Streams of Water

My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration!

So, as the deer longs for Streams of Water, so I long for You, O God. I thirst for You my God, the living God. 

When can I go and stand before You? Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, “Where is this God of yours?”

• Why am I discouraged? 
• Why is my heart so sad?

I will put my hope in God! I will praise You again my Savior and my God!

Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember You even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan, from the land of Mount Mizar.

I hear the tumult of the raging seas as Your waves and surging tides sweep over me. But each day my Lord You pour out Your unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing Your songs, praying to God who gives me life.

“O God my rock,” I cry, “Why have You forgotten me? Why must I wander around in grief, oppressed by my enemies?” Their taunts break my bones. They scoff, “Where is this God of yours?”

• Why am I discouraged? 
• Why is my heart so sad?

I will put my hope in God! I will praise You again my Savior and my God!

I really love the harmony of that song "As the deer Panteth;" it's a beautiful rendition, one of the sweetest I've ever heard!!!  This is really what our LORD and Savior JESUS Christ is like. He'll lift us from our burdens and fills our heart with joy and gladness!!!


It's reassuring to know that, the one who does not walk in-step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on His law day and night is blessed. 


That person is like a tree planted by Streams of Water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither and whatever they do prospers.


For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. Therefore, I trust in You my Lord and my God.


Taken from Psalm 1 & 42

JESUS LAUGHING!

Beautiful pencil drawings, of an artist impression, of Christ laughing!

Jesus said, "Don't stop children from coming to me! Children like these are part of the kingdom of God." (Matt.19:14)

(Contributed: The artist Jean Keaton says she wants the works to speak for themselves.)

Look carefully and see the drawings were signed, 'Jesus Painter'

JESUS LOVES THE LITTLE CHILDREN

"Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world,
Red and yellow, black and white,
They are precious in his sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world."

Many who read this post doubtless are familiar with the song, "Jesus Loves the Little Children." Even a good number of folks who weren't brought up in church know it.

Perhaps you were brought up in a Christian home, as I was, and like me, you sang that warm and assuring little chorus in Sunday School nearly every Sunday.

Interestingly, it tells of a loving relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; and how He loves us regardless of our nationality or ethnicity. It is true today, as it has ever been, that He still loves us (John 3:16). 

May Jesus be ever real to you today as He was when you first sang it. God bless you always!

Dare To Take A Stand

In an age where anything goes and moral standards are rapidly decaying, Christians should endeavor to take a stand for Holiness. We should stand for Righteousness and be ready to be counted among them that shall reign with Christ. We can stand with Him when our friends are gone, and stand when we’re all alone with the confidence that we’re His own.

“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, 

that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day,

and having done all, to stand.” (Eph. 6:13)

As I read Ephesians 6:13, I was reminded of an article in the “Our Daily Bread,” of January 2008 about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who when he was confronted by opposition sought Divine direction to determine what he should do.

The article written by Dave Egner stated that in late January 1956, during the tense days of the Montgomery Boycott, civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. could not sleep. A threatening phone call had terrified him.

 So he prayed, “I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right. But Lord, I must confess that I’m weak now, I’m faltering. I’m losing my courage. Now, I am afraid, the people are looking to me for leadership, and if I stand before them without courage, they too will falter. I am at the end of my powers… I can’t face it alone.

Dr. King later wrote, “At that moment I experienced the presence of the Divine as I never experienced Him before. It seemed as though I could hear the quiet assurance of an inner voice saying, ‘Stand up for righteousness, stand up for truth; and God will be at your side forever.’ Almost at once my fears began to go. My uncertainty disappeared. I was ready to face anything.”

Dr. Martin Luther King’s mission was to see people of all ethnicity FREE of injury caused by racism and prejudice. He said, "I have a dream that one day people will live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." So, you stand!

If we face opposition when we’re trying to do what’s right, we too must cry out to the Lord for help. He alone is our rock of refuge and fortress of defense (Psa. 31:2). He is our reliable source of strength and protection.

“A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken” (Eccl.4:12). Let us dare to take a stand.