His Wondrous Works Prevail

Psalm 78:9-41

English Standard Version (ESV)

⁹ The Ephraimites, armed with^[a] the bow,
    ^(A)turned back on the day of battle.
¹⁰ They ^(B)did not keep God's covenant,
    but refused to walk according to his law.
¹¹ They ^(C)forgot his works
    and ^(D)the wonders that he had shown them.
¹² In the sight of their fathers ^(E)he performed wonders
    in the land of Egypt, in ^(F)the fields of Zoan.
¹³ He ^(G)divided the sea and let them pass through it,
    and made the waters ^(H)stand like a heap.
^14 (I)In the daytime he led them with a cloud,
    and all the night with a fiery light.
¹⁵ He ^(J)split rocks in the wilderness
    and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
¹⁶ He made streams come out of ^(K)the rock
    and caused waters to flow down like rivers.

¹⁷ Yet they sinned still more against him,
    ^(L)rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
¹⁸ They ^(M)tested God in their heart
    by demanding the food they craved.
¹⁹ They spoke against God, saying,
    ^(N)“Can God ^(O)spread a table in the wilderness?
^20 (P)He struck the rock so that water gushed out
    and streams overflowed.
Can he also give bread
    or provide meat for his people?”

²¹ Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath;
    ^(Q)a fire was kindled against Jacob;
    his anger rose against Israel,
²² because they ^(R)did not believe in God
    and did not trust his saving power.
²³ Yet he commanded the skies above
    and ^(S)opened the doors of heaven,
²⁴ and he ^(T)rained down on them manna to eat
    and gave them ^(U)the grain of heaven.
²⁵ Man ate of the bread of ^(V)the angels;
    he sent them food ^(W)in abundance.
²⁶ He ^(X)caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,
    and by his power he led out the south wind;
²⁷ he rained meat on them like ^(Y)dust,
    winged birds like ^(Z)the sand of the seas;
²⁸ he ^(AA)let them fall in the midst of their camp,
    all around their dwellings.
²⁹ And they ^(AB)ate and were well filled,
    for he gave them what they ^(AC)craved.
³⁰ But before they had satisfied their craving,
    ^(AD)while the food was still in their mouths,
³¹ the anger of God rose against them,
    and he killed ^(AE)the strongest of them
    and laid low ^(AF)the young men of Israel.

³² In spite of all this, they ^(AG)still sinned;
    ^(AH)despite his wonders, they did not believe.
³³ So he made ^(AI)their days ^(AJ)vanish like^[b] a breath,^[c]
    and their years in terror.
³⁴ When he killed them, they ^(AK)sought him;
    they repented and sought God earnestly.
³⁵ They remembered that God was their ^(AL)rock,
    the Most High God their ^(AM)redeemer.
³⁶ But they ^(AN)flattered him with their mouths;
    they ^(AO)lied to him with their tongues.
³⁷ Their ^(AP)heart was not ^(AQ)steadfast toward him;
    they were not faithful to his covenant.
³⁸ Yet he, being ^(AR)compassionate,
    ^(AS)atoned for their iniquity
    and did not destroy them;
he restrained his anger often
    and did not stir up all his wrath.
³⁹ He ^(AT)remembered that they were but ^(AU)flesh,
    ^(AV)a wind that passes and comes not again.
⁴⁰ How often they ^(AW)rebelled against him in the wilderness
    and ^(AX)grieved him in ^(AY)the desert!
⁴¹ They ^(AZ)tested God again and again
    and provoked ^(BA)the Holy One of Israel.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+78%3A9-41&version=ESV)

We are all so quick to talk about those Israelites who were blind to the wonderful love and power of our God.  We say, “If I would have been there and experienced those miracles I would believe”.  I have a hard time believing that we would be any different.  Although they experienced the miracles of God, only special people, like Moses were allowed to be in His presence.  Today, the Holy Spirit indwells all those who are true believers in Christ yet we or at least I grumble and complain sometimes.  The Israelites had a cloud and a fire to lead them, we have the Holy Spirit within us.  Yet, I don’t know how many times I have grumbled at where God is leading me when I need to just trust and follow His direction.  Yes, I even tell Him how I think it should be!  CRAZY, little me tells ENORMOUS HIM how He should run things?  Sounds like those wonderers to me!

Jesus came so that I may have life and have it more abundantly.  The Israelites had to bring animals to the altar to be sacrificed yet Christ did that sacrifice once and for all for all of us.  Yet, I still slip up and sin and that sin comes from a lack of trust in the Lord. 

Somehow we try to tell God what we want or think we need.  We cry out to Him in times of trouble but we forget that we need to praise Him and honor Him daily.  When I think of the life He has led me through I can see that He has done an amazing job.  I could have been born into a country of poverty, or to a family of low means, abuse, or where drugs and alcohol were used and abused.  Some of you reading this may have found yourselves in those situations but I did not.  I was raised in a family where serving God was the most important thing to do in life.  Where going to church was an automatic and everything else was negotiable.  But my grandparents did not come from that lifestyle.  God delivered them in a mighty way and they served the Lord gladly because of that.  My husband was raised the same as I, to know and love the Lord but he had relatives that strayed and came back too.  So, if you have been raised or are currently in a horrible situation, remember God does love you and He can deliever you.  Put your trust in Him not your circumstances and find joy in living for Him.  Both of our parents taught us how to live a life pleasing to the Lord and they were taught and experienced themselves how He can change our lives.  Yet, I still find myself depressed, angry, and yes discontent but why?  I should be praising the Lord daily for leading me through this life, the desert of some sorts, because I know the promised land is on the other side.  Take courage my friend, the Lord is still working and His path is the Only One to follow.  Seek Him and thank Him for His wondrous deeds.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila 

Tell the Children

Psalm 78:1-8

English Standard Version (ESV)

A Maskil^[a] of ^(A)Asaph.

78 ^(B)Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
    incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
^2 (C)I will open my mouth ^(D)in a parable;
    I will utter dark sayings from of old,
³ things that we have heard and known,
    that our ^(E)fathers have told us.
⁴ We will not ^(F)hide them from their children,
    but ^(G)tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
    and ^(H)the wonders that he has done.

⁵ He established ^(I)a testimony in ^(J)Jacob
    and appointed a law in ^(K)Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
    to teach to their children,
⁶ that ^(L)the next generation might know them,
    the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
⁷     so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget ^(M)the works of God,
    but ^(N)keep his commandments;
⁸ and that they should not be ^(O)like their fathers,
    ^(P)a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation ^(Q)whose heart was not steadfast,
    whose spirit was not faithful to God.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+78%3A+1-8&version=ESV)

If you were able to read my testimony at the beginning of this blog page, you know that this passage means so very much to me.  You would also understand why I teach children Sunday morning and Wednesday night and why I have a passion for education.   I am going to repost it for those of you who may not have ever read it. 

This scripture emphasizes the importance of telling our children about the times of old.  We can teach them in our home but it is also so important that we allow our trusted brothers and sisters in Christ to help us with this.  Our world is becoming that generation whose heart is not steadfast and whose spirit is not faithful.  Are we putting our family, our job, our activities before God?  Are we too tired on Sunday from all the activities of the week that we just skip church and stay home?  We are missing out on the fellowship of believers where we can get our support for the remainder of the week if we are not attending church.  We are missing out on having our children learn more about God because chances are we are not reading the Word or telling them ourselves.   I have seen many churches put an emphasis on small groups, which are great, but they have left out learning activities for the children.  We send them off to another room to play while we study the word.  As you read my testimony my hope is that God will use those words to inspire you to remember the importance of telling our children about God.  Taking the foundational values of God out of our schools was a huge mistake but taking them out of our homes and our churches is an even greater mistake.  Our schools teach our children how to read so they can read the Bible.  Our homes and our churches should be inspiring our children to use that education to read the Bible.  How are we doing on that?

No Child Left Behind—A personal testimony and challenge

By Sheila Koop

 It was a beautiful bright summer day in 1966, a six year old little girl, and her eight year old sister stared into the blue sky and began a discussion about Jesus.  They had been taught, early on, that Jesus who died and rose from the grave, and forgave them of their sins, was in Heaven, somewhere beyond those blue skies, and they began to dream about seeing Him some day.  Now, the eight year old bragged that she would see Jesus before her younger sister.  If you are not the youngest in your family, you may not understand but the youngest dislikes being last all the time so the six year old informed her older sister that she, the youngest, would be the first to see Jesus.  The eight year old tried to explain that she was older so she would see Him first but the little one would not believe this.

Shortly after that discussion the two sisters got on one bike and headed to the firecracker stand.  They both knew how to ride a bike but for some reason the older sister decided to pump the younger one.  They purchased their fireworks for the soon to be blast and headed home as supper was almost ready.  As events unraveled the two found themselves going down a sandy alley which was very hard to pedal through but the two laughed and greeted a neighbor as he worked in his backyard.  At the end of the alley they found that they could not stop and their bicycle headed out into the street and was struck by an oncoming vehicle.  The six-year old found herself on the curb in front of a red-bricked home, crying for her sister.  Her older sister lay dead on the street after hitting the windshield of the car.  She, now in glory, was in the presence of her Lord and Savior.

This vibrant life, full of love for the Heavenly Father, and one who touched many lives in her short time on earth, was my sister, Carol.  I was the six year old girl on the curb calling out her name.  I must say, I was a little upset with her because she got to see Jesus first. I don’t believe that previous conversation was an accident.  I believe the Lord was preparing me for a life without her and a hope that I would see her again someday.  It was also no mistake that our parents took us to Sunday school every Sunday morning.

Another life was changed that day, the life of a teenage boy who did not see us and was the one that hit us.  The little I know about him is from my oldest sister who went to school with him.  Although my parents made sure to go visit him and let him know that they did not blame him, he held on to the guilt of this accident and had nightmares for many years to come.  He did not and as far as I know still doesn’t have the peace of Christ that surpasses all understanding.  This is even more tragic than the death of a little girl, who knew Christ.

If it had not been for my faithful parents, who demonstrated their love for Christ everyday and who took us to church every time the doors were open, we would not have learned about a loving God who cares for His children and a place called Heaven.  My parents did not stop taking me to church after the accident, rather, they showed me their faith by remaining faithful and taught me to always trust in the Lord through whatever life may bring.  My sister and I learned at home, how to act right and to do good but at church we learned the stories of how God demonstrated His love to His people.  I truly believe that we all need to have the experience of learning and growing with our peers.  As an adult, we can love Christ, be a Christian, and never step out of our home.  But, we learn more, love more, and grow more when we share His love with others and walk together in our Christian life.  If you are a parent that does not see the need to take your children to Sunday school and church, I urge you to reconsider the impact it may have on your child’s life.  If you are an adult that does not see the need to be in Sunday school, I urge you to reconsider this decision.  Scripture urges us in Hebrews 10:25, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

 

I learned, that dreadful day, that life is short.   One minute we can be laughing and anticipating the future and in a blink of an eye that future changes forever.  What are we doing in our churches to ensure that the future of our people will be one of delight whether here on earth or in the presence of our Lord?  How are we teaching our children to seek His face or to even know that He exists?  How are we teaching our adults to hold on to their faith in the midst of trials?  How are we teaching the teenagers to trust in the Lord even in times of turmoil and strife?  These are questions that we as a Christian Education Commission struggle with.  Through a recent survey given by the Christian Education Commission, we learned that churches are approaching Christian Education in many different ways or they are not addressing it at all.  Some indicated that they feel satisfied with what they are doing and have not changed for years because they like it the way it is.  Others are trying to be more innovative and in the process may be leaving out key components of the ministry of Christian Education namely, the children and youth.

As the Christian Education Commission Chair, I want to challenge you as a congregation to not take the issue of educating both young and old, lightly.  There is, and always will be a need to focus on, in depth teaching of the gospel.  In Sunday school and small groups, we have the opportunity to be fed what we need in order to grow in Christ.  Children and babes in Christ may need milk while more mature Christians are on solid food but we are all the same, we need to be fed.  Let’s not be like the Jewish Christians in Hebrews who should have been teaching but were still needing to learn “the elementary truths of God’s word” (Hebrews 5:12).  In the worship service, the pastor is required to preach to a congregation with varying spiritual needs.   If I would have spent my first years of life, sitting in the pew, counting the tiles on the ceiling (which I did often), I would not have heard the gospel in my church, even though it was being preached.  I was privileged, along with my sister, to sing many songs about the love of Christ, letting my light shine, and building my house on the rock, then hearing the stories about His love in Sunday school.  At home we had a loving family that put the words we were taught in Sunday school into practice.  Carol did not accept Christ at church, she accepted Him at home in her bedroom.  This does not negate the fact that her church experience had a huge impact on that decision.  These experiences, guided by the Holy Spirit, gave her the ability to share Jesus’ love with many others in her school.  She was not bashful and could share with anyone; I on the other hand, liked her to do the talking for me.

Many of you have heard the term, “No Child Left Behind”, some of you may agree with this philosophy while others of you shake your head at the concept of everyone scoring proficient on state standards.  Well, I propose that we adopt the same philosophy for our churches, let’s make sure, through the ability that the Holy Spirit affords us, that no child of God be left behind but that we bring them in and teach them of the love and forgiveness of Christ our Lord.  It is my hope, that the experience of my life will encourage you and your church to hold Christian Education in high regard, as I believe you do.  As you look at ways to do this effectively, I would urge you to share your tactics with fellow believers so that His love will spread throughout all of our churches.  Pastors, it is my hope that you will encourage your congregation to catch hold of this need and seek out those who have the gift of teaching.  Those in your congregation, who do not feel qualified to teach but have the desire, urge them to seek out mentor teachers and become involved in leading others to the Lord.  I would love to hear the positive impact Christian Education has had in the life of your church collectively and your lives individually.

May God bless each and every one of you who serve Him with gladness.

Seek Him and teach your children to do the same.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Run Back

Psalm 77

English Standard Version (ESV)

To the choirmaster: according to ^(A)Jeduthun. A Psalm of^(B)Asaph.

77 I ^(C)cry aloud to God,
    aloud to God, and he will hear me.
^2 (D)In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
    in ^(E)the night my ^(F)hand is stretched out without wearying;
    my soul ^(G)refuses to be comforted.
³ When I remember God, I ^(H)moan;
    when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah

⁴ You hold my eyelids open;
    I am so ^(I)troubled that I cannot speak.
⁵ I consider ^(J)the days of old,
    the years long ago.
⁶ I said,^[a] “Let me remember my ^(K)song in the night;
    let me ^(L)meditate in my heart.”
    Then my spirit made a diligent search:
⁷ “Will the Lord ^(M)spurn forever,
    and never again ^(N)be favorable?
⁸ Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
    Are his ^(O)promises at an end for all time?
^9 (P)Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    ^(Q)Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah

¹⁰ Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
    to the years of the ^(R)right hand of the Most High.”^[b]

¹¹ I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will ^(S)remember your wonders of old.
¹² I will ponder all your ^(T)work,
    and meditate on your ^(U)mighty deeds.
¹³ Your way, O God, is ^(V)holy.
    ^(W)What god is great like our God?
¹⁴ You are the God who ^(X)works wonders;
    you have ^(Y)made known your might among the peoples.
¹⁵ You ^(Z)with your arm redeemed your people,
    the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

¹⁶ When ^(AA)the waters saw you, O God,
    when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
    indeed, the deep trembled.
¹⁷ The clouds poured out water;
    the skies ^(AB)gave forth thunder;
    your ^(AC)arrows flashed on every side.
^18 (AD)The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
    ^(AE)your lightnings lighted up the world;
    the earth ^(AF)trembled and shook.
¹⁹ Your ^(AG)way was through the sea,
    your path through the great waters;
    yet your footprints ^(AH)were unseen.^[c]
20 You ^(AI)led your people like a flock
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+77&version=ESV

Why does it seem that when trouble comes our way we blame God?  Why do we think God has left us when things don’t go our way?  Why is it that we seek Him but don’t feel His presence?  Maybe it is because we are, like the old song goes, “Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places”.  We look at our current circumstances and measure the love of God off of that.  We decide that He only loves us if He makes us happy, healthy, and content but we forget that God demonstrated His love for us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).  We forget the passage found in Romans 8:35-39, ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written,^(A)“For your sake ^(B)we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than ^(C)conquerors through ^(D)him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A35-39&version=ESV)

There is an old hymn that I used to sing as a child, that goes like this, “Count your blessings name them one by one, count your blessings see what God has done, Count your blessing, name them one by one, count your many blessings see what God has done.”  We need to count your blessings, when times are tough and then we will see that God is still there like He has always been.  It isn’t God that moves, it is us.  We tend to think when things are great that we have accomplished it on our own and when times are bad we think God has failed us or left us.  When all along He is there saying, Come to me, all who labor and are ^(C)heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  (Matthew 11:28) (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+11:28&version=ESV)

Seek Him and know that He is God remember the good He has done for you, run back to Him if you need to.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila 

Let Go

Psalm 76

English Standard Version (ESV)

To the choirmaster: with ^(A)stringed instruments. A Psalm of ^(B)Asaph. A Song.

76 In Judah God is ^(C)known;
    his name is great in Israel.
² His ^(D)abode has been established in ^(E)Salem,
    his ^(F)dwelling place in Zion.
³ There he ^(G)broke the flashing arrows,
    the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah

⁴ Glorious are you, more majestic
    ^(H)than the mountains full of ^(I)prey.
^5 (J)The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil;
    ^(K)they sank into sleep;
all the men of war
    were unable to use their hands.
⁶ At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
    both ^(L)rider and horse lay stunned.

^7 (M)But you, you are to be feared!
    Who can ^(N)stand before you
    when once your anger is roused?
⁸ From the heavens you uttered judgment;
    ^(O)the earth feared and was still,
⁹ when God ^(P)arose to establish judgment,
    to save all the humble of the earth. Selah

¹⁰ Surely ^(Q)the wrath of man shall praise you;
    the remnant^[a] of wrath you will put on like a belt.
^11 (R)Make your vows to the Lord your God and perform them;
    let all around him ^(S)bring gifts
    to him who ^(T)is to be feared,
¹² who ^(U)cuts off the spirit of princes,
    who ^(V)is to be feared by the kings of the earth.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+76&version=ESV

Someday the inhabitants of this earth will stand still and they will know that God is real and God is judge.  Right now they are busy doing what they please, enjoying life, answering to no one,  but someday they will be shocked to learn that there is someone to listen and answer to and they should have been doing so all along. 

We worry ourselves with government, with the happenings of the world when we should be putting our trust in the Mighty One True God.  We tend to forget that He is in control and that He knows what He is doing.  We begin to fall into that trap of worry and discontent and  try to fix it on our own rather than just putting our entire trust in Him.  Does He always deliver us when we think He should?  Probably not but He does deliver us when He knows He should.  You may ask, should we be silent when the things of this world are so wrong?  I ask you, was Jesus silent when facing His accusers?   What did Jesus do just prior to His arrest?  He prayed, not My will but Yours.  Many Christians today find so much to complain about from how schools are run to how government is run but they are forgetting that God is in control.  They are so vocal about the things of this earth that the message of our Lord is being muffled to the point that no one wants to listen to them about God because the ears ache with their complaints.  What would happen if we put our faith in God, proclaimed His greatness through our silence and just stepped back and watched Him work.  If we would pray to Him rather than complain to the world I believe He would be glorified.  Why are we here on this earth?  We are here to glorify and honor Him.

Someday this earth will be no more and all truth will be revealed.  It won’t be an act of circumstantial nature that takes place but rather the whole earth and its inhabitants will know that there is a God and He is the One that controls nature not “mother nature”.  One day the eyes of the blind will be opened and they will see what they missed all those years, a Savior to put their trust in.

The Bible is clear that there is a God.  Some do not hold it in high regard but they should for it is the very breath of God.  Stop what you are doing today and  read His words, thank Him for revealing to us His identity through the Scriptures.  If you know Him thank Him for the Holy Spirit who will guide you throughout your days, give Him control and let go.  Give Him honor and praise due Him and only Him today and seek Him with all your heart,

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila 

He Placed This Earth In Orbit

Psalm 75

English Standard Version (ESV

To the choirmaster: according to ^(A)Do Not Destroy. ^(B)A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.

75 We give thanks to you, O God;
    we give thanks, for your name is ^(C)near.
We^[a] recount your wondrous deeds.

² “At ^(D)the set time that I appoint
    I will judge ^(E)with equity.
³ When the earth ^(F)totters, and all its inhabitants,
    it is I who keep steady its ^(G)pillars.  Selah
⁴ I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
    and to the wicked, ^(H)‘Do not lift up your horn;
⁵ do not lift up your horn on high,
    or speak with haughty neck.’”

⁶ For not from the east or from the west
    and not from the wilderness comes ^(I)lifting up,
⁷ but it is ^(J)God who executes judgment,
    ^(K)putting down one and lifting up another.
^8 (L)For in the hand of the Lord there is ^(M)a cup
    with foaming wine, ^(N)well mixed,
and he pours out from it,
    and all the wicked of the earth
    shall ^(O)drain it down to the dregs.

⁹ But I will declare it forever;
    I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
^10 (P)All the horns of the wicked I will cut off,
    ^(Q)but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+75&version=ESV)    

I made a comment the other day that there is no such thing as coincidences and someone piped up and said “a naturalist would disagree with you.”  So I asked, Do you disagree?”  and she said, “Yes, all things happen by nature it is just our human nature to try to put reason to things” and she walked off.  Her statement has haunted  me for days.  I cannot disagree more with her and I just keep praying that God will open her eyes to the truth, the truth in Him.  I do not believe that conversation was a coincidence and I will pray for her.  Can I reason with her or argue with her, try to make her understand.  No, probably not.  But I can demonstrate my faith and my love for God to her.  I can pray for her.  Can God reveal Himself to her?  Will she recognize Him?  He can us a free will to make that decision.  Until God chooses to reveal Himself to everyone, there will be people who will refuse to believe.  They will put their trust in things of nature and not realize who is in control of nature.  Justice will prevail for God is justice.  My heart aches for this individual and all those who refuse to believe in God but put their belief in naturalism.

This passage is so clear, God made nature.  God controls this universe, this world, our very being.  If we deny that, His justice will prevail.  The righteous will be lifted up and the wicked will be cut off. 

Where is your faith today?  Is it with the laws of nature or is it with the One who created nature and wrote its laws?   God placed this earth in orbit, He can disturb its orbit any time He so chooses.  To not believe this is to place judgment upon your head.  Trust in Him, seek Him and know that He is God.

Seeking Him with all my Heart,

Sheila