Brian Miller Group Blog

I have read the Book of Ecclesiastes many times. Holding on to wisdom and navigating the sea of life is something one can only do if the anchor is Jesus. He is the rock. He is the meaning of life- it is truely that simple. The difficulty is staying on the narrow path.  Matthew 7:14  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. 

I am not very good at quoting scripture. I hope to develop this gift as I continue to grow in God's Word, but I have held onto a few verses in Ecclesiastes that give me joy and clear perspective when evaluating my daily stumbles as I walk ever closer with the Lord. Ecclesiastes 7:13  Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him. All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness. Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself ? Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time? It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.

Bottom Line: Over righteousness is hypocrisy and no one can ever match the Holiness of God. The righteousness of a Holy God will burn you up like stubble in the end. Over wickedness is a mockery and shunning of God's Holiness. Both extremes are the surest path to Hell. Keeping to the center and accepting Christ's pierced hand(s) and following Christ's pierced feet for your "fleshly drunkeness" is the only Hope for the enduring soul.

Ecclesiastes 12: 3 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments (Love God first and love one another as yourself): for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. -Amen

To whom much is given, much is expected... In the past few months, I have truly discovered how much God gave me in my first forty years. I am forty-one now and I have been going through a time of great temptation, trial, and coming soon...triumph! I haven't been attending church recently due to my circumstances, but God gave me the sustenance to travel in the desert before returning to my church home. There is no other place quite like Bellevue and more specifically those who are there in the body of Christ. Thank you Jesus for my friends. The Lord has been revealing to me how dangerous my flesh is to the Holy Spirit that resides in me. Brother Steve has earnestly warned those who had attended one of his early "Morning Manna" sermons that we should always work to not quench the Holy Spirit within us, but feed it with the Word of God. As I have read through the Bible this year, I am now in the Book of Proverbs- God's unfathomable and most precious book of Wisdom. In so many words, the Book fo Proverbs emphasizes the preciousness of wisdom- when we get her, we need to hold tight to her.  There is much widsom to eat of in Proverbs. I would like to share what God has been laying on my heart over the last week and today...the value of friends- true friends who you can genuinely see the light of Jesus blazing forth from them.

Proverbs 27:9 Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel. Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your Father and do not go to your brother's house when disaster strikes you- better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away...Be wise my son, and bring joy to my heart; then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt.

Wisdom says true friends will stand by you through the good, the bad, and the ugly. They lift you up in the word and deeds of God. They tell you the truth for better or for worse and they pray with you. They love you when you are on the highest mountain peak clothed in the finest robe and when you are the valley of bones- naked in sackcloth and ashes. Thank you Jesus for my friend(s).

Be full of good cheer, hold your friends tight, and know that Jesus (your closest personal friend) is with you always- Amen.

The Book of Psalms is my favorite book. It is found in the center of the Bible. It should be in the center of our hearts balancing all the facets of this world with the Holiness of God: creation, war, worship, wisdom, sin and evil, judgment, justice, and the coming of Jesus.
 

Psalm 51 speaks volumes about the condition we suffer in the flesh and our desire as believers to be with our loving God full of mercy, grace, and ultimately salvation:

¹ Have mercy on me, O God,
       according to your unfailing love;
       according to your great compassion
       blot out my transgressions.

 ² Wash away all my iniquity
       and cleanse me from my sin.

 ³ For I know my transgressions,
       and my sin is always before me.

 ⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
       and done what is evil in your sight,
       so that you are proved right when you speak
       and justified when you judge.

 ⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth,
       sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

 ⁶ Surely you desire truth in the inner parts ^a]">[a] ;
       you teach ^b]">[b] me wisdom in the inmost place.

 ⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
       wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

 ⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
       let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

 ⁹ Hide your face from my sins
       and blot out all my iniquity.

 ¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
       and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

 ¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence
       or take your Holy Spirit from me.

 ¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation
       and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

 ¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
       and sinners will turn back to you.

 ¹⁴ Save me from bloodguilt, O God,
       the God who saves me,
       and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

 ¹⁵ O Lord, open my lips,
       and my mouth will declare your praise.

 ¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
       you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

 ¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are ^c]">[c] a broken spirit;
       a broken and contrite heart,
       O God, you will not despise.

 ¹⁸ In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;
       build up the walls of Jerusalem.

 ¹⁹ Then there will be righteous sacrifices,
       whole burnt offerings to delight you;
       then bulls will be offered on your altar. -Amen

In the Book of Job, a righteous man with a blessed family and a prosperous life is crushed by the evil works of Satan. Although the enemy tests poor Job to the limits by stealing and destroying all that was good in Job's worldly life, his God- Our Holy Father was still in control and there were limits to the onslaught undertaken by the devil.  

Job wondered about his place with God and why all this trouble fell on him. Was his own faith and righteousness not enough before a Holy God? How was this just considering others who are unabashedly wicked without remorse? Would Job endure his loss, suffering, and failing health?

All of us as believers feel these emotions and consider these questions when we are in the midst of bad times and failures. Despite the answers, we must always trust God that in everything it works out to His Glory. God is always in control and is always with you. Job 1:21, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."

Our faithfulness and righteousness will never measure up to God's Holiness. This is what makes His Faithfulness so great and his Grace so amazing. His Justice can only be understood by HIs Wisdom not by our mortal understanding. We will surely endure our trials and tribulations in this life as long as we believe and follow Jesus Christ.  2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  -Amen

In the Book of Esther, the Israelites are under the subjection of a fair KIng Xerxes. They battle an evil enemy,  the vengeful Amalakites led by Haman, who are hell-bent to destroy God's people. However, as we know, God is in control at all times. He calls a young and beautiful heroine named, Esther, to carry out His Will for Good. Esther 4:14 : For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to the royal position for such a time as this. Good Esther accepts her calling, faces her impossible circumstances without complaint, and overcomes.  

Esther's strength came through faith in God's deliverance, humility and respect for her family and kIng.  God's Glory always rises out of such character attributes. Supernatural power of God's Favor in one true believer, who earnestly focuses on God's Word and Way, can overcome any obstacle, realize true justice, and save a whole nation.  

Colossians 3:1-4 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.  -Amen.

In the Book of Nehemiah, the Israelites continued to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. They also rebuilt their reverence and faith in God. Nehemiah was a Hebrew governor that used prayer and intercession first to ovecome the challenges in his life and of his people. His faithful prayers softened the heart of a Persian King, Artaxerxes, who blessed and supplied Nehemiah's reconstruction efforts in the Holy City. His prayers led the people forward in the Righteous Way of God. They learned to earnestly seek God's Word first and found miraculous power to overcome great obstacles of danger, survival, and opposition to rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. The feat was completed in only 52 days. Nehemiah 6: 15-16 "So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God."

The New Testament emphasizes the importance of seeking God first as Jesus, the Holy Father of all prayer warriors and intercessors, taught and was revealed in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

Today, we all need more prayer and to pray more than ever for others  to overcome the battles of this world. Prayer and intercession is the key to revival of the Spirit. -Amen

The Book of Ezra is a small work with a big message. There is deliverance for the believer who seeks the Lord. In Ezra, the Israelites sought to restore Jerusalem from the ruins- the resurrection of the holy city and its temple.  Ezra 3:11 “With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD: ‘He is good; his love to Israel endures forever.’ And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.”

Just as Easter marks the resurrection of Christ from the remains of his fleshly body and the remnant of his first followers witnessed the empty tomb to behold God's Glory, all who follow Christ can be assured that temples and bodies may be torn down, but will surely be rebuilt both in this world and in the Kingdom of Heaven.  In Romans 11:5 Paul proclaims in the Gospel, “At the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.”  A remnant is all God needs to produce the most amazing miracles in all the Earth. -Amen.

Happy Easter.