A Voice in the Wilderness

 The LORD make his face shine upon you, and be gracious towards you. The LORD turn unto you, and give you peace."  Happy Thanksgiving!

 It's a longer passage, and if you don't know it, you should read it. But I took this part because it's the time of year when we focus on gratitude. Still, the point is, this shouldn't be seasonal! we oughta give thanks all the time, for everything. And think about that before making requests. Because, if you're able to read this, you've been blessed. If you enjoyed that, check out my Substack, @voiceinthewilderness1. And then, tell your friends!

 -But be transformed by the renewing of your mind." In case it's not clear, this basically says that once you follow Christ, you'll never be the same. Sure, you got the same hair color, the same tone physique, in the same world. But how you see things, and how you treat them is changed. And since God made everything, it's the right way. Kinda like getting the inside-scoop on reality. Which is pretty sweet. Halleujah! If you enjoyed that, check out my Substack, @voiceinthewilderness1. And then, tell your friends!

 Time after time, the Bible makes it clear that everything is part of a bigger plan. Every time you tripped and fell, or won the lottery, that happened for a reason. And while we, on a human level, might make mistakes, God doesn't. Nothing happens by accident. Which could lead to long and fascinating conversations. But for now, it's simply very comforting. If you enjoyed that, check out my Substack, @voiceinthewilderness1. And then, tell your friends!

 This is one of those prophecies that was true back then, and will be true again. A long time ago, Moab had all these trees and statues that they treated like gods. But one day, God the Father sorted them out. And folks are still talking about it. Today, we give importance to computers, and to vices, and tiny things. But God will put people straight.Still, we can be in His good books when He does, if we but accept Him. If you liked that message, check out my Substack, @voiceinthewilderness1. And then, tell your friends!

Don't we all yearn for a love like that? Sure, it might be hard to understand, becase humans don't usually think in terms of forever. And even if we're married for life, that ends, right? But God loves for all time, which means He cares, provides for, guides and proyects for all time. And if you want that, He wants you.  If you enjoyed that, check out my substack, @voiceinthewilderness1.And then, tell your friends!

 Everybody knows that righteousness means doing the right thing. But did you know, justice means giving a person what they deserve. Beyond any earthly trends, God makes sure that whatever you and I have or live with, it's just right, and exactly what we should get. And it might not be obvious, reading this verse in modern times, but that's why He told me to tell you. Whatever you're dealing with, He's got your back. If you liked that, check out my Substack, @voiceinthewilderness1. And then, tell your friends!

 Have you ever woken up to see the sunrise? If you have, you know it's beautiful. What you might not know is that sunrise on the same day, in the same place next year will be completey different. Because no two are the same. And this is just one example.New flowers, newborn critters, new opportunities each day. And frankly, I can't think of anything more encouraging. Enjoy. If you liked that, check out my Substack, @voiceinthewlderness1. And then, tell your friends! 

 Every year, around this time, people start thinking about football, and turey, and maybe parades or dog shows. But if we step back for a second, we'll remember that all this stuff is a gift from God. So, like the pilgrims who first enjoyed the holy day, we should be grateful for anything. Or, probably, so very many things. Paise the Lord. If you enjoyed that, check out my Substack, @voiceinthewilderness1. And then, tell your friends!

 Sometimes we get annoyed. Even though GOD is beyond words, He's still our dad. We don't know why He's so contrlling, always in our buisiness! After forever, we must be exhausting to Him. Yet still, our every need is cared for, before we even ask. 'Cause He just loves like that. How can we not love Him back? If you enjoyed that, check out my Substack, @voiceinthewilderness1. And then, tell your friends! 

 Not exactly a "get rich quick" scheme. I mean, just for Christ to get here took thousands of years. But GOD is unchanging, and rich in mercy. Jesus came, essentially, so we could see that mercy, and get on board with it. If you already have, fantastic! But if not, that offer, for surpassing riches? It's still open.     If you enjoyed that, check out my Substack, @voiceinthewilderness1. And then, tell your friends!

 Moses wondered what to tell the people, so GOD explained that He always is and always was, and that's enough. But that might be a little deep for folks. So we got another name. Jeshuah, or Jesus, which means GOD with us. It means the same thing, that He won't let you down. So much that He comes up with lotsa ways to say it. Because He loves you, right now. If you enjoyed that, check out my Substack, @voiceinthewilderness1. And then, tell your friends!

 The almighty is very thoughtful of the weak. Numerous promises care for widows and orphas and the meek. Elsewhere, Christ says that only the child-like in heart will see heaven. So, maybe you're no kid. But if you love God, simply and intently, without the world ruining things, He loves you too. The Alpha of all existence loves you.  If you enjoyed that, check out my Substack, @voiceinthewilderness1. And then, tell your frends! 

 So often we read this, and think God's like a Genie. If I want it, it's obviously good, and you promised me good stuff! So give it to me! But God can see every surprising plot twist, and He know's what's actually good for us. And while we can't stop deciding or wanting things, life goes a lot better when we decide to just roll with Him. Even, perfectly better. If you enjoyed that, check out my Substack, @voiceinthewilderness1. And then, tell your griends!

 Whoah. I mean, what a comfort! To the non-believer or the unexperienced, this sounds like hollow pleasenties. But to many who have seen "trouble," God is their testimony. And here, I include all faths, since there are those who only believe because of miracles they see. Because He's just that good, sometimes it just overflows. Not to mention His faithfulness to His children. Hallelujah! If you enjoyed that, check out my Substack, @voiceinthewilderness1. And then, tell your friends!

 Most people read this and think God's hand is up, like it's ready for a slap. And that might be true, but I get something different. Because even His punishment is tough love, not wrath just for fun. To me, it feels like God is saying, "Of course I'm mad. Your really messed up. But I still love you, bring it in!" Full of anger to rebels, but perfect in love and forgiveness.  If you enjoyed that, check out my Substack, @voiceinthewilderness1. And then, tell your friends!

 That might seem pretty simle. A no-brainer, even. Until we take a step back, and try to remember how it sounded to unsaved ears. Alpha and Omega, the great be-all end-all of everything that ever is, was, or will be wants to talk. To just start regularly hanging out, in fact. All we gotta do is be cool with it and respectfully say, "Yeah. That sounds good." And then, He'll come bless us beyond imagining. That's what James is talking about. If you enjoyed that, check out my Substack, @voiceinthewlderness1. And then, tell your friends!

 Of course, this doesn't mean physically. You'll have the same hair color, and the same shoe size. This means spiritually, which is probably more important. If you actually surrender to Jesus, He'll change the way you think about stuff, which means what you do and how you feel. And as God is the architect of everything, you can be sure it's the right way. And how cool is that? Basically, getting all the cheat codes for real life. Pretty sweet. If you enjoyed that, check out my Substack, @voiceinthewilderness1. And then, tell your friends!

  Sometimes this is hard. We care so much about wars, politics, friends, even sports. And this is because we're made in God's image, and He cares about everything. So while we should try to imitate the Father, the truth is, He's got this under control! So, really, it's simple. just follow Him, and it'll all work out.  If you liked that, check out my Substack, @voiceinthewilderness1. And then, tell your friends!