MORNING VOICE

When we focus on ourselves, rather than God, we grieve.  It’s not that we intend to do that—quite the opposite—it’s just that seating ourselves on the throne of our lives (rather than God) creates stress. 

When your sovereign leader is the universe’s Creator, you can have confidence that someone that created the world (and all that is therein) can hear you call unto Him—and that when He hears, He will respond.  Reflecting on Him in the less busy times of the day will help you to hear Him better, because you are not as preoccupied with other things. 

Those that are wicked please themselves, but the One that can give pleasure to another refrains from doing so for those that hold Him in contempt.  God is the ultimate polygraph.

You experience the mercies of God when you spend time with Him.  We walk within a fallen world, yet He will “right” us.  We live amongst hypocrites.  They say nice things and then act despicably.  God will judge them in due time.  He will not interfere with the reaping of the sowing they have incurred.  Conversely, God visits those He loves—those that love Him—with favor.

b(Les)sings

LIKE A TREE

First, a word for those of you that make life unpleasant for others.

Are you tormented by instability?  Do you gather with others who, like yourself, grieve the condition they’re in?  Are you “birds of a feather” that flock together around those you openly mock and ridicule?  Outsiders may think you’ve got it all together, but deep down you know that you belittle others to make yourselves feel more important.  These are classic symptoms of those lacking peace. 

The irony of it all is that those of the world that you laugh at are those laughing at the world.  They show outward strength, but the inner source of that strength remains unseen.  These are the people whose successes you envy.  All things seem to fall into place for them, and in perfect timing to boot.  They are unshaken.  But you are not so.  While they rejoice in things that are “right”, you delight in that which is not.  You are the bully—they are your victim.

Because of these behavior patterns, the universe’s Creator bestows favor upon them, and destruction on you—unless, of course, you become as one of them.  Therein lies your hope:

b(Les)sings

Psalm 1

 ¹ Blessed is the man
         Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
         Nor stands in the path of sinners,
         Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
 ² But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
         And in His law he meditates day and night.
 ³ He shall be like a tree
         Planted by the rivers of water,
         That brings forth its fruit in its season,
         Whose leaf also shall not wither;
         And whatever he does shall prosper.
 
 ⁴ The ungodly are not so,
         But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
 ⁵ Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
         Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
 
 ⁶ For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
         But the way of the ungodly shall perish. –NKJV-

Matt. 7:23-- And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! –NKJV-