The LORD Abhors Deceit

"He who permits himself 

to tell a lie once, 

finds it much easier 

to do it a second 

and a third time, 

till at length it 

becomes habitual; 

he tells lies 

without attending to it, 

and truths without 

the world's believing him." 

—Thomas Jefferson (1785)

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Psalm 5:1-7

Give ear to my words, 
O Lord,
 
Consider my groaning.

Heed the sound of my cry for help, 
my King and my God,

For to You I pray.

In the morning, O Lord, 
You will hear my voice;

In the morning I will order 
my prayer to You and eagerly watch.

For You are not a God who 
takes pleasure in wickedness;

No evil dwells with You.

The boastful shall not stand 
before Your eyes;

You hate all who do iniquity.

You destroy those who speak falsehood;

The Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.

But as for me, 
by Your abundant lovingkindness 
I will enter Your house,

At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.
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That was it?!

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How To Be Prepared

Luke 12:22-32 
Jesus said:

"...Consider the lilies, 
how they grow: 
they neither toil nor spin; 
but I tell you, 
not even Solomon in all his glory 
clothed himself like one of these.

But if God so clothes the grass in the field, 
which is alive today and tomorrow 
is thrown into the furnace, 
how much more will He clothe you? 

You men of little faith!

And do not seek what you will eat 
and what you will drink, 
and do not keep worrying.

For all these things the nations 
of the world eagerly seek; 
but your Father knows that 
you need these things.

But seek His kingdom, 
and these things will be added to you.

Do not be afraid, little flock, 
for your Father has chosen gladly 
to give you the kingdom."
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Live for the LORD!

Be careful!

Lying can certainly lead 

to the destruction of others!

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Colossians 3

 "...Do not lie to one another, 

since you laid aside the old self 

with its evil practices, 

and have put on the new self 

who is being renewed to a true knowledge 

according to the image 

of the One who created him—..."

Proverbs 12:17-22

"...He who speaks truth tells what is right,

But a false witness, deceit.

There is one who speaks rashly 

like the thrusts of a sword,

But the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Truthful lips will be established forever,

But a lying tongue is only for a moment.

Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,

But counselors of peace have joy.

No harm befalls the righteous,

But the wicked are filled with trouble.

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,

But those who deal faithfully are His delight..."

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Nothing is on TV anyways

Come to Him as a Living Stone, Choice and Precious in the Sight of God

1Peter 2

Therefore, putting aside 

all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy 

and envy and all slander, 

like newborn babies, 

long for the pure milk of the word, 

so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 

if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

And coming to Him as to a living stone 

which has been rejected by men, 

but is choice and precious in the sight of God,

you also, as living stones, 

are being built up 

as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, 

to offer up spiritual sacrifices 

acceptable to God 

through Jesus Christ.

For this is contained in Scripture:

“Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, 

a precious corner stone,


And he who believes in Him 

will not be disappointed.”

This precious value, then, 

is for you who believe; 

but for those who disbelieve,

“The stone which the builders rejected,


This became the very corner stone,”

and,

“A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”;

for they stumble because 

they are disobedient to the word, 

and to this doom they were also appointed.

But you are a chosen race, 

a royal priesthood, 

a holy nation, 

a people for God’s own possession, 

so that you may proclaim 

the excellencies of Him 

who has called you out of darkness 

into His marvelous light;

for you once were not a people, 

but now you are the people of God; 

you had not received mercy, 

but now you have received mercy.

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers 

to abstain from fleshly lusts 

which wage war against the soul.

Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, 

so that in the thing

 in which they slander you as evildoers, 

they may because of your good deeds, 

as they observe them, 

glorify God in the day of visitation.

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake 

to every human institution, 

whether to a king as the one in authority,

or to governors as sent by him 

for the punishment of evildoers 

and the praise of those who do right.

For such is the will of God 

that by doing right you may silence 

the ignorance of foolish men.

Act as free men, 

and do not use your freedom 

as a covering for evil, 

but use it as bondslaves of God.

Honor all people, 

love the brotherhood, 

fear God, 

honor the king.

Servants, 

be submissive to your masters 

with all respect, 

not only to those who are good and gentle, 

but also to those who are unreasonable.

For this finds favor, 

if for the sake of conscience toward God 

a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly.

For what credit is there if, when you sin 

and are harshly treated, 

you endure it with patience? 

But if when you do what is right 

and suffer for it you patiently endure it, 

this finds favor with God.

 For you have been called for this purpose, 

since Christ also suffered for you, 

leaving you an example 

for you to follow in His steps,

who committed no sin, 

nor was any deceit found in His mouth;

and while being reviled, 

He did not revile in return; 

while suffering, 

He uttered no threats, 

but kept entrusting Himself 

to Him who judges righteously;

and He Himself bore our sins 

in His body on the cross, 

so that we might die to sin 

and live to righteousness; 

for by His wounds you were healed.

For you were continually straying like sheep, 

but now you have returned 

to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

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Observe how the lilies of the field grow

Snow in late April.

Four inches over night and melted by noon.

Grape Hyacinth 

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Matthew 6:25-34

“For this reason I say to you, 

do not be worried about your life, 

as to what you will eat or what you will drink; 

nor for your body, 

as to what you will put on. 

Is not life more than food, 

and the body more than clothing? 

Look at the birds of the air, 

that they do not sow, 

nor reap nor gather into barns, 

and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. 

Are you not worth much more than they? 

And who of you by being worried 

can add a single hour to his life? 

And why are you worried about clothing? 

Observe how the lilies of the field grow; 

they do not toil nor do they spin, 

yet I say to you that not even Solomon 

in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, 

which is alive today 

and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, 

will He not much more clothe you? 

You of little faith! 

Do not worry then, saying, 

‘What will we eat?’ or 

‘What will we drink?’ or 

‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 

For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; 

for your heavenly Father knows 

that you need all these things. 

But seek first His kingdom 

and His righteousness, 

and all these things will be added to you.

“So do not worry about tomorrow; 

for tomorrow will care for itself. 

Each day has enough trouble of its own.

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Pity for the "Lucys" of this world!

Psalm 73
"Surely God is good to Israel,

To those who are pure in heart!


But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling,

My steps had almost slipped.


For I was envious of the arrogant

As I saw the prosperity of the wicked.


For there are no pains in their death,

And their body is fat.


They are not in trouble as other men,

Nor are they plagued like mankind.


Therefore pride is their necklace;

The garment of violence covers them.


Their eye bulges from fatness;

The imaginations of their heart run riot.


They mock and wickedly speak of oppression;

They speak from on high.


They have set their mouth against the heavens,

And their tongue parades through the earth.

Therefore his people return to this place,

And waters of abundance are drunk by them.

They say, 
“How does God know?

And is there knowledge with the Most High?”


Behold, these are the wicked;

And always at ease, 
they have increased in wealth.


Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure

And washed my hands in innocence

For I have been stricken all day long

And chastened every morning.

If I had said, 
“I will speak thus,”

Behold, 
I would have betrayed the generation of Your children.


When I pondered to understand this,

It was troublesome in my sight

Until I came into the sanctuary of God;

Then I perceived their end.


Surely You set them in slippery places;

You cast them down to destruction.


How they are destroyed in a moment!

They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors!


Like a dream when one awakes,
O Lord, 
when aroused, You will despise their form.

When my heart was embittered

And I was pierced within,
Then I was senseless and ignorant;

I was like a beast before You.


Nevertheless I am continually with You;

You have taken hold of my right hand.


With Your counsel You will guide me,

And afterward receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but You?

And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.


My flesh and my heart may fail,

But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.


For, behold, those who are far from 
You will perish;

You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.


But as for me, the nearness of God is my good;

I have made the Lord God my refuge,

That I may tell of all Your works."

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Have You “Prostituted” Yourself?

"Metaphorically speaking, 

people “prostitute themselves” 

whenever they compromise 

their higher values, 

whether for money,

 success, 

fame, 

or anything else 

people crave. 

A prostitute sells her body for money.  

A crook sells his character for money. 

A crooked politician sells his influence for money. 

People sell their souls

—prostitute themselves—

for a whole host of desired things. 

And one might say such individuals 

are considerably worse 

than a prostitute. 

She sells her body, 

they sell their souls; 

and crooks and others 

who prostitute their values 

do greater harm to society 

than prostitutes."

Dennis Prager, 

The Rational Bible, Exodus: God, Slavery, and Freedom. Pg.471

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Proverbs 27:1, 12, 18, 19, 22

"Do not boast about tomorrow,

For you do not know 

what a day may bring forth.

A prudent man sees evil

and hides himself,

The naive proceed and pay the penalty.

He who tends the fig tree 

will eat its fruit,

And he who cares for his master

will be honored.

As in water face reflects face,

So the heart of man reflects man.

Though you pound a fool 

in a mortar with a pestle 

along with crushed grain,

Yet his foolishness

will not depart from him."

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Gratitude

"In many ways, gratitude is the most important of all the good character traits. 

It is the most indispensable trait to both happiness and goodness. 

One can neither be a happy person nor a good person without gratitude. 

The less gratitude one has, the more one sees oneself as a victim; and nothing is more likely to produce a bad person or a bad group than defining oneself or one’s group as a victim. 

Victims, having been hurt, too often believe they have a license to hurt others. 

As for happiness, if you think of all the people you know, you will not be able to name one who is ungrateful and happy. The two are mutually exclusive."

Dennis Prager, 

The Rational Bible, Exodus: God, Slavery, and Freedom. 

Pg.440

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Proverbs 28:14-28

"How blessed is the man who fears always,

But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

Like a roaring lion and a rushing bear

Is a wicked ruler over a poor people.

A leader who is a great oppressor 

lacks understanding,

But he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.

A man who is laden with the guilt of human blood

Will be a fugitive until death; 

let no one support him.

He who walks blamelessly will be delivered,

But he who is crooked will fall all at once.

He who tills his land will have plenty of food,

But he who follows empty pursuits 

will have poverty in plenty.

A faithful man will abound with blessings,

But he who makes haste to be rich 

will not go unpunished.

To show partiality is not good,

Because for a piece of bread 

a man will transgress.

A man with an evil eye hastens after wealth

And does not know that want 

will come upon him.

He who rebukes a man will 

afterward find more favor

Than he who flatters with the tongue.

He who robs 

his father

or his mother

And says, 

“It is not a transgression,”

Is the companion of a man who destroys.

An arrogant man stirs up strife,

But he who trusts in the Lord will prosper.

He who trusts in his own heart is a fool,

But he who walks wisely 

will be delivered.

He who gives to the poor will never want,

But he who shuts his eyes will have many curses.

When the wicked rise, men hide themselves;

But when they perish, the righteous increase."

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Making a Point

"If you have an important point to make, 

don’t try to be subtle or clever. 

Use the pile driver. 

Hit the point once. 

Then come back and hit it again. 

Then hit it a third time; 

a tremendous whack."

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Winston Churchill, 

cited in The Smart Words and Wicked Wit of Winston Churchill, 

edited by Max Morris, pg. 14

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Proverbs 16:16-19

"How much better it is 

to get wisdom than gold!

And to get understanding 

is to be chosen above silver.

The highway of the upright 

is to depart from evil;

He who watches his way 

preserves his life.

Pride goes before destruction,

And a haughty spirit 

before stumbling.

It is better to be humble in spirit 

with the lowly

Than to divide the spoil 

with the proud."

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Another Snow in April

ROSE is ROSE

Life is Tough, but Live Enthusiastically Everyday for the LORD

Ephesians 2: 1-10,19-22
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 
in which you formerly walked according to the 
course of this world, according to the prince of 
the power of the air, of the spirit that is now 
working in the sons of disobedience.

Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts 
of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and 
of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, 
even as the rest.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love 
with which He loved us, even when we were dead in 
our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ 
(by grace you have been saved), and raised us up 
with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places 
in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might 
show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness 
toward us in Christ Jesus.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and 
that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a 
result of works, so that no one may boast.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus 
for good works, which God prepared beforehand so 
that we would walk in them...

...So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, 
but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are 
of God’s household, having been built on the foundation 
of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being 
the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being 
fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,
in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling
 of God in the Spirit."
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Pillows make everything better

MUTTS