Hallelujah!

In Philippians chapter 4 verse 4, it is written: "Rejoice in the Lord always..." Also, in Psalm 34 verse 1, it is written: "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth."

I find an easy way to rejoice in the Lord is to exclaim, "Hallelujah!"

Now I know some people use the word "Hallelujah" to rejoice in good circumstances. But I prefer to limit the word "Hallelujah" to rejoicing in the Lord Himself. If I want to rejoice in good circumstances, I'll say "I'm happy about that, or about what happened!"

(However, if you can see that the good circumstance is a result of God's gracious care, or an answer to prayer, then "Hallelujah" is appropriate here! When we see God's hand of blessing on our circumstances, and we share with others about what happened, this is called a testimony of God's goodness.)

So, what is it about the Lord God that makes me want to rejoice in Him?

I rejoice in His continuous presence, His goodness, His grace, His mercy, His forgiveness, His love, His faithfulness, His care - for all of His kids! (I hope this includes you!) I rejoice that He has revealed His Majesty, His Holiness, His Power, His Authority, Himself!!, through His written Word (the Bible) and has let us know that there is nothing too hard for Him to handle! We're in good hands!

Jeremiah Chapter 32 verse 17 says: ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.'

If you can't relate to this but want to, cry out to the Lord God and tell Him you want this, you want to be in His family! Ask Him into your life! He wants to be related to you as a Father. He is pursuing each and every one of us!

Revelation chapter 3 verse 20 says: Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Why? Because He loves us!

Larry Carroll

Happy New Year

 

There is the Word of God, the Bible, and there is circumstance. Which is true? Well, they both are!  (A paradox) And they sometimes disagree. So, you have to choose which one you'll believe! However, the Word of God is truer than anything else! The word of God is a superior truth, and circumstance is an inferior truth! Hopefully you already know that.

Another way to say this is: circumstance is reality but is not ultimate reality. The Word of God is ultimate reality.

But if you don't know what is written in the Bible, then you will never choose to believe it. (OK, maybe a few people have told you a few things that the Bible says. Good, but that's just a good start.)

So, this is a great day to start reading the Bible! Where? What I usually say is: "Start in any one of the first four books of the New Testament. These describe Jesus' life on Earth." And you can start online, since Biblegateway.com and BlueLetterBible.com both have apps you can use for free.

However, maybe you need an overview of the Old Testament.  I don't know, maybe. If so, read a few, maybe several, chapters in each of Genesis and Exodus and First Samuel and Psalms and Daniel and any other book that looks interesting to you. (Yes, there are so many other good ones.) You don't need to rush it! Ask the Lord God to help you understand what you are reading! He will!

Enjoy!

Larry Carroll