a glimpse of heaven's love

Psalm 23:5a “Thou prepares a table before me in the presence of mine enemies…”       Let’s think of that phrase for just a little bit.   What kind of picture does that conjure up for you?   First of all, to me, the word table makes me think of a banquet or feast… and oh, what a feast that would be!   You did notice God is preparing that table.   When God is in the midst of it, what a grand thing it is!   God doesn’t do things just half-heartedly…no way!   God does things BIG!!   So when blessings are in store, He gets out His BIG shovel!!   Blessings ABOUND!!   You see, dear Christian, God desires the very best for us.   It’s we, ourselves, that limit God’s richest blessings.   But when we’re walking with God, obeying His Word, wow! what blessings are in store for us!!   Let’s notice, too, God says He’s preparing that table right before us.   He wants us to see everything He has in store for...

  Psalm 23: 4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me;” That’s the blessing, dear Christian, of knowing Christ!   He gives us confidence in the very face of death!   That’s the first question, of course…are you truly a Christian??   I don’t plan on going into that subject on this post…but if there’s any question in your heart and mind that you’re truly saved, that you know Christ as your personal Saviour, please, please turn to the many reference labels I have concerning salvation.   That is a MUST!   …please make sure of your salvation today !     What I do wish to speak about in this post—although I’m sure I will be fairly short—is the wonderful fact that no matter what we’re facing—including death—is that we can have confidence and strength through God.   There is nothing we need to fear.   why? …because God says He is with us!   He promises over and ...

What is Christmas to you?  We have come to know Christmas for all of its commercialism...and most of us would say we hate it!  But there's also a host of other things Christmas is known for: Christmas lights and Christmas decor, even to the point of competitions; Santa Claus and his reindeer; snowmen; wreaths, stockings, and let's not forget mistletoe; a multitude of silly Christmas songs. The list goes on and on!  But what is Christmas really?  I'd really like to tell you! Matthew 1:23 says this: "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."  And Isaiah 9:6 says this: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counseller, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."  This is the true meaning of Christmas! Jesus Christ, God's only...

Psalm 23:3a "He restoreth my soul..." What a statement!  He restores our soul!  Isn't that the ultimate of blessings?  There is so much in this world that seems to get in the way of our fellowship and walk with the Lord...or heartaches that seem too much for us to bear.  Some things are so heavy on our hearts--on our very souls -- that it's all we can do to get through the day.  Perhaps that's the point...it's too much for us to bear...but nothing is too much for our Savior to bear!  He desires to carry our load...no matter how deep it reaches into our souls.  Sometimes I think that is the purpose for some things taking place in our life...that we might turn to God.  He desires so much for us to turn to Him, to trust Him.  Oh, that we would! You see, God promises to not only meet our physical needs, but He also promises to meet our spiritual needs, our heart and soul needs.  Ah,...

If you're just joining us,   you've caught us at the third lesson of the well-known passage, the Shepherd psalm, Psalm 23.   Please feel free to go back and read the others.   Psalm 23:2a   "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures…"              First of all, it says, "He makes me to lie down…."   There are times in our lives when God must make us lie down.   We're in need of some much-needed rest; some times we need to just get away and have some down time with Him.   There's probably a number of reason we might need some down time , but be assured, God knows best!   We just finished moving to the state of Washington.   I can say--without a doubt--it is like no where else I have been before!   Regardless...we have the privilege of having a horse ranch located behind our yard and neighborhood.   It is quite enjoyable to watch these horses run, play, ...

This is my attempt at starting up again with this blog. I know I have at least a couple people who check in from time to time, and that is encouraging.  There are countless others that just happen upon my blog, and hopefully this is used in their hearts and lives for a purpose.  What a blessing that would be! I would like to start this time with different studies from God's Word...and to begin, I would like to start with the very well-known Psalm, "The Shepherd Psalm."      Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my c...

Someone tell me--what does the "Easter Bunny" and colored eggs, and baskets of candy have to do with Easter?  What is Easter?  I will gladly tell you!  "Easter"--as it has been come to be called--is the celebration of Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead!  Another wonderful name for this day is "Resurrection Sunday."  That is what I love to call it…and in all actuality, Christians should celebrate this wonderful and miraculous day every Sunday!   But Resurrection Sunday is just the wonderful climax to the whole gospel.  What is the gospel, you ask?  "Gospel" is an old word meaning "good news."  And Scripture tells us the wonderful "good news" in the following verses: 1 Corinthians 15:3b-4 "…Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures:  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:" Christ came to this earth to die for us, to take our sin upon Him Who kn...

Ephesians 2:8-9   "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast."     Romans 2:1-16   (vs. 2-3) "But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.  And thinkest thou…thou shalt escape the judgment of God?" God's judgment is always just in His dealings with man.  God is a loving and forgiving God; but He is a just God, as well.  He must be!  We never like to admit we're lost or in need of help.  We tend to be a very proud and independent people--but face it, we do need help.  We are in desperate need of God's help! Those things which you think you would never take part in, beware !  Satan knows your weaknesses and he will attack where you are weakest! There's a big difference between finding religion and trusting Christ as Saviour.  B...

       Jesus Christ and His shed blood is our only hope of salvation.  "Jesus saith unto him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)  "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast."  Salvation is by grace alone...God's amazing grace, God's amazing love.  His blood is our only plea! Please listen to the words of this song...and please trust Christ today, if you haven't already.               It's Through the Blood!

I'd like to share with you my testimony.  I was only 12 years old…and my oldest brother had just turned 24.  He got pneumonia and within 30 hours in the hospital, he was gone.  He passed away.  He died.  My question to you is this:  If you died today, do you know for SURE you are on your way to heaven?  I mean, are you 100% positive you would be in heaven today, if you should die?  It doesn't have to be anything so drastic as a long, drawn out illness.  It could be a simple surgery gone wrong.  It could be something as inconsequential as texting a brief reply while driving, and the next moment CRASH!! -- and you're off into eternity!!  Or it could be any of countless possibilities--life is so uncertain.  Please make certain of your ETERNAL destination today! In John 14:6 it says, (and Jesus Christ is speaking), " I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. "  Jesus Christ is our ...

Christmas is not just a holiday.  Nor is Christmas just about a baby being born in a manger.  Yes,  we celebrate Jesus being born--and don't minimize this--if Jesus hadn't been born of a virgin, He would not have been God!  Jesus Christ is God Incarnate, God in the flesh!  And wonder of wonders that God would come to this earth--why? to die for mankind!  How precious, how wonderful that is!  That is the truth of Christmas--Jesus Christ was born so that He might die for us!!  That is the wonder of Christmas-- Jesus coming to earth to provide salvation to lowly sinners like you and I.  But that really is only the beginning.  Christmas is all about Christ and the gospel--His death, burial, and resurrection.  Once you start to tell about God Incarnate, you just must tell the whole story!  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 everlast...