His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

 

Psalm 118: 14-29

 

October 8, 2022

 

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

 

The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.
Glad songs of salvation are in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly, the right hand of the Lord exalts, the right hand of the Lord does valiantly!  In Isaiah 41:10, we find this promise, “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  Do you wonder why so many in the Church look to other sources?

 

”I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord. The Lord has disciplined me severely, but he has not given me over to death.  I now have experienced such a time, and I have many who are very close to me who have walked in the shoes of the Psalmist.  

 

Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.  This is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.  I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.  The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.   This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.  This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. 

 Cornerstone, where in the New Testament do we find that word used, and about whom?  Jesus, quotes these verses in Matthew 21:42-43,  Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes?  “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.”  Jesus is referring to Himself as the Cornerstone, and the Jewish people are His chosen, but for a while, we the Church are a wild vine that has been grafted into the vine that is Christ, and we are in Christ and He is in us.  Our purpose is to produce fruit.                             

Save us, we pray, O Lord!  O Lord, we pray, give us success!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!   We the Church have no other name, no program, to bear fruit, and Jesus has made that clear; in John 15:5,6, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.  If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire, and burned. 

We bless you from the house of the Lord.  The Lord is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us.  Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar!  Could it be that many who go by the title of Christian, leave their blessing at the Church building?  Are we that ignorant of our calling, the Church is Christ living out His life in all who by grace and faith have entered into a personal relationship with the Lord.

 

You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you.  Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!  Amen

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

His steadfast love endures forever!

 

Psalm 118:1-13

 

October 7, 2022

 

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

 

Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”  Let the house of Aaron say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”  Let those who fear the Lord say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”  Out of my distress, I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.  The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.   What can man do to me?  The Lord is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.  It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.  It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.  All nations surrounded me; in the name of the Lord, I cut them off!  They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side; in the name of the Lord, I cut them off!  They surrounded me like bees; they went out like a fire among thorns;  in the name of the Lord, I cut them off!  I was pushed hard so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me.

 

The song of the Psalm often seems to be repetitive did I not just read that, has not the last few Psalms had that theme, and the answer is yes?  But what about the question for each of us, has it become the song of our hearts?  Give some thought to the question!  How are you doing in the thankful category?  Have you grasped the richness of God’s goodness to you?  Has His steadfast love that endures forever taken root in your heart and life?  I’m not sure but it seems that both Israel and the house of Aaron have not done so at this time, but what about you, the bride of Jesus, do you and I rejoice in His steadfast Love?

 

Have you experienced the freedom that is only in Christ, if so have you shared that freedom with others?  The Lord is on my side, and that is so true, it has little to do with how you feel, or even your circumstance, it is coming to grip with His promises, in Hebrews 13:5, “Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you.”  Can any of the stuff we place value on come close to what God has promised?  If your answer is anything but “no” you have a spiritual issue, and it is one of two things, and God gives us this insight, into how the love of the world will keep us from loving God in 1 John 2:15,  ^“Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.”  He also tells us a person has to come to the understanding that all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.  We need a redeemer, someone who is without sin, to make restitution for us.  But that is a big problem, and it gets bigger for God has made clear that without the shedding of blood, there is no redemption for sin. That leaves us with a problem, it is not about what we can do, for we all sinned, and that will not meet God’s requirement, so we need one who is without sin to take our place and be willing to die for us, to buy us out of sin an make us in right standing with God.  Jesus did that, and God has given you the faith and allows His grace to ask Jesus to forgive us and come into our lives.  Romans 10:9-10 gave me an understanding of my need and God’s solution.  If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

 

Now I must tell you, the enemy of your soul is going to mess with you, he going to remind you of all the sins that are now covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.  He is a liar and deceiver and has more power than you unless you learn to let Jesus fight for you.  It often will seem as when I was keeping bees, and trying to take honey on a cloudy day, the bees would not be happy and often be all over me. 

 

So today allow this to take place in your life; Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!  

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

Praise & Extol the Lord

 

Psalm 117

 

October 6, 2022

 

Praise the Lord, all nations!  Extol him, all people!  For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!

 

I am and have been blessed with the love and hand of my Lord Jesus Christ. To give praise is an easy thing, to worship, I’ve often wondered if we the Church understand worship?  Is worship singing a few praise songs and listening to a sermon, is that worship?  To extol the Lord Jesus, is I believe a show of love and reverence as we go about each day, a thanksgiving of the many blessings He has showered on us.  To me, it is a devotion to His redeeming grace and His steadfast love.

 

I’m not sure about anyone but me, but I’m a mess, as I write this I am waiting for a doctor to return my call to see if the problem I’m experiencing requires me to go to a hospital for care.  I’ve talked with the Lord, and a thought came into my mind, to take a baby aspirin and go to sleep.  Now our Lord has not promised us a rose garden life, in fact, He has said in this world you will have tribulation.  But Jesus has given us His steadfast love, and His faithfulness endures forever.  What can one say, but Praise the Lord.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

Jesus is Truth - All Truth

 

Psalm 116:10-19

 

October 2, 2022

 

I believed, even when I spoke: “I am greatly afflicted”; I said in my alarm, “All mankind are liars.”   What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me?  I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.  Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.  O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.  You have loosed my bonds.  I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord.  I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!

 

Why was the Psalmist alarmed, he was going through a great affliction, and for a man of God that draws him close to the Lord?  “All mankind are liars.”  I have no doubt that at some point all have lied, many in Washington DC do it so often it becomes rare for them to speak the truth.  In Romans 3:4, Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” God is true to His word, mankind is often moved by feeling and circumstance, whereas God is not.  

Many who go by the name Christian, who tithe, do many good things, and pay their taxes, have missed the mark.  They have self-rightness, that is depending on themselves and not on God.  Living independence from God's authority is the cardinal sin of mankind.  Bill Gilham uses this Key Concept – The Christian life is not difficult to live; it is impossible.  Jesus Christ is the only one who has ever lived the Christian life.  He is the only one who can live it today, and that is exactly what He wants to do through you (see John 15:5 and Galatians 2:20).

It is my strong belief that many who have the title Christian, have missed the relationship of knowing Christ.  They believe He is God, born to a Virgin and died on the cross, and they often are in roles of leadership in the Church.  My reason for having that belief is I joined the Baptist Church at age 12 and I was 27 years of age before coming to an understanding, I knew a lot about Jesus and believed in Jesus, but did not have any relationship with the Lord.  That night in a hotel room, I opened the hotel Bible to Romans 10:9-10 and read these words: “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”  That night Christ entered into me and I into Him, and the relationship began, and I found His words to be true, and I’ve been reprogramming my flesh from the ways of man to the ways of Truth.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

 

I Love the Lord

 

Psalm 116:1-9

 

September 31, 2022

 

I Love the Lord

 

I love the Lord because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy.  Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.  The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish.  Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!” Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful.  The Lord preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me.  Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.  For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling; I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

 

As I read this it brought me back to the beginning of 2022, January 26, with this simple one being brought low.  God has blessed me with good health, and both Jan and I have been thankful for all of God’s blessings, being healthy was at the top of the list.  And that brings me to my testimony, 

“I love the Lord because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy.  Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.  The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish.  Then I called on the name of the Lord.”  (Sheol is a Hebrew word meaning the grave.) 

 My first stay at the Hospital was for sodium deficiency below 100 and God sent one very special lady Dr. Hillary Banks, to minister to me.  That first day I do not recall much but early the next morning Dr. Banks came into my room and said; “Mr. Rice I am Dr. Banks, and God woke me at 1:30 this morning praying for you.  I lost it, I was overcome with thankfulness that God was sending the right people, His doctor to care for me.  It hit me a little later that I had been close to death, and was told they had never had anyone with sodium that low and lived.  My prayer was dear  Father, I am not fearful of coming home, but if you will leave me to care for Jan. I Came home after 10 days in the hospital, and on the 14^th day home, I began to have trouble breathing.  Back to Christus Santa Rosa hospital in New Braunfels, and this time it was double pneumonia, on my second night they called my daughter and asked for permission to put a tube down my throat, as I could not breathe on oxygen, and they put a tube down my throat and bag me.  A device was being used to keep me breathing, yet I was not aware of any of this.  The lung doctor told my wife and daughter to stay home and get some rest so that I would not know they were there.   On the third day, they were told I was not responding.  I believe it was on the fourth day they removed the device and I was breathing on oxygen.  The Lord had dealt bountifully with me as the psalmist stated.  

But that was not the end of the story, for the Psalmist's words became my own,  “For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling; I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.”  I forgot to tell you that the enemy of my soul had a plan to remove me from planet Earth, it began with Covid 19, and God used doctors who are friends to help me in that area, and when I went to the hospital I thought it was for Covid.  

 

A man who I had met at I believe a Christian men's group was named after a great Indian Chief Geronimo, and he took me from ICU to a Christus rehab center, and put me in a very nice room, in fact, it was the nicest and biggest room I had been in.  But I was having what they called covid brain fog and I believe the people were being mean to me.  My daughter tells me it was the drugs that were doing it to me, I know it was not good.  I went to a doctor rehab called Pam and stayed for 21 days, and had some of the best nurses, nurses that would talk with me, pray with me, and encourage me.  I was too weak to do much therapy, and when I got to Sundance they weighed me at 126 lbs.  There was a nurse practitioner and two of the best therapists anyone could ask for.  I came home still weak on April 18, and once more I went with Christus home care, and it was great.

 

I love God, the Father, and His only Son who is my Creator and yours, his name is Jesus the Messiah, and He bought me out of eternal death, by paying for my sins and yours on the Cross.  I am so thankful for the Holy Spirit that lives in me and encourages and often rebukes me.  So, Jesus has many titles Creator, Redeemer, Savior, and Master.  I Love you, Jesus!

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

O Israel trust the Lord!

 

Psalm 115: 9-18

 

September 30, 2022

 

O Israel, trust in the Lord!  He is their help and their shield.   O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord!  He is their help and their shield.  You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!  He is their help and their shield.  The Lord has remembered us; he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron; he will bless those who fear the Lord, both the small and the great.  May the Lord give you an increase, you and your children!  May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth!  The heavens are the Lord's heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man.   The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any who go down into silence.  But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.  Praise the Lord!

 

We have clear instructions to not add or take away from God's written Word. Many verses give us this council, let's share a couple; Proverbs 30:5-6, “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.”  Also, Revelation 22:18-19, “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”  God who knows my heart, knows I have not ever set out to add or take away from the Scriptures, so this will be my prayer and it might also be yours.

Dear Father in Heaven, may your name be as holy on earth as it is in heaven.  I request that the United States of America put their trust in You, and all who fear you will trust in You.  For you are our help and our shield.  For You Father, allowed our Creator Your only Son, Jesus the Christ, the Messiah to take our sins to the cross and cover them with His blood, and become our Redeemer, Savior, and Lord.  Father, I am so blessed that you included both the small and great, and even rascals like me.  I am a witness to this verse, for it is being lived out in my life and many others.  May the Lord give you an increase, you and your children!  May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth!  We have been and are being blessed, and we praise your Holy name.  May your Church grow in numbers of saints with love and boldness that hold true to your written Word. Amen

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

 

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To Your Name Give Glory

 

Psalm 115:1-8

 

September 29, 2022

 

To Your Name Give Glory

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!   Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?”   Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.   Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.  They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell.   They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat.  Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.

 

In "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren, the theme is; It is not about you, it is about God.  Your life's purpose is far greater than your personal fulfillment, peace of mind, or even your happiness. It's far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. (In Green is taken from another source)

 

As I read that first sentence, Rick's book "The Purpose Driven Life” came into my thinking.  I am unaware of any idols made in the form of a person to be worshiped.  But that does not mean that many Christians do not have idols.  Maybe it would be helpful to define what an idol is: an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship. Shall we say we get a pass on that definition? But what about this one: a person or thing that is greatly admired, loved, or revered?  It would be wise to say anything that replaces or takes the place of God in your life has become an idol.  Wow, that leaves room for a lot of idols.  Children, grandchildren, stuff, like cars, houses, sports, pastors, government, money, and the list keeps going.  An Idol is anything that replaces God.

 

Yesterday, I was listening to the radio and the focus was on Carbon credits and how some nations in Europe are setting up a system to allow their citizen only so many carbon credits.  I'm not sure what that means, but it sounds like a way to control what one can do, and the man made it very clear that our central banking system has been working on something like this for years.  This writer would not like someone telling me how much red meat I could eat, where I could travel, or mess with my savings, so is my ability to do as I desire as long as it does not harm others and idols?  It could be if I’m not looking to God to be my provider, as He has been all my 80 years.

 

Now let me be clear that Carbon Credits could be all smoke, but if it is true, will you run to God, or look to one of the little gods you worship?

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice