Mercy Mercy Mercy
Personal Psalm 23
Reverend Lonnie C. Crowe
Because I have accepted the Lord as my Shepherd, I know down in the depth of my being that He will, without fail, supply all of my needs out of His riches in glory. He guides my feet in the path of wisdom so that I can rest in the freshness of His provision. He leads me to the refreshingly calm waters of His Holy Spirit. There I can be still in the knowledge that He is God.There I can become still water for others in this troubled world.
In spite of the turmoil happening around me, He restores my mind by causing me to meditate on His loveliness. He strengthens my will to walk in His righteousness as a testimony that His way is the best way, that His pathway leads to La Dolce Vita on earth as well as in heaven.
When I am surrounded and nearly overwhelmed with adversity, His rod (His guidance)and His staff (His strength) comfort me.
In the midst of sin, chaos and anguish, He demonstrates His covenant with me. He takes me to His banqueting table where His banner over me is agape love. He lavishly anoints my head with the oil of the Holy Spirit and declares that in His kingdom I am a king and a priest.
I have no doubt that nothing can separate me from the love of God which is established in the sacrifice of Jesus. I live now and will live forever more surrounded and protected by all that He is.
John 1:1-4. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
My thoughts returned to “In the beginning was God.” God stood in the midst of eternity past. He spoke in a voice like many waters, “Light be.” and instantly light is. That light emanated from God Himself. God is eternal. Therefore, light is eternal. God is always in the present tense because He does not change. He has always been, always is and always well be Yaweh, I AM. God is good. Therefore, goodness is eternal and will never change.
A Word for the New Year:
Hanukkah: Go Light Your World
Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe
Hanukkah commemorates the miracle that occurred after the Greeks had desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem by sacrificing a pig on the altar in the outer court and erecting a statue of Zeus in the Holy of Holies. A small, but powerful, army of Israelites led by Judas Macabee chased the Greek army out of Jerusalem and began the process of cleansing the Temple so that once again it could be dedicated to God. After the cleansing was complete, in faith, the priests, well knowing they had only enough sacred oil to fuel the lamp stand for one day, lighted the golden menorah. Miraculously, the menorah burned for eight days until more sacred oil could be prepared.
Paul reminded the church in Corinth, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16) Believing that we are the temple of God, we must examine ourselves to see what we are sacrificing on the altars of our hearts and what gods we might have erected in our holy of holies.
The god that many of us have accepted is the god of the world system. We must rid our hearts of the philosophies and mindsets of the world system which discreate our temples. The world system fosters fear and pessimism. Someone once summed it up as “life is simply one damn thing after another and then you die”.
In chapter 5 of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, Benjamin the donkey grumbles, “Windmill or no windmill, life would go on as it had always gone on—that is, badly”.
A comedic group on the old T.V. show Hee Haw sang, “if it wasn’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.”
However, Paul wrote to the Romans, “The Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:7)
In Nehemiah 8:10, we learn, “The joy if the Lord is your strength.”
Galatians 5:22, Paul asserts that the first three fruits of the Holy Spirit are love, joy and peace.
Hold fast to the truth of 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
We must cleanse our temples of a fearful, pessimistic mindset and allow God to fill us with the oil of the Holy Spirit. We must carry our candles and go light our world.
Chris Rice – Carry Your Candle Lyrics
There is a candle in every soul
Some brightly burning, some dark and cold
There is a Spirit who brings fire
Ignites a candle and makes His home
Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the hopeless, confused and torn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Take your candle, and go light your world
Frustrated brother, see how he’s tried to
Light his own candle some other way
See now your sister, she’s been robbed and lied to
Still holds a candle without a flame
Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the lonely, the tired and worn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Take your candle, and go light your world
We are a family whose hearts are blazing
So let’s raise our candles and light up the sky
Praying to our Father, in the name of Jesus
Make us a beacon in darkest times
Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the helpless, deceived and poor
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the hopeless, confused and torn
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Take your candle, and go light your world
