Category Archives: Faith

Daybreak Thoughts

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What should I do, Lord Jesus, this day?
The first thing, for sure, is to stop and pray.
Then listen to “hear” that still, small voice
before I make even one first choice.

May I find how to serve You every day
by seeking You early for Your pathway.
What I think of doing may need to be set aside
in order to help others with a heart opened wide.

And let me not miss telling those I meet how to find
their Lord and their Savior, who is so good and kind.
For there are many people with an emptiness inside
that can only be filled when You come to abide.

Then, too, some who know You may be facing a trial;
help me to encourage, that it’s only for a while.
For You, Lord, are good and want them to be blessed,
with all of the things that work out for their very best.

P. A. Oltrogge

“Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them and they follow Me.” John 10:27

“Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:4

“A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.” Psalms 34:19 (NIV)

Also Luke 11:13; John 14:26; John 16:7; Romans 8:14;
1 Corinthians 10:24

On this U.S. National Day of Prayer:

http://www.dutchsheets.org (video)

http://www.givehim15.com (written)

“The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The plans of His heart to all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.”

Psalm 33:11-12 (NKJV)

A Discussion After Breakfast with Jesus

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from John 21:15-25

One morning after the resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples at the Sea of Galilee; and after they had joined Him at breakfast, He began to tell Simon Peter of things that were yet to be.

To begin with, Jesus asked Peter if He loved Him and, by asking three times, to what extent. Peter answered each time that Jesus knew that He loved Him, so he wondered what all of this meant.

Three times, Peter had denied the Lord when Jesus had been taken into custody before His trial. So it seems this was the Lord’s way of reaffirming Peter’s commitment after that time of denial.

After each question about his love, Jesus said, “Tend My lambs; shepherd, and tend My sheep.” These were the Lord’s directions to Peter, for the days ahead, that He knew He could now trust him to keep.

Then He said that when Peter was younger, he had been free to walk whatever path he’d chosen to take; but when he would become old, he would be led by others to a destiny he wouldn’t choose to make.

Contemplating what Jesus said, Peter asked about the future of John, for instance, just having looked his way. We can take from Jesus’ answer that we must simply follow the Holy Spirit for our own lives after we pray.

Jesus told Peter, “Follow Me!” And today, He is saying the same to each of us, so we must listen for His voice. Then, when we hear and follow Him, even if we’re reviled and persecuted for His sake, we can rejoice.

So often, what may seem hard turns into a pathway of great blessing for others and ourselves, as well. Jesus will never leave us or forsake us. In trusting Him as our Good Shepherd, all fears will be quelled.

P. A. Oltrogge

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” words of Jesus in Matthew 5:11-12

postscript:

At the end of the chapter, John made a comment on all of the other things that Jesus had done–and that the world itself couldn’t contain all the books that could be written about God’s Son.

Books have been written, too, about the lives of those who followed the Lord in their journeys here on this earth. Their lives were a testimony to a life yielded to Christ, which is a life lived to its highest worth.

Of special interest:

Be blessed by viewing the testimonies of 
Albert and Cecily Kelln presently featured 
at www.awmi.net and other stories there.

Lift Up Your Eyes to the Hills

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“I will lift up my eyes to the hills–
From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.”
Psalm 121:1-2

Lord, you are the source of my help on any given day.
You made the heavens and the earth–On you, my hope will stay.

I will look even to the hills–On their horizon, I’ll always see,
through the eye of faith, my Savior, heading down with help for me.

P. A. Oltrogge

“He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.”
Psalm 121:3-8 NKJV

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
words of Jesus in John 14:27 NKJV

Led by the Lord of Love

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“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35 NKJV

As followers of Jesus and friends of this blog, I know that you believe and give;
so this little poem is just one person’s story, of God leading her to a new place to live.

So a woman named Danita, of the United States, was only a young girl of eleven,
when her Dad sparked her interest in working for Christ and for the Kingdom of heaven.

They travelled to the nation of Haiti, joining in on a church mission trip there.
Then, later, Jesus led her to Haiti again, for the needy to come under her care

Not sensing God’s plan right away, she asked Him for what purpose she’d come. He led her to take in orphans, so that to poverty, even death, they’d not succumb.

Now her ministry has grown to be a trusted shelter for many people of that land.
Thank God for this and other ministries, which have taken to heart His great “love command.”

P. A. Oltrogge

For a video of Danita Estrella Watts’s story, go to www.danitaschildren.org

“Open your mouth for the speechless,
In the cause of all who are appointed to die.
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And plead the cause of the poor and needy.” Proverbs 31:8-9 NKJV

Other outreaches for serving or giving as a way of service:
www.samaritanspurse.org
www.timothysministry.org and others with which you’re familiar

God bless you!

The Resurrected Lord appears at the Sea of Galilee

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After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples several times–for instance, once at the Sea of Galilee. In the group were Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, two other disciples, and the sons of Zebedee.

Peter announced he was going to go out to fish; and they all decided they would join him, too, on the boat. They fished all night but caught nothing; and in the morning they saw Jesus on the shore as they were afloat.

They didn’t realize this was the Master when He called to them as “friends,” asking if they had fish aboard. “No,” they said–but then took His advice, that a shift of the net to the right side shouldn’t be ignored.

When they did as He said, they came into such an abundance of fish that they weren’t able to haul in the net, which caused them to remember a previous miraculous catch–an incident they could never forget.

John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, spoke up first, saying, “It is the Lord!” They all were overwhelmed and excited. Peter, in his eagerness, threw on his tunic, and jumped into the sea for the shore–so unable to wait to be reunited.

The others followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, with which Jesus had just blessed–such a great haul. A fire of burning coals with fish and also bread was ready on shore, where the Lord wanted to dine with them all.

Jesus said that they should bring some of the fish just caught–153 large fish in all, and yet the net wasn’t torn. “Come and have breakfast,” was His warm greeting to His disciples there on that joyful and, to them, miraculous morn.

Have you fished all night, are you not expecting to see the Lord show up, do you think miracles are few and far between? Well, He’s the resurrected Lord, and is “ALIVE forevermore!” We can expect to see miracles yet like none we’ve ever seen!

P. A. Oltrogge

(from John 21:1-14
and reference to Luke 5:1-11)

“And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.’” Revelation 1:17-19

The various versions of the Bible have Jesus calling out to His disciples in this account in different terms.  “Children” is written in the King James Version–which they were, beloved children of God.

In the Gospel of John, we read of John as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Of course, all of His disciples were the recipients of His love, as we also are today!

An inspiring miracle: https://www.awmi.net/blog/o-death-where-is-thy-sting/

The Sea of Galilee, today
Photo/Unsplash

New Creation Worship

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You may want to do an internet search to locate “Psalm 91 New Creation Worship” to hear thoughts from Psalm 91 in a worship song…

Protection from plague, pestilence, and peril is proclaimed in this Psalm, 91:

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”

3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”

(New King James Version)

Let’s pray for those today who are in need of this confidence, to find Christ, the Lord….

Choosing the Right Mirror

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If you have ever stepped in front of an amusement park mirror
and have seen the distorted image of how it makes you seem to appear,
you know, of course, for certain, that’s not really how you look.
Likewise, the devil tries to distort your image that’s established in God’s Book.

God sees you as being loved, forgiven, victorious, prospered, and healed–
so just agree with Him about the image for you that He has revealed.
It isn’t at all amusing to take, as real, an image that’s wrong–
so step away from the devil’s mirror to God’s, where you rightly belong.

Let your words align with the Lord’s, so the distorted image will be corrected.
God’s Word is the wonderful mirror where His view of you is reflected.
And His view of you is His will for you, so keep that always in mind.
God’s Word is the most accurate mirror that any believer in Jesus can find.

Distortions of the Word of God may come, but we know they’re merely lies.
Meditation of and embracing God’s truths will always prove to be wise.
The devil may try to “reflect” some things, but you must step away
to the mirror that is within God’s Word–See yourself as God sees you every day.

P. A. Oltrogge

…loved, forgiven, redeemed, and blessed with many benefits:

“Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103:1-5 NKJV

“The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with lovingkindness.’” Jeremiah 31:3

…righteous and victorious through Jesus Christ as Lord of your life:

“For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:17 NKJV

“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” 2 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV

…protected and provided for, and one who has a heart for God and others:

“No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent.” Psalm 91:10 (and entire Psalm)

“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1

“Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6 (and the entire Psalm)

“And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.” Luke 12:29-33 KJV

Additionally, today’s devotional at http://www.josephprince.org is excellent to read and consider, “A Picture of a Blessed Man.”

A Work of God near the Pool of Siloam

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As told in John, chapter 9, Jesus’ disciples questioned Him one day
about a blind man they’d passed by who’d been born that way.

That he or his parents had sinned was their initial thought.
Jesus said it was neither, but that a work of God should be wrought.

Then He spoke of doing God’s work before the coming night–
and that while He was in the world, He was the world’s light.

After that, Jesus spit on the ground, to make some clay for the man,
which He applied to his eyes, as the first step of God’s healing plan.

Then, washing in the pool of Siloam would turn out to be freeing.
The man obeyed Jesus and washed there, and he came back seeing!

Those who’d known the man wondered if he could possibly be
the same beggar they had known, who’d been blind, but now could see.

When he said, “I am the one,” they questioned him as to how…
such a thing could have happened, for his total blindness to “bow.”

Well, it bowed to “the man who is called Jesus,” was his immediate reply.
“Where is He?” they asked; but he didn’t know, for Jesus had passed by.

Then he was brought before the Pharisees.  It was a Sabbath day.
He told them, also, about the pool and Jesus having applied the clay.

Because Jesus had done this on a Sabbath, His divinity was dismissed.
Keeping that law was a matter on which most of them would always insist.

Other Pharisees said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?”
So there was a division among them as they considered this in their minds.

Again, they questioned the formerly blind man, calling for his parents, too.
The Pharisees doubted he’d been born blind and asked them if it was true.

They confirmed that he was their son who’d been blind from even day one.
But how or by whom he’d been freed, they couldn’t say–“Just ask our son.”

They were afraid of being put out of the synagogue by giving laud to Christ.
But their son said he only knew this–that Jesus’ healing touch had sufficed.

The synagogue leaders kept questioning him, to the extent that he, in turn,
asked if they were wanting to be Jesus’ disciples–a notion which they spurned.

Calling him a disciple of Jesus, they said that they followed Moses of old.
At that point, the man who’d been healed made statements that were bold:

“Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes.  We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing, and does His will, He hears him.  Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.  If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

That was enough for the Pharisees to berate him as being a sinful man.
“Are you teaching us?” they said, and made him subject to a synagogue ban.

Jesus heard of this and then found him and asked him a question of His own.
“Do you believe in the Son of Man?”  But of that title, he hadn’t known.

So he asked the Lord who that was, so that he could, therefore, believe.
Jesus said the Son of Man was Himself.  (By God’s Spirit, He’d been conceived.)

“Lord, I believe,” were the heartfelt words of the man who had been born blind.
Then he worshiped Jesus, who is the Son of Man and the Son of God combined!

Conclusion:
“Then Jesus told him, ‘I entered this world to render judgment–to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.’  Some Pharisees who were standing by heard Him and asked, ‘Are you saying we’re blind?’  ‘If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,’ Jesus replied.  ‘But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.'”

(Scriptures from John 9, NKJV and NLT)

P. A. Oltrogge

The Compassion of the Lord

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Isaiah 55 ESV

55 “Come, everyone who thirsts,
    come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
    and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
    and delight yourselves in rich food.
3 Incline your ear, and come to me;
    hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
    my steadfast, sure love for David.
4 Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,
    a leader and commander for the peoples.
5 Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,
    and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,
    for he has glorified you.

6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call upon him while he is near;
7 let the wicked forsake his way,
    and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
    and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
    and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

12 “For you shall go out in joy
    and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
    shall break forth into singing,
    and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
    instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the Lord,
    an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30….
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.'”  John 6:35

An Invitation from Jesus, the Good Shepherd

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“Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.’” John 8:12

I invite you to permit Me…to be your Good Shepherd,
I’ve seen your sometimes unsuccessful tries.
I know and see ahead the highest and best pathways
In answer to every one of My children’s cries.

When lives draw to a close, I’m surely there–
And the Way to enter heaven’s gate, for you, I’ll be.
But don’t simply think that is all that I have to give,
For your welfare here and now means so much to Me.

Just as an earthly parent wants to see that all goes well
For their beloved children as they learn and grow,
So I desire that to an even greater extent for you;
Therefore, look to Me for the goodness of God to freely flow.

Factual it is that life presents things at times that are adverse;
There is an adversary to which that word’s connected.
The devil is the one who brings destruction and the curse;
But I came for you to have an abundant life and to be protected.

So permit me to be your Good Shepherd–
I’ve a Covenant of love and grace for you.
Those who follow Me will have the Light of Life–
To light the way to heaven, yes, but here on this earth, too.

P. A. Oltrogge

Jesus is the Good Shepherd!

“Jesus therefore said to them again, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy. I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hireling, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, beholds the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees, and the wolf snatches them, and scatters them. He flees because he is a hireling, and is not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own, and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.’” John 10:7-15

“Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (AMP)

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!’” Psalm 91:1-2 

“No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent.” Psalm 91:10 and all of Psalm 91

“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7 (NKJ)

Reference: See “About the Porch”