{"id":3997,"date":"2017-01-20T07:51:33","date_gmt":"2017-01-20T07:51:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regnersmorningcoffee.com\/blogger\/?p=3997"},"modified":"2017-02-15T18:02:27","modified_gmt":"2017-02-15T18:02:27","slug":"another-coffee-break-the-psalm-23-adventure-part-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regnersmorningcoffee.com\/blogger\/another-coffee-break-the-psalm-23-adventure-part-25\/","title":{"rendered":"ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: THE PSALM 23 ADVENTURE, Part 25"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/span><\/div><\/div>

ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: THE PSALM 23 ADVENTURE, Part 25<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>\n
\n\n

January 20, 2017<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n\n

We\u2019ve come to a place in this discussion on the\nPaths of Righteousness that I believe we can wrap up today before moving on to\ntalk about the next step in this adventure \u2014 that step being,<\/span><\/b> <\/span>\u201cYea, though I walk through the Valley of Death.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>I\u2019m going to run long\ntoday, so bear with me.<\/span><\/b><\/a><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

There\u2019s\na phrase used by psychologists which accurately describes a condition that has\nplagued the body of Christ for centuries.\u00a0\n<\/span>That phrase is: \u201ccognitive dissonance.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/span>Simply put, this phrase describes the following condition:<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Sometimes,\npeople hold a strong core belief that is very wrong.\u00a0 <\/span>When they are presented with evidence that\nworks against that belief, the new evidence cannot be accepted.\u00a0 <\/span>It would create a feeling that is extremely\nuncomfortable.\u00a0 <\/span>We call that \u201cfeeling\u201d cognitive\ndissonance<\/i><\/b>. Because it is so important to protect the core belief,\npeople rationalize (they eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil),\nthey\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>ignore and even deny anything that\ndoesn\u2019t fit with their core belief.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

One\ncore belief widely held in the body of Christ is that God wants His people to\nbe poor\u00a0 <\/span>\u2014 that wealth and riches are\nevil.\u00a0 <\/span>Jesus most certainly did NOT say\nthat \u201cmoney is the root of all evil.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>We\nall have read how this is phrased in the KJV:<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

I\nTimothy 6:10:<\/span><\/u><\/b>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>For the love of money is the root of all evil; which, while some\ncoveted after, they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves <\/span>through with many sorrows.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Unfortunately,\nthis has led to some serious cognitive dissonance <\/i><\/b>in the body of\nChrist, and a series of related doctrines which are the polar opposite of\neverything that Jesus lived and taught.\u00a0\n<\/span>Take a look at how this actually reads in the Greek text.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

For avarice and greed are the root and core of all that is\nworthless, injurious and depraved, and while some lust after and continually\npursue the acquisition of possessions, they have been seduced and led astray\nfrom their faith \u2014 their ability to hear and be sensitive to the voice of Holy\nSpirit \u2014 and their reliance upon and total trust in the Word of the Lord; and\nas a result, they have been penetrated and transfixed by the consequential\ngrief.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>(I\nTimothy 6:10, RAC Translation and Amplification)<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Quite\na different picture, isn\u2019t it?\u00a0 <\/span>It is the\nlust after things, the continual pursuit after personal gain to the shutting\nout of the voice of Holy Spirit that Paul is addressing.\u00a0 <\/span>It is that which produces de-sensitivity of\nour spirits to the Spirit of God.\u00a0 <\/span>It is\nthe dissolution of our total trust and reliance in the total provision of the\nLord for all of our needs.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

The\nGreek word that gets translated \u201cevil\u201d by the KJV translators is not the word\nwe associate with \u201cThe Fear of Evil,\u201d or the kind of evil we think of when we\nhear Satan\u2019s name.\u00a0 <\/span>This is what Paul is\naddressing and why he says that this lust, avarice and greed produces that\nwhich is worthless, injurious and depraved.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Hence,\nthis brings us to the last of the specific principles or purposes we are\ndiscussing in being led in the Paths of Righteousness for His name\u2019s sake.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

9.\u00a0 <\/span>Jesus\u2019 leading of\nus in these paths is to rid us of our dependence on the World System \u2014 Mammon,\nif you will \u2014 and to teach us the principles of Kingdom Economics.<\/o:p><\/i><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n\n

Kingdom\nEconomics, and the economics of the world system are about as diametrically\nopposite of each other as anything can be.\u00a0\n<\/span>Everything about Mammon is to \u201cget all you can, and can all you\nget.\u00a0 <\/span>That\u2019s precisely what Paul is addressing\nin his letter to Timothy.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Take\na look at some of the things that Jesus taught concerning economics.\u00a0 <\/span>This will get a bit long, so bear with me.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Matthew\n6:19-34<\/span><\/u><\/b>: <\/span>Lay\nnot up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt,\nand where thieves break through and steal: \u00a0<\/span><\/sup>But lay up for yourselves treasures in\nheaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not\nbreak through nor steal: \u00a0<\/span><\/sup>For\nwhere your treasure is, there will your heart be also.\u00a0 <\/span>The light of the body is the eye: if\ntherefore thine<\/span> eye be single, thy whole body shall be\nfull of light. \u00a0<\/span><\/sup>But if thine<\/span> eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of\ndarkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is<\/i>\nthat darkness!<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one,\nand love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye\ncannot serve God and mammon.\u00a0 <\/span>Therefore I\nsay unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye\nshall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more\nthan meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow\nnot, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth<\/span> them. Are ye not much better than they?<\/o:p><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?\n\u00a0<\/span><\/sup>And why take ye thought for\nraiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not,\nneither do they spin: \u00a0<\/span><\/sup>And yet\nI say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of\nthese.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day<\/span> is, and to morrow<\/span> is cast\ninto the oven, shall he<\/i> not much more clothe<\/i> you, O ye of little\nfaith?\u00a0 <\/span>Therefore take no thought,\nsaying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be\nclothed?\u00a0 <\/span>For after all these things do\nthe Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth<\/span>\nthat ye have need of all these things.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and\nall these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the\nmorrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient\nunto the day is<\/i> the evil thereof.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

This\npassage is probably among the most-quoted of Scriptures to justify the poverty mind set<\/span> that has permeated the body of Christ.\u00a0 <\/span>Unredeemed human nature seeks to acquire and\nacquire, and acquire, \u201cstuff\u201d \u2013 houses, lands, cars, clothes and lots of\nmoney.\u00a0 <\/span>The reason for this need to \u201cget\u201d\nis rooted in the Fear of Death.\u00a0 <\/span>The\nsubconscious logic behind the constant need to acquire more and more things is\nthat the day might come when a person \u201cwon\u2019t have enough.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>If they don\u2019t have enough, they might starve,\nor they might be stuck without the provision of a home or clothing or the\nability to go somewhere for help \u2013 the subconscious excuses really can go\nastray!<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Hence,\n\u201ccognitive dissonance.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>Hence, the\ngrowth and development of a poverty mindset.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

What\ngets lost in this maelstrom of subconscious human reasoning is the fact that\nyou are NOT your source!\u00a0 <\/span>GOD is your\nsource \u2013 TOTALLY!<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

I\nhave a bone to pick with a lot of \u201cprosperity teachers\u201d because they have lost\na sense of balance in teaching the fact that God wants us to prosper.\u00a0 <\/span>God DOES want His people to prosper and\nbecome \u201cthe head and not the tail.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>In\nfact, the Scripture plainly tells us the following:<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Deuteronomy 8:18<\/u><\/span><\/b>:\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>But\nthou shalt<\/span> remember the LORD thy God: for it is<\/i>\nhe that giveth<\/span> thee power to get wealth, that he may\nestablish his covenant which he sware<\/span> unto thy\nfathers, as it is<\/i> this day.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

You\nsee it don\u2019t you?\u00a0 <\/span>It is He that gives\nyou the power to get wealth.\u00a0 <\/span>But this\npower to get wealth is not so we can use it however we like.\u00a0 <\/span>God\u2019s objective is to demonstrate His\nCovenant.\u00a0 <\/span>The demonstration of His\nCovenant comes in our wise use of wealth.\u00a0\n<\/span>We use it to profit and expand the Kingdom of God.\u00a0 <\/span>We use it in ways that assist other people\nwithout simply giving handouts lacking in responsibility \u2013 the way so many\ngovernment programs do.\u00a0 <\/span>(And I won\u2019t go\ndown that path today!)\u00a0 <\/span>We use our wealth\nin ways that bring Glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

THAT,\nfolks, is how we lay up treasures for ourselves in Heaven<\/span> <\/span>\u201cwhere neither moth\nnor rust corrupts, and where thieves do not break through and steal.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

When\nJesus talks about the light of the body being the eye, He is talking about what\nwe focus our attention on.\u00a0 <\/span>Are we\nfocusing on getting rich for the sake of getting rich, (and that\u2019s the essence\nof Mammon) or are we focusing on the Kingdom of God?\u00a0 <\/span>This is why Jesus says that we cannot serve\ntwo masters.\u00a0 <\/span>We cannot serve the Beast\nsystem with all of its \u201cget, get, get\u201d mentality and at the same time serve the\nLord Jesus Christ and His purposes and destiny for us, along with His\ndesires.\u00a0 <\/span>Jesus \u201cgave, gave, gave,\u201d and\nthat\u2019s a foreign way of living to the world around us.\u00a0 <\/span>There\u2019s no issue with getting, so long as we\nare giving proportionately as Holy Spirit directs.\u00a0 <\/span>Now Jesus takes it the next step.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye\nshall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.\nIs not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Get\nit?\u00a0 <\/span>What happens when you have lots of\nclothes, or lots of food, or many homes, and the Lord instructs you to give it\nall away?\u00a0 <\/span>Are you going to fret and stew\nover not having enough?\u00a0 <\/span>Are you going to\nstart worrying about how you are going to live if He commands you to give\neverything you\u2019ve got?\u00a0 <\/span>Let me share a\ncouple of quick stories as illustrations to wrap up this discussion.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>This first one is personal.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

When\nI was teaching broadcast engineering in the mid-1980\u2019s, Della and I were doing\nOK financially, but really \u201cjust making it\u201d with raising the younger of our\nchildren who by now were either in junior high or high school \u2013 and any of you\nparents know that when your kids are in their teen years, money flows out the\ndoor like water.\u00a0 <\/span>(Della and I have been\nre-living that fact again, having the task of raising four young\ngrandchildren!)\u00a0 <\/span>Unless you have a lot of\nmoney or very high incomes, there\u2019s just not a lot left over at the end of each\nmonth.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

One\nof my engineering students came to me one day and told me he was going to have\nto drop out of the class.\u00a0 <\/span>He was only\nabout six weeks away from graduating and had been a star pupil.\u00a0 <\/span>He was married and had a one- or two-year old\nbaby.\u00a0 <\/span>When I asked him the reason, he\ntold me that they couldn\u2019t make it financially and that he needed to find work.\u00a0 <\/span>Their rent was due and he didn\u2019t have the\nmoney for the rent plus the extra to cover the other expenses they had.\u00a0 <\/span>His rent was about a thousand dollars.\u00a0 <\/span>I told him not to drop out but to sit tight \u2013\nthat the Lord would come through on his behalf.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

[This\nmight have been a secular school, and I was teaching under the auspices of the\nUniversity of Alaska, but made no bones about sharing the Lord and spiritual\nprinciples as part of my engineering courses.]<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

When\nI got home that night, Della and I were sharing this young couple\u2019s plight with\neach other.\u00a0 <\/span>We both had a quickening in\nour spirits to get a cashier\u2019s check for the young man\u2019s rent and take it to\nhim.\u00a0 <\/span>The catch was that our rent was due\nwithin the next week.\u00a0 <\/span>We didn\u2019t have\nenough money at the time to pay our rent, and if we took a thousand dollars\nfrom our account, it would leave us nearly broke.\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Nevertheless, we had learned that when Holy\nSpirit quickens you to do something, and that \u201csomething\u201d leaves you in a state\nof immediate want or need, you still do it.\u00a0\n<\/span>This is an exercise in believing and knowing in the core of your being\nthat, as my Dad used to say, \u201cwhat God orders, He pays for!\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

When\nthe Lord gives you specific instruction to give, and \u2013 in the natural \u2013 that\ngiving leaves you in a precarious financial position, you still do it!\u00a0 <\/span>We took the cashier\u2019s check over to the young\ncouple.\u00a0 <\/span>It was a testimony to them, and\nit was an experience in watching God meet our needs as well.\u00a0 <\/span>That event caused the young couple to make\ntheir own commitment to the Lord.\u00a0 <\/span>Less\nthan 48 hours after that act of obedience, I received an unexpected financial\nbonus from my teaching endeavors that enabled us to meet our needs as well.\u00a0 <\/span>The end of that story was that the young man\ngraduated at the top of the class.\u00a0 <\/span>He\nhad a job in broadcasting waiting for him when he graduated and went on to\nbecome one of Alaska\u2019s premier morning talk and DJ radio hosts.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

My\nsecond example comes in the form of a soldier who was caught in the midst of\nenemy crossfire in Vietnam.\u00a0 <\/span>For the sake\nof this story, I will simply refer to him as Kevin.\u00a0 <\/span>Caught in a situation where his buddies were\ndropping all around him, he prayed, \u201cLord, if you get me out of this alive and\nout of this war alive, I will do whatever you ask of me, I\u2019ll go wherever you\ntell me to go, and I will serve you with everything I have.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

We\u2019ve\nall heard of \u201cfoxhole stories\u201d before where people in crisis make promises to\nGod, and then when the time comes, forget all about their commitments to\nGod.\u00a0 <\/span>For reasons no one could explain at\nthe time, the crossfire suddenly stopped and everything became quiet.\u00a0 <\/span>Kevin waited for a bit before he and his\nremaining buddies were able to get out of there alive.\u00a0 <\/span>Eventually, he returned home from Vietnam,\nalive and in good health.\u00a0 <\/span>Here\u2019s where\nthings get interesting.\u00a0 <\/span>Not long after\nreturning from Vietnam, Kevin learned that he had inherited great wealth from\nan aunt who had passed away while he was in Vietnam.\u00a0 <\/span>He found himself the possessor of millions of\ndollars, several multi-million dollar homes, a chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce,\nyachts \u2013 you get the picture.\u00a0 <\/span>Two years\ninto enjoying his life of luxury, he Lord tapped him on the shoulder and\nreminded him of the promise he made in Vietnam.\u00a0\n<\/span>Up to this time, Kevin had pretty much forgotten his promise to the\nLord, and was simply in cruise mode.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

When\nhe heard the voice and quickening of Holy Spirit, he woke up with a start and\nsaid, \u201cLord, I made a promise to you, and I\u2019ll keep it.\u00a0 <\/span>Whatever you ask of me, I\u2019ll do.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>The response he heard in his spirit was,\n\u201cSell all thou hast and come and follow me.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/span>He shared his story with our friends about three years later and told us\nthat it took him two years to liquidate\u00a0\n<\/span>everything.\u00a0 <\/span>He sold off the\nhouses, the cars, the yachts, gave away the tens (if not hundreds) of millions\nof dollars he had, gave away all of his personal possessions down to the\nclothes on his back and a couple of extra changes of clothes which he carried,\nalong with his Bible, in a backpack.\u00a0 <\/span>He\nbegan hitchhiking all over the nation as the Lord directed him, knowing that he\nwas on a specific mission.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

In\nthe two years it took Kevin to dispose of all of his possessions, the perfect\nobedience he exhibited before the Lord opened up a well of the Spirit within\nhim.\u00a0 <\/span>His complete responsiveness to the\nvoice of Holy Spirit led to his being given prophetic insight into those with\nwhom he came into contact.\u00a0 <\/span>It enabled\nhim to know by the Spirit exactly what God wanted to say to each person who\npicked him up at the side of the road.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Our\nfriend, Dave, was working with Hitachi at the time and traveling all over the\nnation, selling and designing large computer systems and servers for major\ncorporations.\u00a0 <\/span>One day, driving between\nSpokane and Yakima, he saw Kevin standing by the side of the freeway with his\nthumb out in the universal hitchhiking sign.\u00a0\n<\/span>Dave had this penchant for picking up hitchhikers with the idea that he\nwould share the Gospel with them.\u00a0 <\/span>He\nstopped to pick up Kevin.\u00a0 <\/span>Kevin said to\nDave, \u201cThis is a meeting that God has ordained.\u00a0\n<\/span>He knew that you were going to come this way today and he positioned me\nin such a way that you would stop and pick me up.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

If\nI said that Dave was astonished, it would be an understatement!\u00a0 <\/span>Kevin continued, \u201cThe Lord sent me to you\nwith a message that you\u2019ve been pondering over, and you need a confirmation of\nthat message.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>By now, Kevin really had\nDave\u2019s attention.\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cOK, I\u2019m listening,\u201d\nhe said.\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cSell all thou hast and come\nand follow me.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Dave\nwas frustrated to the nth degree.\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cWhaddaya<\/span> mean, \u2018sell all thou hast?\u00a0 <\/span>Everything I have is God\u2019s to begin\nwith.\u00a0 <\/span>I don\u2019t have anything left to\nsell.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>The answer was simple, and it was\none I had shared on several occasions with Dave in the weeks leading up to this\nevent.\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cYou still haven\u2019t given me\nYOU.\u00a0 <\/span>You\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>haven\u2019t sold your reasoning, your human\nlogic, your<\/span> trying to figure out things and trying to\nwalk with me according to your reasoning.\u00a0\n<\/span>I want you \u2013 NOT your logic, and not your reasoning!\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

When\nthey got to Yakima, Kevin said to Dave, \u201cYou can drop me off at the jail.\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019ll sleep there tonight, and tomorrow the\nLord will place me in someone else\u2019s path to share with them.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

This\nstory has some many ramifications that I don\u2019t even begin to be able to explore\ntoday, but the end of it was that after several years of traveling like this\nand being obedient to the Lord, everything he thought he\u2019d sold off or given\naway came back to him multiplied many times over.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Kevin\nhad grasped the principle of pure obedience.\u00a0\n<\/span>He realized that all of his wealth and belongings were nothing more than\n\u201cstuff!\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>To walk in union with the Lord\nwas far more important than trying to hang onto material goods, and because of\nhis obedience in seeking the Lord and His will as his priority in life, the\nLord rewarded him ion<\/span> the years to come with more\nthan he could possibly imagine.\u00a0 <\/span>Meanwhile,\nGod was his ONLY source of supply, his ONLY source of provision, his food, his\nwater, his clothes, his having a roof over his head each night.\u00a0 <\/span>Kevin had learned and walked Matthew 6:33 as\nliterally as anyone I\u2019ve ever known.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

You\nall recall the story ion Luke 18 of the rich young ruler who came to Jesus and\nasked Him, \u201cWhat must I do to inherit eternal life?\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Jesus\nreminded him of God\u2019s command to <\/span>\u201clove\nthe Lord, thy God, with all thy heart, with all thy mind and with all thy soul,\nand thy neighbor as thyself.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0\n<\/span>The rich young ruler told Jesus that he had kept all of these things his\nentire life.\u00a0 <\/span>Jesus\u2019 response then, was, <\/span>\u2018Yet lackest<\/span> thou one thing: sell all\nthat thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt<\/span>\nhave treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.\u201d<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Verse\n23 tells us, <\/span>\u201cAnd when he heard this, he was very\nsorrowful: for he was very rich.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Sad\nto say, but our friend, Dave, had pretty much the same reaction and response to\nthe Word of the Lord that had been delivered to him on no less than three\noccasions.\u00a0 <\/span>He was too proud of his IQ\nand ability to reason things out and unwilling to \u201csell\u201d that to the Lord.\u00a0 <\/span>In the end, Dave died at a relatively young\nage, having lost his position and esteem in the world, along with what\npossessions he had, and his family estranged from him.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

I remind those of you\nin need of ministry that our Healing Prayer Call normally takes place on the\nfirst Monday of each month at 7:00 PM Eastern (4:00 PM Pacific). \u00a0<\/span>Our call-in number is <\/span><\/b>(712) 775-7035.\u00a0\n<\/span><\/span><\/b>The Access Code is: <\/span><\/b>323859#.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0 <\/span>For Canadians who have\ndifficulty getting in to this number, you can call <\/span><\/b>(559) 546-1400<\/span><\/b>.\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>If someone answers and asks what your original\ncall-in number was, you can give them the 712 number and access code.<\/span><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n\n

At the same time, in\ncase you are missing out on real fellowship in an environment of Ekklesia<\/span>, our Sunday worship gatherings are available by\nconference call \u2013 usually at about 10:45AM Pacific.\u00a0 <\/span>That conference number is <\/span><\/b>(605) 562-3140<\/span><\/b>, and the access code is <\/span><\/b>308640#.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0 <\/span>We hope to make these\ngatherings available by Skype or Talk Fusion before long.\u00a0 <\/span>If you miss the live call, you can dial <\/span><\/b>(605) 562-3149<\/span><\/b>, enter the same access code and listen in\nlater.<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Blessings\non you!<\/o:p><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/p>\n\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> \n\n
<\/span><\/div>
\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Regner\n A. Capener<\/span><\/b>
\n CAPENER MINISTRIES<\/b><\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

RIVER\nWORSHIP CENTER<\/span>
\nSunnyside, Washington 98944<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Email\nContact:<\/span> Admin@RiverWorshipCenter.org<\/span><\/a><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

All\nCoffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for\nreprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted\n\u2013provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee\nBreak archives are available at<\/span> http:\/\/www.RegnersMorningCoffee.com<\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/u> Coffee Break\narticles are normally published weekly.
\n
\nIf you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email,\nplease send a blank email to:<\/span> Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com<\/span><\/a><\/span>.To remove yourself\nfrom the mailing list, please send a blank email to<\/span> Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com<\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

CAPENER\nMINISTRIES<\/span><\/b> <\/span>is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should\nyou desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry,\nplease contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or\nvisit: <\/span>http:\/\/www.RiverWorshipCenter.org<\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve come to a place in this discussion on the Paths of Righteousness that I believe we can wrap up today before moving on to talk about the next step in this adventure \u2014 that step being, \u201cYea, though I walk through the Valley of Death.\u201d I\u2019m going to run long today, so bear with me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[177,65,133],"class_list":["post-3997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-another-coffee-break","tag-177","tag-another-coffee-break","tag-january"],"yoast_head":"\nANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: THE PSALM 23 ADVENTURE, Part 25 - Regners Morning Coffee<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/regnersmorningcoffee.com\/blogger\/another-coffee-break-the-psalm-23-adventure-part-25\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: THE PSALM 23 ADVENTURE, Part 25 - 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