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Thursday, November 10, 2016, 12:21 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Full Release.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Psalm 146 (Select vv. ESV).
No Trust in Princes (vv. 3-4)
I live in the USA. Two days ago we had our presidential election, which takes place every four years. Donald John Trump was purportedly elected the 45th president of the USA in a fair election, and, as so, he is to take office in January of 2017. Yet, is this true? Can it be trusted? Can he be trusted?
What I know is that we are not to put our trust (our hope) in princes, i.e. in human leaders. Interestingly enough, when I looked up the word “prince” in a thesaurus, one of the words it rendered was “trump,” which means “winner, outdo, outmaneuver,” or “trump card,” i.e. “something that gives one person or group the advantage over another” (dictionary.com). Another interesting factor, along those same lines, is that President-elect Trump’s first name, Donald, means “ruler of the world,” and his middle name, John, means “YAHWEH is gracious” (source: Behind the Name). Just noting.
So, what does that all mean, or does it mean anything? I don’t know yet. What I do know is that we live in a crazy world and in strange times when there is so much deception, fakery, manipulation, and smokes and mirrors, and when so many people are so easily duped into believing lies just because they see it on TV. Yet, just because it looks or sounds real does not mean it is real. Anything can be faked. So, this calls for much spiritual discernment. We need to pray, and ask the Lord to show us what is real and what is fake, and where we are being deceived and manipulated, so that we don’t fall into the devil’s trap. We need our eyes opened to the truth.
The truth is that Donald John Trump is not our savior. He is not our hope for what ails us. He is human, and is thus destined to fail us and to disappoint us, if we had any expectations of him at all. Men make many promises. Many of those they never keep. Many of those they never intended to keep because it was all a ruse, i.e. a very clever lie (trick, scam, hoax). Interestingly enough, in a card game, the “trump card” is held in store for winning “a trick.” So, just make sure your trust is in God and not in humans.
Hope in God (vv. 5-7a)
God – Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit – we can trust completely! He will never lie to us, or cheat on us, or deceive us or trick us. He is completely honest and trustworthy in all that he does. He is absolutely faithful to keep all his promises, too. We can depend on him. He always has our best interest in mind, and he will do in our lives always what is for our ultimate good. He loves us, he cares about us, and that is why Jesus died on a cross for our sins. He willingly laid down his life for us so that we could go free from slavery to sin, and so we could be servants of his righteousness. So, trust him. Rest in him. And, follow him in obedience to his will for our lives, because there you will find your security, your peace and your joy.
He Sets Prisoners Free (vv. 7b-9)
Whereas humans (including princes) often have selfish motives for what they do, and they will lie to us to get us to trust them, and to follow them, God is not like that. When he says he is doing something for our benefit, we can trust his words to us. God will not trick us into following him and then turn his back on us. Humans, or particularly princes (leaders), often will.
As humans, we are born into sin - as slaves to sin - and we are destined to die in our sins and to spend eternity in the fires of hell (in eternal torment). So, Jesus Christ, God the Son, was sent to earth, took on human flesh, and died on a cross for our sins. Although he knew no sin, he became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Co. 5:21). He died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24). So, when we trust Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are resurrected with Christ in newness of life, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (See: Eph. 4:17-24; Ro. 6:1-23; Ro. 8:1-14; Gal. 2:20). Jesus rescues us, not just from the penalty of sin, but he sets us free from our enslavement to sin. Amen!
Our Lord opens blinded eyes. When he called Paul to be a minister of the gospel he told him that he was to open blinded eyes, and to turn them from darkness (sin) to light (righteousness), and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and a place among those who are sanctified through faith in Jesus Christ (See: Ac. 26:16-18). This is the essence of the gospel of our salvation. Yet, it is not just the unsaved who need their eyes opened to the truth. Many who claim to know Christ or who truly know Christ as Savior are blinded, in some respects, by the clever lies of those who are their leaders. So, we need to pray that our eyes will be opened to the truth and that we will no longer believe the lies.
Jesus cares about us when we are going through difficulties, when we are sad at heart, or when we are feeling depressed or despondent over difficult circumstances. And, he is there to lift us up with the truth of his word, with songs of praise to our God, and with words of comfort and encouragement to give us hope and healing. He does this because he loves those who are truly his, who walk righteously before him in his power and in his strength.
He watches over us. If we are feeling weak or vulnerable, he is there to give us his strength and to empower us to overcome. He will protect us, too, from caving into the enemy, but we have to do what he says to do. So, we need to listen, follow, obey, trust, rest, believe, ask, and do what he tells us, for there we will find true peace, joy and fulfillment, and we will know no sweeter joy than to walk daily with our Lord in fellowship with him.
Full Release / An Original Work / April 15, 2012
Walking daily with my Savior
brings me joy.
Loving Father; precious Jesus;
He’s my Savior and my Lord.
Gently leads me; follow Him.
I’ve invited Him within.
Now abiding in His presence,
oh, what peace.
From my self-life
He has brought me,
By His mercy, full release.
Hope and comfort,
peace and safety Jesus brings
When I daily bow before Him;
Obey freely; do His will.
Follow Him where’er He leads.
Listen to Him; His words heed.
Now obeying his words fully,
oh, what love
That He gives me
through salvation,
By His Spirit, from above.
Loving Father; precious Jesus,
He’s my friend.
With my Savior, by His Spirit,
I will endure to the end.
Share the gospel, tell what’s true.
Witness daily; His will do.
Tell the world of how their Savior
bled and died.
On a cruel cross He suffered
So that we might be alive.
No Trust in Princes (vv. 3-4)
Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
I live in the USA. Two days ago we had our presidential election, which takes place every four years. Donald John Trump was purportedly elected the 45th president of the USA in a fair election, and, as so, he is to take office in January of 2017. Yet, is this true? Can it be trusted? Can he be trusted?
What I know is that we are not to put our trust (our hope) in princes, i.e. in human leaders. Interestingly enough, when I looked up the word “prince” in a thesaurus, one of the words it rendered was “trump,” which means “winner, outdo, outmaneuver,” or “trump card,” i.e. “something that gives one person or group the advantage over another” (dictionary.com). Another interesting factor, along those same lines, is that President-elect Trump’s first name, Donald, means “ruler of the world,” and his middle name, John, means “YAHWEH is gracious” (source: Behind the Name). Just noting.
So, what does that all mean, or does it mean anything? I don’t know yet. What I do know is that we live in a crazy world and in strange times when there is so much deception, fakery, manipulation, and smokes and mirrors, and when so many people are so easily duped into believing lies just because they see it on TV. Yet, just because it looks or sounds real does not mean it is real. Anything can be faked. So, this calls for much spiritual discernment. We need to pray, and ask the Lord to show us what is real and what is fake, and where we are being deceived and manipulated, so that we don’t fall into the devil’s trap. We need our eyes opened to the truth.
The truth is that Donald John Trump is not our savior. He is not our hope for what ails us. He is human, and is thus destined to fail us and to disappoint us, if we had any expectations of him at all. Men make many promises. Many of those they never keep. Many of those they never intended to keep because it was all a ruse, i.e. a very clever lie (trick, scam, hoax). Interestingly enough, in a card game, the “trump card” is held in store for winning “a trick.” So, just make sure your trust is in God and not in humans.
Hope in God (vv. 5-7a)
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
God – Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit – we can trust completely! He will never lie to us, or cheat on us, or deceive us or trick us. He is completely honest and trustworthy in all that he does. He is absolutely faithful to keep all his promises, too. We can depend on him. He always has our best interest in mind, and he will do in our lives always what is for our ultimate good. He loves us, he cares about us, and that is why Jesus died on a cross for our sins. He willingly laid down his life for us so that we could go free from slavery to sin, and so we could be servants of his righteousness. So, trust him. Rest in him. And, follow him in obedience to his will for our lives, because there you will find your security, your peace and your joy.
He Sets Prisoners Free (vv. 7b-9)
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
Whereas humans (including princes) often have selfish motives for what they do, and they will lie to us to get us to trust them, and to follow them, God is not like that. When he says he is doing something for our benefit, we can trust his words to us. God will not trick us into following him and then turn his back on us. Humans, or particularly princes (leaders), often will.
As humans, we are born into sin - as slaves to sin - and we are destined to die in our sins and to spend eternity in the fires of hell (in eternal torment). So, Jesus Christ, God the Son, was sent to earth, took on human flesh, and died on a cross for our sins. Although he knew no sin, he became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Co. 5:21). He died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24). So, when we trust Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are resurrected with Christ in newness of life, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (See: Eph. 4:17-24; Ro. 6:1-23; Ro. 8:1-14; Gal. 2:20). Jesus rescues us, not just from the penalty of sin, but he sets us free from our enslavement to sin. Amen!
Our Lord opens blinded eyes. When he called Paul to be a minister of the gospel he told him that he was to open blinded eyes, and to turn them from darkness (sin) to light (righteousness), and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and a place among those who are sanctified through faith in Jesus Christ (See: Ac. 26:16-18). This is the essence of the gospel of our salvation. Yet, it is not just the unsaved who need their eyes opened to the truth. Many who claim to know Christ or who truly know Christ as Savior are blinded, in some respects, by the clever lies of those who are their leaders. So, we need to pray that our eyes will be opened to the truth and that we will no longer believe the lies.
Jesus cares about us when we are going through difficulties, when we are sad at heart, or when we are feeling depressed or despondent over difficult circumstances. And, he is there to lift us up with the truth of his word, with songs of praise to our God, and with words of comfort and encouragement to give us hope and healing. He does this because he loves those who are truly his, who walk righteously before him in his power and in his strength.
He watches over us. If we are feeling weak or vulnerable, he is there to give us his strength and to empower us to overcome. He will protect us, too, from caving into the enemy, but we have to do what he says to do. So, we need to listen, follow, obey, trust, rest, believe, ask, and do what he tells us, for there we will find true peace, joy and fulfillment, and we will know no sweeter joy than to walk daily with our Lord in fellowship with him.
Full Release / An Original Work / April 15, 2012
Walking daily with my Savior
brings me joy.
Loving Father; precious Jesus;
He’s my Savior and my Lord.
Gently leads me; follow Him.
I’ve invited Him within.
Now abiding in His presence,
oh, what peace.
From my self-life
He has brought me,
By His mercy, full release.
Hope and comfort,
peace and safety Jesus brings
When I daily bow before Him;
Obey freely; do His will.
Follow Him where’er He leads.
Listen to Him; His words heed.
Now obeying his words fully,
oh, what love
That He gives me
through salvation,
By His Spirit, from above.
Loving Father; precious Jesus,
He’s my friend.
With my Savior, by His Spirit,
I will endure to the end.
Share the gospel, tell what’s true.
Witness daily; His will do.
Tell the world of how their Savior
bled and died.
On a cruel cross He suffered
So that we might be alive.
