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Thoughts Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Pablo Heimplatz on Unsplash Psalm 108 David begins this psalm with a declaration: I am determined, O God! I will sing and praise you with my whole heart. Many years ago I read the book "Experiencing God" by Henry Blackaby. It changed my life. Truly. In this book, the author made this point: Decide in advance that no matter what God asks you to do, your answer will be YES. That's an easy decision if you trust God and believe that He will only ask you to do something that will ultimately be good for you, and will further His kingdom.  Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God, Revised and Expanded By Henry & Richard Blackaby, Claude King / B&H Books The modern classic that has helped millions worldwide experience the height, depth, and breadth of God's love is now even better! With over 70 percent revised material, this expanded edition features a new personal introduction by Henry, updated stories and examples, a clearly outlined plan of salvatio

Thoughts Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Jene Yeo on Unsplash These chapters are the finale of David's life.  David's Heart David wanted to build the Temple, but God told him that since he had been a man of war and had spilled blood, he would not be the one to build it. That would be for his son, Solomon. Instead of allowing David to build the Temple, God told David that He (God) would build an everlasting house for David. There would be a descendant of David on the throne forever. David's Last Passion But God did allow David to make the preparations to build it, and this David did with all of his heart. He gathered gold, silver, bronze, wood, onyx and a variety of other stones, and marble. And he arranged for all the craftsmen that would do the work In addition, David gave the plans for building the Temple to Solomon. So in today's parlance, you might say that David was a sort of General Contractor. Not exactly, but you get the idea. The point is, God allowed David to do everything but actually

Thoughts Design: Steve Webb | Photo of hyssop: Robert Bottman on Unsplash Chapter 17 In Numbers 17 God was going to show the people of Israel who He had chosen as their priest. There had already been murmurings and rebellions, and God confirmed to them that Moses was His choice. Here in chapter 17, He was going to use this demonstration to show them a final time who His choice was.  Translations Matter And according to the translation we read today (GNT) he said, "In this way I will put a stop to the constant complaining of these Israelites against you." Many of the modern translations use words to this effect. But some of the better translations say it like the HCSB renders it: "...and I will rid Myself of the Israelites’ complaints that they have been making about you." Do you see the difference? In the modern translation, God says, "I'll put a stop to the the constant complaining..." In the more accurate translation, God says, "I will rid Myself of the complaints." Enough Is Enough

Thoughts Design and Photo: Steve Webb. Trimming the jacaranda tree in 2016. It's four years bigger now. Ugh. I'm Getting Too Old For This I’ve been doing some pretty strenuous work around the old homestead over the last couple of days, like pruning an almost 40 foot jacaranda tree…by myself. When I was younger, I would recover pretty quickly. Now at my age, not so much. I'm thinking that perhaps I’ll hire someone next time. So anyway, after I finish this episode, I’m going to lay down. On To Titus After Paul’s salutation in the first chapter, he tells Titus what he should be looking for in men who would be leaders in the church there in Crete. It was important to get men of integrity who were above reproach because there were some in their midst who were causing trouble. Especially (in Paul’s words) “those of the circumcision”. These were supposed converted Jews. But they were legalistically holding on to, and telling others that they should as well, the Jewish traditions, and doing this fo

Thoughts Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Mister M on Unsplash John 13 - A New Commandment Remember when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was? Do you remember His answer? He quoted from Deuteronomy 6, which we also read today: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Did you notice the new commandment that Jesus gave the disciples in John 13 today? He said,"And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." How is this different than "You shall love your neighbor as yourself"? It is different in a very fundamental way.  There is a difference between “my neighbor” and “other believers.” My neighbor means  non-believers as well as believers. It really means anyone I come in contact with. There’s a rea

Thoughts Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Richard Burlton on Unsplash In studying this book, I came upon a commentary by the 19th century English preacher, Joseph Parker. This man was known as a great orator, so I know I won’t do him justice in quoting him, but these are his words in regards to the prophet Joel:  “We need a Joel today. For his wages we would award him starvation. He would not live in king’s houses. There is nothing today in Church or state that does not need pulling to pieces, cross examination, analysis, that all that is good therein…and there is much good…may be brought into new cohesion, and set to new and fuller uses. Men are bribing men, and then going to the Sunday school; many are saying, “If you will get this property on these terms through my hands it will be on the understanding that…” and the all but silent reply is…”That will, of course, be understood.” And then they go to church! If some Joel were to come he would be starved, he must be starved. No one ever came to do Messian

Thoughts You should want a good name more than you want great riches. To be highly respected is better than having silver or gold.Proverbs 22:1 NIRV Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Jingming Pan on Unsplash My wife, the Lovely Lady LeeAnn, doesn't like it when I broach this subject, but Proverbs 22:1 brought it to mind, so I must.  Tick Tock I'm at the age where I sometimes think about how I will be remembered when I'm no longer around. At 66 years old, I think I have eased out of middle age. Wouldn't you agree? As a matter of fact, at this point I have lived longer my biological father, and three of his four brothers. The paternal side of my family didn't live long lives. My mother's side of the family mostly lived into their 80's and 90's, so it's anybody's guess what the chances are that I'll live to be an old man. I tease about being old now, but 66 really isn't considered to be old like it was in past generations. What Will They Remember? But I do think about how I'll be remembered. One t

Thoughts Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Benjamin Davies on Unsplash Chapter 106 opens with a call to praise the Lord and give thanks because He is good and His loyal love endures. In fact, the first five verses are a joy to read. We're sort of saying, "Yes! Amen!" along with the author. And then at verse seven things take a darker tone. The author confesses that we have sinned like our ancestors. There is talk of sin and judgement, betrayal and anger. Deliverance and forgetfulness.  And then, in the second to the last verse, the writer pleads for God to deliver us. He promises to give thanks and tell of God's marvelous deeds. And the last verse proclaims that the Lord God of Israel deserves praise forever, and urges everyone to say, "We agree! Praise the Lord!". He Is Worthy! What I make of this is that even in the midst of judgement and pain, God is worthy of praise. Why? Because, as it says in the very first verse, "His loyal love endures forever." Judgement and anger don't come because God n

Thoughts Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Toa Heftiba on Unsplash Then the angel of the Lord spoke to Gad. He said, “Tell David to build an altar to worship the Lord. David must build that altar near the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”1 Chronicles 21:18 ERV David went against the word of the Lord and ordered a census of the Israelites, which angered the Lord, and He punished Israel. David repented, and asked God to forgive him. God told David's seer, Gad, that David must choose between three punishments, and David chose to put himself in God's hands, instead of man's. In the midst of the punishment, which brought a sickness on the people of Israel in which 70,000 died, God stayed the hand of the angel which He had sent to destroy Jerusalem. At this point, the angel of the Lord was standing at the threshing floor of Araunah (Ornan in other translations) the Jebusite. David saw the angel, and he asked God to punish him and his family and not the people, because it was he (David) who had sinn

Thoughts Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Lindsay Moe on Unsplash Stubborn Israel Stubborn, stubborn, stubborn. Korah leads a rebellion against Moses and Aaron, and God causes the ground to swallow up all those associated with him. And the people saw and knew that it was the Lord who did it, and that the Lord was confirming that Moses was his chosen leader for them. But the *very next day* the entire nation of Israel came against Moses and Aaron again! saying they "killed the people of the Lord." Hello? Were you not listening? So once again God was prepared to wipe them all out with a plague. But Moses, with a pastor's heart, told Aaron to quickly prepare a sacrifice for the people, and they stopped the plague before it killed everyone.  My friend, we are so much like the people of Israel. How many times have we seen God's will, either through God's word, a message from the pastor, or just God speaking to us through the Holy Spirit, and then we, in our rebellion, go the opposite way. Multiple times. An

Thoughts Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Thought Catalog on Unsplash In the beginning of chapter 3, Paul said that the last days would be difficult because of how evil people will be, and he listed some of the characteristics they would have. Here’s the list again: For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power. 2 Timothy 3:2-5 And in verse 13 he said, But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.2 Timothy 3:13 Character On Display Social media is a two edged sword. On one hand, it allows us to stay in contact with friends and family, and to make new virtual friends. But on the other hand, it allows pretty much anybody with a computer t

Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Tim Foster on Unsplash Thoughts At the same time that Jesus did those signs, many of the Jewish leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees, they would not openly admit they believed. They were afraid they would be thrown out of the synagogue. They loved praise from people more than praise from God.John 12: 42-43 NIRV Beloved, do not be like these weak believers. What good is it to have a weak faith like this? What happens when the tempests come? What happens when those around you laugh at the faith of strong believers? Where will you go to gather resolve? Will it be easier or harder to stand for Christ when believing in Him costs you something...or when you let others denigrate Him so many times before?  Who cares about praise from people? The moment you utter a word they don't like, they cancel you, they desert you. What will their praise do for you in eternity? It will be forgotten and worthless. Jesus says, "I am with you always..." He will never leave

Thoughts Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Sven Finger on Unsplash As Hosea ends, God pleads one last time for Israel to return to Him. And with that plea comes a promise. God promises to forgive them and love them with a boundless love. And then He gives several examples of how He will lavish them with gifts. He is a loving God, and He is worthy of praise, don’t you think? When Jesus said to forgive 70 times 7, He was speaking from experience, wasn’t He? Today's Bible Translation Bible translation used in today's episode: Ch. 8-14 NLT Support Please remember that this is a listener supported show. Your support of any amount is needed and very much appreciated. Find out how by clicking here. When you buy through links on this site, we may earn an affiliate commission, and you will earn our gratitude.

Thoughts Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Jos Speetjens on Unsplash Whose Direction? Proverbs 20:24 says, “Man's steps are ordained by the Lord, How then can man understand his way?” That last part is better translated, “How can a man understand his own way?” It’s true. Our lives are in God’s hand. He knows where He wants us and what He wants us to do and be. We sometimes think we are planning and running our lives. And to a certain extent we are, since we do have the freedom to choose. But God’s ultimate, overarching plan for creation will be accomplished. Doesn’t it seem foolish to think that we can challenge God? Doesn’t it seem wiser to acknowledge His lordship and follow Him one step at a time, and allow ourselves to be in harmony with His plan? If our plan is in conflict with His, all our planning will be for nothing. I would much rather give myself to Him and have the assurance that my life will have meant something when I stand before Him at the judgement. My ultimate goal is to he

Thoughts Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Steve Webb As I'm recording this, it is Tuesday morning. My wife, the Lovely Lady LeeAnn is off work today, and she found an article in a magazine about some of the most beautiful scenic drives here in southern California. I have to say, with all the problems California has right now, this is still a beautiful place to live. So as soon as I have this show posted for you to hear tomorrow, we are going for a drive. I'm not sure which drive we will take. One of the drives takes us to a place high above Malibu that overlooks some beautiful beaches and the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island. Another has a 360 degree view of the Los Angeles Basin and San Fernando Valley, and still another has a view of Hollywood and beyond. I don't know which drive we'll take, but I'm leaning toward the ocean views.  Psalm 104 today really put me in the mood to see some of the beauty that God created. When I was a young man, I did quite a lot of hiking and backpacking. One of the grea

Thoughts It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Ben White on Unsplash In chapter 17, David looked at the palace he had built for himself and thought, "I should build an appropriate place for the ark of the covenant." Seems like a good and noble thing to do, right? The prophet Nathan thought so, so he told David to go ahead with the project. But God spoke to Nathan that night, telling him that he had not asked for a house, and it was not David who would build one for him. I like what Charles Spurgeon said:  “Though the Lord refused to David the realization of his wish, he did it in a most gracious manner. He did not put the idea away from him in anger or disdain, as though David had cherished an unworthy desire; but he honored his servant even in the non-acceptance of his offer.” Charles Haddon Spurgeon How To Please God Beloved, when we ask to do something for God from a pure and loving heart, I believe He is pleased. Even our best efforts and greatest gifts to Hi

Thoughts Beloved, I want to go back to chapter 6 and the blessing with which God told Moses to have Aaron and his sons bless the children of Israel. God said, “…this is what they should say.” Notice that God gave them the words to say. He didn’t leave it up to their discretion. This blessing is directly from God.  The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.Numbers 6:24-26 ERV Shall we break this down? The Lord bless you God wants to bless His people. He wants the best, at all times, for His people.  and keep you Can you think of a better place to be than to be kept by God? The giver and sustainer of life? Remember, these words are from God Himself. This is not just a nice wish, beloved.  The Lord make His face shine on you Some translations say “smile on you”. But for God’s face to shine on us, I think, goes beyond a smile. I think it denotes a warmth, a well-pleased and satisf

Thoughts Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Steve Webb Coincidence? I Think Not When writing my comments for the day’s reading, I don’t look at the following day’s reading. I just take them one day at a time. So when I read today’s chapters, I was somewhat amused, because Paul is writing from prison. Why is he in prison? Because he would not stop preaching the Gospel. Yes, those in power were making their attempt at cancelling him. Pretty effective, right? They totally silenced him, didn’t they. Except here we are about 2,000 years later discussing him! So much for being cancelled. What's It All About? Let’s talk a little about 2 Timothy. You will recall that Paul considered Timothy his son in the faith. It was he that brought the Gospel to Timothy and introduced him to Jesus. And now, as Paul is in prison and unsure of his future, he has some final words of advice. Since he is in prison because of his faith, foremost in his mind is to encourage Timothy to be unashamed of the Lord. Paul’s messag

Thoughts Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Sasha Yudaev on Unsplash But no one had the courage to speak favorably about him in public, for they were afraid of getting in trouble with the Jewish leaders.John 7:13 NLT Many among the crowds at the Temple believed in him. “After all,” they said, “would you expect the Messiah to do more miraculous signs than this man has done?” When the Pharisees heard that the crowds were whispering such things, they and the leading priests sent Temple guards to arrest Jesus.John 7:31-32 NLT So the crowd was divided about him. Some even wanted him arrested...John 7:43-44 NLT They asked his parents, “Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? Why can he see now?”His parents replied, “We know that he’s our son and that he was born blind. But we don’t know how he got his sight or who gave it to him. You’ll have to ask him. He’s old enough to answer for himself.” (His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews. The Jews had already agreed to put anyone who