I see violence and strife in the city

                                                                        Psalm 55: 9-19

 

June 4, 2022

 

Destroy, O Lord, divide their tongues; for I see violence and strife in the city.  Day and night they go around it on its walls, and iniquity and trouble are within it; ruin is in its midst; oppression and fraud do not depart from its marketplace.  For it is not an enemy who taunts me—then I could bear it;
it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me—then I could hide from him.  But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend.  We used to take sweet counsel together; within God's house, we walked in the throng. Let death steal over them; let them go down to Sheol alive; for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart.

 

 But I call to God, and the Lord will save me.  Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice.  He redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me.  God will give ear and humble them, he who is enthroned from of old, Selah
because they do not change and do not fear God.

 

Once again I’m reminded of my dad, saying we learn nothing from history, for if we did it would not be repeated.  As in David's day so is it in ours, violence and strife, no longer is a different opinion listened to by either side, and there is no place for discussion or reasoning.

 

Our problem is Spiritual, it has always been the person who claims to be a Christian, I’ve heard them refer to it as Christian atheism.  They have no fear of God.  David did not see this coming, but a man he trusted and thought to be a friend has shown his real colors.

 

Now David was a man after God’s own heart, but often he acted in what we now call our flesh, and yet when confronted by a man of God, he repented and was broken about his sin.  But before you pray as David has done it may be helpful to listen to these words of Jesus.  In Matthew 5:43-46, we find this instruction;  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  Many who state they are followers of Christ, have fallen victim to the foolishness of the world system and ignored the instruction of the One they say they are followers of.  It is easy to become a casualty of the culture, but when we do it breaks the commands of our Lord.  More than once I’ve been a victim of my flesh, and I’m so thankful for a pastor that confronted me when I’ve done so.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Listen to my Prayer

 

 

Psalm 55:1-8

 

June 3, 2022

 

Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me.  My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught because of what my enemy is saying, because of the threats of the wicked; for they bring down suffering on me and assail me in their anger.  My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen on me.  Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me. I said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.  I would flee far away and stay in the desert;  I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.”

 

We always observe the storms that come to our friends and neighbors and wonder, did they not get some kind of warning?  You also might see in them the hopelessness of knowing what to do.  I have experienced many storms, one blew our home away and most of our stuff, but as I set at the end of that very long drive, I looked in the seat beside me, and my wife and baby girl was not harmed, and we saw a big God do a miracle and we experience the blessing that was beyond our income, and it was not the government but God, who was our source.

 

But at 79, and with great health, had not experienced much in the way of doctors, or hospitals, and my sodium count dropped below 100, six days in ICU and four days in the hospital, and then home with salt tablets believing this storm was over.  But I had no clue of the storm that was coming 15 days later, I could not breathe, and went back to the hospital, and ICU for a much longer visit.  My prayer often was, Lord, I don’t know what to do, please tell me what I’m to do.  I began to see people as of great value, not just the amazing nurses that were trying to save my life, but the doctors that I learned later were working hard to keep me alive.  Then the nurses in rehab who were very special to me, the people who cleaned the room, the ones who gave me physical training, and the friends who drove a long way to encourage me.  My family, and so many who were praying for me.

 

I have been home since April 18, one month and almost three weeks ago, and it seems as if the battle to regain my health is not happening.  I've made many successes, and I am so thankful for them, like no oxygen, no walker, and being able to go back to the gym for light workouts.  But it seems that the storms are never going to end!   I have a new Cardiologist, who ran all kinds of tests but sent in his nurse practitioner to go over them and I did not hear back from her about the detailed logs I had kept on my high blood pressure.  I came away with a feeling of this never going to end.

 

When David makes this statement, I do identify with the desire.  “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.  I would flee far away and stay in the desert; I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.”

 

I’m sure more have experienced this than David and I.  Can I share that God does care, He loves you, and though it seems like it will never end, He is working for our good, so be still, learn to pray, and expect a miracle.  You are greatly loved by God.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

P.S. Our daughter Natalie was amazing over these two and ½ months.  She took care of all the bills and her mother and was by my bedside making sure they did what was best for her dad.  

Power in the name of Jesus

 Psalm 54: 1-7

 

June 2, 2022

 

A Warrior that looked to God for help

 

O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth.  For strangers have risen against me; ruthless men seek my life; they do not set God before themselves. Selah

Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.  He will return the evil to my enemies; in your faithfulness put an end to them.   With a free-will offering, I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.   For he has delivered me from every trouble and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.

 

Have you given thought to the power that is in the name of Jesus, when a believer, a person who by grace and faith has put their trust and life in His hands?  The warrior David knew that power and from a child keeping his dad’s sheep, he had encountered the lion and the bear, and it was God who gave him the victory.

 

We are also encountering strangers, people we do not know that are ruthless in our country that seeks to kill, steal, and destroy, for they are children of their father the devil.

 

It is essential to have a clear understanding that God is your helper, that He is your provider, and protector, and has a great love for all who have faith and have trust in His Son.  Often, I hear people who go by the name Christian, tell me or someone else how lucky they are, that a bunch of garbage, luck is what one hopes for in Vegas when they are gambling but it seems to not work very well.  It is never luck, it is God's blessing, as I stated luck is a crapshoot, but all blessings come from God.

 

David had no doubt that God would come through, and so with that confidence, he envisioned his enemies in defeat.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The fool says in his heart

                                                                          Psalm 53:1-6

 

June 1, 2022

 

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”  They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.   God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.  They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.   Have those who work evil no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God?  There they are, in great terror, where there is no terror!  For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you; you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.   Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

 

My dad loved history, he was a reader and a seeker of truth, and often he says, if only we learned from history, we would not have to repeat it.  But we live in a culture that is anti-God, it wants to be its own authority and its own god.  We as a culture are experiencing the ramification of telling God we have no place for Him in our education system and our government.  We also from the first child killed at the conventions of the mother, have devalued life, and have become a nation that has mass murdered over 66 million children, and we wonder why life has little value to many.

 

Yes, we have many who God calls fools in all segments of life, and in the state, local, and national government, corporations, and media of all kinds.  Remember it is not I that set the guideline for a fool, it is God who has done so.

 

And many of these so-called leaders show their hate for God’s Church during the Covid outbreak.  But God will protect His church just as He protected His chosen.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

The Steadfast Love of God Endures

 

 

Psalm 52:1-9

 

June 1, 2022

 

The Steadfast Love of God Endures

To the choirmaster. A Maskil of David, when Doeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”

Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?  The steadfast love of God endures all the day.  Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.  You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah

You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.  But God will break you down forever; he will snatch and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah

The righteous shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying,
“See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!” 

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God.  I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.  I will thank you forever because you have done it.  I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly.

 

Why was Saul foolish to listen to Doeg the Edomite?  The Edomites were the descendants of Esau, the firstborn son of Isaac and the twin brother of Jacob. In the womb, Esau and Jacob struggled together, and God told their mother, Rebekah, that they would become two nations, with the older one serving the younger (Genesis 25:23). As an adult, Esau rashly sold his inheritance to Jacob for a bowl of red soup (Genesis 25:30-34), and he hated his brother afterward. Esau became the father of the Edomites and Jacob became the father of the Israelites, and the two nations continued to struggle through most of their history. In the Bible, “Seir” (Joshua 24:4), “Bozrah” (Isaiah 63:1), and “Sela” (2 Kings 14:7) are references to Edom’s land and capital. Sela is better known today as Petra.  (Taken from “Got Question”).  In that they were relatives Israel was told by God not to hate them, you will find this recorded in Deuteronomy 22:7; “You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you were a sojourner in his land.”  Note: we do not use the word “abhor” but it means hate, or despise.  What do we know about we are given the account in 1 

Samuel chapters 21 a 22.  He was King Saul's chief herdsman and saw David talking to the priest, he reported it to Saul.  When Saul order the killing of the Priest, no one would do so, but Doeg did so.

 

Two things that we should guard our hearts from or Fear and Hate, they have no place in the life of a child of God.  With two exceptions, Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”  And when it comes to Hate, Romans 12:9, “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”

In the darkness of our Culture, we see much evil, it confronts us every day.  What is a follower of Christ to do?  It’s simple to love what is good and cling to good is a very strong wording.  So is hate which is evil, and if you hate something, not the person but the act, is it, not your duty to stand against it?  Why do you not hear our Children being warned against the evil our culture is telling them is good?  Many Pastors are not addressing the culture's lies to our children, if the parents are ignorant or ignoring the evil and not training the child in what God has commanded, and the Church is silent, what is the outcome?  When we love someone, we share the pothole in the roadway of life, when we do not have we not broken Romans 12:9?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A broken and Contrite Heart

 

Psalm 51:13-19

 

May 30, 2022

 

 

Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.  Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.  O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.  For, you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.  Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

 

What is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart?  Is it telling God and others you are so sorry and will never do it again?  Is it greater than that?  Before we tackle David's prayer after he has had a man kill to hide his sin of adultery. You recall Nathan the prophet went to him after he had gone into Bathsheba the wife of Uriah.  This was a big part of David's request after Nathan confronted him with his sin. “Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.   Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.  Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”

Being broken is much more than I got caught and I’m sorry.  It is a deep understanding that your action brought shame on the name of God and it breaks your heart that you come to the point God is all that you need, nothing is more important than your relationship and fellowship with the Lord.  And like David, your desire is to help others from going down a road that brings shame on your Father or His Son's name.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

 

Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God

 

 

Psalm 51:1-12

 

May 29, 2022

 

Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God

 

Have mercy on me O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.   Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!   For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me.  Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.  Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.  Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.  Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.    Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

 

The Scriptures have much to say about our flesh, and they are not addressing a person who is an unbeliever, but men and women, boys and girls, who by faith and grace have entered into a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Galatians 5:17, “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”

 

You will find many places and more examples of men who were followers of Christ but allowed the flesh to break fellowship, not the relationship with God.  George Walker Bush, when ask about his smoking weed, said, something to the effect and I am not quoting, when you are young you do many foolish things.  And how true that was of my life, and I never heard a sermon on the flesh till much later in my walk with Jesus.  At 27 I enter into a relationship with God, and it seem I would never stumble, The church we attended was medium size and had to be Baptist, for that was the way I grew up.  Jan and I were excited about our relationship with Jesus and wanted to be about His business, it was only natural that when asked to be the youth leaders we said yes.  At that time we had no understanding that the leadership was not following the teaching of Scripture by placing novices in a place of authority.  Then came the Lay Witness Mission and after attending a few my mentor Jack Archer, ask if we would pray about leading out in this program that the Methodist began and it was used in a big way for Jan and me to understand the need for prayer and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead.  Then I was voted by the congregation to be a deacon, but I knew it was not the will of God, but I allowed some other young men to talk me into it.  That began my first understanding of how pride can be a tool of the devil to ruin your walk with the Lord.  I became very prideful and less dependent on prayer and allowing the Holy Spirit's leadership in my life.

 

It took a train wreck of my faith to do as David had done, my sin had brought shame on the name of our Lord, and for years the enemy used that to make me fill not worthy of God’s mercy and love But bought lesson can be a great teacher, and the mentors God sent to us began to teach Jan and I the truth.  They taught us about how our flesh was at war with the Spirit but we did not have to submit to its desire.  We learned when we were weak God's Spirit living in us would carry us to a place of victory.   This is great news, the two of us are seekers of Truth, and our desire is to make a difference in the lives of our family, friends, and neighbors.  We have been blessed to know that Jesus Christ can change a life from evil to good, from fear to no fear of man, to the peace and joy of being His.

 

It amazes me that anyone would reject such love, but my goal is to share the promise of a Promise Keeper, who took your place.  A dear friend who has been so faithful to pray and encourage me during my long illness sent this with Scripture today, “He is a way-making, promise-keeping, battle-winning, water-walking, storm-stilling, faithful Friend and Savior.”  That my Lord, Jesus the Christ, do you know He loves you, and it matters not your color, your sins, or anything, He loves you.  If you would like to know begin in John's gospel and read Romans 10:9-10 after. 

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

God has this to say to the Wicked

 

Psalm 50:16-23

 

May 27, 2022

 

But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips?   For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you.  If you see a thief, you are pleased with him, and you keep company with adulterers.  “You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit.  You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son.  These things you have done, and I have been silent; you thought that I was one like yourself.  But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.  “Mark this, then, you who forget God, lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!  The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly
I will show the salvation of God!”

 

Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, a poser in my opinion falls into the wicked category.  What is a poser; “a person who acts in an affected manner in order to impress others.”   Often they are attention-seekers but they are not the real thing.  Like the politician that sits in the front of the church in the months before an election, but is no were to be found after the election.  Of the businessman who only comes to help his business, is too busy to be part of any ministry, and never shares his faith unless it helps get business.  You probably discover a poser.

 

For years I was a poser, I had knowledge of my subject and believed everything about my subject, but did not want to submit to Him.  At 27 years of age I did so and it not only changed my eternal home, but as I unlearned religion and began to find He was faithful, I learned to trust and obey His leadership, and I'm still a learner and a seeker of the Truth.”  Jesus is the Truth and the life and the only way to the Father.  The Church building is not a place for perfect people, if that were so they would not allow you or me inside its doors.  But many who come through those doors, hate discipline, they want to eat and go where they want, with no one, not God or man telling them how to live free, and often they are not at peace with God and man.

 

We have mass murders and we call the person mentally ill, but never do we, the Church, stand and say that person is demon posses and doing the will of their father the devil, who came to steal, kill, and destroy.

 

Has the Church, you and I who are followers of Christ, lost our conviction, why are we not sharing the Truth, “Jesus is the Truth.”  Could it be that the culture and the world's values have stolen our first love?

 

How much of what God is accusing the wicked of in this Psalm 50:16-23 can you identify as part of your life?  If you are being honest, search your heart, and find any of this in your life, except discipline, and confess it to the Lord, who will not only forgive a broken and contrite heart but not recall the sin again.

 

The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice 

 

Bring to God the Gift of Thanksgiving and Praise

 

Psalm 50:1-15

 

May 26, 2022

 

The Mighty One, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.  Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.  Our God comes; he does not keep silence;  before him is a devouring fire, around him a mighty tempest.  He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people: “Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!” The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge! Selah

 

 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God.  Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me.  I will not accept a bull from your house or goats from your folds.  For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.  “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.  Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?  Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

 

I’m fearful that we have a Church as a whole that has no understanding of the God whom they say they worship. Yes, He is the mighty One, and before Him is a devouring fire and around Him a mighty tempest.  If you are His then He is not only watching your actions, but your thought life.  It is God who is testifying against His chosen people.  You and I were grafted into that branch, and yes we are living on grace and faith but does that change God’s approach, a better question might be how are we different by living in the Church age?  First, are you part of God's Church, or just a member of a denomination?  I was a Baptist for 26 years before coming to grips with that being a Baptist but not having Christ living in my life by confessing my many sins, repenting, and asking Jesus to forgive me and enter into my life, was of no eternal value, and I was missing out on life now.  It requires a relationship with Jesus to be a member of His Church, to be family.

 

When you come to a place you understand it is not by works that you earn salvation, but when Christ enters into you and you into Him, the results will follow.

 

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

 

The Church must come to an awareness that our being grateful for God’s sacrifice to us of His Son, His only Son, and what is our requirement; to love the Lord our God, not just on special days, but every day by prayer, studying His written Word, and looking to Him for the plan He has for you.

 

May all who are just a member of a church but do not have a relationship with Jesus awake to their need for a Savior.

 

From the Back Porch

 

Bob Rice

Magnificent Creator

 I wanted to share this with you, from my bride.

Magnificent

Creator

 

The word “Magnificent” reminds me of beautiful bubbling streams, of mountains glorious and rainbows in colors extreme.

 

Colorful parades of butterflies in spring and birds on the wing bring such joy to me.

 

Flowers in such dainty attire, that one wonders: who placed them there to give beauty, wondrous beauty, everywhere.

 

How can all this be?  Who is the source of this 

majesty?

 

In six days our Creator made it all good and glorious, and that includes you and me.

 

God is magnificent in all His ways and has a plan for all.  Bow down before Him and give your heart to Him, you will be assured that you have made the right start.

 

He will give truth and guidance through His great architectural plans, His Holy word written with Eternal Hands, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

 

I delight in my Magnificent Creator and Savior and Praise His Holy name!

 

By,

 

Jan Rice

 

Why Should I Fear in Times of Trouble?

 

 

 

Psalm 49:1-20

 

June 14, 2023

 

Why Should I Fear in Times of Trouble?

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

Hear this, all peoples!  Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together!   My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre.  Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me, those who trust in their wealth
 and boast of the abundance of their riches?  Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit.  For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others.  Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they called lands by their own names.  Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish.  This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them, people approve of their boasts. Selah
Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd, and the upright shall rule over them in the morning.
Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell.  But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah

Be not afraid when a man becomes rich when the glory of his house increases.   For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him.  For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed —and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—his soul will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never again see light.  Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

 

 

Often, we read a Psalm like this one and said that true even today, but the sad news is it may be more so than you understand.  The opening verse is very inclusive; Hear this, all peoples!  Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together!  He asked a question that each of us who is a follower of Christ should be asking of ourselves.   Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me, those who trust in their wealth
 and boast of the abundance of their riches?   Each day someone is telling you to fear, it may be the people selling gold, or the climate change, telling you to buy an electric car, to save the world, and the list keeps going, and yet God has told us to fear not, for He is with us, what can man do to us.

 

We are told in the Word of God, that we have brought nothing into this world and we sure will not take anything out.

 

Today we see many who believe they are in control of everything, they have more wealth than most would dream about and they come across as if they are gods.  The Psalmist states it so correctly.  Man, in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.  They are not to be fear, but they are in need of prayer, in that eternity in utter darkness with no light, and yes, they should fear for God keep His Word.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised!

  

Psalm 48:1-14

 

June 13, 2023

 

Zion, the City of Our God

A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God!  His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth,
Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King.  Within her citadels, God has made himself known as a fortress.  For behold, the kings assembled; they came on together.  As soon as they saw it, they were astounded; they were in panic; they took to flight.  Trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in labor.  By the east wind, you shattered the ships of Tarshish.  As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God, which God will establish forever. Selah

We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple.  As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth.  Your right hand is filled with righteousness.  Let Mount Zion be glad!  Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of your judgments!  Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever.  He will guide us forever.

 

 

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised!

For a couple of years, we did not have VBS at our Church because of I’m sure the Covid pandemic.  My bride left knee does not do well running up and down stairs, so we no longer were going to be in an active role of herds a group of 2^nds or third graders all over the complex but we love children.  We were laying in bed Sunday night giving God praise for the report that 1200 children had signed up for VBS.  And Jan said Bob, we should go and see if they need help.  So, we did and we were amazed that so many people had stepped up to fill the roles, what a body of believers.

 

I was told they could use us with the adults coming to pick up their children and to make sure they had the proper paperwork to get the children, you talk about a well-run organization it went like clockwork.  I thought herding adults would be harder than kids but to me my amazement it has been a real joy to allow God to shine through me.  

 

What a joy to be part of something that trains children to look to their Creator, who has such a great love for them, the Theme is Shine, and everywhere I’m looking I see people allowing Jesus to Shine in them. So yes, Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised!

 

The reason I’m so excited is that good news is being given to these children, and is that not how Psalm 48 ended.  That you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever.  He will guide us forever.  At Oakwood and all over our Nation's body of 
believers are doing the same equipping children to know that, "Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised."

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

God Is King over All the Earth

 

Psalm 47:1-9

 

June 7, 2023

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.

Clap your hands, all people!  Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth.  He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet.  He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah

God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises!  Sing praises to our King, sing praises!  For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!  God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.  The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted!

 

Rejoice, and yes, I say rejoice for King Jesus has conquered death and the grave and sits at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for His Church.  [Note: We the Church need to teach all that the building is a place only where the church gathers, and we were reminded once more by Pastor Patrick this Sunday that we the Church need to Shine our light of Jesus' love to the world we come in contact with.]

 

Often, we are told to fear, yes honored, exalted, to grasp His love and grace for you as His Creation.  You recall King Nebuchadnezzar who built an image of Himself and made all people bow to it, well not all for three Jewish men knew the God of Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac, and they fear God more than anything the King Nebuchadnezzar could do to them.  They knew that the king might kill them but they also put their hope and faith in God who can raise the dead.

 

If you look at the state of our Nation, the godless agenda, of killing babies to make a profit on their body parts, the dumbing down of our educational institution, and all the bull about anyone but God destroying the World, Jesus is coming to rule over people for a thousand years so do not buy into Climate change or global warming.  And teaching little kids that God made a mistake, they should have been a boy or girl, a lie straight from hell.

 

You and I have a choice, to put our faith in the people who teach fears and lies, and talk about things as if they had real understanding.  Do you recall a guy named Dr. Fauci who led this nation on Covid -19, and was the lead fear cheerleader?  Well, he is an example of all the other all-knowing ones that put faith in themselves.

 

I’m doing before what the Psalmist did, putting my trust in the King of heaven and earth, the Creator, of all that is King Jesus.  For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!  God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.

 

And let's end today with I do not understand what the “shields of the earth” are, but they do belong to God.  I read a lot of men guessing, I did not read anyone saying I do not have a clue.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice