Michael Morgan 2/17/25 Michael Morgan 2/17/25

THE LORD’S LOVINGKINDNESSES INDEED NEVER CEASE: BEAUTY

Lam 3:20-26 Surely my soul remembers And is bowed down within me.

21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.

22 The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

24 "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him."

25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him.

26 It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the Lord.

BEAUTY:

The beauty of the Lord verses the ugliness of this world

Beauty of the Lord in nature

Isa 61:1-3 "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me

To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

3 To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified." NKJV

2 Chron 20:20-22 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper." 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: "Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever."

22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. NKJV

Ps 96:6-9 Honor and majesty are before Him; Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

7 Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples, Give to the Lord glory and strength.

8 Give to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come into His courts.

9 Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth. NKJV

God/Christ is the perfection of beauty

Ps 50:1-2 The Mighty One, God the Lord, Has spoken and called the earth

From the rising of the sun to its going down. 2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,

God will shine forth. NKJV

Michael Morgan 2/3/25 Michael Morgan 2/3/25

2-2-25/THE LORD’S LOVINGKINDNESSES INDEED NEVER CEASE: KINDNESS

LOVINGKINDNESSES; checed (kheh'-sed); kindness; by implication (towards God) piety: rarely (by opposition) reproof, or (subject.) beauty:

1. goodness,kindness ,faithfulness

2. a reproach, shame

Lam 3:20-26 Surely my soul remembers And is bowed down within me.

21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.

22 The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease…Kindness

KINDNESS:

“But the fruit of the Spirits is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law” Galatians 5:22-23.

Titus 3:4-7 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Isa 54:8-10 "In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment,

But with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you,"

Says the Lord your Redeemer.

9 "For this is like the days of Noah to Me, When I swore that the waters of Noah

Would not flood the earth again; So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you

Nor will I rebuke you.

10 "For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake,

But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you,

And My covenant of peace will not be shaken,"

Says the Lord who has compassion on you.

Ephesians 2: 6-7 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience

Romans 2:4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

Rom 2:4 Or are you [so blind as to] trifle with and presume upon and despise and underestimate the wealth of His kindness and forbearance and long-suffering patience? Are you unmindful or actually ignorant [of the fact] that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repent (to change your mind and inner man to accept God's will)? AMP

Michael Morgan 1/27/25 Michael Morgan 1/27/25

1-26-25/THE LORD’S LOVINGKINDNESSES INDEED NEVER CEASE

Ps 121 I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come?

2 My help comes from the Lord

Lam 3:20-26 Surely my soul remembers And is bowed down within me.

21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.

22 The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail.

LOVINGKINDNESSES; checed (kheh'-sed); kindness; by implication (towards God) piety: rarely (by opposition) reproof, or (subject.) beauty:

1. goodness, kindness, faithfulness

2. a reproach, shame

KJV - favour, good deed (-liness, -ness), kindly, (loving-) kindness, merciful (kindness), mercy, pity, reproach, wicked thing

GOODNESS:.

Exodus 34:6 The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth

. 1 Chronicles 16:34 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”

Ezra 3:11 And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord: “For He is good, for His mercy endures forever toward Israel

Psalm 25:8 Good and upright is the Lord

Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. Psalm 145:9

Mark 10:18 No one is good but One, that is, God.

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

! Matthew 7:11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him

Psalm 27:13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

. Psalm 145:5-7

I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works. Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, and I will declare Your greatness. They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, and shall sing of Your righteousness

Psalm 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Michael Morgan 1/20/25 Michael Morgan 1/20/25

1-19-25// THEREFORE I HAVE HOPE

Ps 121 I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come?

2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

Lam 3:20-26 Surely my soul remembers And is bowed down within me.

21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope

HOPE: yachal (yaw-chal'); a primitive root; to wait; by implication, to be patient, hope:

to wait, hope, expect

a. (Niphal) to wait

b. (Piel)

1. to wait, await, tarry

2. to wait for, hope for

c. (Hiphil) to wait, tarry, wait for, hope for

KJV - (cause to, have, make to) hope, be pained, stay, tarry, trust, wait.

Col 1:27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.

Rom 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Ps 62:5-8 My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him.

6 He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.

7 On God my salvation and my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.

8 Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us

Rom 5:3-5 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Michael Morgan 1/13/25 Michael Morgan 1/13/25

1-12-25//MY HELP COMES FROM THE LORD CONTINUED

Ps 121

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come?

2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.

4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade on your right hand.

6 The sun will not smite you by day, Nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul.

8 The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever.

Lam 3:20-26

Surely my soul remembers And is bowed down within me.

21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.

22 The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

24 "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him."

25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him.

26 It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the Lord.

21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope.

What do you recall?

What fills your mind most the time?

Phil 4:4-9

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you

Michael Morgan 1/6/25 Michael Morgan 1/6/25

1-5-25// MY HELP COMES FROM THE LORD

THEME: MY HELP COMES FROM THE LORD

Ps 121 I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come?

2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.

4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade on your right hand.

6 The sun will not smite you by day, Nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul.

8 The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever.

2 Cor 5:17-21 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Michael Morgan 12/30/24 Michael Morgan 12/30/24

12-29-24// RUN WITH ENDURANCE

Ps 46 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3 Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah (suspension of music, a pause)

4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. 6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. 7 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has made desolations in the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire. 10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. NKJV

Heb 12:1-3 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

2 Tim 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Gal 6:9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

Michael Morgan 12/23/24 Michael Morgan 12/23/24

12-22-24//TREE OF LIFE

Instead of condemning the Christmas tree as some pagan object brought into our homes from the pagan cold, it can be used to remind us that we have "the right to the tree of life"

Rev 22:14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.

The Christmas tree, as it is now designated, is an evergreen that reminds us that we have "eternal life" in Jesus Christ.

John 6:40 "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."

The shape of the tree reminds us that we are "born from above".

The needles on the branches remind us that Jesus was "pierced through for our transgressions".

The lights hung on the tree remind us that Jesus is "the light of the world"

The ornaments we hang on the tree and the presents we place under the tree remind us that God is the ultimate gift giver.

The stand the tree sits on reminds us that Jesus is our foundation and our cornerstone.

John 3:3 Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God. AMP

Isa 53:5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.

John 8:12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."

James 1:17 "every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow".

Matt 7:24-27 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 "And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 "The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell — and great was its fall."

John 4:10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."

A real Christmas tree reminds us that we live even if we die

John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?"

And there is a difference between the authentic and artificial.

Michael Morgan 12/16/24 Michael Morgan 12/16/24

12-15-24// THE LORD OF HOSTS IS WITH US

Ps 46

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3 Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah (suspension of music, a pause)

THE LORD OF HOSTS IS WITH US

Isa 7:14 "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

WORD BECAME FLESH

John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Word became flesh so we can relate

Immanuel gives us His presence

Heb 13:5-6 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU," 6 so that we confidently say,

"THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID.

WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?"

Immanuel (His presence) gives us Salvation

Matt 1:21 "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."

1 Tim 2:3-4 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Michael Morgan 12/8/24 Michael Morgan 12/8/24

12-8-24// I WILL BE EXALTED!

Ps 46 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3 Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah (suspension of music, a pause)

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has made desolations in the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire. 10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. NKJV

Phil 2:3-11

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

John 12:32-33

"And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself." 33 But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die.

Luke 19:29-40

When He approached Bethphage and Bethany, near the mount that is called Olivet, He sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, "Go into the village ahead of you; there, as you enter, you will find a colt tied on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. 31 "If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' you shall say, 'The Lord has need of it.'" 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as He had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, "Why are you untying the colt?" 34 They said, "The Lord has need of it." 35 They brought it to Jesus, and they threw their coats on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As He was going, they were spreading their coats on the road. 37 As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, 38 shouting:

"BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD;

Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples." 40 But Jesus answered, "I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!"

John 4:21-24

Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 "You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24 "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."