Trivia:
The correct answer to the question; Which first Lady taught her husband how to read? It was Andrew Jackson's wife Eliza Johnson who provide her husband his formal education, but not actually how to read, that he had already acheived.
Which of these pies are the traditional desert served on July 4th? Pumpkin pie; Pecan Pie; Key Lime Pie; Apple Pie?
Happy Liberation Day!!!
Challenge:
Psalm 31:15-24 "My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from those who persecute me. Make your face shine upon Your servant; Save me for Your mercies' sake. Do not let me be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called upon You; Let the wicked be ashamed; Let them be silent in the grave. Let lying lips be put to silence, Which speak insolent things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous. Oh , how great is Your goodness, Which you have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have persuaded for those who trust in You, In the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence From the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion From the strife of tongues. Blessed be the Lord, For He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city! For I said in my haste, "I am cut off from before Your eyes"; Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications When I cried out to You. Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints! For the Lord preserves the faithful, and fully repays the proud person. Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord."
Have you ever asked yourself, just how can we know that we are being controlled by the Spirit? Well the answer is clearly pointed out in this passage, in the 16th verse. "Make Your face shine upon your servant;" In other words, make your will clearly defined in your words of truth. (Through the truths clearly spoken in the Bible)
The next thought we might wonder over is, just how can we be assured of God's blessing being showered over our life? The answer is declared to us here, through our careful study and determined allegiance to its truth in our lives. Not what is the preset thinking, but what is the eternal truth.
The next verse 17 requests "Do not let me be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called upon You;" This phrase clarifies just how to keep us from experiencing shame. Call upon Him to speak out His truth. We are to dig so deeply in His Word for clarity, for eternal truth, until we have no doubt of what His Spirit is speaking out to us.
Then in verse 19 we see even more clearly. just how we can be guided by God, it all starts by our revering His voice, and by placing our complete trust in His instructions. Then He goes on to His very promise of preserving those who are faithful to His words of guidance. The result/outcome of these practices are courage, strength, and finally hope.
Now with that instruction as the source of our foundation, let's ask ourselves, how do we know whether our physical buildings are strong enough to withstand the forces of our world? We begin by determining whether our structure is sound, or has a proper foundation. Are the buildings we are putting our trust in deeply founded in facts. In our recent times we are experiencing some extreme weather patterns, rain, drought, wind, etc. and structures that have stood the test of the past are beginning to collapse. Why? Well because we hadn't taken the additional effort to daily take steps to keep up these structures for the stresses of the coming present weather pattern.
The instruction taught us is here is that we must learn to place our source of truth based on the eternal truths of God, not just based on the most recent concerns. Here is a simple example: Building a house needs proper long term guidance, being built with accuracy, is it plumb (leveled by the earth's (God's, guidance), is it deeply founded (built on deeply founded solid rock), is it properly braced, (determined by effective cross and counter bracing) is it prepared to withstand any extreme weather pressures.
Todays world, due to much of our present reasoning not being tested, many lives are being destroyed. Example: For many thousands of years substances in our present day world were recognized as harmful, or at best not beneficial after long term, and continuous uncontrolled usage. However. today those very substances have become acceptable for continuous usage. Unfortunately, we are experiencing the loss that this cavalier usage of these substances are bringing to our world. (Homelessness, purposelessness, and other destructive patterns, that the introduction to gateway drugs brings to our culture)
SO GO WITH GOD for He leaves for us this warning in verse 23 "Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints!" We are to focus ourselves on loving Him, His word, and His ways, then we will be preserved (kept strong, courageous, and hopeful). Don't give into the present day thinking, for they are based on the easiest thought process, not on the eternal issues of long term godly thinking. Not just what is lawful, or presently beneficial, but rather what is forever pleasing to God.
Apple pie