Today’s song comes from one of the godfathers of Christian music. Mark Farner was spreading the gospel through a combination of rock and roll and soft rock in the 1970’s. My spiritual mentor Ken Horne introduced me to Isn’t It Amazing in high school. While I wasn’t sure of Christian music, the lyrics of Isn’t It Amazing gave me hope that prayer could change my life by healing a severe stuttering problem.
For this reason I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe (trust and be confident) that it is granted to you, and you will [get it], Mark 11:24.
When it comes the prayer, what’s the worst thing that could happen beside praying for patience. As a stuttering fool afraid of embarrassing myself in public, I had nothing to lose. Ten years after I began asking Jesus for complete healing of my speech, my miraculous request was answered. Subsequently, Mark Farner isn’t the only one who can sing “Isn’t It Amazing what a prayer can do.”
As someone who has traveled throughout the continental United States, every place has unique features. Over the past 50 years, I’ve been shaken by down drafts, earthquakes, tornadoes and waterspouts. When the earth stopped shaking and the winds died down, I had time to reflect upon what I experienced. Natural disasters are God’s way of showing me life is more important than physical possessions.
And the stars of the sky dropped to the earth like a fig tree shedding its unripe fruit out of season when shaken by a strong wind, Revelation 6:13.
One of John’s visions that comprises the Book of Revelation is something you’d see in a Science Fiction catastrophe film. Yet on this particular day rather than observing shooting stars in the sky, stars are plunging to the earth. Like a large meteorite striking the ground, this event will forever alter human life on earth. According to John, people will seek shelter in caves high in the mountains.
And as He saw [k]one single leafy fig tree [l]above the roadside, He went to it but He found nothing but leaves on it [[m]seeing that in the fig tree the fruit appears at the same time as the leaves]. And He said to it, Never again shall fruit grow on you! And the fig tree withered up at once. 20 When the disciples saw it, they marveled greatly and asked, How is it that the fig tree has withered away all at once? – Matthew 21:19-20
Fig trees are mentioned more than 50 times in the Bible. Fig tree were extremely important for both nutritional and economic reasons in ancient times. When Jesus came across an unproductive fig tree in the passage above, he curses it and immediately this tree withers. One of Jesus’ disciples uses a similar analogy in the top passage. As seasons change, the wind will either die down or intensify. Therefore, as seasons in life signal a transition, keep in step with the Holy Spirit so you’re not shaken by the wind.
Today’s song is great to fall asleep to when you can’t sleep. This isn’t because Your Love Never Dies is boring. Rather, it’s about a child who was mentored by his father who has since passed away. Despite this absence and void in a young man’s life, what Vincent learned has remained deep inside of his heart. This testimony comes in the form of a soothing ballad that was popular in the 1990’s.
Whoever says he abides in Him ought [as [d]a personal debt] to walk and conduct himself in the same way in which He walked and conducted Himself. 7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the message which you have heard [the [e]doctrine of salvation through Christ], 1 John 2:6-7.
Love is one of those qualities that you can’t fake. You may try to live a Christian life without love, but you’ll be setting a bad example. In the passage above, one of Jesus’ disciples is blunt about how to distinguish real love from phony Christians. How you conduct yourself and walk illustrates your love for God or lack their of. May Vincent’s Love Never Dies inspire you to emulate the love of Jesus.
If you make studying the Bible a daily goal, human nature will cause you to skip a few days due to sheer exhaustion, a busy schedule or neglect. Yet, if you persist by making this practice a spiritual discipline, I can guarantee that you will learn something new every day. While local churches were closed due to Covid 19, reading the Bible is what kept me going spiritually.
And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us, 1 John 5:14.
My latest insight came in the form of the passage below. While John’s words appear to be similar to the imagery of a first century doctor in Luke 15:8-10, Revelation highlights the prayers of God’s people. Meanwhile, Luke focuses on rejoicing angels in heaven who celebrate when anyone on earth repents by entering into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
And when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders [[e]of the heavenly Sanhedrin] prostrated themselves before the Lamb. Each was holding a harp (lute or guitar), and they had golden bowls full of incense (fragrant spices and gums for burning), which are the prayers of God’s people (the saints), Revelation 5:8.
Apparently, heavenly prayers of those who have passed away and are looking down on earth, Hebrews 12:1, use Old Testament practices found in the Torah. Just as high priests of Israel participated in wave offerings, Numbers 18:11, heavenly music plays as the prayers of God’s saints are offered up daily. May this vision provided by John from heaven inspire you to continue to offer up requests to the Lord.
Today’s song was ranked among the top 25 Christian tunes of the twentieth century. If I can recall on the countdown that took place on New Year’s Eve in 1999, another one of Crawford’s ballads also cracked the top 100. When it comes to inspirational Christian songwriters, I would rank Rick third all-time behind Bruce Carroll and Benny Hester. Does Anybody Love the Lord serves as an open ended question.
He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love, 1 John 4:8.
In the lyrics of Does Anybody Love the Lord, Rick points out the spiritual giants of the past. You don’t have tell anyone that you love the Lord if you’re a person of grace, integrity and mercy. Unfortunately, most Christians have their own prodigal experience, leaving the Lord for a period of time. Rick urges modern Christians to become people of action, faith and works. May today’s song challenge you to deepen your relationship with Jesus.
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on abortion Tuesday, Senator John Hawley asked Berkeley Law professor Khiara Bridges to explain what she meant by “people with a capacity for pregnancy.” Hawley speculated that Bridges was referring to women but wasn’t sure. This triggered a heated debate that went viral on social media with Republicans and the Woke each claiming to be the victor.
Now listen and give heed, O Israel, to the statutes and ordinances which I teach you, and do them, that you may live and go in and possess the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, gives you. 2 You shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you, Deuteronomy 4:1-2.
The book of Deuteronomy consists of three speeches delivered to the Israelites by Moses on the Plains of Moab prior to entering God’s promised land. Deuteronomy serves as a remainder of God’s laws as Israel is about to receive one of God’s many promises. One of the most basic elements of obeying God is to not add or subtract from biblical principles. Anyone who does this is considered a heretic, holding an opinion at odds with what is generally accepted by the community of faith.
But the [Holy] Spirit distinctly and expressly declares that in latter times some will turn away from the faith, giving attention to deluding and seducing spirits and doctrines that demons teach, 2 Through the hypocrisy and pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared (cauterized), 1 Timothy 4:1-2.
The apostle Paul refers to end times when people begin to listen to what their itching ears want to hear, 2 Timothy 4:3-4. When the newest member of the Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson, was afraid to answer the question “what is a woman,” this is a clear sign of how influential the Woke Movement has become. Perhaps Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, and Emma Thomson were visionaries of men being able to have babies in the 1994 film Junior. Since God works in mysterious and strange ways, maybe it will be the Woke Movement ushering in the days leading up to Jesus’ second coming. Only God knows how this story ends.
As police and local officials investigate another mass shooting, this time on July 4th in Highland Park, Illinois, it appears that this could have been prevented. Bobby Crimo III attempted suicide and threatened to kill his entire family iback n 2019. Yet, not only did Bobby’s parents cover for him, but the father also recently co-signed for Bobby to get a gun. This is an example of Bad Parenting 101.
Whoever loves instruction and correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is like a brute beast, stupid and indiscriminating, Proverbs 12:1.
One of the guest lecturers of Bad Parenting in the Bible is King Solomon, father of 700 wives, 300 concubines, and countless children. Those kids you hear running in the hallway of your hotel in the middle of the night is likely a byproduct of bad parenting. Since the Bible was removed from public education in the 1960’s, too many parents want to become a friend of their child, not an adult.
He who spares his rod [of discipline] hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines diligently and punishes him early, Proverbs 13:24.
As a father of three, 2 boys and 1 girl, every child is different. Some respond to spanking, others to time outs with a few simply needing to know how disappointed you are as a parent by their specific actions. There is no full proof how to a raise a newborn baby when you leave the hospital for the first time. Yet, Bad Parenting 101 occurs when you don’t consistently discipline children. Sit down with your spouse, decide on a plan and follow through, even if it hurts you. The future of America is reliant on parenting.
Today’s song is from an artist who is a hidden gem. Michele Wagner grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and received her Bachelor’s in Music Education from Ohio State University in 1983. When I first heard Heart of the Journey on a local Christian radio station in college, I was moved by the lyrics. According to Michele, trusting in God’s plan for her life is the heart of the journey.
For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome, Jeremiah 29:11.
The author of Hebrews 12:1 compares life to running a marathon. Rather than ending after 26.2 miles, a spiritual journey does not conclude until you have breathed your last breath. As you live each new day like it’s your last, turn to Jesus daily. When your journey takes a slight detour, keep in step with the Holt Spirit, Galatians 5:25, so you don’t get lost along the way.
Revelation 2 and 3 serve as a first century report card for 7 different churches in Asia. Like a child’s progress report in the first marking period of a new school year, this piece of paper revealed strengths and weaknesses. Everyone responds differently to pressure. During the hour of trial of a test, some students rise to the occasion while others fold under the stress of remembering all they studied.
[You should] be exceedingly glad on this account, though now for a little while you may be distressed by trials and suffer temptations, 7 So that [the genuineness] of your faith may be tested, [your faith] which is infinitely more precious than the perishable gold which is tested and purified by fire. [This proving of your faith is intended] to redound to [your] praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) is revealed, 1 Peter 1:6-7.
According to Matthew 16:18-19, Jesus describes Peter as a spiritual rock. Yet, when Peter faced his own hour of trial following Jesus’ arrest, he failed miserably by denying Jesus three times in public, Mark 14:72. During the first breakfast Jesus has with his disciples after rising from the dead, Jesus restores Peter’s role as a spiritual leader. Yet, this isn’t without disappointment and humility of Peter’s past failure.
Because you have guarded and kept My word of patient endurance [have held fast the [b]lesson of My patience with the [c]expectant endurance that I give you], I also will keep you [safe] from the hour of trial (testing) which is coming on the whole world to try those who dwell upon the earth. 11 I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one may rob you and deprive you of your crown, Revelation 3:10-11.
One of the 7 churches in Asia receives a message from the angel of the Church in Philadelphia. The passage above serves as a direct warning to Philadelphia. The hour of trial is approaching, perhaps like God’s servant in Job 2:7-9. Those who are alert, sober and spiritually awake will be able to withstand upcoming trials. Those caught off guard like Peter will have to turn to repentance and lean on Jesus for future tests. May this blog prepare you for your own hour of trial.
Today’s song comes from an American punk rock band from Antelope Valley, California. Slick Shoes appears to have been influenced by Nirvana based upon the songs on their Rusty album. This group is named after a character from the 1985 movie the Goonies. After glancing at the lyrics, Slick Shoes doesn’t contain any life altering message, but appears to have fun singing each song.
Come now, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a city and spend a year there and carry on our business and make money. 14 Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen tomorrow. What is the nature of your life? You are [really] but a wisp of vapor (a puff of smoke, a mist) that is visible for a little while and then disappears [into thin air], James 4:13-14.
The song What Happens Next appears to be based upon the passage above. While writing first century Christians scattered throughout Europe and Africa, Jesus’ earthly brother reveals how fragile life is on earth. Nothing is guaranteed as only God knows what tomorrow will bring. Therefore, instead of speculating on what will happens next, appreciate each day the Lord gives you.
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