PRAISING GOD
PART 4
Blessed be the Lord,
How great is Thy goodness.
Thou hast ransomed me,
O Lord God of truth
But as for me, I trust in Thee,
O Lord
Thou art my God, my times are
in Thy hand
How great is Thy goodness,
toward me.
In Thee, O Lord, I have
taken refuge.
I will extol Thee, O Lord,
for Thou hast lifted me up
The Lord is my strength and
my shield
My heart trusts in Him
and I am helped
Therefore my heart exults
and with my song I shall thank
Him
Ascribe to the Lord, O sons of the mighty
Ascribe to the Lord,
glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord,
the glory due to His Name
Worship the Lord in Holy array.
One thing I have asked from the Lord,
that I shall seek.
That I may dwell in the house of the
Lord, all the days of my life
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to meditate in His temple
for in the day of trouble
He will conceal me in His tabernacle
In the secret place of His tent
He will hide me
He will lift me up on a rock
And now my head will be lifted up
above my enemies around me
And I will offer in His tent sacrifices
with shouts of joy.
I will sing, yes I will sing praises
to the Lord.
next post 7th October
ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY
PART 39
(Mark Cahill's Book)
Yet eternity is infinitely longer than eighty years. I can guarantee that you will be alive somewhere after your physical death a whole lot longer than you will be alive here on earth.
Since that is true, it makes sense to learn what we can about what is on the other side instead of focusing on things that are temporary. One hundred and fifty years from now, will it matter whether or not you made one million dollars, drove a convertible Mercedes, owned an incredible house, or played in the final four?
No. We never see a U-haul behind a
hearse, because we take nothing with us when we die. The only thing that will be important on the day you die is whether or not you know the God Who created you.
If you do, you will be with Him forever...
and ever and ever. And if you don't, you
will be without Him forever....and ever and ever. Because you will have rejected His loving presence and accepted the
consequences that go with that rejection.
It is only the eternal things - not the
temporary things - that will matter. Ask
yourself this question : Are you more
concerned about your relationships and
your possessions in this brief life than
you are about where and how you will
spend eternity?
The Bible tells of a wealthy man who was quite satisfied with all the possessions he had acquired during his lifetime. He said to himself:
"This will I do: I will pull down my barns,
and build greater; and there will I bestow
all my fruits and my goods.
And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, thou hast
much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry.'
But God said unto him, "Thou fool, this
night thy soul will be required of thee:
then whose shalt those things be., which
thou hast provided?
So is he who layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
(Luke 12:18-21)
Death is sudden, death is uninvited, death is certain. We don't put death on our day planners, but one day it just shows up. It is a journey from which there is no return. Now, none of us ever wants to be called a fool, neither in this lifetime nor in the next. So, how can we , make sure we haven't been foolish one minute after we die?
Life offers numerous choices, no matter
what we are considering; what kind of car we will buy, what we will eat tonight, where we will go to school, who we will marry, what college we will attend, how we will spend our time, and so on.
Eternity, though, offers only two choices.
The Bible tells us that each one of us will wind up in one of two final destinations after we die.
.. them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame, and
everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:2)
We will all be fully awake and aware, either happily in heaven, or in disgrace and everlasting contempt in hell.
Mark Twain made a joke of it, suggesting we should "go to heaven
for the climate, and hell for the company."
However, it will not be a joke for you, or anyone else if you end up in hell.
Next post 2nd October
IS JESUS
RELEVANT TODAY
PART 5
(Copied from Y-Jesus.com)
Rebellion against God's Moral Laws.
C.S. Lewis reasoned that even though we are internally programmed with a desire to know God, we rebel against it from the moment we are born. Lewis also began to examine his own motives, which led him to the discovery that he instinctively knew right from wrong.
Lewis wondered where this sense of right and wrong came from. We all experience this sense of right and
wrong when we read of Hitler killing
six million Jews. or a hero sacrificing
his or her life for someone. We instinctively know it is wrong to lie
and cheat.
This recognition that we are programmed with an inner moral law
led the former atheist to the conclusion that there must be a moral "Lawgiver."
Indeed, according to both Jesus and
the Scriptures, God has given us a moral law to obey. And not only have we turned our backs on a relationship with Him, we have also broken these moral laws which God established.
Most of us know some of the Ten
Commandments:
"Don't lie, steal, commit adultery and
murder, etc. " Jesus summarized them
by saying we should love God with all
our heart and our neighbor as ourselves.
Sin, therefore, is not only the wrong that
we do in breaking the law, but also our
failure to do what is right.
God made the universe with laws that
govern everything in it. They are inviolable, and unchangeable. When Einstein derived the formula E=MC2 he unlocked the mystery of nuclear energy. Put the right ingredients together under exacting circumstances and
enormous power is unleashed. The Scriptures tell us that God's moral law
is no different in that it stems from His very character.
From the very first man and woman,
we have disobeyed God's laws, even though they are for our best. And we have failed to do what is right. We
have inherited this condition from the first man, Adam. The Bible calls this disobedience, sin, which means "missing the mark," like an archer missing his intended target. Thus our sins have broken God's intended relationship with us. Using the
archer's example, we have missed
the mark when it comes to the purpose we were created for.
Sin causes the severing of all relationships:
The human race severed from its environment, (alienation), individuals severed from themselves, (guilt and shame), people severed from other people, (war and murder), and
people severed from God, (spiritual death). Like the links on a
chain once the first link
between God and humanity
was broken, all
contingent links became
uncoupled.
And we are broken, As Kayne West raps "And I don't think there is nothing I can do to right my wrongs...... I want to speak to God, but I am afraid cause we aint spoke in so long." West's
lyrics speak of the separation that sin brings to our lives. And, according to the Bible this separation is more than just lyrics in a rap song.
It has deadly consequences.
Our Sins Have Separated Us From God's Love.
Our rebellion, (sin) has created a wall of separation between God and us.
(See Isaiah 59:2) In the Scriptures, "separation" means spiritual death, and spiritual death means completely separated from the light and life of
God.
"But wait a minute," you might say, "but didn't God know all that before He made us?
Didn't He see that His plan was doomed for failure?" Of course, an all-knowing God would realize that we would rebel and sin. In fact, it is our failure that makes His plan so mind-blowing.
This brings us to the reason that God came to earth in human form and even more incredible the reason for His death.
next post 4th October
ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY PART 38
(Mark Cahill's Book)
Chapter 4 - "The flames, the flames!"
Between us and heaven or hell , there is
only life, which is the frailest thing in the
world. - BLAISE PASCAL
Now that the mystery of whether the Bible is true has been solved, the way is open to the next step in our journey.: Finding what the Bible says about our eternal destination.
Do you recognise these words?
To every thing there is a season
And a time to every purpose under
heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up
that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break up, and a time to
build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance...
Some people think
these words were
written decades ago
for a song by The
Byrds, but actually
these timeless words
were inspired
thousands of years
before that by God,
( Ecclesiastes 3:1-4)
These words hit us deeply because they
are true. There is a time to live, and a time to die, for each one of us. The question is, what will happen to us once our time to die comes? What happens to us after that last heartbeat? Are you ready if today happens to be that day for you?
God has placed an awareness of eternity
in the heart of every man and woman.
Deep down in our hearts, we all know
intuitively that there is more than just this life, that there is something beyond the grave. The Bible says that we each have a body, soul and spirit
( 1st Thessalonians 5:23).
You will leave your body behind at death, but what will happen to your soul and spirit ? Where will you spend eternity?
When you look at the words etched on a tombstone, you see the person's name,
date of birth and date of death, if there are seventy or eighty years between the
person's life and death dates, most of us
would consider that the person had a nice full life.
Yet eternity is infinitely longer than eighty years, I can guarantee that you will be alive somewhere after your physical death a whole lot longer than you will be alive here on earth.
Since that is true, let us focus on what is on the other side ......
Next post 28th September
ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY
PART 37
(Mark Cahill's Book)
God said that He created animal life.
But ask now the beasts, and they shall
teach thee; and the fowls of the air; and
they shall tell thee.
Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach
thee; and the fishes of the sea shall
declare unto thee.
Who knoweth not in all these, that the
hand of the Lord hath wrought this?
In Whose hand is the soul of every living
thing, and the breath of all mankind.
(Job 12:7-10)
God holds the breath of every living being in His hands and His hands
alone!
Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling place
in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art
God.
(Psalm 90:1-2)
Know ye that the
Lord He is God,
it is He that hath made us and not
we ourselves; we
are His people,
and the sheep of
His pasture.
(Psalm 100:3)
Thus saith God the Lord, He that created
the heavens and stretched them out; He
that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it. He that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein.
(Isaiah 42:5)
I have made the earth and created man
upon it; I, even My hands have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded. I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways:
he shall build my city and he shall let go My captives, not for price nor reward, saith the Lord of hosts...
Verily, Thou art a God that hidest Thyself,
O God of Israel, the Saviour.
They shall be ashamed and also
confounded; all of them; they shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols.
But Israel shall be saved in the Lord, with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed or confounded world without end.
For thus saith the Lord that created the
heavens; God Himself that formed the earth and made it :He Himself hath established it ;
He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord and there is none else.
(Isaiah 12-13, 15-18).
God made both animals and man, each after its own kind. That is, a kind produces its own kind,
and not another kind.
And God created great whales and every
living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly after their kind, and the winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
And God blessed them, saying : be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
And God said, let the earth bring forth
the living creature after his kind , cattle
and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind : and it was so.
And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the earth after his
kind and God saw that it was good.
And God said, Let us make man in our
image, after our likeness: and let them
have dominion over the fish of the sea,
and over the fowl of the air, and over
the cattle, and over all the earth, and
over every creeping thing.
(Genesis 1:21-26)
The Bible gets even more specific, insisting that macroevolution never happened:
All flesh is not the same flesh: but
there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
(1st Corinthians: 15:39)
Just as the scientific evidence
showed us , each kind of flesh is different., and each kind of flesh can produce only its own kind of flesh. The Bible says the exact same
thing!
Bottom line: Truth has been found .
The Bible tells us all we need to know
in order to choose where we will spend
eternity. In fact we might say BIBLE is
a great acronym for "Basic Information
Before Leaving Earth."
It doesn't matter who you are - Michael
Jordan, the president, you or me, - we will all be leaving earth one day. If you have the right information about
eternity and do the right thing with it, you will end up at the right destination.
But if you have the wrong information, you will end up at the wrong
destination.
The ice is getting much thicker
beneath us now. Since we know the Bible to be true, eternal truth continues to grow clearer and clearer.
next post 26th September
TWENTY SEVENTEEN
PART 26
Hello folks,
We had also decided, a week or so ago to let the coins go for the R15,000 offered. We desperately need the cash. In the past week or so Chris has come up from the coast and brought two sets of potential buyers to view the property. Apparently A+A have renegged on their Agreement and Chris needs the money to buy the property he is living on at the coast.
The first couple didn't stay long and didn't even enter our cottage. But the 2nd couple, young blacks, eldest child about six or seven stayed on the property for about an hour and a half and came into our cottage to view.
they averted their eyes and did not look at Ruth or me (perhaps this is their culture) and Chris also did not introduce them to us.
From conversation Ruth overheard they are considering converting the stables into living quarters. We do not know where this is leading.
Ill winds are blowing this way and we do know that we will have to leave.
We have now sold the coins for R15,000
and are looking for
another, better cottage.
How truly awesome God is. What a wonderful God we serve, I shudder to think what life would be like without Him.
"I would have despaired, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Psalm 27:18
Sunday 9th July - Chris is back with the young black buyer who is taking photographs of the buildings etc. on the property - Ruth confirms with Roz that he is the new buyer.
Another major problem we are having is the power going off every day for at least an hour, sometimes it is because of a storm (not often) sometimes Eskom is to blame (not too often) and sometimes it is A+A not buying prepaid power (too often) and then we are at their mercy for the power to come on again which can sometimes take 5 hours.
next post 1st October
PRAISING GOD
PART 3
O Lord my God
When I in awesome wonder
consider all the works
Thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the
roaring thunder
You power throughout the
universe displayed
Then sings my soul
my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
Then sings my soul
My Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
When I, through woods
and forest glades do wander
I hear the birds sing
sweetly in the trees
And when I look down from
lofty mountain grandeur
I see the brook and feel the
gentle breeze
Then sings my soul,
my Savior God to Thee How great Thou art
How great Thou art
Then sings my soul
My Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
And when I see that God
His Son not sparing
sent Him to die
I scarce can take it in
when on the cross my burden
gladly bearing
He bled and died to take
away my sin
Then sings my soul
my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
Then sings my soul
My Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
When Christ shall come
with shouts of jubilation
to take me home
what joy shall fill my soul
Then I shall bow in humble
adoration
and there proclaim
My God, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul,
my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
Then sings my soul
My Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
next post 28th September
MY FAVORITE PSALMS
PART 81
Thou dost rebuke the arrogant, the
cursed who wander from Thy
commandments
Take away reproach and contempt
from me
For I observe Thy testimonies
Even though princes sit and talk against me
Thy servant meditates on Thy statutes
Thy testimonies also are my delight.
They are my counselors.
My soul cleaves to the dust
Revive me according to Thy word
I have told of my ways
and thou hast answered me
Teach me Thy statutes
Make me understand the way
of Thy precepts
So I will meditate on Thy wonders
My soul weeps because of grief
Strengthen me according to Thy word
Remove the false way from me
and graciously grant me Thy law
I have chosen the faithful way
I have placed Thine ordinances
before me
I cleave to Thy testimonies
O Lord, do not put me to shame
I shall run the way of Thy
commandments for Thou wilt
enlarge my heart.
Teach me, O Lord,
the way of Thy statutesand I shall observe it to the end
Give me understanding that
I may observe Thy law
and keep it with all my heart.
Make me walk in the path of
Thy commandments
For I delight in it.
Incline mine heart to Thy testimonies
and not to dishonest gain
Turn away mine eyes from looking at
vanity
And revive me in Thy ways
Establish Thy word to Thy servant
As that which produces reverence
for Thee
Turn away my reproach which I dread
For Thy ordinances are good
Behold I long for Thy precepts
Revive me through Thy righteousness
May Thy loving kindness also come
to me, O Lord, Thy salvation according
to Thy word.
So shall I have an answer for him
who reproaches me
For I trust in Thy word
And do not take the word of truth
utterly out of my mouth
For I wait for Thine ordinances.
So I will keep Thy law
forever and ever.
And I will walk at liberty
For I seek Thy precepts
I will also speak of Thy testimonies
before kings
and shall not be ashamed,
and I shall delight in Thy
commandments which I love
And I shall lift up my hands
to Thy commandments
which I love.
And I will meditate on Thy statutes.
next post 29th September
ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY
PART 36
(Mark Cahill's Book)
We know that God can't err. And now that we know that the Bible is the Word of God, we know that the Bible can't err either. Surely God would preserve His Word and keep it free from mistakes.
We just have to look at the evidence to see that this is true:
* The Bible says that what has been
made speaks very clearly of the One
Who made it.
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth His handywork. Day to day uttereth speech, and night to night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath He set a tabernacle for the sun.
Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoices as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven and His circuit to the end of it. And there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. (Psalm 19:1-6)
In the beginning God created the earth. (Genesis 1:1)
* When we looked at the evidence in
chapter one , we concluded that
someone would have to be
unreasonable not to believe that the
universe had a Creator.
Long before us, God came to the same conclusion and commented on those who
would deny His existence:
Because that which
may be known of
God, is manifest in
them, for God has
shewn it unto them.
For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse. (Romans 1:19-20)
The fool has said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.(Psalm 14:1)
God also declared the beginning of things when He said He made this universe.
He hath made the earth by His power, He hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by His discretion.
When He uttereth His voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causes the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; He maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind from His treasures.
Every man is brutish in his knowledge, every founder is confounded by the graven image; for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. (Jeremiah 10:12-14)
My help cometh from the Lord, Which made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:2)
Happy is he that has the God of Jacob
for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God:
Which made heaven and earth, the sea and all that therein is; Which keepeth truth forever. (Psalm 146: 5-6)
Thou, even Thou, art God alone; Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things that are therein, the seas and all things that are therein; and Thou preservest them all ; and the host of heaven worshippeth Thee.
(Nehemiah 9:6)
next post 25th September
PRAISING GOD
