Seeking the I AM - the Way, the Truth, and the Life

Give Thanks to the Lord!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.Psalm 107 1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;     his love endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—     those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, 3 those he gathered from the lands,     from east and west, from north and south. 4 Some wandered in desert wastelands,     finding no way to a city where they could settle. 5 They were hungry and thirsty,     and their lives ebbed away. 6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,     and he delivered them from their distress. 7 He led them by a straight way     to a city where they could settle. 8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love     and his wonderful deeds for mankind, 9 for he satisfies the thirsty     and fills the hungry with good things. 10 Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,     prisoners suffering in iron chains, 11 because they rebelled against God’s commands     and despised the plans of the Most High. 12 So he subjected them to bitter labor;     they stumbled, and there was no one to help. 13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,     and he saved them from their distress. 14 He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,     and broke away their chains. 15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love     and his wonderful deeds for mankind, 16 for he breaks down gates of bronze     and cuts through bars of iron. 17 Some became fools through their rebellious ways     and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. 18 They loathed all food     and drew near the gates of death. 19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,     and he saved them from their distress. 20 He sent out his word and healed them;     he rescued them from the grave. 21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love     and his wonderful deeds for mankind. 22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings     and tell of his works with songs of joy. 23 Some went out on the sea in ships;     they were merchants on the mighty waters. 24 They saw the works of the Lord,     his wonderful deeds in the deep. 25 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest     that lifted high the waves. 26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;     in their peril their courage melted away. 27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards;     they were at their wits’ end. 28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,     and he brought them out of their distress. 29 He stilled the storm to a whisper;     the waves of the sea were hushed. 30 They were glad when it grew calm,     and he guided them to their desired haven. 31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love     and his wonderful deeds for mankind. 32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people     and praise him in the council of the elders. 33 He turned rivers into a desert,     flowing springs into thirsty ground, 34 and fruitful land into a salt waste,     because of the wickedness of those who lived there. 35 He turned the desert into pools of water     and the parched ground into flowing springs; 36 there he brought the hungry to live,     and they founded a city where they could settle. 37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards     that yielded a fruitful harvest; 38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,     and he did not let their herds diminish. 39 Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled     by oppression, calamity and sorrow; 40 he who pours contempt on nobles     made them wander in a trackless waste. 41 But he lifted the needy out of their affliction     and increased their families like flocks. 42 The upright see and rejoice,     but all the wicked shut their mouths. 43 Let the one who is wise heed these things     and ponder the loving deeds of the Lord.

Pouring out the Promised Holy Spirit - Acts 2

Acts 2 17 “‘In the last days, God says,     I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,     your young men will see visions,     your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women,     I will pour out my Spirit in those days,     and they will prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above     and signs on the earth below,     blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness     and the moon to blood     before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21 And everyone who calls     on the name of the Lord will be saved. Revelation 2217 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

It is Good to Praise the Lord - Psalm 92

Psalm 92 A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day. 1 It is good to praise the Lord     and make music to your name, O Most High, 2 proclaiming your love in the morning     and your faithfulness at night, 3 to the music of the ten-stringed lyre     and the melody of the harp. 4 For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord;     I sing for joy at what your hands have done. 5 How great are your works, Lord,     how profound your thoughts! 6 Senseless people do not know,     fools do not understand, 7 that though the wicked spring up like grass     and all evildoers flourish,     they will be destroyed forever. 8 But you, Lord, are forever exalted. 9 For surely your enemies, Lord,     surely your enemies will perish;     all evildoers will be scattered. 10 You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox;     fine oils have been poured on me. 11 My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries;     my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes. 12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,     they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; 13 planted in the house of the Lord,     they will flourish in the courts of our God. 14 They will still bear fruit in old age,     they will stay fresh and green, 15 proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;     he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

How Lovely is Your Dwelling Place - Psalm 84

Psalm 84 1 How lovely is your dwelling place,     Lord Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints,     for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out     for the living God. 3 Even the sparrow has found a home,     and the swallow a nest for herself,     where she may have her young— a place near your altar,     Lord Almighty, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;     they are ever praising you. 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,     whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka,     they make it a place of springs;     the autumn rains also cover it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength,     till each appears before God in Zion. 8 Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty;     listen to me, God of Jacob. 9 Look on our shield, O God;     look with favor on your anointed one. 10 Better is one day in your courts     than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God     than dwell in the tents of the wicked. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;     the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold     from those whose walk is blameless. 12 Lord Almighty,     blessed is the one who trusts in you.

Seeking the I AM - the Vine

John 15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.  If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command.  I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other. Psalm 80 7 Restore us, God Almighty;     make your face shine on us,     that we may be saved. 8 You transplanted a vine from Egypt;     you drove out the nations and planted it. 9 You cleared the ground for it,     and it took root and filled the land. 10 The mountains were covered with its shade,     the mighty cedars with its branches. 11 Its branches reached as far as the Sea,     its shoots as far as the River. 12 Why have you broken down its walls     so that all who pass by pick its grapes? 13 Boars from the forest ravage it,     and insects from the fields feed on it. 14 Return to us, God Almighty!     Look down from heaven and see! Watch over this vine, 15     the root your right hand has planted,     the son you have raised up for yourself. 16 Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire;     at your rebuke your people perish. 17 Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand,     the son of man you have raised up for yourself. 18 Then we will not turn away from you;     revive us, and we will call on your name. 19 Restore us, Lord God Almighty;     make your face shine on us,     that we may be saved.