Promotion Comes From God

Ps 75:5-7 Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

It is refreshing to see a person with a little assertiveness, trying to better herself, learn better his trade, establishing and perfecting the gifts that God has endowed them with.

But it can be frustrating to get passed over when another, lesser qualified person gets that promotion. You know you have better people skills, you have honed your craft and have a better knowledge of the workings of your trade. You ask, "Why did they get the job? Why wasn't I even interviewed?"

These are fair questions to ask about seemingly unfair situations.

Though the higher-ups may seem a bit clueless at times, know that the Lord is taking notes. He knows when to make the sun shine on you and when to leave you in the shadows for your greater good.

One of the men in our church was dismissed from his job because of a simple misunderstanding. He had been a valued employee at that company for decades and, boom! he was gone.

The temptation for he and his wife was to worry, despair and cry "foul!"

However, time, testing and trials showed that God knew exactly what He was doing in this man's life.

Now he has a better job, in fact one of the most coveted jobs in town at a tremendously reputable and caring company, better benefits to boot! And the old job? All the employees are laid off. They were told to take their vacations months ago, which they did, and then they never even received their vacation pay.

Once again, God's timing was impeccable and His will was accomplished in the life of His kid.

So keep bettering yourself, continue to hone your skills, be the best whatever it is that you do, be invaluable at your place of work, and God will promote you in His time, and in His will.

A Valentine for Solomon

David's last prayer was a prayer for Solomon.
Ps 72:20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

In this Psalm, David lays his desires for his son before the Lord. Knowing at this time that Solomon would reign in his stead, David petitions the Lord for good judgment, prosperity, dominion, spirituality and honor for Solomon.

One curious request I see that the Lord answered in a manner with quite a twist, verse 10 asks, maybe even prophecies that the kings of Sheba and Seba would offer gifts to his son during his reign as king. Verse 15 says that to him shall be given the gold of Sheba. I suppose, at that time, Sheba had a king. Little did he know that in Solomon's day, Sheba (Ethiopia) would be ruled by a queen.

In I Kings 10 we read the story of the visit of the queen of Sheba who had heard of Solomon's fame and came to check it out. She brought, as a gift, 120 talents of gold. That's a huge chunk of change! In fact, we are told that nobody brought him bigger gifts than she did.

Well, Solomon had an eye for the ladies and apparently, he was as impressed with her as she was with him and we are told they got hitched. Some say that the Song of Solomon, the love story between he and his wife, was written about none other than the queen of Sheba. Take a gander at Canticles 1:5-6a, I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me:

Well, be careful what you pray for, you might just get it. And in this final prayer of David, he unwittingly got a future daughter in law. Instead of a king, the family got a real queen.

What a nice Valentine's day story!

What's in a name?

Psa 68:4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.

"...his name JAH"

"Name" here speaks of God's individuality, authority, character. His very name tells of His renown.

Then we come to this curious demarcation of the Lord. We are used to the familiar usage of Lord, God and sometimes, occasionally, Jehovah. but here is a once and only usage of "JAH" as it stands alone. It is actually a contraction of Jehovah, but is used commonly as a suffix in many of the Bible names with which we are familiar. For examples; Eli(jah), "God of Jehovah"; Isa(iah), "JAH has saved"; Jerem(iah), "JAH will rise", etc.

The common usage of this suffix to Hebrew names indicates the centrality of God (JAH) in the lives of His people. He is integral to anything and everything.

In our culture, it seems as if God is an add-on. The phrase "God willing" is sometimes an afterthought rather than an all-important thought.

(Special note: Did you know that "Jah" is the Rastifarian name for God?)

Our society hears the name of God used in blasphemy more than in praise and reverence.

What a crying shame that God's holy name is so misunderstood and misused. Would to JAH that we would pause, as the ancient scribes did, at the majesty of His name as it is presented, and make spiritual preparation before even invoking His holy and majestic name.

Let us consider that glorious name in whatever form we hear, say, read or otherwise engage it today. Names convey meaning, but true meaning is found only by the power of His name, JAH.

My Wheelbarrow Overfloweth!

Ps 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

I can remember well the old “family” wheelbarrow we used around the place for years. The wooden handles were well-worn and polished from great use, the wheel was steel, I had no idea there actually existed inflated tire models. I still think those are for sissies! :<) I was always a fan of loading that thing up as much as possible. My dad would encourage me to make more trips so as not to lose items over the side. Fewer steps was my greatest concern.

“Loadeth” - to load, that is, impose a burden. The blessings of the Lord are heaped upon His dear children to the point of overloading them. As Jesus promised, Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over shall men give into your bosom.

Whether the Lord chooses to heap upon us His blessings from within, without or even from above, whether they are spiritual, physical or economic, they are multitude and exceed that which we deserve.

I thank my God this day for His multitudinous blessings upon me.

Thank you, Lord, for your wonderful mercy!

Psa 67:1 God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.
Psa 67:2 That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.
Psa 67:3 Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.
Psa 67:4 O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.
Psa 67:5 Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.
Psa 67:6 Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.
Psa 67:7 God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.


The 67th Psalm is a beautiful bit of praise. The invocation asks for God's mercy, blessings and favor.

I need this triumvirate today and forever more. It is said that Grace is getting what we don't deserve and mercy is not receiving what we do deserve.

I confess, I am deserving of a whole lot I'd rather do without. Therefore, God's mercy is a welcome gift to this "deserving" sinner.

I think of my kids. Honestly, sometimes I want to whip the fire out of those children, but I seldom do. Not that they don't merit a real woodshed experience, they can really offend dad's holy law at times. I am sure they are thankful that a calmer head prevails.

Dad is capable of mercy, because he knows the mercy shown by the Heavenly Father and can really appreciate that mercy can sometimes teach a greater lesson than a good whoopin'.

Thank you, Lord, for your wonderful mercy!

He Cannot Feel at Home in a Dirty Heart

Ps 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.

Regarding iniquity in one's heart speaks to a deep seated sin which we harbor and approve of.

The word regard means to approve of, to take heed to, or to consider.
We are told that our hearts are to be the residence of Christ in us. As long as we allow iniquity to dwell in that holy spot, then God assures us that He has no intention of hearing and answering our prayers.

We've got to get the crud out so that there is nothing between our soul and the Savior, for He can not feel at home in a dirty house.

What sin are you regarding in your heart right now that hinders your prayer?

Allow the blood of Jesus, through His mercy, to wash you white as snow.

The Most Powerful Man on Earth

Most Americans, without hesitation, believe the POTUS (President of the United States) has the distinction of being the most powerful man on earth. But let’s think about that a bit. Today I offer my top 5 list.

5. Oprah Winfrey. I remember many years ago, riding a ski lift up Telluride’s slopes and looking down onto Oprah’s balcony. My thought was, “How much moola do you have to have to make to live on this hill?” At the time, she made a paltry $54 mil per annum. In ’08, she raked in $385M and is worth $2.7 billion. This poor child from Kosciusko, MS, who made good as a media mogul, is dubbed as the richest African American in history, the first black billionaire, and the most influential woman in the world. She is said to have delivered over a million votes to Barack Obama in the final days of the ’08 elections. She was even considered by notorious Illinois Governor Blagojevich as a possible replacement for the Messiah’s vacant senate seat. Not only that, but she is the associate pastor of the newest world-wide cult. Perhaps she could be appointed as the false prophet for the false messiah. That’s power, man! Therefore she ranks as my number 5 world’s most powerful man.

4. Rush Limbaugh, aka, El Rushbo, aka, Maharushie, ad nauseam. Yes, ensconced behind the golden EIB mic every Monday through Friday, this living legend of radio and opinion whose talent is on loan from God ranks #4 in my list of most powerful men on earth. If he only knew he only rated a 4, I am sure his oversized ego would be greatly deflated to only 10 times the size of a normal human sapiens. In only one week the king of talk radio has drawn the ire of the POTUS, the DNC (Democratic National Committee) and every liberal critic in the known blogosphere. Why all the fuss over this teddy bear who takes on his enemies with one half of his brain tied behind his back? Because he said he hopes the POTUS will fail. Imagine that! He hopes that ultra-liberalism fails so that decent thinking Americans can regain status in the 3 branches of government. Shame on him! It’s un-American to hope a gay-friendly, big-spending , Arab-placating, abortionist president doesn’t succeed.

3. Rahm Emmanuel (literal meaning: Highly exalted God with us). Imagine opening a package and finding in it a rotting 2 foot long fish! That’s what happens when you cross #3 on our world’s most powerful list. And once you have been humiliated in defeat, expect a display of passion as he stabs a table with his steak knife, calling out your name and saying, “die!” The chief of Messiah’s staff will be the behind the scenes power of the regime that woos the world.

2. His Eminence, the Holy Messiah Barack H. Obama. On inauguration day the Anointed One made his triumphal entry to the holy city of Washington riding upon “the Beast”, his POTUS mobile. He has the ministry of world reconciliation. He is able to revive the economy, close Gitmo with a single pen stroke, strike down DOMA in a single bound and stop speeding republicans with his cool stare. His Kryptonite… Oath repeating ability and bowling.

And the #1 most powerful man on earth...

1. Al Gore. Inventor of the internet, inspiration for “Love Story”, Oscar and Grammy winner, Man of the Year, Nobel Prize recipient, Savior of the Planet. The biggest lie foisted on the world since the snake in the garden told Eve she could be like God if she ate that pomegranate is Al’s warning that we have ruined our mother goddess with our irresponsible greenhouse emissions. Well, then there is his follow up, that we can do something about it! You are a powerful man Al. How many of you miss the Clinton administration when we had both sex and Gore in the White House? If someone actually deflated this windbag we would experience measurable global warming.