If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

And if I have [the gift of] prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

And if I give all my possessions to feed [the poor,] and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind, [and] is not jealous; love does not brag [and] is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong [suffered,]  does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;  bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails;

but if [there are gifts of] prophecy, they will be done away; if [there are] tongues, they will cease; if [there is] knowledge, it will be done away.  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part;  but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.

When I was a child, I used to speak as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.  For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known.

But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

God, the Holy Spirit

1Cor 13:1-13 (NASB)

PRE TRIB TRIBULATION

Wars and rumors of war, earthquakes and disease, throughout each and every nation!
The threat of nuclear war: will we know pre trib tribulation?
Israel has been at war throughout most of the time, they have existed!
The tribulation period is the time of “Jacob’s ” trouble: Israel resists God and they have persisted!
But then, so have most gentiles and many so-called Christians, today!
We speak about pre trib rapture but are we ready for pre trib tribulation: what’s that, you say?
Christians are being persecuted and put to death in China: have you seen the misery, in the Sudan?
What will it take for we affluent folks to wake up and get with God’s Holy plan?
Am I my brother’s keeper; Cain said to God, of his brother Abel!
Are we our brother’s keeper; we who wear the Christian label?
We preach to the world; come to God but are we as worldly, as they?
We true Christians may not see and endure the tribulation but open your eyes and ears: is there not pre trib tribulation, —today?
Jeremiah was called; “the weeping prophet”: he suffered because of love for his back-slidden people!
What of those, who speak the Truth, today in the world and yes, even under the Churches’ steeple?
Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and cast out your name as evil; it is written!
As it also says in the Bible; the love of many will grow cold: would you be among those, who are self-centered and willfully smitten?
God forgive us for our self-centered ways: bring revival to this often blessed nation!
May we truly hear and obey Your voice and exalt Your Holy station!
May we be done with all willful pretenses and once more take the true Gospel to every creature!
May God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven and the Truth be the uncompromising motivation and central feature!
The Kingdom of God is as a property owner, going on a long journey and left His servants, in charge of His stuff and His place!
He gave each one his own work to do and empowered them by His Spirit and awesome grace!
Dear Father, prepare us for the coming days: may our eyes and ears be truly fixed on You!
By Your power and might, strengthen us, as each of us do what You want us to do!
Clair L. Miller
( 4/01/08 )

Joy and Sorrow walk side by side. They are not enemies one to the other, but Sorrow seems an enemy to me.

Truth is how can I know one without the other? Why would I rejoice or why would I be sad?

If I only knew Joy, then where would be rejoicing ?

If I only knew Sorrow, then where would be weeping?

‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’

Philippians 4:4 (NASB) Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your forbearing [spirit] be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.

Proverbs 10:19

• (NASB) When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise.
• (KJS) In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips [is] wise.
• (NRSV) When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but the prudent are restrained in speech.
• (NKJV) In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips [is] wise.
• (NIV) When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.

This morning I noticed that I haven’t blogged in quite some time. Immediately upon thinking this thought, Proverbs 10:19 came to mind. Soon after becoming a Christian I read this verse and it has stuck with me ever since.

I memorized it in the NIV. The NIV was the first Bible translation that I used upon becoming a Christian. My favorite now is the NASB. But I digress.

When men speak many words oft times truth turns into opinion and facts tend to flee. In fact, chances are that by the time I get done with this blog, I will transgress.

I know that I myself have at times literally reached into my mouth and grabbed my tongue so that I would not spew forth my opinions (or should I say judgments) upon the one with whom I am conversing. So often, I give my opinion on any subject, as though I have the facts, as though I am all-knowing, as though my judgments are correct.

Often, pride is my motivator. You know, that sin that lives in me. If you know me you probably know him as well. Jesus said:

Matthew 7:1 (NASB) “Do not judge lest you be judged. 2 “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.

When I read this, I get mighty scared. Jesus spoke:

Matthew 15:19 (NASB) “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. 20 “These are the things which defile the man;

I am guilty. I am defiled. Like the Apostle Paul, I could write:

Romans 7:24 (NASB) Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So… I apologize to everyone who comes to this page and says, “Doesn’t Keith blog any more?” I guess you’ll just have to trust me, that when I really have something to write, I will do so. But I hope I won’t thrust my opinions and judgments upon you and I hope I just won’t vent. You know as well as I, that there are a ton of things about which to let off steam. I would rather give my Lord praise and thanks and glory, even if sometimes I do the very thing I wish I would never do.

Jesus, I love you. Be glorified in me.

” When the Child of God

Looks into the Word of God

And sees the Son of God,

He is changed by the

Spirit of God

Into the Image of God

For the Glory of God”

- Warren Wiersbe

Back to the Bible

James 1:20 (NASB) for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

I had an anger problem. I think it was mostly triggered by the unrighteousness I perceived in the world around me. But I know that sometimes it was triggered by old wounds and decisions made on how life is supposed to be.

Nowadays I mostly get sad. This sadness is based on the truth that there is righteousness to be lived out, but we humans continually fail God and one another. I fail. It makes me sad.

There is righteousness. It belongs to God. We are his children. Father teach us your righteous ways. Thank you Father for being holy righteous. I can trust you to forgive me because your Apostle told us so (I John 1:9).

Father, may your righteousness be mine. May your joy be mine. May all the glory be yours.

I was blinded by the devil,
Born already ruined,
Stone-cold dead
As I stepped out of the womb.
By His grace I have been touched,
By His word I have been healed,
By His hand I’ve been delivered,
By His spirit I’ve been sealed.

I’ve been saved
By the blood of the lamb,
Saved
By the blood of the lamb,

- lyrics by Bob Dylan . . . but he wrote about me.

So I don’t know what to do with this other than write it down for you to read.

I awoke to a dream, maybe a vision this morning. Here it is:

I was in a tall building, maybe the 10th floor. I heard a loud sound and went to the window and looked out. As I watched a huge container, the size of 80’s style passenger van, as it fell to the highway below. Then I saw a tanker truck making a right turn, possibly off an exit ramp, on to another four lane road when a large “old school” travel van flew right over my head and smack right into the driver side door of the tanker. The tanker flipped to its side. The driver was able to exit the van but lay down in the street, writhing in pain. Passers-by streamed out into the street to come to his aide but then chaos erupted. Another “van” fell from the sky. The sky grew dark. There seemed to be a harmful cloud of gas in the air. Men began firing their pistols over their shoulders and into the air. Women seemed to be settling old scores with each other in the street, fighting one another even though danger was all around them. People were fleeing in every direction as debris fell from the sky. 

Then I turned away from the window and looked at what was apparently a large screen TV. On the screen I saw a football field. The team in red jerseys and white pants was about to kick off even as a multitude of streamers (like those used in celebrations) fell from the sky, so many streamers fell that the players could barely be seen. But the game went on even though the field was covered with the streamers.

And then I woke up.

Here are my thoughts on this dream:

I think it may be a warning. I think we should pray. I think that this event will take place very soon, during “Bowl” week, maybe January 1.

I hope this dream was not a warning but just a mind thing, but I cannot just wish it away.  I have to share it so that you make your own choice about it.

I humbly submit…

So I am thinking that we often choose things that make our lives miserable. For example, why is it that so often we choose anger when things don’t go “our way”? Or why is it that we choose fear rather than confidence in our Lord? Or why do we love to make mountains out of mole hills? Are we in the US so spoiled that we have to exaggerate our problems so that our lives have meaning?? Do we love the story of our hurts, disappointments, etc. so much that we have to cling to them?; make them seem larger than they really are so that we can be angry or pitied, etc? Or is it that we have forgotten how to dream big dreams or take big risks?

It could be that I am only witnessing this among those with whom I have relationship. And it could be that I am looking in a mirror. Either way I want it to stop.

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”"…with God all things are possible” “if you have have faith as a mustard seed…”

To him who overcomes ,
“I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God”

“shall not be hurt by the second death.”

“I will give [some] of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.”

“… to him I will give authority over the nations;”

“… shall thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels.”

“… I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.”

“… I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”

“He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part [will be] in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Don’t you love Scripture? Lord, I don’t want to be cowardly or unbelieving, immoral or a liar. I don’t think I am abominable or a murderer or a sorcerer or even an idolater, but show me the truth and set me free. I am saved by the Blood of the LAMB!!!

Welcome to my blog. I have no idea how often I’ll be humble or how often I will rant but I do humbly submit these words for your reading pleasure. Most times these words will be brief. Please feel free to agree or disagree. The Lord knows my heart.

I am humbled that you take the time to read and I pray that you will be blessed.