Archive OT

In the beginning

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1 KJV)

This is where the Bible begins,

This is where Life begins,

This must also be...
Where Our Faith Begins...

Scrolls from the Soul (B1)

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Emotional Gardens
I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: (Ecclesiastes 2:4-6)

Solomon wanted a place that was peaceful…
This was also where his passions for God’s creations ran the deepest…

Even today walking through a beautiful garden can tap into our most passionate feelings…

And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. (Genesis 2:15)

Watching a garden grow creates it’s own set of emotions…

The anticipation of:
Seeing that first leaf…
Watching that first bloom…
Tasting that first fruit…
How many people today have never, ever experienced this...?

God could have created plants that just had an endless supply of and fruit…
Then again, where would be the joy in that...?

Scrolls from the Soul
4/22/17

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Who is God?
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)
God is more intelligent and creative than we can possibly imagine…

I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. (Exodus 20:1)
God is so powerful that no enemy can stand against Him…

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. (Psalms 23:1)
God is there to guide us safely through every day of our life, no matter how bad or good they may be…

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. (Matthew 6:9)
God is so pure and so holy that the mere mention of his name should bring every men, women and child to their knees…

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Above all God's love for us has no boundaries...
Scrolls from the Soul
5/16/14

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The Unborn Child
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.... Genesis 1:1

A man once said to me that describing life in heaven to someone is like describing life on earth to an unborn child...
And I Thought about that

Is it possible to describe...
The waves crashing upon the sandy shore to someone floating in a seemingly endless sea...

Is it possible to describe...
The glory of the sun setting among the clouds to someone locked in a world of darkness...

Is it possible to describe...
The sound of birds singing to the rising sun to someone who only hears a softly beating heart...

Is it possible to describe...
The peace this child will find in a mother’s loving arms...

Then how:

Is it possible to describe...
Everlasting life to someone who finds a new gray hair with every look into the mirror...

Is it possible to describe...
A shining city of gold to someone locked in a smoke filled world of bricks and steel...

Is it possible to describe...
The singing voices of angels to someone who only hears the grumbling words of men...

Is it possible to describe...
The joy we will find in the loving arms of God....

Scrolls from the Soul
1996 (B1)(cd1)
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Back to the Beginning
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1)

Every now and again it is a good idea to go back to the beginning and take a fresh look…

This is the most important verse in the entire Bible…
We must accept this on faith alone…

If not, we might as well close the book and put it on the shelf…

If we doubt a single word here, we will be free to doubt any and every word that follows…

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. (Revelation 22:18-19)

Scrolls from the Soul
4/25/15

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Think About It
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

We all look forward to going on vacation…
We get excited about going to beautiful places like Hawaii or the Swiss Alps…

We can find it difficult to build up those same feeling about going to Heaven…
There are no travel brochures and we do not know anyone that has ever been there…

Remember, God has created every exciting place on earth…
Is it possible that he has saved the best for last…?

Think about it...!

Scrolls from the Soul
8/10/17

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God’s Trips to Earth
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:2)
This was God’s first trip to Earth, but it was not his last…

He stopped by to give Noah a small project…
Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. (Genesis 6:14)

He dropped in to have a chat with Moses…
And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you. (Exodus 3:14)

He came by to make an introduction…
And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:17)

He even opened the Gates of Heaven to give John a sneak peak…
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. (Revelation 21:5)

Oh, and by the way, He has another trip planned…
And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, (Revelation 4:8-9)

For some of us this will be the most joyful moment we will ever know…

Scrolls from the Soul
4/25/15

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And the Spirit Moved
(Genesis 1:2-3)
And the earth was without form...
How many of our dream have refuses to take shape...

And void...
How many times have we reached out our hands to drawn back nothing but emptiness?

And darkness was upon the face of the deep...
How many long dark nights have we spent fearing what was to come?

And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters...
Have we ever had a dream that God has not known, a fear He has not felt or an emptiness He has not longed to fill.

And God said, let there be light and there was light...
The earth had no choice but to accept what God has commanded.
As for us, we must choose to live in the darkness or the light...

    Scrolls from the Soul
     2/14

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Facing the Dark
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. (Genesis 1:3-5)

Have you ever experienced total darkness…?
So dark, that you can not see your hand right in front of your face…

Take it from me, this is very cool…
For the first two minutes…
As fear begins to close in all around us…
Panic soon follows…

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12 )

Our soul can be just as dark…
This kind of darkness is just as terrifying and a light switch is not going to help…
Despair and hopelessness soon follows…

We have all heard that turning our lives over to Christ can lift us out of darkness…

This is a two-step process…
First
We must have faith enough to truly believe God can remove all of the sin and despair…

Second
We must willingly give up our sins…
It sounds simple enough, except for one thing...
We tend to have this overwhelming need to make things right...

The Bible tells us over and over again that our sins can be forgiven...
The slate can be wiped clean...
So, is it pride or guilt that holds us back...?

This is yet another leap of faith...
If we pray and truly ask God to forgive our sins He will...
To finish the process we must believe that He did...

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: (Isaiah 1:18-20)

Foot Note: This is Isaiah...

                                                                                                Scrolls from the Soul
  4/28/15 (B1)

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Risen from the Darkness
And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:11-12)

As we leave winter behind and head in to spring the whole world comes back to life once again…

If anyone ever doubted that God is alive and well all they need to do is step out the front door and see God’s creation for themselves…

For months the ground has been covered with snow and ice…

From out of the dark cold ground come, snowdrops and daffodils and lilies as if being risen from the dead…

He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. (Matthew 28:6)

From a cold dark tomb God has risen the most beautiful flower the world has ever seen…
Scrolls from the Soul
4/5/15

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What’s for Supper?
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.  And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. (Genesis 1:29-30)

In the beginning we were all vegetarians…
Not just Adam and Eve but every single animal on earth…

And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; (Genesis 3:17-18)

Even after they were thrown out of Eden every man, woman and child still lived on fruits and nuts…
They just had to work harder to get them…

And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
(Genesis 9:2-3)

The great flood is over and all of a sudden every living thing on earth fears us…
All the elegance and grace are gone…

They have been replaced by fear and death…

  Scrolls from the Soul
1/15/16
(For the record I am not a vegetarian)

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Credit He Deserves

And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day (Genesis 1:31 KJV)

For years scientist have been trying to convince us that our planet took a very long time to evolve.

It took millions of years…
For all these rocks in space to crash into each other…

It took millions of years more…
For all of these rocks to cool off enough for life to begin…

And even more millions of years…
For us to become smart enough to figure this out…

Scientists have never been able to explain where all these rocks came from in the first place.

So now we have the “Big Bang” theory which says there was nothing and then suddenly there was everything...

Well… they are getting closer…
They just need to give God the credit He deserves.

Scrolls from the Soul
2/14 (B1)(cd1)

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Time for a Nap
And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.( Genesis 2:2-3)

We have all but forgotten just how important rest is…
Not only for the body but the mind as well…

In the beginning rest was more straightforward…
When the sun was up people worked when it set they rested…

Now we are not only able to be active more hours of the day...
It is demanded of us…

When we are tired our resistance to so many things drops…
Sickness, stress, angry and depression are often contributed to lack of sleep…

This list also includes a lower resistance to temptation…
Satan can and does take full advantage of this…

Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: (Proverbs 24: 32-33)

When a three year old gets cranky we say “It is time for a Nap”…
Maybe it is time for us to take a few more naps...

Scrolls from the Soul
6/8/17

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It Will Be Perfect
And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. (Genesis 2:5-6)

Most of us have all wished at one time or another that it would just rain at night and be sunny all day…
God had taken it one step farther, it never rained at all…

And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. (Genesis 2:8)
Think about it, every kind of fruit we could ever want right at our fingertips…

God had created a perfect world for us to live on…
One day we will join God in heaven…

It may not be just like Eden…
But it will be totally perfect…
Scrolls from the Soul
1/8/16

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Must Have Been Heaven
And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. (Genesis 2:5-6)

There is an old saying:
If you water it and it dies it is a plant, if you pull out and it comes back it is a weed…
I can not imagine what it would be like to have a yard without any weeds…

There were no weeds in the Garden of Eden and there will be none in Heaven…
Eden was considered a paradise, Heaven will be considered… well… Heaven…

Scrolls from the Soul
6/7/16

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A Living Soul
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)

There has been a lot of talk over the years about something called the singularity…
This is the point where our brain becomes merged with the computer…
Many people believe this is the point where we become immortal…

Just what happens to our soul…?
Are we really nothing more than a collection of 1’s and 0’s…?
Are emotions just simple calculations…?

We know the body dies…
We know the brain dies…
We also know that computers die…

So how can this singularity be a grantee of immortality…?

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. (John 6:47)

God created the living soul…
He is the only one that can give it immortality…

Scrolls from the Soul
6/4/17(cd1)

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Just Because

And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed (Genesis 2:8)

Have you ever gazed out into the morning mist to find a soft white rose waiting for you? Had you looked closer you may have found a note that said:
  “Just because I love you”

Have you ever walked along a dusty trail to find a babbling brook winding across your path? Had you looked closer you may have found a note that said:
  “Just because I love you”

Have you ever closed your eyes and rested under a tree during the heat of the day? Had you looked closer you may have found a note that said:
   “Just because I love you”

God leaves many little gifts for us to find each day, for no other reason than to say:
  "Just because I love you"

Scrolls from the Soul     2/14

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East of Eden
And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 2:8-9)

Today was a perfect day to be outside…
I spent several hours working in the flowerbeds around the house…

Blooming all around me there were Daffodils, Tulips and Dandelions …
Suddenly it dawned on me…
There was one of God’s greatest creations everywhere I looked…

It was an endless array of… Colors…

Scrolls from the Soul
4/16/17 (cd1)

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Perfectly Alone
And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. (Genesis 2:18)

There was a time when being sent to your room was a punishment…
The idea was you sat on the edge of your bed all by yourself…

Now every teenager’s bedroom is like their own personal air traffic control tower…
TV screens flashing, phones ringing and button lighting up everywhere…

And yet these children are more alone then we ever were…

The perfect punishment might be to send them to their room…
And turn off the circuit breakers…

This just might force them to reconnect with living breathing people…

Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?
      (Ecclesiastes 4:11)


Scrolls from the Soul
  9/16/15

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My Father’s Amazing Gift
And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
(Genesis 2:19)

My father had an amazing way with animals…

I remember seeing a picture of him as a teenager with a live fox draped across his shoulders…

I remember seeing him walking around the house with a baby bunny living in his shirt pocket…

I remember seeing him working on the truck with a raccoon playing with his tools…

I remember my sister telling me about the family of skunks that would follow him into the house…

I remember my brother telling me how he would grab the bull by the horns and wrestle with it like a child wrestling with a puppy…

There is one I remember the most…

I had come to visit my father and while I was rototilling garden he started waving his hands…

He pointed behind me and there was a five point buck standing within arm’s reach…

It was clear that God had given my father an amazing gift…
I truly believe this is the way God meant our life to be…

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. (Isaiah 11:5-7)

Scrolls from the Soul
4/27/18

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That Wide Eyed Child
And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. (Genesis 2:19-20)

God came down to show Adam every animal on earth…
This is like a father showing a child his first picture book…
Or…
Taking him to the zoo for the very first time…

God let Adam name all of the animals…
For God this was like watching his child taking his first step...
Or...
Saying his first word…

This is the kind of relationship God wants to have with each and every one of us…

God wants to hold our hand as we explore His creations…
Just like that Wide Eyed Child…
Scrolls from the Soul
7/4/15 (B1)

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How Far Away
The other day a close friend told me there was a new phrase being used in some churches...
Physical Distancing...

I began asking myself this question: Just how far away is God...?

And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: (Genesis 3: 8)

In Eden he was so close that Adam and Eve could hear him walking in the garden...

And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. (Exodus 19:16-17)

In the desert God was only a mountain top away...

And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering vail, and cover the ark of testimony with it: (Numbers 4:5)

In the tabernacle God was just beyond the vail...

When we pray how far away is God...?
Do we envision God sitting on His throne in heaven listening...?

Just how far away is Heaven...
Somewhere far beyond the stars, or is it no more than a single breath away...?

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (Luke 11:9-10)

No matter where we are God is never farther away, than a knock on His door...

Scrolls from the Soul
10/10/2020
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Can Any Hide?
And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. (Genesis 3:9-10)

Adam and Eve tried to hide their sins from God…

  And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. (Genesis 4:9-10)

And Cain tried to hide his sin from God…

Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 23:24)

We may know that we can not keep our sins hidden from God...
But, that does not keep us from trying...

Would it not be easy to just confess our sins and be done with them...?

                                                                                                Scrolls from the Soul
  1/10/16 (B1)

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A Choice

And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.  And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
(Genesis 3: 12-13 KJV)

The problem with having freewill is that we are responsible for our own choices…

Eve tried to blame the serpent…

Adam not only tried to blame Eve, he also tried to blame God…

In the end they both ate the fruit of their own freewill…

                                                                                                Scrolls from the Soul
  2/14 (B1)

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A Mother's Love
  And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living... (Genesis 3:28)

A child's tiny hands may someday pitch a record fastball...
first they will reach out to feel the gentleness of a mother's touch...

A child's wondering eyes may one day unlock the mysteries of the universe...
first they will search for the joy in a mother's smile…

A child's tiny lips may someday speak of world peace...
first they will whisper the words "I love you, Mommy"...

A child may become anything in this world but to be truly happy they must first have a mother's love...

    Scrolls from the Soul
   2/14 (B1)(cd1)

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Trumped by Anger

And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.   (Genesis 4: 7-8 KJV)

Cain’s offering was refused by God…
God offered him a way to repent and be forgiven…

Instead, in a rage he went out and killed an innocent man…
Anger trumped Cain’s judgment thousands of years ago…

And anger is still a powerful force in our lives today…
How often are we trumped by anger?

                                                                                    Scrolls from the Soul
  3/4/14

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It Is The Ark
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. (Genesis 6:5-6)

This showed what happens when free will runs a muck…

To grieve, means that we feel a deep sense of loss…
This kind of pain runs very deep and can last a life time…

God looks down on the earth and just shakes His head and maybe He even sheds a tear…

And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. (Genesis 6:7)

Why would God want to destroy all the animals on Earth…?
God is not only sad, He is also very angry…

When we are emotionally hurt by the people we deeply care about we often
want to wipe the slate clean and start all over again…
In my case I moved 2500 miles away and cut all ties with everyone I knew…

So why did God have Noah build the ark…?
Why not just destroy everything and start from scratch…?

Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.    (Psalm 106:1)

God wants us to understand that no matter how bad things get there will always be hope…

When we think of the flood it is not the water that comes to mind…

It is the Rainbow that gives us reassurance…
It is the Ark… That gives us Hope…

  Scrolls from the Soul
   12/31/15

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Death of My Children
And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bow shot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept. (Genesis 21:15-16)

My mother gave birth to six children…
The third child lived less than twelve hour…

Her fifth child was born with Cystic Fibrosis and was taken from her bit by bit over the next thirty five years…

She is now watching her youngest child suffer the wrath of lung and brain cancer…

Just the other day for the first time I heard her say “It is not right that my children are passing away before me”…

Thus saith the Lord; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not (Jeremiah 31:15)

The death of a child creates a Sadness that lasts a lifetime…

Scrolls from the Soul
11/7/15

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What on Earth
And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.   And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.  And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?  And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.    (Genesis 25: 30-34 )

Jacob did not trick Esau out of his birthright. Esau knew exactly what he was giving up when he made this deal…

In the end Esau was not angry at Jacob. He was angry at himself for making such a foolish decision…

Still, we have to admirer Esau for one thing, he was a man of his word…

Every day we are faced with decision that will effect the rest of our lives…

Stop and think carefully... We do not want to look back and say…

What on Earth Was I Thinking…!

      Scrolls from the Soul
  2/14

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Another’s Sin
And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father's house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods? (Genesis 31:30)

Jacob has completed his 14 years of service to Laban so he packed up and left…
Laban has discovered that a number of his “gods” (golden idles) are missing…

With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live: before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them.(Genesis 30:32)

Jacob honestly does not know that Rachel has stolen them…
So, Rachel has sinned against Laban and Jacob…

And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me? (Genesis 30:36)

Jacob is innocent; however Laban is also correct…
As far as we know these “gods” were never returned to Laban…
Because of this Jacob was never able to prove his innocence…

Today we call this guilt by association…
We can not ask God for forgiveness because we did not sin…

But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matthew 6:15)

This person has trespassed against us…
They have stolen our innocence…
Forgiving them is really our only choice…

The power of forgiveness is an amazing thing…
It does not matter if we know "who" we are forgiving the burden on us is lifted...
Being right with God will bring a peace that no one can steal away…

                                                                                                Scrolls from the Soul
    5/11/15 (B1)

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Boys Will Be Boys

These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. (Genesis 37:2)

Joseph was a tattletale…

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours (Genesis 37:3 )

And he was dad’s favorite…

And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. (Genesis 37:4)

His brothers were really angry…

And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more. (Genesis 37:5)

Let’s add some more fuel to the fire …

And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content. (Genesis 37:26-27 KJV)

Very well, problem solved…

In the many years that followed none of the brothers ever told their father the truth…

So who suffered the most? Joseph or Jacob?

Scroll from the Soul
4/4/14 (B1)

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School of Hard Knocks
These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. (Genesis 37:2 )

Yes, there were teenagers causing trouble even in the Old Testament...

At 17 Joseph had a lot to learn before he could help Egypt survive a seven year famine...

His brothers start things off by selling Joseph into slavery…

Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content. (Genesis 37:27)

Joseph’s master was impressed…

And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field. (Genesis 39:5 )

Joseph learns how to run a house, do budgets, order supplies, deal with servants and organize events...

Then another bump in the road…

And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled.  And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.
(Genesis 39: 19 & 20 )

Even here God has a plan for Joseph…

But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. (Genesis 39:21 )

Now Joseph gets to learn how to work with people who are not always willing to cooperate…
This lesson would be very useful when working with people being asked to give up more of their crops during the good years…

God spent years getting Joseph ready in the School of Hard Knocks…

Not one single person in the whole Bible went through life without a few bruises along the way…

What lessons have we learned in God’s school of Hard Knocks…

Scrolls from the Soul
  6/2/14

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Forbidden Love
Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.  And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. (Genesis 45:1&2)

At this time Joseph is the second most powerful man in all of Egypt…

Joseph wept so loud that the whole house of Pharaoh could hear him…

Joseph was showing his brothers how much he still loved them…

Imagine what would happen if the Vise President of the United State did something like this…?

Emotions are just as much a part of every man, women and child on earth today…

We are expected to “Keep a Lid” on our emotions…

So, just when did the showing of our love to the world become… forbidden…?

  Scrolls from the Soul
  7/19/14

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Still Angry
And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.   (Genesis 45:4-5)

Joseph was seventeen years old when his brothers sold him…
He is now forty two years old …

Many things happen in those twenty five years…
Joseph met many people, some good some not so good…

He had every right to be angry…
Instead of lashing out at his brothers he said this was God’s plan for him…

As we look back over our lives how many people are we still angry at…?
The question we should be asking is…

Do we have enough faith to thank God for each and every one of those people…?
   Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                10/13/15

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Immersed In Them
Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: (Genesis 49:25)

I spend so much time waiting for blessings to arrive…
I tend to forget…
I am always immersed in them…

Scrolls from the Soul
1/15/17

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Night After Night
And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. (Genesis 50:15)

Joseph’s brothers are afraid that with their father's death there is no one to stop him from taking revenge for what they did to him…

And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. (Genesis 50:16-17)

They sent a messenger to tell Joseph that their father asked him to forgive them…

So why is Joseph weeping…?
It is almost like Joseph was completely caught off guard by this…
His brothers had totally missed the point…

Joseph had forgiven them long ago…

And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. (Genesis 50:18-20)

Satan had used the brother’s Guilt and Fear to blind them from the truth…
How many tortured and sleepless nights there must have been…?

Scrolls from the Soul
5/5/15

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The Unknown Factor
But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. (Genesis 50:20)

We often ask; “Why do bad things happen to good people”…?

Our whole lives we interact with people who have done bad things…

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)

We must be honest…
We are all sinners, which means we have also done bad things…

As Newton once said “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”...

Even a brief encounter with someone can have a lasting effect that we may never see…
Good or Bad...

This effect could be on them...
However, it could also be on us...

This is “The Unknown Factor”…

Scrolls from the Soul
8/19/15

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Run to it or From it
And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. (Exodus 3:2-3)

Moses lived with fire every day of his life…
He cooked with it, warmed his body with it and used it to light up the night…

When seeing the burning bush from a long way off he knew this fire was unlike anything he had ever seen…

And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. (Exodus 3:4)

There is a saying…
Some people run away from a burning building and some run in to it…

Moses could have just turned his sheep around and never looked back…
Instead he was drawn to it…

When he heard the voice he knew it was the voice of God...
Now he is afraid…

God sometimes asks us to do things way outside our comfort zone…
When this happens we must decide to run to it or from it…?

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. (James 1:3-4)

Being brave and having patience…
That is a lot to ask…

There was no doubt God was with Moses all the way…
Remember, Moses was the messenger, God did everything else…

We can trust that God will do the same for us…

Scrolls from the Soul
11/20/14

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Seeing the Light
And the Lord spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me. (Exodus 8:8)

It has long been said: God will sometimes put us on our back so that we will be forced to look up…

We want to believe that God would never cause us to suffer…however…

God sent wave after wave of plagues against Egypt and Pharaoh still would not accept that God was real… (I wonder if Pharaoh himself suffered from boils…)

Some people say that kind of thing only happened in the Old Testament…
Not so fast…

And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? (Acts 9:3-4)

God blinded Saul…
Unlike Pharaoh, Saul actually did see the light and accepted that God was real…

This may seem harsh, but…
And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: (Exodus 32:9)

Of course we would never be like that…
Just what will it take for us to accept that God is real…?
Scrolls from the Soul
8/3/15

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Stand Still and Know

And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. (Exodus 14:13)

For a moment Moses stood at the edge of the Red Sea as the thunder of horses and chariots closed in around him...

Suddenly, the air was filled with the roar of the fiery pillar, the rush of the mighty wind and the crash of waves as the sea parted before him...

As the sea caved in behind the children of God the sound of the splintering wood mixed with the horrified screams of horses and men...

Finally, all was calm. The only sound that could be heard was the beating of each man's heart.

It was then... in that moment of deafening silence... that the children of Israel truly knew they stood in the presence of God...

When was the last time any of us stood still and knew that we also live in the presence of God...?

    Scrolls from the Soul
    2/14 (B1)(cd1)

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And Moses Sang

Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. (Exodus 15:1-2)

When we think about Moses, singing is not the first thing that comes to mind…

After the waves finished crashing down upon horses and riders the people watching from shore must have stood there frozen, for what must have seemed like a life time…

Have you ever been so over whelmed you simply could not contain the emotions…?

Moses begins to sing…

And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.
(Exodus 12:37)

One by one a million people and more begin to sing…

This is the moment the nation of Israel was born…

Scroll from the Soul
5/14 (B1)

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The Mark of Faith

And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason: and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. (Exodus 12:22 KVJ)

There was no mark upon the fields of the children of Israel when God sent the locust to destroy the crops in Egypt...
  Yet, they were spared.

There was no mark upon the cattle of the children of Israel when God sent the fire and hail to rain down upon the beasts of Egypt...
  Yet, they were spared.

There was no mark upon the bodies of the children of Israel when God sent the dust to bring pain unto the people of Egypt...
   Yet, they were spared.

Why now must there be a mark upon the houses of the children of Israel?

The blood upon the door was not a mark for God to know His people...

It was a mark for all of Egypt to know that God's people knew Him...

   Scrolls from the Soul        2/14 (B1)(cd1)

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If not me Who?
And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even? And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God: (Exodus 18:14 – 15)

We all know this story…
Moses in the only judge in town and everyone came to him to have their disputes settled…

There are tens of thousands people wondering around the desert with Moses…

Jethro (Moses’ Father in Law) has been watching this all day long…
He walked over to Moses and says “What on earth are you doing!?...

Moses gives the standard workaholic response...
“It is my job, if I don’t do it who will”…

Jethro basically tells Moses he needs to delegate some of the workload…

There is still a piece of the puzzle missing here...
Pastors should not need to go looking for people to help…

Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.
     (1 Chronicles 29:9)

Has rejoicing gone out of style…?
God’s gifts are just as powerful today as they were thousands of years ago…

We should be pounding on the pastor’s door day and night asking, what can we do...?

“With perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord…”

Delegating means we are submitting to the Pastor…
Offering willingly means we are giving out of our love for God…

Are we so far removed from God that we can no longer feel the joy…?
I hope not…
Scrolls from the Soul
  2/5/16



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Embrace It
And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. (Exodus 19:16-17)

Where we live thunder storms are common…
That does not mean they are boring…

Thunder and lightning are frightening and at the same time they are exhilarating…
We want to run and hide but we are also captivated by the power and the energy…

Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him? (Job 40:9)

When the Bible talks about us fearing God it should be like fearing a thunder storm…
There should be fear and at the same time tremendous excitement…!

There are times when God calms the soul…
Just as important there are times when He lights it up…!

There is a strength, a power, an energy that can only come from God…
We need to fear it and at the same time we must embrace it…!

Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. (1 Chronicles 29:11)

Scrolls from the Soul
5/2/17(cd1)

Left Out
And God spake all these words, saying,
I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20: 1-3)

When we are asked to quote the first commandment what do we say…?
“I am Lord thy God, Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”

If we go back and read what God said there is a whole statement that has been left out…
“which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.”

The Pharaoh of Egypt was considered a god and he ruled over the most powerful kingdom on earth…
God has just shown the whole world that there is no one on Earth that is more powerful than He is…

God had to remind the Egyptians and the Israelites what He had done…
We also tend to forget that this has not changed…

This is very important and it should not be left out…

                                                                                                Scrolls from the Soul
  6/20/16

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Are we listening?

Have you ever noticed…
The first four commandments tell us how to treat God…

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. (Exodus 20:3-7)

The remaining six are there to tell us how to treat the people around us…

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lordthy God giveth thee.

Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's (Exodus 20:12-17)

Jesus sums up all of the commands in just two statements…

Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.

Place God first in everything we think or do…

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
(Matthew 22:36-40)

And treat everyone else with love and respect...

God keeps sending us the same massage…
The question is, are we willing to listen?

Scrolls from the Soul 5/10/14

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Code of Honour
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. (Exodus 20: 12)

For hundreds of years men have been judged by the "Knight's Code of Honour"

Honor is my life, my life is honor.

This code is based on the belief that honor can be won in battle or purchased by deeds...

There is a much older code that declares blessings are not given for honour earned, but received for honour given...

Scrolls from the Soul
5/24/14 (B1)
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The Thought That Counts
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife,
nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass,
nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. (Exodus 20:17 )

By definition coveting is wanting something that belongs to someone else…

Coveting is a thought not an action…
How can a thought be a sin…?

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her
hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. (Matthew 5:27,28)

Lust is also a Thought
Why is Jesus so set against it...?

Think about it, how many of our sins started with a thought ...?

So, I guess it really is the thought that counts…

  Scrolls from the Soul
  7/17/14 (B1)

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Known as Respect
And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. (Exodus 20:18-19)

These are the verses that follow God giving Moses the Ten Commandments…

This is a very good description of what it is like to see a volcano erupt close up…
With one exception, Volcanos do not speak…

The Bible uses the words “The fear of God” over and over again…
No one I know has heard God speak from the mouth of an erupting volcano…

This is why it is hard for us to feel true power of God…
That puts us at a disadvantage…

And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. (Exodus 20:20)

I am about to say something that will get me into trouble…
When we were growing up it was the fear of our parents that often kept us out of trouble…

It was known to us as “Respect”…
God deserves even more of this kind of “Respect”…

Scrolls from the Soul
6/23/16 (B1)

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Lost in a Crowd
Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment: (Exodus 23:2)

How many times did we go to our parents and say “but all the other kids are doing it”...

The answer almost always was “if all the other kids were jumping off a bridge would you want to do that too?”…

When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. (Matthew 27:24)

This crowd prevailed against Pilate and he did something he knew was wrong…
He did not crucify Jesus...
He allowed Jesus to be crucified…

So how do we stand against a crowd…?
Crowds hold two kinds of power…

Fear through the use of peer pressure …
So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. (Hebrews 13:6)

A man may be able to take my life…
However, no man can take away my eternal life…

Temptation through a desire to belong…
Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. (Mark 14:38)

Temptations wears away at our resolve…
Physically as well as mentally…

Crowds are highly charged with powerful emotions…
Getting caught up in the them often happens suddenly…

If we can just hold our ground long enough the crowd will pass us by…

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. (Galatians 5:1)

                                                                                             Scrolls from the Soul
    6/30/15

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The Fear of Sinning
They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee. (Exodus 23:33)

It has long been said that you can learn a lot about a person by the company they keep…

Many times we join a group or a club because we want to be more like them…
Sometimes we join a group or a club because we want to be less like us…

The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. Many seek the ruler's favour; but every man's judgment cometh from the Lord. (Proverbs 29:25-26)

Fear is at the very heart of peer pressure…
This fear forces us to conform to someone else’s standards…

In most peer groups there is one person calling the shots…
This is dangerous because that person is almost always rebelling against someone or something…

In the end our fear of this person becomes stronger than our fear of sinning…

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matthew 7:14)

Remember, peer pressure does not end with high school…

                                                                                                            Scrolls from the Soul
  5/9/15

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Of All People
And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. (Exodus 32:2-3)

When Moses tried to convince God he was the wrong man for the job it was Aaron God choose to be Moses’ spokesman…

Aaron has been with Moses every step of the way…
He has seen every plague and every miracle first hand…

So why has he turned away from God now…?

Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. (Matthew 26:74)

Peter gave in when he was faced with the same problem… why…?

Peer pressure is a unique form of fear…
When the people around us gang up against us we often do things we know are wrong…

Is this a sin…?
Yes, anytime we turn our back on God it is a sin…

There is no sin that we can commit that has not been committed by someone in the Bible…

In these cases it is Aaron and Peter…

Just like any other sin the challenge is overcoming the guilt and asking for forgiveness…

Scrolls from the Soul
2/6/15

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Confident in Prayer
And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: (Exodus 32:9)

Moses has been up on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments…
We do not know just how long they were up there…

As for the people left at the bottom, it was like leaving our teenage children home alone for the weekend…

Remember these people have been slaves their whole lives…
They have no idea how to deal with their freedom…

Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. (Exodus 32:10)

God is more than little angry…

And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? (Exodus 32:11)

Moses manages to talk God out of killing His chosen people...
The important thing to remember is that God can and does change His mind…
If He didn't our sins would never be forgiven...
We asks, He forgives...

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16)

Once again we are faced with a leap of faith…

Praying is one thing…
Being confident that God hears our prayers is yet another…

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (Philippians 4:6)

                                                                                                            Scrolls from the Soul
    6/6/15 (B1)

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Imagine
And if he bring a lamb for a sin offering, he shall bring it a female without blemish. And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering. Leviticus 4:32‑33

Today we confess our sins in the secret world of our prayers, where no one sees and no one hears...
  It was not always so...

Imagine taking your son for the first time out into the field to select the perfect lamb…
  Imagine baby Jesus laying in the manger…

Imagine leading this helpless lamb through the crowded temple gates...

            Imagine Jesus on the mule on Palm Sunday…

Imagine standing before the priest for all to see as he lifts this lamb on to the altar…

            Imagine Jesus being nailed to that cross…

We may think we are alone...
but if we believe we are alone who are we praying to...?

Scrolls from the Soul    5/14 (B1)

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Give a Little
And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 19:9-10)

God is not telling these peoples to give large chunks of the crops to the poor…
He is saying just leave the leftover in the field for the poor to collect for themselves…

What does this mean for us…?
God is not asking us to stand on a street corner and hand out twenty dollar bills…

At grocery stores and restaurants we see coin boxes just drop in our change…
When we know the groups setup collection points drop in a dollar or two…

If we all give a little then everyone will have enough…

Scrolls from the Soul
6/11/16 (B1)

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Remorse and Rejoice
And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the Lord, offer it at your own will (Leviticus 22:29)

It has been while since we last talked about "Free Will"...
Just as sin is an act of our own free will…
Being thankful is also a choice we make…

Rejoice and Remorse are at the opposite ends of hope and fear…
Remorse comes from the unforgiven sins we allow ourselves to collect…

The fear that God is, or will be angry with us often keeps us from seeking forgiveness…

And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. (1 Samuel 2:1)

God sacrificed his only Son so we could have a path to forgiveness…
Why would God be angry at us for using it…?

Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. (Romans 4:7)

Scrolls from the Soul
8/31/15

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We Can Be Thankful
And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the Lord,
offer it at your own will. (Leviticus 22:29)

We have talked about “Freewill” many times…
Almost always we are discussing bad choices we have made…

We often ask: Why did God allow us to have
“Freewill” in the first place…?

We can be happy…
We can be forgiving…
We can be kind…
We can be loving…

We can be thankful…!

These are also “Freewill” choices…

Scrolls from the Soul
11/22/16

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Mobile Temples
But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle. (Numbers 1:50)

The Tabernacle was a mobile form of the Temple…
It was the Levites who were charged with physically moving and maintaining it…
They were also the ones who were responsible for running it…

Running the Tabernacle was the Spiritual and Emotional side…
Prayers, sacrifices and teaching the people were all handled by the Levites…
When the people looked to the Tabernacle it gave them faith and hope…

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
(1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

What Paul is saying is that we are now the mobile form of God’s temple…
Maintaining it means keeping our body heathy and fit, but that is only half the job…

We are also need to remember that there is a Spiritual and Emotional side…
By prayer and teaching we can also bring faith and hope to the world around us…

Scroll from the Soul
10/2/16 (B1)

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Can We Hear?
Go thou near, and hear all that the Lord our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it and do it.     (Deuteronomy 5: 26)

The Egyptians believed that Pharaoh spoke with the voice of the gods...
  But Moses heard a different voice...

Many Jews believed that the Pharisees spoke with the voice of God...
  But Paul heard a different voice...

How many times have we heard men say I speak with the voice of God...
  Can we hear that different voice...?


Scrolls from the Soul
      9/16/14

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Who is the stranger?
Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity. All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume. The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low. (Deuteronomy 28:42-44)

We are not told who the stranger is…
Is it possible the stranger is different for each of us…?

This stranger could be our own anger or fears…
It could be dread or hopelessness that pulls us down…

When things are going poorly strong emotional reactions are very common…
We lash out at people who have nothing to do with our troubles…

Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. (Psalm 90:11)

We are told to control our emotions…
All too often by the time we get control, the damage has already been done…

Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: (Ephesians 4:26)

This is another difficult task…
When strong emotions kick in our brain checks out…

God had a good reason for this…
Emotions set our body in motion much faster than our brain can…
In times of danger this can mean the difference between life and death…

Believe it or not once the danger has passed the brain will take over again…
We may need to make some apologies or ask for forgiveness…

The worst thing we can do is do nothing…
Anger left untreated can cause open wounds that may never heal…

                                                                                    Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                6/15/15 (B1)

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The Emotion of Doubt
And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:
In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! And at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. (Deuteronomy 28:66-67)

Doubt is the fear of a thousand questions…
Will I still have a job next week…?
Are my children safe at school…?
What is my life worth anyway…?

Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord. (Psalm 31:24)

Doubt is yet another face of fear…
It follows us around where ever we go…
It nags at us all day long…
It drains our strength and robs us of hope…

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (Matthew 6:34)
There will always be good days and bad days…
Once again our free will gives us a choice; we can live in doubt or live in hope…

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. (1 Corinthians 13:6-7)

Scrolls from the Soul
5/23/15 (B1)

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Strong and Courageous
Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
(Deuteronomy 31:6)

Fear is the ultimate weapon of every terrorist…
And...
Satan is the absolute master of fear…

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. (Joshua 1:9)

Be strong AND of good courage…?
At this point Satan is working hard in the back of our head to keep us looking over our shoulder…

Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord. (Psalm 31:24)

Satan has created a double edge sword…
Attacks by a few have left us in fear of millions…

We are afraid that we are among the innocent people that will be attacked…
And...
There are millions of innocent people who are now afraid of us…

They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage. (Isaiah 41:6)

We are told to love our neighbour…
Not fear them…

We need to have the courage and the strength to see past the fear…

Scrolls from the Soul
6/17/17(cd1)

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He is Still Watching
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. (Joshua 1:9)

Everywhere we go these days we seem to be under attack…

We are forced to take down the Cross…
                 Prayers are no longer allowed in public schools…
                               We are not allowed to speak of Jesus in our work places…

Could it be that people do not wish to be reminded that God is alive and well… And He is still watching…

Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                            6/6/14 (B1)

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Dismayed / Depression
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. (Joshua 1:9)

I have often looked for a verse that best defined being depressed…
When we look at this verse we focus on the words “Be strong and of a good Courage”…
The word Dismayed is all too often over looked and forgotten…

Courage and fear are almost always short term emotions…
They come on suddenly and disappear just as quickly…

Dismay / depression builds up over a long period of time…

Day after day we worry about things like;
Am I really doing what God wants…?
What are the people around me thinking…?

We end up questioning every decision we make…
We are often told “don’t sweat the small stuff”…
This is a huge mistake…

“neither be thou dismayed” is in this verse for a reason…
Depression is tiny bits of fear that eat away at our soul like cancer eats away at our body…

Early detection is critical…
“Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest”

God is always ready to take away our fears, the huge and the tiny…
We just need to get more comfortable talking to Him and not at Him…

                                                                                    Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                10/9/15

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Changing of the Guard
And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.
                                                                                                                                             (Joshua 3:7)
The waters have parted twice...
                                            Once for Moses.
                                            Once for Joshua.

Remember it has been 40 years since the parting of the Red Sea…
At that time God showed all of Israel that Moses was the chosen one…
That generation has now passed away…

God is now showing the new generation that Joshua has been chosen…

On that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life. (Joshua 10:14)

So why did the people fear these two men…?
It is said that seeing is believing...

If God was willing to part the waters for these guys...
We might want to walk softly around them as well...

                                                                                               Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                           6/12/14

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Our Heavenly Father
And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? (Judges 2:2)

Does this not sound just like our father when we were growing up…

And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. (Judges 2:13)

Has there ever been a teenager that did not think their father knew absolutely nothing…

Nevertheless the Lord raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them. (Judges 2:16)

Like all good fathers God is always there to get his children out of trouble…

Why is it that our fathers are so much like our Heavenly Father…?
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Genesis 1:27)

If we really want to understand God, we must first learn what it means to be a father.
Scrolls from the Soul
6/22/14 (B1)

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Anger and Forgiveness
And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice; (Judges 2:20)

And the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the Lord, was consumed. (Numbers 32:13)

God understand anger all too well…
Anger is one our most powerful emotions…

We also understand anger… not quite as well…

To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him (Daniel 9:9)

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (Ephesians 1:7)

God also understands the power of forgiveness…

As for us...
The power of forgiveness is something we really do not understand…

                                                                                             Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                              7/2/14 (B1)

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God Is That Really You?
And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me. (Judges 6:16-17)

This is the place where God is telling Gideon he has been chosen to free Israel from the Midianites…

Gideon was not sure that God was the really speaking to him…
We have all been here, we think God is giving us direction but we are not…sure...

Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight. (Judges 6:21)

That was very convincing…

And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face. And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.
(Judges 6:22-23)

Now Gideon believes this was really God and he was terrified…

How do we know if it is really God directing our actions…
or
Is it our own desires we seek…?

Use these words as a filter...
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (Matthew 22:37-39)

Judging our lives through the eyes of Christ can be... terrifying…

                                                                                            Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                           6/24/14

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Point It Out
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)

We all remember the last twelve words of this verse…
The problem is that we do not remember why Joshua said it…
(It is in the first forty-five words)

When we were young we would often run off to play with the other children nearby…

Many times we would get caught in the emotions of the group…
Before we knew it we were teasing and laughing at other children…

And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods; For the Lord our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed: (Joshua 24:16-17)

From time to time our parents would take us aside and point out what was happening…
Afterwards we would all feel badly about what we had done…

The truly sad part of all this is it just happened to me again last week…
The biggest problem is my parents are not here to point it out…

Scrolls from the Soul
11/8/17

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Angry and Afraid
And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full and the Lord hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me? (Ruth 1:20-21)

When Naomi left Bethlehem she had a husband and two sons…
She felt very secure that her future was in good hands…

Ten years later she returns a widow and child less…
She feels like God has treated her harshly and abandoned her…

She is deeply under the influence of anger and fear...
And she is lashing out at God...

Anger and fear are two of the most powerful emotions …
We have all been under the influence of these emotions one time or another…
At times we feel like God has abandoned us as well...

In our anger we often lash out at God and say that He just does not understand what we are dealing with…

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
                                                                                                                         (Matthew 27:46)

He understands…
                                                                                                                    Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                                              11/10/14 (B1)

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Adversary
But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the Lord had shut up her womb. And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb. (1 Samuel 1:5-6)

“her adversary also provoked her”?

This adversary is more than a bully in a school yard. Hannah is being told that God has forbidden her to have children…

Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons? (1Samuel 1:8)

My wife pointed out that saying this to a woman is never a good idea…

That being said, what is happening here is that Elkanah has pretty much given up hope that Hannaha will ever have a child…

And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore. . (1Samuel 1:10)

Her emotional pain goes far beyond anything any man can understand…

Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. (1Samuel 1:13)

Now even Eli, who should know the difference between stress and drunkenness, has given up on Her…

Depression does not get any deeper than this…

Why does the Bible use the word adversary here…?

Right now Hannah must feel like she does not have one friend in Heaven or on Earth…

                                                                                            Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                        7/5/14

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Energy in Prayer
And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. (1 Samuel 1:15)

It has been said that one hour of mental stress like taking a test, takes the same toll on the body as three hours of hard physical labor…

Prayer demands a great deal of energy both mental and physical…
Add the strong emotional content of prayer and you the perfect setup for exhaustion…
Hannah’s Prayer was also loaded with great passion…

Hannah had been praying for hours. She was so completely drained that Eli thought she was drunk…

For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him: Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord. And he worshipped the Lord there. (1 Samuel 1:27-28)

If she wanted a child so badly why was she willing to give him up to life long service in the temple…?

We have all made “deals” with God in times of stress…
Hannah is one of the few that kept her part of the bargain…

                                                                                                              Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                                           7/6/14

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Satan’s War on Faith
Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw. And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord: for men abhorred the offering of the Lord
(1 Samuel 2:15-17)

When it comes to Pastors or Priests, for that matter any matter any member of a church, we tend to elevate them above other people…

Satan loves this setup…

It is not that these people are tempted any more than we are…
It is not that their sins are worse than ours…

It is our reaction to their sins that Satan works on…

How could they do this to us…?
We trusted them…!
We had FAITH in them…!

Our faith is so easily misplaced. Often we are completely unaware that our faith has shifted away from God.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

                                                                                                  Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                                  7/9/14 (B1)

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Level of Respect
And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. (1 Samuel 4:5)

The Philistine were in a battle with Israel. This is not a new thing, except this time they were winning…

Because of this the people of Israel called for the Ark of the Covenant…
When the Ark arrived everyone cheered…

The Philistines heard the cheers and knew this could only mean one thing...
The Ark had arrived…

And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. (1 Samuel 4:7)

Surprising, this still happens today…

If we wear a cross on our collar or a tie pin that says Jesus Saves people act differently around us…

It used to be out of respect for God…
However, more and more the reaction seems to be one of anger…

To have such a strong reaction they must still have some level of respect for God…
Or, is it fear that just maybe...?
Scrolls from the Soul
7/12/14 (B1)

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Not Our Fault
And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. (1 Samuel 8:7)

Just as we can not save anyone from their sins, we are also not responsible for those sins…

We are the messengers…

We can ask God to open their eyes…
We can ask God to soften their heart…

We can not ask God to forgive their sins…
We can only ask God to forgive our sins...

Here is where Satan steps in with a big dose of guilt…
Oh, you are such a loser...
You can’t even save one poor sinner…

If someone refuses to accept what God is offering...
Satan will do everything in his power to make us feel like...
It is our fault…
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Rejected
Behold, here I am: witness against me before the Lord, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. (1Samuel 12:3)

This is Samuel speaking to the people of Israel after anointing Saul as king…

Even though God has told Samuel that he is not the one being rejected, Samuel's feelings were still hurt…

Samuel was a judge…
Still he was only a man…

His emotions simply got the better of him…

Was this speech given out of anger or depression...?
We do not know…

Of course there is another possibility…

Samuel may be just plain heartbroken,
                                  After all these people were also his friends…

                                                                                      Scrolls of the Soul
                                                                                                 7/20/14 (B1)

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The Faith to have Courage

Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. (1 Samuel 17:45)

This is not where the story begins...

David did not see Goliath and suddenly have the courage and the faith to pick      up a sling and go out and battle with a giant…

Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
                                                                                                                (1 Samuel 17:36)
Even before this…

How many hours David must have spent standing out in the middle of a field         with a sling in his hand and a pile of rocks at his feet...

We have to wonder how many times he missed that tree...

How many long dark nights David must have spent lying awake listening to           the wolves howl...

We have to wonder how many times he must have prayed for courage...

David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee. (1 Samuel 17:37)

David did not only have courage to face Goliath because he knew God would be there...

He had courage because he knew God had always been there...

                                                                                                  Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                                  5/24/14 (B1)

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Counting Coup
  And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not. (1 Samuel 24:17-18)

The Native Americans have a long held tradition known as “Counting Coup”...

How this works, is a tracker would hunt down an enemy,
however instead of killing him he simply touches him with a weapon...

This is not a game.

The hunter must prove that he could really have killed the enemy                                before touching him...

The Bible holds the same tradition going all the way back to the
Old Testament…
                                            God calls it Mercy…

                                                                                              Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                            7/26/14 (B1)
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Tears and Love
Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. (1 Samuel 30:4)

When I was very young my father told me that men are not supposed to cry...

On the day the doctor said that my brother was going to die I could hear my mother in her room weeping…
                                     My heart ached for her but men are not supposed to cry...

On the day of my brother’s funeral his wife came to me weeping…
                                     My heart ached for her but men are not supposed to cry...

On the day my sister called me and said my farther had died all I could do was I listen to her weep…
   My heart ached for her but men are not supposed to cry...

I wish I would have asked my father this one question:
If my heart ached so much...
Why am I not supposed to cry?...

Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him! (John 11:35‑36)

                                                                                                    Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                                     4/14 (B1)

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Victim of Sin
And Nathan departed unto his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick. David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
                                                                                                    (II Samuel 12: 15-16)

David was one of the greatest warriors that ever lived…
Many people had died at the end of his sword…

He is also responsible for the death of this child…
Only this time is different…

This child did not fall in battle…
                                          This child was a victim of David’s sin…

Who are the victims of our sins...?

     Scrolls from the Soul   7/28/14 (B1)

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My Battle Against Me
For all his judgments were before me: and as for his statutes, I did not depart from them. I was also upright before him, and have kept myself from mine iniquity. Therefore the Lord hath recompensed me according to my righteousness; according to my cleanness in his eye sight. (2 Samuel 22:23-25)

Oh Boy, I am in big trouble…
Samuel might be able to maintain his cleanness before God...
As for me, not so much…

Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah. (Psalm 7:5)

The worst attacks are the ones we wage against ourselves…
We can do more damage to our honour and soul than anyone on earth…

Our darkest secrets from times long past…
Evil thoughts that seem to come from out of nowhere…
Guilt that we can not purge from our soul…

To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; (Daniel 9:9)

This takes yet another step of faith, possibly the toughest one we will ever face…

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
(Psalm 37:8)

So often it is anger at ourselves that keeps us from accepting God’s forgiveness…

God is always ready to forgive us...
We must also be willing to forgive ourselves...

Until we take that step the guilt will continue to tear us apart…

Scrolls from the Soul 5/25/16 (B1)

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Self-Centered
Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat (1 Kings 1:1)

David has reached the end of his life…
He has left behind a lot of history and many children…

Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. (1 Kings 1:5)

Being self-centered is our most natural emotional response…
From the day we are born all we care about is our own needs…
We cry when we are hungry or in pain and we expect someone to come
running …

Being self-center is also the most basic form of pride…

Adonijah thinks he should be the next king…
And is going to make sure everyone knows it…
Unfortunately he is not the one chosen to become king…

We have to wonder if Satan had a hand in all of this…
After all, Satan loves to use our pride against us…

There is just one small point we need to remember about pride…
Our pride belongs to us, Satan is just using it…

Scrolls from the Soul
4/21/15 (B1)

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Absence of Emotion
And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. (I Kings 3:10)
As we all know this is where Solomon asked God to give him wisdom…
God was very happy with him at this point…
Unfortunately it was not going to last…

And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, (I Kings 11: 8-9)

So, what went wrong…?
Was it fear… anger… pride…?
Let’s try boredom…

Everything came too easily for Solomon…
There were no real challenges…
He was building the Temple but he was not out there swinging a hammer…
He was holding court but the answers came with not real effort…

Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.
   (Proverbs 19:15)
This might be where the saying “Idle hands are the Devil work shop” comes from…

So where do our emotions enter into this…?
We could say that boredom is the absence of emotion…

We have TV, computers, texting and yet we are still bored with our lives…
This is the same problem Solomon had…
We are all looking for that next bit of excitement and yet it never seems to last…

I wish there was a quick and simple solution to this problem but I do not know of one…
Solomon went on to write the book of Ecclesiastes where he talks at length about the vanity of life…

Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me. Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength. (Psalm 31:2-4)

The view from the top of a mountain can take our breath away…
However, we must first clime to the top of the mountain…

Standing on the top of God’s fortress can do the same thing for our soul…
However, we must first spend hours in study and prayer to reach the top…

I guess Solomon forgot that part… I often have…?

                                                                                    Scrolls from the Soul
  6/10/16

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Outside the Box
And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom. (1 Kings 4:33-34)

When we think of the Middle East we have visions of sand dunes and salty seas…
This part of the Bible talks about huge trees and all kinds of animals…

We tend to put things into nice neat little boxes…
Not only places but people as well…

Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. (Acts 10:34-35)

There are more than seven billion people on this planet…
Each and every one of them is unique…
They deserve to be treat as if they live...
Outside the Box...

Scrolls from the Soul
5/1/15

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One Prayer at a Time
Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day: (II Kings 8:28KJV)

A single wheat field may stretch out for hundreds of acres in every direction. With each breeze it swirls like the sand...

How often we forget that these waves of grain were planted...
                                                                                              one seed at a time...

A mighty glacier may fill half of a mountain side. With the force of a thousand ton diamond it carves its mark upon the face of the rock...

How hard it is to believe this crystal giant was formed...
                                                                                     one snowflake at a time...

Oceans often create storms that can walk across the face of the earth with such power that mighty trees bow down before them...

How odd it is to stop and think that these oceans are created...
                                                                                        one raindrop at a time...

Elijah prayed and the rain did not fall...

                   Moses prayed and the waters parted...

                                                  Joshua prayed and the sun stood still...

How often we forget that great men of faith are built…
                                                                                                One Prayer at a Time…

That includes us
                                                                                                       Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                                    3/18/14 (B1)(cd1)

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The Solomon Effect
And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded. (1 Kings 11:9-10)

Solomon had it all…
Riches, power, women, you name it he had it…
So what went wrong…?

He was bored out of his mind…
He never set a single stone for the temple…
He never cut down a single tree for the porches…

The phrase “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop” is not in the Bible…
However it explains Solomon’s situation perfectly…

Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.
(Proverbs 19:15)

This is a great description of cabin fever…
Solomon desperately needed something to give his life meaning…

You want proof, read Ecclesiastes…

Sometimes I click through 100 channels and find nothing to watch…
I wonder… could I be suffering the Solomon effect…

Scrolls from the Soul
4/29/17

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A Still Small Voice
And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
(1 Kings 19:11-12)

There is an old saying: If you want to get someone’s attention… whisper…

I often ask God to give me direction…
What I am hoping for is something dramatic…

What I tend to get are small little hints…
A license plate, something someone says or just understanding a verse for the first time…

People say these are just coincident…
I used to think that…

After a while I began to realize it was happening far too often and the timing was too perfect…

So many times God’s help comes as a still small voice…
We just need to be willing to stop and listen…

And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?(1 Kings 19:13)

Scrolls from the Soul
5/12/17

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Calm and Confident
And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words? And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite. Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down. (2 Kings 1:7-9)

Time for a quick flashback…

Ahaziah is the King of Moab…
One day he falls through the roof of his house and is badly injured…

For some reason instead of speaking to God he sends some men to talk to Baalzebub…
Not a wise choice…

God decides to send Elijah to give these men a message to take back to the king…
The message is: tell the king he is going to die…
As you might expect the king does not like the message…

Back to the present…

Elijah is calmly sitting on the top of a hill watching fifty (plus one) armed men coming to get him…
When the captain demands that Elijah come with them he simply says:

And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. (2 Kings 1: 10)

Elijah’s faith is so strong that he does not even stand up…
That is a faith that is both calm and confident…

Is this kind of faith possible…? Today…?
Yes…

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. (Mark 9:23-24)

Scrolls from the Soul
5/9/17

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Satan’s Attack on Prayer
Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day: (II Kings 8:28)

Have you ever been in a setting where people are praying out loud…?

This is the time when we stand toe to toe with Satan as he throws one punch after another…

First a blow to the head… Doubt…
Your prayer seem so small compared to the others. Why should you bother God with such a little thing…?

Next a body blow… Pride…
You do not want to look foolish in front of all these people do you…?

Finally a blow below the belt… Guilt…
You did not pray…
What will happen to the person you did not pray for...?
Did you let them down…?

God knows we have all fallen prey to Satan’s attacks…
                                                        That does not mean the fight is over…

And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. (Luke 22:34)

Peter went on to fight many more battles…
                                                                                  And so can we…

                                                                                                     Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                                 6/15/14 (B1)(cd1)

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Riches and Wisdom
And king Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
                                                                                                            (2 Chronicles 2:22)
Solomon could go anywhere and do anything his heart desired...
You would think he would be the happiest man on earth...

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
                                                                                                                (Ecclesiastes 1:1-3)

The entire book of Ecclesiastes is a tribute to Solomon’s vanity…
The temple has been built and there are no wars to fight…
Frankly, Solomon was bored out of his mind…

By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through. (Ecclesiates 10:18)

Solomon knew the answer he just did not follow his own advise...

And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.(Genesis 2:15)

We were never meant to be idle…
We need to find something to do that we are passionate about…

This does not need to be our “day job”…
It does need to be something God will approve of…

                                                                                                     Scrolls from the Soul
  5/26/15

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The Fire from Within
And all the congregation worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded: and all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.
(II Chronicles 29:28)

We no longer do burnt offerings…
Yet again, maybe we do…

It is possible for an inner flame to be as hot as an external one...

It is our emotions that bring us closest to God…
Love and passion can get very heated...
Even for God…

And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? (Luke 24:32)

Can we still feel the Burning...?

Scrolls from the Soul
2/8/16

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Time and Talent
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. (Ezra 1:1-2)

We notice something right off the bat…
No one is challenging Ezra’s authority make this claim…

Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem. (Ezra 1:3)

Here is something we do not often think about…
Who physically built God’s Temple…?

These people were not slaves…

Cyrus sent out the word and asked for help building the temple…
and people came…

And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem. (Ezra 1:4)

Cyrus asked that anyone that can not come to Jerusalem to please send money and supplies…
and they did…

(There is that word again: “freewill”…)

Cyrus was only God’s general contractor…
It was God that raised the spirit of the people…
As always we have a choice…
For God to raise our spirit we must first be willing…

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Giving does not always mean money…
Gifts of time and talent are just as precious to God…

Scrolls from the Soul
11/14/14

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Surrendering Our Faith
And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord, even burnt offerings morning and evening. (Ezra 3:3)

The altar is the center of the Jewish faith…
Burnt offerings were done to praise, give thanks and yes to ask God for forgiveness…

So why are the builders of the temple afraid…?

This is the second temple to be built…
The first one was destroyed…

And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon. And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. (Chronicles 36: 18-19)

To begin doing burnt offering again would bring the attention of their enemy…
Still, they did it anyway…

Ok, so what does that have to do with us…?

From the beginning of the Christ faith our focus has been on the cross…
Jesus’ death on the cross was the one sacrifice for all of our sins…

For two thousand years the cross has stood in front of every Christian church…
Over the last fifty years more and more crosses have come down…

We do not want to offend anyone…
We do not want “it” to keep people from coming in…

The Jewish temple was destroyed…
Are we just going surrender our faith without a fight…?

Scrolls from the Soul
11/16/14

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Brought to Tears
But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: (Ezra 3:12)

Strong emotions simply can not be contained…
In this case their love for God has brought many of these people to tears…

So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off. (Ezra 3:12)

There is another thing about strong emotions we need to remember…
They are very contagious…

TV and movies depend on these reactions…
The goal is to bring us to tears out of sadness or joy …

The Bible is filled with these kinds of emotional moments…

When is the last time a passage from the Bible has brought us to tears…?
Have we lost our passion for the Bible and for God…?

Scrolls from the Soul
11/24/15 (B1)

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Lost Our Fear
And said, I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments: (Nehemiah 1:5)

When Nehemiah starts his prayer he address God as the “Great and Terrible God”…

I am not much for fire & brimstone, However, there are things we must not ignore…

God did destroy Sodom & Gomorrah, send the great flood & unleashed all of the plagues on Egypt...

Ok, what does this have to do with us…?

Do we really know what it means to fear God…?
Jesus died for our sins, so no worries, right…?

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)

If we confess our sins...
If WE confess our sins…

How often do we really confess our sins…?
Confession is not one and done…
We continue to sin over and over again, so confession must also be ongoing...

But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. (Matthew 12:36)

Judgment day has not been cancelled…
Standing before God still sounds terrifying to me...

We can fear God now or we will fear God later…

Scrolls from the Soul
11/23/14 (B1)

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The Universal Language
And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women,
and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.
And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday,
before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people
were attentive unto the book of the law. (Nehemiah 8:2-3)

Ezra opened the book of the law and read it to the people…
Both men and women...

This is the Old Testament...
We tend to believe that the women were excluded during this time...

This is simply not true...

He did not explain it to them…
He did not preach to them…
He just read it to them…

Many of us want to believe that the Bible is just too difficult for us to understand…
We think we need someone to tell us what it means…

The Bible was written to help us deal with our emotions...
Every person on earth has the same ones...
If we stop and think about it, emotions are the universal language...

Men, women, white, black, young, old, does not matter…
Love, hate, joy, anger, hope and fear, these things do…

God does not want us to rely on other people to tell us what his word means…
Pick up the Bible and read it for yourself…

Not so much with an open mind but with an open heart...
You will be amazed how truly simple it is to understand…

Scrolls from the Soul
11/25/14 (B1)
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The Ears of God
For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chief of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving unto God. (Nehemiah 12:46)

In Bible times there was…
No TV…
No radio…
Not even a Walkman…

People spent a huge amount of time singing…
The ones who were chosen to sing before the king must have been the best of the best…

Can we even imagine what it would have been like…?
As for me that level would have been far beyond my reach…

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. (Psalm 98:4)

If it is praise that comes from deep within our soul…
It will sound every bit as sweet to the ears of God…

Scrolls from the Soul
11/27/14 (B1)

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Retroactive Prayer
And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. (Job 1:4-5)

When reading these verses we tend to jump a premature conclusion…
Job is not doing these burnt offerings for sins he knows his children have committed…
They are for the sins they May have committed…

Is it possible that we may have committed sins and not known about them…?
The more time I spend reading and praying the more I learn of sins from my past…

Sometimes I did not realize they were sins…
Other times I just ignored the fact…

There is no statute of limitation on sins…
By definition asking for forgiveness is a retroactive prayer…
It can reach back a single moment or a lifetime…

Scrolls from the Soul
11/16/17(cd1)

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Just as Human
After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.
And Job spake, and said, Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived. (Job 3:1-3)

Somehow we tend to believe that Job suffered in silence…
This is not true…

At this point Job is cursing the day he was born…
He was in great pain both physically and emotionally…
The important thing was he never cursed God...

We want to believe that Job was so much stronger then we could ever be…
The truth is that he was just as human as we are…

At some point in our lives we have or will reach a level of suffering that seems unbearable…
Job, David and Peter all reached this point because they were also just as human as we are…

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. (Matthew 24:12-13)

They made it through…
So can we…
Scrolls from the Soul
10/23/16

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Do as I Say
Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands.
Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees. But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled. (Job 4:3-5)

It is amazing how many “Old Saying” have ties back to the Bible…
Here is yet another one: “Do as I say, not as I do.”…

In scroll after scroll I attempt to point out what God is try to tell us…
All too often I fail to heed that very same advice…

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? (Luke 6:41)

Guilty as charged…

Scrolls from the Soul
10/24/16

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Between Hope and Fear
What is my strength, that I should hope? and what is mine end, that I should prolong my life? Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brass? (Job 6: 11-12)

In difficult times we often find ourselves trapped between hope and fear…

Brass is mostly made of copper…
It may look very shiny but it is no match for a stone…

Once again Satan loves to jump in and play with our emotions…

We find ourselves asking, why am I not strong enough to trust God…?
Now our doubts are at war with our faith…

There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. (1 Samuel 2:2)

What we need to remember is that this kind of strength must come from God...
With hope and faith we reach out to God and ask Him to grant us strength…

The outcome may not be what we wanted...
And it can be hard for us to understand…

Sooner or later we must realize that God had a reason…

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1-2)

Hope is being at peace knowing that God has everything under control…
However, to reach this point requires faith...
This is rarely an easy task...

We must live every day by standing on His strength and walking in His grace…

                                                                                                Scrolls from the Soul
  1/22/16

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Confusion
If I be wicked, woe unto me; and if I be righteous, yet will I not lift up my head. I am full of confusion; therefore see thou mine affliction; For it increaseth. Thou huntest me as a fierce lion: and again thou shewest thyself marvellous upon me. (Job 10:15-16)

Job is hip deep in confusion…
Everyone around him is asking what did you do to make God so angry…?

The problem is that Job has no idea…
We all know that we sin...
However we usually know what we have done wrong…

We need to remember what is going on here…

But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. (Job 1:11-12)

Satan’s goal is to get Job to curse God to His face…

How does this apply to us…?
Our friends are going off to do something we know is wrong…

There are two types of temptation at work here…
One that tries to entice us to sin…
Our friends say come on it is going to be fun…

The other tries to force us to sin…
Satan is working hard to try and force Job to give in…
Our friends call us a coward and a wimp for not going along…

Tread softly here; it is easy to cross the line and attempt to justify our sins…
We want to say "The Devil Made Me Do It"...

Remember it will always be up to us to decide...
To sin or not…

Scrolls from the Soul
2/14/16 (B1)(cd1)

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Just Look Around
But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind. (Job 12:7-10)

This is a tremendous statement of faith on Job’s part…
He is saying if you having any doubt that God is in control just look around…

The same holds true for us today…
Nothing can stir up our emotions more deeply then the world around us…

We are all drawn to God’s creation…
Walk thru the woods...
Swimming in a natural lake...
Even a trip to the zoo…

Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? (Job 12:8)

Scrolls from the Soul
10/26/16(cd1)

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My Redeemer Liveth
My breath is strange to my wife, though I intreated for the children's sake of mine own body. Yea, young children despised me; I arose, and they spake against me. All my inward friends abhorred me: and they whom I loved are turned against me.   (Job 19:17-19)

These verses and the ones to follow are some of the most gut-wrenching words we will ever read…

The final blow must have been heartbreaking, even his wife and his closest friends turned their backs on him…

Now he is completely alone…

He tries to make some sense out of all that has happened…
Wondering what sins he has committed to make God so angry…

For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me. (Job 19: 25-27)

After all the pain and suffering, Job is still looking forward to seeing God face to face…

When we think of temptation we expect to be tempted to do something that will make us feel “good”…

Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. (Job 2:9)
As Job clearly shows us, that is not always case…

Satan is not the only one that wants us to give up on our faith...
There are also many people who would love to see us fail...

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
                                                                                                                              (1 Corinthians 10:13)

                                                                                                            Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                                               1/31/15

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Innocent
Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,
As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul; All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils; My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit. God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me. (Job 27:1-5)

Job was innocent…
Yet, his faith was tested…

And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled. And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. (Genesis 39:19-21)

Joseph was innocent…
Yet, his faith was tested…

And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (Matthew 4:9-11)

Jesus was innocent…
And even his faith was tested…

There will be times when we are innocent…
Yet, our faith will be tested…

Scrolls from the Soul
10/29/16

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The Emotion of Wisdom
Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.
And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding. (Job 28:27-28)

Wisdom is very closely connected to our emotions…
It is that gut feeling that tells us right from wrong…

Understanding is the ability to avoid the bad things wisdom has warned us about...

Scrolls from the Soul
10/30/16 (B1)

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Just as Often
The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life. (Job 33:4)

Over the years we have often talked about how the Bible deals with the one thing that never changes… Our emotions…

We may have a strong emotional connection to God but that is not enough…
It needs to be a passionate one…

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. (Psalm 23:5)

This kind of love should not only fill us to over flowing, it should spill out onto the people around us…

Since the beginning our emotions have dominated our lives…

I am all to quick to share my anger with others…
Shouldn't I at least share my love with them just as often…

Scrolls from the Soul
5/17/16 (B1)(cd1)

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Scoundrel
Job hath spoken without knowledge, and his words were without wisdom.
My desire is that Job may be tried unto the end because of his answers for wicked men. For he addeth rebellion unto his sin, he clappeth his hands among us, and multiplieth his words against God. (Job 34:35-37)

Elihu has just called Job a dirty, low down, lying, Good for nothing scoundrel …

For the past ten chapters Job and his friends have been arguing about what sin(s) he has committed…

No one has been able to come up with one shred of evidence against him…

Most of these people have known Job all of their lives…
Yet not one of them believes he is innocent…

I can honestly say I have never been in Job’s situation…
Unfortunately, I have been, one of those on the other side…

Scrolls from the Soul
11/2/16 (B1)(cd1)

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20/20
Then Job answered the Lord, and said, I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. (Job 42:1-3)

God has just laid out the entire history of the earth…
Just the way He created it…

Job is a bit overwhelmed…

Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. (Job 42:4-6)

Hindsight is always 20/20…
All too often it takes someone to point that out…

God does have a way of doing that for us…
When we least expect it…

Scrolls from the Soul
11/6/16

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The Company We Keep
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. (Psalm 1:1)

I went to a grade school of about 300 students…

During recess one day four boys locked arm in arm started walking together shouting “We hate girls”…

Soon after a hand full of girls started their own group shouting “We hate boys”…

In less than ten minutes the two groups each reaching over 100 strong marched from one side of the school yard to the other…

The next day recess was cancelled…

Has there ever been a war that did not start the very same way…?

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. (Psalm 1:1)

The question remains, who are we willing to march with?

Scrolls from the Soul
5/12/16 (B1)

(Some people may think I am anti-military. That is not true. I could not be more proud of our men and women in uniform.)

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Psalms of Prayer
Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. (Psalm 5:1)

Psalms are songs…
Most Psalms are also prayers…

There are prayers for mercy…
O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. Have mercy upon me, O Lord; for I am weak: O Lord, heal me; for my bones are vexed. (Psalms 6: 1-2)

There are prayers for protection…
O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me: (Psalms 7:1)

There are prayers about trust…
I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. (Psalms 18: 1-2)

There are prayers of praise…
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. (Psalms 19:1)
There are prayers for healing...
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; (Psalms 103: 2-3)

This also holds true for many of the songs we sing today…
Prayers set to music always seem to draw out the deepest emotions…
For us…
and for God…

Scrolls from the Soul
11/16/16

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Ultimate Forgiveness
O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
Have mercy upon me, O Lord; for I am weak: O Lord, heal me; for my bones are vexed. My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O Lord, how long? (Psalms 6:1-3)

We have all had times in our lives when we felt that God was angry at us…
When we have sinned the same sin for what seems to be the hundredth time or more…

How can God not be angry with us…?
This pain runs so deep that it drains the strength from every part of our body…

I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears. Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies. (Psalms 6:6-7)

This kind of pain can often come when WE have hurt someone WE love…
We can not harm God… That does not mean He can not feel our pain...

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. (Luke 23:34)

Here is the ultimate forgiveness…
Like any loving father God is always willing to forgive his children…

Scrolls from the Soul
2/18/16

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Why Does God Bother
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? (Psalm 8:3-4)

Just why does God bother with us…?

We are Moody…

We are Stubborn…

We are Argumentative…

We are Still His Children…

Every Parent Completely Understands This…

Scrolls from the Soul
2/5/17

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Our Trinity
He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. (Psalm 15:2)

In the Bible we often come across three terms…
Heart – Our passion ...
Soul – Our connection to God...
Mind – Our ability to choose...

Truth has its place in all three...
The Heart – This is where temptation begins...
The Soul – This is where our conscious calls home…
The Mind – This is where truth is decided...

This is our trinity…

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)

Scrolls from the Soul
3/18/15 (B1)

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That Extra Step
As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. (Psalm 18:30)

Today Trust has become a matter of degrees…
And…
Right and Wrong have become points of view…

For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye?
do not even the publicans the same?
And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others?
do not even the publicans so?
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect (Mathew 5:46-48)

Perfect means…
There are no little white lies…
And…
There are no small sins…

For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. (Romans 4:3)

God expects us to take that extra step closer to righteousness…

If we try to stand with one foot in heaven and one foot on earth, we will end up with both feet in Hell…

                                                                                                            Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                                        5/31/15 (B1)


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Of Good Report
Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.( Psalm 19:12)
We all know how it feels…
We can do a thousand right, But if we make one mistake…

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. (Philippians 4:8)

It is true that we sin every day…
However, We do not sin all day everyday…

If we are going to beat ourselves up for the things we do wrong…
Then we should also accept credit for the things we do right…

                                                                                                            Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                                        3/16/15 (B1)

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Through the Eyes of the Lost Sheep

Have we ever considered the 23rd Psalm through the eyes of the lost sheep…?

"I am lost and alone…"
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

"The ground is so cold and so hard…"
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

"There is no peace to be found…"
he leadeth me beside the still waters.

"The night is so empty and dark…"
He restoreth my soul:

"I can not find my way and I am afraid…"
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

"Even the sound of the air frightens me…"
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:

"There is no warm hand to guide me…"
for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

"I fear the sight of every tree and bush…"
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:

"I hunger and thirst without end…"
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

"There is no one to love and care for me…"
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:

"If only someone would come and show me the way home…"
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

I have been that lost sheep…
By the grace of God I have been shown…
The way home…

Scrolls from the Soul
1/7/18(cd1)

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Where was My Faith
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)

Give us day by day our daily bread. (Luke 11:3)

Of all the challenges I face every day there is one that always frustrates me the most…
That is, simply trusting God to get me through yet another day…?

Each time the smallest problem crosses my path I panic and the doubts come flooding in…
So often after it is over I ask myself… where was my faith…?

In both the 23rd Psalm and the Lord’s Prayer we ask God to watch over us every day…
And yet day after day we simply lack the faith to trust that He is doing it…

And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him. (Luke 8:25)

I guess it is a challenge that has been around since the beginning of time…

Scrolls from the Soul
1/22/17

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Point of Separation
I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O Lord: That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works. Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.
(Psalm 26:6-8)

In the Old Testament the altar was the place where people went to offer their prayers…
Where do we consider our altars to be today?
The Church, the table, the bedside…?

And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; (Matthew 27:51)

Both the altar and the veil were points of separation between the average person and God…
Neither of them exists today…

We can pray at Church…
And at the table…
And at the bedside…
And in the car…
And at work…
And every other place or earth…

There is no longer a point of separation between us and God…

Scrolls from the Soul
11/21/17

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Getting Personal
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. (Psalm 32:1-2)

This is not Matthew or James…
This is Psalms…
David is talking about the forgiveness of his sins…

When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. (Psalm 32:3-4)

David’s sins had more than emotional and spiritual burdens…
There was a physical aspect to his unforgiven sins…

Today we often talk about the physical effects of depression…
What David is feeling is the physical effects of unresolved sin…

I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. (Psalm 32:5-6)

When considering the Old Testament we relate sacrifices to the forgiveness of sin…
In this case David is talking about prayer and confession as a way to find relief…

Sacrifices were done by the priests…
There was no personal involvement…

David did believe in sacrifices, but he also had a personal relationship with God…
How often do we leave prayers to someone else instead reaching out to have our own personal relationship with God…?

Scroll from the Soul
2/13/17

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Never Ending Music
Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise. (Psalm 33:3)

And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. (Psalm 40:3)

O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth. (Psalm 96:1)

O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. (Psalm 98:1)

Music is just as powerful today as it was thousands of years ago…
It does not matter what type of music we listen to all of the emotions are there…

Happy – Sad
Joyful – Angry
Hope – Fear
Love – Hate

These are the basic element of mankind and always will be...

All of these emotions are on full display in the book of Psalm…

We have talked about emotions over and over again…
We all have them and God has them also...

We need to think of our emotions as the passion of never ending music…

Scrolls from the Soul
3/15/17

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Crisis of Faith
Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (Psalms 37:3-4)

These two verses have triggered a major crisis of faith for me…

I had to ask myself two questions…
What are the desires of my heart…?
What should be the desires of my heart…?

I was forced to take a long hard look at what I really wanted…
I found that my motivation was based more (much more) on fame and fortune than on God…

This brought me to a very difficult time of prayer and tearful admissions…
I asked God how do I make the transition from earthly wants and desires to a true faith…

There were no simple answers…
Faith is a day by day admission that on my own there is only weakness…
It is only through Christ that we have strength and true faith…

He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3:30)

Scrolls from the Soul
1/7/15 (B1)

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The Forgiver and the Forgiven
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
                                                                                                                              (Psalms 37:8)

The best way to stop being angry at someone is to forgive them…
It does not matter if that person accepts our forgiveness or not…
If we honestly forgive them the weight of our anger in taken away…

On the other hand…

Being angry at ourselves is much worse…
We must be the forgiver and the forgiven…
If either one of those is unwilling the anger lives on…

                                                                                               Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                              1/8/15 (B1)

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Try It Sometime
I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. (Psalm 40:1)
Here is that “P” word again…
Often I wonder if God uses patience as a test of our faith…

He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. (Psalm 40:2)

This is without doubt a reference to the brick pits in Egypt…
Our lives are not so different…

A bottomless pit of debt…
Trudging through seemingly endless hours at work…
Even thinking about it gets to be depressing…

Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another (Romans 12:10)

Believe it or not one of the best ways to out of the pit is to do something nice for someone else…

It can be a family member, a friend or someone we have never met…

Try it sometime…
Scrolls from the Soul
12/5/15

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The Goody Two Shoes
I said, Lord, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.
(Psalm 41:4-8)

When I was very young my parents made it very clear that swearing was unacceptable…
It did not take long before I learned that not swearing was the better choice…

Very soon after starting school I was labeled as a “Goody Two Shoes”…
At first I did not mind that…

In fact I kind of liked it…
It did not take long for that to change…

Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish? And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it. All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my hurt. An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him: and now that he lieth he shall rise up no more. (Psalm 41:5-8)

Keep in mind that I was just as much a sinner as anyone else…
The problem was that my sins seemed to carry more weight than some of the other kids…

Let the peer pressure begin…
I was caught in a tug of war between doing what my parents wanted and doing what my “friends” wanted…

I am closing in on sixty years old at this point and this problem has not gone away…
Many times I have tried to crossover to the “Bad Boys Side” but my parents teaching always seems to pull me back…

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.(Proverbs 22:6)

The tug of war never ends…

Scrolls from the Soul
3/14/17

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Never Turn Gray
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen. (Psalm 41:13)

Our current body and time are completely locked together…
Ageing is a natural part of everything around us…

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)

On the other hand the soul’s hair will never fall out or turn gray…

If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. (John 3:11-12)

We have been told all of our lives that we will get a new body when we get to heaven…
The Bible does not tell us exactly what that body will be like…

We tend to compare it to our earthly body…
Our Heavenly body may not be anything remotely like the one we have now…

We know it will be better…
We know it will be everlasting…

Maybe that is all we need know…

Scrolls from the Soul
3/8/17

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Understand Why
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. (Psalm 43:5)

This verse gives us an inside look at spiritual depression…
This person is asking themselves what is wrong with me…
To be specific their connection with God is troubled…

This is where Satan comes in and leans heavily on our doubt buttons…

Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord. (Psalm 31:24)
Hope is the opposite of depression…
They are both emotions that affects us over long periods of time…

The glass half full / half empty does not apply here…
The simple truth here is that we trust God or we do not…

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

There are going to be many times in our lives when we just do not understand why…
The only choice we have is to hold on to God’s hand and let Him lead the way…

Just as a when we were a child letting our parents lead was not always our first choice...

Scrolls from the Soul
11/15/15

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Against Thee

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. (Psalm 51:1-3)

This is an act of confession on the part of David…

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)

David has done his part and God will do what He has promised…
Remember, only God can forgive our sins…

Now here comes the confusing part…

Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
(Psalm 51:4)

A sin can be forgiven however it can not be reversed…
The damage is done…

If we give back what we have stolen the pain we have caused still remains…
If we go to prison for killing someone it will not bring them back…

In the same token no act on earth will remove the sin…
We may be required to pay a price but only God can forgive the sin…

Separating the physical from the spiritual is never easy…

Scrolls from the Soul
3/18/17

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How do I?
The Sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. (Psalms 51: 17)

How many times have we lifted up our voice in prayer and asked...

Lord,
I want to praise You for all the blessing I have received...
       But how do I let go of the anger?
Lord,
    I want the faith to move mountains...
                                                                          But how do I remove the doubt?
Lord,
    I want to bring my spirit low before You...
  But how do I rid myself of pride?
Lord,
    I want to do Your will in all things...
But how do I give up my desires?
Lord,
    How do I have a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart?

Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:4)

After all these years of negative dust covering our eyes …?
Can we ever again be as humble as a little child...?

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. Ezekiel 36:26-27

But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. Matthew 19:26

                                                                                         Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                        6/29/14

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Selah!!
God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.

That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations. Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.

Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.
(Psalm 67:1-5)

When we read the Bible we tend to listen with a monotone voice in our head…
The Bible is full of emotions; we need to remember to read it that way…

There are no exclamation points in the book of Psalm…
Instead it uses the word Selah…

Remember Psalms are songs...
When a composer wants a section played with energy and excitement they use the word Forte (ff)…
Go back and read the verses again and see what happens…

When reading the Bible emotions are critical…
Do not leave them out…

Scrolls from the Soul
4/1/17

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Trusting God
For thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth. (Psalm 71:5)

David’s trust in God seems to be a natural thing that started when he was very young…

For me trusting in God was a very long time in coming…
I have known about God for as long as I can remember…

Even believing in God seemed to come without much effort…

I have been allowed to make my own mistake along the way (and there have been many)…

Now as I look back it was clear that every time I was charging head long into trouble God stepped in to protect me…

With all of this experience one would think trusting Him should come easily…
So, just when did I start trusting God…?

In all honesty trusting God is still a day by day struggle for me…

The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. (Nahum 1:7)

I need to trust God on His terms…
The problem is, I want to trust Him on mine…

Scrolls from the Soul
4/13/16 (B1)

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Confusion and Doubt
In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion. (Psalm 71:1)

Confusion is a big part of my life…
Feeling compelled to write is often tangled with great uncertainty…
How can I be sure what God wants when all around me are are a thousand voices of...
Confusion and doubt…?

Having faith the size of a mustard seed is hardest when the mountain to be moved is one of...
Confusion and doubt…

Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me. (Psalm 71:2)

How can God hear me when all around me are a thousand voices of...
Confusion and doubt…?

Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress. (Psalm 71:1-3)

So often I feel cut off from God and standing all alone in the center of a dark world of endless...
Confusion and doubt…

Scrolls from the Soul
7/15/16

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Take God for Granted
They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations. He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth. In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. (Psalm 72:5-9)

Have you ever noticed that the Bible constantly talks about natural wonders…?

Growing up in Oregon I was surrounded by them every single day…
So much so that I simply took them for granted…

The company I worked for moved me to many different places…
For three years I lived just outside New York City…

I learned that culture shock can be both social and environmental…
It can also be spiritual…

I had attended the same church and hung around with my Christian friends for as long as I could remember…

This move totally disrupted my whole relationship with God…
I quickly learned how easy it was to simply take God for granted…

Scrolls from the Soul
4/4/17

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The Good Old Days
I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search. (Psalms 77:5-6)

It seems like each time we look back to find the good old days, we see people looking forward in the hope of better days to come...

The Disciples looked forward to the day when Christ would become the king and rule over the whole earth...

Abraham looked forward to the day when his seed would be like the grains of sand and once again all the people of the earth would serve God...

Adam looked forward to the day when man would once again walk with God in the Garden of Eden...

I often wonder, if we ever do find paradise on earth, would we stop looking forward to going to heaven...

Scrolls from the Soul
5/14/14

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Comprehend It
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. (Psalm 90:2)

Absolute zero…
A light year…
A trillion dollars…

These are concepts I just can not comprehend…

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. (John 6:47)

Everlasting Life…

I believe in it…
I hope for it…
I can not comprehend it…

This is Faith…

Scrolls from the Soul
7/4/18

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Acts of God
For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. (Psalm 107:25)

When we hear the word “An Act of God” we think of bad things like tornados, floods and earthquakes…

He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
                                                                                                                         (Psalm 107:29)

What we need to remember is that God also gives us sunny days, cool breezes and shady trees…

These are also Acts of God…
                                                                                                Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                              6/29/15

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Our Purest Faith
From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised. (Psalm 113:3)

In the time of David the sunrise and the sunset were everything…
There were no light bulbs, no flashlights…
The light from camp fires and candles could only push back the night a few feet
At best…

Knowing that the sunrise would come every morning was a given…
Without doubt…
This was the purest form faith…

Even now the sun still rises and sets every single day…
It is a given…
Without doubt…
It is still the worlds purest form of faith…

To know that God is with us from every sunrise to sunset...
And sunset to sunrise…
Without doubt…
That would be our purest form of faith...

Scrolls from the Soul
11\11\14
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Word for Word
The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. (Psalms 119:130)
Psalms has some of the shortest chapters and also some of the longest…
Because of this it is very easy to miss some of the most important verses the Bible has to offer…

This is one of these verses…
The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. (Psalms 119:130)

For centuries the "common people" were unable to read the Bible for themselves…

They were told they simply were not capable of understanding what the Bible has to say...
The most troubling part is that we still tend to say this to ourselves...

The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. (Psalms 119:130)

This verse simply and clearly states this is not true…

God wants each and every one of us to read the Bible personally…

For those who can not read it we should not tell them what the Bible says...
We need to read it to them...
Word for Word…

Once again we are the messengers...
God is the one who does the reaching…
The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. (Psalms 119:130)

                                                                                              Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                            8/5/15

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Mind Over Matter
Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.
Psalm 119:165)

When bullies would call me names my father used to tell me…
“It is all about mind over matter, If you do not mind it does not matter”…

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32)

People can say anything…
We must choose what is true and what is not…

Our eternal life depends on it…
Scrolls from the Soul
8/25/17

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Blessed for Being Afraid
Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. (Psalms 128:1-2)

For most of us growing up in our parent’s home we were required to live by their rules…

We were told the rules were there to protect us…
Being afraid of what would happen if we broke the rules is what kept us out of trouble…

We often felt these rules were not fair because our parents did not understand what it was like to be us…

As time pasted we broke some if not all of their rules…
Somewhere along the way we started to see that these rules made sense…

More than likely we have used all of these same arguments about God’s rules…

If we truly look at God’s rules we will find they are also designed to keep us out of trouble, or worse…

                                                                                                       Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                                        1/12/15

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Hope for the Sunrise
Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. (Psalms 130:1-2)

Supplication means to ask for earnestly and humbly…
We tend to do this more when we are very desperate or in our greatest time of fear…

If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. (Psalms 130:3-4)

One of our greatest fears is that we will not be forgiven…
Even non-Christians feel this way when they are looking for another person to forgive them…

I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. (Psalms 130:5)

We often think of hope as one of the weakest emotions…
And yet hope is strongest during the darkest of times…

My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. (Psalms 130:6)

There are times that we still deal with our deepest fears in the middle of the night…
We know the sun will rise but we still hoe for it… even long for it…

Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities. (Psalms 130:7-8)

It is this kind of hope we have when seeking God’s forgiveness…
We know in God there is great mercy and redemption…
Yet we still we hope for it, just as we still long for the the sunrise…

                                                                                                            Scroll from the Soul
                                                                                                                        2/7/15

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Faith is the Key
Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. (Psalm 130:7)

It is true that we can endure more hardship if we know when it is going end…

We may know the meaning of hope, mercy and redemption…
Without faith they are just ink on paper…

Even our prayers are lost if there is no faith to guide them on their way…

That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
(1 Corinthians 2:5)

Faith gives life to our hopes...
Joy in God’s mercy...
And peace in His redemption…

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Faith is the key, without it there is no hope, mercy or redemption…

And no end in sight…

Scrolls from the Soul
10/20/15 (B1)

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Idols and False Gods
The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
                                                                                                                    (Psalms 135:15)
Anything or anyone can become an idol or a false god, all we have to do is
worship them…

Idols and false gods only have the powers we give them…
They only see what we can imagine…
They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not;
(Psalms 135:16)
They only hear what we tell ourselves…
They have ears, but they hear not; neither is there any breath in their mouths. (Psalms 135:17)
False gods only live in our earthly desires…
They that make them are like unto them: so is every one that trusteth in them. (Psalms 135:18)
We may not believe in the idol…
However, the people who create them often have great charisma…
So, we can end up believing in them…
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. (Matthew 24:24)
We must always be on guard…
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
                                                                                                                                      (Psalms 28:7)

We do not get this from a hunk of metal, stone or even a person…

                                                                                                                Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                                             1/14/15 (B1)

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The Complete Picture
O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. (Psalm 139:1-2)

We read these verses and our mind instantly starts flipping through every terrible thought we have ever had…

Whatever happened to all the pages with the nice thoughts…?

Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. (Psalm 139:3-4)

Off we go again, a long list of words we wish we could erase from God’s memory…
Strange, there must be some kind words in there somewhere…

Just where in these verses does it say God is only looking for the bad stuff…?

We are the ones with the entirely negative outlook…
On the other hand God sees a much more complete picture…

Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. (Psalm 139:5-6)

Scrolls from the Soul
5/16/18

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Spiritual Bullies
For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.
(Psalm 143:3)

This kind of bully may not beat us up for our lunch money but the effect is just the same…

They laugh at us…
They call us fools…
They make us want to go and hide…

I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. (Psalm 18:1-3)

Even people who do not follow football have heard the saying: “A strong defense is the best offence”…

In these verses David is praising God’s defense and telling us to trust God and stand strong…
Just like any other bully sooner or later they will “get theirs”…

However, we should never feel joy when they do...

For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: (Proverbs 24:16-17)

We should never be happy when some one's soul is in pain or worse...
It is lost…

Scrolls from the Soul
2/11/17

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The Bible has the Blues
Hear me speedily, O Lord: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. (Psalm 143:7)

Depression is yet another type of fear…
It is a fear of our own inability to deal with the things around us…

Blues music deals with strong, often sad emotions…
This is the perfect description for depression...

The words “depression” and “the blues” are not found in the King James version of the Bible…

However, “The Blues” run throughout the whole book of Psalm…

                                                                                                Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                            9/27/15

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The Spelling Bee

My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; (Proverbs 2:1-4)

I had a teacher once who said “If you can not spell a word you have no right to use it”…
If I followed that rule my whole vocabulary would be two syllables or less…

In a spelling bee when a word is given the contestant can ask for it to be used in a sentence…
Studying the Bible works very much the same way…

Reading the Bible is only half of the learning process...
Placing God’s word in the context of our daily lives opens up a whole new meaning…

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4)

It is often said we are what we eat...
More importantly, we are how we live...

Scrolls from the Soul
10/22/17

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That Moment of Excitement

Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. (Proverbs 2:4-6)

Some of the fondest memories we have as children is playing hide and seek...
Or having an Easter egg hunt…

These kinds of things still play a bigger part in our daily lives then we might think…

Figuring out why the car is not running properly or trying to find just where Mikey left his math book…

When we solve car problem or find the math book there is that brief moment of excitement…

So, is curiosity an emotion or just an emotional catalyst…?
Either way it does not matter, it is the emotion that drives us to find the answer…

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

These are the treasures we need to keep searching for every single day...
God often hides them in plain sight…

They are hidden in the people we meet and the places we go…
We just need to keep looking for them…

When we recognize them there will be that moment of excitement…
Every single time…
Scrolls from the Soul
9/2/17

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Respect Changes Everything
My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
                                                                                                                (Proverbs 3:1-3)

The Ten Commandments are all about respect…

It is easy to see that we must respect God…
We often forget we most also respect the people we meet along the way…

If we want to receive respect we must be the first to offer it…

We need to be the first to extend our hand…
The first to offer a greeting…
The first to offer a kind word…

Doing these things will make a huge difference in how people react to us…

Try it and see just how much it can change the world around us…
The amount of peace it will bring will be astounding…

So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. (Proverbs 3:4)

                                                                                                Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                              11/29/14 (B1)

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How do I know?
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5)

I look up into the sky I see the birds fly south before the first signs of the winter...
I wonder, how do they know...?

I look down at the ground I see the tiny flowers pushing up through the earth...
I wonder, how do they know...?

I look deep into the raging river I see the salmon swimming against the waters flow...
I wonder, how do they know...?

In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:6)

I hear voices telling me what to do. I just do not know if the voices are mine or yours...
Lord, I wonder... How do I know...?
Scrolls from the Soul
11/29/14

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Point of No Return
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Have you ever been in one of those trust exercises where you closed your eyes and let yourself fall backwards into someone else’s arms…?

It feels OK until you reach the point of no return…

And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. (Genesis 22:2)

Somewhere between packing the mule with the wood and lifting the knife above Isaac’s heart Abraham must have felt that point of no return…

Would he have really gone through with it…?
We do not know…
Even Abraham himself may not have known for sure…

God was the only one that truly knew what would have happened…

God also knows our point of no return, even if we do not…
This in itself is another level of trust we must reach at some point…

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

If we are going to serve God with all our heart and trust him without question we must first get past...

Our point of no return…

Scrolls from the Soul
8/3/16

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Body Blow
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (Proverbs 3: 5-6)

A single body blow is not likely to knock a fighter out…
However, the effects of many body blows will eventually take a heavy toll…

I was in a car accident the other day (it was my fault)…
No one was hurt but I was angry and upset…

When I was in my late teens and early twenties my driving record was full of tickets and accidents…

Eventually I got my act together and for twenty five years there were zero tickets or accidents…

Over the past six years there have been four accidents (All my fault) and tickets that went along with them…

With each one I became angrier and began asking God why…?

My wife explained to me that each one of these was like a body blow…
Each more painful than the last…

She pointed out that in all of these accidents there had never been a serious injuries or deaths…

She said I need to stop being angry and start being very thankful…

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)
Scrolls from the Souls
8/14/16 (B1)

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Born out of Anger
My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. (Proverbs 3:11-13)

No matter how much our parents loved us we still made some bad choices along the way…
When our parents stepped in we had two choices…
Be rebellious and defiant or willing accepting their guidance…

Children rejecting a parent’s wisdom may seem to be a new trend…
When we say to our parents “we were never this bad when we were young”…
They are likely to say “no, you were much worse”…

Our relationship with God is very much the same…

As we read the Bible we might say we are not as good as Moses...
But we are not as evil as Cane…
Cain’s sin may have been murder but it was born out of anger…
Even Moses did things when he angry that he regretted later…

And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. (Exodus 32:19)

Who among us can say we have never committed a sin that was born out of anger…

                                                                                                            Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                                          2/15/15

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Theory and Application
Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. (Proverbs 4:5-6)

There are two parts to learning, theory and application…
We may know the difference between an inch and a foot, but if we never build anything the knowledge has no meaning…

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. (Proverbs 4:7)

We have talked about knowledge and wisdom before…

Knowledge is knowing that the Bible says not to steal…
Wisdom is having the opportunity to steal something and we choose not to…
Understanding says we should not steal because if it happened to us we would be upset…

There is a certain satisfaction that comes with understanding…
It comes at that point when everything just clicks into place…
Now we not only know what we are doing we also know why…

In its own way understanding can be exhilarating…

Scrolls from the Soul
3/22/17

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Blind Obedience
These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
(Proverbs 6:16-19)

In short God hates anything that might take His children away from Him…
So why does God allow these things to happen…?

When our children are very young we can control their choices to some small degree…
At some point our children will start making their own decisions…

All to often we can only stand by and watch as they make the mistakes we warned them about…
As painful as that is for us it is just as gut wrenching for God to watch us make these same kinds of mistakes…

God has the power to prevent this, so why doesn’t He stop us…?
Blind obedience is not love…

Just like us, God wants his children to love Him by choice not by force…
We can not control our children’s thoughts and God will not control ours…

In the end we own our emotions just as much as we do our choices…

Scrolls from the Soul
1/12/17
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Better Understanding
Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man. O ye simple, understand wisdom: and, ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart. (Proverbs 8:4-5)

The word understanding is used twice here…

The first it is connected to wisdom…
This normally means some kind of mental response…

The second is connected to the heart…
Which is usually some kind of emotional response…

So what is God trying to tell us…?

If we see a handicapped person working as a greeter at the front of a store what is our first reaction…?

Do we make a quick right turn as we enter the store to avoid this person…?
Or do we walk up to them shake their hand and say hello…?

Which response shows a better understanding of God…?

Scrolls from the Soul
11/30/14 (B1)

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Say Nothing At All
Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things.                                                                                                          (Proverbs 8:6)

How often did our parents say “If you can not say something nice, then say nothing at all.”

Maybe this verse is where that comes from…

For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them.                                                                                                (Proverbs 8:7-8)

I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God…
For years a person placed there hand upon the Bible when they made this statement...

The president still places his hand on the Bible when he takes the oath of office…
If we do not swear on the Bible are we not required to tell the truth…?

But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.                                                                                          (James 5:12)

We should tell the truth because that is what God expects us to do, not because we placed our hand or the Bible...!

                                                                                                      Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                                    12/2/14 (B1)

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Soul Cancer
For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.
   (Proverbs 8:35-36)
There are different kinds of smoking…
The same is also true for sinning…
Both can lead to their own forms of cancer…

Social
Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men:
In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes. (Psalms 26:9-10)

Habitual
All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say, The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us. (Amos 9:10)

Addictive
But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.
   (Genesis 13:13)
Chain
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5)

Lung Cancer might be cured if it is caught soon enough…
Soul Cancer can always be cured if we act soon enough…

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
   (Romans 5:8-10)

  Scrolls from the Soul
11/13/16

My sister's body was in hospice hands, her soul is now heaven's hands.

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Wisdom vs Knowledge
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.                                                                                       (Proverbs 9:9)

We have all heard the saying “a word to the wise is sufficient”…
So what does this mean…?

Learning means:
We have read the owners for the car...

Wisdom means:
We know when to take the car to the shop…

Just how does this apply to us as Christians…?

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.                                                                                (Proverbs 9-10)

Fear of the Lord mean: (wisdom)
We respect the fact that God knows every sin we have ever committed…

Knowledge means: (learning)
That means we have studied the Bible enough to know that Christ died to take away those sins…
                                                                                                Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                               12/5/14 (B1)


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Father and Mother
The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother. (Proverbs 10:1)

Proverbs by design are little bits of wisdom…

We all know that our children are strongly influenced by the examples we set…

What we sometimes forget is that our lives have also been changed forever…

Maybe now we have just a little better understanding of why God gave us (His Children) the Ten Commandments…

Scrolls from the Soul
12/7/14

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Want vs hope
The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish. (Proverbs 10:28)
Want says: I deserve that so I expect you to give it to me…

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. (Psalm 16:9)
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord. (Psalm 31:24)

Hope says: It is OK to let God be in control…
Easy to say… Nearly impossible to do…

And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. (Mark 9:24)

Unless we ask for help…
                                                                                                Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                     1/22/16

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The Evil and the Good
The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. (Proverbs 15:3)
The Evil
How many times have we tortured ourselves over our sins because we know that God knows…?

The Good
How come we spend so little time thinking about all of the good things we have done...?

   When shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. (Matthew 25:37-40)

God knows all of them as well…
                                                                                                     Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                                  12/8/14 (B1)
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Action vs Reaction
A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. (Proverbs 15:1)

It has been said that if you want someone to stop yelling at you… whisper…

What we say and how we say it can make a great deal difference in how people react to us…

The problem is action vs reaction…

We may know what to do…
Unfortunately knowing and doing are often very different things…

In the heat of the moment our emotions check in and our brain has a tendency to check out…

Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:20-22)

This is one of the most difficult things that God expects from us…
To make this work we must first do something even harder…

Forgive them…

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: (Matthew 6:14)
Scrolls from the Soul
2/11/15 (B1)

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Bound and Determined
The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
(Proverbs 15:3)

We are bound and determined to always look at the negative side of ourselves…

Yes, we have a negative side…
We think bad things…
We say bad things…
We do bad thing…

Satan is always right there to remind us about these things…
He works hard to keep us angry and depressed…

And yes, we also have a positive side…
We think good things…
We say good things…
We do good things…

God remember all of these things…
And so should we…!

The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
(Proverbs 15:3)

Scrolls from the Soul
6/4/18

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All Telephones
The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning. Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is folly.                                                 (Proverbs 16:21-22)

From the oldest rotary phone to the latest I-phone they all have two things in common… A transmitter and a receiver…

We also have these two things, we just call them ears and lips…

The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.
Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.                                                                                                           (Proverbs 16:23-24)

We have two things phones will never have…
A Heart and a Soul…
Also known as; Compassion and Wisdom…

The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord.                                                                                                                       (Proverbs 16:1)

                                                                                                     Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                                   10/6/15

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Look Before You Leap
He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him. (Proverbs 18:13)

Every day the news shows us a small part of what is happening in the world around us…

They choose what we see and hear…
With this tiny bit of information we are forced to decide what we believe to be the truth…

As Christians we are face with a similar situation…
We often base our faith on a few verses or even one book in the Bible…
Even reading the Bible cover to cover one time is not enough…

God has designed the Bible to guide us from birth to death…
As we age more of the Bible’s teaching begins to fall into place…

Before we make each leap of faith along the way, we need to look to the Bible to guide our steps…
Scrolls from the Soul
12/9/14

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Word of Mouth
Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.                                                                                                                 (Proverbs 20:11)

During Bible times the only form of advertising was word of mouth…
Being known as honest and trustworthy was very important…

And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.
                                                                                                                           (Matthew 15:38)

The Jewish leaders bad mouthed Jesus in every way possible…
No matter what they said multitudes of people still came to hear Jesus speak…

The reality is these people knew the truth when they hear it…
The same is true today… we just hear the truth much less often…

                                                                                                Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                              12/10/14

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People Never Change
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts. (Proverbs 21:2)
We always find a way to justify our own actions…
Unfortunately we tend to not look deep enough…

It is better to seek forgiveness then ask for permission…
God does not quite see it that way…

To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
                                                                                                                    (Proverbs 21:3)
The end justifies the means…
Wrong again…

An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.
                                                                                                                     (Proverbs 21:4)

These things were written over two thousand years ago and we still can’t get it right…
                                                                                                            Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                                          1/16/15

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Train Up
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)
Raising Children has never been a simple task…

I once said there would not be any teenagers in my house, there would only be young adults…

This statement came back to haunt me more times then I care to count…

For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.
                                                                                                                                   (1 Samuel 3:13)

This is the first time God spoke to Samuel. He is being told that God was angry with Eli for not controlling the actions of his children…

The fact that Hophni and Phinehas had committed sins was only part of the problem…

Their sins were directly affecting the nation of Israel…
Eli was their father and judge of Israel at this time and God was holding him responsible…

Today parents are faced with a somewhat similar problem…
Punishing a child is considered unacceptable and in some places it is even against the law…
However, if a child acts up in public the parents are held responsible…

In most homes today both parents must work full time…
So most of our children’s training is done by others…

And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. (Luke 11:1)
If we teach our children nothing else we must teach them how to pray…

                                                                                          Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                            11/8/14

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Slow To Anger
Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame. (Proverbs 25:8)

The term is going off halfcocked…

A friend, a family member or a neighbor comes to us and says someone is telling lies about us…

We could:
            Rush out the door yelling a screaming…
            Go to other people and see what they know…
            Or go calmly over to the person in question and ask them about it…

Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another: Lest he that heareth it put thee to shame, and thine infamy turn not away. (Proverbs 25:9-10)

In the end we may find out it was just a misunderstanding…
If we had chosen options one or two we would now be the one that looks foolish…

All too often I have found that...
Being slow to anger looks great on paper…
In real time it is far more difficult…

So, what does it take to make this happen…?

I am sorry to say there is only one way…
Practice… practice… practice…

The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. (Psalms 145:8)
                                                                                       Scroll from the Soul
                                                                                                       1/17/15

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Satan or Self
He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. (Proverbs 28:13)

This verse sounds a bit familiar somehow...

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)

Both of these verses talk about confessing our sins…

The reality is that all sins are our sins…
We can not blame Satan or family or friends or the bully down the street…

As much as we would like to blame our sins on someone else the truth is that we choose to sin or not to sin…

This may seem harsh since many of our sins feel like thy come out of some kind of fear…

And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.
(Joshua 10:25)

So, who is the enemy…?
When it comes to sinning, the enemy is always us…

Scroll from the Soul
3/5/16

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Change Our Lives Forever
The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10)

If we were to stand in a mall and ask people who first wrote these words: “There is nothing new under the sun” Who would they say…?

Shakespeare…
Confucius…
Pete Seeger…
I doubt one in ten would say it was King Solomon…

There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after. (Ecclesiastes 1:11)

We would say “How did people survive without cell phones…”
Our parents would say “How did people survive without telephones…”
Our Grandparents would say “How did people survive without the telegraph…”

The Bible was written thousands of years ago and it has never changed…
Every word remains the same…
And yet God can still leap off of its pages and change our lives forever…

Scrolls from the Soul
11/28/14

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New Under the Sun
The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.(Ecclesiastes 1:9-10)

We have heard our parents say it a hundred times…
There is nothing new under the sun…

That being said, if we were to walk around the church and ask people where does the phrase “Love thy neighbor as thyself” first appear in the Bible…?

Most of them would say “That is easy, Jesus said it in the New Testament”…
If we gave them a second chance they might say Psalms or Proverbs…

We would be hard pressed to find anyone who would say Leviticus…

Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord (Leviticus 19:18)

Jesus was just reminding us that love has been around since the beginning of time… Just like God...

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:8)

Scrolls from the Soul
1/28/15

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Never Sin Again
And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. ( Ecclesiastes 2:10)

There are people that like to try to challenge our claim to salvation…
They would say that if we are “saved” then we should never sin again…

Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived…
He could not do it…

For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
                                                                                                                                       (Romans 7: 19)
Paul had come from a long history of sin…
As much as he wanted to leave that life behind he could not achieve this goal…

When someone tries to use this attack against us we just remind them what Jesus said…

I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (Luke 5:32)

The difference between a Christian and a non-Christian is this…

We are willing to admit we are sinners…
And we know where to go for forgiveness...
Every... Single... Time...

                                                                                              Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                            11/17/14 (B1)

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Another Chance
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
                                                                                                                              (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

The next several verses list a host of things there is a time for…
It seems that I spend a great deal of time asking God for things…
However, I spend very little time thanking God for all He has given me…

And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? (Luke 17:16-17)

In all honesty I would have to be counted with the nine…

But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (Matthew 9:13)

I am so glad God has given me another chance…

                                                                                                 Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                             5/14/15 (B1)

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Now
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
(Ecclesiastes 3:1)

...Now... abideth faith, hope, charity, these three but the greatest of these is charity...
(1 Corinthians 13:13)

...Now... faith is the substance of all things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen...
(Hebrews 11:1)

...Now... the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost...
(Romans 15:13)

...Now... the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and a good conscience, and faith unfeigned...
(1 Timothy 1:5)

There is a time for everything, however the time for faith, hope and charity for all men is always ...Now...

                                                                                                       Scrolls from the Soul                                                                                                                                               4/14 (B1)

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Two Are Better
Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.
For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)

The word alone is loaded with emotion…
Fear, sadness, pain and loneliness are powerful feelings that torment us even more in the darkness…

Helping someone up is every bit an emotional need as it is a physical one…
In these dark times there are many lonely people that really need someone to hold…

Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?
(Ecclesiastes 4:11)

We do not need to go far to find a lonely person, often we are under the same roof…
We have simply stopped paying attention…

                                                                                                Scrolls from the Soul
  7/17/16

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Collecting Our Sins
Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. (Ecclesiastes 5:1)

There was an old saying “Sin all you want on Saturday night, just be sure you go to church on Sunday morning…”

If we believe this we had better hope we do not die on the way home Saturday night…
Collecting our sins and waiting until the next scheduled prayer time is never wise…

I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. (Luke 13:5)

By definition repent means we regret committing the sin and will try not to do it again…

If we wait two things could happen:

                        If we do regret the sins the guilt will eat away at us all day
                        (with Satan’s help)…

                         If we do not regret the sins we will not take them seriously and most likely never confess them at all…

Many short prayers during the course of the day is better than one long prayer at the end…

                                                                                                Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                               1/24/15 (B1)

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Will Things Ever Change?
Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. (Ecclesiastes 8:11)

Even today it can take months or even years to convict someone of a crime…
For that reason many criminals do not fear the legal system…

Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: (Ecclesiastes 8:12)

Just how many times have we sinned over our lifetime…?

In the eyes of God we are no less guilty than anyone that has ever committed a crime…

It is our fear of God and His endless mercy that makes all the difference…

But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God. (Ecclesiastes 8:13)

Will things ever change…?

No…Thank God…
Scrolls from the Soul
1/26/15

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The Small Stuff
As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. (Ecclesiastes 11:5)

When we hold the tiny hand of a new born child we can not help being amazed at what we see…

Scientist say they know how to grow a child from a single cell…

The truth is God has created this cell that knows how to a grow a child…

It not only knows how to make a cell for an eye and a cell for a toenail it also know where to put each one…

Talk about sweating the small stuff…

Scrolls from the Soul
5/21/16

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Incredible Collection
As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. (Ecclesiastes 11:5)

God has created each and every one of us using an incredible collection of tiny little dots… (also known as cells)
Scrolls from the Soul
5/15/17

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In the Eyes
The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. (Song of Solomon 2:12-13)

It is said that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder…
I can not imagine a pair of eyes that would not find this sight magnificent…

God created it…
Solomon wrote about it…

Scrolls from the Soul
5/29/17

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Rebellious Children
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. (Isaiah 1:2)

Any parent of a teenage child can take one look at this verse and tell us just How God feels…
We can love our children and be angry with at the same time....

God loves us like a father loves his children…
God also gets just as upset with His children as we do with ours…

The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. (Isaiah 1:3)

How many times have we said to ourselves “I am their father why will they not listen to me…!”

If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. (Isaiah 1:19-21)

Rebellion is a form of anger…
We feel trapped, so we lash out at the person that we believe is holding us back…

As parents we want to protect our children from things they do not understand…
God wants the same thing for his children (that would be us)…

Our body may be old… however, our spirit is still very young…

                                                                                                Scrolls form the Soul
     4/3/15

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Heart & Soul
To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. (Isaiah 1:11)

All of the sacrifices had become no more than empty ritual…
Without repentance the burnt offerings had no value…

When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. (Isaiah 1:12-13)

Everything had become nothing more the mindless repetition…
Routine had replaced worship…
Party days had replaced holy days…

Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. (Isaiah 1:14)

Their relationship with God became nothing more than empty prayers and heartless chants…

It is said that history repeats itself…
This is something we must guard against every single day…

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (Matthew 22:37)

It is all too easy to get lost in the ritual and leave the heart & soul behind…

Scrolls from the Soul
12/18/14 (B1)

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Painting a Picture
In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. (Isaiah 4:2)

Isaiah is a very passionate man…

And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem: (Isaiah 4:3)

His words are both graceful and powerful…
He breathes life into every word…

When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. (Isaiah 4:4)

Isaiah paints a picture with every verse…
Reading this book should be a time of great discovery…

Scrolls from the Soul
2/7/15

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Right and Wrong
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! (Isaiah 5:20-21)

On the surface this may seem like not such a big deal…
On the surface…

If it feels good do it… Too each his own…Whatever floats your boat…

All of these sayings have one thing in common…
They blur the lines between right and wrong…

For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (Genesis 3:5)

We all know the differance between right and wrong...
Making up fun little sayings dose not change that...

                                                                                                Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                                 4/6/15 (B1)

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The Old and The New
Some people only believe the Old Testament…
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

Others only trust the New Testament…
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. (Matthew 1:23)

The Bible has been a world best seller for more than a thousand years…
We really need to read it cover to cover…

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
                                                                                                                  (Revelation 22:13)

Footnote
Here is another leap of faith…
We are eager to believe that God will live forever…
The harder part is believing that God never had a beginning...

                                                                                                             Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                                             4/9/15

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His Lips Shall Slay the Wicked

And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. (Isaiah 11:1-4)

Isaiah spends much of his time talking about what is going to happen when Jesus arrives…
He is warning the Jewish leadership that they are in a great deal of danger…

For most of the Old Testament the “Fear of the Lord” meant death and destruction…
The Great Flood, Sodom and Gomora, or The Plagues of Egypt…

Isaiah is now talking about a much different kind of attack on sin…
Instead of a physical kind of pain it will become an emotional one…

Just what can the lips do that is more painful then death…
We have come to know this kind of pain as guilt…

Between you and me... Guilt is much worse...

Scrolls from the Soul
9/24/16

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Just One of Those Questions
And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. (Isaiah 12:1-2)

This verses sounds like a good description of a father…

In the New Testament it is very common for God to be called our “Heavenly Father”…
I started wondering… just when was the first time someone called God “Father”…?

My first guess was of course Genesis… Wrong…
After giving it some thought I decided on Matthew… Wrong again…
Maybe one of the Prophets… Still Wrong…

It turns out that it was in Psalms…

But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted. I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers. He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.
   (Psalms 89:24-26)

Just a reminder here, we often think all of the Psalms were written by David…
This is not true, they were written by a number of different people…
This Psalm was written about David not by him…

This is just one of those questions…

(Disclaimer: This is the first verse I found that used the words “Thou art my father”)

                                                                                                Scrolls from the Soul
  9/25/16

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Everyday Kind of Faith
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. (Isaiah 41:10)

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed;
This is the very essence of faith…
Not just the Daniel in the lion’s den kind of faith…

This is the, driving down the road worrying what mood the boss is in kind of faith…
This is the, did I say the wrong thing to my best friend last night kind of faith…

There are a thousand little things that sit in the back of our mind and pick away at us all day long…

Each one of them is its own little dose of fear
They are like that itch we can not scratch…
Sooner or later they will drive us nuts…

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

These little doses of fear are a part of life and God knows that…

for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee;
This is not just the David and Goliath kind of strength…
This is the Get me through the next ten minutes kind of strength…

There is a direct link between prayer and faith…
With each prayer we are affirming our belief in God and that is faith…

With each moment of fear there must be an equal moment of prayer…
This is the everyday kind of faith…

Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; (Romans 12:12)

Scrolls from the Soul
7/20/17

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Our Song
Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.
(Isaiah 42:10)

Each and every one of us has our own song…
Just as our life is like no other...
Our song is ours alone…

Our song also changes from one day to the next…
We have days of joy and days of sorrow…
Our song reflects those feelings…

Our heart sings a new song every day of our lives…
And God wants hear every single note…

Scrolls from the Soul
7/11/17

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The Hardest Part
Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. (Isaiah 43:4)

The people in our lives can be our greatest blessing or our greatest trial…

Recently a person I have known for many years said to me “There is someone in my life that needs to come and ask me to forgive them”…

A few days later something occurred to me…
Forgiveness… like love… needs to be unconditional…

In addition, before we can ask someone to forgive us…
we must first forgive ourselves…
That is without doubt the hardest part of forgiveness…

Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. (Matthew 18:22)

No requirements, no exceptions…
That includes forgiving ourselves...

Scrolls from the Soul
7/15/17

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The First Battle
And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God. (Isaiah 49:3-4)

When someone joins the military they are pledging to no longer server themselves but to give their life to serve their country…

When we become Christians we must be willing to do the same to serve the glory of God…
Do we really understand just what that means…?

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3)

Paul refers to himself as a prisoner of the Lord…
People in the military have voluntarily given up their freedom to serve a cause they believe in…

This is what Paul has done…
The rest of this passage is an excellent description of a soldier…

If we are truly willing to serve God then we must be willing to give up our freedom…
That is the first battle every soldier must face…

Scrolls from the Soul
7/21/17

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A Mothers Comfort
As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. (Isaiah 66:13)

In times of trouble it is our mother that always seems to be the one we turn to…

She offers a soft voice and a warm hug…

There is simply nothing more soothing than a mothers comfort…

And say, What is thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions. (Ezekiel 19:2)

Scrolls from the Soul
5/17/15

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I am Too Afraid
Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. (Jeremiah 1:6)

I am too young…
I am too old…
I am too afraid…

But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. (Jeremiah 1:7)

When I started writing the scrolls it was to help me find a way to apply what I was reading to my everyday life…

I soon found out that other people were having the same struggles…
We have all been told that each of us must find our own way to deal with God…

When it comes to God we are not alone…
There are millions of people who have the same doubts…
The same fears…

I share mine through the scrolls…
My wife shares hers through her card ministry…

Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 1:8)

There is strength in numbers…
By sharing we soon discovered that our numbers were greater than our fears…

Scrolls from the Soul
11/19/16

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Thick Skull
Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger for ever. Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 3:12-13)

Translation: Confess you sins and I will forgive you…

This is not Luke…
It is Jeremiah…

God keeps saying the same thing…

Confess your sins and I will forgive you…
Confess your sins and I will forgive you…
Confess your sins and I will forgive you…

And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? (Luke 5:21-23)

Can you not hear your father saying…?
When will you ever get it through your thick skull…?

Scrolls from the Soul
12/5/16

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Heart vs Soul
My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. (Jeremiah 4:19)

How often do we go to war with our emotions…?
In reality this is a struggle between our heart and our soul…

The heart is the emotions of the flesh…
The soul is our desire to be righteous before God…

Most of the time these two are in harmony…
When they are not a war breaks out…
When the heart wins there is sin…

For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. (James 3:16)

This is a struggle we have all faced and lost many times…

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9-10)

God understands the heart and soul far better than we ever will…
That is why He sent His Son…

He knew we needed someone to save us…from our own heart…

Scrolls from the Soul
12/14/16

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The Tree
Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

Every place on earth has a beauty all its own…

In Oregon where I grow up there are Douglas Fir trees that are well over two hundred feet tall and they grow straight up…

In our yard there was a tree so big that while holding hands with my two brothers and two of my sisters we still could not reach all the way around it…

It was there a hundred years before the house was built and will still be there long after that house is gone…

To God be the Glory forever and ever amen...

Scrolls from the Soul
12/31/16

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Graceful Eyes
I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. (Jeremiah 17:10)

Man sees man through the eyes of man,
                                          God sees man through the eyes of grace...

Man sees the color of a man's skin,
                                          God sees the color of a man's heart...

Man sees how much a man has,
                                          God sees how much a man gives...

Man sees the acts of man,
                                          God sees the acts of Faith...

What a world it would be if man could see....
                                    through The Graceful Eyes of God...

Scrolls from the Soul
   1996 (B1)

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Doing the Right Thing
Then said they, Come and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words. (Jeremiah 18:18)

Some years ago we had a yard sale…
Things were going pretty well until this one person came along…

He found it necessary to criticize every item on the table…
This item is of poor quality, that item is way over priced…

We like to think that putting people down to make ourselves look good is a new thing…
Jeremiah shows us this has been around since the beginning of time…

Jeremiah was not forcing anyone to do anything and yet they attacked him…
We are faced with the same problem...
When we pass along God’s word to people we can expect the same treatment…

Give heed to me, O Lord, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me. Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them. (Jeremiah 18:20)

Like Jeremiah we can be confused and our feeling will be hurt…
We need to remember we are doing a good thing and the right thing…

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:10)

Scrolls from the Soul
1/8/17

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Once Again
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;
(Jeremiah 29:4)

Once again God’s chosen people have become rebellious and defiant…
Once again God has given them a reminder of who is in charge…

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26)

The children of Israel may be God’s chosen people…
However, we have become children of God by our choice…
This means we are also subject to God’s reminders…

Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them. Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. (Jeremiah 29:5-6)

Even though these people were carried off they were not lock up in some dungeon…
They were allowed to stay with their families and even allowed to become family with their captors…

I have found that forgiveness can be just one part of the puzzle…
God uses these experiences to help us understand the needs of the people around us…
In time we just might be able to help them become… part of God’s family…

Scrolls from the Soul
2/25/18

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Jeremiah and John

Jeremiah
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (Jeremiah 29:11)

John
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you (John 14:1-2)

Jeremiah
Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and...
I will hearken unto you. (Jeremiah 29:12)

John
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and...
receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also   (John 14:3)

Jeremiah
And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)
John
And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. (John 14:4)

Separated by thousands of years God has given Jeremiah and John the same message…
That God is also looking forward to the day when we will all be together…

                                                                                                Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                              2/24/15

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The Benchmark for Pain
Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? (Jeremiah 30:6)

Whenever God wants to point out the highest level of pain He refers to a woman’s travail in child birth…

My wife is fond of reminding me that no man has ever given birth…
I have often been told that if it was up to men to give birth the human race would be extinct…

So guys, God is clearly showing us that we are not nearly as tough as we think we are…
This should give us a new found respect for women, don’t you think…?

Scrolls from the Soul
1/18/17

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Suffering for Our Faith
And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I cannot go into the house of the Lord: (Jeremiah 36:5)

Jeremiah is locked up because he refuses to stop delivering the messages God gave him…
So, if he had just stopped his suffering would have ended… Right…?

It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.    (Jeremiah 36:3)

The reality is that he is not suffering for his own salvation…
He is suffering because he is trying to save others…

Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. (James 2:18)

To suffer for our faith we must first, have faith...
Then we must be willing to suffer for the salvation of others…

                                                                                                Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                 1/25/17

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Prayer Myths
But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the Lord, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah. And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now unto the Lord our God for us.
(Jeremiah 37:2-3)

There are many Prayer Myths…

Some people’s prayers are more important to God than others…
It is more important to pray in church than anywhere else…
Praying at the same time every day is always best…

Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; (Romans 12:12)

We are the ones being told to pray…
Instant does not leave the option for time or place…

It is important to remember that every prayer always gets God’s undivided attention…
Yours and mine are no different than anyone else…

Scrolls from the Soul
5/21/17

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Beyond all Measure
We have heard the pride of Moab, (he is exceeding proud) his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart. (Jeremiah 48:29)

I have always been a very proud man…
Growing up I was taught to always be self-relent…

For some reason God still thought I was worth saving…
This is a blessing beyond all measure…

Scrolls from the Soul
8/22/15

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A Mother’s Hope
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. (Lamentations 3:21-22)

My little sister has lived a very troubled life…
In her teens she became involved in drugs and sex…

My mother stayed close beside her even though there were times that tough love was required…

They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. (Lamentations 3:23-24)

It was my mother’s faith that gave her hope during one challenge after another…

It was only about ten years ago my sister became a Christian…
So her faith is still very young…

The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. (Lamentations 3:25-26)

A year ago my sister was told she had stage three lung cancer…

She had smoked for more than thirty years so this was not a surprise…
Just this past week she was told the cancer has spread to her brain…

So, now a new chapter of faith and hope begins for both my mother and my sister…
Scrolls from the Soul
4/11/15 (B1)

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A Whisper Away
Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not. O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.
(Lamentations 3:56-58)

Always remember…
No matter where we are or where we go…
God is only a whisper away…

Scrolls from the Soul
11/4/17

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A Little Fire Kindleth!
And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. (Ezekiel 1:4)

Fire is still one of the most powerful forces on earth…

It can be mesmerizing…
And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. (Exodus 3:2)

It can be terrifying…
O Lord, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. (Joel 1:19)

It can also be reassuring…
And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: (Exodus 13:21)

A tongue can also be…
All of these things…
Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! (James 3:5)

Scrolls from the Soul
2/22/15 (B1)

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No Matter How Old
And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they sparkled like the colour of burnished brass. (Ezekiel 1:4-7)

The first Chapter of Ezekiel contains some of the most powerful imagery to be found anywhere in the entire Bible…

This emotion packed display goes on for twenty five verses…

What we need to remember is that God has a purpose in everything He does…

Is it possible that the point of this spectacular event was simply to get Ezekiel’s attention…?
And maybe ours as well…?

The message God wanted to send does not show up until chapter two…

And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee. And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me. And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day. For they are impudent children and stiffhearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God. (Ezekiel 2: 1-4)

God has really pumped up Ezekiel to go out and give his children an earfull...
The Jewish people do not have a monopoly on stubbornness…

Just ask any mother and they will tell you that children are the most stubborn people on earth…

No matter how old we are…

Scrolls from the Soul
3/4/17

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Don’t Eat It
Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. (Daniel 1:12-13)

A doctor once told me that losing weight is simple…

If it tastes good, don’t eat it…

It seems that Daniel would agree…

Scrolls from the Soul
12/24/14

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A Rebellious House
The word of the Lord also came unto me, saying, Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house. (Ezekiel 12:1-2)

God is talking about the house of Israel, so why is he not saying the nation of Israel…?
Using the word house brings every down to a personal level…

According to God the definition of a rebellious house is the total lack of respect…
In Israel’s case they lost their respect for God…

And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. (Mark 3:25)

This also applies to our house…
Our term for this is a dysfunctional family…

We can not put all the blame on the children…
How often have we dismissed them with the wave of the hand…?

We need to put down the mouse and turn all of our attention on them…

OK…
None of this is new…
We have heard this all before…

There is one major part of this we often overlook…
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. (James 1:3-4)

Patience is truly one of my weak points…
When I lose my patience I also lose my temper…

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

To have peace in our house we must first have peace in our heart…

                                                                                                            Scrolls from the Soul
                                                                                                                        4/19/15

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Showers of Blessings
And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it. And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing. (Ezekiel 34:24-26)

This is a perfect description of a sanctuary…
A place to go and hide from the torments that seem to surround us inside and out…

We often consider blessing to be gifts given by God to help ease our way through the day …
They are so much more than that…

Blessings are also emotional gifts…
Peace, love, hope… these are the blessing God gives our soul...

Showers are the blessing that God gives the earth…
They can turn everything green and lush overnight…
They cleanse the air and leave a fresh feeling to the whole world…

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

The perfect shower for the Soul…

Scrolls from the Soul
5/23/17

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Gold vs God
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. (Daniel 3:24-25)

Nebuchadnezzar said the fourth person is like the Son of God…

This is the Old Testament…
Should he have said the Angel of God or the Spirit of God…?
This is the only place in the Old Testament where “Son of God” is used…

Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. (Daniel 3:26)

Nebuchadnezzar did not ask the fourth person to come out of the fire…

This is not as odd as it sounds...
In the Old Testament to look upon the face of God meant instant death…

The bottom line is that he concedes that his golden image falls far short of being a god…
Scrolls from the Soul
12/25/14

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Like Father, Like Son
Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. (Daniel 5:1)

Belshazzar is Nebuchadnezzar son…
They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. (Daniel 5:4)

Sound familiar…?
Just two chapters ago we were dealing with one golden idle…
It took a fiery furnace to get Nebuchadnezzar on the right track

It is going to take another Act of God to get Belshazzar’s attention…
In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. (Daniel 5:5)

This time God is very angry at the king…
In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old. (Daniel 5:30-32)

The king ends up dead and the kingdom is taken over by his enemies…

All miracles are amazing…
We may not want to be the subject of some miracles…

Scrolls from the Soul
12/27/14

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Faith Before the Lion’s Den

Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.
(Daniel 6: 3-4)

It has been said “Even if you are innocent you can always be given something to be blackmailed for…”

Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God. (Daniel 6:5)

They were not saying that Daniel would do something against the laws of God…
They knew better then to try that…

At this point he was about to be set up…
We all know what happens next…

Daniel also knew exactly what was going to happen…

Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. (Daniel 6:9-11)

We all remember Daniel’s act of faith in the lion’s den…
We seldom consider his act of courage before the lion’s den…

Scrolls from the Soul
6/27/16
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The Courage to have Faith
We will never find any basis for charges against this man, Daniel, unless it has something to do with the laws of his God ... Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help ... The King said to Daniel, "May the God, whom you serve continually, rescue you"...(Daniel 6: 5, 11 & 16)

A man stood at the door of a plane looking down at the earth so far below...
With courage he breath and slowly takes a step...

Daniel stood at the door of the lion’s den looking up into heaven...
With courage he whispers a prayer and slowly takes a step...

One man had faith that ropes and silk would bring him safely from heaven to earth...
The other had faith that God would take his soul safely from earth to heaven...

There was a difference between these two men...

One man could look up and see the parachute holding him from above...
Daniel held only the unseen hand of the God he loved...

Scrolls from the Soul
1996
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The Book
In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. (Daniel 7:1)
The seventh chapter Daniel is without doubt one of the most difficult parts of the Bible to understand…

He tells about visions of strange beast and great battles…
We may never understand just what all of this means…

Among all this confusion there is one verse that is crystal clear…

A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. (Daniel 7:10)

With all the talk of the end times and all that comes with it we must stay focused one thing…

There will be a judgment day…

However, if our daily relationship with Christ is a respectful one, we will have nothing to fear…

He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. (Revelation 3:5)

Scrolls from the Soul
12/29/14

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Two Visions
After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. (Daniel 7:7)

And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. (Revelation 4:2-3)

Two men… Two visions…

Even thou the descriptions are confusing the emotions are very clear…
Daniel’s is one of great fear… John’s is one of overwhelming joy…

These visions have one thing in common…
In both visions God was leading the way…

Each of us have come and will come face to face with both fear and joy many time…

The question is: Is our faith strong enough to allow God to lead the way…?

And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. (Matthew 28:8)

Scrolls from the Soul
9/20/15

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Rend Our Heart
Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. (Joel 2:12-13)

God sent Joel to a group of people that had piled up more than a few sins…
The message was rend your heart not your clothing…

Rending your heart is a combination of intense angry and powerful sadness…
As emotions go this is some very tough stuff…

These types of emotion are always directed inward never outward…

These times are reserved for our most personal relationships…
They always seem to happen when we least expect it…

And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly. (Matthew 26:75)

Scrolls from the Soul
6/22/17

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Emotions Required
Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning.

And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. (Joel 2:12-13)

At this point in time the forgiveness of sins has become nothing more than a simple routine…
Bring the lamb, hand it to the priest and walk away…

The emotions are gone…
There is no sorrow…

Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. (Matthew 11:21)

We face the same problem today…
We say the same mindless prayers over and over again…

Repenting requires emotion…
Without it our prayers are empty…
Meaningless….

And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly. (Luke 22:61-62)

Scrolls from the Soul
3/17/18

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Already Been There
Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. (Amos 5:14)

Have you ever had a day when...

...Your whole world felt like it was about to come to an end and no one cared?

And He cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? Couldest not thou watch one hour? (Mark 14:37)
                                                                                               Jesus has been there.

...The whole world seemed to be against you?

When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. (Matthew 27:1)
                                                                                              Jesus has been there.

...You could not find a friend anywhere?

And He said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. (Luke 22:34)
                                                                                               Jesus has been there.

Suffering through the bad days is easier when you have a friend...
Who has already been there.

Or maybe it is someone who has been here...

                                                                                               Scrolls from the Soul 3/22/14

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Doest thou Well?
Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. Then said the Lord, Doest thou well to be angry? (Jonah 4:3-4)

This is after Nineveh repented and God did not destroy the city…

We all know the story…
God told Jonah to go and warn the people of Nineveh to repent or else…
Jonah did not want to go and there was the whole whale thing…

In the end Nineveh repented and Jonah was angry…
Jonah thought the people of Nineveh were just to evil to deserve God’s forgiveness…

We must admit there are some people we do not want to see in Heaven…
We just feel that they do not belong there…

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (Romans 5:12)

Yes, but some sins are just worse than others, right…
I challenge anyone to show me a verse that says that...

Other then:
Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. (Matthew 12:31)
(I can honestly say I do not know what that means)

So, do we really have the right to be angry?

Scrolls from the Soul
5/30/16

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The Joy of the Lord
The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. (Zephaniah 3:15-17)

The Bible tells us all kinds of things that God does…
It rarely talks about God singing…

Zephaniah tells us that God will rejoice over us with joy…
We understand that God loves us…

We seldom think of God being Joyful over us…
We need to remember we are made in God’s image…

So, if we can be happy and joyful to the point of singing why can’t God…?

Scrolls from the Soul
2/9/15 (B1)

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Sound Familiar
Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee? Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts? (Malachi 3:13-14)

This was written over 2400 years ago and yet it seems so familiar…
We have heard it at school, at work and even in the back of our head…

Even as Christians we are not immune…
Malachi comments were directed at the priests that were in charge at the time…

Ego was a problem for them and it is still a problem for us…
It is an emotion every bit as powerful as anger or greed…

Most negative emotions rise from things we consider attacks against us…
When people try to control us or threaten us it is almost always our ego that reacts…

But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: (Nehemiah 9:16-17)

These things are as old as time…
And they are just as powerful in our lives today…

but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not. (Nehemiah 9:17)

What is more important is that God’s grace and mercy are even older…

Scrolls from the Soul
6/4/16

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Stretching the Truth
These are the things that ye shall do; Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates: (Zechariah 8:16)

My wife often tells me that I tend to stretch the truth from time to time…
Other words for this might be embellishment or creative license…

The goal for all of these things is to make ourselves look good…
The problem is that most people can see right through these “Little White Lies”…

The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.
(Proverb 15:3-4)

Perverseness might be a little bit strong in the case…
Then again…

To us these things may seem to be innocent enough…
Ultimately we could get a reputation for being a little less than trustworthy…

O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee. (Psalm 69:5)

The terms embellishment or creative license or even stretching the truth are not found in the Bible…

The term foolishness is all too common there…
That has me written all over it…

Scrolls from the Soul
6/3/17

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