“You are the God who performs miracles” (Psalm 77:14).

If there is one thing about God, it is that He is supernatural, whereas we, we humans, are natural. He is above, we are below. He is in heaven, we are on earth. He is limitless, we are sorely limited. The Bible, from front to back, is a testament to the power of God. From beginning to end, God is revealed as a God who does the miraculous, who defies the natural order of things, who intervenes in the affairs of men and does what men cannot do.

It is amazing how it is that many do not believe in miracles–until they need one, that is; then they are open to the idea. It also is surprising how many, having experienced the power of God, soon forget. Such was the case time and again with the children of Israel, and it is true in our day too.

I think if a person pauses for a moment he will see the hand of God in his life. So many of the wonders God does goes unnoticed by men. Who among us knows how many times we have averted tragedy and we were not even aware of it? The Scripture says, “To the Lord belong deliverances from death.”

And, if you take the time to think a little further, most every aspect of life is itself miraculous. Our bodies for example, are filled with wonders, the likes of which science is still unfolding and may never get to the end of. The world about us, the natural order, is awe-inspiring.

The miracles the Psalmist speaks of are, no doubt, at least those displayed by God in the redemption of Israel from the rule of Egypt. In reading through the Law-books of the Bible, then on to those of history, you see such things as the plagues inflicted upon Pharaoh, water coming from a rock, the sun standing still, and an axe head floating. You see the walls of a fortified city fall down with the mere shouts from a multitude of people, entire enemy armies wiped out without Israel having so much as to lift a finger. I could go on.

And then we have the revelation of God in Jesus Christ–and I mean thatGod reveals Himself fully, He gives us everything we need to know about Him in the Person of Jesus. And what, pray tell, do we see God doing in Christ? Going about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil (see Acts 10:38). If you want to know what God is like, and what sort of things He does, all that need be done is to read the accounts of Christ Jesus in the four Gospels.

The miracles are said to be “attesting miracles;” that is to say, they are intended to point you to the one who does them. They attest to the Person and power of God almighty. If you are after a miracle, and you get one, and it doesn’t result in your placing your faith in God, then you have missed the purpose.

Nothing is impossible with God. Nothing is too difficult for God. To think otherwise is foolhardy.

Not that God needs our faith to do what He wants, but for the most part, experiencing the miraculous requires belief on our part. Most of the wonders Jesus did in the New Testament were in response to a person’s faith. Where that was not present, as in our Lord’s hometown, He was not able to do much, but He healed only a few people; the rest were left un-helped, and it was not the Lord’s fault.

One thing to latch on to God about is His ability. Paul gives us a word we all do well to commit to memory:

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21).

God, you see, is able to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (NIV), so why limit Him? Why not step out of our earthly mindset and the confines of science and agree with the holy writ? God is not bound by earthly standards, nor is He limited to the findings of science. He created science!

I don’t believe I have ever met a person who has not needed a miracle at some point in their lives. And, the thing is, there is one waiting for every person just on the other side of unbelief. God is the God who does wonders, who works miracles upon the earth. He makes the blind to see, the lame to walk, the demonized to be free, and the dead to rise. He makes the deaf to hear, the leperous to have clear skin, and even mere fevers to subside. These are things He does.

The greater miracle however, the miracle of all miracles is this: He reunites the sinner to Himself. He reconciles men. He forgives sin and invites those estranged from Him to become part of His family. What we call salvation, this is the greatest of all His wonders. And, if He can save the worst of men, making them whole again–as is true in my case, what then can He not do? God can do anything!

I think this is the conclusion God would want us to come to, this is the sum of the matter: the faith that pleases God, that evokes His response, is the belief that He is the God who can do anything. He is the God who can do anything God. This is the message, this is the faith that, when exercised, will bring about the miraculous in your life.

“And He answered them and said, ‘Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh”? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate’” (Matthew 19:4-6).

My thoughts are many this morning–all over the map, as when I read I think, and when I read often my emotions are aroused. So it is when I read these words, I think of my wife and our marriage, and I want to go and be with her.

Those who distort the created order do so to their own peril. Not only that, but they miss out on what is perhaps the greatest of all blessings this side of heaven. It is evident from the construction of the body, that God intended one of each sex to be joined to the other. And this in the confines of a singular relationship with each other that remains unbroken until death separates them.

What Jesus says here is a statement of fact. When a man and a woman come together and are thus joined; when their relationship is consummated by the act of intercourse, they verily become, as it were, one flesh. Though two bodies are visible, the truth of God says they are one. And that is the way God intends they function. As a unit.

These days so much of this has become perverted. Not only has sexual sin become the norm, and marriage itself being seen as unnecessary, even a thing of past, the relationship between a man and a woman is more about two independents than it is a unified whole. For this reason, and because there is so little knowledge of Scripture and the fear of the Lord, divorce is rampant.

When Barb and I were first married, we were not in the Lord Jesus. And marriage to us, or at least as it was to me, was something you could step into–and right out of if it didn’t seem to work out. We were guilty of all the things I’ve said to this point. We both had, and were until September 18, 1971, engaged in fornication. Yet God in His mercy and foresight, saw ahead; He knows the end from the beginning. He knew we both would be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, and so He kept our marriage.

That was nearly 49 years ago.

God’s intent for marriage is, “until death do we part.” His plan extends beyond the mutual happiness of the two parties; that being the production of godly offspring.

A man and a woman was never intended by God to be alone. Of course, at the first it was man, by himself alone. And God saw that that was not good, so He created the woman for him and to be with him. So the woman was for the man, and the man for the woman. They are made for each other.

I believe in God-ordained relationships. I don’t believe marriage partners are random; instead, as is seen in my life, He hand-picks who shall marry whom, each a perfect match for the other. Perhaps this is one reason there is so much divorce. People marry outside of the will of God. They marry for the wrong reason. And, once married, they do not acknowledge God in their relationship.

Barb and me are a perfect match. Who would have ever guessed? Though in sin before marriage and without Christ for three years after, our relationship was God-ordained. God joined us together, and God Himself has kept us together. For this I am extremely grateful.

Upon my fourth reading of this Psalm, and with all the thoughts that come with most verses, I decided to give my hand at briefly recording them. So, here I go . . . .

I will extol You, my God, O King, and I will bless Your name forever and ever.

That God is the King escapes most. Let me say this first off: We are talking Father, Son, and Holy Spirit here; specifically, in that God has named His Son, whom we know as Jesus, King, we are talking about the Lord Jesus Christ here–King Jesus.

We in our day, and especially in the United States, do not have as our ruler a king; but in those days, and in many parts of the world today, those set over nations are kings. They are sovereign authorities, having all power over people and regions. It is incumbent for those under their rule to submit to them, lest they fall under their judgment and surrender their lives. The point here is that God, the Lord Jesus Christ, is King; and it is best that we say, “We will have this Man rule over us,” instead of the converse, as we see what happens to the man who refuses his rule (cf., Luke 19:27).

As we read on we see what kind of King this Jesus is, and we find out why we would want to extol and bless Him forever and ever.

Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever.

Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.

I was thinking just how great God is, and the thing is, I can’t. His greatness is unsearchable. You can’t get your mind around Him. He is just too big. But what we can see and know of Him inspires the same kind of response. I was pausing however and thinking of all that is, everything around me, even manmade things; from the sky and rain and trees and birds outside my window, to the chair in which I sit, the carpet, the notebook binders on my bookshelf. All things have as their origin, God. If a man discovers something, if he makes something, it is God who has given him to discover it, and to have the wherewithal to make it. Man, in his pride, thinks he is something when he is nothing; he enriches himself by reason of his inventions. But they all, every one, come from and have as their source, God.

One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.

That is, if they are keen to them. Thankfully, there are those who have been tuned into the Lord down through the ages and have not kept silence. I am here today because others in their faithfulness saw fit to be thinking generationally. They have declared the works of the Lord to me through their writings, their testimonies, and their examples.

The thing is, what God does is awesome, it is wonderful, it is good–as we shall see moving on.

On the glorious splendor of Your majesty and on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.

What better thing to fill our heads than thoughts of God’s splendor and majesty and the good things He has done. In that most mornings I am here and writing, reflecting on the the Lord and His word, I am doing what the Psalmist says here, meditating. My only wish is that my thoughts would be such all day long–instead of things having to do with this or that, things of little to no consequence. “You are my best thought by day or by night.”

Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts, and I will tell of Your greatness.

Here I think of the Gospel, in that it is the greatest of all God’s acts, the giving of His Son for the salvation of our souls. Of course, God does exceedingly great and awesome things, and these only can He do by reason of His limitless power; but the life, death, resurrection and enthronement of His Son, Jesus, is the greatest. I praise Him for those who preach the Good News, our evangelists; but also for the simple man or woman who conveys the truth to his family member, co-worker, friend, or neighbor. All, I think, would fall under the category of men spoken of here.

And this too: we ought all be quick to give the glory and credit to God. “Ascribe greatness to God, the Rock.” If we do a thing, and it is good and noteworthy and is a benefit to others and pleasing to God, let Him get the credit, and this with our lips.

They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness and will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.

A man shouldn’t need to think too long and hard to recall some sort of good thing the Lord has done for him. In fact, with very little effort he can probably think of a host of things.

The word here is, “bubble over with.” That is, “They shall bubble over with the memory of Your abundant goodness.” Unless you are completely hard of heart and dull in your thinking, there is no reason why anyone would not fit the description of one bubbling over. How is this? Because God is good, and if we will just pause to consider it, and to look around, we’ll see it everywhere! If we will just get off our ’taking-it-for-granted’ horse and consider how blessed we are, then we too shall be talking about God’s goodness.

And then there is His righteousness! How much time do I have? Not nearly enough to tell of the righteousness of the Lord.

Here is the truth: The Lord is our righteousness. In that man is completely devoid of it, the reason for shouting is that He lovingly offers His to us. “He,” that is Jesus, “became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” This goes back to the awesome deeds part. Filthy as we are, even at our best, and irreparably wicked and evil, He recreates us in His image and imparts His very own DNA, which is utterly pure, holy, good, and without stain or blemish. Good reason to shout aloud, eh?

The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.

These words echo those among the first revelations of God in Scripture. We do well to notice them. In thirteen words they tell us pretty much all we need to know about God. This is who He is. Yes, He is a lot of things; but they all can be summed up and fit neatly into these four categories: 1) gracious, 2) merciful, 3) slow to anger, 4) great in loving-kindness. Upon these a man can plant his faith. With these he can go to the bank. No matter his circumstances and regardless of what may befall him, he can always, always revert back to these. Screw up? Do something stupid? For the umpteenth time? God is slow to anger! Need some grace? He is full of it. Loaded down with guilt and feeling condemned? He will show you mercy, again and again. Have a hole in your heart and feeling empty? He will fill it with His love.

The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works.

It is a lie of the worst sort to think that you’ve been dealt the wrong hand. That of all the people on the face of the earth yours is the toughest of roads. That you are alive and breathing and have yet another shot at knowing the Lord–which, by the way, is eternal life–is God’s goodness at its best. All else is frosting on the cake.

I know, I know, it is easy for me to say this. It is, I know it is. There are others, even many believers, suffering greatly in this life. And while I have had my struggles and the things I face are often tough for me; still, this truth remains: God is good, and He is good to everyone and at all times. If you an unbeliever and still alive, you’ve still a chance. If you’re a believer and are suffering–I say this because it’s true and not because I can say I’ve mastered it, you share in our Lord’s sufferings. Which, if I understand Paul’s writings right, can be considered a privilege. If it is because of wrong choices you’ve made, then now is the time to repent and experience His mercies. Which, we see here, are over all His works. Including you.

All Your works shall give thanks to You, O Lord, and Your godly ones shall bless You.

It is good to give thanks–what is it to complain except to compound your problem and tick off the Lord? The word is, “Give thanks always.” It is, “Be thankful.” If you are laying hold of the words of this Psalm, you will see you have every reason to be grateful to God. Again, if your heart is beating and you’re taking in air, you’ve cause to give thanks. If you are on your death-bed and a believer, what joy and gratitude can be yours as you anticipate the glories of heaven! It is a verity that there is always something to give thanks for. Always.

We can be thanking God in advance for things. If He has said something, or made a promise to us, and we do not yet see or experience it, then because we know He is true to His word, we can be saying, “Thank You, God, for thus-and-such,” even when it’s not manifest in our lives . . . yet. In fact, if we adopt this practice, I think it will show up much faster than otherwise. God will do what He says regardless; however, gratitude inspires Him to speed it up!

I think Christians ought to make it their occupation to be blessing the Lord. Look at it this way: we get to. See how we are referred to? Godly ones. That’s us! So we should be blessing the Lord for this simple designation.

They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom and talk of Your power; to make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts and the glory of the majesty of Your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations.

You don’t hear much about it so I think it escapes most Christians, that when Jesus first showed up on the scene the first words out of His mouth were, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” That is, the message of the Christ was the kingdom of heaven–or, as in the other Gospels, the kingdom of God. The Gospel, the Good News, is the kingdom of God.

I’ve often wondered how Paul’s gospel (cf., 1 Corinthians 15) corresponded with what we hear in Matthew, Mark, and Luke is the gospel of the kingdom. Some teachers will differentiate the two and lament the neglect of the one. But I’ve concluded they are one and the same. The Good News of the death and resurrection of Jesus is the gospel of the kingdom. It is not only the entry point, the gate, but the pronouncement –and the fulfillment of the prophecy seen in Psalm 2, “But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain.” This is exactly what happened at the resurrection of Jesus.

God’s kingdom is just that; it is entirely different realm. It is in heaven, yes; but Jesus brought it with Him when He came to earth. “The kingdom of God is at hand”–it has come near, come upon us; in short, has come.

For sure, it has touched upon earth and is not here in its fullness just yet. But it is here and is increasing. It is like the leaven Jesus spoke of; it is leavening now and will ultimately leaven the entire lump. Like the mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds but, when planted, grows into a tree.

A kingdom, by nature of the thing, has a king, laws, and a culture all its own. Earthly kingdoms have borders. God’s kingdom of course has a king, Jesus. It has laws, chief of which is the Royal Law, love. And it has a culture, one which is characterized and spelled out in the writings of the New Testament. It does not have borders, except for the confines of the human heart. It extends from the center of the earth to the furthest reaches of the heavens, all of which is seen, or is material. But there is an entire unseen realm also. Over and in and through all of this, God, through His Christ, Jesus, rules.

It spans all of time and eternity. Let us not forget that Jesus ruled before He came to earth. That it was His glory as creator, ruler, and sustainer of the universe that He set aside to become a humble servant and bear the punishment of me. God’s kingdom is and has always been; it is an everlasting kingdom. There is never a time when it has not been, nor a time when Jesus has not been its sovereign–except, maybe, for that blip on the screen of His 33 years on earth. Yet the universe was not without a ruler though. The Father, over all–including Jesus, was and is still the Supreme authority.

The Lord sustains all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down.

There is a special place in the heart of God for the fallen. We hear it in John 3:16 and see it in the sacrifice of Jesus. Like the boy Jesus, who in the movie The Passion of the Christ falls down, his mother rushing to His aid, so the Father has rushed to aid of those fallen in sin in the Person of His Son.

Yet here I sense a difference; instead it is the man who has failed, has had a major set-back, has received some really bad news; or, having tried his best to abstain from a sinful habit, gives way to it. Maybe he has just completely screwed up. God is here too. Like when Peter denied the Lord, Jesus never gave up on Him. Instead, He prayed for him that his faith would not fail. Or, maybe it’s like a man who all his life has striven to please the Lord, but so much in the wrong way, his way, in his own strength, and toward the end he finally collapses from all the effort. Here the Lord meets him and sustains him in his fall.

Then there is the person who is bowed down, has been humbled by the trials of life. Perhaps he is at the end of his rope. His heart and spirit broken, he is as low as he can go. Like Joseph in the bottom of a pit, feeling the pangs of helplessness, maybe even hopelessness; but God shows up and raises him up.

So is the lord toward us in our low estate.

The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due time.

It is good to know that everything we have comes from God, and especially that which sustains life–our daily bread. Jesus teaches us to pray this way. I think it is because if we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” when we get it we’ll understand where it came from, who really provided it for us.

That God is faithful to feed us is, in part, the message of Matthew chapter six. If He feeds the birds of the air, aren’t we of more value than they? Indeed we are! So then, why worry? The Lord says, “Don’t.”

While God in His goodness feeds all, we learn here a valuable lesson: we are to look to God for our provision. Here in America most refrigerators are full, even those of the poor. It is easy to forget God for this reason. This is why it is all the more reason to lift our eyes to heaven, knowing full well Who it is that really feeds us, that stocks our cupboards.

The word is, “in due time.” That is, when we need it. Truth is, God knows our needs, and His timing is quite often different than ours. We learn here that we can trust God to meet our needs, but in His time, not ours.

You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

Does He? Does He really satisfy our desires? I am here to say that He does. I recall to mind David’s words in another place: “He satisfies your years with good things.” Or, alternately, “He satisfies your desires with good things.” I can testify to this truth, as God has in my case given me everything I could ever want or need. Honestly, if I want a thing, God gives it to me. Such is the story of my life. “No good thing does He withhold from those who fear Him.”

Some think that God is stingy and wants to deny us our pleasures. This is a lie. The Lord is the embodiment of generosity; He created generosity. And pleasure? Who but God wishes His children to have and enjoy life. In fact, it was the Lord Jesus who said, “I came that they might have and enjoy life.” He is the God who gives us all things richly to enjoy. (cf., 1 Timothy 6:17).

The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds.

If there is one thing you absolutely must know about God, it is that He is good. As such, everything He does is good. EVERYTHING. He is completely just, and all His decisions are right on spot. And despite the bad reputation some would place on Him, all His deeds are done in kindness. They may not always appear that way, or feel that way, but they are. The thing about God is that He has the big picture; He sees the end from the beginning. He knows how all His actions play out across history, both yours and mine as well as nations. His ultimate aim is that all men are saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. This may well mean some situations and people that rub us wrong. But God is in them. It is His kindness that leads us to repentance.

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.

I love this verse and employ it all the time. Here I am promised that if I call upon God, He is near me. He is a ‘phone’ call away. “Call to Me and I will answer you,” is what He promises. But let it be sincere, your call, and not some feigned response to someone’s else’s prodding.

If there is one thing I know about God, it’s that if I call on Him, He will answer me and come near me. It may well be the only thing I need know when facing anything.

He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.

I spoke to the first part of this verse, and only mentioned the fear of the Lord. So many of the promises rest on the condition of our reverencing the Lord, having an honest-to-goodness and healthy fear of Him. What of this? It is the response you would have, the emotion you would feel, the thoughts that would run through your head, if you came face to face with the Living God. That, I think, would be the fear of the Lord. But since we don’t come face to face with Him, the fear of the Lord is an attitude we take on of our own free will. We choose to fear the Lord (cf., Proverbs 1:29).

God hears our hearts. Yes, He hears us even when we don’t utter a word. We may groan on the inside; God hears that. He especially hears us when we cry out in desperation for His help and salvation. This is seen all throughout Scripture. Even folks who have in disobedience defied Him, and then got themselves into trouble, when they cried out, He saved them. Its seen when men were faced with insurmountable odds; when they cried out, God intervened.

This is who God is. This is what God is like.

The Lord keeps all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy.

God causes His sun to shine on the evil and the good; that’s because He loves us. But for those who love Him–my, what special treasures He has in store for them! He knows them–as in really knows them. He takes up residence in such people. He sustains them all through life, leading up to and into the courts of heaven on their final day.

The wicked, on the other hand, ought tremble in their shoes. They have one expectation and one only: destruction away from the presence of the Lord. What a horrible fate awaits them! And all the time God in His mercy has His arms outstretched towards them. “Come to Me and be saved,” is His cry.

My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.

So it is I’ve much to be thankful for, and much to praise God about. To top it off, I’ve an eternity to do so. And don’t I look forward to that!

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority (all power of absolute rule) in heaven and earth has been given to Me’” (Matthew 28:18 Amplified).

That is to say, Jesus is not simply a historical figure, a great Man, or just a prophet. Nor is He but a Savior–though that He is. Indeed, He is all these things, but aye, far more. He is the Supreme Being, the ruler of the universe. He ought then be taken much more seriously than He is.

In fact, not only was the universe of both seen and unseen things made by and through Him (John 1:10, Colossians 1:16), the entire created order is held together and sustained by Him (Hebrews 1:3). There is no greater Personality in all heaven and earth than the One we know as Jesus Christ.

“These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might (the Father’s, that is) which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church” (Ephesians 1:19-22).

What then does this mean, if these things be so? It means we must give Him His rightful place in our hearts. Meaning this: we not only trust Him as our Savior, but we obey Him as our Lord. Both are conditions upon which we experience the salvation Scripture promises.

Here’s the thing: if we do indeed trust Him to save us, we will certainly do what He says. What man in peril, who, crying out for help, when a rescuer comes to his aid, will refute his instructions? Will argue with his commands?

All that Jesus requires of we who name His name is for the purpose of our good and that of others. No command of the Christ is intended for our harm. As Lord, His law is love and all the requirements of His kingdom are born of His love and kindness for mankind. There is another kingdom, but one other, whose supreme ruler is that evil one, and all his regulations are aimed at our destruction.

It is often overlooked that recognizing–and confessing–Jesus as Lord is the basis for eternal salvation.

“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).

The role of Christ in your life is intended by God to be that of Supreme Ruler. Jesus is to be Lord of your life. By this is meant your whole life, not just part of it. Life, as I understand and live it, is eating, drinking, sleeping, working, playing, relationships, buying and selling, money–everything we think, say, and do, including the reason for why we think, say, and do the things we do, all these God wants under the oversight and rule of the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ.

“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.  Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest”. (Matthew 9:37-38).  

As a business owner, I have been praying that God would provide me the manpower to perform the work He has given me.  As in Proverbs 3, my “barns are filled with plenty, and my vats are overflowing.”  That is to say, I have a super abundant amount of work, but too few workers to do it.  

“Now you know how I feel,” the Lord seems to say.  “There is a plentiful harvest, but I’ve too few workers.  For this reason pray.”  

I wonder at what to do with this.  I myself have ‘volunteered’ freely over the years; I’ve prayed the prayer and said, “Use me and Barb.”  But no reason to wonder, as the Lord tells me what to do.  He says, “Beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”  So what am I to do?  Pray.  Make it a daily request.  

Actually, it needs to go beyond just asking.  Jesus says, “Beseech the Lord.”  Meaning, “to beg for urgently or anxiously.”  In other words, it is not just a perfunctory prayer; there is to be heart and soul behind it, a sense of desperation.  Similar to what I feel when I look at what I’ve to do and the limited resources I have to do it.  

We all (the church, that is) speak regularly of the great coming harvest of souls, such as has never been seen before.  Seems to me it is already upon us.  That is, the Lord says “the harvest is plentiful.”  It is already plentiful.  There is just no one to harvest it.  And what happens when a crop comes to fruition and doesn’t get harvested?  It rots and goes to waste.  How many souls are ‘wasted’ because there is no one to ‘harvest’ them?  They, through the activity of the Holy Spirit drawing them to Jesus, come to the place where they are ready to receive Him (though they likely know it not), but there is no one to lead the way.

In our case and at this time it is hard to get workers because many are on the government dole.  During this so-called pandemic crisis, where much of the economy is shut down, the government is paying workers more to not work that they would make if they were working.  They are comfortable right where they are at.  Why work?  

This seems like a type of the church–don’t get me wrong, I am part of the church; I speak with regards to myself.  We are quite comfortable where we are at; we don’t feel the need.  All the while, however,  there are people ready to meet the Lord, and the Lord needs workers.  Which is why He says, “Now you know how I feel.”  

Here Jesus says to His disciples, “pray”–or “beseech,” rather.  A few years later He says, “Go.”  That is to say, you pray and then you go.  

I note that the prayer is for the Lord to “send out workers.”  Really, the word is “thrust,” or “force.”  Two pictures come to mind.  The little bird whose mother feels it is time for her to fly, so she kicks the little one out of the nest.   And this one: the parachutist who for fear is reluctant to make the jump, but his friend pushes him out into the air.  What the Lord is saying is that we pray God would do a similar thing to His workers.  We are all workers, you know; every Christian is a worker.  Not that we all work; actually, the point is we don’t.  But the prayer is that God will give us a ‘little boost.’  

So it is, “Lord, thrust out workers into Your harvest. Force them out!”  

This happened in Acts chapter 8.  It took a little persecution to get the church moving.  Actually, it took a “great persecution” to get it moving.  Will this be needed in our day?  I pray not.  I would rather volunteer freely (see Psalm 110:3).   Yet something like this seems to me to be a real possibility in the days to come.  

I think there is a “Help Wanted” sign on the door of the church.   The Lord calls for His workers.  I come, Lord.  I come.   Sign me up.  

“One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see” (John 9:25).

This is the testimony of every person who has received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior: he is able to see.

While not many of us were actually blind as was this man, we were all spiritually blind, unable to see things as they really are on account of our sin. Sin blinds a man; not only is he not able to view himself or the world properly, or at all, he cannot see the glory of God in the face of Christ. Not until the Son comes along and touches him, that is.

O how the masses are blind to the truth! There are far more of them than there are us. I recently read that among the 7,000 or so languages in the world, the Bible has been translated but into 700. And it is the Bible that gives light to a man’s eyes.

I recall Derek Prince telling of his experience. An honored Cambridge scholar, a philosopher, he was drafted into the British army and, deciding upon a book to take along with him, took the Bible, reasoning that given he had read all the other great works of the world, he should read this one also. Well, he did, and God opened his eyes to the truth; he was never the same.

“The entrance of Your word gives light.”

We are born blind just as the man in John 9 was, only spiritually so. Every single person on the planet is ‘naturally’ blind to the truth. Sadly, many who are exposed to the truth remain so deliberately.

“The Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, ‘We are not blind too, are we?’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, “We see,” your sin remains’” (verses 40-41).

The world is filled with these sorts too, persons who deny the reality of sin and the need for a Savior. Though they ‘see,’ they are the most blind of all.

For those of us who have received Christ, we are able to see; but not all do. The ability is there, but the pursuit of it is not. The eyes are opened, yes; but the mind is not. We all know that it is possible to be seeing the world around us, but to be missing the most of it. So too are many Christians, they see but they don’t. This is why, I think, Jesus clarifies His disciple-making mandate. Not only does He mandate we “go and make disciples of all the nations,” He instructs as to how this is to be accomplished. He says, “teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.” And so vision comes to those whose eyes are opened–if indeed they are open to be taught, and, of course, there are those to teach them.

How powerful the testimony! Here is a man who has been blind since birth. He is not a learned man, nor has he been with the Lord for but a day. In fact, he doesn’t even know who He is just yet. But he has a testimony. “Though I was blind, now I see.”

So it is that every sincere born-again Christian, no matter how long he has been one, nor even that He knows Jesus to much of a degree, he has a testimony.

I can’t help but picture Mary Magdalene in the TV series, The Chosen. She encounters the Pharisee Nicodemus after both had just witnessed a lame man healed by the Lord. Nicodemus was the one (in the series–it is a historical fiction) who had seen Mary tormented by demons and was unable to help her, and here she was completely different. She says, “I was one way, and now I am different; and the difference is Him.”

“Though I was blind, now I see.”

Every person who has had a life-changing experience with Jesus Christ has the exact same witness. “The difference is Him.” No one can argue with testimony. They may disagree with it, they many not accept it, but they cannot deny that a person has had an experience. That is the power of testimony, and every Christian has one.

In fact, a person’s testimony is so powerful that it overcomes Satan and his cohorts. Revelation 12:11 says this: “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”

Testimony is the primary means of evangelism. Whereas the Gospel must be both preached and received, a person’s testimony is perhaps the best way to present it.

I remember the fist few months after Barb and I became Christians. We not only testified to what the Lord had done before a crowd in the Methodist Church, we told our closest friends–who, by the way, no longer were after that, except for Steve and Shoni Smith who, many years later, themselves became Christians.

Giving one’s testimony is also the easiest way to tell about Jesus. Why? Because if your life has been touched at all by Him, and you are different, it is only natural to tell of it. It may be hard to preach the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus in a casual conversation, but it is not so to testify to what God has done for you. You can always work that in to a conversation.

Spiritual vision–the ability to see clearly–is a gift God gives when a person’s spirit is reborn. If you are truly born again you can see the kingdom of God. You are given the ability to see the world–and the people in it, the way God does. And adapt your life and work accordingly.

So it is, that when Jesus comes upon you and He touches your eyes–He touches your life, He leaves you a different person. The difference is Him. Now you can see clearly. Now you have a testimony, something to say to the world around you. “Though I was blind, now I see.” Once I was like that, but now I am different.

Proverbs 29:18 tells us that, “Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law.”  That is to say, without a vision for something—whether one for your health, your family, or your business, you will not do the things you need to do in order to achieve it.  You are ‘unrestrained.’ 

An athlete, for example, if he ‘sees’ the trophy, will take those steps necessary in order to put him first across the finish line.  

Parents, if they picture godly children. If they want their children to grow up in the “fear and admonition of the Lord,” will take the time to love, train, and discipline them.  

So too, the business owner, in order to fulfill his God-given role, must have a compelling vision for doing so.  What I mean is an overarching vision, a far greater one, one that is so grand, so far reaching, so motivating, that you are excited to get up in the morning to go after it.

This vision is the kingdom of God.  It is the kingdom of God here on earth, right here in Lansing, Michigan (or wherever you live).  Each of us has a vital role to play.  It is our job to bring God’s kingdom to our sphere of things.  

Three verses from the book of Matthew underscore the point.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44).

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it” (45-46).

This is how valuable the kingdom of God is—it is worth everything we have.  It is so great, so glorious, so much the treasure, so much the pearl of great price, that it is worth everything in order to have it.  

Not that we go out and sell everything we have—where would that put us but homeless and broke!  What is meant is that God’s kingdom is worth giving your all.  

I believe the purpose of the Christian is twofold—he is to glorify God and further His kingdom.  This was the Lord’s purpose.  The night before He was betrayed He prayed to the Father,

“I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:3).  

So too, our purpose is to glorify God.  Paul said, “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). We glorify God by doing—and accomplishing—the things He has given us to do.  

And furthering the kingdom of God?  This was the fundamental reason for Jesus coming to earth.  

We understand He came for a variety of reasons.  It was to seek and to save that which was lost; to set the captives free, and heal the broken-hearted. To destroy the works of the devil.  To bear witness to the truth. To serve as the Mediator between God and men.  He came into the world to save sinners.  These things said, they were all in the context of the kingdom.  He said, “If I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Luke 11:20).

Jesus came to inaugurate heaven’s rule to earth.  He began His ministry preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 

Fast forward to the first chapter of Acts.  There we see Jesus appearing to His disciples over a period of forty days.  What He is says here are His last words before ascending into heaven.  What was He was saying? 

“The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:1-3).  

He was “speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.”  I think it safe to say that all that follows in the New Testament has to do with one thing:  God’s kingdom.  

What does all this have to do with business?  Everything!  Inasmuch as we are told we must “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” it is our responsibility to seek God’s kingdom in everything we do—including running our businesses. 

What is the kingdom of God? Here is how the Bible defines it:  

“The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power” (1 Corinthians 4:20 NIV).

The kingdom of God, then, is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Notice it is in the Holy Spirit, it is all in the context of the Holy Spirit; you won’t find it anywhere else.   And then it is a matter of power—it is all about power.  

In a prayer virtually the whole world knows, Jesus taught us to pray that God’s kingdom would come and His will would be done.

“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

This is God’s vision for the earth! His kingdom come and His will be done.  And He wants it to be ours too!

Based on this prayer, I believe the kingdom of God is that realm in which God’s will is done. God’s kingdom exists in heaven; there, His perfect will is done.  When we pray this prayer, we are asking God for that to come to earth. That’s the picture.  

Think of it this way:  your life, your family, your business, is to be a little microcosm of God’s kingdom.  That is the way Jesus would have it—this is the will of God.  In each area of your life Jesus reigns supreme as Lord, and His will rules the day.  He is Lord over all, and how you operate your business—you find out how He wants you to do that and put it into practice. The kingdom of God is to be the driving force behind everything you do and say.  That is the plan.  That is the vision.   

Here are a few more things about the kingdom of God.

It is not of this realm.  It is other-worldly.  Translated into business, that means it runs counter to the ways of the world.  Our thoughts are not God’s thoughts; therefore, our job is to find out what God’s thoughts are and operate by them.  We will do things differently in and through our businesses that will, in a worldly sort of way, not make sense.  

It is a kingdom of light.  There are but two kingdoms in the universe today:  the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light.  Through faith in Christ we have been transferred from the one to the other.  So we live our lives and operate our businesses in the realm of light.  What does that mean?  In the light of God’s presence.  In the light of His word.  We get up and we go to work and we do what we do knowing that God is both with us and watching over us.  We screen everything through the lens of the word of God.  

It is characterized by power.  That is to say we do not do things in our own strength, but in the strength that God supplies—who is the Holy Spirit.  And not only that, but we seek to operate in power, to exercise that power in terms of the miraculous.  

Its singular rule is love—the Royal Law as James would put it.  Love rules the day in our businesses.  Seems crazy—almost undoable, but do we leave off of the 2nd greatest commandment when we go to work?  No, we go to work out of obedience to it.  

While many books have been written on the kingdom of God, and I could go on, I will give this one final thought:  the kingdom of God is to be furthered.  Psalm 145 says it wonderfully,

“All Your works shall give thanks to You, O Lord,

And Your godly ones shall bless You.

They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom

And talk of Your power;

To make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts

And the glory of the majesty of Your kingdom.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

And Your dominion endures throughout all generations” (10-13).

Jesus, just before He was taken up into heaven, put it like this,

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

Jesus is Lord—that is the message, and that is what we are charged with.  Ours is to operate under His Lordship, observe the things He has commanded us, and use our businesses to further His kingdom in the lives of others.  This is the compelling vision, the thing that should drive us.   

“And all the people would get up early in the morning to come to Him in the temple to listen to Him” (Luke 21:38).

Isn’t this way it should be, that all of us would upon rising from sleep go to Jesus and listen to what He has to say? Indeed it is. In another place it speaks of the people hanging on His words (19:48). Why? Because His words are spirit and life. And, as Peter would say to Him when eventually everyone else turned away from Him, “You have the words of eternal life” (see John 6: 63, 68).

By God’s grace and over the span of 45-plus years, I have made it a habit to go to God in His word every morning. I find it to be a spiritual experience most every time. But even when I feel as though not much is happening, I know God’s word is living and active and sharper than a two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12), and that it works in those who believe it (1 Thessalonians 2:13) ; therefore I come, and I read and I listen. These my journals, since 1993 when I first began journaling, testify to the living and abiding word of God. They tell the truth that God still speaks to His people. That He is intimate with the upright (Proverbs 3:32). That, “My sheep hear My voice” (John 10:27).

God, by His word, reveals Himself (1 Samuel 3:21). A man may get a good glimpse of Him in nature–he will see His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature (Romans 1:20); he will not, however, come to know His love for mankind, how He is at work in history, nor will he know His saving grace which has come to us through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Nor will he know what this Christ has to say. The Scriptures are the sole source of Jesus’ words. A man can surmise all he wants, speculate, and reason within himself; but if he wants to know the teachings of Jesus, he must turn to the Bible to learn. While we cannot go to Him in the temple per se, we can go to Him in His word, the Scriptures. And, as I have found on a regular basis, if you go to Him you will find Him. And if you listen, you will hear Him. And, since His word is eternal – “heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away,” what He said then, He says now; His words are always a present reality.

It is worth noting that the people went to Him early in the morning, and this for two reasons. One, He was there. I don’t find where He was there in the evenings, nor in the nighttime–maybe He was, but I am not aware of it. Hence, if you were to go looking for Him in the evening, you would not find Him. You’ve got to go to Him when He is there. Two, the morning has a special quality to it. Each day a person starts off anew. He may have had a bad day the day before, but sleep gives him an opportunity to begin afresh. So in the early morning you are starting the day the best way possible, by listening to God.

Too, in the evening a person is typically done for the day; he is worn out and tired from the day’s work. He wants to relax, kick back and begin to wind down. His mind is filled with all the things that happened that day–in our day our heads are bombarded with all manner of news and information. It is not the best time, then, to be trying to hear the Lord.

Now I realize that some are ‘night persons’; they are most alert in later hours, and that is okay; whatever time works best for a person to be hearing from God. Yet all throughout the Bible we find the early hours of the morning to be preferred. It is really up to you; what is important is to be listening to Jesus and hanging on His words.

Of course, reading Scripture should be only part of what we do; it should both inspire and lead us to prayer. So many consider prayer to be the place where God speaks, and that may be true–many a time, countless times, has God spoken to me during prayer. Yet I often find it to be this way: if I have truly lent my ear to the word of God in Scripture, listening to the Lord speak to me, then when I go to prayer it is almost anti-climatic; in other words, I have already in large measure experienced God. So then prayer becomes for me the place of thanksgiving and one of intercession.

All of this equates to a vital, one-on-one, personal relationship with God. That is what I am talking about. And it all begins with listening to Jesus. Especially early in the morning.

I believe it was 1977 and, as I was in my little ‘sanctuary’ in the basement of our rented home in North Lansing, I heard the Lord say to me, “Start a painting business.”

I was before the Lord yesterday thanking Him for all that He has done in and through my life as the outcome of these four words. I think of all the people, the projects, the events, all the relationships–in particular the one with my mentor, the late Jim Russell, and I just have to say along with the Psalmist,

“The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad” (Psalm 126:3).

Who would have ever imagined? A man as I was–weak-willed, immature, indecisive, certainly no entrepreneur, with no knowledge or understanding of business, and who did not like to paint–God having me start a painting business!

It just goes to show that God has a plan for each life. That He knows what He is doing. That He accepts us the way we are, but is committed to making us into what He wants. It demonstrates the power of His word. Just four words changed the entire course of my life and my family.

By it He has provided, not only for me and mine, but for 100’s of employees, as well as being able to contribute to missionaries, churches, strategic thrusts of the Holy Spirit, orphans, prisoners, sex-trafficked women, abstinence programs…..why, we even paid for a page in Maoz Israel’s new Hebrew Bible, and 9 square feet in Vision for Israel’s Millennium Center in Jerusalem! He has, through my business and as a result of these four words, provided many thousands of dollars in support of the Jewish people—to whom we owe our material things (Romans 15:27).

The point of it is this: one word from God can change everything. It can alter the entire course of your life and serve to be a blessing, not only to you and your family, but to countless others beyond you. In my case it was four words, and it has.

Not long ago as I sat before the Lord I ‘heard’ the word “recalibrate”. So I pondered what it meant.

In the world of instruments, which is what I would most associate the word with, it means to makes small changes so that the instrument measures accurately. For example, I’ve got this little device that reads colors for the purpose of matching. Each time I turn it on it has to be recalibrated. It is then ready to provide me the information I need.

You could say that to recalibrate a thing is to bring it back to the place where it adheres to a standard, as most things, over time deviate one way or another. Most times, I think, it is used in connection with instruments, systems, and weapons. It has to do with precision, with accuracy. In most cases it means small but important changes, though it could mean major adjustments also.

You can also recalibrate your life, or things in your life. It can be your thinking, your plans, or your current direction. Maybe it’s your vision or your strategy for reaching your goals or fulfilling a dream.

You could rightly say–in spiritual terms–that to recalibrate is to repent; that is, to make the necessary changes where your thinking or manner of life has drifted from God’s design.

To recalibrate in this sense means you have to consider where you have deviated and focus your attention there. It is in this place, or places, adjustments are needed.

It has been rightly pointed out that just being one degree off now can mean multiple degrees down the road. An inch now could be miles over time. Where you wish to go and where you end up will be two completely different places. So it is that minor, even minuscule deviations can have undesirable outcomes in due course. A man ought continually examine himself then, to make sure he is on his proper course, always making the proper adjustments to stay that way.

Of course, this can apply to your relationship with God. Or with your spouse or family. To your church. Your attitudes, your motives. It could be your habits, such as in eating. Or it could apply to your business. In truth, it applies to all these, to everything in life. Recalibrate, adjust, change, bring back to a standard–God’s.