We follow God's lead in the Dance

New Guest: Like this one, most entries are devotional. Those related to Car Biz can be located by searching the blog archives for that title. You might start with 'Welcome,' the first entry, dated November 12, 2008, where I introduce myself and the blog. I hope you'll record your responses as you read, since these entries serve best as the first remarks in a coversation.

Blessings and best wishes,
Dr. Will


Saturday, July 31, 2010 Devotions: Ps 23, 27, 75, 76; Jdg 5:19-31; Acts 2:22-36; Mt 28:11-20

YHWH shepherds me; He provides refreshing rest and solitude, and restores me, body and soul. He guides me in righteous ways, to His name's glory. Even when I face the darkest times, death and danger, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and staff comfort and encourage me. You prepare a feast for me, right in front of my enemies; You anoint me with Your Spirit; I am boundlessly blessed. Goodness and love surely will pursue me all my mortal life, and I will dwell in YHWH's house forever. YHWH is my Light and my Salvation, the Stronghold of my life, so why should I fear anyone or anything? When I am assailed by the wicked, they will stumble and fall. I will be confident in all circumstances. I want only to abide in God and live with Him forever. I seek to inquire in His temple and offer shouts of praise and joy in His tabernacle. Show me Your face, Lord, and I will be content. Teach me Your ways, and guide me through this troubled life. I will see the goodness of t he Lord in the land of the living, and I will abide in You, strong and encouraged, for ever. At the time You establish, You will judge the earth and all its inhabitants. Let the confident not boast and the meek not despair. Let us rejoice in God and trust His justice. I know You will judge in Your time, and I leave that judgment in Your hands. I will rejoice and praise God, and abide, awaiting Your vindication. How great You are, YHWH! You are awesome and terrible—awesome to the faithful, terrible to the wicked.

The song of Deborah and Barak concluded: 'Canaan's kings came to Taanach by Megiddo's stream, and fought; but God was against them—even the stars opposed Sisera, and the river Kishon swept them away. March on, my soul, with might! YHWH's angel cursed Meroz, whose inhabitants refused to help Israel's cause. Most blessed of women is Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, who killed Sisera with a tent peg and a workman's mallet. How Sisera's mother will mourn, when after long waiting, she discovers that her son has died at the hand of a woman! Let all Your enemies perish just so, O YHWH! Let Your friends be like the sun when he rises in his might!' And the land had rest for forty years.

Peter proclaimed: 'Men of Israel, hear this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man commended to you by God with mighty works and wonders and sings which God did through Him in your midst. This Jesus was delivered up according to God's sure plan and foreknowledge, and you crucified Him and killed Him using the hands of men without the law. But God raised Him up, overcoming the bonds of death, because death could not hold Him. As David said about Him, “I saw the Lord ever before me, for He is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices, and my flesh will abide in hope. For You will not abandon My soul to Hades, nor let Your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to Me the ways of lilfe; You will make Me full of gladness with Your presence.” Now we all know that David died; his tomb is among us today. But he wrote this as a prophet, knowing that God had sworn to him that He would set one of David's descendants upon David's throne. So David foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh experience corruption.'

As the women were departing from the empty tomb from which Jesus had risen, some of the guards went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. The priests and elders paid them and told them to tell anyone that Jesus' disciples had come by night and stolen His body while the guards were asleep. The Jewish leaders promised to protect the guards if the governor heard the story. The guards took the bribe and carried out their instructions, and this story circulates among the Jews to this day. The eleven apostles went to Galilee, to the mountain Jesus designated. And when He appeared to them their, they worshiped Him, though some doubted. Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And surely I Am with you always, to the very end of the age.'