reports in our news about evil that is happening in our nation.  So maybe you need to quit just reading a Psalm a day and checking off that you spent time with the Lord, and ponder on what is said.

As you read those first four verses, is that not our culture, or have we moved to a lower level?  Many do not speak to their neighbor; some do not know the names of those who live two doors from them.  Many live as the master of their lives with no regard for man or God, putting their trust in things that are going to rust and pass away.

Now reread verse five, give thought to what the Psalmist has stated, God cares for the poor, and the needy, and when they are taken advantage of, God acts as their protector.  When God speaks only a foolish person ignores His word, for He will do what He has said and every word will come to pass.

Folks, you may be living in a bubble where you believe you and yours are safe; the Smith’s had not planned on a funeral service, no they were looking forward to graduation and college, even grandchild in the future, but not a dead son.

So ponder on verse eight, “You, Lord, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked, who freely strut about when what is vile is honored by the human race.“  Are you needy, I am, do I pray for my great big God to watch over my family, yes, and so had you?  I believe the evil one knows his time is short, and he is strutting about, and this corrupt

Godless culture is honoring many vile acts.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

“if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

Psalm 11:1-7

“In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, “Flee like a bird to your mountain, for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart; ^"If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”  The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.  The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.  Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.  For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.”

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ in heart and deeds, you must ask this question; “if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" You do not have to be the smartest fish in the pond to grasp that the foundations of our society are being destroyed.   

For the last ten years, I've been listening and asking men what can we do to stop this destruction of a nation that is founded on, in man we do not trust, but in God alone.  Our founder, like Jefferson, Adams, and many others had looked at Europe and other parts of the world and had come to understand that only in God and His written word could a country stand and flourish.  They were not perfect men, for only one perfect man has ever walked on planet earth, and jealous religious men had Him killed on a Roman cross, His name is Jesus Christ, the long-awaited Messiah.

 So I listen to special men like James Dobson the founder of Focus on the Family and see the personal cost to his stance by being fired by the handpicked men on His board of directors who betrayed him.  I've watched others; we should call them religious people who keep sending out the hate and unverified emails about how they are different than the wicked.  For a while I also got caught up in that some of it is true, much of it is true but is it changing anything, or have we who do such things become tools of the one who came to kill, steal, and destroy?

 So let us begin with a new start that is what we have as followers of Christ, and ask this question: ^“if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”  The Psalmist tells us God is still in charge, so call to Him, look only to Him do not trust in man, God cannot change, He is the same today, yesterday and forever, look at this as a test of your righteousness, how are you doing on the test?  Also, know this that the world and its desires are passing away, but the righteous will not stand in judgment, but are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.  And also remember that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.  You will find that statement in Hebrews 9:22, so take this counsel from the stepbrother of Jesus, who gives this greeting: James, a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is not clear to me at what point James becomes a follower of Jesus but let me share these words to the wise found in James 1:22-27.

^“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.  Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.  Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Your responsibility in God's Family

Psalm 10:12-18

“Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted.   Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”?  But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you, the helpless commits himself; you have been the helper of the fatherless.  Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none. 

The Lord is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land.  O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.”

I, like the Psalmist, desire the LORD to move in the hearts of His Church so that the Church of our LORD would awake to why we are the Church.  We were not redeemed, freed from the bondage of sin to spend our time in church programs and political movements, no matter the value.  So why did Jesus step out of heaven, why did He take on flesh, being placed in a young teenage girl named Mary who had no standing in this world and find Himself born in a stable with barnyard animals? 

Was it so we could live in a large home, go to a big building we call a church, how wrong we are on that one?  For if Christ is living in you and you in Him, you are the Church, and when you meet with other believers you are doing Church, or should be.  So this question comes into my mind, how would our world change if you and I went about the ministry of being the Church?

How long has it been since you pondered about why Jesus called you into His family?  1 Corinthians 1:26-31, “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards,^[a]not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.   But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.  And because of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

The LORD reminds us in Philippians 3:13-14, “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”   What would happen to you if you allowed the Spirit of the living God to take off all that past you keep recalling in your mind?  If you ask for forgiveness from the Father it is removed from God’s condemnation, He tells us as far as the East is from the West.

So will we this day choose to be the Church, to look at what Jesus called us to do?  The apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 2:12, gave this call to the Church in Thessalonica, “we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

He not standing far away

Proverbs 10:1-11

“Why, O LORD, do you stand far away?  Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?  In arrogance, the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.   For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD.   In the pride of his face, the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”  His ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on a high, out of his sight; as for all his foes, he puffs at them.  He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved; throughout all generations, I shall not meet adversity.”  His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.  He sits in ambush in the villages; in hiding places, he murders the innocent.  His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless; he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket; he lurks that he may seize the poor; he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net. The helpless are crushed, sink down, and fall by his might.  He says in his heart, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”

Watch out for anyone like the person described above, yes many in the Church have said in sorry of losing a loved one were was God when I called to Him?  The Psalmist is experiencing such a time as he observes the wicked prosper, have you notice that in your business, some of the most morally bankrupt people you ever have seen seem to flourish. “

I worked on the same team with such a man, deception was his long game, and often he got rewarded for things that came back on our group and cost the company money.  I usually was in amazement how he seemed to get by with it, and others like myself had to clean up his messes.   After watching this I would tell our boss, he better takes notice, or it could also hurt his standing in the Company.  I received no joy the day he was fired after putting 25 years into our Company. 

But, there is danger in working with such a person, often I would ask, now how did you do this in that both of us were traveling outside the USA on business and he shows me a business card with his name and title was V.P. of sales and marketing.  I ask if he was crazy in that if H.R. had seen the business card, he would be out the door, fired that moment.  He said it is a door opener and no one will ever know, how wrong he was for God was watching.

When you see anyone or any organization gaining wealth by taking advantage of others, know this, God is watching, and it may seem as if they are prospering but that only your limited view of things, one must ask the Lord to allow them to have a heaven view of their judgment.

Also be very careful of falling into the trap of the enemy of your soul, that old thief, who is none other than the devil.  Do not envy or admire such a person or organization, and it matters not how long they seem prosperous they have moved the heart of God in His holy wrath to bring disaster on them.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The LORD is a Stronghold for the oppressed

Psalm 9:9-16

“The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.   And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.  Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion!  Tell among the peoples his deeds!  For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.   Be gracious to me, O LORD!  See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death, that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation.

The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.  The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.”

If one stays out of the false news or as the President refers to it as fake news and of all the hate on the Internet, and much of it is tainted at best, and look at Scripture who are the oppressed?  I was tempted to take the easy way and see what Gil or Barnes said about the oppressed in their commentary, but the Lord wanted me to dig into the Scriptures and know the meaning of the oppressed.  This is what I found; in Exodus 23:9, God is calling the alien, the oppressed and reminding His people they were aliens in Egypt.  In Deuteronomy 24:14, God tells us not to take advantage of the hired worker, who is under resourced and needy.  And last, let me share Proverbs 14:31, “Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.”

Yesterday, we shared our conviction of not proclaiming what God has done for us, and once more a few verses later, we are told the same theme.  Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion!  Tell among the peoples his deeds!  I plan to do this, and I pray that you also proclaim His deeds. 

The Psalmist tells us the nations have sunk into the pit they have made, how true that is in today’s world.  My very wise and learned friend and brother in Christ, Carroll Ray Jr., would tell me that we are only twenty years behind Europe in making the same mistakes.  I believe it’s much shorter today than when he said that to me thirty years ago.  Never forget the heart of our God is for you and I to be His hands and feet to help the under resourced people.  I’m not sure what all that entails, but if you’re a follower of Christ do as He would have done.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice  

  

Learning to be still in a quiet room

Psalm 62:1-8

“For God alone, my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.  He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.  How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? They only plan to thrust him down from his high position.  They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. Selah

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.  He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.  On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.  Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah"

After reading these eight verses of this Psalm, two thoughts came into my thinker: a quote from Blaise Pascal, “I have discovered that all human evil comes from this, man's being unable to sit still in a room.”  As that thought came into my mind, I also recalled a sermon about noise being the greatest enemy of having a close walk with God.  How we in the West do not like quietness, we get in the car and turn on the radio, and we fill our home with noise, like cell phones and T.V.  But that was not the model David used, and as a boy watching his dad’s sheep, he had learned to be still and wait on God to speak.

As I looked up the quote I read one more I needed to recall and share; “Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.” (Blaise Pascal)  As a people who are commanded to pray for our leaders in 1 Timothy 2:1-2, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”  I’ve set that as my goal to lift up those in high office that believe they control the affairs of the people of The USA.  My dad was a reader and student of history, and he often said, mankind does not learn from history, for if they did, history would not be repeated.

I’m only 77 years of age and not an authority on any subject, but I’m learning how to sit quietly in a room and wait, I said learning, I’m just a beginner, but with the Lord’s help, I’m improving.   And this I know, no person has become President of the United States of America on their own ability; no God has allowed them to hold that office. 

I’ve also observed that as this nation chases after the little gods of this world, stuff becomes more important than people, people value animals that have no soul, over people who do!  As we have lost a heart for God, we have not trained our children in what is righteous and holy, or even what a price has been paid to give them the freedoms and liberties they take for granted, and are so willing to give up, because they have no understanding of what they never earned.

So, Mr. President, I’m praying for you, I believe you were born for such a time as this. Also, I think that your enemies are also my enemies, and the millions of American people who like me do not answer polls, but we vote. We also do not put trust in the media, or the people who in both parties desire to destroy, you, your family, and anyone who stands for good.  So my prayer is that God arranges this uneducated man who loves Jesus and tries to follow Him to reach you so that you read Psalm 62:1-8.  I believe it will be a blessing to your life.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Sharing what Jesus has done for You

Psalm 9:1-8

This Psalm is titled I will recount your wonderful deeds, and yet many a follower of Christ is only doing this with others of like faith.  But are we not instructed to teach these truths to our children at home, where are we told to let someone at church do our teaching?

“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.  I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High. My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you.  For you have upheld my right and my cause, sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.  You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name forever and ever.  Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies, you have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished. The Lord reigns foreve: he has established his throne for judgment. He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.”

This Psalm brings conviction to my life and reminds me of many things I am told by God speaking through Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”  In Matthew 10:26-28, Jesus tells us the following; “So have no fear of them, for nothing, is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.  What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.  And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” 

 I’ve shared my faith with my family, and I mean wife and daughter, and Christian brothers and a few of the sisters.  But I’ve dropped the ball proclaiming to all I come in contact with in my concentric circle.  And there can only be two reasons: I do not care if they know about the life I have in Christ, and that He alone is the giver of life now and eternal life.  The other is I have a fear of being rejected, and I allow my pride to rule.  In both ways, I am not showing love, and so how can I say I’m a follower of Christ and not do as He has instructed me to do?

The second part is what God will do with the wicked, and do not take this word to mean only people like Hitler, for anyone who rejects God’s Son will fall into the same punishment as Satan.  We all have both family and friends that have decided to reject God’s love gift.  But do they understand what they are declining, it not a religion, it’s a person who loved them so much that He did the will of His Father, and the Creator allows Himself to become lower than the angels He had created, and take on the form of a man.  Being in sales most of my life, I always look at the features, advantages, and benefits of a product and how could I make the customer desire to own it.  So allow me to share what Jesus Christ has done for me.  The blood that He shed on the Cross covered my sins, past and present.  He intercedes for me with the Father, and His Holy Spirit that lives in me gives me a way out when temptation comes, and they do arise.  His Spirit that lives in me has opened my eyes and heart to understand what I need today to live life on planet earth.  And one day, when all my neighbors and family and friends gather at my funeral and talk about me in the past, I will have been received by my Redeemer into His heaven and be alive.  He and the Father will call me righteous, but not because of my actions on earth, but because of what Jesus Christ did when I ask Him to forgive my sins and come into my heart.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice