PSALM 103 VERSE 5 - "OUR PROVIDER AND STRENGTH"

Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle. (Psalm 103:5)

Let us take an honest look at ourselves. Consider our possessions - what do we have in this life that God did not give to us? Some WILL and DO say, “well, I worked hard for thus and such, so I deserve it!” This is all fine. But where did you get the knowledge, wisdom, and expertise to not just perform that job or service and do it correctly so that someone would reimburse with either a salary or some sort of monetary compensation? Who opened the door for this employer or that one over there, to make a place at his or her organization so that a job can be had? Who put it in the mind of the two or four people interviewing you, that this is the person who should be hired, instead of the other 49 of the 50 who had the same qualifications?

You know who did everything just spoken of above? God did. He is not only the One Who makes these appointments of His Providence but He provides the means for us to have good things. The good things we eat, come from God. The warm home in the winter, and cool in the summer home we live in with our families, comes from God. The vehicle we drive, which takes us safely to our job and back or to visit family for Easter and Thanksgiving, comes from God. Did we work for it? Yes. Did we work hard for it and show up on time and obey the rules? Yes. Did we manage it properly, so bills could be paid, yet still family time be made special? Yes. But it was all because our loving Heavenly Father smiles His Grace, Love, and Goodness upon us! As the half-brother of our Lord Jesus – James says “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow" (James 1:17).

Some will say, doesn’t the evil and wicked or even the non-believer in this world do just as well,  or even better financially than most of God’s people? Yes, this is true. The same sun that shines on us, shines on them. The same rain, and snow etc….also  falls on them.  God loves even them, just as He loved us before we repented, got saved and became Christians. In fact, God leaves the doors open for those who are lost to come to Him and make peace, before it is too late. If we want to be really good Christians, we will pray for the wicked to turn to Christ.

In Psalm 103 verse 5, we have yet another reason for us to “bless the Lord” – because of that delicious chocolate bar you just ate or the running shoes you just put on for gym class. He is generous beyond measure and we cannot outgive God. Speaking of this, the second part of this verse is even more instructive.  We always hear that “youth is wasted on the young”. This is true. A lot of us did things in our youth, which wasted so much time, or channeled our energies into the wrong direction that we all wished we could do it all again. Of course, this is impossible, but the experience of misspent youth can help mold us into even better Christians and witnesses for the Lord. There are many Fourth Quarter Christians like myself, who are in the best years of our lives.  We are living proof of our “youth being renewed….” as the verse says. 

Designed by the Author of Life for those who are seasoned, this is actually more of an exhortation the follower of Christ who has followed Him for a long time to stay the course. We stay the course not just because He gives us the good things we described above, but because He is the Source of Our Strength. Towards that, He reminds us in Isaiah 40:31 of this truth:

Yet those who wait for the LORD

Will gain new strength;

They will mount up with wings like eagles,

They will run and not get tired,

They will walk and not become weary.

THANK YOU, LORD, FOR YOUR BLESSINGS ON ME

The old gospel song says “I know not what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future”…..and so, it goes.  There is absolute Truth in that statement with Jesus Himself instructing us to not worry about tomorrow because “Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34b)

Living Life in the moment is where it is at…simply because this is literally ALL we have! Each breath we take is not our own. We are allowed to stand downright upright on this here planet called Earth, because of the Grace, Mercy and Love of God.  Living on borrowed time should really spur us to gratitude, tremendous gratitude because we are just not our own. Even those who do not believe in the God of heaven – Yahweh – have the Law of God written on their hearts.  They may live like He is not their God, but His indelible signature embedded on their souls tell us otherwise. On that Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, all will be revealed and sorted out. But for today, we who are being saved, have so much to be humbled in thanksgiving.

I remember a very rare time where a small measure of self-pity suddenly washed over me and just as quickly, the Lord reminded me of how fortunate and blessed I am to have even the simplest blessing in life. He did it in the form of a song, by of all things, a country station playing a song by Montgomery Gentry called "Lucky Man". It reminds me of how God has been not just to me, personally but just about everyone who lives in western democracies and can move around freely, eat until full and dress with clean clothes while driving a nice car.

It brings to mind the following Psalm of Thanksgiving, in part, from a man after God's own heart - King David:

I will give You thanks with all my heart;

I will sing praises to You before the gods.

I will bow down toward Your holy temple

And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth;

For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name.

On the day I called, You answered me;

You made me bold with strength in my soul......(Psalm 138:1-3, NASB)

When have we not called out to the Lord and He did not answer? He is Yahweh Jireh, the Lord Who provideth good things to His Children. The earthly half-brother of Jesus reminds us in James 1:17 that "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning". 

The perfect gift could be the roof over your head, when you were worried you had no place to rest your head. It may be the check which showed up in the mail to buy that full tank of gas, so we can go to work next week. It may be the invitation to dinner from the nice older couple at church, just when you were tired of eating leftover meatloaf three days in a row. There is no shifting or waffling with our Heavenly Father - Abba, Who loves us greatly. He is as fixed as the North Star and never changes. Because He is immutable (I, the Lord, do not change - Malachi 3:6a), He can be trusted. Therefore, His promises can be relied on. He gives and gives and then gives some more. We are alive and well today, because He gives....and because He lives. Because He lives, we can face tomorrow.

So, we are thankful and oh so grateful to You, oh God. Thank You, Lord, for Your blessings on me.

   

THIRTY NINE OTHER THINGS GOD GIVES US WITH FREE GIFT OF SALVATION

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the

Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow (James 1:17)

There is no more perfect gift than the free gift of Salvation. If we have confessed our sins and turned to the One True God of Heaven. If we are rejuvenated in the inner man and are born again, having accepted the forgiveness provided freely for ALL humanity for ALL time on the Cross, we will send eternity in the Holy Presence of God the Father.

Another thing to think about this "Perfect Gift" is "Imputation". Romans 5:12-21 reminds us that we are born in the original sin of Adam and we have deserved judgment heavily in our debt column, which we cannot pay. The First Adam's sin is imputed to every single human who has lived since Creation and th Fall. But then comes the Cross of Christ, where the Savior of the Universe willingly gave up His Own Godly Life for you and I personally, and all mankind in general. This Cross is where the Second Adam took His pure and sinless righteousness and gave it to us for free to justify (make us right) in the Eyes of God, when we have become forgiven and born again. 

We know from 2 Corinthians 5:21 that "He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. But it gets even better...and for the following, we must be SO ETERNALLY GRATEFUL! Several years ago, a man names Lewis Sperry Chafer wrote an amazing piece on the incredible gifts God gives to each of His children whom He calls to His side. These 39 things are worthy of yours and my study and eternal gratitude, for which we will continue to praise into Eternity and beyond. As we go through these 39 things, let us remain amazed for the rest of our life, at the Manner of Love and Grace which has been credited (and imputed) to our eternal account, when we did not deserve 1% of it! This should make us humble and cause us to fall to our faces before Holy God, as we sing His Praises:

1. The believer resides in the eternal plan of God. (He shares the destiny of Christ) We are:

a. Foreknown: (Acts 2:23; Rom 8:29; 1Pe 1:2)

b. Elected: (Rom 8:33; Col 3:12; 1Th 1:4; Tit 1:1)

c. Predestined: (Rom 8:29-30; Eph 1:5; Eph 1:11; 1Pe 1:2)

d. Chosen: (Matt 22:14; 1Pe 2:4)

e. Called: (1Th 5:24)

2. The believer is reconciled (Removal of the barrier between man and God)

a. By God: (2Co 5:18-19; Col 1:20)

b. To God: (Rom 5:10; 2Co 5:20; Eph 2:14-17)

3. The believer is redeemed (Purchased from the slave market of sin): (Rom 3:24; Col 1:14; 1Pe 1:18)

4. The believer’s condemnation, (Eternal judgment in the Lake of fire) is removed: (John 3:18; John 5:24; Rom 8:1)

5. All sins are judged by the substitutionary Spiritual death of Christ on the cross: (Rom 4:25; Eph 1:7; 1Pe 2:24)

6. Every believer receives propitiation for sins (God satisfied with the work of His Son): (Rom 3:25-26; 1Jn 2:2; 1Jn 4:10)

7. The believer is dead to the old life, (The old sin nature) but alive to God (Retroactive positional Truth)

a. He is Crucified with Christ: (Rom 6:6; Gal 2:20)

b. Dead with Christ: (Rom 6:8; Col 3:3; 1Pe 2:24)

c. Buried with Christ: (Rom 6:4; Col 2:12)

d. Raised with Christ: (Rom 6:4; Col 3:1)

8. The believer is free from the Mosaic Law. He is

a. Dead: (Rom 7:4)

b. Delivered: (Rom 6:14; Rom 7:6; 2Co 3:6-11; Gal 3:25)

9. The believer is regenerated: (John 13:10; 1Co 6:11; Tit 3:5)

a. He is born again: (John 3:7; 1Pe 1:23)

b. A child of God: (Gal 3:26)

c. A son of God: (John 1:12; 2Co 6:18; 1Jn 3:2)

d. A new creation: (2Co 5:17;Gal 6:15; Eph 2:10)

10. The believer is adopted by God (Placed as adult sons because of positional Truth): (Rom 8:15; Rom 8:23; (Future) Eph 1:5).

11. The believer is made acceptable to God: (Eph 1:6; 1Pe 2:5)

a. He is made righteous: (Imputation) (Rom 3:22; 1Co 1:30; 2Co 5:21;Php 3:9)

b. Sanctified positionally: (1Co 1:30; 1Co 6:11)

c. Perfected forever: (Heb 10:14)

d. Qualified for inheritance: (Col 1:12)

12. The believer is justified (Declared righteous): (Rom 3:24; Rom 5:1;Rom 5:9; Rom 8:30; 1Co 6:11; Tit 3:7)

13. The believer receives the unique availability of Divine power: (2Pe 1:3)

14. The believer is guaranteed a heavenly citizenship based on reconciliation: (Luk 10:20; Eph 2:13; Eph 2:19; Php 3:20)

15. The believer is delivered from the kingdom of Satan: (Col 1:13; Col 2:15)

16. The believer is transferred into God’s kingdom: (Col 1:13)

17. The believer is now on a secure foundation: (1Co 3:11; 1Co 10:4; Eph 2:20)

18. Every believer is a gift from God the Father to Christ: (John 10:29; John 17:2; John 17:6; John 17:9; John 17:11-12; John 17:24)

19. The believer is delivered from the power of the sin nature: (Rom 2:29; Php 3:3; Col 2:11)

20. Every believer is appointed a priest unto God. We are:

a. A holy priesthood: (1Pe 2:5)

b. A royal priesthood: (1Pe 2:9; Rev 1:6)

21. The believer receives eternal security: (Rom 8:32; Rom 8:38-39; Gal 3:26; 2Ti 2:13)

22. The believer is given access to God: (Rom 5:2; Eph 2:18; Heb 4:14; Heb 4:16; Heb 10:19-20)

23. Every believer is within the “much more” grace care of God: (Rom 5:9-10)

a. We are: Objects of His love: Eph 2:4; Eph 5:2;

b. Objects of His grace (1) For salvation: Eph 2:8-9; (2) For keeping: (Rom 5:2; 1Pe 1:5) (3) For service: (John 17:18; Eph 4:7) (4) For instruction: (Tit 2:12)

c. Objects of His power: (Eph 1:19; Php 2:13)

d. Objects of His faithfulness: (Php 1:6; Heb 13:5)

e. Objects of His peace: (John 14:27)

f. Objects of His consolation: (2Th 2:16)

g. Objects of His intercession: (Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25; Heb 9:24)

24. The believer is beneficiary of an inheritance as heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ: (Rom 8:17; Eph 1:14; Eph 1:18; Col 3:24; Heb 9:15; (1Pe 1:4)

25. Every believer has a new position in Christ: (Eph 2:6)

a. We are partners with Christ in life: (Col 3:4)

b. Partners with Christ in service: (1Co 1:9) (1) Workers together with God: (1Co 3:9; 2Co 6:1) (2) Ministers of the New Covenant: (2Co 3:6) (3) Ambassadors: (2Co 5:20) (4) Living epistles: (2Co 3:3) (5) Ministers of God: (2Co 6:4)

26. Believers are recipients of eternal life: (John 3:15; John 10:28;John 20:31; 1Jn 5:11-12)

27. The believer is created a new Spiritual species: (2Co 5:17)

28. The believer is a light in the Lord (Part of the angelic conflict): (Eph 5:8; 1Th 5:4)

29. The believer is united with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are:

a. In God: (1Th 1:1; cf., “God in you,” Eph 4:6)

b. In Christ: (John 14:20; cf., “Christ in you,” Col 1:27) (1) A member in His Body: (1Co 12:13) (2) A branch in the Vine: (John 15:5) (3) A stone in the Building: (Eph 2:21-22; 1Pe 2:5) (4) A sheep in the Flock: (John 10:27-29) (5) A portion of His Bride: (Eph 5:25-27; Rev 19:6-8)

(6) A priest of the kingdom of priests: (1Pe 2:9) (7) A saint of the “new species:” (2Co 5:17) In the Holy Spirit: (Rom 8:9) “the Spirit in you.”

30. Every believer is the recipient of the ministries of the Holy Spirit. He is

a. Born of the Spirit: (John 3:36)

b. Baptized with the Spirit: (Acts 1:5; 1Co 12:13)

c. Indwelt by the Spirit: (John 7:39; Rom 5:5; Rom 8:9; 1Co 3:16; (1Co 6:19; Gal 4:6; 1Jn 3:24)

d. Sealed by the Spirit: (2Co 1:22; Eph 4:30)

e. Given Spiritual gifts: (1Co 12:11; 1Co 12:27-31; 1Co 13:1-2)

31. The believer is glorified: (Rom 8:30)

32. The believer is complete in Christ: (Col 2:10)

33. The believer is possessor of every Spiritual blessing granted in eternity past: (Eph 1:3)

34. The believer receives a human spirit (The basis for Operation Z, along with the Holy Spirit): (Rom 8:16; 1Co 2:12; 2Co 7:13; 1Th 5:23)

35. The believer has scar tissue removed from the soul: (Isa 43:25;Isa 44:22)

36. The believer is the recipient of efficacious grace: (Eph 1:13)

37. The believer is guaranteed a resurrection body forever: (John 11:25)

38. The believer is the beneficiary of unlimited atonement: (2Co 5:14-15; (2Co 5:19; 1Ti 2:6; 1Ti 4:10; Tit 2:11; Heb 2:9; 2Pe 2:1; 1Jn 2:2)

39. The believer has equal privilege and equal opportunity under election and predestination.

BONUS....AND THIS IS A PERMANENT IRREVOCABLE GIFT:

40. The ten problem-solving devices are available to every believer. They are

a. Rebound: (1Jn 1:9)

b. Filling of the Holy Spirit: (Eph 5:18)

c. Faith-rest drill: (Heb 4:1; Heb 4:10-11)

d. Grace orientation: (Jas 4:6)

e. Doctrinal orientation: (Rom 12:2)

f. Personal sense of destiny: (Php 1:21)

g. Personal love for God: (Deut 6:5; 1Pe 1:8)

h. Impersonal love for all mankind: (Jas 2:8)

1. Sharing the happiness of God, +H: (John 15:11)

j. Occupation with Christ: (Eph 3:19)

Compiled by Lewis Sperry Chafer Revised by R. B. Thieme, Jr.

THIRTY DAY PRAYER CHALLENGE - DAY 11

PRAY THE NAMES OF GOD

DAY 11


GOD IS IMMUTABLE


Immutable is a fancy word for UNCHANGING! There is no shadow of changing with Thee, oh God! 


Would you trust a person - any person - whose word is a firm as a bowl of jello? NO!


With God, there is no such doubt! He is Immutable. His Name is Immutable. He will never change in His Word.
He will never change in His Promises.
He will never change in His Will.
He will never change in His Judgment.
He will never change in His Grace.


He is Perfect - that will not change.
He is Absolute - that will not change.
He is Complete - that will not change.


Because there is no one Greater than Him, His level of perfection could only be measured up against Himself - and He wins either way!

Scripture says in James 1:17 that "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."


Hebrews 6:17-20 (Phillips) "Among men it is customary to swear by something greater than themselves. And if a statement is confirmed by an oath, that is the end of all quibbling. So in this matter, God, wishing to show beyond doubt that his plan was unchangeable, confirmed it with an oath. So that by two utterly immutable things, the word of God and the oath of God, who cannot lie, we who are refugees from this dying world might have a source of strength, and might grasp the hope that he holds out to us. This hope we hold as the utterly reliable anchor for our souls, fixed in the very certainty of God himself in Heaven, where Jesus has already entered on our behalf, having become, as we have seen, “High Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek”.


Scripture confirms His Unchangeable nature, there I can trust Him without question. Pray with me:


Father in the Name of Jesus, I believe every promise You made to me in Your Holy and Most precious Word, throughout the ages.


I believe everything about You because You are as constant as the Northstar.
I believe and trust You will be there because You never change.
I believe and walk in the Light because You are the steady source of my strength.


If things go bad for me, I moved.
If times are hard for me, I moved.
If tribulation comes to me, the world moved.

But You oh God, You have always been there.
You Oh God have always been and always will BE.
You Oh God are there when I fall. 
You Oh God are there when I call.
You Oh God are there for us all.


Thank You, my God and my King for always being there for me. I love; worship and bow before You, the Eternal Compass of my life, in the Name of Jesus, amen


TOMORROW: GOD IS TRANSCENDENT