Is God Only Love?

IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER... 
 

• Featured Article: Is God Only Love? 
• Prominent Rabbis Ask Netanyahu to Allow the Passover Sacrifice on Temple Mount 
• You Were Warned That Dust Bowl Conditions Would Return, And Now It Has Happened 
• My Faith Looks Up to Thee 
• Daily Jot: The Force 
• Daily Devotion: The First Commandment 

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Is God Only Love? - By Pastor Mike Taylor - https://pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com/2021/03/is-god-only-love.html
 
7 “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1st John 4:7-10)
 
Most people agree that for salvation a Christian needs more than just a theoretical knowledge of God. Over the course of our lives, we increase our knowledge of Him through life's varied experiences. We also come to a greater understanding by studying God's Word. In both areas we can be snared by a major problem that traps many religious people in this world: emphasizing one of His attributes at the expense of others.
 
I have a Roman Catholic friend who lives in France, who is focused on this one attribute of God, that God is love, and since God is a loving God, all is good, and I fear that he believes that a loving God will not send anyone to a burning hell. He hasn't come right and said it that I can recall, but is definitely “hung up” on this one attribute and cannot see other attributes of the God we serve.
 
God is not one dimensional. Though we should study each of His attributes and think on them separately, we should not separate them from the complete personality that God is. Why? It distorts the model we are to imitate and grow into, and it can radically alter our expectations of what He will do. If He does not do what we expect, we are liable to become grieved because God "let us down."
 
For instance, the Bible emphasizes that God is merciful and full of grace. We are very thankful that God is a merciful and loving God, but God is much more than one or two dimensions of His character. We should not make the mistake besides all of the many attributes that are what our God is, we should not overlook the fact the God is also just. If we do, His mercy can become a justification for failure to overcome besetting sins. Neither God's mercy nor justice can be separated from all that He is. Both are harmoniously applied to each situation and person He judges.
 
SOME OF THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD
 
God is also a God of compassion. Some see God as so compassionate that He disregards the causes of some horrible problems and trials we endure in this life. If God acted in such a manner, flaws with painful results would go uncorrected.
 
Make no mistake about it, God will discipline those He loves.
 
5 “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” (Hebrews 12:5-8)
 
Some so erroneously believe that God created His creation and then just walked away. God is very much involved with the plan to redeem mankind and nothing escapes His gaze or His knowledge.
 
Still others construe God's sovereignty so that it is greatly diminished His goodness and portrays Him as rigid and inflexible. This kind of person lives with a guilt-ridden, fearful and discouraged life, thinking he will never please Him.
 
6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
 
But probably the most familiar of God's attributes is found in the scripture used to open this message in 1st John 4:8 “God is love”. John states a fact, not a definition of God's essential nature. If John had declared that love is what God is, we would be forced to conclude that God is what love is. Literally, if God is love, then literally, love is God and we are forced to worship love as the only True God. This would mean that God and love are identical. Fortunately for mankind, the Bible reveals that God is a multidimensional personality and not only just love. If we eliminate the idea of God's complex personality, denying all of His other attributes, save one, the remaining attribute becomes God, and is a very subtle form of idolatry. This is NOT only what God the Father is, or our Lord Jesus Christ.
 
THE WHOLENESS OF GOD
 
The wholeness of God is a concept that we must come to understand, that God is more than one or two attributes. It's an important subject because some have become enslaved to words. We must give greater weight to meanings. The Bible speaks that God is love and light.
 
3 “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” (1st John 1:3-5)
 
The Bible also speaks of our Jesus as being the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
 
6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.” (John 14:6-7)
 
We understand the words in the same sense as when we say of a man, "He is kindness itself." Of course, we do not suggest that kindness and the man are identical, and no one misunderstands our intention. Because any man is more than just kindness, even the best man. So it is even more so with a infinite God we serve.
 
The words "God is love" mean that love is an essential attribute of God. Love is something true of God, but it is not all of God. He has many other attributes. He is self-existent, eternal, merciful, full of grace, immutable, just, omnipotent, omniscient and many more things besides, but the greatest of all is God is Holy.. Because God is Holy and immutable, He always acts as God, and because He is a whole and perfect personality, He never suspends one of His attributes to exercise another.
 
God is not man, with all of his imperfections. God is truth and never acts out of irritation, resentment, suddenly moody, or acts on a whim. He always acts in light of all the facts. King David declared in the Psalms:
 
7 “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.” (Psalm 19:7-11)
 
David also proclaimed further in another chapter in the Psalms :
 
5 “Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;
7 He is the Lord our God: his judgments are in all the earth.” (Psalm 105:5,7)
 
The beauty, harmony, balance and providence evident throughout the earth are witnesses of the wisdom, unity, harmony, and yes, the love in which He always acts.
 
Through the prophet Jeremiah, God proclaims:
 
23 “Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24)
 
HOW DO WE COME TO KNOW GOD AND HOW IMPORTANT IS IT?
 
“These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:1-3)
 
So how important is it to know God? As mentioned here, eternal life is knowing God.
 
It implies an intimate relationship with God that matures over a lifetime. Each party knows each other well, as familiarly as marriage partners.
 
1 “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.” (Hosea 6:1-3)(Hosea speaks of the age of Grace and the coming Millennial reign of Christ) my interpretation.
 
So what of our God? Can we know Him. Yes, through His only begotten Son, can we come to know a loving, but fearfully powerful God?
 
6 “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” (Romans 5:6-10)
 
God loved us so much, that He sent His only Son, to die in our place....
 
“For God so loved the world that HE GAVE His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17, God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but the world through Him might be saved.
18, He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:16-18) “caps my emphasis”
 
The question was, “how can we come to know God?” The Apostle John gave a quick and concise way we can know God and know Him intimately...through His Son..
 
 “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.” (1st John 2:23)
 
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” (Romans 5:1-9)
 
GOD IS JUST AND WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE
 
With all the attributes spoke briefly about an all power God, and our soon coming King, God is not some grandfatherly type living in the sky who is nothing but love, love, love. Although He embodies this attributes, the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.
 
8 “Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.
9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:8-10)
 
One might wonder why fear is included. It is because fear represents the specific attitude required to make the best use of God's law and bring the sinner to conviction through the Holy Spirit. Know this, reader. We don't come to God because we love God..we come to Him because we love ourselves. Love for Him comes later when we realize what He has done for us. As a small boy, I didn't come to God out of love, but realizing that I needed a Savior to cleanse me of my sins...I knew Jesus died on a old rugged cross, so that I might live forever. Falling in love with God came later, when I studied how much He loved me first, before I knew how to love Him.
 
10 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11, There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
12, They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” (Roman 3:10-12)
 
There is an element of fear to realize that we are in rebellion against God because of our sinful nature. Fear brings Godly conviction and I've seen men shake uncontrollably with the power of God upon them, as they are under God's conviction of their sins. The choice of life or death, darkness or light, eternity in heaven or in hell, drives those under this conviction to a Godly realization of their vulnerability to a Holy God who will judge them, even though He loves them. Paul speaks of this along with the Apostle Peter:
 
5 “But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)
6 God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world? (Roman 3:5-6)
 
And Peter wrote:
 
5 “Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.
6 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.” (1st Peter 4:5-6)
 
 In addition, remember that wisdom is a right application of knowledge and understanding. If fear is not present, we will not even start to build towards faith, hope, and love. Godly fear gets us jump-started, gets us going to do what is right.
 
GOD IS LONG SUFFERING, BUT....
 
Although God is a loving God, He is patient and not willing that any of His creation perish.
 
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward,not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2nd Peter 3:9)
 
But even a long suffering King of the Universe, patience does eventually run out. We have many instances found in your Bible of a long suffering God. Like when God gave the inhabitants in Canaan 400 years to change and repent, but sent Israel into the Promise Land and commanded them during their Exodus to destroy them:
 
“These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the Lord God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth.
 
2 Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree:
3 And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place” (Deuteronomy 12:2-3)
 
Just showing the fear of God and what God has done to bring His wrath on unrepentant mankind should give anyone pause and have reverence, and a Godly fear of an Almighty God who when He has finally run out of patience, will utterly destroy those who are in rebellion against Him. I know this will upset my Catholic friend who I debate on a local forum, but God is not only a God of love, He is also a God of judgment in His righteous indignation. But let us speak of the coming wrath that God will unleash on mankind in the near future.
 
THE WRATH OF A LOVING GOD
 
23 “ To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
29 For our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:23-29) (my emphasis)
 
There is a huge amount of verses in your Bible that speaks of the attributes of a Holy God. Yes, God is love, but He is also greatly to be feared. God will pass judgment on the whole of mankind and destroy all rebellion on this earth what is called the coming Tribulation. The final book of your Bible speaks of the wrath of God. You know that God of love? Although He is not willing any should perish, God gives you a choice. It's called your own freewill. God does not coerce anyone into loving Him or obeying Him...He gives us a choice of heaven or hell. He doesn't send anybody to hell...you do.
 
John sees the ultimate fate of all who refuse the free offer of grace and mercy through our Lord Jesus Christ:
 
11 “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15)
 
Eternal separation from a Holy God, devoid of all love, joy, peace, happiness, comfort and being a part of a Holy Family for all eternity, now that is what I deem a literal hell, besides the physical torment.
 
GOD IS LOVE, YES, BUT HE IS SO MUCH MORE
 
We admire good qualities in others and wish we had them. But we realize that the same people who have these good qualities lack others. Our God, though, has every good quality to the ultimate degree, and every attribute works in perfect and faithful harmony.
 
Studying God in His wholeness should teach us humility, caution in speech and action and a deep reverence of Him. Too often God's superiority overwhelms us when we compare it to our own state. Though we are imperfect and limited in this life, we should not undervalue our current level of growth. Don't allow God's incomparable perfection to derail your progress. Growth in godly character and personality is our calling—we are to be like Him!
 
Human life is a beginning: God made us in His image and is transforming us into the image of His Son. This process requires our cooperation in striving to "put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him" (Colossians 3:10). This is His will. And in bringing us to His perfection, He reveals His whole nature so we can know it and allow Him to reproduce it in us.
 
To my friend, the Catholic online, God is love, that is true...BUT our God is a consuming FIRE. May we possess a Godly fear and reverence and not reject so great a salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord.
 
God is calling all of mankind to repent, but some will not. The coming Tribulation is where God will deal with all who have failed to repent of their sins and call upon the only NAME that is above every name in true repentance of their sinful deeds, and that is Jesus Christ, the ONLY begotten Son of God.
 
8 “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:8-13)
 
I have often told my congregation that each of us were born for one purpose, besides living our own lives, but given a choice of what each of us will do with the God/Man, Jesus Christ. Will each of us submit our own pride in a humble and a contrite heart, knowing that we can't save ourselves, or let demonic pride cause us to reject a Holy God who stepped out of glory for one purpose and that was to save you, and me?
 
God calls each of us sometime during our lives. What will your answer be?
 
6 “Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”
 
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart........
13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.” (Hebrews 4:6-7, 12-14)
 
Our God is love, but a Consuming Fire. Don't make that eternal mistake of ignoring the calling of God's Holy Spirit for the salvation of your soul through the only Way back to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
 
This is pastor Mike Taylor, praying you know the REAL God in Spirit and in Truth. If you need prayer, counseling, or just a listening ear, email me at , [email protected]  , God bless you all, TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET

 


 
Prominent Rabbis Ask Netanyahu to Allow the Passover Sacrifice on Temple Mount – Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - https://www.israel365news.com/188111/prominent-rabbis-ask-netanyahu-to-allow-the-pascal-sacrifice-on-temple-mount/
 
This day shall be to you one of remembrance: you shall celebrate it as a festival to Hashem throughout the ages; you shall celebrate it as an institution for all time. Exodus 12:14 (The Israel BibleTM)
 
A group of prominent rabbis sent a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu, requesting that a Passover offering be allowed on the Temple Mount.
 
LETTER TO NETANYAHU: PASSOVER IS TIME FOR FREEDOM
 
To the esteemed Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu,
 
We bless you that you should have great success in the upcoming elections. May it be the will of the Lord of all, whose Holy presence dwells in Zion and whose chosen city is Jerusalem, that you should continue to lead the State of Israel and the people of Israel in the coming years for good.
 
The harassment of you personally and the people of Israel in general by internal and external parties such as the criminal court in The Hague requires that harassment of all types be put in its place. This can be done through a statement and action that signals to all governments, friends, enemies, and all parties competing in the elections where Israel has been heading since the dawn of history.
 
We are going to worship God, the God of Israel, the Creator of the world in the place that God has chosen. From there comes light and instruction to the whole world.
 
Law, justice and law, love and kindness.
 
The duty of worship and the right of worship of the people of Israel as in the days of the Exodus from Egypt is the clearest expression of the Exodus of the people of Israel into the world of freedom. With this message, all the harassers will be silenced.
 
Therefore, we ask you to allow us, as the representatives of the Jewish people, to carry out the Passover sacrifice this year and every year from now on to illustrate and observe the freedom of worship on the 14th of Nisan in the evening.
 
We ask that you speak out about this publicly in the coming days, stating openly that the State of Israel, the state of the Jewish people, intends to allow Jews, by virtue of their religious and national rights, to maintain a measured and modest freedom of worship on the Temple Mount. This message is especially important in the days before Passover, our time of freedom, and to give time to properly prepare one Passover sacrifice that will be for all of the nation of Yisrael while signaling to the whole world that the God of Israel has granted us the Exodus from Egypt and commanded us to perform the Torah commandments intended to bring Israel and all nations to freedom To do this, we must perform the main national mitzvah; the Passover sacrifice!
 
Sincerely and with great respect
 
The United Temple movements for the Temple and the Temple Mount, in the name of the whole house of Israel
 
Rabbi Israel Ariel President of the Temple Institute
Rabbi Baruch Kahana, head of the priestly watch
Rabbi Aryeh Lipo, Secretary
 
BLAME IS ON THE GOVERNMENT
 
Rabbi Hillel Weiss, the former spokesman for the Sanhedrin, emphasized that a Temple structure is not needed in order to bring the Passover sacrifice and a temporary altar that can be assembled and disassembled in one day would suffice.
 
“Despite various issues of Jewish law, such as ritual impurity and lack of a high priest, Jews are still required and technically able to bring the sacrifice,” Rabbi Weiss said. “The only thing preventing the Jewish People from performing the Passover sacrifice is the Israeli government.”
 
Rabbi Weiss suggested the possibility that the guilt of preventing the Passover sacrifice may have led to the political troubles plaguing both Trump and Netanyahu over the last year.
 
The Sanhedrin performed an intense study concerning the current status of the Passover offering and concluded that at this juncture, one sacrifice made at the Temple Mount brought in the name of the entire Jewish people would suffice.
 
These rabbis made an identical request last year. The request was considered and denied but had it been honored, it would have marked the first time since the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE that a Passover sacrifice would have been performed on the Temple Mount. Israel law requires freedom of religion to be allowed at all places for all religions but security concerns based on organized Muslim violence prevent freedom of religion from being expressed on the Temple Mount.
 
In the letter to the Prime Minister submitted last year, the rabbis noted that the Pesach offering has special significance as there are only two mitzvot (Biblical commandments) for which non-compliance receives the most severe punishment mandated by the Torah, karet (being cut off from the community, or excommunicated): brit milah (circumcision) and the korban Pesach .
 
The rabbis emphasized that the korban Pesach and the Temple service were a means of stopping plagues. For this reason, the decision to begin the Temple service would benefit the entire world in this time of a pandemic. King David purchased the Temple Mount, built and altar, and offered a sacrifice to stop a plague.

 


 
You Were Warned That Dust Bowl Conditions Would Return, And Now It Has Happened - by Michael Snyder - http://endoftheamericandream.com/you-were-warned-that-dust-bowl-conditions-would-return-and-now-it-has-happened/
 
The horrific drought that has much of the western half of the United States in a death grip has already surpassed what many scientists thought was possible. Some areas of the Southwest went more than 200 straight days without any measurable rain last year, vegetation is disappearing at a frightening pace, and giant dust storms are becoming increasingly common. For years, we have been warned that the droughts in the Southwest were getting worse. For years, we have been warned that Dust Bowl conditions would return. Now a nightmare scenario is upon us, and authorities are using the term “megadrought” to describe what is taking place…
 
The western U.S. continues to endure dry conditions, and now scientists are using the term “megadrought” to describe the problem — which has existed for decades — with no end in sight.
 
“A megadrought is typically a drought event that has a long duration,” Brian Fuchs, with the National Drought Mitigation Center, said to FOX Television Stations Tuesday.
 
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor map that has been released has such bad news that it is hard to believe. More than 265,000 square miles of territory is currently experiencing “exceptional drought conditions”…
 
The scope of the western drought is chilling. All of Nevada, Utah and New Mexico are in drought, according to the US Drought Monitor. Close behind are Arizona at 98.9% and Colorado at 98.6%.
 
More disturbing is the size of what’s called the “exceptional drought” area, according to the US Drought Monitor. Parts of Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, California and Texas classified as exceptional drought, total 265,200 square miles. For comparison, that is nearly equivalent to the size of Texas.
 
It would be difficult to overstate the severity of this crisis. In fact, the Wall Street Journal says that this drought is already “one of the most severe on record in the Southwest”.
 
Approximately 40 million people depend on the water that flows through this area. With so little snowpack this year, authorities really don’t have any idea how they are going to make it through the summer.
 
In February, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Yuma did not have any measurable rainfall at all.
 
Las Vegas had just 0.01 inch of rain for the month.
 
As winter ends, we will move into a part of the year when many cities may not see any precipitation at all for months on end. Just consider what happened last year…
 
Las Vegas had a streak of 240 days from April to December 2020 without measurable rain — a trace or less — smashing the previous record of 150 consecutive days in 1959.
 
Yuma, Arizona had a dry streak of 242 days last year, their third longest streak, while Phoenix was dry a consecutive 110 days. Bishop and Needles, California, also had record dry streaks of over 200 days without measurable rainfall.
 
Read that first sentence again.
 
Las Vegas broke their old record by a whopping 90 days last year.
 
We are in unprecedented territory, and the drought just keeps getting worse.
 
According to climatologist Brian Fuchs, the epicenter of this drought is in the Four Corners area…
 
“The Four Corners [Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah] is the epicenter of this drought,” said Brian Fuchs, climatologist at the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska. “When droughts like this happened long ago, the people living there just had to move.”
 
As existing supplies of water become more strained than ever before, could we potentially get to a point where large numbers of people will be forced to migrate once again?
 
It could happen.
 
This endless drought is also creating ideal conditions for giant dust storms. Just the other day, an enormous dust storm caused a horrifying multi-vehicle crash in Arizona…
 
The multi-vehicle crash happened late Wednesday afternoon on eastbound I-10 near the intersection of State Route 87.
 
The dust made things tough for crews from the Eloy Fire District, who were trying to help multiple people. As the firefighters and paramedics worked, they had to deal with zero-visibility dust storm conditions. Photos provided by the department showed thick dust blowing in the area, and crew members trying to shield their faces.
 
Sadly, such dust storms are becoming a regular occurrence in the western half of the nation. In fact, a few months ago there was a dust storm that was so large that it could be seen from space…
 
Earlier this month, a storm front swept across the Great Plains of the United States, plowing up a wall of dust that could be seen from space, stretching from eastern Colorado into Nebraska and Kansas. It was a scene straight from the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, when farmers regularly saw soil stripped from their fields and whipped up into choking blizzards of dust.
 
Better get used to it. According to a new study, dust storms on the Great Plains have become more common and more intense in the past 20 years, because of more frequent droughts in the region and an expansion of croplands. “Our results suggest a tipping point is approaching, where the conditions of the 1930s could return,” says Gannet Haller, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Utah who led the study.
 
Needless to say, these conditions are making it extremely difficult for farmers to grow anything.
 
In fact, thousands of farmers in New Mexico have already taken at least some of their acres out of production for 2021…
 
Gary Esslinger, treasurer-manager of the district in Las Cruces, New Mexico, told WSJ that his area’s conditions are absolutely “horrific.” He said at least 33% of the 6,500 farmers in his region had taken offline 90,640 irrigable acres out of production from previous drought years.
 
New Mexico State Engineer John D’Antonio Jr. has requested farmers not to plant this year due to dangerously low levels at the state’s reservoirs.
 
Other farmers are going to try to operate normally, but they know that the outlook is extremely bleak.
 
New Mexico farmer Travis Harris understands what he is potentially facing, and he says that it is “very scary going into this season”…
 
Harris is all too familiar with this. He said he didn’t get his full water allotment in 2020. Last fall, he said, his water got shut off a month early. He keeps a close eye on the conditions high in the mountains, too, knowing how deeply they affect him.
 
“There’s no snowpack. There’s no water in storage up north,” Harris said. “It’s very scary going into this season.”
 
I have been writing about the drought in the Southwest for years, and this is the worst that I have ever seen it by a wide margin. If conditions continue to deteriorate, that will have very serious implications for all of us.
 
Unfortunately, experts are expecting 2021 to be another exceedingly dry year.
 
That means that this crisis isn’t going to go away any time soon, and supplies of water in the region will just continue to get tighter and tighter.

 


 
My Faith Looks Up to Thee - Nathele Graham - [email protected]
 
I’ve always loved hymns. When I was a child, I sang the words each Sunday and tried to memorize all the verses. It wasn’t until I was older that I really began to pay attention to the words and appreciate the message in the great hymns. In times of testing, it’s easy to turn away from God, and many people do. On the other hand, those times of testing can strengthen our faith. All of us have faced struggles and heartache, and the longer we live the more we endure. Christians should never lose faith. “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin of which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2. Jesus gave His life for us and faith in Him gives us strength to keep going.
 
Faith is the conviction of the truth of something. Sometimes faith is misplaced, such as if we put our faith in the whims of mankind instead of the truth of God. For a Christian, faith means we believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We have faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven and eternal life is ours. When we place our faith in Him, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit. “That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:12-1 4. This faith is not misplaced. Our faith looks up and finds peace with God.
 
Sometimes we get weighed down with the cares of life and forget to lean on our faith to see us through the trials. Have you ever come to the place in your life when you felt far from God? Have you felt as if your prayers fell to the floor rather than rising to the Throne of Grace? Faith tells us that no matter what we feel, God is always there. He hears all our prayers, and by faith we need to accept His answer, whether we understand His answer or not. God’s answers my not be exactly what we asked Him for, but He always knows best. “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2. By faith we need to trust and accept His answers to our prayer.
 
My Faith Looks Up to Thee by Ray Palmer
 
My faith looks up to Thee
Thou Lamb of Calvary
Saviour divine!
Now hear me while I pray
Take all my guilt away
O let me from this day
Be wholly Thine.
 
By faith we believe that Jesus was God incarnate. He entered His creation and give His life for us. He shed His blood for our salvation. John the Baptist recognized this fact. “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29. Jesus was crucified on the cross at Calvary as the perfect sacrificial lamb. Only God’s pure blood could take sin away. If you’ve accepted His death, burial, and resurrection, then your sins are forgiven. Your prayers are heard by God, but the answers may not be what you want. When God doesn’t do our will, we need to remember that God’s ways are perfect, and if your prayer isn’t answered in the way you want it only means that God knows more about the situation than you do. Instead of getting angry with God, give yourself fully to Him and be sure that you are living within His will. By faith we need to trust Him to know what’s best.
 
May thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart,
My zeal inspire;
As Thou has died for me,
O may my love to Thee
Pure, warm, and changeless be,
A living fire.
 
Christians cannot let our faith grow cold. The world today is in a crisis. The headlines are bleak and if you’ve studied Biblical prophecy you know it’s not going to get better. We are moving quickly towards the end of days and the Rapture is on the near horizon. As the days grow darker, Satan’s useless plan to undermine God’s truth seems to be winning. Remember, those of us who know Christ as our Saviour have hope. “In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.” Psalm 62:7. Can the heathen boast of that? King David lived long before Jesus walked this earth, but still understood that his strength originated from God. In faith David looked forward to the promise of the coming Saviour. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” Hebrews 11:2-3. When we begin to believe worldly lies instead of Godly truth, our faith becomes a dead faith. Our joy disappears and our zeal for Christ diminishes. Many Christians are looking for world-wide revival of faith. Has this revival happened in your own life? Don’t wait for it to happen to others, but surrender yourself to Jesus now. Let the fire of the Holy Spirit shine through you and guide your ways. Study Scripture and conform your life to God’s guidance. You just might spark a revival in yourself and the people around you.
 
While life’s dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread,
Be Thou my guide;
Bid darkness turn to day,
Wipe sorrow’s tears away,
Nor let me ever stray
From Thee aside.
 
It’s easy to see that the darkness in this world is spreading fast. Satan seems to be laying traps for Christians in order for us to stumble in the dark. Temptations, disease, fear, war, death, natural disasters, and much more can cause us to lose sight of what’s important. Our faith in Jesus Christ needs to be our focus. Instead of getting lost in the dark, follow Jesus, who is the Light of the world. He will lead you along the right way. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6. Follow Jesus and allow Him to lead you through the dark maze in this life and into the light of His presence. There will always be sorrows and distractions, but the more you place your faith in Jesus Christ, the easier it will be to find the joy of salvation even in tough times.
 
When ends life’s transient dream,
When death’s cold, sullen stream
Shall o’er me roll,
Blest Savior, then, in love,
Fear and distrust remove;
O bear me safe above a ransomed soul.
 
We don’t like to think about death, but it will come to all of us one day. Every person is just one heartbeat away from death. Do you fear death? Do you fear it because you don’t know where you’ll spend eternity? If you haven’t accepted Christ for salvation, then you have every reason to fear. If you have truly accepted His sacrifice for your salvation, then you’ll spend eternity with Him and you have nothing to fear. We all sin, but through the blood of Jesus all our sin is forgiven. If you’ve been moving away from Him, then you need to ask His forgiveness and draw closer to Him. The grace of Jesus Christ offers salvation. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9. It’s the righteousness of Jesus Christ, not our own, that allows us to find salvation. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do all you can to move away from the sin in your life. We sin daily, but His grace covers us. The way you live is evidence of your love for Jesus. His death on the cross is evidence of His love for you. Look up to Him in faith and conform your lifestyle to Him.
 
I never truly appreciated this hymn until I had faced many of life’s trials. It’s when troubles and sorrow enter our life that we learn to trust Jesus by faith. Events of a day, a week, or a year can test our faith to its limits, but peace in times of conflict comes only from faith in God. Instead of blaming God for the trouble we face, turn to Him in humble prayer. That’s when the trials of the day become easier to bear. We live in a time of great turmoil which can easily turn to fear. Confusion and fear are not from God. “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” 1 Corinthians 14:33. Whether it’s within our worship services, world events, or in our own life, God has not caused the turmoil and confusion but given us a way to find His peace. Faith in Jesus Christ will bring peace in such times. Standing upon His promise of salvation through faith will bring peace that only can come for God.
 
“According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.” Philippians 1:20. In Christ there is no fear. My faith looks up to my Lord and Saviour to see me through the dark maze of this fallen world. In Him there is nothing to fear. May that faith be real to you.
 
God bless you all,
Nathele Graham
[email protected]
[email protected]
                        
All original scripture is “theopneustos” God breathed.
 
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Daily Jot: The Force – Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com
 
The passage of the $1.9 TRILLION COVID relief bill without one Republican vote is just the beginning of the one-party tyranny as a powerful force that will change this country, perhaps forever. Reminiscent of socialist healthcare, the COVID relief further entrenches socialistic government and institutionalizes the ongoing shakedown of your hard earned tax money to give to people who do not earn their own money. In short, if you have money, the government is going to take it away from you—not for worthy causes, but to institutionalize socialism as the new American government. The Democrats are not interested in unifying the country under true bipartisanship, but rather changing the nation into their party’s image.
 
The optic is not lost that on the eve of the final COVID relief vote, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin formally extended deployment of the National Guard at the US Capitol for another two months, well past the March 12 deadline for the troops to leave. In addition, the razor wire-topped fence surrounding the Capitol will remain. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats are fearing “possible threats of violence.” Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby justified the action by doing the political hack double talk, saying, “It’s not just about a threat assessment, it’s about assisting and supporting capabilities that the Capitol Police may now lack and may need to look at improving.”
 
How long that will take is anybody’s guess. And it is beginning to look a lot like a Congress so unpopular and so extreme that it feels it needs to conduct its business behind armed guard and razor wire. Certainly, when the first act of this Congress is to ram through the biggest socialist money disbursement in history without one bipartisan vote, it is a harbinger of what is to come. When Congress gets to the entire voter reform package where it will solidify and legalize some of the tactics used to cheat elections, Congress will become even more unpopular. Then there also looms over the people the entire gender legislation in the name of equality that will change how our children are taught about what sex they think they are. With each bill, there will be more socialist cookies extending their tentacles into your life.
 
The people between the coasts and the borders are going to be pretty upset about these extreme and radical laws being forced through with only show-trial debate and pro forma votes. Yet, with one party rule, a party with extreme socialist leanings, it is a force with which to be reckoned. And just in case the people impacted by these extreme and radical laws get riled up, the National Guard and razor wire are standing by to make sure nobody gets out of line. America, the most developed nation in the world, is looking like a coup-ridden third world communist regime where government is god and the people be damned. And if you speak against it, you are labeled unspeakable words. Romans 21:21 says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Let us find a way to meet the evil force of radicalism with the force of God.

 


 
Daily Devotion: The First Commandment - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org
 
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. —Exodus 20:2–3
 
https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-first-commandment-2/ - Listen
 
If you or I had written the Ten Commandments, we may have prioritized some over others. For instance, we might say the most important commandments are “you shall not murder” and “you shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:13–14 NKJV).
 
After all, no matter how our culture is going, it seems like we could all agree that murder and adultery are wrong.
 
Yet it’s interesting how God began the Ten Commandments: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me” (verses 2–3 NKJV).
 
The first commandment deals with everything. Jesus said, “‘And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment” (Mark 12:30 NKJV).
 
So, if we get this down, then we’ll have the Ten Commandments working in our lives. If we love God with all our hearts, souls, and minds, then we won’t have other gods before Him. We won’t bow down before false images of God or take His name in vain.
 
And if we love God with all our hearts, souls, and minds, then we’ll set aside a day to worship Him. We won’t steal from others or lie to them or murder them, and so forth. The reality is that if we love God, then we’ll do the right thing. And we’ll want to honor Him in the right way.
 
It all starts with God’s place in our lives because we’ll serve what we worship. If God isn’t number one in your life, then everything else will be in chaos. But if God is number one in our lives, then everything else will find its proper balance.

 

 
FROM THE HEART
    
Let Us Make the Short Time We have Left,
Count for ALL of Eternity!

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