23rd Psalm Devotional

Psalm 23: A Psalm of David.  

 

 The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.

 

Unlike the fearfully reverent scribes who maintained God's Word for posterity, David was not afraid to address his Shepherd by name. David declared, "YAHWEH is my Shepherd."

 

Our Heavenly Father wants us to know Him by name. The Great I AM revealed His Name to us so that we could call on Him in a personal way. I think Bible translators have done us a dis-service by presenting Him as LORD rather than calling Him by His Name, YAHWEH.  This practice has caused confusion and has opened the door for those who currently want us to believe He can also be called Allah. Not so!

 

David, having been a shepherd,  knew by experience that a good shepherd provides everything his sheep need. Therefore, he knew and proclaimed with confidence that as Yahweh's sheep, he would never lack anything he needed. And, if Yahweh is our Shepherd, we can have the same confidence!   

 

Yahweh knows our needs before we ask. How lovingly He provides for every area of our lives! 

 

² He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.

 

We live in a body so physical needs are met first.

 

Every day of life's journey we become tired so He provides a place for us to lie down and rest.  We also need a daily provision of food and water which David refers to as green pastures and  still waters. 

 

At no time are we left to fend for ourselves. He meets our physical needs so we can function physically, mentally and spiritually. As David expresses it: 

 

³ He restores my soul;

 

And when the soul is restored we are ready to follow Jesus!
 

He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake.

 

Once we are prepared for traveling, He leads us! The Holy Spirit is our faithful guide and leads us always in the right ways that we should go.  Why? For His Name's sake! (God will never lead us astray because to do so would violate His nature and bring shame to His Name. Impossible!) We cannot go wrong following Him.   

 

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

 

We are safe with Yahweh. In His presence, evil cannot touch us. When we walk through dark, scary places we are always under His protection. His rod will beat back the enemy. His staff will pull us out of danger. Fear may rear its ugly head but it must flee because Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, is our ever present companion and comforter!

 

⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.

We are always surrounded by enemies in this life but they cannot keep us from banqueting with Jesus. Notice that He prepares the feast and He provides the spiritual atmosphere. We  respond with thanksgiving and abundant joy. And we find hope for the future!

⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

 

It's all about perspective.  If we choose to keep our minds focused on the Good Shepherd and trust in His faithful provision for our lives we can have inner peace and joy even in the midst of a troubled world. 

 

I hope this quick look at the 23rd Psalm speaks to your heart today. It has strengthened me in times of trial so I wanted to share it with you. 

 

May God's Word increase your faith and encourage you--wherever you are.  

The ONLY Begotten Son of God?

When speaking of "the only begotten Son of God," there may be some confusion as to what the term means. Angels are called the sons of God and born again believers are called the sons (or children) of God. But, only Jesus is called "the only begotten Son of God." Why is that?

First of all, we must know what begotten means. The English word begotten is commonly used to refer to procreation: the fathering of children in a biological sense. This biological connection between human generations means the father and his child or children are genetically related. They are of the same species and share the same physical and spiritual makeup. They often even look alike. However, this understanding of begotten is not sufficient to explain what begotten means when used to express the connection between Jesus and God the Father. Why? Because it does not include the full meaning of the Greek word monogenes which is used in the Greek New Testament and from which begotten is translated.

Monogenes, according to the Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament has two definitions.

First, monogenes pertains to "being the only one of its kind within a specific relationship." Monogenes is used in this way when Isaac is called Abraham's "only begotten son" in Hebrews 11:17. In case you don't know or have forgotten, the book of Genesis tells us that Abraham had eight sons. He begat Ishmael with Hagar. He begat Isaac with Sarah. And, he begat Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah with Keturah. (Yes, the Middle East is populated with Abraham's descendants!) But, Isaac was accurately called Abraham's only begotten son in the Hebrews statement because Isaac was the only son he had by Sarah and the only son of the covenant.

Note: Hebrews 11:17 is probably one of the scriptures critics use to point out mistakes in the Bible. It just goes to show that one must diligently study to avoid wrong conclusions!

Second, monogenes pertains to "being the only one of its kind or class, unique in kind." Monogenes is used with this meaning by Jesus when He said "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

Contrary to what some believe, begotten/monogenes does not imply that Jesus had a beginning. No, the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus exists from eternity with the Father and the Holy Spirit. So, the English term "only begotten" is simply used to highlight the fact that Jesus shares the divine nature as the unique Son of God. 

This second meaning of monogenes is also used in 1 John 4:9;            John 1:14, 18 and John 3:18 These scripture verses reveal the truth I'm sharing with you. Please meditate on their clear meaning as you can understand it now.

In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.      1 John 4:9 NKJV

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1:14 NKJV

No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.   John 1:18 NKJV

These verses say God the Father "sent" Jesus to us and "gave" Jesus to save us from our sins. They never say God created Jesus. He existed eternally with His Father as many verses tell us. Jesus, as God, created all things that are in heaven and earth! In the book of Isaiah, Jesus is called Wonderful (full of wonders!), Counselor (full of wisdom), Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. In the book of Revelation He declares Himself to be the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end!

Jesus is never simply called "the begotten Son of God." He is always called the "only begotten Son of God" because He is indeed Unique! One of a kind. Angels and humans are called sons of God because God created them but only Jesus proceeds forth from the Heavenly Father as His Eternally Existing Only Begotten Son.

In the Bethlehem prophecy foretelling His birth in Micah 5:2, the scriptures say His "goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." We know He physically created and then visited with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  He walked with Enoch and then took him to heaven. He instructed Noah on the building the ark. He spoke with Abraham about Isaac's coming birth, the destruction of Sodom, the sacrifice of Isaac and the future of his descendants. He comforted Hagar and assured her concerning Ishmael's future. He spoke "face to face" with Moses on many occasions. He appeared to Joshua as Commander of the Lord's Hosts. He announced the coming birth of Samson to Manoah's wife and later to Manoah. He has been going forth throughout history as Micah said.

Don't you find it comforting that Jesus takes such an interest in His people? I certainly do! And He takes an interest in us because He loves us! We rejected Him but He still loves us and makes a way for us to return to fellowship with Him and live forever. Knowing Jesus and accepting Him as Lord and Savior is the only way to gain eternal life.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  John 3:16 NKJV

He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:18 NKJV

Let me repeat:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16 NKJV

Jesus, God's only begotten Son,  invites you through His Word and His Spirit to be saved. I pray you will respond.

May God's grace and peace be with you and yours forever.

Good Leadership is Essential to Restore America

2 Chronicles 14-16

King Asa, of Judah pleased God because he was good in His eyes; so, God gave him 10 years of peace when he came to the throne. During that time Asa commanded Judah to seek and obey God. He removed foreign altars, pagan shrines, sacred pillars, cut down Asherah poles, removed incense altars. He fortified towns with walls, towers, gates and bars. He taught the people to trust in the Lord. He built the army. He had 300,000 topnotch warriors from Judah and 280,000 warriors from Benjamin. 

King Asa was a good king because he followed God and did everything in his power to restore his country to righteousness. He strengthened the nation from within and prepared to defend her from the enemies surrounding her. In a dangerous world, defensive strength is essential!

Then Zerah, the Ethiopian attacked him with 1,000,000 warriors. 

Asa called on God for help and trusted Him. “O Lord, no one but You can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O Lord, our God, for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we come against this vast horde. O Lord, you are our God; do not let mere men prevail against us."

Because of King Asa's humility and faith expressed in prayer, Yahweh gave them an overwhelming victory. They conquered Zerah and other enemies in their vicinity. Then, as they returned in victory, Azariah the prophet came out to meet them with a warning.

"The Lord will stay with you as long as you stay with Him. Whenever you seek Him, you will find Him. But if you abandon Him, He will abandon you.” 

 

The USA has been given the victory many times in the past because God has blessed our country for supporting Israel, spreading the gospel around the world, and feeding the hungry. But, the good deeds of our past won't keep us now.

 

We have a president who is in the process of forsaking Israel. He does not honor her leaders as friends. He criticizes her decisions. He refuses to help her prepare to deal with Iran. He is more involved with arming and protecting Islam than with ensuring Israel's safety. Since his bow to the Saudi King he has helped topple several governments which have fallen under Muslim Brotherhood control. Rather than spread the gospel, our tax dollars and oil money are being used by the nations of Islam to slaughter Christians daily. 

 

It's not enough that our forefathers served God. It's not enough to say, "God Bless America." We need righteous leadership in our nation once again to get our country back on the right track.

 

Please join with me in asking God to have mercy on us. Pray that He will open the eyes of those who have lost sight of what is most important and give them wisdom in their personal lives and in the voting booth. And pray that God will raise up a righteous leader for our country who will help us to Restore America! 

“Be strong and courageous, for your work will be rewarded.”

The Prince Shall Not Take the Inheritance of the People!

Our Founding Fathers understood the importance of property rights far better than we do today. They knew that an individual could not be "free" without the right to own property.  A free individual has a right to own what he has earned and/or inherited. All personal property, as well as land and money, must be at the disposal of a free man to use as he chooses or he is not free. A free man can accumulate wealth during his lifetime, or waste it, or give it to charity. And he can leave it to whomever he chooses when he dies.

Our Founding Fathers understood and fought for this Biblical truth based on God's eternal Word. Unfortunately, envious, greedy, covetous men who have rejected God's Word as a standard for living have tried to bury this truth through the years. 

We have now reached a point, as a society, where the ungodly are comfortable publicly calling "evil good and good evil" so that "truth has fallen in the streets." A leftist will encourage taking property from the rightful owners and giving it to others and call this "evil" behavior "good." Then he will harass the rightful owners of property for expecting to dispose of it as they please and call this "good" behavior "evil." 

I saw this tactic on a news show recently. They were discussing Obama's "class warfare" call for the rich to pay their "fair" share of taxes. Of course, no one really knows what a "fair" share is because the amount isn't the point. The point is: A socialist government owns everything! And, as we are heading toward socialism, the rich should surrender ever increasing portions of their wealth so that Obama and his administration will have more funds to redistribute as they see fit. This socialist agenda is leftist justified covetousness! It is evil and God does not approve! 

On the show I was watching, the conservative repeatedly asked the liberal, "How much do you want me to pay in taxes?" Finally, the liberal replied, "Oh, I guess 40 something percent."  She paused and then added, "And your children should have to work!"  I couldn't believe my ears.

This is "in your face" covetousness. What audacity! This is clearly an intent to abrogate our unalienable, God given right to the ownership of property which can be left to our children. Make no mistake, when we cannot leave our land, our possessions, and our money to our children; we are not free!

The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence. If “Thou shalt not covet,” and “Thou shalt not steal,” were not commandments of heaven, they must be made inviolable precepts in every society before it can be civilized or made free.  (John Adams)

 

 

 

So, what does the Bible say about inheritance of property?

1.   Inheritance is good: A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children... Pro 13:22

    

2.   Government officials can distribute their own property but cannot take property from their subjects.

 "Thus says the Lord God:  If the prince makes a gift to any of his sons as his inheritance, it shall belong to his sons. It is their property by inheritance. 

  The prince shall not take any of the inheritance of the people, thrusting them out of their property.

 He (the prince) shall give his sons their inheritance out of his own property, so that none of my people shall be scattered from his property."     Ezekiel 46:16-18 excerpts

3.  A citizen can rightly refuse to surrender his property to a government official. 

 "But Naboth said to (King) Ahab, the Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers." 1 Kings 21:3

In this case, King Ahab wanted Naboth's vineyard but could not "legally" take it from him. Naboth did what was right. He refused to give to the King property which was intended to be left to his family. So, Queen Jezebel hired false witnesses to accuse Naboth of blasphemy, had him killed, and took the land. The King and the Queen both sinned against Naboth by taking his property. (They later died under God's judgement.)

God, in the Old Testament, clearly states that property inheritance is righteous in His eyes! It is good and not evil! 

What about Jesus and His view of property inheritance recorded in the New Testament? 

1. Property inheritance is a family matter. 
Someone in the crowd said to (Jesus),"Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." But he (Jesus) said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?"

This is an interesting exchange. A man wants Jesus to intervene in a family inheritance dispute, but instead of asking Jesus to hear the details of the dispute and make a righteous decision, the man tells Jesus how he wants Him to settle the dispute. The person demands half of the inheritance.  

Whether the demand was fair or not, it was covetous, and Jesus refused to get involved. He would not encourage taking an inheritance away from a rightful heir, and He knew the brother making the demands had needs that couldn't be met by mere possessions. 

2. Covetousness Is Forbidden:   And he (Jesus) said to them (the crowd), "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Luke 12:13-15

Please notice that Jesus did not warn the crowd against receiving an inheritance. He turned to the crowd and warned them to avoid falling into the trap of the materialist outlook on life which caused the man to covet his brother's inheritance. Jesus would never side with the Occupy Wall Street crowd.
 

Coming from a Biblically based perspective, I was surprised and shocked by the leftist's covetous comments on the news program. But I suppose I shouldn't be. If I had a godless perspective I might see the world as they see it. If there was no God I might want to lean on the government too, and I'm glad that's not the case.

There is a God! Everything we have comes from God! He owns "the cattle on a thousand hills" and He blesses our lives from His abundance as He sees fit. It is, therefore, unwise to look to one's neighbor or to the government to provide what only God can rightfully supply. While covetousness leads to a curse, trusting in God brings His blessings. But, alas, the left doesn't see it that way.

President Obama and his fellow travelers are trying to convince Americans that government can replace God. They want us to believe that the government can, and should, meet our needs. Yes, they tell us we have a right to expect unearned benefits from the government. And, they even think they know what those benefits should include (and are willing to force them on us). This is a dangerous deception!

Think about it: God blesses us from His unlimited resources and expects no repayment. The government, on the other hand, promises some Americans a portion of the resources it takes from their neighbors while it loads the country with debt. Consider, if the government confiscated all the wealth of the 1% in the USA today, they couldn't even repay a third of the 16+ trillion dollars they've already spent in our name, much less continue to support all of those currently on the dole.

The government did not create us and cannot sustain us. Not just because it lacks the wealth required but because our needs are not simply material; they are spiritual! The "ghost" in our machine needs far more sustenance than can be grown in, or gathered from a secular, collective garden. We need more than food, clothes and housing. We need love, grace, mercy, fellowship, forgiveness, healing, restoration and ultimately eternal salvation. Our true needs can only be met in relationship with our heavenly Father. Only He knows and can meet our deepest needs.

And, our deepest needs do not include free contraception! This Obama policy is not about women. It is about population control. By insisting on free drugs to block conception or to kill the newly conceived life of American babies this administration is  hoping to more rapidly change the ideological complexion of this nation. When Americans quit replacing themselves and enough emigrants arrive we can kiss our freedoms goodbye. That free pill comes with an exorbitant hidden price tag.

And, the upfront price appears to be an assault on the freedom of religion. It is a no brainer that churches cannot currently be legally forced to provide drugs which violate their teachings about life! That would hinder the "free exercise" of religion as guaranteed in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

And, since Obama knows his policy is unconstitutional, making an issue of forcing it anyway must be a deliberate assault on the constitution and freedom of religion. What else can it be? He swore to "uphold and defend the constitution" but he is not doing so. I hope American voters will take this seriously.

And now, back on topic, the only financial hope for our country and the world is to stop thinking life consists of an abundance of possessions and to turn back to God. He is all we need! He will supply all our needs as we refuse to covet our neighbor's property and put our trust in Him.

Our true right of inheritance is eternal. It is provided by Jesus to all who put their trust in Him alone for salvation. If you sense Him knocking at your heart's door, please open the door and ask Him in.

"Now I commit you to God and to the word of His grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified."  Acts 20:32 

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Prayer That Gets Results

 Icon of James
called James the Just, James the Righteous and James the brother of God
wikipedia image

The Apostle James was a very practical teacher. The book of James, which he wrote, is filled with down to earth instructions for Christian living.

He covers dealing with trials and temptations. 

He gives instructions for proper listening and speaking and controlling anger.

He forbids favoritism and promotes loving one's neighbor, extending mercy, showing one's faith through good deeds, controlling the tongue, displaying humility, walking in godly wisdom, being a peacemaker, and living in submission to God.

He warns against boasting and oppressing the weak and the poor.

He also encourages patience through hard times and the absolute avoidance of swearing.

And finally, in chapter 5, using the prophet Elijah as his example, he teaches on prayer, which is my focus in this blog.  

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. James 5:16b-18

Aspects of Prevailing Prayer

1.  Prevailing Prayer is Fervent. It is an energetic (working, active, powerful) exercise. It requires sincere concern for the accomplishment of God's will.

    ... he prayed earnestly (pleaded)

2.  Prevailing Prayer requires a Righteous Person. The one praying must be one whose thoughts, feelings and actions are wholly conformed to the will of God.  A righteous man is righteous because he has confessed his sins, been forgiven, and lives by faith in God. When he prays, he prays according to the knowledge of God’s will gained from His written Word and through revelations from His Spirit.

I realize that some Christians believe praying according to God's will is a cop out. They think it leaves one free to excuse unanswered prayers as "not God's will." Well, it does open that door because God usually only answers prayers if they are prayed in agreement with His will.

3.  Prevailing Prayer Avails. It always produces extraordinary results which are only possible as a result of the intervention of God. Why? Because prayer made according to God’s will always accomplishes God’s plans.

      ...it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.        And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

In this story from the Book of Kings, God sent a three year drought as a punishment for their wickedness and God was ready to let it rain again at the end of the three years.

He led Elijah to pray for rain so that the unbelievers would see Elijah's relationship with God was genuine and that God was the giver of the rain. (And, also as a confirmation for believers that the rain was from God.)

God was demonstrating His power through His prophet. He delights in working through His people and in revealing His benevolent nature to mankind.         

For more details, read the entire story found in 1 Kings chapters 17 and 18.

According to James, effective prayer always flows out of a relationship with God through the Holy Spirit Who reveals and then fulfills God’s will in this world in general and in our lives in particular.

Julian of Norwich claimed she received this same principle from the Lord, "I am the ground of your beseeching: first it is my will that you have it, and then I make you desire it, and after I make you beseech it; how should it then be that you should not have your beseeching?"

What an encouraging word!

If we want answered prayers we should always seek to pray according to His will.

After all, He knows best!

God Makes the Unclean Clean!

This blog is a response to a Muslim's blog questioning why Christians believe it's alright to eat pork. We know Jews avoid pork because they live under the Old Testament law and Muslims avoid pork because it is forbidden to them in the Qur'an. So, why do Christians, who live by the Bible, which includes the Old Testament law, feel free to eat pork? This is hard for non-Christians to understand, so here's my explanation.

The Old Testament was a covenant God made with the Jews. It was a covenant based on living by laws and making animal sacrifices to cover for one’s sins from year to year. It was a covenant made by God to expire. Yes, that's right. It was never meant to be permanent! Before He gave the law to the Jews through Moses, God knew the law could not save people from their sin nature inherited from Adam. God also knew the law could not keep the Jews from living in sin. But, the law had a good purpose. The law was given to the Jews as a standard for right living. It was given to teach them that it was impossible to live a truly righteous life through human effort alone. God wanted them to look to Him and their coming redeemer, Jesus, for salvation.

The Old Testament law was multi-faceted. It included ceremonial instructions for the Priests, the Levites, and the religious practitioner to follow to properly worship a Holy God. It also included food and hygiene laws to protect the health of the congregation. And it laid down guidelines for moral living.

Of the three categories of laws, only the moral laws are as binding as gravity. They never change because they are rooted in God's Perfections. Ceremonial laws and health guidelines can be changed over time based on the current needs.

For example: Jews can’t fulfill the ceremonial instructions God gave them, such as animal sacrifices, without their Temple in Jerusalem. They have been without their Temple for almost 2000 years now. It was destroyed in 70 AD. And, they haven't been able to rebuild their temple since they became a modern nation in 1948 because Muslims (due to geo-political constraints on Israel) have retained control of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. God obviously knows the situation.

Another example is eating pork. This restriction is a health issue. Eating pork (barbeque sauce or not) can be a dangerous practice when pigs are raised in filthy conditions. Also, when pork isn't cooked properly it may pass harmful parasites to people. But, eating pork is not dangerous when pigs are raised in fairly clean conditions and the meat is properly cooked. God gave "the laws" He gave "when" He gave them for good reasons. So, pork was forbidden under the Old Covenant guidelines.

The New Testament reveals a New Covenant given by God to the Jews and Gentiles together. It is freely given to all who believe and enter into a covenant relationship with God based on, and guaranteed by, the sacrifice of His only Son, Jesus.

When Jesus died on the cross, He said, “It is finished.” What was He talking about? He was proclaiming that the power of death and hell was broken! They could no longer hold a sinner if that sinner claimed, by faith, his freedom from sin's death penalty through the blood of Jesus! Jesus had paid the full price for our redemption from sin!

The requirement of the law says, "Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin." Under that law, every sinner must pay for his sin with his life. He is doomed forever and can't help himself or anyone else-- for all have sinned and owe their lives as the penalty. The situation looks bleak indeed.

Yes, it looks bleak, but it was never hopeless. From eternity past, before creation, God had a plan! Jesus, the sinless Son of God would die in our place! If He'd been sinless, but a mere mortal man, He could only have died in the place of one sinner. But, because He is God, the value of His sacrificial death covered all sin for all time! Therefore, He is able to "save to the uttermost" all who put their trust in Him! Now, that's good news!

But, what does it mean to put your trust in Jesus? When one puts their trust in Jesus, by grace, He gives them a new heart which gives them the ability to live a righteous life apart from the law.

For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:14

They are born again in the Spirit of God and filled with His love. The past sins of a spiritually newborn Christian are cast into the sea of forgetfulness never to be remembered against them again! And, because mortals are not perfect, Jesus also continuously cleanses His followers from unrighteousness as they confess their sins. Praise God for His love and complete provision!

Many New Testament passages deal with concern for outward cleanliness which neglects the heart. Jesus sat down to eat with the Pharisees on one occasion without washing His hands to teach them about the importance of heart issues. They were indignant and it gave Him the opportunity to tell them about their “unwashed heart issues.”

On another occasion Jesus said, “It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.” Matt 15:11

As a good Jew, Peter tried to avoid contact with Gentiles, considering them unclean. In order to open his eyes to his need to change and accept all people, God gave him a vision. A sheet was lowered from heaven filled with all kinds of "unclean" (under the standards of the law) four footed animals, reptiles and birds and he heard a command, “Rise Peter, kill and eat.” Peter refused saying, “I’ve never eaten anything that is unclean.” He was shown the animals and given the command 3 times and then God said, “Don’t call anything unclean which God has made clean.” Finally, he believed and received the command.

After that Peter began to associate with Gentiles and to understand his freedom in Christ. And later, Paul gave more specific teachings about our freedom in Christ concerning eating meats and many other issues concerning the law.  He said, “The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith.” Gal:3:24

"our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." 2 Corinthians 3:5-7

After telling his disciples (in Matthew 5:20) "unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."  Jesus warned his disciples to "beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." (Matthew 16:6) They did not originally understand His meaning, so He clarified Himself, and they understood He referred to the tainted doctrine of those religious groups.

What was the problem with the doctrine of the Pharisees and the Sadducees? Their doctrines were legalistic and not based on a relationship with God. It was the "letter of the law" which "kills".

The Pharisees attempted to follow the laws they chose to follow meticulously (even setting stricter requirements than the law) and they focused on outward piety because they loved the praise of men! On the other hand, they felt free to replace some of God's commandments with the oral traditions of men. Their attempts at works righteousness looked good to men but displeased God. Why? Because they didn't love God and their neighbors! They thought their good works could save them so they didn't humble themselves before God and receive His provision of salvation through Jesus Christ.

The Sadducees were sceptics. They didn't believe in miracles or believe in the resurrection. They focused on the Torah and denied the oral tradition. For them, "an eye for an eye" was a literal punishment that should be carried out without mercy. Unlike God, they were big on law and low on mercy. So, they missed God's provision of mercy for themselves as they rejected Jesus Christ.

For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:17
Just as you can wash your body and make it clean, God can wash your heart and cleanse you from unrighteousness. Yes, the unclean can become clean. Praise God for His marvelous, saving grace.  

Let me be clear. God cares more about the condition of your heart than about whether you eat pork or not. He doesn't want you stuck struggling with trivial details of the letter of the law. That will surely kill you. He wants you to turn to Him for new life and total salvation!

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14

How Majestic Is Our Lord!

     Psalm 8   

A psalm of David.

O Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.

From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise

because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him,

the son of man that you care for him?

You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings

and crowned him with glory and honor.

You made him ruler over the works of your hands;

you put everything under his feet:

all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field,

the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,

all that swim the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Since we live in a time when the value of human life is being degraded, this is a wonderful psalm to remind us that we are valued by God.

Our Majestic Heavenly Father, Who is Lord of all creation, created us with the specific purpose of sharing His glory and honor for eternity.

He created us to rule benevolently over all the creatures of the earth. This position reflects on a small scale His benevolent rule in the universe. He is our Father. We are to be like Him!

Don't allow the negative voices abroad in the land to discourage you concerning your place in God's plan.

Lift up your head today and know that the great God who created all things is mindful of you! He cares for you! He will never leave or forsake you!

He will silence your foes and the avenger as you lift up your praise to Him. In weakness you will be made strong and will be enabled to endure whatever you face triumphantly.

With David may we proclaim in joyous faith,

"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your Name in all the earth."

Should Christians Love Muslims?

The majority of the books I’ve read through the years have been Christian books. They’ve been based on the Bible worldview and were often scripture laden. The most challenging aspect of such a reading habit is making sure the message being shared lines up with God’s Word–rightly divided.

 

I did read history books and strayed into some self-help books on a variety of topics and some science books and magazines to keep abreast of current thought in those fields. And I’d read about the odd topic or a novel here and there, but really my life is Bible based and everything is filtered through that reliable lens.

The last few years I have broadened my subject matter into the political realm and have begun to study current issues trying to understand how we got into the mess we are in and where we are headed in the natural as well as the spiritual realm.

Writing my blog has exposed me to other blogs and I’ve gotten into some “heavy” conversations about current events and even the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. I’ve found the exchanges challenging at times because I love to get along with everyone. I would much rather be agreeable than contrarian, but the defense of truth is like a fire in my bones.  However, I do realize we are to speak the truth in love and I try.

All of that brings me to what’s been on my mind lately. I’ve read lots of material about Islam and that information can have an inflammatory effect if one does not guard the heart with great diligence as Proverbs instructs us to.

As a lover of God and His Chosen People, the Israelites, it’s easy to lean toward siding with Israel against the Arabs. In fact, it seems to be the natural response. But, as Christians, our response isn’t supposed to be the natural one!

Jesus told us to love our enemies. He said to pray for our enemies. He said to feed our enemies and to give them a cup of cool water in His name. We are certainly to share the good news with our enemies as we have opportunity.

Does this mean we can’t support the Jews? Not at all! We are to love all our “neighbors” and do good to all of them, regardless of their ethnicity, color, language or creed! We can actually love Jews and Arabs at the same time. And we don't have to put our minds in neutral when dealing with current and historical facts.

Even though we see Muslims going on murderous rampages in the streets, and even when we hear of the bombings and destruction caused by their misguided Jihad activities, we are to love them for Christ’s sake. Their eternal souls are at stake!

Islam is a tyrannical and expansionistic political/religious regime. Most Muslims were born under its teachings and control. Many others live in lands that were conquered and forced into submission to the laws of Islam. For most Muslims, their religious affiliation is not by choice. The majority of Muslims are illiterate and have never even read the Quran. They are taught to hate non-Muslims and engage in Jihad by extremist Imams.

Why am I going here? I’m going here because so many things seek to divide us. It’s so easy to distrust, misunderstand and reject those who look, act and speak differently than we do. This behavior leads to hatred. I’m reminding myself and I’m reminding you that we haven’t “walked a mile” in the other man’s shoes and we should not judge. We are called to share God’s love with everyone we come into contact with.

The media seeks to distract us away from the truth and to distort reality. Our human nature tends toward blaming the nearest scapegoat for our troubles. Only the Bible instucts us with the uncompromised truth. Paul tells us who the real enemy is.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.   Eph 6:12 NIV

There has never been a time when recognizing the truth about our enemy is more critical to our spirirtual well-being. We must be alert and aware to survive these perilous times.

Jesus is coming soon. The signs of the times are becoming clearer by the day. It is high time for the church to “Repent and do the first works.” It’s time to return to our first love when it was easy to love everybody! And, because of our hope in soon becoming like Him, it’s time to “purify” ourselves as “He is pure.” 1 John 3:3

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matt 7:21 NIV

                        The Judge is at the door! That which we do, we must do quickly.

                                        JESUS LOVES YOU and MUSLIMS TOO!

Mary Slessor of Calabar: Pioneer Missionary by W. P. Livingstone

I just finished reading Mary Slessor of Calabar: Pioneer Missionary by  W. P. Livingstone and The White Queen of Calabar by Eugene Myers Harrison, and doing some internet research about Mary Slessor's life. Many books have been written about her life because it is so inspiring.
　
Mary Slessor was born in Scotland in 1848. Her father was an alcoholic who wasted his pay on drink so she started working in a weaving factory at 11 years of age to help support her family. By the age of 14 she was working 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. Her father died and she continued working that schedule to support her family until she entered her missionary training when she was 27 years old. 

She was active in the church from an early age and didn't let her long work hours keep her from participating. Her heart for missions was utilized in Scotland by reaching out to children in the poor section of town and teaching them Bible lessons through the years. Her childhood was hard but it helped prepare her for the many difficulties she faced in Africa.

Finally, on August 5, 1876, she left Liverpool on the steamer Ethiopia and she arrived at Calabar on the coast of Nigeria on September 11th, 1876 to begin her 39 year career as a missionary to the natives there.


She found herself in a pagan land where those accused of wrongdoing had boiling oil poured over their hands or were required to drink poison to prove their guilt or innocence. The wives of a dead chief were strangled or buried alive with their husband so they could go with him into the spirit-world. Hard hearted chiefs would sell men and women into slavery or have them beheaded for a cannibal orgy. Twin babies would be killed and their mother would be driven into the jungles defenseless to die. Women had no rights and were treated like pack animals. Men perished in endless, senseless, tribal warfare. Witch doctors tormented the people and controlled them with curses. And, most of all, the people lived in spiritual darkness which kept them impoverished and hopeless. (Sound like "noble" savages to you? Tribes needing to preserve their cultural traditions? People in danger of being corrupted by missionary influences?) 

Mary soon learned the native language of the people of Calabar, Efik. She mastered it so well that even the natives said she knew their tongue better than they did. She came to understand their idioms, gestures, and temperament so well that no one could lie to her and get away with it.   

She lived her life under the African sun with a bare head and traversed the dangerous jungles, day and night, with bare feet. She lived on native food, drank unfiltered water, often slept on the ground, and did many other things that would have quickly killed most non-Africans.

Mary rescued hundreds of twin babies from eminent death and raised many of them in her own household. She worked hard at trying to educate the natives away from their fear of twins and getting the mothers and sometimes fathers to accept them. It was a never ending ordeal as she went into new territories.

The natives (including the chiefs) loved her and called her Ma, which means lady. They allowed her to be a judge among them and she used her influence to turn them away from alcohol and toward more productive living. She brought healing treatments to the sick, intervened to prevent many wars and stopped the practice of trying to determine guilt or innocence by the poison ordeal among the tribes she worked with. She also used her great influence among them to stand against the abusive treatment of women and the tyranny of the witch doctors.

Mary never tired of her main priority which was telling the people about God's love and His Son who came to earth to die on the cross so repentant sinners could have eternal life. Through her efforts, she personally led hundreds of savages to new life in Christ. And Jesus blessed her labors by allowing her to establish several churches and to accomplish her dream of building a home for abused and displaced women. 　
　
Mary felt great trepidation when required to speak to groups of Scots and Brits-- especially when men were present. However, she would not shirk her duties for her own personal comfort, so, on her furloughs, after she had recovered from exhaustion or an African fever that had laid her low, she spent considerable time telling the church crowds stories from her life in Africa.

In her simple, soft spoken style, she shared her experiences with hunger, thirst, deprivation and loneliness in darkest Africa. She talked about suffering from tropical fevers, dealing with drunken cannibals, calming warmongering natives, and fearlessly facing death threats from natives and wild animals times without number to save the lives and souls of the African natives she loved for Jesus' sake. She never doubted that God would protect her as she did His bidding.

Her audiences were moved to tears as she told them about the slave markets, human sacrifice, and cannibalism. But the best loved stories were of the many twins and other deserted babies she rescued from death when they were thrown into the forest to die of hunger or to be eaten by ants or leopards. The stories came to life for them on the visits when Mary brought some of her beloved  African "bairns" with her.

Mary Slessor suffered from jungle fevers many times through the years which weakened her body and left her with aches and joint pains. Her physical limitations slowed her down but never stopped her from moving into new territory and accomplishing what she set out to do. She lived out the old adage, "Where there's a will, there's a way!"  Having kept the faith and having finished her course, she died in Nigeria on January 13th, 1915 at 67 years of age.

J. H. Morrison pays her this tribute: "She is entitled to a place in the front ranks of the heroines of history, and if goodness be counted an essential element of true greatness, if eminence be reckoned by love and self-sacrifice, by years of endurance and suffering, by a life of sustained heroism and purest devotion, it will be found difficult, if not impossible, to name her equal."
　
"She was indeed a queen — a queen ruling in love over natives in Africa and a queen among the heroines of the Christian church."  The White Queen of Calabar by Eugene Myers Harrison


Note:  I found Mary Slessor's life to be very inspiring. In addition to the many books about her, The African Movie Channel,  AMC, has an 11 part series on the Life of Mary Slessor.
http://www.africanmoviechannel.tv/movieDetails.asp?idm=786

A Right End From A Right Means

So says [Yahweh], Keep judgment and do justice; for My salvation is near to come, and My righteousness to be revealed.  Isaiah 56:1  NKJV

 

Do justice. In order to do justice one must know what justice means. Justice can be defined as ”ensuring that persons receive earned rewards and punishments fairly and squarely based on their behavior–with no favoritism.”

You will notice that justice has no room for compassion. The pragmatic liberal concoction known as “Social Justice” is based on a false definition of justice distorted by a faux compassion which robs justice of its just-ness (righteousness).  God forbids this!

Note: For compassion to be enacted, Justice & Mercy must Kiss and find a way to cover for the wrong done. If this was not the case, Jesus would not have died on the cross. His flesh pleaded for another way to satisfy the Justice of God, but there was no other way, so He yielded to only way and died for us because He loves us.

To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.  Proverbs 21:3  NKJV

We’ll look at a few more “justice and righteousness” scriptures later in this blog, but it seems clear that Yahweh demands righteous justice. So how does God’s demand for righteous justice fit in current thought and practice among liberals and conservatives? 

The left pragmatically demands just outcomes.  Liberals promote unequal, even unfair, treatment enforced by government to get what they see as “fair” results. Liberals believe it is acceptable to unjustly take wealth (jobs, property, benefits) from some and give it to others.

The right stresses just laws and procedures. Conservatives insist that individuals be allowed to own, use, and dispose of personal property as they see fit. Their property  should be safe from seizure by neighbors or by government. Conservatives allow for  unequal, and possibly unfair results if they are based on just treatment.

Scripture reveals God’s view of justice and that view is promoted by Conservatives who believe the Bible reveals God’s will to man for our good. The Conservative view has been the foundation of Western civilization for millennia but it is being undermined today by Liberals who distort and/or dismiss God’s Word.

Deuteronomy 16:20 says, “Justice, justice, shall you pursue.” 

When a word is repeated in scripture, there is a reason. Let’s look at it. The Hebrew word repeated in this passage is “Tzedek.” It translates as ”justice” and “righteousness.”

One could therefore have translated the verse as “Righteous justice shall you pursue.”  Or “Just righteousness shall you pursue.”

Either way, the command is given by God that justice must be accomplished in the right way or it is not, in fact,  justice.  A pragmatic person or governmental policy is without a moral foundation when attempting to accomplish a “right thing” in a “wrong way.” If a desired outcome is obtained through illegitimate means, the outcome as well as the means is illegitimate. Someone was robbed of justice to help someone else receive an unjust benefit. Two wrongs– not right!

To be more precise, the Bible condemns the social engineering methods used by the Liberals and Progressives today. The Bible forbids meeting the needs of the poor by confiscating the wealth of those who inherited, created or earned it. To achieve a righteous end you must employ only righteous means.

The Deuteronomy passage is not isolated. Leviticus 19:15 says, ”You shall not commit a perversion of justice; you shall not favor the poor and you shall not honor the great; with righteousness (Tzedek) shall you judge your fellow.”

This passage covers both our natural temptation to favor the underdog, which feels like compassion, and our temptation to kowtow to the wealthy. Both are strictly forbidden as perversions of justice!

While the Bible in both Testaments demands that compassionate acts are required in dealing with widows, orphans and the poor; those acts are to be freely carried out by individuals and are never to be the result of coercion. Charity is to be freely given. Just justice is to be enforced by the courts. The courts may not enforce charity and deny justice to satisfy anyone’s faux compassion. The compassionate should show compassion from their own personal possessions and/or by their own personal labors. 

Since this is the clear teaching of scripture, why are so many divinity schools and pulpits filled with dogmatic liberal clergy who twist and contradict the Bible? This state of affairs is based on the anti-literalist interpretation of scripture in these institutions. They think that much of scripture is outdated and irrelevant and therefore does not speak to issues today; so, they alter, misinterpret or dismiss its teachings altogether.

This anti-literalism has led to pragmatism among liberals. And this pragmatism makes ”unjust justice” (legal favoritism) perfectly acceptable to them. In fact, they demand it and accuse conservatives of lacking compassion because conservatives believe in and practice ”just justice” and individual charity based on a literal interpretation of God’s Word.

In this era of Liberal Political Correctness, such topics are rarely discussed with openness and clarity. I trust this article will shed some light on the subject and God will open eyes to the truth that is clearly revealed in His Word for those whose eyes can see.

Let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream. Amos 5:24 NKJV

…for My salvation is near to come, and My righteousness to be revealed.  Isaiah 56:1  NKJV

Foolish Ideas About God

There seems to be no limit to the foolish ideas people will embrace in an attempt to escape accountability to God.

I was reading a blog about the many twisted ideas men have about what God is like. The blog was essentially saying we can't really know God. Of course, this claim ignores both natural revelation and special revelation (the Holy Bible). 

One comment in response to that blog included the following statement.

“There is no difference in claiming the universe always existed or God always existed...” He was saying no First Cause was needed.

My first thought was, "That's not true because the universe is showing signs of age and decay, whereas, God is eternal! But, not wanting to make a statement which would require extensive documentation, I decided to just leave it to God's quick and powerful word. So, I posted the following quotes and left it at that.

Romans 1:18-22,28,32

18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.

19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.

20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.

22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.

28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.

32 … Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, forbearing, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? Romans 2:4

Friends, we were not born into darkness, but into light. God created light before He created man for a reason. He wanted us to know the truth about our relationship with Him!

Adam and Eve opened their eyes for the very first time looking into the eyes of the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ who had just formed them and breathed into them the breath of life!

They had daily fellowship with Jesus in the Garden of Eden. He regularly came in a physical body and talked with them in the cool of the day. He taught them what they needed to know and He instructed them in the ways of righteousness.

Since they were without sin, the only restriction required of them was to avoid doing something that would break their relationship with God. And, as we know, that meant not eating from only one tree in their garden. Everything they needed for life, health and happiness had been amply provided for them.

They lived in the light of God's loving presence and provision. They had no questions unanswered. They had no needs unmet. They had no natural inclination to disobey God or to care about one tree out of so many. Nothing within them shunned the light. They were fulfilled.

That is, until a beautiful creature in the garden tempted them to question God's Word and God's goodness.

You know what happened. And foolish people have been questioning God's Word and God's Goodness ever since. 

You've heard the questions. You may even have questions. If so, I urge to to read the Bible for yourself. It is God's living Word. If you read it with an honest heart, an open mind and a seeking spirit. You will find Jesus speaking to your heart just as He spoke with Adam and Eve. He wants you to know Him.

There is no reason to have foolish ideas about God when you can know Him.

You might want to start with the Gospel of John.

If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. Jeremiah 29:13

May you know Him is my prayer for you!

For The Love of Words

After spending hours working on a Bible lesson to share with my web friends, my work was lost. It was gone because the HTML editing language can get messed up during the editing process and then it refuses to save a corrupted document and I don't know how to fix HTML problems. Anyway, I was disappointed about the lost post. However, all my time was not wasted because I am left with some of my notes in another file and the impact the study and preparation time had on me personally. And that's good. I'm always challenged and encouraged by spending time in God's Word, as I trust you are.

And, my refusal to quit writing because of such disappointments got me to thinking about how much I love words. I love to read words and I love to write words. I love to speak words and I love to hear words. And, it occurred to me that behind all of this love of words is The Word, Himself, Jesus Christ, The God Man who 'spoke' everything into existence. All of creation manifested as a result of spoken words! Pause and think about that. (As I've read elsewhere, "I'll wait."  :-) They were words spoken by The Most High, of course, but they were words. So, words are indeed foundational to our existence. And, I would add, to our present survival, as well as, to our future state of happiness.

And yet, as important as they are, we don't always recognize their value or their power. In fact, we often treat words with contempt. We avoid words, abuse words, corrupt words, parry words, parse words, twist words, sling words, waste words, etcetera. We may speak when silence would be more effective and we may remain silent when only appropriate words could bring resolve. We may use words to conceal our true selves and our actions rather than to reveal what ought to be shared. We may use words to dominate rather than to uplift, to slander rather than to defend, to hurt rather than to heal. And, if we do misuse words, as it says in Proverbs, it will be to our loss.

Just think about the Tower of Babel for a minute. They misused words! They called good, evil, and called evil, good. They thought preserving their unity as one people was more important than obedience to God's command. Everyone spoke the same language. They even shared the same dialect, used the same phrases and told the same stories. They were one people and had never been separated by any barrier that would cause them to differentiate by culture, class or color. And so, they understood each other and worked well together. And, that seemed good to them and sounds good to many today who favor a New World Order. However, their connections and similarities made them easily dominated by an ungodly leader and their great cooperation operated in opposition to God.

He had told them to separate into groups and fill the earth for their own good. God knows localised government is better in a sinful world, and He wanted to protect the common people from totalitarianism. So, when He came down to check out their defiant project and looked ahead in time to the results that would follow, out of mercy and grace, He chose to intervene on their behalf. And  God's solution was to change their languages so they could no longer understand one another. The confusion forced them to separate and fill the earth as previously commanded. And that separation has slowed totalitarianism's progress and preserved the world for thousands of years now saving many lives. (See how God's commandments are good and promote life. Don't you just love God's Word?) Yes, separation and lack of understanding sometimes saves life. If words will be misused, it's better not to use them at all. Go figure! Or Selah, if you like! 

Death and life [are] in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Proverbs 18:21 KJV  

This proverb is to be taken literally now and in the hereafter. For example, a false witness may lead a judge or a jury to condemn an innocent person to death. Or a liar may stir up a mob to take justice into their own hands. It could be you in the jury box or among the mob or in the dock. If not in this life, you will certainly be in the dock later, as will we all, according to our next scripture. 

"But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." Matt 12:36-37

This may not be the cheeriest subject, but it's timely. We live, as Isaiah did, "among a people of unclean lips." If he did, you know we do today. Besides personal interactions we can't control, the electronic media fills the airwaves with the product of unclean lips, making profanity and all other forms of ungodly speech very difficult to avoid. I am particularly distressed by the disrespectful use of references to God in our world today-- especially among Christians. The prophet, himself, admitted that he was "a man of unclean lips" before the angel cleansed his lips with a burning coal from the altar. So, it's obvious that the sin nature and society both play a role in polluting our hearts. However, we have a precious promise to cling to in faith and obedience that will preserve us even in the midst of a perverse generation. It says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9 KJV) Notice the solution involves words. We must confess our sins to be cleansed. And then, God promises to purify us from everything that's not right about us. Praise God!

We can't live without words-- especially The Word! And, as I said before, I love words! So, it's simply imperative that we use words righteously as Paul says in Ephesians. Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. (4:29)

I hope this word has and will encourage you to become more consciously aware of the quality of thoughts allowed in your mind and the impact of the words allowed to flow from your lips, or even from your pen. May all your words minister life to you and to those who receive them!