Another Critical Concept That The Church Doesn’t Explain Well, Psalm 27:14

Buddy can be impatient about getting his needs met. Sometimes it’s a good thing: He’s learned to bark when he wants into the house, important on a hot day. But he can be insistent on getting walkies, not wanting to wait to get his harness on. But the harness is critical to keep him safe from harm while we take our walks.

Multiple times I’ve heard famous preachers refer to this Biblical verse:

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.”—Psalm 27:14

Christians hear many sermons about “waiting on the Lord,” but not how to do that.

Some make the error of thinking you send up a prayer and then go about your business, hoping God arranges things or changes minds to answer the prayer.

Sometimes we think it means doing what you can and then let God work out the consequences, directing where “the chips may fall”.

Or just going with the flow of events in your life, floating downstream without any resistance and hoping the current takes you where you want, that God is directing the river along a desirable pathway. The old “Let go and let God,” mantra.

But after several decades as a Christian, I believe this is really what is meant by waiting on the Lord: Acting toward desires and goals following God’s ways of doing so.

The ancient King of Israel, David penned Psalm 27 in a time of great personal distress. According to BibleStudyTools.com, there is no agreement amongst scholars when David wrote the psalm, before or after he became king.

But I think the time period before he ascended the throne of Israel provides an excellent example of waiting on God.

The following events are chronicled in the Old Testament Book of 1 Samuel, chapters 15 and following.

The Lord rejected the first King, Saul, as ruler over His people because Saul’s heart wasn’t totally devoted to fully obeying Him (1 Samuel 15:26). Although the prophet Samuel loved Saul and was grieved by God’s rejection, he obeyed the Lord and anointed a young shepherd boy to be the next king.

But after David was officially anointed as Saul’s successor, he never stirred up rebellion nor went to war to claim his right to rule. He submitted to King Saul’s sovereignty until forced to flee when the jealous king sought to kill him to prevent his ascension to the throne, displacing his own selected successor, his son Jonathan. David fled to the wilderness to preserve his life, instead of planning to assassinate the king, prompting civil war.

Many disaffected men over a period of years joined David, accepting him as their leader. But David didn’t recruit his servants: They came willingly. King Saul was determined his family would inherit the kingdom, although he knew it was not God’s will. Saul forgot that Israel was not his personal kingdom, but the Lord’s; he was supposed to be a steward over the people, acting under God’s authority, which he rejected. He continued seeking to murder David, even though David had never made an attempt to seize the throne or murmur against the current king’s rule.

Twice, during his pursuit of David, King Saul unknowingly put himself in a vulnerable position, where David or his followers could have killed him. David was even encouraged to do so by his men. But on both occasions, David refused to murder the king.

On the second occasion, David rebuked his top commander, Abishai, for encouraging him to assassinate Saul:

“‘As the Lord lives, the Lord shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish.

‘The Lord forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed.’”—1 Samuel 26:10-11

David trusted in God’s promise that he would become king one day. He obeyed the Lord, while trusting God would work out His will in His timing.

Now David was not passive. He knew it was God’s will that he become ruler, but he wanted God’s timing, not his own. He refused to act in an ungodly way to obtain his goals. He refused to compromise his moral beliefs, even when prompted by others.

How to apply this lesson from David’s life to our own?

David was not passive. He continued praying but was not inactive in pursuing his goals. He fled, for instance, instead of allowing Saul to kill him. He even submitted to Saul’s authority, even when mistreated. He learned how to command men and to provide for all their needs in the wilderness, away from Jewish civilization. He never advocated rebellion against Saul’s authority.

He trusted God, even when the “chips didn’t fall his way.” He trusted God’s sovereignty and ability to fulfill His will for David’s life. He didn’t give up and just “go with the flow.” He played an active role in God’s plan, not just waited and did nothing.

Another way of stating my position: It’s not wrong to have goals and desires. But, also, to be open to God moving events in a new direction which may not align with our plans.

But we must try to achieve those goals God’s way, which means, by playing the game of life according to His rules, not sinful ways.

If God wants you to have a promotion, or attain an elected office, you will achieve that goal through honesty, perseverance and hard work. Maybe even get some help from unexpected sources.

But if you need to cheat or lie to obtain an elected position, or backstab and slander a fellow employee or lie on your resume to win that job, you obtained the goal either out of God’s timing, (if it was His will), or achieved a goal He didn’t intend for you. Obtaining wealth through defrauding or deceiving others, or committing crimes, or deliberately harming others, are obvious modern applications. And satisfying sexual needs through seducing a married person or other ways God forbids. I’m sure you can think of many other examples.

In other words, if you sin to obtain a goal or desire, it’s either not God’s will that you have it—or not the right time for you.

And anything you obtain through sinful behavior will bring you—and possibly many others—great sorrow and harm.

To summarize: To wait upon the Lord is to act in a godly fashion toward your goals and dreams, trusting that you don’t have to obtain them through unrighteous, fleshly means.

To “help the Lord” means that you’re taking matters into your own hands by trying to shove open doors through ungodly behavior that God either isn’t ready to open yet or He may want to redirect you to a better doorway to enter through which has unforeseen blessings.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will direct your paths.”—Proverbs 3:5-6

Even when life doesn’t make sense, don’t get anxious. Love and worship the Lord. Keep living life and working to fulfill your dreams by acting godly and lovingly. And He’ll open the right doors in His timing.

Because Jesus loves you.

David knew he would be king one day, so he trusted God to fulfill His promise, despite how difficult the wait was.

He prayed. But wasn’t passive. He acted, but did not disobey.

Was David perfect? Nope. But neither are we. Confess your sin when you get anxious and slip up, and keep trucking.

Believe me, please. I learned what it meant to “wait for the Lord“ the hard way because it was never explained to me properly. I want you to not only reach your goals, but also to enjoy God’s blessing when you obtain them His way.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

PS. Or as Pastor Blaine Smith once said, “God steers a moving ship.”

***

Jesus loves you. And wants to help you through the difficulties and hardships of this life. God never promises an easy life. But He promises to bring your soul safely to heaven where God will wipe every tear from your eyes (Revelation 21:4), and there will be “no more sorrow” or “pain.”

Your life is a fairy tale, full of dark woods, danger and evil rulers. But you get to choose the ending: eternal joy—or sorrow by dying separated from a loving God forever.

Will you choose the happy ending? Living with the Prince Who rides a “white horse (Revelation 19:11)” and lives in a palace of gold and precious gems (Revelation 21:18-21)?

That good King your heart has always been longing for is Jesus, God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23).

Will you accept Him as your Lord and King today? Will you let Him rule in your life? Will you accept that Jesus died on the Cross for your sins and was raised to prove that He is God (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)?

If so, please repeat the following prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive my sins and wash me white as snow*. I call on Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior. Please fill me with the Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Teach me how much you love me. Thank you for answering my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus, Your Son, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible. Just as your body requires daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul; the Bible is your soul food. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew, as it’s easy to understand.

And please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to get misled by legalism or false teaching till you know the Bible fairly well.

God bless you. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

*Isaiah 1:18

Has The Church Forgotten Who It Is? 1 Peter 2:4-5

Buddy looking at his shadow.

It’s been a blessing to move from Washington State to the Arizona valley. Most days I can walk Buddy without the two of us getting soaked with rain. My feet usually remain dry most days and Buddy doesn’t need toweling off.

Now I don’t know if Buddy understands what a shadow is or recognizes his own shadow.

The church, similarly, seems not to recognize who it is.

“And coming to Him (Jesus) as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Christ Jesus.”—Apostle Peter, 1Peter 2:4-5

I believe one reason evil is advancing in the world is a lack of prayer and praise; the church is spending too much time watching media and playing video games, instead of praying that His “will be done on earth as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:10)” and expressing love for His blessings and His precious character.

Jesus warned (and Abraham Lincoln later quoted) that:

“Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls.”—Luke 11:17

The Church has forgotten, in many ways, that we are one spiritual house founded on the cornerstone Christ Jesus. We are one body (Romans 12:5), yet do not act like it.

An army cannot conquer its enemies when the soldiers scatter and do their own thing. They must gather together under the authority of their commander.

This is not a new problem for the Christian church, however. The Apostle Paul warned against forming a personal identity under other persons, earthly authority figures, rather than under Jesus Christ alone:

“For when you say, ‘I am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not mere men?

“What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth…We are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.”—Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 3:4-6, 9

Why are Christians referred to as “living stones” and “God’s building”?

The apostle Paul continued in verse 16: “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”

Satan loves to cause division because then it’s more difficult for godly people to martial both physical and spiritual forces against him.

Every person who is born again—who has the Holy Spirit indwelling them—is a living stone and a member of the body of Christ.

The church needs to stop splitting itself up, like the ancient Corinthians, and remember that we follow one Lord and one leader through Jesus Christ.

We follow Martin Luther or John Calvin or John Wesley or the Apostle Peter, for example, huddling in groups within our separate church walls while Satan attacks our culture along multiple fronts.

And the Church wails and wonders why everything seems to be going to Hell?

ALL born again believers are ONE church.

Time to remember and declare who we are:

ONE body in Christ Jesus.

“But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57).”

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

A person can be indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God?

Yes. We were created to be united with God, His life flowing through us. But Adam and Eve decided to reject God’s authority, choosing to listen to Satan the tempter, instead. They died spiritually at that moment, so all of their descendants—you and me—are also born spiritually dead, separated from God.

But God loves us too much to remain separated from His Creation. He provided a way to reconcile the human race back to Himself by sending Jesus to suffer the punishment our sins deserve. God hates sin and will not suffer evil in His presence. He had to find a way to declare a person a clean vessel for the Holy Spirit to inhabit once again.

We are washed clean of our sin by the blood of Jesus. (The old hymns emphasized this truth. Sadly, many modern songs lack strong declarations of Christian doctrine.)

“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,…”—1 Corinthians 15:3-4

It’s a marvelous experience to discover that the God of the Bible is real. But you have to invite Jesus to live His life in you; God never forces Himself in anybody. (Although He may in some instances strongly act to convince you, author CS Lewis, for instance.)

If you’re ready to truly experience spiritual life and change at the center of your soul, please pray the following, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, Please forgive my sin. I believe that Jesus suffered the punishment for my sin, died, and rose on the third day to prove that He is God in the flesh*. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior and invite that the Holy Spirit into my life. I give my life to You. Teach me how much You love me. In the name of the Lord Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you are born again. Please start reading the Bible. Just as your physical body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul need spiritual food—soul food. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew as it’s easy to understand. Always ask the Lord to guide your understanding as it’s a supernatural book.

“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you WILL be saved;”—Romans 10:9

Please join a Bible believing church or Bible Study. And get baptized. Christians are designed to be in fellowship with God and each other, not wander alone in a hostile culture. If you cannot meet with others in person at this time, I recommend the following two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) or http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to get misled by legalism or false teachings until you know the Bible fairly well.

Pastors Max Lucado, Chuck Smith and Chuck Swindoll also have published many excellent books, if you enjoy reading.

God bless you as you begin your new life in Christ.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

*Matthew 1:23

Jesus Wasn’t Always “Nice,” Matthew 23:33

Buddy looking for me.

I took this photo this afternoon. While I was doing my back exercises, Buddy lay in his bed while keeping a watchful eye on me. When I had to leave the room to make lunch for my mother recovering from surgery, he got up to investigate where I’d gone. He likes to keep a watchful eye on me.

When I adopted Buddy, he became my furever friend. I’d never abandon my pal—willingly. If death suddenly claims me would be the only cause.

Which is why his prior owner placed Buddy for adoption: She was dying of cancer and was unable to prevent her husband from mistreating Buddy.

Can you imagine a man so callous?

I cannot imagine mistreating my pal, although I’ll admit to rate moments of not speaking nice when I’m frustrated, for which my pal always forgives me. (I’ve had a few things to forgive Buddy for, also. After all, he is a terrier.)

I guess there’s an advantage to not being raised Christian, as I haven’t been exposed to Christian memes my entire life. (I was saved from Satan’s kingdom at age 28, for which I’ll always be thankful.) One widely repeated phrase is that if you’re nice, you can get a person’s attention so that you eventually win the right to preach the gospel to them.

“Preach the Gospel at all times, and, if necessary, use words.”—St Francis of Assisi

Which is sort of a work’s righteousness attitude, that one’s good works can win someone to Christ, rather than the Gospel. Or, as Apostle Paul said,

“How then will they call on Him in Whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him Whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?”—Romans 10:14-15

I actually discovered this website that claims St Francis of Assisi never said that. And agrees with my assessment of the attitude: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/factchecker-misquoting-francis-of-assisi/

Okay, please follow me here. You can note above a Christian meme repeated often, yet is not true.

It’s the Gospel that shatters the stubborn, flinty heart of pride (Jeremiah 23:29).

So back to being nice—or not.

Jesus called the religious, legal and political rulers of the Jewish people: “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?”—Matthew 23:33

Jesus wasn’t exactly being “nice,” was He?

In fact, in the section of Scripture described as the “Eight Woes” in the NASB translation, Jesus calls them (Matthew 23:13-36):

“Hypocrites”—verses 13, 14, 15, 23, 25, 27, and 29. (Seems like Jesus is trying to make a point here.)

Are hell bound—verse 13, sons of hell—verse 15.

Blind guides, fools—verses 16 and 17.

Prevent others from entering heaven—verse 13.

Take advantage of widows, pray long prayers for show, and are condemned—verse 14.

Reject justice, mercy and faithfulness—verse 23.

Full of robbery and self-indulgence—verse 25.

Murderers—verses 34-35

But, the gentle Jesus spoke kindly to the common person: tax collectors, prostitutes, fishermen, adulterers, the sick and lepers, children, etc. He seemed to have enormous patience, also, with his disciples.

Jesus spoke harshly to those who were misleading the children of Israel and hindering the saving work of God’s kingdom, denying that Jesus was their awaited Messiah, the Christ.

In fact, the only time it’s recorded that Jesus spoke harshly to the disciples is when Peter tried to convince Jesus not to give His life as a sin sacrifice on the Cross, temping Jesus not to fulfill His mission:

“Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You!’ But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me;’”—Matthew 16:22-23 (Interesting that Peter still acknowledged Jesus was the Lord, yet was telling Him what to do. Don’t all of us Christians do the same at times? I do.)

So, my point is: There are times when it’s appropriate to rebuke people, yet do so without hypocrisy (2 Timothy 4:2). When someone is in a leadership position, they can influence many ordinary, or powerless, people in the wrong way. They may be misguided (Nicodemus repented) or wickedly misleading people into ungodly behaviors.

Evil sometimes needs to be called out for the benefit of others.

It takes courage to “speak truth to power.”

If you lack courage, wisdom or opportunity to do so, then please pray that the Lord guide you how to respond properly toward evil leaders.

Or support those willing to do so, just as the army of Israel initially was afraid but followed David into battle after David killed Goliath (1 Samuel 17).

Please remember: Evil persists till it’s challenged.

Even God challenges evil: It’s called “consequences”. So that people repent.

Hope this prompts some contemplation.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

PS. Jesus did pay a consequence for challenging the Jewish leaders. They convinced the Romans to crucify Jesus, a man Pontius Pilate knew was innocent (Luke 23:4). Be certain that you’re prepared to suffer the consequences of standing against evil leadership.

***

Yes, it’s scary to stand up against people who have power over you. But there is a Creator Who loves you Who has already defeated evil in this world by dying on the Cross for your sins and then was resurrected from the dead on the third day to give you His resurrection life (Romans 5:8, 6:4).

It doesn’t matter what sins you’re guilty of. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).” Every person is born spiritually dead in their sins and needs God to forgive them. Not one single person is good enough to earn their way into heaven by their good deeds (Matthew 5:48).

“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Joel 2:32, Romans 10:13).”

Are you willing to accept God as Your Lord, your moral authority? To recognize that He sent His Son Jesus, “God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23),” to die for your sins so that you don’t have to?

If so, please say the following prayer, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin. I ask You to please forgive my sin and I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I ask the Holy Spirit to fill me and seal me for eternity as Your child. I give my life to You. Please teach me how much You love me, so that I can love others like You do. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you are born again. Please start reading the Bible daily, as it’s your spiritual food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew as it’s easy to read.

And please join a Bible believing church or Bible study group. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest the following two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) or http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to get misled by false or legalistic teaching until you know the Bible fairly well. Pastors Max Lucado, Chuck Smith and Chuck Swindoll also wrote excellent books.

God bless you as you start your new life.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

A Great Sin Of The Modern Church, Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

I suppose, as a result of being abused before I adopted him, Buddy excels in picking up visual cues. He knows that a suitcase means someone in his family is leaving for a time. In his doggie world, that is NOT permitted.

The modern church emphasizes the love and mercy of God. But King Solomon, the likely author of the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes, warns in verses 12:13-14 that there are consequences to rejecting God’s love.:

“Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil.”

The modern Church neglects to warn people that there is a consequence to rejecting Jesus as their Lord. When was the last time you heard a sermon about Hell? In fact, my autocorrect changes hell to he’ll; even software designed by people rejects the reality of hell. People go about their daily lives, totally neglecting the multitude of clues nature demonstrates that God the Creator exists.

Proverbs, mostly a collection of this same King Solomon’s wisdom, also warns that nothing escapes God’s notice in Proverbs 15:3:

“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good.”

The saddest news is that no one has to go to hell as the Apostle Peter said in his second letter, 2 Peter 3:9, God desires that: none “should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Why would anyone repent when they think there’s no consequence for continuing to reject God’s love and mercy? If life seems to be going fairly well, there’s no motivation.

So why not “Eat, drink and be merry,” the Apostle Paul asks, “If the dead do not rise?”—1 Corinthians 15:32

But they do rise.

“And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God (Revelation 20:12)” in heaven on Judgment Day.

Please, don’t be part of the silent church.

It’s the duty of the church to warn people.

Life has consequences.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

Jesus died for your sins and then rose from the dead, proving that He is God Almighty Whom death cannot hold (1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Acts 3:24). You don’t have to die in your sins, separated forever from a holy God Who hates sin. If you are willing to swallow your pride, acknowledge you’re a sinner Who needs God to direct you in defining what’s right or wrong, that Jesus died for your sins as it’s impossible for you to please God by your own efforts, then please pray the below prayer of repentance. This could be the best day of your life, discovering Jesus is real and loves you. He rejects NO ONE willing to come to Him in sincerity (John 6:37).

Are you willing to acknowledge Jesus as your Lord? If so, please pray the below, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin. Thank you for sending your Son Jesus to pay for my sins on the Cross, then to rise on the third day to give me resurrection life. Please forgive my sin. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Show me how much You love me and help me to grow in faith and a knowledge of Jesus. In the name of the Lord Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily as it’s your soul food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. It’s also God’s primary means of communicating to you. I suggest starting with the book of Matthew, as it’s easy to understand.

Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) or http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled by legalism or false teaching till you know the Bible fairly well. (Heck, I still get bound in legalism at times.)

God bless you.

May Buddy and I see you in heaven one day.

Thank you!

Thank you for reading, liking, and following our blog. It takes me several hours to write and edit each post, so your time and attention is greatly appreciated.

Have a great week!

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy.

Life Is Short, Nehemiah 8:10

Buddy was squealing frequently yesterday, indicating that he was in pain. He limped a little but wouldn’t allow anyone to approach him to inspect his paws. At times he’d stand behind me and squeal, causing me to jump in surprise. But I couldn’t take him to the veterinarian till today as I had to take a family member to their doctor for a post op checkup.

Buddy calmed down later in the evening, so I didn’t have to take him to the After Hours emergency clinic.

But I was distressed, wondering why God allowed him to get hurt the same afternoon that I needed to help someone else who couldn’t drive themselves.

You can see above that Buddy wasn’t happy visiting the veterinarian and wanted out of the clinic room.

But the Lord was answering my prayers to protect Buddy.

Fortunately, the vet discovered that he had something imbedded in his paw pad that likely poked him at times and two little burrs between his toes. I have to be more diligent in inspecting his paws in the future, particularly as Buddy is the most careless of any of dog I’ve owned regarding where he steps.

For instance, this past winter we were walking on a trail. There was a big pad of horse poop. I thought surely Buddy would be wise enough to walk around it.

Nope. He shoved one little front paw straight into the center of the plop. I had to wash his paw, after carrying him across my living room into the bathroom to protect my rug.

But just as Buddy should be more careful about where he puts his paws (he won’t), it’s beneficial to our physical, mental, and spiritual health to be careful to monitor our thoughts, as thought precedes emotion.

The Scriptures frequently exhort believers to be joyful.

After the exiles returned from Babylon to Jerusalem to successfully rebuild the city’s walls, they wept over their sin. The scribe Ezra had read God’s commands from the Holy Scriptures for many hours, and they felt convicted.

But what did God want them to focus on?

His mercy and goodness.

Nehemiah told the weeping Israelites:

“‘Go, eat the festival foods, drink the sweet drinks, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is Holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’”—Nehemiah 8:10

Life is short. Please don’t spend it being unhappy. Be joyful.

And please remember, when times are tough, if you know Jesus, there is a seat at the table of God’s great banquet reserved for you in Heaven.

Prepared by a loving and merciful God so that you can rejoice in His goodness.

The Apostle John wrote in Revelation, verse 19:9:

“Then the Angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb.’”

Amen! God bless you.

Look to the future and be happy.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy.

***

You see, Jesus doesn’t want to bring punishment and judgment. He wants you to accept Him as your Lord and God, repent of your refusal to obey Him, and give you eternal life. But it’s your decision.

If you’re ready to become born again, to follow the Lord Jesus, please pray the below, out loud if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for sending Jesus to die for my sin and take my punishment on the Cross. Thank you for not wanting to punish me, but to save and love me. I call on Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive my sin. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I want to live for You. In the name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please read the Bible as it’s your spiritual food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment, so your soul needs daily food—soul food. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew as it’s easy to understand.

Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org. Both have apps, if that’s your preference. There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled by false teaching or legalism till you know the Bible fairly well.

Remember, God loves you. Focus on Jesus and His righteousness and goodness. Relax and let the Holy Spirit work through you.

Rejoice in His mercy and be happy.

Life is too short to spend it being miserable.

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.