God, That Cannot Lie

Jeremiah 33:25-26
Thus saith the LORD; If my covenant be not with day and night,
and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth;
Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David my servant . . .

Titus 1:2
In hope of eternal life,
which God, that cannot lie,
promised before the world began;

Planet Convergence March 25, 2012

Mark your calendar now
if you want to see the next celestial convergence
of Venus, Jupiter, and the moon.
On November 18, 2052, you’ll be able to peer
through the evening darkness
as those solar system neighbors “gather”
in a tiny area of the sky.
That remarkable juxtaposition of reflective spheres
last sparkled the night sky on December 1, 2008,
and it will happen again 4 decades from now.

This predictability,
as well as things such as eclipses
and the return of Halley’s Comet (July 28, 2061),
prove the orderliness of the universe.
If no fixed set of laws governed the movement
of everything in the universe,
such predictions could not be made.

Are these set rules more than random standards?
Can we see God’s hand in these celestial certainties?
Look at Jeremiah 33:25-26.
God has in view the covenantal relationship
between Himself and His people,
and He uses a scientific fact in the analogy.
In effect, God says that His fixed universal laws,
“the ordinances of heaven and earth,”
have the same certainty
as His promises to His covenant people.

God’s laws have governed the universe since its creation—
and continue to do so with astounding predictability.
So mark your calendar,
and be amazed by God’s unchanging control.  — Dave Branon”

Wherein God,
willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs
of promise the immutability of his counsel,
confirmed it by an oath:
That by two immutable things,
in which it was impossible for God to lie,
we might have a strong consolation,
who have fled for refuge to lay hold
upon the hope set before us:
Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul,
both sure and stedfast, . . . Hebrews 6:17-19

Today’s thought – The Word of God

482012 001My HOPE is built on nothing less . . .

Good Morning

Matthew 24:35
Heaven and earth shall pass away,
but my words shall not pass away.

Priscilla Howe once described the Word of God as the Book that contains

the mind of God,
the state of man,
the way of salvation
the doom of sinners,
and the happiness of believers.
Its doctrines are holy,
its precepts are binding,
its histories are true,
and its decisions are immutable.

Therefore,
how can it ever fade from the grasp of man?
Read it to be wise,
believe it to be safe,
and practice it to be holy.
It contains
light to direct you,
food to support you,
and comfort to cheer you.
It is the traveler’s map,
the pilgrim’s staff,
the soldier’s sword,
and the Christian’s charter.
Here paradise is restored,
heaven opened,
and the gates of hell disclosed.
Christ is its grand object,
our good its design,
and the glory of God its end.
It should fill the memory,
rule the heart,
and guide the feet.
Read it slowly,
frequently,
and prayerfully.
It is a mine of wealth,
a paradise of glory,
and a river of pleasure.
It is given you in life,
will be opened in the judgment,
and be remembered forever.
It involves the highest responsibility,
will reward the greatest labor,
and will condemn all who trifle
with its sacred content.

Trust God’s Word . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on November 17, 2014 at 12:07 pm  Leave a Comment  
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March 21, Today’s thought – Hope Against Hope

mar 18 001 (1)The ants are circling the ‘wagons’.

Good Morning

Romans 4:18-22
Abraham, against all hope, believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, “So shall thy seed be.” And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, nor yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded that what He had promised, He was able also to perform. And therefore “it was imputed to him for righteousness.”

Abraham is knows as the father of our faith.
That title didn’t come easily!
First of all,
He left his home in a sophisticated and affluent part
of the world because
he heard God calling him to a new land.
Throughout his story in Genesis,
the one constant is that he
“picked up his tent stakes”
and moved on.

But that was just the beginning of his challenges.
When he got to the land,
it was filled with warring tribes.
Even harder to deal with,
he and his wife seemingly could not have children.
How do you become the father of a nation
when you have no land and no child?
But Abraham never gave up–
and at an old age received his reward.
Will your faith persevere
when you see no immediate results to feed your hope?
from A Daybook of Grace

Hoping . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on March 21, 2014 at 10:18 am  Leave a Comment  
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Ocotber 5, Today’s thought – Hope is a Promise

oct4 004Coleus

Good Morning

Hope is a Promise

“And this hope is what saves us.
But if we already have what we hope for,
there is no need to keep on hoping.”
Romans 8:24

Faith is a power, and Hope is a promise.
For Hope is always about that which is yet to come;
never about what we currently possess.
Faith reaches into the future
and brings into the present
a borrowed power that enables us
to live today in the strength of tomorrow;
to posses this earth with heaven in mind;
to live in the presence of the “not yet.”
But Hope differs in this regard:
it knows what is promised,
even though it cannot see it,
and though it will never lay hold of it
until the day it actually arrives —
Hope holds firm without wavering.
Faith is for this world;
Hope is for the next.
There will be no need for Faith
in Heaven once we are there,
so we should spend all that we have while we are here.
But our Hope will pay off huge on That Day
when we cross the threshold of Time into Eternity
and see what our hearts have only imagined.
Hope is a promise
that holds our hearts forward to a better day,
that lifts us above the present darkness of a bad stretch
and keeps us buoyant in the midst of turbulence and trouble.
But sometimes Hope flags in the face of delays;
and Hope deferred can make the heart sick.
Thus weakened with soul-sickness,
our hearts may lose their grip on what is promised;
our Hope may fade
and our passion to keep a forward view
can diminish in the dusk of uncertain turns.
That’s when Love steps in to lift Hope back on its feet
— for Love never fails.
Love is a Person.
We’ll meet this Person tomorrow.

For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Romans 8:24-25

Hope . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on October 5, 2013 at 5:00 am  Leave a Comment  
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July 8, Sunday Bible Reading Hebrews 6:13-20

Sunflower backs.

Good Morning

Heb 6:13-20 Amplified Bible

“For when God made [His] promise to Abraham,
He swore by Himself,
since He had no one greater by whom to swear,
Saying, Blessing I certainly will bless you
and multiplying I will multiply you.
And so it was that he [Abraham],
having waited long and endured patiently,
realized and obtained
[in the birth of Isaac as a pledge of what was to come]
what God had promised him.
Men indeed swear by a greater [than themselves],
and with them in all disputes
the oath taken for confirmation is final [ending strife].
Accordingly God also,
in His desire to show more convincingly and beyond doubt
to those who were to inherit the promise
the unchangeableness of His purpose and plan,
intervened (mediated) with an oath.
This was so that,
by two unchangeable things [His promise and His oath]
in which it is impossible for God ever
to prove false or deceive us,
we who have fled [to Him] for refuge
might have mighty indwelling strength and strong encouragement
to grasp and hold fast the hope
appointed for us and set before [us].
[Now] we have this [hope]
as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul
[it cannot slip and
it cannot break down under whoever steps out upon it–a hope
]
that reaches farther
and enters into [the very certainty of the Presence]
within the veil,
Where Jesus has entered in for us [in advance],
a Forerunner having become a High Priest forever
after the order (with the rank) of Melchizedek.”

Trust God for your day. . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on July 8, 2012 at 6:00 am  Leave a Comment  
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Tomorrows in Jesus Hands

When I was about 15-16 years old, my Dad and I sang ‘I don’t know who holds tomorrow, but I know who holds my hand,’ as a special for church.  It is a precious memory for me.

That was many years ago and I really didn’t know what the song meant. I hadn’t had to trust for myself that Jesus really did hold tomorrow. Now after going through some tomorrows that were really dark, I know, I believe, I am trusting that Jesus to continue to hold my tomorrows, today.

I Know Who Holds My Hand

I don’t know about tomorrow;
I just live from day to day.
I don’t borrow from its sunshine
For its skies may turn to grey.
I don’t worry o’er the future,
For I know what Jesus said.
And today I’ll walk beside Him,
For He knows what lies ahead.

Many things about tomorrow
I don’t seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.

Every step is getting brighter
As the golden stairs I climb;
Every burden’s getting lighter,
Every cloud is silver-lined.
There the sun is always shining,
There no tear will dim the eye;
At the ending of the rainbow
Where the mountains touch the sky.

I don’t know about tomorrow;
It may bring me poverty.
But the one who feeds the sparrow,
Is the one who stands by me.
And the path that is my portion
May be through the flame or flood;
But His presence goes before me
And I’m covered with His blood.

Malachi 3:6  For I am the LORD, I change not; 
Hebrews 13:8  Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Published in: on May 17, 2010 at 1:33 pm  Comments (1)  
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I AM THAT I AM

God is His own equivalent, and God needs nothing but Himself to achieve the great purposes on which He has set His heart.

I AM THAT I AM  Exodus 3:14

Whatever life may bring to you,
“God” will ring true to you;
Star in your sky—
Food in your store—
Staff in your hand—
Friend by your side—
Light on your path—
Joy in your heart—
In your ears music—
In your mouth songs.
Yes, rapid as your race may run,
And scorching as may shine your sun,
And bitter as may blow your blast,
And lonely as your lot be cast—
Whatever life may bring to you,
“God” will aye ring true to you.
Charles. Herbert

Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD. Jeremiah 23:23

Published in: on March 14, 2010 at 12:28 am  Leave a Comment  
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Waiting is one of the great arts. Allingham

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. Psalms 27:14

Is this what my waiting looks like?

First week: Hopeful confident cheery
Second week: optimistic philosophical edgy
Third week discouraged depressed snarly
Fourth week: Have mercy! Hurry up please it’s time!!!!!
I don’t care what happens just let the torment be over!

Fifth week: I don’t want to talk about it don’t you dare tell me
the Universe knows best.
Indeterminable time in the future: Oh my God. You’re kidding! Really!
You wouldn’t joke about this, would you ?I don’t believe it!
thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!!!
borrowed from  Romancing the Ordinary, Sarah Ban Breathnach

My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. Psalms 62:5

But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Romans 8:25

Published in: on February 21, 2010 at 3:51 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Perfectly Possible

What is impossible with you is perfectly possible with Him who is Almighty.

A little child at mothers’ knee
Plies woolen strands and needles bright.
Small, eager hands strive earnestly
To fasten every stitch aright.

But soon perplexing knots appear
Which vex and hinder progress’ flow;
Impatient fingers pull and tear,
While ever worse the tangles grow.

How surely then in wiser hands
The roughest places are made plain!
How easy now the task’s demands,
How wonderful the lesson’s gain!

Thus, God, we bring our snarls to thee;
Though human sense and stubborn will
Oft clamor loud for mastery,
We hear alone Thy “Peace , be still.”
Edith Shaw Brown

Jeremiah 32:17  Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:

Published in: on February 17, 2010 at 9:58 am  Leave a Comment  
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Gift of Hope

“There was a secret hidden in the heavens, far away from the sight of man. It was a gift of hope, laid up in heaven for us by the Lord. At the perfect moment, in the fullness of time, the Lord remembered the gift and brought it forth for us to have and to behold. Because of this His name is now renowned throughout the whole earth. His life has now been made manifest in and through us, making us useful unto every good word and work, and lifting us far above the power of sin and death. He is the mighty God, who works wonders of love by His great power.” James Ryle

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Published in: on February 13, 2010 at 10:37 am  Leave a Comment  
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The Lord is My Shepherd

Who is it that is your shepherd? The Lord! Oh, my friends, what a wonderful announcement! The Lord God of heaven and earth, and Almighty Creator of all things; He who holds the universe in His Hand as though it were a very little thing. He is your Shepherd, and has charged Himself with the care and keeping of you, as a shepherd is charged with the care and keeping of his sheep. If your hearts could really take  in this thought you would never have a fear or a care again;  for with such a Shepherd how could it be possible for you ever to want any good thing?               Hannah Whithall Smith

Psalms 23:1  The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Published in: on February 3, 2010 at 3:13 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Hope defined…

Hope is not a granted wish or a favor performed; it is far greater than that. It is a zany, unpredictable dependence on a God who loves to surprise us out of our socks.

I am thankful for HOPE.

Published in: Uncategorized on January 2, 2010 at 11:33 am  Leave a Comment  
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I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

This Christmas carol is one of my favorites.
Sometimes life does seem in despair, but there is still hope, God is still in control, I am still His child.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
There is no peace on earth I said
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep,
God is not dead, nor doth he sleep.
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.

– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Psalms 43:5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

Published in: Uncategorized on December 19, 2009 at 12:12 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Change Your Mind

Let Him change Your Mind

God …changes the man by changing the mind. And how does it happen?
By…considering the glory of Christ…
To behold him is to become like him. As Christ dominates your thoughts, he
changes you from one degree of glory to another until–hang on!–you are
ready to live with him.
Heaven is the land of sinless minds…Absolute trust. No fear or anger. Shame
and second-guessing are practices of a prior life. Heaven will be wonderful,
not because the street are gold, but because our thoughts are pure.
So what are you waiting on?…Give him your best thoughts, and see if he
doesn’t change your mind. Next Door Savior Max Lucado

Set your mind on the things above,
Not on the things that are on earth.
Colossians 3:2 NASB

Published in: Uncategorized on November 14, 2009 at 1:40 pm  Leave a Comment  
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One Touch of His Hands

His Touch

One touch of Your hands
And the blind can see
One touch of Your hands
And the prisoner is free
With just one touch
You calm the sea
Reach out, Dear Lord
Touch me.

One touch of Your hands
And the dead are raised
One touch of Your hands
And sinners are saved
With just one touch
The lame run free
Reach out, Dear Lord
Touch me.

One touch of Your hands
And the deaf hear song
One touch of Your hands
And the weak are strong
With just one touch
Evil bends its knee
Reach out, Dear Lord
Touch me.

Luke 18:36-43
And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

Published in: Uncategorized on November 12, 2009 at 11:50 pm  Leave a Comment  
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