We are Crowned with Thy Goodness 

4 Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.
5 By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:
6 Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power:
7 Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.
8 They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.
9 Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.
10 Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof.
11 Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.
12 They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side.
13 The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.
 Psalm 65:4-13 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Under privileged, under class, underdogs, late bloomers, underachievers, and all those who have been counted out in this life, rejoice! Know that from such came nearly all the highly favored ones of the Almighty God. So let us fully put away the things of our former life when we walked in the ways of this world seeking to please self rather than please God. Deny self or deny God. It is one or the other. A matter of degree with leaning to one more, and the other less. Who can live to please self without becoming intoxicated by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life? And those with frustrated efforts to please self will never be at peace. Come now, humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and be at rest. Those who hold on to the self-denying key to the straight gate in thought, word, and deed, will be blessed with inner peace and happiness. We have been freed by the precious blood of Christ. Press forward into the upward call of God. Our part is to attend to the wings of the soul, which are simplicity of intention and purity of affection toward God. He has provide us with His precious promises and the Spirit so that we may participate in His divine nature to the glory and praise of His name. God is forever faithful, and He will cause us to mount up with wings as eagles.

Today’s Bible Reading

2 Samuel 21

Galatians 1

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

Grant that I, Lord, may not be anxious about earthly things, but love things heavenly; and even now, while I am placed among things that are passing away, hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

O Lord, Revive Us 

8 I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.
10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11 Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
12 Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase.
13 Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps. Psalm 85:8-13 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

The “garbage in, garbage out” maxim holds true in the gym as well as it does in software. Consider you may not need to do more than what you are doing right now. You may just need to do what you’re doing better. One does not become mature in Christ all at once, yet no one becomes mature without a daily focus on walking in the Spirit. Let the old way of thinking, living, and existing in the flesh die. Joyfully deny self by thinking, living, and thriving as a new creation in Christ Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. Receive all the precious promises for living the new life of godliness by faith. All that causes thoughts to the contrary are not from God. Consider it a joy to resist such thoughts and feelings. Stand firm in the faith. Pray earnestly. Meditate on the word of God daily, and you will be transformed by the renewing of your mind. It is certainly God’s will for every believer in Jesus Christ to graduate into the light of Romans 8. It is not about struggling to do what is right. Godliness becomes easy once you truly believe that the work is finished. Then comes the joy of the new life in the Spirit.

Today’s Bible Reading

2 Samuel 20

2 Corinthians 13

Ezekiel 27

Psalm 75-76 

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

Grant that I, Lord, may not be anxious about earthly things, but love things heavenly; and even now, while I am placed among things that are passing away, hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Great is Our God

147 Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.
2 The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.
3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
6 The Lord lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.
7 Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:
8 Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.
9 He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.
10 He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.
12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion. Psalm 147:1-12 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

The unexamined heart is easily deceived. Always be willing to consider that you may be wrong. The heart harden with pride will seldom be able to admit any personal wrong. Pride is so natural to our fallen nature that it is often unrecognized if it is not actively guarded against. Having unrecognized pride is to be blindfolded walking toward a cliff. The one necessary counter for eliminating pride is gratitude. Humility comes from a heart full of gratitude. It’s only hard to be humble when you believe you have no one other than yourself to thank. The more you come to know God, the more you will love God. The more you love God, the more grateful you will become. In the mist of day -to- day life, think of God’s love as often as you can. Pause and count some of the multitude of His blessings that He has already given you. Let your heart be full of gratitude and your mouth full of praise. Do this and you will find, just as it is written in the Scriptures, it is good and pleasing to praise the Lord.

Today’s Bible Reading

2 Samuel 19

2 Corinthians 12

Ezekiel 26

Psalm 74 

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

Grant that I, Lord, may not be anxious about earthly things, but love things heavenly; and even now, while I am placed among things that are passing away, hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

There is Life in the Way of the Lord

33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.
34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.
36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.
37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.
38 Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear.
39 Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good.
40 Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness. Psalm 119:33-40 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

There is no need to be concerned with genetics. Skid row is full of people with all kinds of talents and skills without the attitude, effort, and patience it takes to fully develop them. Only God knows what the world has missed out on because of a lack of willingness. Don’t use the fact that it comes easier for someone else as an excuse for you not putting in the work required to do what you need to do. Start with the inside. Work out that which Christ Jesus has worked in you. Depend on the grace of God to enable you to cultivate what is good, and turn from what is not. The love of God compels us to pursue righteousness, because just as the Westminster Shorter Catechism states, our chief end is to glorify God. The appointed means is our wholehearted cooperation with the Holy Spirit in order to accomplish His good and perfect will. Every command of God comes packaged with the promised that He will enable us to do all that He requires. All have the need for patience. God is forever faithful and His timing is absolutely perfect. Set your heart therefore, to do His will and you can be sure it shall be done. Though it seem to tarry, wait on the Lord. All that have waited on the Lord have never been disappointed.

Today’s Bible Reading

2 Samuel 18

2 Corinthians 11

Ezekiel 25

Psalm 73 

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

Grant that I, Lord, may not be anxious about earthly things, but love things heavenly; and even now, while I am placed among things that are passing away, hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Longing of the Soul

1 How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.
3 Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God.
4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.
5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee. Psalm 84:1-5, 11-12 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Why give thanks before each meal? Think you feed yourself by your own hand do you? “I work for the money that pays for my food,” you say. Sure, but how did you get the job? Finish school? Get into school? Live pass puberty? Wake up this morning? And there are countless other things, great and small, that have got you to where you are now “earning your own bread.” Thoughtless pride will make fools out of many, but wisdom understands that the source of all good things is God.

Today’s Bible Reading

2 Samuel 17

2 Corinthians 10

Ezekiel 24

Psalm 72 

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule my heart; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Thoughts and Speech in Your Sight

12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. Psalm 19:12-14 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Bodybuilding is such a misleading term. At best we are like farmers. We plant the seeds for muscle growth with weight training. What we eat and drink provide the fertilizer and water, but it is God who gives the growth. There be many that do bodybuilding just to win a perishable trophy, to be envied in the eyes of others, or because they are already puffed up with pride. The righteous on the other hand, do bodybuilding because the body is the necessary physical capitol given to us by God to do good works. We workout to honor God as faithful stewards of the physical body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. The body, as well as everything else we have, is for the Lord.  

Today’s Bible Reading

2 Samuel 16

2 Corinthians 9

Ezekiel 23

Psalm 70-71 

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule my heart; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Lord is My Strength and Shield

1 Unto thee will I cry, O Lord my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.
2 Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.
3 Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts.
4 Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert.
5 Because they regard not the works of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up.
6 Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.
7 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.
8 The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.
9 Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever. Psalm 28 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

The body is not a like a car that wears out with use. Quite the contrary. The body wears away from non-use. Both exercise and non-use can cause the body pain. The difference is that one strengthens and the other weakens. Some days will be as easy as taking candy from a baby. Other days will be hard like trying to take a lamb chop out of the mouth of a hungry lion. Kiss the baby, or fight the lion, whichever way it comes. That’s life. Learn to flow with it. Be determined to always fight the good fight of the faith. Refuse to return to the old ways of thinking, living, and existing in the flesh like a young one who doesn’t know the Lord. Walk in the light of understanding your new life in Christ. Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, depend on the living water within, and let the Cross finish the endless self-powered striving to overcome sin. Accept the truth that your sinful nature has been crucified with Christ, and your spirit resurrected with Him by faith. Now you are reborn a new creation dead to sin and alive to God forever more. This is the glorious promise of the gospel. Trust in God with all your heart and the truth shall set you free. 

Today’s Bible Reading

2 Samuel 15

2 Corinthians 8

Ezekiel 22

Psalm 69 

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule my heart; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Fear of the Lord Is To Walk In Divine Wisdom

10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.
11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaKing guile.
14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. Psalm 34:10-14 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Be glad when the day comes when you don’t feel like going to the gym. You’ve reached a milestone. It happens to all of us who have made a commitment to improve our health and fitness. Such a commitment must be tested. Passing the “I don’t feel like it today” test is a big part of what separates those who reach their goals from those who don’t. Christian faith must likewise be tested. The testing of faith takes the spiritual substance of things hoped for and allows them to be manifested into the physical world. Trials, temptations, and testing are various types of weight training for building faith. The assurance that what is hoped for is granted comes only after faith has been exercised with resistance. Knowing that God is more willing to give us all that He has promised is the essential understanding necessary to receive the assurance of faith. God is far more willing to bless us with all things according to His will than we are oftentimes willing to receive it. For this reason, the Bible tells us to consider it all joy when our faith is tested. The true fight with the devil consists in the exercise of faith. Consider thoughts, imaginations, and doubts as the spiritual equivalents  of barbells, plates, and weights that provide the resistance to strengthen the inner man for every good work.

Question

Why the fear of the Lord?

Answer

The fear of the Lord is the highest level of understanding (Scripture). A total lack of awareness and understanding is ignorance (Scripture). Understanding based off of little knowledge or error is the fear of the unknown (Scripture), but the fear of the Lord is an understanding of the one and only eternal fixed point, which is God (Scripture). With the fear of the Lord, everything that is incompatible with God becomes repulsive (Scripture). The fear of the Lord works as an early warning system by causing a dissonance in the soul that turns us away from all that would grieve the Holy Spirit (Scripture). 

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule my heart; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Pray for Forgiveness, Protection, and Guidance

25 Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.
3 Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.
4 Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.
5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
6 Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O Lord.
8 Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
11 For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.
12 What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
13 His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.
14 The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.
15 Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses.
18 Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred.
20 O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee.
21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles. Psalm 25 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Physical fitness is no indication of spiritual fitness. Pursuing holiness, however, will enable both inner and outer fitness. Stop seeking the power to do this from the worthless remedies of the world. Acknowledge the Most High in all things and allow your heart to be filled with gratitude. God grants this needed grace only to the humble in heart. Beware of worry or anxiety, which is often just a slimy film that hides pride and unbelief in the heart. Who do you think you are when you can’t even make one hair white or black? Sure you can dye it, but you only deceive yourself if you believe that changes anything other than the surface, and even that for only a short period of time. Such deception is no different than the digital smoke and mirrors of any Hollywood blockbuster. The Word admonishes us that since we cannot do something as simple as control one single hair, neither should we worry about our lack of control of greater things. Repent for taking heed to the flaming darts of the enemy shot at the heart from unseen places that are disguised as your own thoughts. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God. Acknowledge the power of the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse away all the slime of unrighteousness and break up the hard packed ground of pride and unbelief. Pick up your cross, knowing that NOW is the time to trust God completely. Peace will come after having done this, and joy will follow.

Question

What is the secret of the Lord?

Answer

The secret of the Lord is the ability to see Him who is invisible (Scripture). Acknowledging the infinite greatness of Almighty God is a prerequisite (Scripture), knowing God is the result (Scripture), and prayer is the way (Scripture). To the fighter in training for the good fight of the faith (Scripture), prayer is the training camp that ensures the victory (Scripture).

The Prayer Appointed for This Week from the Book of Common Prayer

O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule my heart; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.