–George Washington

       “The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy.”
                         –Psalm 147:11 (NKJV)
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Saga of Miles Forrest:  Miles was forced to stay and help Charlie and Mateo control the Durango 4th of July celebration.  There was no real hurry to get back to Silverton, and it gave him more time to work through his plan.  He still was puzzled that a town like Silverton could be bamboozled so easily.  More next week when Miles will put his plan into action.
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For a day, let’s celebrate.  Put aside the problems, the chaos and confusion, the hatred, and celebrate.  Celebrate the greatest country on earth.  Celebrate the founding of this great nation and God’s blessings on it.  Has it had problems–yes, but it was and is still the greatest country.  John Adams stated in regard to Independence Day:

          “It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty.  It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.”

     Memorial Day, Patriot Day, Veterans Day are all days of memorial, of remembrance, of solemnity.  But the 4th; it is a day of celebration!  A war had to be fought first, victory over England had to be secured, blood had to be spilt.  Soon afterward, during the term of Thomas Jefferson, the tradition of celebration of Independence Day was established at the President’s Mansion (at that time it was not called the White House).  It was under the administration of James K. Polk that the fireworks display was introduced.
     God has richly blessed this nation, and this nation rose to the challenge to be the greatest missionary-minded nation the world has ever known.  As God poured out His blessings on this country so too did the country respond by sending those with the message of the Gospel to those who had never heard.  Let me include here a thought–one that is often disregarded, one that is placed aside mostly by those who do not have a Christian mindset or worldview.  Slavery was a terrible institution, but because those people were brought to America they were introduced to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and now had the promise of eternal life; the same was true with the American Indian.
     So instead of griping and complaining.  Instead of spewing hatred–rejoice.  Rejoice that you live in this great land.  Rejoice that God saw fit, in His great Providence, to allow you to reside here.  Instead, I would admonish you, me, and all in this great land to celebrate today and to pray for this country.  “God mend thine ev’ry flaw, Confirm thy soul in self control, Thy liberty in law!” (Katherine L. Bates)

     Eat a hot dog or three, grill some hamburgers, laugh around the table with the family for you have that privilege and freedom.  Shoot off some fireworks, but be safe and watch out for those firecrackers.  Enjoy the celebration of what this day means.  Don’t let the pundits and the sourpusses spoil the celebration.  And most of all, be thankful to the Lord for the opportunity that He has blessed you with.

                    –Louis L’Amour  (Bendigo Shafter)

       “Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.”

                    –Psalm 127:1 (NKJV)
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God is holy!  His holiness demands a response from us.  It may be a negative response by some, but it is still made.  As believers, our response should be one of awe, reverence, and worship.  It should be one of obedience and doing things that please Him.  Perhaps one of the most dangerous responses to God’s holiness is that of apathy and negligence; not caring one way or another.  Psalm 99 is a response to the holiness of God.

          6 — Moses and Aaron were among His priests, and Samuel was among those who called upon His name; they called upon the LORD, and He answered them.
          7 — He spoke to them in the cloudy pillar; they kept His testimonies and the ordinance He gave them.
          8 — You answered them O LORD our God; You were to them God-Who-Forgives, though You took vengeance on their deeds.
          9 — Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.  (NKJV)

One of the first things to remember when calling upon the Lord is His sovereignty.  We cannot, or should not say, “this is the way I want it done.”  We must place our petitions and supplications in His hands.  Just as with Aaron, Moses, and Samuel, He will hear and answer.  Steven Lawson states, “Divine sovereignty operates in perfect concert with man’s prayers, not independent of them.  His reign does not bypass people but works in and through their minds, hearts, wills, and actions.”  Providence, or sovereignty, is God working in this world.  He works all things together to bring about His purpose, and if we trust Him, for our good.
       Even though we see in the psalm that God answers, we do not see any real intimacy.  “God is holy.  Before I am invited to be His friend, I must willingly become His subject.” (George O. Wood)  He listens to His people, especially those who draw near to Him, thus the mention of Moses, Aaron, and Samuel.  They knew His voice, they could hear Him speak clearly.  God is shown to be forgiving and pardoning and restoring, but He also disciplines; He punishes our misdeeds and corrects us.   The writer of Hebrews wrote, “For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.”  Yes, there is pardon, but there is also rebuke.  He is our heavenly Father–He is holy.
       Since God is set apart from the world, so should we be also.  Believers should come together by setting themselves apart in worshipping Him.  Our God is not an idol nor does He remain idle.  He is always working, sustaining, pardoning, chastising, redeeming, and working out His purpose and will.  He is a God who speaks and it is done.  He is the subject of none; no one can thwart His will.  Worship the Lord–for “our God is holy”!

               “Sinners, who love can ne’er forget
               The wormwood and the gall,
               Go, spread your trophies at His feet,
               And crown Him Lord of all.”
                        –Edward Perronet

                    –Psalm 57:1 (NKJV)
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               I have found a friend in Jesus, He’s ev’rything to me,
               He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul;
               The Lily of the Valley, in Him alone I see
               All I need to cleanse and make me fully whole.
               In sorrow He’s my comfort, in trouble He’s my stay,
               He tells me ev’ry care on Him to roll.
               He’s the Lily of the Valley, the bright and Morning Star,
               He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.
                         –Charles W. Fry

Since I mentioned this in my devotion yesterday, I thought I’d take a look at the song today.  Just that first verse alone is a great comfort.  He’s all I need to make me fully whole, and that for a fact.  There is no one else:  Buddha can’t do it, Krishna or any of the other thousands of Hindu gods can’t do it.  For sure Allah can’t do it–only Jesus, He is the only true friend that can make us fully whole.  Sorrow–He’s my comfort.  Trouble–He’s what props me up, keeps me standing, holds me together.  I can speak to Him about anything and everything.  He’s a friend like no other.

               He all my grief has taken, and all my sorrows borne;
               In temptation He’s my strong and mighty tow’r;
               I have all for Him forsaken, and all my idols torn
               From my heart, and now He keeps me by His pow’r.
               Though all the world forsake me, and Satan tempts me sore,
               Through Jesus I shall safely reach the goal;
               He’s the Lily of the Valley, the bright and Morning Star,
               He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.

When evil raises its ugly head and evil seems to be looming over my head, He’s my strong tower.  I can run to Him, and He will hold me, care for me, and keep me safe.  The world is against me because I am for God, and He will keep me through all its threats.  Satan can hurl his darts, can buffet me, can bring all manner of temptation, but it is Jesus who is by my side, and He will walk with me until I reach that home He has prepared for me.  I don’t need to fear man, I don’t need to fear the demonic forces–the pestilence, the poison, the filth–that the world throws at me–I am safe in Jesus, no one, nothing can take me from His hand.

          He will never, never leave me, nor yet forsake me here,
          While I live by faith and do His blessed will;
          A wall of fire about me, I’ve nothing now to fear,
          With His manna He my hungry soul shall fill.
          Then sweeping up to glory, to see His blessed face,
          Where rivers of delight shall ever roll!
          He’s the Lily of the Valley, the bright and Morning Star,
          He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.

No matter what the devil whispers, I’m living by faith.  I know that Jesus is with me, and will not forsake me.  He is not sleeping in the bottom of the boat allowing me to face the storm alone, in fact, He will arise and calm me in the midst of the storm whether it be a storm of life or in death.  As I hunger and thirst for righteousness, He will fill my soul with His provisions.  This song, from childhood until now, has always been one of my favorites.  There is simple trust in the Lord and that includes the day that He comes to “sweep” me up to glory.  He won’t be dragging, or pushing, but there will be a sweep, a rush with Him into His heavenly realm.  

                    –Matthew 6:28(NKJV)
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I’m not sure how “spiritual” this morning‘s devotions will be, but then again, much of it has to do with perspective.  I fully agree with Francis Schaeffer when he said, “True spirituality covers all of reality.”  Paul states the same things, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31, NKJV), and again “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3:23, NKJV).  I could also add Colossians 3:17, but you get the idea.  All–everything–we do should be for God’s glory.
       With that in mind I want to call your attention to a couple of promises I made to myself several years ago.  

               “How many years had he slept away the beautiful hours from the break of day to the burst of sunrise!”
                         –Zane Grey  (Wyoming)

               “I always say that those who rise early to enjoy the sunrise are the most blessed because of it. They get to see a beauty few others do.”
                         –Faith Blum  (A Mighty Fortress)

How many sunrises have I slept away?  I promised myself I would no longer do that.  There have been very few days, I could probably count them on one hand, when I wasn’t up to watch the sunrise.  I do my morning writing, send out the Echo, contact a few others, get the coffee made, and have 2-3 cups while I put together my morning thoughts.  I sit in my chair reading, doing my devotions, getting my day planned, sipping coffee and looking out the window waiting for the sun to send its rays through the trees.  I think of the times that Jesus was up early, sitting by the lake side, or leaning against a rock in the wilderness, or watching the waters of the Jordan slowly move by early in the morning.
       The second promise I made to myself has to do with flowers.  Yep, this ol’ fence post likes pretty flowers.  Springtime in Texas is a delight with the wildflowers in bloom, and this year was spectacular.  Solomon must have understood this when he wrote,  “The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land” (Song of Solomon 2:12, NKJV).
       Jesus said, “Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these” (Luke 12:27, NKJV).  Solomon wrote this, “I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.  Like a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters” (Song of Solomon 2:1-2, NKJV).
Part of this is referring to the Messiah, a prophetic verse, but it also refers to the one who walks by my side.  The world is a mess, there are thorns, but I have a “lily” beside me.  Because of that I don’t wait until a birthday, Mother’s Day, or anniversary, but I try to keep fresh flowers on the table for my wife.  All that she has to put up with in this life, me, the kids, the grandkids, life in general, why not give her flowers?  There are not any stores near where we live now, but still, at least once a month I get a bouquet of flowers for her.
       I believe that Jesus enjoyed looking at His creation.  The lillies came to His mind, He was called the Rose of Sharon, and the Lily of the Valley.  One of my favorites songs, “He’s the Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star…” (Charles W. Fry)  The fragrance, the velvety texture of the petals, the vibrant colors, all made by the Creator, who would sit and contemplate the world that was created, and if He did so, how much more should I?  
       Mother Teresa said, “We need to find God, and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness.  God is a friend of silence.  See how nature–trees, flowers, grass–grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence…  The more we receive in silent prayer, the more we can give in our active life.  We need silence.”  The dawning of a new day, glimpsing over at the table where a vase of fresh cut flowers sit, and recognizing that this is another day that the Lord has given me.  Two simple promises I have kept and with them comes a pleasant satisfaction.