There wasn’t all this worry about who was right and who was wrong.  You just knew.”
               –Elmer Kelton  (The Far Canyon)

    “Observe and obey all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.”
               –Deuteronomy 12:28(NKJV)
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          “It is only man’s world that is cramping.  Human fickleness makes a drooping contrast to God’s towering covenant love and faithfulness; human standards, where all is relative, are a marshland beside the exacting, exhilarating mountains of His righteousness.”
                   –Derek Kidner

    This world is in a mess.  No one can deny it.  Wherever one turns there is havoc, mayhem, doom, and the tentacles of evil reach out to clutch all it can.  Look at the first few verses of Psalm 36.  Doesn’t that describe humanity?  Man, trying his best, or worse, to undermine God, and it seems that anymore when man gets in trouble instead of turning to God, he turns to man causing more bickering and strife.  Thank the Lord for a President who has called for a National Day of Prayer (but what does he receive for it–bickering and strife).

    1 – An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked person: There is no dread of God before his eyes,
    2 – for in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to discover and hate his sin.
    3 – The words of his mouth are malicious and deceptive; he has stopped acting wisely and doing good.
    4 – Even on his bed he makes malicious plans. He sets himself on a path that is not good
and does not reject evil.
    5 – Lord, Your faithful love reaches to heaven, Your faithfulness to the clouds.
    6 – Your righteousness is like the highest mountains; Your judgments, like the deepest sea. Lord, You preserve man and beast.
    7 – God, Your faithful love is so valuable that people take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. (HCSB)

    Verse one shows that man doesn’t care what God thinks.  Whereas the “fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7, NKJV); man just scoffs.  Man does not hate or acknowledge his sin.  Right or wrong, man says it is all relative.  “God, ha, who is He?” is the cry of modern man.
    Don’t worry about anything.  Lies will take care of everything.  Lie about this, lie about that, get them so confused that they will either believe nothing or they will believe anything.  Honesty is “old school,” lie to get ahead, to cover wrongdoings, to get your agenda accomplished.   Man will not heed the Word of God.  “Little do I realize such sin perverts my personality so much that I am no longer capable of discerning or desiring good.”  (George O. Wood) That is where man is now.  There is a determination to do evil, to plan what is wrong.  If Plan A doesn’t work, go on to Plan B.
    But thank the Lord, in times like these we can trust in God’s amazing love and His faithfulness.  God cleanses evil from the believer–righteousness and justice will prevail.  No matter what type of evil tries to beset us, we have the Lord Almighty looking over us.

         “There’s a wideness in God’s mercy, like the wideness of the sea;
          There’s a kindness in his justice which is more than liberty.
          For the love of God is broader than the measure of our mind;
          And the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind.”
                  –Frederick W. Faber

If trouble rubs the polish off a man he ought to stay home.”
              –Frank Bonham  (“The Seventh Desert”)

    “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
              –1 Timothy 6:12 (NKJV)
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    Do you want the Holy Spirit to accomplish God’s will and purpose in your life?  
    If so, then look at the road you are on.  If you are on the right road it is called sanctification.  That’s a term not heard much in churches today.  It is a doctrine that is largely ignored for it has no hoopla and people much prefer to do “right in their own eyes.”  Most will cry “legalism” when sanctification is preached.  The truth of the matter is that sanctification is actually obedience, growing in grace, doing the will of the Lord.
    There is an urgency and a necessity for a life in the fulness of the Spirit.  It is not the waving of hands, the hopping up and down in front of the church along with a feel-good sermon.  It is not listening to “worship” music, and feeling good all over.  No, it is an onward and upward trek guided by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.
    Today, there is an “awful blindness to spiritual matters and to spiritual needs amongst the people of God.” (T. Austin-Sparks)  This was written over half a century ago and it is even more true today.  The tragedy is that people are ignorant of the fact or they disregard it; for them their “feel-good” Christianity is enough.
    In the message to the lukewarm Laodicean church (Rev. 3:14-22) there is a very important phrase found in verse 21, “He who overcomes.”  The person who overcomes the lukewarmness.  Sparks does better explaining it.

         “Overcometh what?  This awful state of things, this tragic spiritual weakness; this decline; this blindness; this indifference!  The Spirit says in effect: ‘In the midst of this, I want some to rise up and throw this thing off, and get to God in desperation to save the situation.’  Will that have our response?  The Spirit said, ‘To him that overcometh.’  Do we respond?  Have we an ear to hear what the Spirit saith?”

    The devil has deceived many with the idea that sanctification is legalism.  Ponder the two verses I leave with you in closing today’s Echo.

         “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
                   –John 14:15 (NASB)

         “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lust which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.'”
                   –1 Peter 1:14-16(NASB)

But what’s done is done, and there ain’t no going back and undoing it.  A body just has to move on and figure something else out.”
                 –Lou Bradshaw (Driftin’)

    “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.”
                 –Hebrews 2:1 (NKJV)
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Here’s some thoughts to be pondering throughout the day.

            “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus”
                     –Philippians 2:5 (NKJV)

Some versions read to have your attitude the same as that of Jesus.  It means to value what Jesus values.
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            “So let those [of us] who are spiritually mature and full-grown have this mind and hold these convictions…”
                     –Philippians 3:15(AMPC)

The King James renders the word “mature” as “perfect.”  This sometimes causes confusion because as humans we recognize that we cannot be perfect.  “‘Mature’ means thinking and living rightly because of commitment to Christ.”
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From the writings of Horatius Bonar:

        “It is not by doubting but by believing that we are saved; it is not by doubting but by believing that we overcome.  Faith leads us first of all to Abel’s ‘more excellent sacrifice’ (Hebrews 11:4).  By faith we quit Ur and Egypt and Babylon, setting our face to the eternal city (Hebrews 11:6).  By faith we offer up our Isaacs, and worship ‘leaning on the top of our staffs,’ and ‘give commandment concerning our bones.’  By faith we choose affliction with the people of God, and despise Egypt’s treasures.  By faith we keep our passover; pass through the Red Sea; overthrow Jerichos; subdue kingdoms; work righteousness; stop the mouths of lions; quench the violence of fire; turn to flight the armies of the aliens, and refuse deliverance in the day of trial, that we may obtain a better resurrection (Hebrews 11:35).
        “It is ‘believing’ from first to last.  We begin, we go on, we end in faith.  The faith that justifies is the faith that overcomes (1 John 5:4).  By faith we obtain the ‘good report’ both with God and man.  By faith we receive forgiveness; by faith we live; by faith we work, and endure, and suffer; by faith we win the crown, a crown of righteousness, which shall be ours in the day of the appearing of Him who is OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
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I heard something yesterday from and old friend and I believe it fits in today.

        “We have sermon-ett’s for Christian-etts by Preacher-etts.”

People don’t want to delve into the Truth, to take time to study.  They prefer a touchy-feely kind of theology.  That is not something you can build your life on; not something you can have as your foundation.
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Question:  what is “worship” music?

Question:  If people go into a panic over the coronavirus, what will happen when the Rapture occurs?
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY! to my little girl!  Kimberly Ann is now _____ years old.  

A man has so much to put up with in his life…it won’t do sitting about crying because I got scratched.”
                 –Louis L’Amour (The Man From Skibereen)

    “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials.”
                 –James 1:2 (NKJV)
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Philippians, known as the book of rejoicing.  Rejoice, rejoice, Paul says it several times in his letter to the church at Philippi, but there is a portion of Scripture that should jump out to us.  However, many things do not jump out for those of today’s society have been taught the skill of ignoring knowledge, pretending it is not there.  Take a moment to read this verse, it is the last part of 2:12.

          “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (NKJV)

          “work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ).”  (AMPC)

Wait a minute, isn’t that legalism?  Isn’t this the concept of doing penance, of adding works to grace?  No, it’s the idea of growing in grace that Peter speaks of in 2 Peter.
    The Amplified version does a very good job of explaining this verse fully.  The words  “work out” have the idea of bringing to completion.  We are to continue to develop our Christ-likeness.  We continue pursuing the goal in Christ Jesus.  And when will salvation be complete?  When we reach our heavenly home.  I used to teach my students the following:

         “In the past we were saved from the penalty of sin.
          In the presence we are being saved from the power of sin.
          In the future we will be saved from the presence of sin.”

    Does this depend upon you?  To an extent.  Think of Jesus on the cross, a thief on either side.  They both mocked, but then one utter words to Jesus.  I can see him stretch forth his fingers toward Jesus.  He reached out; he had to receive.  “There can be no salvation without God, but what God offers man must take.  It is never God who withholds salvation; it is always man who deprives himself of it.”  (William Barclay)
    Notice the rest of the verse, “with fear and trembling.”  This is how we “work out” our salvation.  You have received Christ, but that is just the beginning–now the journey begins.  Salvation must become operational.  Call it sanctification if you will, but the life now has obligations.  There must be evidence in the daily life that you are saved; “day by day it must be more fully accomplished.” (Barclay)  “Regeneration initiates the believer into a life with obligations.  Acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord obligates the believer to obey him.” (Homer A. Kent)
    We do it with “fear and trembling.”  We understand how frail and weak we are.  We understand that we serve a holy God.  We can only be victorious by seeking Him daily, and doing it through His power.