Psalm 23:6 Forever Home

Surely your [God’s] goodness and love will follow 

me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the 

house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6

This post is in memory of my precious Aunt JoAnne, who stepped through the gates into the house of the LORD on Friday evening, July 26, 2019.

David ends this psalm with confidence and praise. How can he do differently? His praise for his Shepherd has flowed from every verse.

• God is David’s provider (Psalm 23:1).
• God brings David to places of peace and refreshes his soul (Psalm 23:1-3a). 
• God guides David in the right way when he has decisions to make. (Psalm 23:3a).
• God encourages and strengthens David, even when he walks through dark times; His presence comforts him during hardship and difficulty. (Psalm 23:4b).
• God sustains David when he faces dangerous enemies and fills him to overflowing with His grace (Psalm 23:5).

Like David, we can experience God’s peace, guidance, presence, and love, no matter our circumstances. 

David doesn’t qualify his statements to match his circumstances. I do that too often. I acknowledge God’s peace when things are going well and I feel His presence when I’m on the mountain top.

During dark times, I sometimes allow despair to capture my mind and I often accuse God of leaving me to suffer alone.

We can claim the promise of David’s words: God’s goodness and love follow us every day of our lives. Not just on sunny days, not only when life is easy, but every day!

And when our days end, we can know that we know that we will step into His House and live with Him forever. We can cling to the promise that we will join our family and friends who have gone before us.

When I step into eternity, my mom, my parents-in-love, my grandparents, my Aunt JoAnne, and so many other loved ones will be waiting for me and we will rejoice with Jesus forever.

In my next post, we close out our journey through Psalm 23 and mine the gems that await us as we apply it to our daily lives. 


How do David's words in Psalm 23:6 increase your confidence in God?

God's Extravagance, Our Riches Part 2

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (emphasis mine)

26 words: such a simple but rich truth! 

Last week, in Part 1 we looked at God's extravagance described in the first few words of this verse. 

Extravagant love: He loved us before were were even born.

Extravagant gift: Even before creation, He determined to give His only Son, Jesus, to save all of us.

Whoever: He loved and He gave to everyone who has lived or ever will live.

He loved beyond what we can imagine.

He gave His precious Son, a gift beyond compare.

The truths in this verse revolve around one word: Whoever.

God loved and gave to whoever - everyone - but His extravagant grace promised in the last part of this verse isn't available to everyone but only to whoever believes. Believes, that's the key word. 

Believe: pisteúō to place faith in, to firmly trust. 

We use the word believe so casually. Most of the time we refer to head knowledge, maybe even experiential knowledge. I know 2+2=4. I know a rock will fall if I drop it, not float, and it will hurt if it hits my toe. I've experienced it. I know about roller coasters: I know what they look like and the sound they make. I know they're safe because I understand the physics. Do I believe they're safe? No, and I won't get on one!

The same is true in our relationship with Jesus. We can know about Him: He is God's Son, He died for forgiveness of our sins, He rose from the dead. That's head knowledge. But if we don't have faith in Him and trust Him, we don't believe in Him. pisteúō is so much more. It's head, heart, and soul belief. 

I became a Christian one evening after listening to Billy Graham on TV. As I laid in bed, I realized how sinful I was and I turned to God. Now, I didn't know much about Jesus at that point. I knew He was God's Son, He died on the cross to forgive my sins, and He rose to life. But I believed in what I knew and I placed my trust totally in Him.   

For a long time, I wondered if my simple belief was pisteúō. But the profound words of John 3:16 erased my fear. I knew God loved me. I knew He gave Jesus for my forgiveness. I accepted His love and His gift. I believed, head, heart, and soul.  

Whoever believes, head, heart, and soul, receives the riches of eternal life. 

Extravagant grace is available to whoever believes in Him:

• Believers do not perish 
• Believers have eternal life 

Perish: apόllumi to utterly destroy, to perish eternally. apόllumi doesn't refer to a physical death; we all experience that. It's an eternal death. 

I admit there have been a few times when I felt like I'd been utterly destroyed. Life turned upside down and everything fell apart. Yet this verse promises we will not be destroyed - in eternity. 

I used to walk after work with a friend of mine. She was an atheist, as was her family. When her father died, she was distraught. She would look at me and say, "He's gone. Just gone. It's like he stepped into a black hole of nothingness."

How could I comfort her? Should I tell her that she could have eternal life if she believed in the death and resurrection of God's Son, Jesus? Wouldn't that be the same as saying her father faced eternal death? That seemed cruel because her grief was still so raw. Perhaps I took the easy way out - I just listened. But I continued to pray for her, for the right time to speak to her, and the right words to say. 

As I listened to her desperation, never have I rejoiced more in the security of my eternal life than I did at that moment.

Extravagant Grace:  Believers shall not perish!

Life Eternal - zṓē aiōnios entrance into life, entrance into God's kingdom

There are two facets of this phrase: We enter into life now and we enter into God's Kingdom for eternity. Even though the time we spend on earth is minuscule compared to eternity, it's hard to keep that in perspective. We can find some comfort in the fact that God's gift is not just for eternity, it is for now, too. 

God's Kingdom. What do you think of when you hear those words? Beauty, joy, praise...it's hard to describe. Most days, I take my dog, Ruby, for a walk in the park. It's a beautiful place: the path winds between big trees, green grassy areas, and wildflowers. The beauty calms me and brings a song to my heart. I marvel in God's creation and it's hard not to praise Him.

Beauty, joy, praise; sound familiar? God places eternity in our hearts when we believe in Him.

When we believe, we receive eternal life immediately, not at some unknown time in the future.  

Jesus rose from the dead. That's one of the fundamental beliefs of our faith that gives us assurance that we will rise from the dead as well (1 Corinthians 6:14). When we die physically, we don't pass into a black hole. We don't endure eternal separation from God. Instead, we step into His Kingdom to praise and to serve Him forever.

Extravagant Grace: We will live with Him forever!

John 3:16 is one of the most powerful verses in the Bible. It overflows with the extravagant love and the grace we receive when we believe in Him. 

It is Extravagant Truth!

Jaci's song says it beautifully!

Jaci Velasquez: God So Loved

Love Him, Love Him Not

When we moved to west Texas a few years ago, it was a big hassle and expensive. I was amazed that, through it all, God protected our little emergency fund. I praised Him as Provider and Sustainer and all kinds of other wonderful words.

Then the air conditioner went out.

Boy, did my tune ever change!

I was afraid – after all, my little fund was empty. What if something happened?

I got mad. How could God let this happen? He knew it was my security blanket.

I was a bit fickle: love Him, love Him not. 

Then, when I read the chapters in Matthew about Jesus’ crucifixion, I heard God whisper, “Sound familiar?”

“Of course not,” I stammered.

Well, think again!

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!"  Matthew 22:9

Why were the people praising Jesus as though He were a hero?

He was their security blanket! 

• He was going to throw out the terrible Roman oppressors.
• He was going to make Israel a super-power.
• He was going to give them all they needed.

Then He was arrested.

That wasn’t supposed to happen.

Their tone changed.

They were afraid and got angry – angry enough to want Him killed.    

            

"What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate asked. They all answered, "Crucify him!" "Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!" Matthew 27:22-23

Why did the same people who shouted “Hosanna!” cry “Crucify him!” a few days later?

Jesus failed them. Kings don’t allow themselves to be arrested. Kings overthrow the Romans, not submit to scourging and mockery.

Hmm…I did recognize myself in the crowd.

As long as He does what I want, I sing his praises at the top of my voice.

But, when difficulty comes, I get angry

He’s not who I thought He was. He’s let me down.

Am I so different than the crowd who shouted, “Crucify him!”?

I can rationalize that my situation isn’t as extreme. I didn’t actually wanted Him dead

I just wanted Him to meet my expectations. Nothing so terrible about that, is there?

Just like that crowd, I totally missed the point.

• Jesus didn’t come to pay all my bills and to fill my emergency fund.
• He came to pay the price for my sin, to cleanse me, and to fill me with the Holy Spirit.
• Jesus didn’t come to be my earthly security blanket.
• He came to give me the security of eternal life with Him.

Image from google

Praise the Lord! He gives me above all I can ask or imagine!

My pathetic expectations fade from sight and all I can do is shout,

“Hosanna!”

Photos: Love me, love me not,   Security blanket

Do You Know Him?

  

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:18

 

When my husband and I took the train from Washington D.C. to Pittsburgh in February,  the fields of freshly fallen snow reminded me of this verse in Isaiah. 

 

God promises us that

• Jesus’s death,
• His burial, and
• His return to life

will cleanse us of our sins and we make us white as snow.

 

If we ask!

 

We all sin, deny God, and disobey His laws. Scripture says that the penalty for sin is death.

 

Not just physical death but eternal death. 

 

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

 

Jesus' death was brutal.

• Suffering,
• Agony,
• Bloody.

This is the death we deserve. But, Jesus chose to die in my place - in your place.

 

We all face death unless…

 

I recognize that I am guilty of sin, believe that He paid my penalty, and ask for forgiveness.

 

You recognize your guilt, believe that He paid your penalty, and ask for forgiveness.

 

No one can do it for us . We must each make that personal decision.

 

There is no way Jesus will turn you down.

 

It doesn’t matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done.

 

No sin is too big for Him to forgive.

 

Let me repeat that – No sin is too big!

 

I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. Jeremiah 33:8

 

Look at that word: All

 

Not some

 

Not Everything except...

 

All

 

If you ask Jesus, He will forgive all your sin and you will be white as snow.

 

Three days after He was buried, Jesus was resurrected - He rose from the dead.

 

He is Alive

 

Eternally Alive

 

For we know that since Christ [Jesus] was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.    Romans 6:9

 

When you believe His death cleansed you from sin, He offers you the gift of eternal life.

 

Jesus wants you to live with Him forever.

 

Each one who asks Him for forgiveness.

 

Complete forgiveness, eternal life in Heaven with Jesus.

 

Too good to be true.

 

But it is true.

 

If you refuse to turn to Jesus, you will die unforgiven and face eternal death.

  

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. John 3:18

 

If you haven't come to Him in prayer and asked for His forgiveness, please do so. He’s waiting for you. Once you have, find a Christian friend or a church and begin to follow Jesus.

 

If you are a believer, what does that confidence in His forgiveness and the gift of eternal life mean to you?  

 

How does it affect your daily life?

 

 

The 7 Wonders of Psalm 23: Part Eight

Who said a series of 7 can't have 8 - or even 9 - parts?
If you don't believe me, ask Douglas Adams.
Look him up - if you haven't read his books, they're hysterical!

Most believe that this psalm was written during the years David fled for his life from Saul’s jealous rage. He hid in forests and in dark caves. 

Even in this difficult situation, David expressed total faith in his Lord.

Surely goodness and love (mercy) will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6

Do you hear the change in David’s tone?

He doesn't describe how the Lord ministered to him in the darkness.

There were no choices to make.

Instead, he proclaimed the certainty of his Lord’s promises, now and forever

Surely…

We don’t use this word a lot today and when we do, it’s usually to express disbelief or dismay.

“Surely he won’t do that.”
“Surely she won’t say that.”

There’s no disbelief in David’s voice when he said, “Surely…”

He was filled with

• Total confidence
• Complete faith
• Absolute trust.

Can you imagine? He’s in a cave, hiding from a man who wants to kill him.

If I were in that cave, I wouldn’t be talking about God’s goodness and mercy! I’d be shouting,
“Don’t You love me? Do You care??"

David didn’t freak out - He was confident in his Shepherd’s love and care

Goodness and love...

He believed God’s promise that he would be king of Israel and, in that assurance, he looked beyond the cave to the blessings that lie before him.

• Goodness – kindness, abundant blessings, benevolence
• Love – faithfulness, patience, forgiveness

We’ve all been trapped in dark caves – caves of sorrow, of pain, of hopelessness. We look around and fell overwhelmed with fear and desperation.

But, somewhere deep inside of us, our hearts echo God’s promises of goodness and love for us – at that moment and for the rest of our lives.

Promises built on His unchangeable character.

I will dwell...forever

David was running for his life but he didn’t panic – he placed his faith in God’s sovereignty and stood on the assurance of an eternal life spent with Him.

Now, I don’t think David said,

“Nah-na-na-nah-na-na! You can’t kill me because God told me I’d be king someday!”

He knew death was inevitable, but he found joy in the surety of eternal life.

He knew that he knew that he would dwell in the house of the Lord – that he would live with God as part of His family

For believers, there is no fear in death. We’re not expected to be excited about it but we know that, when we leave this temporary life, we enter into an eternal life as part of God’s family.

• Goodness
• Love
• Eternal life

Surely God showers us with His blessings – now and forevermore!



How does surety in God’s promises enrich your life?

If you do not have this assurance, God’s reaching out to you. Find someone who can show you God’s love for you.
Photo credit: cave SimpleFoto

Who Are You? Guest Blog by DiAnn Mills

 

Who are You?

 

 

Yesterday morning while reading John 1:19-28, I studied the passage where John was baptizing in the Jordan River. Priests and Levites approached him with their own agenda, mostly about who he was. Each time a question was posed and John replied, their tone seemed to take on more arrogance and sarcasm.

 

In verse 22, when John is asked a second time, “Who are you?” 

 

 I saw:  “Just who are you anyway?”

 

 

Then and now, we are often ridiculed and mocked about our faith. Those times are not fun. Whether the one asking the question is family, friend, neighbor, co-worker, or stranger, we seek to respond in a way that glorifies our Lord.

 

I decided to form my own answers to questions about my faith:

• I am a child of God.
• I’m saved by the blood of Jesus Christ.
• I’m a follower of Jesus Christ, and that makes me a Christian.
• I’ll one day live in Heaven.

 

Do you want to know how to have eternal life?

 

I don’t know how God made the world, but I know He did.    

God is love.

 

Our God is a jealous God. He craves our devotion.

 

 

While writing Firewall, I was instinctively aware of who my heroine was: a woman accused of a terrible tragedy and determined to prove her innocence. Many people wanted answers to who she really was. When she discovered Jesus, her response took on truth and purpose.

  

• Do you know who you are?
• Do others question you about your faith?

 

Today may be the day to define who you are and what you believe.

 

Leave a comment to be entered in a random drawing for a personalized copy of Firewall.

 

 

 

DiAnn is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She currently has more than fifty-five books in print.

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and EPCA bestsellers lists; won two Christy Awards; and have been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers' Choice and Carol award contests. DiAnn is a founding beard member of the American Christian Fiction Writers; the 2014 president of the Romane Writrs of America's Faith, Hope, and Love chapter; and a member of Inspirational Writres Alive, Advanced Writer and Speakers Association, and International Thriller Writers. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.

DiAnn is alo a craftsman mentor for the Jerry B. Jenkinns Christian Writers Guild.

She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.
Visit her website at http://www.diannmills.com/ and connect with her on Facebook www.facebook.com/DiAnnMills. Twitter (@DiAnnMills),  Pinterest www.pinterest.com/DiAnnMills, and Goodreads (www.goodreads.com/DiAnnMills)

 

Ever Regifted? Don't Lie to Me!

Shame on you – I can hear you shaking your head.

“I’ve never done that!” you say.

And look! You didn't even bother to rewrap it - you just stuck a couple bows on it!

Get real - We've all done it.

 

Someone gives us a perfectly wonderful gift –

 

EXCEPT

• We already have two of them.
• We have no use for one.
• And the secret reason: it’s ugly!

I can honestly say I’ve never regifted – to a person.

I pack mine up and take it to Goodwill.

Regifting to the greater good, so to speak.

 

We've been given gifts so great it’s impossible to fathom:

• Jesus gave His life to give us the gift of forgiveness.
• Jesus’ resurrection gives us freedom from Satan’s power.
• Jesus is alive and He offers us eternal life, to live with Him forever.

We never get enough of this.

We certainly have use for them.

These are things we should regift with joy and love.

 

And how can they hear if nobody tells them? Romans 10:14 (MSG)

Don't worry, you don't have to run around spouting the plan of salvation to everyone you meet.

Just refer to God when it naturally fits into the conversation.

"No, I didn't see the game, I was in church."
"I'll pray for you."

Even more gifts - God gives us Himself:

• He is Love.
• He is Peace.
• He is Faithful.
• He is Strength.
• He is Comfort.

But, how can we regift God?

Can we offer His gifts to others?

We can:

• Be loving to those around us – even if they don’t deserve it.
• Be a peacemaker when there is unrest.
• Be faithful to someone who needs you.
• Be strength to someone who is weak.
• Be comforting to someone struggling.
  

The BEST part about regifting God is that we still have it!

We don't give it away.

We don't lose it.

Every time we "regift" God, He fills us with even more!
 

When have you regifted God?
When has someone given Him to you?

Do You Speak Greek?

I love listening to mockingbirds! They perfectly mimic the songs of every bird in their area – a kaleidoscope of melodies.

Every chirp and warble is unique. The blue jay doesn’t have a clue what the robin’s saying. The dove’s song is like Greek to the sparrow.

Made me wonder: is our “Christianese” a bunch of gibberish to nonbelievers?

Are we speaking Greek?

When I wrote my Bible study, Storms of Life, I wanted to put the plan of salvation in the first chapter.

So, I wrote this:

Each of us has sinned and rebelled against God’s laws. But, because of God’s great love, He sent his only Son to be crucified and buried, to pay the penalty for our sins. After three days, He was raised from the dead and promises eternal life to all who believe in Him.
If you confess your sins and accept Jesus as your Savior, He will forgive you and give you eternal life.

I followed this with a nice “if you believe in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, pray the simple prayer written below and receive His gifts of forgiveness and eternal life.

Sounded great to me.

Source: Deposit Photo, william57

Thankfully, a close friend said, “I wasn’t raised in church and I assure you that a nonbeliever won't understand a thing you're saying!”



So, I tried again:

Do you have any idea how much God loves you? I know, you’ve messed up a lot, we all have. We’re all guilty of sin; we all face the death penalty. But God loves you so much that He set in motion a plan to save you from death.

He sent His Son, Jesus, to earth to live a normal life – just like you. But Jesus didn’t sin - He lived a perfect life. Even though He was sinless, Jesus agreed to die – to die in your place. After He died and was buried, God used His great power to raise Jesus to life again. Jesus returned to Heaven and lives eternally with His Father.

If you believe that Jesus died for you and ask Him to forgive you, He will erase all your sin – forever! If you believe that He was brought back to life, He will give you eternal life. When your life ends on this world, you will join Him in Heaven.

How’s that? Is that better?

Remember: At one time we too were foolish… Titus 3:3a

Keep your words simple, so that the “foolish” may believe.

When did you believe in Jesus?

If you haven’t asked Jesus to forgive you and to give you eternal life, I pray that you will do it now. Then tell a friend who goes to church and ask them to take you with them.