Trust in Him 

     Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. - Prov. 3:5-6

     Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or left; keep your foot from evil. - Prov. 4:26-27

     All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord. -  Prov. 16:2 

     When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him. - Prov. 16:7 

     All a man's ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart.      - Prov. 21:2 

Walking the Ways  

     Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways.           - Psalm 119:1-3

Commentary: God's ways represent those principles and means by which God relates to his people and advances his redemption in the earth. His ways are contrary to humanistic wisdom and values.

    O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. - David, Psalm 139:1-3. Also, Revelation chapter 2.  

Commentary: God knows all our inward thoughts, motives, desires and fears, as well as our outward habits and actions. He knows all we do from the beginning of the day to its end. In everything we do, he encircles us with his care. 

     The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. - Psalm 145:17

 Tomorrow: Trust

Show Me; Teach Me 

     Show me your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. - Psalm 25:4

Commentary:

     Like Moses, the psalmist longed intensely to know God's ways. It is possible for us to know something about God's acts but never really know God or to understand his ways (the principles by which he works in us and guides us). 

(1) We must have a sincere desire to be led into God's righteous ways and the truth of his Word. 

(2) We must be eager to put our hope in God "all day long." - (v. 5) 

(3) We must humbly submit to God (v.9), commit ourselves to godly living (v. 10) and fear the Lord (vv. 12-14). 

(4) Since sin is a barrier to knowing God and his ways we must forsake sin and be cleansed and forgiven. (vv. 4-8). 

(5) Adversity in our lives is not necessarily a sign of God's disfavor (Psalm 34:15). Knowing God and his ways may lead us into suffering and loss. (Acts 14:22; 20:22-23).  

     The ultimate example is Jesus himself, who followed God's will perfectly, yet suffered sorrow, betrayal and the cross. 

Tomorrow: Who is blessed?

  

  

Walking in His Ways 

     Why O Lord, do you make us wander from your ways, and harden our hearts? - Isaiah 63:17 

     Teach me your ways, so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. - Exodus 33:13 

     What does the Lord your God ask of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. - Deut. 10:12, Rev. 2:4 

     You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in his ways, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws, and that you will obey him. - Deut. 26:17 [repeated in Deut. 30:16]

     He is the Rock; and all his ways are just. - Deut. 32:4 

     His eyes are on the ways of men; he sees their every step.- Job 34:21

     All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant. - Psalm 25:10

     Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.      - Psalm 37:7 

     Your ways, O God, are holy. - Psalm 77:13 

Psalm 25:4 and commentary tomorrow

 Let's Go for a Walk  

     Even a person who trains for marathons walks most of the time. 

     Enoch walked with God 365 years. Then he was no more, because God took him away. - Genesis 5:23-24

     Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on water and came toward Jesus. - Matt. 14:29 

     It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. - 2 John 4 

     A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light.   - John 11:9-10

     He who walks righteously and speaks what is right, who rejects (sin), this is the man who will dwell on the heights. - Isaiah 33:15

     The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out. - Prov. 13:20 

     He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. - Prov. 13:20 

     God expects us to walk. 

     As for which way to walk, come back tomorrow.

 

Quotables

    "The inescapable conclusion is that a right to abortion is not deeply rooted in the nation's history and traditions. An unbroken tradition of prohibiting abortion on pain of criminal punishment persisted from the earliest days of the common law until 1973." 

     - Supreme Court Justice Samuel J. Alito

~

     They felt entitled to our vote. The problem is they do not represent our values of faith, community, work ethic, or the desire to seek better opportunities." 

      - U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores, R-Texas, on the Democratic Party and Hispanics. Flores won a special election in a House district that is 84.5 percent Hispanic.

~

     "The court affirmed that if you can use God's name in vain...and verbally disrespect and dismiss His existence in public without hindrance, then others should be able to praise Him, thank Him and talk to Him in public." 

     - Deon Joseph, a law enforcement consultant, commenting on the Supreme Court's Kennedy v. Bremerton School District decision. 

Promises for All   

     John the disciple (not the baptist), had the advantage of knowing Jesus before his crucifixion and after his resurrection. He wrote: "Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man ... denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father." Strong words.  - 1 John 2:22-23 

     While explaining his mission to his disciples, Jesus said of himself, For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. - Matthew 16:27

     This happens to end the tribulation and begin his rule.    

     Also to his disciples: Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. - John 14:1-2 

     This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. - John 15:8 

     Psalm 2:7 - "He said to me, 'You are my Son; today I have become your Father.'" This verse is restated in Acts 13:33 and Hebrews 1:5. 

     This applies to Jesus' public claim to be God's Son and his anointing as prophet, priest and king." Matthew 3:12. Acts 13:33. Hebrews 1:5, 5:5 7:28. 2 Peter 1:13

Commentary: Children of God

     Being a child of God is the highest privilege of our salvation. It is the basis for our faith and trust in God, and our hope of glory. We are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. He wants us to be aware through the "Spirit of sonship" that we are his children. 

     Being a child of God is the basis for our discipline by the Father and the reason we live to please him. His interest is to conform us to the likeness of his Son. - See Romans 8:29

     Finally, for centuries Christians and Jews held their ground and the relationship was awkward at best. Christians, on their better days, took and still take salvation to the world. Thankfully, there is now an International Fellowship of Christians and Jews that focuses on charity. And in world affairs, America is Israel's best friend.  

 

Hours to Live  

     Soon to be arrested, Jesus taught his disciples: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. From now on you do know him and have seen him. Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. - John 14:6-7, 9 

     As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 

     I have called you friends, for everything I learned from my Father I have made known to you. I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit. - John 15:15-16

     Jesus concluded: I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. - John 20:17 

     His disciples didn't comprehend all this until Jesus appeared to them after his resurrection, and further, after the Holy Spirit came upon them on the day of Pentecost. 

~ ~ ~

     One Pharisee in particular, Saul, a persecutor of Christians, became a believer when the risen Jesus spoke to him outright. He blinded Saul for three days, then healed him, and commissioned him to deliver the truth to the world. 

     Renamed Paul later wrote to the Philippians, "Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him a name that is above every name ... and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."   - Philippians 2:9, 11 

     Some 50 years after the Lord ascended, John the disciple wrote to believers: "Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. - 1 John 1:3. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world (cravings, lust, boasting, etc.) the love of the Father is not in him." - v. 2:15

Saturday conclusion: Promises for all

Different Conclusions  

     He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him, Jesus said. As the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. By myself I can do nothing. I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. - John chapter 5

     On another occasion, the Jews told Jesus, "Abraham is our father," and "The only Father we have is God himself."  - John 8:41

     A hint of what is to come: Jesus said, The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life - only to take it up again. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father. - John 10:17

     "At this, the Jews were again divided. Many said, 'He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?' But others said, "These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?" 

     That winter at the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, "the Jews gathered around him, saying, 'How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." 

     He answered, I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me...but you do not believe...

     Again, the Jews picked up stones to stone him. Then he raised the temperature: I and the Father are one. - John 10:30. Believe the miracles, that you may understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.

     They tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp. 

Tomorrow: To his disciples

The Son

     A carpenter's son from an unimportant town, Nazareth, began drawing crowds. He spoke to them like no one else.  

     This wasn't an adult's career decision. Jesus, at age 12, with his family and others, attended the Feast of the Passover in Jerusalem. A day into their journey home, Joseph and Mary realized their son wasn't walking with other relatives, as they had thought. 

     They doubled back, and found him in the temple courts. Teachers were amazed at his questions and understanding. Little did they know.  

     His frantic mother just wanted to know, "Son, why have you treated us like this?" 

     He had a "why" of his own: "Why were you searching for me? Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?"  

     The day of Jesus' baptism (age 30), a voice from heaven spoke, This is my Son, whom I love... One assumes everyone who heard the voice understood. We doubt it. But John (the baptizer) knew who Jesus is.    

     Jesus (just a teacher?) taught: Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. 

     When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Then your Father who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 

     He taught them to pray, Our Father, in heaven... When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. 

     For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. When you fast ... wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting ... and your Father who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Tomorrow: People seem divided

 

     

Debate Heats Up  

     Having focused the people on their Father in heaven, Jesus later makes an astonishing claim...asserting a relationship no Pharisee or teacher of the law could tolerate.     

     All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. - Matthew 11:27

     In John chapter 3 we see that disagreement with Jewish leaders began with John the Baptist. He was born to serve God alone, and "prepare the way" for the coming Savior. 

     His disciples were debating with "a certain Jew" about ceremony, and about the "one" who was drawing John's followers to himself. When they relayed this to John, he replied, "The bride belongs to the bridegroom. He must become greater; I must become less."

     "For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God; to him God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life..." 

     Jesus later would say there is none greater than John...he whom Herod imprisoned and whose head was severed. 

     Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. - Jesus, Matthew 10:39

     Passing through Samaria, Jesus met a woman living in sin, who nevertheless believed in the coming Messiah. Taking him for a teacher, she raised the issue of worshiping God in Samaria rather than in Jerusalem. 

     He replied, A time is coming when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. - John 4:23

     Jesus angered the Jews by healing an invalid - on the Sabbath! The day of rest. They were ready to kill him. 

     His response: I tell you the truth. The Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing. Yes, to your amazement, he will show him even greater things. 

  

Tomorrow: Jews become divided

 

     

Father of the Jews

     In one of his final speeches, Moses expressed disappointment with the people: Is this the way you repay the Lord? Is he not your Father, your Creator? - Deuteronomy 32:6 

     Many centuries later - though they were no longer independent - God still wanted his people to know him in a family way - Father - not king, or judge, or master...although he is all that. 

     We all, regardless of faith, displease God at times. 

     This week, Views by the Sea searches the Bible for "Father" and any other relationship that helps us understand the fellowship he wants with us. 

     Oh, here's one: He said to me, 'You are my Son; today I have become your Father.' - Psalm 2:7

A Son??? And when was "today?"

     You are my Father - my God, the Rock, my Savior. - Psalm 89:26

What's going on here? Saved from what? 

     Much later, the prophet Isaiah writes, For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders. And he will be called...Everlasting Father. - v. 9:6

Isaiah, what do you mean? A child called "Everlasting Father?" 

     But...you O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is you name. - v. 63:16 

 Redeemed? Of what? We're the chosen.

     Then there was the breakup of Judah and Israel, almost war. 

     Have we not all one Father? Did not God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our fathers by breaking faith with one another?     - Malachi 2:10 

Tomorrow: The Son

Ideology, or Kingdom?

     "What exactly is an ideology?" asks columnist Janie B. Cheaney.

     She answers, it is, "a system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy. Seems necessary for a coherent society. But every human invention is subject to decay."  

     Ideology can become:

>  Any slogan that fits on a bumper sticker

>  Any position that can be reduced to soundbites

>  Any view now isolated from real-life experience

>  Something our political opponents...never us...hold

     The Left is more "adept at sloganeering," she writes, but the Right "can be just as destructive when the idea consumes the person." 

     "Christ didn't preach an ideology," she notes. "He preached a kingdom and died to establish it. Lifestyles and politics are not the goal of the kingdom... 

     ...but the One 'through whom are all things, and through whom we exist.'" - 1 Corinthians 8:6. 

Like Father, Like Son 

     Remember Monday to Saturday: The One, in Views By the Sea. Direct from the Bible, New International Version. 

       Jimmy

 

They Said It

     "Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys." - the late P.J. O'Rourke, journalist.

     "Tooting a horn is not an expression of any great thought I'm aware of." - Hugh McLean, Ottawa justice, who ruled that truckers' honking is not a free speech issue. 

     "There's a lot of paranoia out there." - Dean Cryer, vice president of Panic Room Builders in Los Angeles. Safe rooms equipped with emergency phone lines and independent water supplies can cost in the six figures, even millions. Demand for safe rooms has increased. 

One size does not fit all

     In one of his last columns, Marvin Olasky, now retired, responded to a former student of the World Journalism Institute. He wrote, "Religious publications ... have different standards. Those that are Christ-alone are different than Christian plus some ideology." 

     "The trend in journalism is to emphasize opinion, not reporting. Reporting is costly. Opining is relatively cheap. It can lead to more 'reader engagement' in terms of clicks, likes, shares - and subscriptions. 

     "These days it makes a certain kind of economic and political sense to abandon Biblical objectivity and become known as a liberal or conservative. For me, it's an ethical imperative to challenge readers and viewers, not pander to them. 

     "In 1973 I came to believe in God, purely through his grace. I also believe in 'common grace.' In a polarized society like ours, God can still furnish the providential blessings and restraints - as long as we don't treat opponents as enemies.

     "Follow Jeremiah 29:4-7 and try to bless rather than curse. Emphasize reporting that takes readers to people they might otherwise never meet or see and help us learn from others."

  

     

If You Have...

* food, clothes and a roof, you are more wealthy than 75 percent of people in the world.

* money in your wallet and in a bank, you are among the top 8 percent of people in the world.

*your own computer, you are in the top 1 percent of people in the world.

Tips from a bank

Text messages 

     Be suspicious of texts from outside you saved contacts. Don't open any links or provide personal or account information. 

Mobile apps/social media

     The chat person may seem okay, but strange links or requests for money are signs of a scam.

Phone calls

     Scammers can mimic local area codes. If you don't recognize the number, think twice. 

Fraud

     Scams that play on emotions or seek to gain your trust are becoming more frequent. 

     Your bank will never contact you and ask for personal information by text, email or phone. This includes unsolicited calls that ask you to obtain or provide a one-time passcode. 

     Messages can sound urgent, seem familiar, may be poorly worded or otherwise contain errors, and might use your personal information to convince you they are legitimate. Scammers can even pose as your bank.

     Never open links or attachments in emails.  

 

4th of July Amendment

    Beware, We the people may amend The Declaration of Independence, unanimously passed in 1776. The second paragraph modified...

     We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, although presidents, cabinet members, professors, mayors, governors, financial tycoons, international traders, lawyers, ambassadors, generals, news media elites, leaders of the House and Senate, and all other citizens - foreign or domestic - with excessive power and or wealth may think their equality makes them superior to the People's equality.

     Men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, except when those in charge rule that any or several persons do not have unalienable Rights.

     The Consent of the Governed and it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government shall be stricken. 

     Just 13 states endorsed the Declaration of Independence. Now there are 50 states. The other 37 want to be heard.   

Pearls Before Swine 

     The comics 

     Pig, Mouse and Goat are sitting at a table. Pig says, "I don't like being so powerless in this world." 

     Mouse, "Just stand up and say you're offended by something." 

     Pig shouts, "I'm offended by something." 

     Immediately they are surrounded by Woke elites:

     "Who wronged you like that?! Just give us a name! Microaggression shall not stand! Your feelings must never be harmed! Your path shall be paved with Pillows and Rainbows! For that poor piggy has the God-given right to never be offended again!" 

     Mouse, "It's quite the era." 

     Goat, "I'm offended by this comic." 

          

Believe the Miracles...or the brothers 

     We have finished our series on miracles in the Bible. There were 58 chapters...which sounds more cool than 58 blogs. 

     Jesus told his accusers, Though you don't believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I in the Father. 

     They didn't buy it. 

     Later, they admitted there were miracles. But they had to silence this carpenter's son from little Nazareth, who was drawing people away from them - their control, their "laws" and their self-importance. 

     Suffering on the cross, Jesus forgave them. They didn't know. 

     There were two men who were not self-important, though they were half-brothers of Jesus. 

     James and Jude grew up with their oldest brother. Apparently they knew nothing of his baptism in the Jordan or his 40 days in the desert. When Jesus began interacting with the people, his family tried to take him home, thinking he had lost his senses. They didn't know.   

     After Jesus completed his mission, and the Holy Spirit came upon those who believed in him: 

     James, leader of the Jerusalem church about A.D. 45, wrote to Jewish believers to correct erroneous ideas about faith. He began, "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." 

     Some 30 years later, Jude wrote to counter "false teachers," beginning: "Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James." 

     There was no boasting, being half-brothers of God incarnate.

     As for miracles, they teach us the supremacy of the unseen world. Our world is inferior. His world is eternal. Our world will disappear. 

     Take it from the brothers, convinced that Jesus is "the way, the truth and the life," as he said. Now you know. 

           Jimmy