Author: Daryl Pint

Saved by Grace, living by faith

Forfeit his soul

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”

“But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?”

Psalms 49:1   Hear this, all peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together! My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre. Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me, those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches? Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit. For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others. Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they called lands by their own names. Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish. This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts.  Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd, and the upright shall rule over them in the morning. Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell.

1 Timothy 6:6  But godliness with contentment is great gain,  for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.  But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.  But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

We often have thoughts about people and their success on the wealth they have don’t we?  We even have some thoughts about wanting the same or at least part of the same things they have.  We get envious and soon are not content.  This Psalm does make clear the impotence of wealth, the trust in it and the final reward for this trust – eternity in Hell.  We leave all behind in this life – nothing is ours – we only have use of it for this side of eternity.  If only we have clear understanding of this.  Would our giving be greater?  Would we be more content with what we have and stop seeking more and more of what this world has to offer? Seeking after more and more replaces thoughts of humbly serving, honoring, and obeying God.  Our heart and mind get consumed with everything that is temporal at the cost of that which is eternal.  This should not be so.  Check your giving, generosity, contentment, and how much time is used getting verses giving.  We all can do so much better in our focus for honor and glory to God.

His Presence

“The living, the living, he thanks you, as I do this day; the father makes known to the children your faithfulness.”

Psalms 48:1   Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress. For behold, the kings assembled; they came on together. As soon as they saw it, they were astounded; they were in panic; they took to flight. Trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in labor. By the east wind you shattered the ships of Tarshish. As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God, which God will establish forever. Selah We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple. As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness. Let Mount Zion be glad! Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of your judgments! Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.

I find this commentary on this Psalm impactful and thought best to share it rather than my thoughts on these verses.

The psalmist celebrates the beauty and glory of Zion, 48:1-3. The Church today is the City of the great King. Apart from God, the fairest palace is no refuge; but a cottage becomes a palace if God is known and loved there. Judah’s recent deliverance is gratefully commemorated,  48:4-8. It is a sublime picture: the gathered array, the dismay, flight, and destruction of the foe. Then comes the call to loving thought on God’s care and goodness,  48:9-14. Notice those two sentences–“As we have heard, so we have seen,” 48:8; and, “As is thy name, so is thy praise,” 48:10. Whatever we have been told by our fathers about God, God is prepared to be and do for us; and our aim should be to praise Him worthily. Think of His love till your heart kindles to praise; and remember that this God is yours forever and ever. Let us surrender to Him the guidance of every step, until we pass through death into His immediate presence.

Shouts of Praise 2

“By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas;”

“All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.”

Psalms 47:1   Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!

Psalms 98:4    Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

Ezra 3:11  And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.” And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.  But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy,  so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.

Jeremiah 31:7   For thus says the LORD: “Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, ‘O LORD, save your people, the remnant of Israel.’

Zephaniah 3:14   Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Zechariah 9:9   Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Luke 19:37  As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen,  saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”  And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”  He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Revelation 19:1  After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,  for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”

Psalms 95:3    For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

Daniel 7:13  And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

To be close to  God’ is to be in place of heart & mind where we  SHOUT PRAISES, GIVE PRAISE, and SHOUT WITH JOY because we know Him and what He has done, is doing and will do.  I recently read something like this statement in a commentary on this Psalm “because God will not subdue our troubles, trials and worry under us, unless we have allowed Him to choose our life-plan. Live on that plan and you are unconquerable.” We can not expect to live in His blessing if we are not humbly serving, following, obeying, and making Him are all in all.  We cannot expect to know His plan if we are not yielding each day to Him.  Our lives must change. Our choice for each day must begin and end with humbly serving, obeying, and following Him.  What would a day in the life of a person who does this look like?  Would they start and end a day without as much as 5 minutes in His word?  Would they spend more time watching TV or video games or hunting, or shopping, or fill in the blank…?  Would their mind mull over what they have read?  Would they be still and listen for God to speak to them through His word each day?  Would they pray?  Would they seek God’s leading in making decision?    Do you want to know true blessing, rest, peace, joy,  hope, and love to the point your heart bursts with shouts of praise.  Commit your life, each day, to Him, read His word, study His word, listen to others proclaim His word, and above all else humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him.

Why are you afraid?

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

“And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?”

“Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.”

Psalms 46:10  “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”  The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress

Psalms 27:3    Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.

Hebrews 13:6   So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Luke 21:9  And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”  Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.

Luke 21:25  “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves,  people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Matthew 21:21   And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.

Luke 21:33   Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

2 Peter 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.  Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,  waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!  But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

There is much in the world that does not make any sense at all.  We hear the news all the time of things happening around the globe.  Some of this surely would bring fear if there is no God.  Surely we have right to be afraid.  But that is not what His word tells us.  He says there will be signs. In Hebrews it says “the Lord is my helper, I will not fear, what can man do to me.  In Psalms it says “Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.” We are told to trust in Him alone who is our fortress, refuge, and hope.  My wife and I were listening to a pod cast the other night and the man speaking said what is the worst that can happen to you in trusting God?  You die and go to heave to be present with Him forever!!!  Though there are troubles around us we have nothing to fear – God is bigger than any of them.  He is sovereign and has purpose for each of our lives.  Nothing will thwart His purpose and plan.  Place your trust and faith in Him.  Do you want to grow your faith? Do you want to have confidence to face whatever may come?  Spend time in His word daily.  Pray to Him.  Humble serve, honor and obey Him.  Truly desire to know Him.

You were not willing

“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”

“So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”

Psalms 46:1   God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,  though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

Psalms 62:7  On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.  Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.

Psalms 91:1  He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”  For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.  He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.  You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,  nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.  A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.  You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.  Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge—

Psalms 142:5   I cry to you, O LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”

Proverbs 14:26    In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.

Proverbs 18:10   The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.

Hebrews 6:18    so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.

Deuteronomy 4:7   For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him?

2 Samuel 22:17  “He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.  He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.  They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.  He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

It is easy to say that God is my strength, refuge, rock, and ever present in time of trouble but do we believe it with all of our heart, soul and mind?  In the heat of the terror, trial, issue, burden do we confidently say “God is my rock, my fortress, my strength, ever present, faithful, unchangeable, Almighty strong confidence?”  In Luke Jesus tells of gathering people into a place of comfort under the wings of God and those to whom this was intended it was rejected for they were not willing to accept it.  In Psalms it is just the opposite where David says “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.  You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.  Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge”.  There is a difference in the lives of those who humbly server, honor, follow, and obey God.  They are willing because they have stayed in His word, they choose to keep their focus on Him, they trust in, cling to, and rely on Him and His promises.  They seek to be lead by God.  Their ears are open to hear the quiet voice of His leading.  They fill their mind with His word.  Spend time in His word, think about it, and ask God to give you wisdom and understanding.  He wants your whole heart, mind, and soul everyday, every minute.  Choose to give it to Him.

Far From Me

“He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.”

“And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.“

“But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls”

Psalms 45:7  you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;

Psalms 101:3  I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.  A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.

Psalms 101:8     Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD.

Revelation 21:27    But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life

Proverbs 23:31  Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.  In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder.  Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things.

Jeremiah 22:17    But you have eyes and heart only for your dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practicing oppression and violence.”

Hosea 7:6  For with hearts like an oven they approach their intrigue; all night their anger smolders; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.

Micah 2:2   They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them away; they oppress a man and his house, a man and his inheritance.

James 1:13  Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.  But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.  Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Romans 12:9    Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

Psalms 97:10   O you who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

It is our choice what we focus our eyes and heart upon.  For sure there is plenty in this world that so easily takes our focus and attention away from humbly serving, obeying, honoring and glorifying God. Why are we so easily distracted?  What can we do to lessen or remove these distractions?  Knowing and understanding God’s word and His purpose for our lives will change our focus, wants, and desires.  Staying in his word will result in changing our heart.  Day after day we are refreshed by it.  Morning by morning it is made new and revives our soul.  The warnings are clear for those who hang on to this world and what it has to offer, and as well to those who want to stand on the fence of this world and the one to come.  These people will encounter death, destruction, and will have no part in heaven.  Their lives will forever be in hell.  Choose to keep your eyes, heart, mind, and soul focused on God, through His word each day.  Commit to humbly serving, obeying, honoring, and glorifying Him.

His Throne Forever

“Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.”

“May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!  Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.  Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory!”

Psalms 45:6  Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness

Psalms 89:29   I will establish his offspring forever and his throne as the days of the heavens.

Psalms 89:36  His offspring shall endure forever, his throne as long as the sun before me.  Like the moon it shall be established forever, a faithful witness in the skies.”

Psalms 93:2    Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.

Psalms 145:13   Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. [The LORD is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.]

Daniel 2:44    And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,

Luke 1:32  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,  and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Hebrews 1:8   But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.

Isaiah 9:6  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

Jeremiah 23:5  “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.  In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’

These scriptures surely give us a glimpse of everlasting throne of God, His plan to call unto Himself a people, and security in trusting in Him.  What we see and understand now is hampered by our sinful nature, but there is coming a time when we will be raised with new bodies that will never die and will be in the presence of God securely, forever, without end.  This is is promised to all who believe in, rely on, cling to, and trust in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ on the cross.  For this reason we humbly serve, follow, honor and glorify Him, waiting for reuniting with Him forever.  It is hard for us to imagine being imperishable, having a new body that will never die, and live in His presence where there is no more pain, death, or worries.  In Isaiah He tells us that He will create a new heaven and earth.  Live for Him now.  Follow and serve Him now.  This is our purpose this side of eternity.

Do not lose Heart

“For the LORD will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you a people for himself.”

“ For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.  So we do not lose heart“

“ For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,”

Psalms 44:6  For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me.

Deuteronomy 4:37  And because he loved your fathers and chose their offspring after them and brought you out of Egypt with his own presence, by his great power, driving out before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is this day,

Deuteronomy 8:17  Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’  You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Zechariah 4:6    Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.

Psalms 17:7   Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.

Psalms 42:5   Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation

Deuteronomy 7:7  It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples,  but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

This is copied from a commentary that seemed to capture my thoughts so much better: “Few men have been more conscious of their weakness than was the Apostle. The earthen vessel had become very cracked and scratched, but the heavenly treasure was unimpaired, as in the case of Gideon, when the pitcher was broken the lantern shone out. Paul here confesses that he was troubled, perplexed, persecuted, and cast down, always bearing the scars of Jesus, and being perpetually delivered over to death. But he gratefully accepted all these disabilities because he knew that they gave greater opportunities to Jesus to show forth, through him, His resurrection power. With the daily decay of the outward, there came the renewal of the unseen and spiritual. It is only in proportion as we are conformed to the sufferings and death of Christ that we begin to realize the fullness of what He is, and what He can be or do through us. Our one thought must always be the glory of Christ in the salvation of others.” We can trust in God for our rock, refuge, power, strength and know there are times when these are not given to us outwardly but inwardly.  There are times when we certainly see these outwardly too.  God is not limited.  It is in Him we trust – what ever brings Him honor and glory in His sovereign plan and purpose.

Old and New Stories of Faith

“Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children to another generation.”

“Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’  You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”

Psalms 44:1  O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old; you with your own hand drove out the nations, but them you planted; you afflicted the peoples, but them you set free; for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm save them, but your right hand and your arm, and the light of your face, for you delighted in them. You are my King, O God; ordain salvation for Jacob!

Isaiah 38:19   The living, the living, he thanks you, as I do this day; the father makes known to the children your faithfulness.

Exodus 13:14  And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.

Psalms 105:1  Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!  Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!

Psalms 78:3  things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.  We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.

Deuteronomy 4:37  And because he loved your fathers and chose their offspring after them and brought you out of Egypt with his own presence, by his great power,  driving out before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is this day,

Romans 9:10  And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac,  though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—  she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”  As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”  What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means!  For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

Zechariah 4:6   Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.

God has done wondrous acts of power, might, compassion, and mercy.  We read of these acts in scripture and they give us hope.  We are to retell these stories over and over again to our children and their children – being able to tell of the hope that is within us”.  However God is not dead.  He is still active in the all things.  Walking close to God should and will add to the stories of old, stories of how God was and is active in our life.  Stories of how we were defeated in our heart and God lifted us up.  Stories of how God directed us to help someone at the same time they  were praying for help.  Stories of how God healed our sickness.  Stories of how God provided when there was no means to provide from ourselves.  Stories of how He gave us strength when we were weak, hope when we were hopeless, joy out of sadness, love replacing hate, patience replacing anxiousness, and faith replacing doubt.  These are everyday stories we need to tell our children and each other. We do this because we know God to be true and we honor and glorify Him by telling of His mighty, powerful, amazing, awesome, work in our lives.