Vessels of Gold

And all king Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon. – 1 Kings 10: 21

Solomon had a great kingdom and increased his wealth. Silver was nothing unusual in his surroundings. That is the way the nature of worldly wealth is.  Plenty of it makes it the less valuable. Then much more should the enjoyment of spiritual riches lessen our esteem of all earthly possessions.
 1Kings 10:20 Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing like it was made for any other kingdom.
1 Kings 10:22 For the king had at sea the ships of Tarshish with the ships of Hiram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold and silver, ivory and apes and peacocks.
In Solomon’s greatness, we see the performance of God’s promise. It should encourage us to seek first the righteousness of God’s kingdom. He has great riches and pleasures awaiting for us.
Solomon having tasted all earthly enjoyments, wrote a book, to show the vanity of all worldly things, the vexation of spirit that attends them, and the folly of setting our hearts upon them.  He recommends serious godliness,  which will make us happy that all the wealth and power he was master of, and, through the grace of God, it is within our reach. If gold in abundance, would make silver seem so despicable, shall not wisdom and grace, and the foretastes of heaven, make gold seem much more so?
-Brenda

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ESTABLISHMENT OF THE EARLY CHURCH

Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus, which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons. Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. -Philippians 1:1-3 

As Paul opens this letter, we notice he considers himself a servant. That is humbling. It wasn’t with all his qualities, but he identified himself as a slave of Jesus Christ. Paul was more proud of his Master than he was to be lifted himself.
The early New Testament church was organized. The “bishop” and the “deacon” were leadership positions. Paul mentions two special groups of people: bishops and deacons. The word “bishop” is derived from the Greek word EPISKOPOS, and is also translated “overseer” (Acts 20:28). The word deacon (Gk.-DIAKONOS) is probably derived from the Greek word DIAKO, which meant to run errands.

Paul desired peace for the church. Peace comes through being reconciled to God by grace. Grace and peace always go together. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: Romans 5:1
As he prayed and the Philippians came to his mind, he  rejoiced for the fellowship he had with them in the gospel. God desires unity and humbliness of mind in building His great church today. Let us all work together.

 

 

 

 

According To His Grace

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Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. -Romans 11_5

According to that gracious purpose of God, He that believeth shall be saved.God always has a remenent that is faithful. According to the election of grace His grace has brought us safe thus far and grace will lead us home.

‘Perhaps the LORD your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for the remnant that is left.’”2 Kings 19:4

Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “THOUGH THE NUMBER OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL BE LIKE THE SAND OF THE SEA, IT IS THE REMNANT THAT WILL BE SAVED; Romans 9:27

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Prayer Before Congress

This is a prayer prayed many years ago.

Our fathers’ God and ours, on the birthday of national independence we confess our dependence upon Thee. Without Thee we are lost in spite of the overwhelming might of our national arms.

We thank Thee for those pilgrims of faith who came hither in their frail barque across mountainous seas and who stepped upon strange shores with the salutation to a new world, “In the Name of God. Amen.” The Nation here established, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal has acknowledged that Name above every name and reverenced it, has built its altars, reared its temples, and raised its steeples, emblems of a faith that points to the skies and wings its sure and certain way to God. Make that faith of the fathers, we pray, real to us in these tempestuous days. Save us from a freedom of speech so empty that we have nothing worth saying, from a freedom of worship so futile that we have no God to adore, from freedom from want and fear with no creative idea as to how to use our plenty or our security for the redemption of our social order and for the salvation of our own souls. Let all that is low and unworthy in us sink to the depths. Let all that is high and fine in us rise to greet the morn of a new day confident that the best is yet to be. Amen.

(Source: Congressional Record-Senate, 78th Congress, first session, 89/5, July 5, 1943

Psalms 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

Stedfast In God

My heart is steadfast, O God;
I will sing and make music with all my soul.
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, higher than the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
and let your glory be over all the earth.

Psalm 108:1-5

It Is Finished

 

HAPPY EASTER

Wishing you a Happy Easter filled with all the things that make a happy heart!

May you live forever in the light of Christ’s resurrection.  Wishing you the blessings of Easter.  I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. (John 11:25-26)

Let us rejoice in the love and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Joyous Easter Blessings.  God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets. (Psalm 47:5)

He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the holy spirit.  (Titus 3:5

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.  (2 Peter 1:2) .

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3

It Is Finished

There’s a line that is drawn through the ages
On that line stands an old rugged cross
On that cross, a battle is raging
To gain a man’s soul or it’s loss
On one side, march the forces of evil
All the demons, all the devils of hell
On the other, the angels of glory
And they meet on Golgotha’s hill
The earth shakes with the force of the conflict
And the sun refuses to shine
For there hangs God’s son, in the balance
And then through the darkness he cries

It is finished, the battle is over
It is finished, there’ll be no more war
It is finished, the end of the conflict
It is finished and Jesus is Lord

Yet in my heart, the battle was still raging
Not all prisoners of war had come home
These were battlefields of my own making
I didn’t know that the war had been won
Oh, but then I heard the king of the ages
Had fought all the battles for me
And that victory was mine for the claiming
And now praise his name, I am free.

-Bill and Gloria Gaither

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THE OLD LANDMARKS OF FAITH

Remove Not the Ancient Landmark

Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour’s landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it. Deut. 19:14

Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour’s landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen. Deuteronomy 27:17

Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks, and feed thereof.
They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof. Job 24:2, 13

Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set. Proverbs 22:28

Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee. Proverbs 23:10-11

The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound a landmark therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water. Hosea 5:10

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The Church of the Dormition on the crest of Mount Zion is a familiar landmark in Jerusalem. Located in the cluster of buildings near its base is the traditional tomb of King David and on the second floor, one traditional site of the Upper Room; scene of the Last Supper.

 

A mark was used to designate the boundary of land. It could have been an object as a marked tree, a stone, a ditch, or a heap of stones.It linited the boundary of a farm, a town, or other portion of territory. It was then made known and preserved. Landmarks could not be removed without incurring the severe displeasure of God. A curse was pronounced upon anyone who tampered with any of the original landmarks. it was a detestable, abominable thing to do.This is the same as stealing your neighbor’s land.

Landmarks are important because they define boundaries. We  do not need to remove the Spiritual landmarks today that has been established. “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls” (Jeremiah 6:16). Follow the landmarks–there is something wonderful awaiting you. God’s Word has many boundaries for us to follow. We must pass them on to the next generation and keep them alove. These are the guidelines of our faith.Be obedience to the faith.

OLD LANDMARK

Let us all (All go back)
To the Old (Old landmark)
Let us all to the Old (All go back Old Landmark)
Let us stay in the service of the Lord
Jesus, ohh! (He’s my Lord, oh, my Lord)
Let us preach of the Old
At the… (Hey! Hey!)
Landmark
Praise the Lord, well!
Let us preach, at the Old
Preach the Word, all the way
Yeah, preach
Preach the Word, all the way
Do it, know it, fell it (All people)
People, people, well (Preach the Word)
Let us preach, at the Old (Preach the Word, Old Landmark)
Preach the Word, at the Old (Preach the Word, Old Landmark)
Preach the Word, at the Old (Preach the Word, Old Landmark)
Preach the Word, at the Old (Preach the Word, Old Landmark)
Preach the Word, at the Old (Preach the Word, Old Landmark)
Jesus’ earthly parents did have other children.
-A.M.Brunner