Psalm 104
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My soul, bless the Lord! the Lord is most great,
With glory arrayed majestic his state;
the light is his garment, the skies are his shade,
And over the waters his courts he has laid.
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He rides on the clouds, the wings of the storm,
The lightning and wind his mission perform;
The earth he has founded her station to keep,
And wrapped as a vesture about her the deep.
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He waters the hills with rain from the skies,
And plentiful grass and herbs he supplies,
Supplying the cattle, and blessing man's toil
With bread in abundance, with wine and with oil.
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The trees which the Lord has planted are fed,
And over the earth their branches are spread;
They keep in their shelter the birds of the air,
The life of each creature the Lord makes his care.
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The Spirit, O Lord, makes life to abound,
The earth is renewed, and fruitful the ground;
To God ascribe glory and wisdom and might,
Let God in his creatures for ever delight.
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Rejoicing in God, my thought shall be sweet,
While sinners depart in ruin complete;
My soul, bless Jehovah, his Name be adored,
Come praise him, ye people, and worship the Lord.
~The Psalter, 1912
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So much I want to be able to give back to God something that does not require his assistance. How can my love, gratitude or thanksgiving be worth anything to him if he has to be the initiator. But that is how it is. My heart is cold and dead without the Spirit's warmth ... I cannot muster up the love for God or others apart from him. My soul also is helplessly molested by evil thoughts and attitudes which I may recognize and struggle against but oh the weariness. "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am lowly and meek. For my yoke is easy and my burden light." .... What does the Lord require of you? Love for God and man? In repentance and rest is your salvation. He makes my burdens light. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. To God belongs glory. The Lord has ascended his throne and I am a green olive tree in the house of my God.
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"But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches." (Rom 11:17) A subtle temptation to pride exists when we replace someone who has failed. Yet we have failed. And these branches were broken off because of pride in one's own righteousness. Yet we all have fallen short of law keeping. Love for God and man. In pride we join in the original sin and desire to be as God and from that vantage point we look down on the rest. And so I run to the foot of the cross so that I may not fall from my secure position of grace.
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"They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand through faith. So do not become proud but stand in awe. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you." (Rom. 11:20)
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"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen .... By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.... By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise." (Heb 11)
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"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous man avails much. (James 5:16)
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Last night I attended a concert of the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra with my mother at Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Newark. It has been twenty some years since our family were members there. I recognized a few faces but couldn't recall many names ... only one person recognized me ... Hey Todd. My parents have started attending EP's evening service. They like it quite well. My mother also plays the piano for an OPC work in Elkton. My dad is about to begin a Sunday School class there.
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I was interested to see what the evening would bring since it might take me a step closer to Tasha. My profile for Tasha is that she could possible be coming from Russia and is a person who is methodical and musical in nature .... while Samura is like me ... Tasha is my opposite. I have been so focused on Samura that it took a bit of prayer to reincorporate Tasha into my plans. But they are both apart of my future even though I do not know Tasha yet.
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The symphony was spectacular and originates from Ukraine .... which is not Russia ... but close. It was begun when an American family conducted a performance of the Messiah for the first time ever around the time of the fall of communism. They returned to plant St. Paul's Church with an outreach to the widow and the orphan and a music ministry that has even performed Christian concerts in Muslim countries like Kirghistan (and they have been asked to return). I plan to keep the possibility of going to St. Paul on another mission trip in the future as the opportunity and funds arise. I think my parents are excited and want to go too.
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The Kyiv Symphony Orchestra will be performing nearly every day until the end of October. October 29 they will be at my sister's church in Allentown and at Proclamation PCA, October 30. The concert is free but there are a variety of CD's and souvenirs they hope you will purchase to pay their way. We might show up at Proclamation since David is interested in hearing the performance. He could not attend last night because he was teaching a night course at Wilmington College.
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"Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness." Romans 11:22a
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