Self made eunuchs

Matthew 19:12 KJV
For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.

I am thinking of this passage under the influence of yesterday's thoughts out of 2 Timothy 2:4. There is the soldier who, because of the necessities of war, finds himself doing without worldly pleasures:
He may be married, but he is far from his beloved
He may have children but he must content himself with a picture rather than their company
He may have a house back home, but here his creature comforts are few
If we think today of the Eunuch as representing more than one who may not marry, but as one who is deprived of many of the worldly pleasures, we can still apply what the Lord said.
Some have to do without by birth
Some are forced into that state through circumstances (such as war)
Others may choose to do without for the sake of Jesus Christ
How I pray that more of us would get this and choose a life of less so that the cause of Christ might increase.

Wartime Sacrifice?

2 Timothy 2:4 KJV
No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

I read the other day about the ship Queen Mary II. Though she is now a museum in the Los Angeles area, she has served both as a cruise ship and as a crew ship during World War II. The article said that if one were to tour her today we would find a partition through the middle of the ship, one side depicting how she was outfitted as a luxury cruise liner and the other side depicting her accommodations as a crew ship during the war.

One half of the dining room is equipped with beautiful and ornate place settings. The other side contains bare tin trays. One-half of the sleeping quarters have two bunk beds. The other half has bunk beds seven tall. The two sides of the ship stand in stark contrast to the difference between peacetime and wartime life.

I get under such conviction that Christians today do not understand that we are in a war. This is the most serious battle mankind could ever face. At stake are the eternal souls of men, women, and children. We claim we understand that there is a spiritual war, yet our lives are far too comfortable to be taken seriously as soldiers. What difference might we make in this world if we truly lived and served as wartime soldiers of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Who Cares Who Is The Greatest?

Matthew 18:1-3 KJV
At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

The question which led Jesus to set the child in the midst of them was "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" The thought struck me, that would never be a concern with a little child. True enough, when a child reaches a certain age, they begin to get competitive with goads like, "My father is better than your father." But earlier on, children just don't seem to be like that.

Children, especially very little ones, are attracted to other little children. They do not concern themselves with whether they are
Male or female
Black or white
American or non American
Large or small
Children just like children.

What a wonderful life we could live if we stopped worrying so much about who is the greatest and simply lived to follow Christ! If we would stop evaluating and analyzing each other and spend our efforts examining our own faith in Christ we could change the world.

The world considers Christians judgmental, and we are. Too often we bite and devour on one another; stepping upon believer and no-believer alike as we climb our staircase to spiritual greatness.

I fear that we are going to get to heaven and find out what we considered great is loss and failure before the Lord.

Why were they sorry?

Matthew 17:23 KJV
And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.

This is an interesting commentary. The disciples only heard part of the Lord's words. They heard that He would be betrayed and they heard that they would kill Him. But they did not hear that He would be raised again the third day. Their sorrow was the result of "selective hearing" or of becoming so shocked at the first two points of the message that they did not listen to the conclusion.

This is very likely the source of most of our sorrow as believers. We are not listening to the whole message of Christ.

We hear that all who live godly in Christ will suffer persecution
We hear that we should take up our cross and follow him
We hear that "if we say we have no sin, we make Him a liar"
We hear that if the world hated Christ it will hate usAnd we fixate on that. We don't hear the rest of the message because we focus too much on the earliest parts of the message.

We miss that we will rule with Christ
We miss that He came to give life abundantly
We miss that in heaven there will be no sin
We miss that we will be joint-heirs with ChristAnd we are sometimes sorrowful because of it. We have fixated on the wrong parts of the message. We forget to look into glory. We forget that that is but a brief time on earth and all of eternity is ours for the pleasure of it.

There is glory in the message of Matthew 17:23 if we will hear it. There is roof-raising, amen shouting, soul-stirring, heart-warming victory in the verse. If we will just hear it.

What a Day That Will Be

Zechariah 3:9 KJV
For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.

While the phrase that first caught my attention this morning is that phrase, "...in one day," more has spoken to me since beginning to look into it.

That the verse concerns Jesus Christ is no doubt.
He is the stone - the foundation
He has the seven eyes - full of wisdom, omniscience
He is the One who has already removed iniquity in one day through the Cross
But then I also noticed that this verse speaks only of what the LORD will do. This is completely wrapped up in the work of God

The stone I have laid
Jesus Christ is the stone cut out without hands. He is all human, but He is all God. He is not the result of man's influence upon His life. He is not the figment of man's imaginations - building Him into something He never was.

I will engrave the graving
While I cannot say I know all that this means, I did think of the Cross. Christ's crucifixion was the work of God. Man did not nail Christ there, God the Father did, for the sins of man

I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day
This does not seem to be speaking merely of Israel. God Himself removes our sins. He does it through the Cross of Jesus Christ.
The sins of man were washed away in one act on one day.
Those who come to the Cross find forgiveness and salvation in one moment on one day and
One day Jesus will return to this earth to defeat Anti-Christ and set upon His kingdom.

What a day that will be!

Did the Not Take Hold

Zechariah 1:6 KJV
But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.
God's Word, as preached by the prophets, says Zechariah, "took hold" of the fathers of this generation of Jews. He is speaking about the prophecies of Jeremiah and Jeremiah's contemporaries that Babylon would
Capture Jerusalem
Carry them into captivity and then
Release them to return to their homeland 70 years later
Zechariah reminds the people that God's Word accomplished exactly what it said it would.

The term "take hold" means to reach.
It carries the concept of ability. God's Word is able. It is able not only to accomplish the prophecies found within but to accomplish all that God sets for it to do. Gill puts it this way; ".....overtake them, seize upon them, and have their accomplishment in them? not one thing has failed, or come short of being fulfilled, of all that was determined, or said should be done..."

We can trust the good news of God's Word as equally as we can count on the judgments of God's Word. Each is equally able to take hold.

My prayer is that God will use the words that are preached to take hold of the souls of the saints and lost alike and that we will be converted to follow Christ.

I Give Peace

Haggai 2:9 KJV
The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.

Israel had once had the beautiful temple that Solomon had built. It was overlaid with gold. It was splendorous. It was the "pride" of Isreal. But over the years of declination, much of that splendor had been stripped away and when Babylon seized the city, the destruction of that temple was completed. Every stone was torn down; all the gold was removed and taken into Babylonian possession.

When the Jews returned to the land and, by the insistence of the LORD, rebuilt the temple, the resulting building was nothing like the former one in its beauty and pomp. Some of the elders, who had seen the first temple, were likely saying, "This is nothing like the first one." God's answer was that he owned all the silver and all the gold and could have the most beautiful building imaginable if that was His desire. God said that the glory of the latter house would be greater than the glory of the former because in the latter God would give peace.

We, humans, tend to put our stock in things that are beautiful to the eyes. Things that look impressive, things that smack of success. God, on the other hand, has little interest in those things. In fact, many times those things only prevent us from knowing Him in a personal way.

We don't need beautiful buildings
We don't need golden or in other ways ornate objects
We need the grace and the peace of God in our souls.

I Want Fruit

Matthew 13:23 KJV
But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
I want fruit

Jesus said that as the Word of God is spread around the world,
There would be some seed that was snatched away before it could spring to life
There would be some seed that had life but that life would be snuffed out by the heat of persecution
There would be some seed that would grow to life, but would have no fruit because of the cares of this world
Then Jesus said some of the seed would not only spring to life but bear fruit.

I want to bear fruit for the Lord.

And if I understand this parable right, if I am to bear fruit there are some things I can do to prepare myself to better bear that fruit

I must understand the WordWhen I hear God's word, I must hear with purpose. I must hear to understand. I can't be content merely to attend a church service. I can't be happy with just reading the Bible. I must apply myself to hear and understand.
The devil will still attempt to snatch away the seed of God's Word in my life and I expect that he gets more of that seed than I care to believe. But if I apply myself, some of the seed will take root

I must expect tribulation and persecutionThose come along with the territory of applying God's Word. This world, the flesh, and the devil are opposed to everything godly and will attack godliness on every opportunity. There are those who will congratulate us that we "got religion." But when we begin to live the Word of God those same people who once congratulated us may take offense. We must not get offended at the persecution if we would bear fruit.

I must not entangle myself in the affairs of this life
I have to live. But I don't have to be entangled in life. If I can learn to trust the Lord for my life; if I can learn to leave my care in His hands and just trust Him, then I can live without getting entangled in living. This seed continues to live, but it is unfruitful. It may not even be visible for the weeds that wrap themselves around it. That is certainly not the life I want to live for the Lord

I must be content with the fruit God makes me to have
Even after preparation of the soil for fruit, still, not all seeds will produce the same fruit. I have to let the Lord have His way or I might not be fruitful just because I let envy spoil my fruit.

Words

Matthew 12:37 KJV
For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Words

The importance of them cannot be fully expressed because the Bible says we will be judged for our words. Yet we often speak so carelessly.

Our words come from the heart; therefore we must guard our hearts and keep it. We must protect what goes into the heart if we would have the right words coming out of the heart.

The words of Christ are far more powerful than any sign we would see. Jesus preached truth to these people, but they wanted a sign. There is not better, no greater, no more powerful message than the simple words of our Saviour. Let's seek after them.

God Came

Habakkuk 3:3 KJV
God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.

Gill claims that the passage refers to the Lord's appearance to Moses at Sinai and says, "The prophet, to encourage his own faith, and the faith of others, takes notice, in this and the following verses, of the instances of the grace, goodness, and power of God to his people Israel, in appearing to them at Mount Sinai..."[1]

There is always a great reason to, "take notice, of the instances of the grace, goodness, and power of God to his people." In times of victory and rejoicing, to give praise to the LORD in such a fashion keeps us humble and reminds us where those victories spring forth. In other times, when we are in the valleys of life, giving this type of praise and rehearsing in our hearts those instances of God's goodness, grace and power keep our hope in the LORD alive.

Each and every time we find passages that give us a biblical pattern for worshiping God through praise, we would do well to stop and meditate upon those passages.

[1] E-Sword 7.7.7, John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible, Dr. John Gill (1690-1771)

As Ye Go

Matthew 10:7 KJV
And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Two things I see in this right off

We are to go.
There were some restrictions for the Apostles as to where they were to go, but those restrictions have been removed today.

Matt 28:19
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (KJV)

Mark 16:15
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (KJV)

Our concern today is not where we go, but that we go.

As we go we are to preach
Our ministry parameters are clear. We are not to go so that we can
Feed the poor
Train the nationals in a better polity, or
Give the people a civilized culture
These may be results of our ministry and in some cases, we may use these to enhance our ability to do the ministry. But our ministry is simple; preach.

We are to preach. We are to give people around the world the message of Jesus Christ.

If we do all the other and leave this undone, we have failed.

Power On Earth

Matthew 9:6 KJV
But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

One of the chief lessons of this passage is that the physical healing that took place was secondary to the forgiveness of sins. In fact, Jesus did not begin by healing this man but by forgiving his sins. It was only after the scribes called His forgiving of sins blasphemy that Jesus proved His power by giving this man physical health.

We make too much of physical health, wealth, comfort and the like. So much more valuable is the health, wealth and comfort of the eternal soul. Much damage is done with the Scriptures and huge confusion is brought to the world of unbelievers by those who claim to preach the Bible but place the emphasis on the physical healings that Jesus did and not the spiritual lesson that is behind them.

What a blessing to know that Jesus has power on earth to forgive sins. It is not merely positional. It is practical. It is not only that when we get to heaven the Lord will finally forgive us of our sins. It is not that only once we die and find out if we have "endured to the end" do we know if we are actually saved and have a home in heaven.
We can know today.
We can know right now.
We can know while we are on earthThat our sins are forgiven and we are eternally secure and safe in Christ. Why? Because the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins.

Don't Misunderstand

Nahum 1:7 KJV
The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
People can so easily misunderstand God.

This text is found right in the middle of a pronouncement of judgment. Who can read verses 2-6 without sensing the anger of the Lord against a people? The Lord is good, but He is not indolent. God is kind, but He is not ignorant of the sin in this world.

This text does not mean that God will not fulfill the judgments He pronounces earlier.
This is an oasis
This is a shelter
This is a safe haven from the judgment about to come.

In the midst of the judgment that will most surely proceed, God is good and will be a stronghold; God knows and will protect all that trust in Him.

He Delighteth in Mercy

Micah 7:18 KJV
Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
I fell in love this morning with that phrase, "He delighteth in mercy."
What a cause for hope and joy.
What an encouragement to come boldly to His throne

God pardons iniquity
God passes by the transgression
God does not retain His anger forever
“Because He delighteth in mercy.”

To be sure, there is iniquity among us. There can be no argument that we have transgressed against the Lord. But we must not let that prevent us from diligently seeking Him. We must not let that keep us from following His Word and from confessing our sins when we commit them.

God delights in mercy. He takes pleasure in showing mercy and even grace to us.

What god of man own manufacturing is like that?

The Love of Money

1 Timothy 6:10 KJV
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
The evil in loving money is that it robs us from loving God. Jesus did say, Matthew 6:24 KJV No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. The love of money negates our love of God. We cannot love them both.

This is not to say that money in and of itself is evil. Jesus had one who kept their money. Jesus helped Peter by giving him money out of the fish's mouth.

In the same text that the Bible says the love of money is the root of all evil, the Bible goes on to say, 1 Timothy 6:17-19 KJV
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

Barnes Notes says of this passage, "...they were to make such a use of their property that it would contribute to their eternal welfare. It might be the means of exalted happiness and honor in heaven if they would so use it as not to interfere with religion in the soul, and so as to do the best possible."[1]

[1] E-Sword 7.7.7, Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible, Albert Barnes (1798-1870)

Sufficient unto the day

Matthew 6:34 KJV
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

The Greek word for thought can also be translated, anxiety or care. It helps to think of it that way. The Lord is not telling us to make no plans. The Lord is telling us not to worry about those plans. What works out will work out for the glory of the Lord.

The best way probably to make tomorrow a better day is to concentrate on making today all the day it ought to be.
Today is the day of salvation. If a person has not trusted Christ, don't hesitate on this one. Besides that
Today is the day to read your Bible
Today is the day to pray
Today is the day to tell someone else about the Lord Jesus ChristAnd
Today is the day to get up and go to work.
If we would do these things today, instead of waiting until tomorrow, we would not need to give so much thought for tomorrow.

Come and Let Us Go Up

Micah 4:2 KJV
And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
What a wonderful thing when people come so close to the Lord that the Bible says many go out and invite others to come to the "mountain of the Lord” with them.

What a day when the people of God think of the house of God as "the mountain of the Lord." What a day when they place the house of God in such high esteem!

I know this passage is a prophecy concerning the nation of Israel, but it is also the prayer of my heart that we can see many who will call others to the church where they can be taught of His ways so they will walk in His paths.

My Words Do Good

Micah 2:7 KJV
O thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the LORD straitened? are these his doings? do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?

Barnes Notes says, "...Do not My words do good? He doth speak good words and comfortable words. They are not only good but do good. His Word is with power. Still, it is with those who “walk uprightly;” whether those who forsake not, or those who return the way of righteousness...."[1]

There were those in Micah's day who tried to stop the mouths of God's prophets. God's response is simply, "do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?"

It is true that those who do not want to hear the Word of the Lord or who turn from uprightness will not benefit from the Word of God. Last night I met with a man about our Reformers Unanimous addictions program. After my explanation of the program, he thanked me but said the program was not for him. He was a Catholic and did not buy into the Bible as the answer concept. I responded, "Catholics believe in the Bible don't they?" His answer was telling. He said, "They do now, but they didn't when I was growing up." He told me that he still went to his Catholic church but that he did not agree with it as much now as he did when he was younger because so much of it is Bible teaching these days.

And he is right, the Bible will do good, but only “…to him who walketh uprightly.” The man who dismisses the Word of God will find little to no benefit from it.

But
To the person who sees the Lord for who He is
To the Person who opens the Bible as recognizes that as the very Word of God
To that person the Bible does good.

[1] E-Sword 7.7.7, Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible, Albert Barnes (1798-1870)

Fruit

Matthew 3:8 KJV
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

What caught my attention today is that the "fruits" mentioned here is called "works" in Acts 26:20. Our good works, our acts of Christian life and grace become a sort of fruit to the world before us.

Fruit is sweet to the taste
Fruit is healthy and nutritious
Fruit is refreshing
John insisted that those coming to him for baptism bring forth this type of fruit. His baptism was not merely religious but was symbolic of a genuine change that had occurred in the candidate. Without that fruit in their life, John had no interest in entertaining their desire to follow the crowds in yet another religious deed.

Christians are created unto good works. There should be within us
A sweetness
A healthiness
A refreshing way about usThat blesses those around us.

The Only Man Who Is God

Joel 3:2 KJV
I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

There is a note in my Rock of Ages Study Bible for this verse that reads, “The last world war will not be between nations and nations but between man and God! The struggle will be concerning the question of who shall rule the world - God or man. The answer is the Lord Jesus Christ, the only man who is God (1 Timothy 3:16)"

I am enthralled with that term, "the only man who is God."

What a wonderful description of our Saviour.
He is man yet
He is God further
He is the only man who is God

Lying Vanities

Jonah 2:8
They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

The term lying vanities refers to idols; false gods. Those that observe or put their trust in those gods that are no gods forsake the mercy that God has stored up for them should they merely seek it.

The term lying vanities is telling.
The false gods are themselves both lies and vanities.

They are lies in that they are not true.
They do not exist. They are fabrications of the imaginations of men, bound to deny the true and living God. And they are the fruit of those seeds planted by Satan, who is bent on keeping men from coming to God.

They are lies in that what they teach men is not true.
The hope they offer is a false hope.
The doctrines they teach them are all wrong.
Their message concerning eternity is a false one.

They are vanities in that they are empty
They cannot meet the needs of men
They cannot fulfill their promises to men
They cannot satisfy the longings of man
These idols, I always try to remember, may not be formally worshipped. That is, after all, one of the tricks of Satan. He deceived us into thinking that worship must be formal in order to be worship. Just look at the formality of dead religion. Many are deceived, believing they do not worship lying vanities, when in reality their lives are given to the care (the word observe in Jonah means to guard protect or attend to) some worldly vanity. Everything on earth is a vanity in that it will one day be eaten up and destroyed by the processes of time. Anything on earth can become a vain idol when we give ourselves to its care.

Mercy is found in God alone. God help me to attend to my walk with You above all in this world.

While He Thought

Matthew 1:20 KJV
But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

Good things happen when we think.

Joseph did not react hastily but rather thought. He took the time to contemplate.
The virtue of Mary
The testimony she had given of the conception

While he was thinking on these things (Philippians 4:8) the Lord appeared to him and gave him the greatest news our world has heard to date.

In a fast-paced world like we now live in, setting aside some time each day to read the Word of God and "think on these things" is a powerful medicine for the soul.

I Will not Utterly Destroy

Amos 9:8 KJV
Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD.
I was impressed this morning that no matter how harshly God says the judgment of God will be, there is always a line about mercy.

If two-thirds are destroyed, there is one third spared, and that a full one third.
If God destroys the sinful kingdom, yet He does not utterly destroy the house of Jacob.

Again and again, through the pages of the Bible, we find this. God will utterly wipe away Jericho, but Rahab and all who find their way into her home will be spared.

Praise God for such mercy and such hope that mercy elicits! We may come to the Lord and find mercy and grace to help in time of need.

Judgment and Righteousness

Amos 5:24 KJV
But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
Judgment and righteousness are kin one to the other. We cannot have one without the other. Men behave righteously when there is the consistent judgment of right and wrong.

God is honored and glorified when a believer exercises judgment and chooses that which is holy and right above that which is not.

May both flow freely. May the children of the Lord judge perfect judgment and let both judgment and righteousness flow like rivers.

The God of hosts is His name!

Amos 4:13
For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.
For lo.....What comfort and joy the child of God may have in the Word of God!

This verse illustrates what I recently read in The Autobiography of George Mueller concerning reading the Bible in the mornings until he was happy in his soul. When I reflect on my God:

That He formed the mountains
They are varied
They are visible
They are enormous
That He created the wind
It is invisible yet
It is powerful and
It is a type of the Holy Ghost
That He knows and tells our thoughts
Which reveals who we really are
Which are always lower than His thoughts

That He makes the morning darkness
Which is the darkest part of the day and
Which is the coldest part of the day bit is also
Just before the break of the light of the day

That He treads upon the high places of heaven

What inspiring comfort and what motivation to serve Him and what confidence to trust Him is mine!

A word of explanation

There are several who read these daily blogs and tell me so. I want to apologize to you for not getting these posted for the last several days. Summer keeps me hopping and I am not always able to get to a place where I can upload my daily visits to share with you.

Once again, my apologies.

I saw heaven opened

Revelation 19:11 KJV
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
What a sight John was blessed to see. Heaven opened.
The sight was splendid
The sight was inspiring
The sight would have struck awe in him but
The sight also involved a dreadful conclusion

There can be no fulfillment of God's plan for the ages without the inevitable end of those who refused to turn to the Lord. Rebellion; all rebellion against the Lord, will be cast down. Men and women will suffer and die, and worse will be forever separated from God and loved ones in hell and the Lake of Fire.

Paul said
2 Corinthians 5:11 KJV
Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; ....

I will restore

Joel 2:25 KJV
And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
This is a wonderful and hopeful promise of God. Though Israel's judgment was like nothing they had seen before, with one marauder after the other, each one stripping what the one before had not taken, yet God said that when Israel repented and got right with God all of it would be restored.

It does no good to try to dismiss the armies of God which come against us in our rebellion against God. We can blame our trials on anything we choose but the Word of God says that our judgment is our fault and at the hand of Almighty God.

God strips us of our blessings, of our peace, of our rest and of our joy; all in an effort to bring us to repentance.
Sometimes we may think it will be impossible to ever see God's goodness again.
Sometimes the devastation our sin causes in our lives appears like there willNever be a revival,
Never be a restoration,
Never be a day of joy and gladness and blessing again.

That is when a passage like this is such a blessing to the soul. God promises to restore to us what was removed from us. Like Job, who lost everything, but then saw it restored and doubled. God makes the same promise to His people.

In me is thine help

Hosea 13:9 KJV
O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help.

Barnes' Notes says, " The sum of the meaning is, all our destruction is from ourselves; all our salvation is from God..."[1] Gill reminds us that though God had been a lion and leopard and a bear to Israel, yet their destruction was of their own doing and not of God's. Our troubles are of our doing. God will surely chasten us in correction and turning us back to Himself, but the root problem is our own and not the fault of the Lord's.

Still, though our destruction is all our own fault, our help, deliverance, and salvation is all fro the hand of God. This is the ultimate in grace and mercy; we are completely responsible for our sinful condition but completely helpless to fix it. God, who is not responsible in the least for our destruction is wholly responsible for our help.

How gracious is our God!

[1] E-Sword, Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible, Albert Barnes (1798-1870)

Thou Art Righteous

Revelation 16:5 KJV
And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.

It always behooves us to be reminded that God is righteous to judge as He does. In our fleshly minds, we often either defend ourselves or take up the offense of another in the judgment of God. We tend in our flesh to feel as Cain did, that our "...punishment is greater than I can bear."[1]

We see ourselves as the victims of God's judgment rather than recognizing that His judgment is righteous and holy and designed always for the very best good.

[1] Genesis 4:13

It is time

Hosea 10:12
Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

"It is time..."
Acts 17:30 (KJV)
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
I realize that one of these passages speaks to the Jews of the Old Testament and the other to a mostly Gentile audience of the New Testament. We can't make a direct connection between the two verses. However, there is at least an application we can draw from the Word of God.

Whatever the habits of days gone by, "It is time..." for us to seek the Lord.
Whatever were the lessons we have learned in this world, "It is time..." for us to seek the Lord

We can make all of the excuses we choose. We can say it is too late, that too much sin has gone under our bridge for us to turn things around. We might blame the Lord and say that if He had helped us, we would have done right before now. We might accuse Him of judging us to harshly. None of that is of any real consequence now. "It is time to seek the LORD..."

There comes a point when we must either "fish or cut bait" as the saying goes.
There comes a day when we can no longer procrastinate in the spiritual realm.

"It is time..."
May God help us seek the Lord today.

Consider

Hosea 7:2 KJV
And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face.

Much of the reason we sin and much of the reason we Christians do not grow in the faith as we ought has to do with not considering or thinking about the right things.

We give in to our sins easily when we do not consider in our hearts that God remembers our wickedness. It is before His face. Our sin is a brazen disregard for the omniscience of Almighty God.

Not that the only thing we ought to consider is our sin and the fact that it is always before the Lord.
Philippians 4:8 (KJV)
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
So there are certainly plenty of positive things to consider as well.

Proverbs 23:7 (KJV)
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: ... The importance of
Considering,
Thinking,
MeditatingOn the right things cannot be overestimated in the Word of God.