Roseville Church of the Nazarene

Greetings in Christ,

  The funny thing about human nature is we do not learn from our own experiences when things are going good.  We have a tendency to wait till things go bad, and then our brains kick in putting the information we learned in our memory banks for later reference.  It is in the things which went haywire we learn not to do again or refrain from happening twice.   It is the negative side of reinforcement in our minds getting us into the learning mode, and we let it be the dominating learning mode.  What if we could let the positive side be the learning mode we apply in our lives? 

  The verse in Psalms caught my eye this week, “God blesses us, that all the ends of the earth may fear Him.”  As the Psalmist wrote this, he was expanding on the great things God had done for Israel going all the way back to the delivery out of Egypt.  It was to remind the people of Israel of the great God they served, and what He had done for them to get them to the Promised Land.  All other nations feared them for they knew there was a God greater than anything they had ever had seen before.  They relied on this fear which God had instilled in the other nations to keep peace.  The sad thing is the other nations eventually found the Achilles heel of Israel.

  In 2 Kings, we read of Assyria overtaking Judah and sending them to Samaria.  The Israelites were suffering from the consequences of their own actions.  They had been worshiping pagan gods and performing rituals by previous inhabitants of the Promised Land which God had driven out of the land when the Israelites began to occupy it.  The Israelites did not remember to fear God in their spiritual activities.  They took for granted all the things God did for them, and how God had put fear into the people before them.  They forgot how God drove the former people out of the land for the same practices they were now performing.   The negative side of their actions drove them to think again.

  In Acts we see a different side.  Tabitha has died and the people had laid her to rest in an upper room.  They sent for Peter to see if he could do something.  Peter arrived and he prayed for her.  He commanded for her to rise.  Tabitha awoke and reached out to take Peter’s hand.  They both walked out to greet the people.  As a result of this action many believed in Jesus Christ.  They respected the power Peter displayed, but they knew it was not Peter rather God and Peter was giving Him the glory.  They were on the positive side of learning.  

  In Luke, Jesus approaches Simon when he was fishing and told him to cast his nets into deep water.  Simon told Jesus they had been fishing all night and did not catch anything, but he did as he was asked.  As a result, the nets were so full of fish they filled two boats, and the boats began to sink.  Simon Peter realized he was in the presence of God and asked Jesus to depart from him for he was a sinful man.  Simon Peter, James, and John were all amazed at what they had witnessed this day, and received some good advice from Jesus, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.” 

  Fear has its good side and its bad side.  It depends on which side of the thinking curve we are on—the negative or the positive.  If we are always on the negative we will live in fear of God.  If we are on the positive side we will not fear God.  Human nature leans toward the negative because we live in a sin depraved world.  The world in its self is very negative, and rightfully so look who has rule of the world for the time being.  Satan does not want us to be positive for any reason, on the other hand God has every reason for us to be positive.

  We must never take for granted all the blessings we have been given to us.  Remember the positive, think positive, and learn in the positive.  We have nothing to fear as long as God is on our side.

  “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether.”  Psalms 19:9

  “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy dwelling places of the Most High.”  Psalms 46:4

  “Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, nor His lovingkindness from me.”  Psalms 66:20

  Lord help us to be positive, think positive, and learn positive.  Let us never forget the blessings You give us and write them in stone.  Amen

  Blessings,

  Mark Johnson                  

  Psalm 19, 46, 96, 97; 2 Kings 17:1-18; Acts 9:36-43; Luke 5:1-11

Greetings in Christ,

  Many of us suffer from the four eye disease—having to wear glasses.  Some of us can see far away, but not near, and some us can see near but not far away, and if you are like me, you have to deal with not being able to see near or far away.

  I recently was fitted for new glasses.  I went to a local optometrist for the first time for my new glasses.  After receiving the new glasses I was having trouble seeing with them, and I was getting headaches as well.  I went back to the optometrist who filled the prescription, and he reexamined me.  He checked my glasses for the right prescription, and he gave me a reason for the problems I was having.  My brain had to get used to the confusion it now had in order to work in conjunction with my new glasses.

  This was confusing to me at first thinking this guy just went bonkers on me, or I was dealing with a quack because I had not dealt with him before this.  After thinking about it for a while, I began to realize what he was talking about.  My old glasses had been so deficient in not allowing me to see correctly I could not comprehend what it was like to see clearly.  

  In the selected readings, we read of those in the past who did not get corrected vision and those who did, and the difference it made in their lives.

  Isaiah writes about how God was trying to get the people to remember past events where He showed His strength and power.  “Was it not Thou who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep; who made the depths of the sea a pathway for the redeemed to cross over?”  God was trying to get the people to see Him for what He was—The Great and Powerful God who could do anything He said He would do.  God wanted them to realize He was going to restore the people of Israel to be His people.  He wanted them to know He was going to take care of them.  They had to trust God to do what He said He was going to do despite what they were seeing or dealing with at their present time in captivity.  God wanted them to get fitted with corrected spiritual glasses so they could see what He was doing.

  John writes about the Jews not accepting Jesus as the Son of God.  The Jews became enraged with Jesus thinking He was breaking the Jewish laws as He was teaching in the synagogue claiming to be the Son of God.  They could not see what was really taking place.  The Jews had a preconceived understanding the Son of God would adhere to the laws just as they had been written and abide by them accordingly.  They were not expecting the Son of God to break the laws (according to their thinking) and do things differently.  Jesus had the proper vision to see just what needed to take place and He observed the laws correctly.  Jesus wanted them to see with corrected vision.

  The Hebrew author pens the words about Abraham and Sarah doing what God had asked them to do.  They pulled up stakes and moved all over the country side.  They were promised to have many descendants.  When they had their first child, Abraham was asked to sacrifice his own son Isaac.  Abraham believed God would restore his son back to life after the sacrifice.  Through all of the testing of their faith Abraham and Sarah never took their eyes off of what was ahead of them—the promise God was going to do what He said He was going to do.  They had corrected vision so they could see just what God was going to do. 

  We are often challenged to see things here on earth and to interpret them for what they are.  We too often are looking with improper corrected vision to see the things clearly for what they really are.  We want to think we see correctly, but our brain is confused in what it sees.  We have to be fitted with the corrected visual aid in order to get a clear understanding of what God is doing in our lives.  God wants us to visit Him to get fitted with the proper visual aid to see clearly just what He is doing.  We need to learn to lean on Him with our faith—glasses of faith.  He gives us sight to see what He has in store for us.

  “The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it.”  Psalms 24:1

  “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”  Psalms 84:11

  Lord help us to see with the glasses of faith so we can see just how wonderful You are.  Amen

  Blessings,

  Mark Johnson

  Psalm 8, 24,29, 89; Isaiah 51:9-16; Hebrews 11:8-16; John 7:14-31

Greetings in Christ,

  In the selected readings we are reminded we are commanded to love God, but it should be more than a commandment to love God, rather it should be the desire of our heart to love God.

  The author of Deuteronomy pens these words, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”  In the writings of Deuteronomy, the author is capturing God’s words and His desire for His people to follow.  God was telling them if they were to love Him, He in return will bless them.  They would prosper, they would have many children, they would have many resources to live life, and they would not fear anyone trying to overtake their land.  God would be their protection in return for their devotion to Him.   All God wanted from His creation was to love to be reciprocal on both sides.

    The author of Hebrews writes about the contrast of Sinai and Zion.  Moses approached Mount Sinai with fear as it was commanded by God if man or even a beast would touch Sinai death would be certain.  God did call Moses to go up Mount Sinai to meet with Him, and Moses approached it with fear and trembling for he did not want to die.   “Moses said, “I am full of fear and trembling.”   He lived with fear on his mind and did want God to strike him dead. 

  The Hebrew author also writes about the gathering in Zion of all the angels, the general assembly of the church, and all who are enrolled in heaven.  There is quite a contrast to the behavior here for there is no fear of coming before God.   The opposite is taking place and it is rejoicing.  Everyone is glad to be there.

  The Hebrew author continues with warning, “See to it you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less shall we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.”  The writer is reminding the people there will be consequences for their decisions.

  John quotes Jesus, “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.”  Jesus uses this example of the servant in a way to make a point—there is no separation between Him and the servant.  Jesus and the servant are so close they become one in their actions, and as a result of this oneness God honors the servant for his/her devotion.  

   There is a difference between being a slave and a servant in our spiritual life.

  Webster’s defines a slave as, “a person who is the property of and wholly subject to another; bond servant.  A person entirely under the domination of some influence or person.

  A servant is defined as, “a person employed by another; a person in the service of another.”

  The word service in the definition of servant is, “an act of helpful activity; help; aid.”

 While Moses may have felt he was a slave at times, he was slave to the laws which he followed.  He lived his live according to the law, and it bound him to the rules and regulations it had leaving no room for him to completely obey all the laws successfully.  It was a matter of doing rather than being.  Moses was willing to be the servant by his actions, but there still was fear to disobey the law as an under lying issue in contrast to what Jesus taught.   

  Jesus was the true servant.  Jesus acted in faith and out of love on behalf of His Father because He wanted to be helpful.  Jesus knew the joy of being in the presence of God, and He wanted everyone He crossed paths with to know what He knew.   He wanted to pass on the love He had for the Father.  It was love which was the motivator for Jesus to follow His Father’s commands.

  We can be a slave to God in our actions.  We can get caught up in the act of doing the right thing we forget to do the right thing.  We can get caught up in a regimen of Bible reading, church going, and prayer time to the point we become a slave to our actions thinking we are doing what God wants us to do.   They become drudgery, and it is reflected in our actions.

  We can be a servant and do our service out of the love we have for God.  When we are one with God, our actions are out of love.  It is in the act of love we will be the best help to God, and as a servant, we will be providing the best service for our Lord.  It becomes a joy to serve God, and it is reflected in our actions.

  “Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven.”  Psalms 148:13

  “Praise the Lord!  Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise in the congregation of the godly ones.”  Psalms 149:1

  “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord!”  Psalms 150:6

  Lord help us not to get caught up in the doing for just doing, but rather doing out of love for You.  Let us reflect the love we have for You in all our actions.  Amen

  Blessings,

Mark Johnson    

Psalm 114, 115, 148,149,150; Deuteronomy 6:1-9; Hebrews 12:18-29; John 12:24-32

Greetings in Christ,

  Everything we do in Christianity is predicated on our belief and faith in God.  Without faith our belief is nothing but a bunch of words which have no meaning.  The Bible contains nothing but fictional illustrations and empty promises.  We would be better off believing we can talk to walls.  Faith is the basis in our Christianity, and it is our hope in life in heaven.  The illustrations in the selected readings give us examples of faith in God.

  In 2 Kings, a Shunamite woman has been taking care of Elisha.  She had been providing food for his time of stay in Shunem.  This woman even persuaded her husband to build a room in the upper chambers for Elisha to stay and rest.  She saw Elisha as a man of God, and she wanted to give him what means of care she could.  As a result of her kindness, Elisha wanted to grant her something.  She really did not want anything, but she was barren, so Elisha told her she would give birth to a son.

  The Shunamite woman gave birth to a son, and lived to be a grown man.  The son died suddenly one day.  The Shunamite woman carried her son to the bed Elisha slept on and laid him there.  She traveled to Elisha’s home to convince him to return to her house.  Elisha returned and saw the state of the son.  Elisha closed the door and began praying.  Eventually the son sneezed and woke up from his sleep.  The Shunamite woman wept in happiness at the sight of her son setting up on the bed. 

  Faith was the key factor in both Elisha and the Shunamite woman.  The Shunamite woman believed in Elisha for his godly stance, and Elisha believed God could do anything.  The situation with the son would not have happened without faith.

  In the transformation of Saul to Paul, faith was a major part of both Paul (Saul) and Ananias.  The Lord spoke to Ananias in a vision and told him to go to Saul and lay his hands on him.  Ananias knew of the reputation of Saul and was fearful for his life, but he trusted God at His word and went to see Saul.  On his arrival Ananias assessed the situation and responded to Saul just as the Lord told him to do.  He laid his hands on Saul’s eyes and the scales fell off and Saul regained his sight.  The Holy Spirit filled Saul, and Saul began boldly announcing Jesus as the Messiah. 

  Saul was beginning to utilize his faith in God while Ananias was relying on his faith in God.   Both men had to believe in God before their faith could take action.

  John the Baptist was relying on his faith to proclaim Jesus’ coming as the Messiah.  John was announcing the arrival of Jesus to all the people.  He was baptizing men and women in the name of God and preparing them for the Messiah.  John had not met Jesus, but relied on the fact God had told him of Jesus, and his purpose in was to inform the people of Jesus.  John staked everything he said on the faith he had in God.

  Faith is our hope.  Hope is our happiness. Happiness is what helps keep us going.  Faith is our building block in our Christianity and our understanding of God.  Without faith we are nothing in God.  We cannot act, live, or function as God intended for us.  It is the vital key which must be in place before God makes sense in our lives.  It is something which takes many forms in our lives.  It becomes something active, living, breathing, and forming us all the way.  Faith is the key to life with God.

  “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”  Psalms 34:3

  “Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”  Psalms 34:19

  “Sing to the Lord, bless His name; proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.”  Psalms 96:2

  Lord may our faith become active, living, breathing, and forming us all the days of our lives.  May it be the building block for our relationship with You.  Amen  

  Blessings,

  Mark Johnson 

  Psalm 34, 93, 96;  2 Kings 4:8-37; Acts 9:10-31; Luke 3:7-18

Greetings in Christ,

  Truth takes many forms, and it comes in many ways.  It is based on the known facts or understanding.  For example a tree is a tree.  When we look at a tree we know it is a tree by the known facts or understanding we have of other people’s past knowledge of what a tree looks like.  It is based on the facts it has a roots, trunk, limbs, branches, and leaves, but this truth can change as we know it by changing its state of form.

    If the tree is cut down and milled, it may become lumber for building homes, ground into pulp for paper, or mulch for our garden or flower beds.  It is no longer true it is a tree, but rather has changed into the forms by being converted, but it will still remain true it came from a tree. 

  Some truth can take many forms and states in its life of being truth.  We have to recognize it as so and for the most part we do this without much trouble.  It usually is based on fact or reality, a verified undisputable fact, or an obvious accepted fact.  We can even verify truth by honesty, integrity, or truthfulness.

  If we know someone has told the truth we believe it to be truth.  We can count it being true by their integrity.  The problem occurs when we do not believe they are of integrity so we have a tendency to not believe them to be true.

  Jesus was confronted with integrity issues by the Jews.  They did not believe Jesus was the Son of God.  Jesus spoke with so much authority they could not believe He could know and believe what He was saying.  The Jews felt Jesus was possessed by a demon.  They felt Jesus was going against the truth they knew.  They were not considering all the facts or relying on the understanding of what others knew in the past. 

  The truth they were seeking had changed forms many times and they could not recognize Jesus as Jesus.  They had convinced themselves they had the truth, and they were convinced Jesus was not to arrive into this world the way He did.  They were convinced Jesus was to descend from heaven in style and all His bling would be apparent, but not to be born in manger to a carpenter’s wife.  They created their truth by going against the known facts, the obvious, and the integrity of Jesus’ words.  They were not listening for the truth, but rather looking for physical truth.

  Paul was encouraging Timothy to be of true character, integrity, and be truthful in his words.  People were not accepting of him due to his young age.  They could not believe Timothy could be a leader, or a preacher, but Paul kept telling Timothy to stand fast in his beliefs because he was doing the right thing.  Timothy was facing the same dilemma Jesus faced.  The people in both cases could not believe Jesus and Timothy could speak with authority about the truth of God’s word. 

  I want to encourage you to be of true character standing tall in the truth of God’s word.  God’s truth can come to us in many forms and many ways, but it is still God’s truth.  It will always be based on known fact or reality, a verified or indisputable fact, honesty, or integrity. 

  In Paul’s words to Timothy, “On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.  It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance.  For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.  Prescribe and teach these things.  Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.”  

  “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Thy name give glory because of Thy lovingkindness, because of Thy truth.”  Psalms 115:1

  “But as for us, we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forever.  Praise the Lord!”  Psalms 115:18

  Lord guide us in Your truth, and may we recognize Your truth when it reveals itself to us.  Amen

  Blessings,

  Mark Johnson

  Psalm 114, 115, 148, 149, 150; 1 Kings 8:22-40; 1Timothy 4:7b-16; John 8:47-59

Greetings in Christ,

  If Jesus entered in our presence in this present time, would we recognize Him as Jesus standing before us?  Would we accept His words of truth if He was speaking to us about God the Father, or would we give Jesus a hard time just as the Jewish leaders and Pharisees did in their time? 

  There are two key factors which may help us recognize Jesus.  Are we living according to the law or by faith? 

  Living by the law can give us the information we need.  It can give us a life of rules and regulations.  It can be a form of ritual becoming a daily routine.  It gives a boundary for daily living of right and wrong.  We follow this rule, or we make amends for breaking this rule.  Soon the semantics take over and the rituals become a burden.  The law soon enslaves the person to its rules and regulations.   The person is always trying to do the right thing, but never getting to the point the right thing brings peace to the heart.  

  The enslavement brings with it the blindness to the truth.   Everything has to be systematic in its approach or it does not fit the idea of being under the law.  Ideas form to what is right and wrong and pretty soon the truth is forgotten and it even begins to be a faint memory.  The enslavement of the law brings with the dulling effect of the senses which can be alerted to the truth.  The law leaves no room for thinking outside of the box whereas living by faith is just the opposite.

  Living by faith gives us more than information to live by it opens the heart and mind to other possibilities to exist beyond the written information.  Living by faith does not bind to a routine or a rule for this or that.  It still has a right and wrong, but it is not determined by boundaries.  Faith does not bring a burden it lifts the burden.  Faith does not enslave, but rather frees the slave to be son or daughter of God the Father. 

  Faith enlightens the heart and mind and brings truth to the fore front.  It heightens the senses to be alert for the truth, and allows thinking outside of the box.  Faith allows a more fulfilling approach to living with God the Father.

  Paul writing to the Galatians tells them they need to live by faith, “But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.  Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith.  But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.  For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”

  The Jewish leader and Pharisees were under the law, bound by the law, and blinded by the law.  They could not accept Jesus because they could not live by faith, just they could not accept Jesus as the Son of God when He stood before them.  “The Pharisees therefore said to Him, You are bearing witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.  Jesus answered and said to them, Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true; for I know where I came from, and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from, or where I am going.”  They could not think outside of the box, so they could not accept Jesus–it did not fit the laws and rituals.

  Living by the law puts us into shackles and binds us.  Living by faith frees us and gives us the truth to live by. 

  If Jesus stood before you, would you recognize Him?

  “He has made His wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate.”  Psalms 111:4

  “From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised.”  Psalms 113:3

  “Praise the Lord!  For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant and praise is becoming.”  Psalms 147:1

  Lord help us to live by faith so we can be free in You, to live close to You, and to know You more each day.  Amen

  Blessings,

  Mark Johnson

Greetings in Christ,

  Getting our own way—what a great way of getting satisfaction.  You do not have to answer to anyone but yourself when you make decisions in life.  After all your decision does not create a problem for you, but does it create a pitfall for others?

  In life, we like to get our way about the things we do.  We consider all the areas affecting our lives and we make decisions according to those areas, but do we consider those who may be affected by those decisions we make?

  The selected scriptures (Romans and John) give us two examples of decisions which were made and how it affected others around them.

  Amnon loved Tamar.  He loved her so much he fantasized about her when she was not around him.  He thought of various ways to get her alone so he could be with her.  The problem was they lived in different houses.  They had the same father (David), but different mothers.

  Amnon conspired with another person to come up with the idea of being sick so he could request Tamar nurse him back to health.  Amnon faked being sick and talked his father into letting Tamar cook and feed him.  The father agreed with the idea and sent Tamar to take care of Amnon.  While Tamar was cooking for Amnon, he was letting his mind wander and fantasize about Tamar.  He was bound to have her for himself in a biblical way crossing the boundaries of good thoughts into bad thoughts.  He could not wait for her to get done cooking.  He told others to leave the room so they could be alone and then he made his move. 

  Amnon’s one decision took the innocence of another and crushed it in moments of lust creating a course of destruction which would last till death was inevitable.  Love turned to hatred in a flash after he thought what was going to be the greatest thing to do become the worst thing he had done.  Amnon created tension amongst the family which would eventually cost him his life and all because he wanted to get his way.

  The opposite of this example is of John the Baptist telling others he must decrease while Jesus increases.  John, being questioned about his status in the spiritual realm, was asked whether Jesus should be baptizing just as John had been baptizing.  John’s responded by saying he was glad to see Jesus.  He was going to see prophecy being unfolded in front of him as he watched Jesus proclaiming truth to the people.

  John could have told his disciples he still was the one to follow and everyone should listen to him, but he didn’t.  His decision was for the betterment for the people, and he knew he could not deliver the goods like Jesus could.  Jesus was the Son of God, and He could tell more about the Father than John could ever do.

  John’s decision to fade away was so others would look to Jesus as the true Messiah.  John knew the focus must be on Jesus rather than on himself.  He knew Jesus was going to proclaim the truth. 

  We may never have the dramatic events take place in our lives like what happened with Amnon and Tamar, but it does not always have to be this extreme.  It could be just the smallest thing we do upsetting the balance of events in our life or the life of another.  Paul writes about this in Romans, “Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves.  Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to his edification.”  When was the last time a decision was made thinking about your neighbor?

  Our decisions and how we live our lives do affect others.  In our spiritual walk, we must consider what our decisions look like to those who may around us.  People have different lenses in which they observe us.  We may be John the Baptist to some, but to others we represent Jesus.   We must point them to Jesus even if it means we must adjust our decision making to include those who look up to us.  Let’s be the best example while pointing to Jesus.

  “The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.”  Psalms 19:7

  “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  Psalms 46:1

  “Bless our God, O peoples, and sound His praise abroad, Who keeps us in life, and does not allow our feet to slip.”  Psalms 66:8-9

  “Let the peoples praise Thee, O God; let all the peoples praise Thee.”  Psalms 67:3

  “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  Amen

  Blessings,

  Mark Johnson

Greetings in Christ,

  “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.”  What a way to respond to Jesus.  This was Nathanael responding to Jesus after He called him to become a disciple.

  How do we respond to Jesus on a daily basis?  Do we recognize Him as King of our lives?  Do we rejoice with gladness Jesus is our Savior?

  King David was probably the most controversial person the people had ever seen during his reign over Judah.  He was not afraid to rejoice, dance, praise, sing, play musical instruments, act on impulse, and whatever crossed his mind when he felt he needed to praise the Lord.  The least of all was what he felt others thought of him while he was before the Lord in worship.

  David did not let the things of this earth, or people’s impressions stop him from engaging one on one with the Lord in worship.  David was more prone to act crazier, so to speak, in public than in private.  The more audience David had the more he rejoiced to the Lord, and people thought he was off his rocker.

  David, as king, was to be staunch, poised, reserved, and most of all not to make a fool of himself in public.  It was written down somewhere in a rule book for kings he had to follow while being king.  I think this tradition follows suit with the British Kingdom today.  There is a prim and proper way to act, and it must be followed or you will fall out of grace.  People will not respect you for making yourself look like a fool in public.

  King David was chastised for worshiping the Lord while bringing the ark of covenant into Jerusalem.  Saul’s daughter, Michal, felt David crossed the line concerning the rules of behavior for a king.  David’s response to her went something like this.  It was before the Lord he rejoiced and danced not the people of Israel, and it did not matter who was watching or the impression he made on them.  He was more concerned with what the Lord thought of him.

  How many times do we hold back in our worship thinking we will be chastised for our actions?  More so, are we concerned people will talk about us behind our back because we worshiped the Lord openly?

  Paul writes to the Romans concerning who really owns us.  “For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.”  No one else can lay claim on us.  We are not owned by anyone else.  We only allow our thought process of what others think of us to control us which binds us to what they may be thinking or have said.  We become bound to their perception of how we should act, and this limits us in our actions of how we worship the Lord.  We should be more concerned of what the Lord thinks of us rather than what others think of us.

  My friends, if we do not worship the Lord here on earth, what will we do when we get to heaven?  Heaven is supposed to be a place of rejoicing and worshiping the Lord.  Why can’t we have a little of heaven here on earth while we are here on earth?  I do not think the Lord will care if we break out in worship before Him and give Him the praise He so deserves especially in public.  I would rather think He would feel we are not ashamed of Him, and we are glad to be His children.

   Give the Lord a shout, a hallelujah, a dance or two, bow before Him, or whatever you feel led to do in worship to the Lord.  Do not let others stop you from rejoicing.  Who knows it may become an epidemic and others may feel inclined to join in and really get blessed while worshiping the King.

  “O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”  Psalms 34:8

  “Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”  Psalms 34:19

  “Ascribe to the Lord the glory of His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts.”  Psalms 96:8

  Lord help us to worship You in the manner You so deserve.  Let our praises raise the heavens, and our hearts melt with admiration for Your love for us.  Amen

  Blessings,

  Mark Johnson

  Psalm 34, 93, 96; 2 Samuel 6:12-23; Romans 14:7-12; John 1:43-51

Greetings in Christ,

  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.”  Ephesians 1:3

  It sometimes is hard to imagine just how far back in time God has prepared for us to be one with Him.  Paul writes the previous words in the letter to Ephesus telling them about God’s plan for holiness for His creation.  It is the reflection of creation as God was forming the earth, creating the vegetation, and creating the animals, and finally creating man and woman.  Every time God was done with one part of the creation He paused and looked at it and it was good.  There was nothing about what God had done which did not please Him—it was holy and blameless. 

  The concept of being holy and blameless goes along with the thought of being totally open with God with nothing to hide from Him.  Once Adam and Eve had eaten the apple from the tree of life they had to hide from God.  Their innocence was gone as they tried to cover their nakedness as they stood before God.  They were not holy and blameless.

  God from the very beginning of time has only wanted us to be holy and blameless before Him, but as mankind thinks for himself the more mankind wanders away from this simple concept. 

  God has only wanted us to walk through the garden with Him sharing all the details of our lives whether they are small or large, simple or complex, personal or corporate, or just plain everything we do as we walk in this life.  We sometimes want to deal with those things in our life by thinking for ourselves, and acting on those thoughts, but sometimes our thoughts and actions get us into trouble.  We begin to cover up and hide those areas of our lives we find exposed, and we are ashamed of the exposure.  The more we become ashamed the more we pile on to cover the exposure and before long we are weighed down with a burden of trying to compensate for the overload. 

  God is not looking for this to happen with us, but rather just be willing to shed the first layer of cover before it gets too heavy to carry.  We are better off to just realize no matter how hard we think we need to protect ourselves we are just delaying the most important part of our lives—being a part of God. 

  All God wants is for us to be holy and blameless before Him; just as He designed for us to operate from the very beginning.  There is not more refreshing way to enjoy life than to walk with God on a daily basis.

  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.”  Psalms 111:10

  “Light arises in the darkness for the upright; He is gracious and compassionate and righteous.”  Psalms 112:4

  “From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the Lord is to be praised.”  Psalms 113:3

  “I will praise the Lord while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”  Psalms 146:2

  “Great is our Lord, and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.” Psalms 147:5

  Lord may we be holy and blameless before You.  May we share all the details of our lives with You.  Amen.

  Blessings,

  Mark Johnson

Greeting in Christ,

  How do we define mercy?  God’s mercy?  We overlook His mercy in many ways in our life here on earth.  Mankind has refused to look to God as He has asked, and have set aside His mercy calling it something else.  Mankind has not appreciated what God has done for them for the very beginning.

  Jeremiah writes God is not happy with the mindset of the people.  “For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for gain, and from the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely.”  God is asking Jeremiah to warn the people of their wrong doing.  They have strayed from the guidance of God and they have relied on their own thinking, and it is leading them down the wrong path.  God knows they are not living a righteous life and they will suffer His judgment.  God is calling to His people through Jeremiah to bring them back to His way of thinking because He does not want them to face the wrath of His judgment.

  Paul writes in 1 Corinthians, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.”  The people of Corinth were making claims since food did not have any bearing on the Christian morals this could be translated into other areas of their spiritual life.  They believed promiscuous sex fell into the same category.  Paul reminded them there was no correlation between the two.  “Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food; but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord; and the Lord is for the body.”  Paul was telling them while they had to eat it will soon pass, but the body meant more than just filling it with food.  “But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.”  Paul reminded them when they say they are followers of Christ they are joined in spirit, and they were bought with a price.   “Or do you not know your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

  Mark records the compassion of Jesus as He approaches the demon possessed man in Gerasene.  Many people feared the demon possessed man, and they tried to keep him bound with chains to restrain him, but he broke them with ease.  He ran wild over the tombs gnashing his teeth and cutting himself terrifying all of those who tried to enter the area.  Despite all this and the people warning Jesus of the man’s actions He walked towards the man.  Now the demons who possessed the man recognized Jesus causing the man to run to Jesus and bowing down before Him asking what He wanted with them.  Jesus having compassion on the man cast the demons into swine gathered on the hillside. 

  The man was so grateful to be free of the demons he wanted to follow Jesus in His journeys, but Jesus had another suggestion, “And He did not let him, but He said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.”  Jesus wanted the man to share the mercy he had been bestowed on Him by Jesus.

  Mercy is a form of love determined by the state or condition of its objects. Their state is one of suffering and need, while they may be unworthy or ill-deserving.  Mercy is at once the disposition of love respecting such and the kindly ministry of love for their relief.  Mercy is a Christian grace and is very strongly urged toward all men.  (Unger’s Bible Dictionary)

  Mankind is not deserving of God’s mercy, but He stills cares enough to reach down to earth and send His Son who died on the cross to give us a plan of salvation.  God has been reaching out to mankind since He created man in His image trying to make them realize they need to recognize Him. 

  Once we accept God’s mercy, it is up to us to cherish it, and not to abuse it.  It is our responsibility once we receive it to pass it along to others.  God does not want us to face His wrath, but rather to meet Him face to face. 

  “I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.”  Psalms 34:4

  “For He is coming to judge the earth.  He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in His faithfulness.”  Psalms 96:13b

  Lord God help us to remain faithful to You, and to never take Your mercy for granted.  Give us the same compassion to pass on the mercy which has been given to us.  Amen.

  Blessings,

  Mark Johnson

  Psalm 34, 96; Jeremiah 6:9-15; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; Mark 5:1-20