When God says He will bless you, prepare expectantly. Especially when He says, “do not hold back “. He can be extravagant when he displays his power, strength and riches. Because He can, and humanly speaking, that is what gets everyone’s attention. The God of the impossible. When He does the great and wonderful things he does, he makes it so that it cannot be attributed to luck or logic, physical laws or human effort. The barren and desolate – becomes fruitful and plentiful. The dead – is brought to life. The disgraced and hopeless sinner – is forgiven, restored and is raised to become kings and priests. His anger lasts for a moment, but his compassion, it is everlasting.

For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. (‭Isaiah‬ ‭54‬:‭10‬ ESV)

“O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted,” He is calling. Stop fighting, you can find joy and peace, comfort and security in God.

Nothing formed against you shall stand, He holds the whole world in His hands. You can trust Him.

There is the required sacrifice, then there is the free will offering. In this chapter I learned that there are additional requirements for each sacrifice or offering.
• Everything belongs to God.
• All sin, and we intentionally / unintentionally miss God’s standard.
• He provides, abundantly.
• The Giver, not the gift.
• An act, exercise of faith.
• True happiness in God, regardless of economic status, is a testimony to the nations.

God’s commands are dead serious. We take it so lightly. People have died on what we perceive to be lesser iniquities. Don’t mock God, and don’t be a temptation that causes His people to stumble. He is holy, and to have fellowship with his children he needs them (us) to be holy. Don’t get in the way.

The psalmist is a worship leader, he invites fellow servants to “Come, bless the Lord.” He invites them to lift up “holy hands”, as a public declaration, symbolic to their spiritual condition of being set apart. To “bless” the Lord, which we recently learned from Psalm 1 and Jesus’ sermon on the mount to mean to “be happy”. To make God happy.

What makes God happy? It is to be reunited with the people he cares so much for. To see His children with holy hands, holy hearts, living holy lives. To see that His great sacrifice on the cross was not in vain. To see his children as one.

remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ESV)

“Work of faith, Labor of love, Steadfastness of hope”

Faith, hope, and love, is active. It exerts effort. It perspires, it uses up energy. It is what is remembered because it is what people see. This is what brings glory to God.

Again, this is tested – proved – through affliction, much affliction. But those chosen by God, will have power, has the Holy Spirit, and is living with full conviction.

A christian that lives this kind of testimony is amazing, but a whole church? That is a sight to behold. A church whose faith is known everywhere, and an encouragement to surrounding churches

Jesus – the promise, prophecy fulfilled, faithful servant, sacrifice, persevered through great suffering, the full expression of God’s love, the exalted one.

A great start for the Mid-year fast – to be reminded of the great love of God.

I can just read through this chapter again and again…