Watering the Seed

Leviticus 11:37-38 And if any part of their carcase fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean. (38) But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcase fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you.

As I was reading today, I found these two verses to be interesting. Here, God is going over with Moses what they can consider to be clean and unclean when a dead carcase touches it. What caught my eye, and my heart, today was that God considered the seed clean as long as it had not been watered. As I read it, I asked myself why this would be - and here is what the Lord gave me:

The seed was still within itself UNTIL the water touched it. Once the water touched the seed, the seed begins to open. As I thought about this, I was reminded of these verses we often quote when speaking about soul-winning and witnessing:

Psalms 126:5-6 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. (6) He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Many Christians do what they can to "Sow the Seed" but they never see any fruit of conversions. Why is it? Well, one reason may be that the seed needs to be water with the tears of our broken heart before it can open up. May we not only sow the seed, but may we water it with our tears so that God may allow us to bring in some sheaves.

Book Review: Living With Confidence In A Chaotic World by Dr. David Jeremiah

"Confidence can be hard to come by these days. People are losing their jobs, their houses, and their life savings at an unprecedented rate. Violence, natural disasters, and moral depravity seem to be skyrocketing. In the midst of all this chaos, we need to know...what on earth should we do know?

Dr. David Jeremiah's new book, a follow up to his previous work, What in the World is Going On?, picks up where the previous one left off and delivers some insightful help to the reader for their daily living.

If you are a fan of Dr. Jeremiah's works, you will not be disappointed with his newest book. It has the same style and delivery that has help countless numbers of people before. I found his chapter on "Stay Compassionate" to be especially relevant for our times. When so many Christians are struggling, our natural reaction is to do less, when we really need to be doing more.

Living With Confidence In A Chaotic World is a helpful book for any Christian that is an enjoyable and easy read.


I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson book review bloggers program.

It's not me!

Genesis 30:2 "And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?"

Today, we read a conversation between a husband (Jacob) and a wife (Rachel). Rachel was having a difficult time with the fact that Leah was able to have children with Jacob and she was not. While I could spend ample amounts of time writing about the problems that polygamy brings, I want to focus for the moment on the relationship between Jacob and Rachel and how it mirrors the difficulties that many marriages go through today.

Rachel is upset that she is unable to bare any children and lashes out at Jacob in verse 1 and tells him, "Give me children, or else I die." While her statement seems a little dramatic, when you are in the midst of a difficult situation, it often seems as if your world may come to an end. What we read in our verse today was Jacob's response to his wife's personal struggle.

In essence, I believe Jacob lashes out at Rachel after she lashes out at him and tells her, "Hey, I am not the one having any problems, I have already fathered children. The problem is obviously with you!" Many times, when husbands and wives come to a difficult stretch in their marriage, it is always the other one's fault. Our initial response is usually, "It's not me!"

But there is an interesting portion of Scripture in the previous chapter that sheds a little more light on Rachel's condition. Genesis 29:30-31 "And he (Jacob) went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served him yet seven other years. And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren." The implication here is that the Lord allowed Leah to conceive, and not Rachel, because of the attitude of Jacob ("he loved also Rachel more than Leah...Leah was hated").

What does all of this mean for us today? Well, the next time there is a difficult situation or a disagreement in your marriage, don't be so quick to say, "It's not me." Instead of pointing to others, look in the mirror and begin to make the changes needed. Everyone must take personal responsibility for their relationship and make the necessary changes for it to succeed.

Book Review: Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs

What are you looking for in your marriage? Peace? Closeness? Value? These are all things that God intended for us to experience in our marriages, and this book, Love & Respect, will help you and your spouse break what Dr. Eggerichs calls the “Crazy Cycle” and work your way towards the “Reward Cycle” of love and respect.

This book is based on Ephesians 5:33, “Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.” I must admit that while I have read this verse time and time again, I never put the aspects of what husbands and wives need from their spouse. Wives are looking for love from their husbands, and husbands need to feel respect from their wife. Dr. Eggerichs does a great job emphasizing this truth and how to implement it in your own marriage.

I highly recommend this book to not only those who need help or who are looking for ways to improve their relationship with their spouse, but to pastors and teachers who deal with married couples on a regular basis. This book would be simple enough to turn into a small group study and benefit the marriages in your church.

I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson book review bloggers program.

They Were Not Always This Way

Revelation 3:14-19 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; (15) I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. (16) So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. (17) Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: (18) I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. (19) As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

When someone says 'Laodicea', what usually comes to your mind? Well, I would bet you are just like me and you think of the passage of Scripture listed above. Laodicea, to us today, represents everything that is wrong with modern Christianity. Most American churches have been resting in a rut for so long that below average now seems like the average. I cannot remember who said it, but it was once said that, "a rut is nothing more than a coffin with the ends kicked out."

The Laodicean church, and the Laodicean church age of today, is neither on fire for the Lord, or just plain cold. Instead, it is lukewarm. I like hot coffee (black, no cream or sugar) and I like cold coffee (iced mocha's are nice, and I have been on a Starbucks frappuccino mocha kick here recently), but I cannot stand lukewarm coffee, i.e. the coffee that started out hot but has cooled to room temperature over time.

So, for something to be lukewarm, means that it must have first been hot. Well, you ask, is there any Bible reference to the church of Laodicea ever being hot, or on fire for the Lord? I'm glad you asked! Look at this verse:

Colossians 4:13 For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis.

As Paul is making his closing remarks in Colossians, he reminds them of the love and service of Epaphras. And in doing so, he mentions that those in Laodicea had the same zeal.

What does all of this mean when we compare Scripture with Scripture? It means that Laodicea once had a great zeal for God and the saints of God, but became lukewarm in the abundance of their blessings. Many of you who are reading this may be saying to yourself, "Well, I am not lukewarm for Christ, but I have a great zeal for serving God and His saints." And I will commend you for it, with this word of caution: If it could happen to Laodicea, it could happen to us.

Guard your faith and your fervency for the Lord lest your fire burns out and you too become lukewarm.

Peace After Prayer

Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (7) And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

As I was reading Paul's letter to the saints of Philippi, one word stood out to me when I came to these two verses: the word "And" found at the beginning of verse 7. A lot of people like to quote verse 7, but never properly tie it in with verse 6. The only way we can truly have the peace of God is to first be careful for nothing and pray about everything.

When Christians lack peace, it is often because they lack prayer. I am afraid many born-again believers have no peace because they have no prayer.

Where can you begin to find the peace of God? In your personal prayer closet.

God Was Not Well Pleased

1 Corinthians 10:1-5 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; (2) And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; (3) And did all eat the same spiritual meat; (4) And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. (5) But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

Here's a quick thought for you today: You can have God's blessing and yet He still not be pleased with you. Think about all that Israel had experienced under the leadership of Moses, and yet they still rebelled and God was not pleased with them.

We live in a results oriented society, and many born-again believers have taken this concept and married it with their Christian faith. They think that as long as nothing bad has happened, then God is pleased with them. Lets not judge our life based on circumstantial blessings, but based on obedience to God's Word.

The Last Day: Make it Count!

The Lord has been very good to us this week with lasting, eternal decisions being made for him. Please play as we finish everything up tonight.

While it was disappointing to not have the special music group that was lined up to be here this week, I believe the Lord has reminded us that while music is a great tool, He doesn't need it to speak to people. Evangelist Jayson Godsey - www.evangelistjaysongodsey.com - has been a tremendous help and blessing to our church. If you are a pastor who is reading this, let me recommend him to you. His expository-style preaching not only has the Bible content that many preachers lack these days, but it has the fire that sparks a spiritual decisions in the hearts of the hearers.

The VBS kids, and my wife, are looking forward to the special event of the evening. We have had a penny war all week at VBS between the boys (represented by me) and the girls (represented by my wife Darci). After all the pennies are turned in, we put both buckets on the balancing scale to see who is the heaviest. And by the end of the week, whichever group won the most days, their leader would get to "slime" the other one's leader.

Well, it hasn't been pretty this week - 4 days and 4 wins for the girls. So after church I will be getting "Slimmed." No pictures, please?!

Please pray for our final night, and if you are in the Westland/Detroit area, come by and participate @7pm - 1033 S. Wildwood, Westland, MI 48186.

Day 2: "Can he do that?!?"

2 Chronicles 34:7 And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.

Last night the VBS lesson was on King Josiah. One of the aspects of his life we covered was the fact that he destroyed the idols that the people were worshiping instead of God. Well, I thought, "You know what would be awesome - I am going to smash some idols on stage for all the kids to see!" So then I go to the dollar store and buy two porcelain statues to bust up.

When I get to that part of the lesson, I take out my hammer and smash them right on the stage. Now, just before I do that, there is that still, small voice inside of me saying, "Maybe this is not such a good idea..." And so as I smash these figurines, porcelain pieces begin to fly everywhere, including my face. I quickly glance up and see two things:

• #1 - The kids are loving it, and none of them got hit!
• #2 - My workers are looking at me like I am crazy!

Not the first time they have looked at me like that, so I continue on. But I forgot to turn on the fan and it was hot and humid on the stage, so I am sweating pretty good by now. I go to wipe my forehead and I hear one of the kids on the front row say, "You're bleeding!"

Sure enough, one of those pieces did hit someone - me! It was just a small, surface cut - but blood none the less!

I thought a little more about it this morning and it occurred to me: I bet most of Israel looked at King Josiah the same way some of my workers were looking at me. While I am sure some of Israel was angry, I can imagine most just stunned. Often times, when you serve the Lord, there will be moments when you follow God and all you get is some stunned looks. Have faith in God and His plan, and just press forward.

Continue to pray for our meetings this week. Kids were down a little bit last night, but the reports I received back from the Tent Meeting were positive again. The people are really connecting and responding to Evangelist Jayson Godsey (http://www.evangelistjaysongodsey.com/) and are coming away encouraged and challenged to do more for Christ.

One down, Four more to go!

Well, it was an "interesting" start to the week. Music group canceled on me on the day of the beginning of the meeting, had a little girl fall and bump her head on the concrete and blacked out (she checked out perfectly at the ER after precautionary CAT scan), and the normal "kar-razy-ness" that goes on at a VBS and Tent Meeting.

But the Lord was gracious to us and gave us a good number of folks in both meetings and great responses. It was only one night, but the children did a better job listening and behaving than they have ever done in the past.

And from the reports I received, the adults responded and connected well with Evangelist Jayson Godsey (http://www.evangelistjaysongodsey.com/). Praying for more folks to come, and for the convicting power of the Holy Spirit it in the lives of those hearing the Gospel this week.

Will you pray with us - James 5:16 ...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

VBS and Tent Meeting Starting Tonight

Sorry it has been SOOOO long since I have posted. Just been a little swamped with vacation, then VBS/Tent meeting prep work. We are starting tonight, so please pray that we can reach some families with the Gospel. Will try to post some updates throughout the week.

Learning Your Lesson

Acts 1:13 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.

Upon first glance, this may not be the most exciting verse, but there is a great nugget of truth hidden in there. That wonderful Bible nugget gleams brightly and catches our eye when we consider John 20:19-29

John 20:19-29 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. (20) And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. (21) Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. (22) And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: (23) Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. (24) But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. (25) The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. (26) And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. (27) Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. (28) And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. (29) Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

What a wonderful bit of information we learn about the man we often refer to as “Doubting Thomas” from this simple roll call that was given in Acts 1:13. He missed the Lord in John 20:24, but learned his lesson and was where he should have been when the Book of Acts rolls around. While we often focus on the mistake of Thomas, lets focus today on the fact that he learned from his lesson and made the necessary corrections. May we learn our lessons from the Lord and make the changes in our life that are necessary.

What Confounded Them?

Acts 2:6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

Just a quick thought on this some-what controversial portion of Scripture. What was it that confounded the group of people here for the feast of Pentecost? It wasn't some new, unknown language that was being spoken, but it was the fact that they could understand what was being said in their own language. No matter where they came from (2:7-11) each person heard them in their own language. The miracle was not in the speaking, but in the hearing!

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Who Do You Think You Are?

Luke 9:49-50 And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbid him, because he followeth not with us. (50) And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us it for us.

Here, we have John speaking to Jesus about an encounter he had with another man who was casting out devils and doing miracles in the name of Jesus. John rebukes him and tries to get him to stop because this man was not and would not follow THEM (read the encounter in Mark 9:38-40 for this detail). This happened just after the disciples who WERE following Jesus could not cast out the demon that tormented a child (Luke 9:37-43).

I believe the Lord Jesus teaches the disciples, and us today, two great truths:
#1 - He that is not against us is for us.
#2 - It doesn't matter if people will not follow US (Mark 9:38), what matter's is if they are following and serving Jesus.

It is as if Jesus was saying, "Who do you think you are?" It is not about us, but it is all about the Lord Jesus Christ. May we stop worrying about what camp or fellowship or church this preacher or that preacher associates with, which school they support, etc., and just come to the conclusion that "he that is not against us is for us." And when a fellow servant of Christ is able to accomplish great things for the Lord, even those things that we at the moment cannot, lets rejoice together instead of trying to tear down and stop the work of the Lord.

Save Thyself

Mark 15:30 Save thyself, and come down from the cross

Here, as Jesus is hanging, or crucified, from the cross of Calvary, many begin to pass by and make lots of accusations and slanderous statements. The one that really caught my eye was the one I just quoted from verse 30.

What got my attention was the fact that the rest of the world is still saying the same thing today. They don't want a Jesus that had to be crucified and die for their sins - they want a Jesus that came down from the cross, or better yet, never had to go to the cross to begin with. They are telling Jesus to do the very same thing they are trying to do for themselves: Save Thyself.

We cannot save our own selves. The Bible tells us that our righteousness, or good deeds and works, is nothing more than filthy rags. We must remember why Jesus did not come down from the cross and "save" Himself - so that we might be saved.

Answers Through Questions

Mark 2:6-7 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, (7) Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?

Here, in Mark 2:1-12, we have the wonderful account of four men who bring a crippled man to Jesus for healing. Jesus recognizes their faith (2:5) and forgives this palsied man of his sins. Not exactly what everyone had in mind to happen first - the scribes included. And so they begin to question this and by what authority Jesus could give forgiveness of sins. And it was only AFTER the questioning of the scribes that Jesus heals this man of his physical ailment (2:9-12).

What we need to realize today is that sometimes God allows us to go through struggles so that He may teach and try to reach others. So, it is often times that we receive the answer to our prayers when others see us and begin to ask questions of God. Take your difficult situation as an opportunity for God to show His Greatness in your life to others so that He may get the glory due His name.

Does the Past Cloud Your Today?

Matthew 17:4 - Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

In the beginning of chapter 17, we come to what is commonly referred to as the Mount of Transfiguration. As Jesus ascends up the mount, He takes with Him Peter, James, and John. While there, these three disciples see Christ transfigured before them. After viewing the glorified Christ, they also notice Elijah and Moses. It is at this point Peter speaks up and says that they should build three tabernacles, or tents, and continue the worship and fellowship.

Many truths can be taken away from this event, but let me give just one today: they allowed the past glory to cloud the current glory and working of Christ. The three disciples, like many of the religious rulers and teachers of their day (17:10), were looking for God to do what He did in the past, just as He did it in the past. But what they missed was that God not was working just as He did in the past, but was doing a greater work by revealing Christ to them.

Often today, we look back to the past when the Church and Christianity had a greater impact, and we want to see it today. But our error is often the same error of these three disciples: we want it done just as it was in the past. Moses and Elijah were great men of old that God used in a mighty way. But we cannot allow our vision of a great past to cloud our vision for a greater now. God is still God and He changes not in attributes - but He does change in how he deals with people.

A great Bible example of this would be Moses when he smote the rock and God gave them water. What a great victory and blessing that Moses experienced; but he allowed this past glory to cloud his vision for God's new plan to get the water to the people - by just speaking to the rock. Instead of listening to God's new plan, Moses falls back on his past experience and smites the rock to no avail. So, he does so again and because of his disobedience to God he misses out on the Promise Land.

Let's not allow the glory of the past dictate to us how we will listen and obey God today; and lets not be afraid of doing something different if it is what God has called us to do. If we are always looking back, we will never be able to look forward.

Beutiful Feet

Romans 10:15 - And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Paul, under Holy Spirit inspiration, quotes from both Isaiah 52:7 & Nahum 1:15. While the foot is not considered beautiful by most, it is by our Lord when our feet take us away from evil (Psalm 1:1), to the House of the Lord (Ecclesiastes 5:1), and from the House of God to those who are in the highways and hedges (Luke 14:23). May we each have beautiful feet in the sight of the Lord.

Gathering or Scattering

Are you gathering or scattering?

Matthew 12:30

He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

We live in a world today, and amidst Christians, who like to think they can mix in a little God and a little church into their lives and be considered spiritually mature. But just a little bit of God and a little bit of His Church does not make one spiritual, but religious.

Here, in this Scripture, our Lord is dealing with the Pharisee's of His day. I say 'His day' because we have many Pharisee's in our day today. They are those who are religious, but void of any spirituality because they have never been born again. The religious of our day have forgotten about what Paul said in Romans 8:14 - For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Jesus tells these Pharisee's that if they are not gathering people to God, then they are scattering them away. I like what John Wesley said about this verse, and will leave you with that:

He that is not with me is against me - For there are no neuters in this war. Every one must be either with Christ or against him; either a loyal subject or a rebel. And there are none upon earth, who neither promote nor obstruct his kingdom. For he that does not gather souls to God, scatters them from him.

One Thing I Know

John 9:25 He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.

Let me ask you a question: Why does religion try to complicate everything so much? Here, a man who was born blind was given his sight by Jesus in a most unusual way - Jesus spit on the ground and took that clay, or mud, and used it to fix his eyes.

Now, instead of rejoicing, the Pharisees, or the religious leaders of Jesus day, came and began to question him about who Jesus was and were did he come from. And I love this man's simple response to their difficult questions: One thing I know!

There may be some things that we cannot explain, but there needs to be one thing we know - Jesus Christ! And lets not be intimidated by the "religious Pharisees" of today to proclaim the truth we know: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief!

I was a herdman...

Amos 7:14-15 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit:
15 And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.

Here, as he did earlier in 1:1, Amos gives us his pedigree as a prophet. Unlike Amaziah, the corrupted priest of Beth-el, Amos had no "religious" training. The only thing he had was the call of God and the power of the Spirit. God is not interested today in religion, but in relationships. There is no one church that holds the keys to salvation - salvation is in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as found in the Word of God. And that is a message that can be proclaimed by any Christian, even a herdman!

Your Heart's Desire

Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

Here, as we open up the great 10th chapter of the Book of Romans, we are allowed to take a peak into the heart and desire of Paul. This was not the first time he expressed his desire to see those of his own country turn to Christ for salvation. He opened the previous chapter by saying:

Romans 9:1-3 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, (2) That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. (3) For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:

What, if we could take a peak into your heart, would we find to be your desire? Christianity suffers today from the selfish attitude that permeates it. We are so busy trying to amass more and more for ourselves that we have no desire to change the eternal destination of those around us - even our own family. God grant us a heart and a desire like Paul's for the lost around us, especially those we come in contact with every day.

Mercy and Knowledge

Hosea 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Hosea was probably one of the most fascinating prophets of the Old Testament. It has been said that no other Old Testament book (in relation to the book's size) is quoted more in the New Testament than Hosea is.

Here in this verse, which is part of Jehovah's response to the remnant of Israel in the last days, the Lord makes an interesting, and maybe somewhat perplexing statement in relation to worship. Is this God's way of saying that He does not care what we do and is not interested in sacrifice and worship?

Well, as Jesus quotes this verse in Matt 9:13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance, we recognize that He is speaking to the Pharisees. Even thought they claimed great spiritual insight and were teachers of the laws and prophets, they had failed to learn the fundamental truth of the prophet's statement. The Pharisees had never learned the meaning of this passage, which teaches that kind hearts and helpful deeds are more pleasing to God than outward ceremonial.

Sacrifice is right, but mercy is first in importance.

Thy Great Mercies

Thy Great Mercies

Daniel 9:18 - O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.

Here we come to a very interesting, and important aspect of prayer - why God will answer. As Daniel is in prayer and confession, he pleads for God to answer his prayer, not based on his own righteousness, but he pleads for the mercy of God. I am afraid today that many Christians make their requests before God and plead their good works for the reason why God should answer. The merits for answered prayer are not our righteousness, but the mercy and grace of God. God answers prayer according to His mercy.

The Blog is Starting Back Up Soon...

...will be re-vamping the blog today and debuting it with a new direction with more frequent blogs. Stay tuned, it will be big...