Good morning all!

Father, we pray that as we search for You today the things of this earth would grow strangely dim. We know heaven is immovable, eternal and provides life everlasting, let us pursue heaven alone and remove anything that denies the power of it in our life, Amen. The bible tells us to entertain strangers, have we?

Psalm 39

9 I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst [it].
The Lord Himself has silenced me so I would discover the power of His grace alone.

10 Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand.
And in our silence we plea with God for mercy in our difficult situation for we know it’s His hand that has put upon us.

11 When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man [is] vanity. Selah.
God does this to correct the way we think and live, and this outward appearance that we think is so important flees like the moth that so easily destroys it for EVERY man is vanity.

12 Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I [am] a stranger with thee, [and] a sojourner, as all my fathers [were].
Hear my voice, MY Lord, give ear and give me peace in place of my tears, for I am a stranger WITH you, just passing through this world wanting only more of heaven.

Bottom line

Let me sum this up real simple for us this morning, David kept his mouth shut and didn’t blame anyone for his circumstances…instead He knew God was correcting his iniquity. How did He do that? He made David a stranger with HIM not from HIM…translation…David became a stranger to sin…living his life by the world’s standards instead of God’s standards. I don’t care how crazy the world thinks you are for not following their standards don’t become a stranger to God’s standard. You know what God’s standard is?

[Heb 10:38 NIV] And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back. The standard is FAITH alone and those that listen to what the world has to say…God takes NO pleasure in that one…translation…you’re a stranger to HIM. This is the dichotomy of the gospel, the more you live by faith the stranger you look to the world, but the more pleasure God sees in you. Who was David a stranger to?

[Psa 69:8 NIV] I am a foreigner to my own family, a stranger to my own mother’s children. David was a stranger to his own family, his own family thought David took his faith too far because he didn’t live as they did…as the world. Will we choose the one or the many? Guess it all depend on who we want to be a stranger WITH. Living by faith will often come with a price because it will NOT please the many, I think we have to ask where will we find our righteousness? At the foot of the cross or the feet of the world?

[1Pe 4:4 NLT] Of course, your former friends think it strange when you no longer plunge into the flood of hurtful and destructive things they do. So, they slander you. The world thinks it’s okay to let the flood of their emotions take over a say hurtful things or destroy a relationship, sometimes we do it in the name of righteousness or justice but we’re strangers to God, nonetheless. My bible says the just live by faith, and they COVER a MULTITUDE of sin they don’t speak harsh words. This outward beauty, the appearance of living a righteous life while all the while our heart rages with malice or contempt…it must fade for EVERY man is vanity…no value in the kingdom of God. You do know what the kingdom of God is, right?

[Rom 14:17 KJV] For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. The kingdom of God has NOTHING to do with our religious observances, NO matter what they are or how many we have…God’s kingdom IS…current state of being…RIGHTEOUNESS…what we should ALWAYS see in one another…PEACE…what should ALWAYS offer each other…JOY…what we should ALWAYS share with each other. Does that seem strange to you this morning? You think it seems strange to God? Now, where are these STRANGE treasures?

[Luk 17:21 NKJV] “nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you. hmm…that’s strange why would God hide His kingdom inside of us?

Point to Ponder

Are we strangers in the earth? Psa 119:19 I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me. We are if we follow God’s word, love people and forgive as needed… the word of the Lord.

Let’s us all be strangers with God, in Him Phil

Faith – Family – Friends