Hill Thread

Psalm 9:9-10
9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
a refuge in times of trouble.
10 Those who know Your name trust in You
because You have not abandoned
those who seek You, LORD.
Psalm 61:1-4
1 God, hear my cry;
pay attention to my prayer.
2 I call to You from the ends of the earth
when my heart is without strength.
Lead me to a rock that is high above me,
3 for You have been a refuge for me,
a strong tower in the face of the enemy.
4 I will live in Your tent forever
and take refuge under the shelter of Your wings
Psalm 119:114
114 You are my shelter and my shield;
I put my hope in Your word.

Jeremiah 16:19-21
19 LORD, my strength and my stronghold,
my refuge in a time of distress,
the nations will come to You
from the ends of the earth, and they will say,
“Our fathers inherited only lies,
worthless idols of no benefit at all.”
20 Can one make gods for himself?
But they are not gods.
21 “Therefore, I am about to inform them,
and this time I will make them know
My power and My might;
then they will know that My name is Yahweh.”

Related Text:
2 Samuel 22:3 & 31
Psalm 46, Psalm 59:16-17, Psalm 71, Psalm 91
Isaiah 25:1-5

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These verses are great to return to when you feel lonely, hurt, or scared (which could be pretty often). It’s exciting to know that God promises to comfort you in times of trouble. It is thrilling to be able to trust in God who will be our unbreakable fortress when everything else is crashing down on us!

A typical action we take during tough times is to run to friends. This can be both good and bad (depending on the friends, ha). Fiends can provide comfort and direction, but they also have a history of sometimes making things worse or even abandoning us when we need them most.

BUT GOD WILL NEVER LEAVE US! He’s consistent, mightier, has more wisdom, more power, and He is able to provide us with hope and strength for our specific hurt.

Let these verses remind us to run to God and rest in Him. Seek Him as our refuge, as the place we go when nothing is going good. As a bunch of messed up sinners (just like the Israelites in the OT) we so often run to anything but God to fix our pain and problems. We try to be Mr. Fix-It, but we use tools like money, excuses, alcohol, food, shopping sprees, drugs, sex, and advice from the most ridiculous places. I encourage you, that if you ever find yourself in those situations where things are bad, worse, or terrible, RUN to God. Go against everything your sinful body craves to try to fix the problem, and jump up into the lap of your heavenly father!

Real quick, let’s return to the idea of friends. As Christians, as believers in the One True God, God Most High, and followers of Jesus our Savior, let us be used by God in the lives of our friends who are going through pain and problems. Let us not make things worse or turn our back and abandon our friends in their times of great need. Let God use us to help our friends up into His lap!

Sending a Happy Birthday shout out to Phil @  PT Money.  Without him, Hill Thread would not be online!!!  Thanks PT, you really made it happen.

Besides being the internet backbone for us, PT also runs a great blog about personal finance.  It’s all about saving money, getting out of debt, and living a frugal life.  Go check him out at ptmoney.com.

Thanks Phil, and Happy Birthday!

Romans 8:35, 38-39
35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 John 4:16-19 (The Message)
13-16This is how we know we’re living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He’s given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we’ve seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God.
To Love, to Be Loved
17-18God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day-our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life-fear of death, fear of judgment- it is a sign of a person not yet fully formed in love.
19We, though, are going to love-love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.

Related Text:
Deuteronomy 7:7-11
John 3:16-19
Romans 5:8-11
Ephesians 2:4-10

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Unconditional love is the way God loves you and me. God’s love isn’t based on grades, personality, looks, money, past actions, present actions, future actions, friendships, athletic performance, business ethics, or anything.

READ it right there in one of the related texts, Deut. 7:7-8 (It says God loves us because He loves us. Wow, wrap your head around that. The reason the Bible gives for God loving us is that it’s because He loves us!)

If God loved you for what you did, that would be called conditional love. But God’s love is unconditional because His love has no strings attached. Sure there are things that you and I do that God doesn’t like, but He will never keep His love from us!

NOTHING you or I do will permanently separate us from God’s love. Believe it or not, there is no language that is too bad, no action that’s too evil, and no thought that’s too wild to stop God from loving you! Wow, doesn’t that make you feel all warm and cozy, and want to crawl up in the lap of our Heavenly Father!

NOW WRAP YOUR HEAD AROUND THIS.

God shows us unconditional love! Got it.

Reread Romans 8:35, 38-39 from the perspective of YOU showing God unconditional love. (I know, did your mind just get blown!?!?)

Nothing that we go through, nothing that happens to us, no amount of pain we experience should cause us to stop loving God.

God loves us no matter what. Now throw that amazing love right back at Him, and love God no matter what you are going through.

Persevere!

Our k-5th grade RA boys got up early this past Saturday morning and took some time to cut bed sheets into 3-inch bandages to be sent to the Baptist Medical Centre in Ghana, West Africa.  We were able to collect a few thousand feet of bandages to be sent!  Our prayer is that God will bless this effort and that those who need these bandages may find quick and safe healing from our Father.  Find out more about the Ghana Bandage Project.

Hill Thread will be participating in the 10 Day Give this year for the first time.  We are super excited and can’t wait for October 1.  Make sure you sign up and partner with this great act of service.

“The 10 Day Give is a challenge that is designed to help us get our minds off of ourselves and start thinking about how we can help others.

The thing is, I think most people really want to make other people’s lives better, but with everything going on all around us all hours of the day, we just don’t get a chance. This is an opportunity to choose, on purpose, to give of ourselves. There really are hundreds of opportunities that we overlook each day. My goal is to just grab hold of one of them each day.

For some people that means giving money, for others time is far more precious than money, and for others it may mean their expertise in an area. But, no matter who you are, we all have something to give.

It could be taking someone out to lunch, it could be babysitting for an overworked mom, it can as simple as giving your precious time by taking your mom to the park to talk. There are no rules, no judges, and no right or wrong ways of completing the challenge.

But, I encourage you to sign up for the challenge and decide to give whatever you can – it’s only for 10 days. And who knows, maybe it will become a habit.

So, why not decide to take 10 days to give something to a different person, each day. It doesn’t matter what the gift is, how much it costs, who it is given to, or how it is given. The point is to just to give – on purpose. We hope you decide to join us.”

Job 19:1-7 Job’s reply to his friend Bildad
1 Then Job answered:
2 How long will you torment me
and crush me with words?
3 You have humiliated me ten times now,
and you mistreat me without shame.
4 Even if it is true that I have sinned,
my mistake concerns only me.
5 If you really want to appear superior to me
and would use my disgrace as evidence against me,
6 then understand that it is God who has wronged me
and caught me in His net.
7 I cry out: Violence! but get no response;
I call for help, but there is no justice.

Job 27:1-6
1 Job continued his discourse, saying:
2 As God lives, who has deprived me of justice,
and the Almighty who has made me bitter,
3 as long as my breath is still in me
and the breath from God remains in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not speak unjustly,
and my tongue will not utter deceit.
5 I will never affirm that you are right.
I will maintain my integrity until I die.
6 I will cling to my righteousness and never let it go.
My conscience will not accuse as long as I live!

Related Text:
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Matthew 6:25-34

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Instead

God heard the prayers of Job thousands of years ago. And He hears your prayers today! While God doesn’t always choose to answer your prayers the way you hope or expect, rest assured that He hears them. In Luke 18:1-11, Jesus explained the need to pray consistently and to keep praying until an answer comes.(even if it’s not the answer you were looking for, it can still be an answer) So next time you feel like worrying about something, try giving that worry up to God by praying about it instead! See, it’s that easy.

Ezra 1:1-7
1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing:
2 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:
” ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. 3 Anyone of his people among you-may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the LORD, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 And the people of any place where survivors may now be living are to provide him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’ ”
5 Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites-everyone whose heart God had moved-prepared to go up and build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem. 6 All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings. 7 Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god.

Related Text:
2 Chronicles 36:22-23
Jeremiah 25:11-12
Jeremiah 29:l10-14

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The Low Down

When the possibility of returning home and rebuilding the temple came around, the Iaraelites needed help with the finances and with the physical workload. They needed both money and manpower, not just one or the other.

When you think of contributing to a task, it’s easy to think of just donating money or just praying, and letting others foot the bill or do the work. But there are instances where God can use more than your prayers and more than your financial contributions. He can use you, your physical skills and talents and your time, to help get the job done. There are ministries all over, in and outside of your church, that need prayer, finances and physical aid to be built, to grow, and to make an impact for God.

Make a contribution this week. Fins a ministry to get involved in at your church. Find a place to serve. Your contribution may not seem like much to you, but it may be a treasure to another!

James 2:15-16
15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”-but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

Daniel 5:13-31
13 So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah? 14 I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom. 15 The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it. 16 Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”
17 Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.
18 “O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor. 19 Because of the high position he gave him, all the peoples and nations and men of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled. 20 But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. 21 He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like cattle; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes.
22 “But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. 23 Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. 24 Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.

25 “This is the inscription that was written:
Mene , Mene , Tekel , Parsin

26 “This is what these words mean:
Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.

27 Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.

28 Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

29 Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.
30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, 31 and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.

Related Text:
Isaiah 47
Daniel 4
Matthew 24:14-22
1 Corinthians 12

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Something to Chew On

It’s much easier to keep your mouth closed and your hand open for gifts than it is to close your hand to the gifts and speak against the wrong-doing of the gift giver.

Put yourself in Daniel’s position for a moment. God has given you a gift that enables you to interpret a confusing message. But your not at home, your not even in your city, or in your state. You are a captive in the home of the enemy! I have to say, the thought would cross my mind that if I tell this guy that it’s a good message, I might be released. But Daniel doesn’t waver. He does what God has called him to do. He tells the king that he’s going down. I wonder if the thought of Jonah ever arises?

Daniel 5:1-12
1 King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. 2 While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. 3 So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4 As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.
5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. 6 His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way.
7 The king called out for the enchanters, astrologers and diviners to be brought and said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”
8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant. 9 So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled.
10 The queen, hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. “O king, live forever!” she said. “Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale! 11 There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. King Nebuchadnezzar your father-your father the king, I say-appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners. 12 This man Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.”

Related Text:
Genesis 41
Daniel 1-4
Joel 2:28-32
Acts 2:1-21

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Some Background

Daniel was born in Israel, but was take captive in 605 B.C. by the Babylonians. Eventually, he was forced to become a servant of the king of Babylon, king Nebuchadnezzar. In an attempt to brainwash Daniel and take away his identity, Daniel was given the new name Belteshazzar. But Daniel had an unwavering and deep rooted faith in God. The name change did not have the influence that the Babylonian king had hoped it would. Because of Daniel’s faith, God granted him the gifts of exceptional wisdom and understanding.

As we will read tomorrow about Daniel’s interpretation about the writing on the wall, it was this wisdom and understanding that allowed Daniel to be used by God. God had a purpose for Daniel. even though it included being captures for a time, Daniel never lost faith in God. He never threw up his hands and gave up because his circumstances got too tough. As we will see tomorrow, Daniel’s godliness will be expressed through his courage.

John 17:20-26
Jesus Prays for All Believers

20″My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24″Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25″Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

Related Text:
John 17:1-5
John 17:6-19

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Think About It

Read today’s scripture 2 or 3 times. Really. And maybe even read it another 2 or 3 times later today. Spend some time and think about each sentence as you read it. How fortunate are we to be able to read the words that Jesus prayed for US! I mean think about it. In John 17, He is getting close to the cross, and He spends time to pray for us! Our Savior prayed for us, and we can read it whenever we open our Bibles. Historically, it is simply amazing that these words have been recorded; but spiritually, it is uplifting and powerful beyond anything this world can throw at us.

John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Praise God!